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Hello Folks

Well, just sitting here again..........yes, I do work too. lol But hearing the weather reports in chat, seems like there are clouds and rain all over. And you know, even on dark, raining days there's positives.

Sitting on the couch, snuggling with a good book, or even better, a good friend. Going out and dancing in the rain. Embracing the warmth of a summer rain. Maybe even singing in the rain.

Me, I like to sit and think. Think about people I've known, conversations we've had, and even composing some for the future. And a recent conversation popped into my head. Weddings. Was thinking, what a better time than a cloudy day to have a thread, a positive thread about Weddings.

I think back over the years, the weddings I've attended. The funny stories, the horror stories, but most of all, the happy stories. Ones of first love, happiness, anticipation of spending your lives together.....and the honeymoon : )

I usually get the ball rolling with one of my own, but today, will bow out and ask the room.

What positive stories do you have of Weddings?

Howdy Folks

Looks like I might as well get the ball rolling then.

Was thinking about which direction to go on this, funny weddings? romantic? Sad? But quickly realized, Wedding are all about love. So love it is. And maybe a little different kind of love.

Oh what are you thinking? No not like that. The love of family.

You see my Mom was the youngest of a large old fashioned farm family that consisted of mostly boys. They were rascals, not ever mean spirited or they'd get the belt, but fun loving bunch of guys. There was this one picture of an outhouse sitting in the middle of the main intersection of town. Well that sort of joke playing was passed on down the line. My cousins. Again, mostly boys. To this day, when we get together, well the stories fly, ya remember this and the next thing you know, we try to outdo that.

So back to Weddings. When each in turn got engaged, the planning started. What jokes to play. Bottoms of shoes that had HELP written in white. TP attached at the last min to the back hem of the suit jacket....you know, fun stuff. And the cars, oh my, how they were decorated.

You have to realize this all took place in a different era. Things were simple, you got married upstairs, went downstairs for cake, punch, nuts and mints, then rushed out to get the honeymoon started. But first was the ride. The ride through the country and into town to share in the celebration with a trail of cars all honking their horns to go along with the chorus of cans and hubcaps tied to the back of the lead (grooms) car.

So as each older cousin ( I was the youngest) got married the jokes became a little more elaborate and, well, risque.

So my story is about the big day. And it was. First I guess you could say the Wedding. But more important, the first time I got to hang with the cousins and help with the car. Oh the fun we had. We went all out. Limburger cheese on the exhaust manifold. Car stuffed with balloons and rice. Vaseline on the gear shifter, windows covered in mud with little "messages". You know, all those things that had to be cleaned up before they could get to the honeymoon. Guess you could say, a little old fashioned birth control. Too tired to do it after cleaning up the car.

So when they brought out the bras to tie to the door handles and the granny panties (oh, those were the norm then) to tie to the antenna I was blushing a little. When it was done, we all sat back and admired the handiwork. Yep we would make our uncles proud. But then..... that one cousin. The one that always has to do it one step further decided it just wasn't enough. Guess he noticed the blush on my cheeks and decided to get a twofer. Kill two birds with one stone. So with a chuckle and elbowing the other cousins, he called me over and said we need something more for this car and we need you to go get it. Here is a handful of quarters, there's a machine in the men's room, go get us some things to throw in the back, blow up and hang from the mirrors. Well, I could feel the heat on the back of the neck rise and cover the top of my head, but I was determined to carry out my task and earn my spot with the cousins. So off i went, the belly laughs loud in my ears.

So there i was, hanging out in the men's room, waiting for it to empty. Coast is clear, run over to the machine, drop the quarter, turn the handle and grab the package. Run back to the door, check, run back over. So after a long time and several interruptions I emerged with my pockets full. I ran back and handed them over to the by this time howling cousins. Proud, boy was I proud, I did it. I purchased a pocketful of condoms and didn't get caught.

Then the howls turned into convulsions. Bewildered, why were they all choking, turning blue, and falling to the ground? Sweat poured from me, why guys, why? What did I do? Oh, after some time one of the older cousins took me aside and explained.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. how the heck was a 12 year old suppose to know that not all of those machines dispensed condoms, some had prolong ointment, some had brut, and others had little "cartoon" books. That is when I started to developed the positive attitude about life, at least all those things could still be used on the honeymoon and................................I knew better than to waste my money on the machine with combs.

But wait, it doesn't end there.

On the night of my wedding. My cousins gave me a gift to open in front of the crowd. Little nervous, with that crew you never knew, I opened the box. Stuffed inside the box were, yep, Condoms......and a note.

Just in case you made the same mistake twice.

Think I still have most of them almost 40 years later.

So you see, it was a Wedding that included a different kind of long, one you find in a large family full of rascals.

Hummm, telling this story reminded me of another old fashioned tradition, The Belling. Maybe later

Take Care All

Now Jahoo is that the same as a Chivaree, old Appalacian tradition I heard

lol, close dennis.

Same concept, but as a celebration..but shhhhhhh, you'll ruin the story

oops, sorry dennis........shhhhh single lol