My Dad was the best!!

No matter how old we get, a girl never outgrows her need or love for her daddy. My dad was indeed one of a kind....sweet, funny, happy, knowledgeable, silly and with a love for his Lord that never waivered. Gene was born "Eugene Brooks" with no middle name, but other than that, he doesn't know a lot about his birth. He doesn't know when he was born or where. He was the 7th of 8 children and was probably born on a farm somewhere near Bonham, Texas; the doctor on duty that day probably had to go deliver some cows or horses too and he never recorded dad's birth. Cow, horse, human...it didn't matter back then I guess....almost 95 years ago!

Dad's family sorta fell apart after his parents divorced and he commenced to live with 11 different families or friends until he married my mom, Eleanor Beazley, in 1941. They were married 68 years! For a period of time, he lived with his uncle, Amon Carter, in some big white house on the west side of Ft. Worth. Amon, the namesake for the TCU football stadium, was a character who had more money than necessary; he started the Ft. Worth Star Telegram and has had an airport and museum named after him and was some big wig way back when. Dad said it was nothing to come downstairs and see some famous person sitting at the breakfast table. He remembers seeing Will Rogers and Charles Lindberg there one morning. I remember going to Amon's funeral; I was 8 years old and I don't remember much about him but did wonder if we would get any of his money. Yeah, right!! While he lived there, Amon's wife told dad that all men needed a middle name so she gave him the name Carter. Somebody else he lived with asked him one day when he wanted his birthday and he said, "tomorrow" and that happened to be November 27th. They thought the year was 1915 but years later discovered that that would make him only 3 months older than his youngest sister so he must have been born in 1914. As a small boy he was in Vaudeville and also traveled with the carnival for a while. What a wild beginning to a great life. He told me once, "I love life; I'd like to do it again...well, most of it anyway".

Dad's family was definitely on the small side; he was 5'4" and he was one of the bigger boys. Some of his brothers were jockeys in Kentucky. Wish he had been; I always wanted a horse! Now you pair that up with my mom who is 5'3" and you get short children and short grandchildren and on and on until someone marries tall; so far, no one has!! His height never bothered him. He was tall in my eyes. I loved his sense of humor. He always had a crazy saying, goofy look, smirky smile and the greatest hugs ever!! I already miss them.











Dad loved history, especially the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. When Dad got to heaven, I bet he saw God on his throne in the middle, with Jesus on the right hand side and Abe Lincoln on the left. When I was 10, one vacation I remember was when we drove our '58 Buick all over what seemed to be the entire eastern 1/3 of the country looking at every Civil War battlefield there was. We had to take our picture beside every sign, cannon, fort and graveyard! After several days of this, I was a little bored and my sister, Sherry, and I couldn't wait to go to the cheesy motels and swim in their pool. My love of history wasn't as deep as his!! Every day from April 1961-1965, we received one to ten self-addressed letters in our mailbox with the 100th year anniversary stamp commemorating every battle in the Civil War and it was postmarked by the postmaster in that town with "First Day Issue" stamped on it. He had them all nicely bound in books with notes about each battle. If anyone knows anyone who would want these for a school or museum, call me!! I remember I always hated to ask Dad a history question because he wouldn't just give me the answer, he had to start way back to the Roman Empire to get me the answer to something in WWII!! All I wanted was the answer so I could be finished with the homework and could go play basketball in the driveway!!

Dad loved sports; he taught me football and how to throw a spiral. He loved the Cowboys but really only when Roger Staubach and Tom Landry were there; he wasn't much on Jerry Jones......who is??? He never could get over pro basketball players and their shorts that are too baggy and that they "travel with the ball" all the time. I'd have to agree with both. He loved track and excelled in that. He told me a 100 times how he set a record in the 60 yard dash in high school by not getting caught when he jumped the gun....it's not a sin unless you get caught! He also told me how he dug holes in the ground to get a better start because they didn't have starting blocks back then.

I was a church rat and loved everything about it; the people, the music, the leaders, the fun but the best was Camp!! I couldn't wait to go to camp and always wanted to stay there for 2 weeks. I continued my love for camp until a few years ago; at last count, I have been to 58 camps and several years went to 2-3 a summer. That's a long time on a bunk bed....except most of the time I was out creating havoc all night and never slept much. My mom and dad always went to Camp and were sponsors. Every group had to do a skit and some were more on the line of productions rather than silly skits. Dad's was no exception! He worked for weeks on these skits and usually won "Best Skit" which was a big deal back then! He also did skits at church and was sometimes in the musicals we did; he rarely had a serious part! He was well known for his pantomime of Andy Griffith's, "What it was, was Football"....a goofy monologue about a country bumkin that wandered into a football game and had no clue what they were doing. You could probably find it on You Tube nowadays but back then you could only find it at Sagamore Hill Baptist Church.

Dad worked at General Dynamics in Fort Worth for 26 years and was the purchasing agent for the F-111 and B-26. He also worked at Texlite in Dallas for 5 years where they made the big flying red horse for Mobil Gas. The largest one is still on some building in downtown Dallas. We have one in the downstairs of my house...what on earth will I do with it when Bill dies!!! If you know someone who wants it, call me!! I might throw in the Civil War books for free and the 20 years of National Geographic that I promised I wouldn't throw away. He would never let me cut anything out of those; you would have thought they were part of the Bible!! Speaking of the Bible, he knew it very well also and taught Sunday School for years. I was afraid to ask him a Biblical question because I figured he'd start back with Adam and Eve and I just wanted to know something about the crucifixion...there's a lot of time in between those two events!!

When we lived in Dallas, I was 5 to 10 years old. We lived in a fun neighborhood and Dad made it that way. If the neighbors left town for a trip, they came home to who-knows-what done to their house. No one locked their doors so it was easy to get into. He did the usual Syran Wrap on the potty, string all wrapped around everything in the house but the best was the vacuum cleaner under their bed on a timer that would go off about 3:00 in the morning! As far as I know, no one had a heart attack, just several cases of severe panic and calling of the cops. Mom would also make them a chocolate mud pie topped with whipped cream to welcome them home. I've made several of these; the best ingredient is sand from the long jump pit at my school. It's a great joke. If you need the recipe, call me. I'll sell it to you along with the Civil War books and flying red horse!

Dads are more than funny skits, pranks, vacations, answers for homework and money for junk kids want....My Dad was unconditional love, integrity, discipline, Biblical morals and values, consistency, encourager, memories, laughs galore, love for my mom and her dogs, love for God and His church and the greatest PeePaw 5 grand kids ever knew. Robyn, Jenny, Melissa, David and Jaime loved him very much. He loved all of them dearly and prayed for them all the time!! We always hoped these prayers were not at the dinner table. He prayed for every kid, grand kid, leader, president, missionary, czar, sick person and world affair until pretty soon the meal was stone cold and the kids had fallen fast asleep face down in the broccoli! I will miss all that my Dad was but I thank God everyday that he was my dad!! What a happy, Christian legacy he left!! I'll sell you everything I have except the memories of my Dad. He wrote a biography and titled it, "Leave 'Em Laughing"......I can't wait to see his laugh and smile again in Heaven with all of his family! I love you Daddy!!

Aren't these 6 kids cute??!!!

You may not have noticed, but I changed the blog picture of my grandkids. This was taken at New Braunfels just a week ago. We go there every Labor Day and have since I was 12. It's changed alot...but then so have I in some areas!

On the left is KATE. She is 4 and is Jenny and Shannon's youngest. What a hoot she is. She recently asked her mom, "mama, is this the Obama guy, the president of the states? He bees on the TV all the time". I agree with her...he bees on there too much! She loves to fish and play in the crime lab at my house and get in the costumes and jewelry. It is always a mess when she's finished playing. She also announced on Palm Sunday that Jesus came to town on a Honkey!! What is that? A white donkey?


Next is CHARLIE. He is 5 and in kindergarten. This is David and Suz's middle child and has the prettiest hair and eyelashes of them all. He loves baseball and wants to play in college like his Pops did. I wish he'd play at Baylor but by the time he gets there, he'd need a scholarship for sure! He can throw and catch really well. He also can hit and practices alot by hitting his brother.
























Charlie is holding his baby sister, CAMRYN. She came into this world a little early, weighing in at a whopping 3 lbs, 9 ozs. She is now 10 months and finally weighs 14 lbs. She is so cute and sweet and when she cries you can hardly hear her! Can't say that for her cousin!

Next is ALLIE. This is Jenny's oldest and she is 8. She loves art and has drawn many princesses and fairies. She's really good. She loves acting and was the "Fairy God Mother" in her second grade play, "Cinderella". She likes to come to our lake and has learned to slalom ski and wakeboard. She and Jen and I were at the dock this summer and were talking about her being in the 3rd grade next year. Jenny remembered that when she was in the 3rd grade that the president got shot. I told Allie that when I was in the 11th grade, the president got shot. She looked at me very seriously and asked, "would that be Abraham Lincoln?" After I ripped her hair out and threw her in the lake, I told her it was Kennedy and that I had also attended Lee Harvey Oswald's funeral. She wasn't impressed. Maybe she would have been if it had been John Wilkes Booth.













Allie is holding KEELY. She is Jaime and Michael's baby. She is 5 months and has the biggest blue eyes and loves her mops and pops. Unlike Camryn, you can definitely hear her cry! She loves to be outside just like me. She can be soothed if you turn on Mickey Mouse. Maybe she'll work at Disney World someday.

Next is JACKSON. He is David and Suz's oldest. He loves all sports but especially loves dirt bike racing. He started this at 4-5 years old and has won several trophies. He wants to be a professional dirt bike racer. I take lots of pictures of him and pray the entire time.

Thanks for indulging me this time to brag. Since it is my blog, I guess I can brag anytime I want to. Next I will be posting some pics of the summer...I refer to it as the Summer of 243! That's how many different people came to the lake. It was lots of fun. The neighbors think we should replace the water in the lake...I think God did that for me just this past week!.

Things NOT on my Bucket List!!

A week ago I had to go to the dentist.....this trip, as we all know, is not high on anyone's Bucket List!! I go to a nice dentist that goes to my church...when I left, I wondered if he ever goes to church!! I had to have a crown which is the price of a new small car. Of course it was the farthest tooth back so after the gas took effect on my brain, he shot me about 4-5 times. Holy catfish!! That hurts so bad! When that took effect, I couldn't hear, see, taste or smell. You could have performed surgery on the entire right side of my body. Everything was numb. I could have pierced 4 new holes in my ear, taken out my appendix, done half of a colonoscopy and gotten a new right knee!! I need a new knee so that really was appealing but I don't want another colonoscopy for 5 more years! Been there...done that...and I don't want to buy the t-shirt! After the gas wore off, I had to drive home. I think I made it.

Later that day, I drove to Ft. Worth. Still gnawing on my tongue, I headed north to help out with some parental duties. This too is not on my Bucket List but I went like a good daughter to help. Mom had just put down new carpet because of a leak or something. When I got there, I helped unpack all kinds of "treasures" to put back in the dining room hutch and eterge' (however you spell that - you know that fancy little shelf). She was somewhat offended when I tried to put some of these lovely items in a box "to put somewhere else". When she wasn't looking, I threw some things away. I started to find a box and put the finer things in it to give to my sister, Sherry; I'm sure she'll want them!! Anyway, I think we only hollered at each other once or twice and then went to bed. It does look nicer and she probably won't miss the little bunny rabbit with a blue bow, turtle family, swans, box of candy from someone's wedding, broken pig, faded flowers from a funeral or the antique (?) broach! I went to church with them on Sunday and saw lots of people I'm suppose to remember but don't. You know how that is! After church we went to Cheddars!! Oh, if the story could just stop right there!

I had a bowl of chicken tortilla soup...big bowl. I gave Mom one spoonful; thank heavens I didn't give my dad any. This soup decided to rear it's ugly head in the form of food poisoning in the middle of the movie that evening at 8:00! I thought I had eaten too many Boston Baked Beans and along with the 3D movie of "Ice Age"....well, let's just say that I had to make a mad dash to the movie theatre potty. Thank heavens, no one else was in there. Throwing up is an art form that you never really "learn" but also never forget how!!! After 5 minutes, I went out in the hall. Several minutes later, I was back in there...this time the place was full of people....for only a brief moment. I've never heard people run out of a place so fast! I then ran for the car and made it almost home. I don't know the name of the street I threw up on, but I ruined my flip flops! This lasted all night along with the other part of food poisoning that I won't discuss...aren't you glad!! 12 hours later and 10 pounds lighter, I laid in bed and tried to act human. I felt like a mac truck hit me for 3 days. This is definitely NOT on my Bucket List. Mom got sick too but not quite as bad because she only had a little of this tasty soup.

Tuesday morning I awoke a 6 a.m. to my mother telling me she was going to the ATM to get some money and when she came home she was going to call the ambulance because dad doesn't feel well!!!! What?? Is this a dream? Why do you need money to go call an ambulance...still in a fog, I said, "If you need an ambulance, why are you going after money first?" something was not right here! I talked her out of the money but not out of the ambulance! He went in for chest pains and by the time he got there he was fine. So we spent the better part of a day telling them not to do tests on him and can we go home? He came home, ate a big dinner, slept soundly in his own bed and I finally came home on Wednesday. I secretly threw the Cheddars leftovers in the garbage disposal!! Mom was just about attached to the leftovers as she was the bunnies and turtles! If he had had the tortilla soup, we would have been calling the ambulance 2 nights in a row! There are a million stories just like this...but that's for another day!! This day was long enough...and really not on my Bucket List!

More Lake Fun!!

Here are some more pics of the lake fun. Jenny added it up......65 hours on the lake in 17 days! No wonder, after they left, I slept til 10:00 every day! Who am I kidding...I could sleep that late every day!! Butch, Kate, Allie and Harrison enjoying the lake at sunset! It's the best and coolest time to be out there!!

Our good friend, Butch McBroom, comes down every summer and fishes day and night! He uses fancy lures and worms etc and I use hot dogs. Guess who catches the most?? yep, he is a hot dog lover now! He goes out early, stays in the sun all day, comes in for dinner and fishes at night. Bill quotes Will Rogers and says "I hope I never get so lazy that I like to fish." Last year he actually caught some and ate them! This year Butch caught a turtle. He's no longer in our lake!

Feeding time with a big gang of people is a real experience!

Eat really fast, leave a mess and let Bill and Gerald clean it!

Back to the lake for more fun!

We can walk on water, slide, fish and dowse your grandma!!

Reagan sporting the new look in comfortable, yet sexy, bathing suits!!

Allie got pretty good at skiing on two so she tried to slalom. She went about 50 yards on one before she bit it but got up and tried again. She got pretty good.....for 8 years old!

Her sexy teacher is "Mops"!

All the cousins came out one day! It is always my favorite time!

We are a very dignified family! Harrison, Reagan, Jackson, Charlie, Camryn, Griffin, Kate, Ethan and Allie. Baby Keely was asleep somewhere!

Keely Brooke - 3 months old, July 3rd!! Pretty blue eyes!!

Sundaes at the soda fountain are a must before bedtime!!

If no one feeds you.....get it out of the garbage sack!! That's what Birdie did!!

Happiest Day of My Life!!!

About 6 months ago, my doctor, who is a male, decided it would behoove me to get off of my hormone pills. Now right there is an oxymoron!!! HE is a male and doesn't take hormone pills, at least not the kind I take, and who is he to decide if it is time? There is appointed to each person a time to die and God decides that - not Dr. G. "You are over 60 and been on them awhile and I think it would be best"! Who died and left him in charge!! So for 6 months I have been miserable....can you spell SWEAT?!....all night and all day not to mention weight gain, lack of sleep and an annoying ringing in my ears! It's a high pitched E flat I think...whatever note it is, it must go!!! I am proficient at laundry because I sweat through everything. If I've bitten your head off any time during the last 6 months, I would like to apologize - it is not my fault! The hormone pills supposedly have horse urine in them.....I don't care whose urine is in them....Give them back to me!! I thought about buying a horse and letting him pee on my foot every day but I figured the neighbors might not want a horse around. I could let their children ride him and charge them and make a little money on the side. As far as I'm concerned it can have urine from the whole zoo; I don't care!!

Hot flashes feel like someone stuck a hair dryer down your throat...it's a inner heat that can't be described unless you are a female going through this. It's like being thrown into hell 10-15 times a day - Now I can sympathize more with Shaddrach, Meshach and Abendego!!! So....I tried being a big girl and going cold turkey; that was awful! Over-the-counter remedies, sleeping bare, ice packs under the arms, spritz bottles for down the back - none of these worked! He even gave me a "low dosage of anti-depressant medicine". I almost killed myself - that really didn't work!! So, after 6 months, I called him again and threatened to kill him if he didn't write me a prescription for the little green pill!! I must have sounded sincere about killing him and he relented. It was the most wonderful day of my life!! I figure I would rather live shorter and have friends than live a long time and have no friends. It's taken a few weeks to get them back in my system and the ringing in the ears is still there but I can now sleep through the night! I am only hot now when I go outside - but that's the drawbacks of living in Houston! I knew I could win this battle somehow - I really didn't want to buy a horse!!

Hours of fun on the lake!!

If you ever wonder why my arms look like a nice leather purse and my face has more wrinkles than most 100 year olds, it's because I'm an outside junky. Teaching PE outside for 20 years didn't help but now I can blame it on living on a lake! It's really fun and I love being out there with the kids and dragging them all over the lake! Jenny and I have taught several how to ski or knee board this summer. When I was 12, my good friend Trevelyn and her dad taught me how to ski on Lake Arlington near Ft. Worth. This past weekend, Trev's daughter, Kristy and her family came out and Jen and I got her daughter up on skis on the very first try. Mary Kathryn, who is 12, now has to teach my great-grandchildren how to ski. We have to keep this legacy going!! We had a great day fishing and skiing and riding the raft!

Mary Kathryn Parrott skiing for the first time with her beautiful teacher, "Mops"!

Mary Kathryn, Kate, Benjamin Parrott, Reid Parrott and Allie loved the raft!

Kristy Parrott, MK, Shannon, Reid and Benjamin fishing for the fun of it...not for food

Keith caught a big bass....but no one wanted to clean it!

Grandkids love to come to the lake!!

Jackson doing a 360 on the kneeboard, Allie skiing and Kate and Allie modeling their matching bathing suits!

Keely Brooke, almost 3 months, and Jaime!! Charlie, aka, "Chuck Nasty" is letting his hair grow out again!! We all like it long!

Allie loves babies - especially Camryn, age almost 8 months!!

Trey and Laurie Mounce and JT and Weston came out on Father's Day. I didn't think I would ever get off of the jet ski!!! "Faster, faster" is all I heard!!!!

John Tyler and Weston kneeboarding!!

Weston, Allie, Charlie, Jackson, Kate and JT ready to jump into the lake!

One day last week, 3 of the 5 boys that live next door came over to play. We call them "the 5-boy-house"! It took me 6 months to learn their names and know one from the other....Drew, Will, Kyle, Ben and Grant. They have quickly become my adopted grandchildren....so polite, fun, cute and they don't live with me!!! When I want them, I call and they come running. When they want to eat, they go home. Best of both worlds.

Grant with our pet dead snake!!
Tonight 2 adults and 2 kids spent the better part of a ball game cleaning up the "crime lab" more commonly referred to in other households as a playroom. It had to be cleaned before the rest of the guests arrived tomorrow and Thursday or we might lose a kid in there....now that might not be a bad idea! The picture below is the before and this really does not do justice to the mess!! You can't see the trash, body parts, little Barbie shoes, feathers from boas, Crayola papers peeled off or jewelry smashed down into the carpet.....but thank heavens we have this room or the whole house would look like this!! Gotta love grandkids!!!