I’m not sure how I
got the name of “Crazy Lady Next Door.” I do, however, remember who gave it to
me. It was that rascally teenaged neighbor boy, Darryl Christensen. And the name has stuck by means of my
youngest son. Of course, Matthew always says it in that endearing way that only
a youngest child can get away with.
It couldn’t have
been anything I did to get the name. I’m sure the fact that I blew bubbles
off my back porch, took spins on our wagon-wheel merry-go-round in the middle
of the night, and rode Brandi Van Ausdal’s horse down the street of our
sub-division could not have contributed to his opinion of me. (I did, by the
way, slug him for it.)
Maybe Darryl had
more insight into my life at the time than I realized. I was a single mom of
seven children, five of whom were teenagers, (counting the 12-year-old). My
door was always open, not because I welcomed everyone, but because there were
constantly kids running in and out of it.
My house was where
the kids came to dye their hair crazy colors. My downstairs bathtub had the
most beautiful dye ring you’ve ever seen! I’m pretty sure the other mothers
told their teenagers they weren’t allowed at my house because they never knew
what color the kids would come home with—blue, fluorescent pink, Ronald McDonald
red…
We had a flower bed
in the front yard that was walled in with rock. My son, Michael, and Darryl’s
brother, Shawn, both drove their big 4-wheel-drive trucks up my rock garden and
parked them. We called it Little Moab.
I took a picture because it was so clever and hilarious. Then I told them to
never do it again. I’m pretty sure they did it a couple more times.
The purpose of this blog is so I can muse and
ramble to my heart’s content. It will be my weekly chat with friends, without
making them actually sit and listen to me go on and on. If you want to know my
opinion on things, this will be the place to come. If you don’t care to know,
but want to be supportive, just forego reading and post a “hello” anyway. (I
know several of my children will be relieved to hear that!) Just kidding, Kids! XD
