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I know it’s just a fraction of the many things you could hear. But I only wrote down the following few.
“If you’re not winning, you gotta drink. That’s what I always say. Or run over something.”
“Lucky? Oh geez…now I got a nickname. That’s scary.”
“How much do I have to lose?”
All of the above (and much more) are why I’ve stuck by my choice to not play the infamous game of poker. But it can obviously provide lots of entertainment in a number of ways.
I finally got around to getting this video up. Yes I did a bit of editing and usually this type situation is watched as raw video. But considering I stood there for more than 30 minutes, I didn’t want to post all of that. Oh, and no jokes about a double rainbow. I am the only one that can point out how awful my commentary really is.
As a volunteer at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, there are a lot of things to see and hear. Some things must remain confidential, but there are some things which are safe to share and too cute to keep to oneself.
Recently I was visiting with a young boy. He was cheerful and spoke with a strong southern accent. We played with an animal puzzle and he told me about his dog.
“It’s a white dawg. He likes to eat bones. Them white bones but we had to go to Walmart to get some more.” (last word had 2 syllables)
Me “Do you like bones?”
Boy: Scrunches nose. “No.”
Me: “Do you eat chicken?”
Boy: “I like chicken. I like them little macaronis and cheeeeese!”
He told me how he had his tonsils taken out and …”it didn’t even hurt. I drank grape juice. It was goooood. They put scissors in there and just took em out while I was asleep! It didn’t hurt.”
In the shadow of more serious reasons he was there, the tonsillectomy seemed minimal.
Later I walked past a room where an older boy was playing a toy guitar. I popped my head in and did the “Rockstar- stick your tongue out- hold your hand up” pose. He smiled and just kept jammin’.
In other news on the hospital campus, they’ve been undergoing some renovations and improvements. This beam was prominently displayed in front of the main entrance for passers-by, staff, volunteers, and patients to sign before it’s used in the South Wing. A little way to let the community be a part of the ACH family and show some support.
A signature with a marker, a puzzle with a child. The little things are what the big things are made of.
I know commercials began in early August to celebrate this special time of year. Everybody tries to save money when stocking up on crayons, hand sanitizers, notebooks, and even clothing. But–surely there was a miscommunication between the financial analysts and the display boy!
Load up the shopping cart!
Just wanted to share this little piece (and peace) with you.
This is not my style, however perhaps the fairytale-ishness of it caught my eye. I love how he plays on the word “character” bridging his art with the simple, touching inscription: No matter where we go, we are obliged to take our character with us.
Small work by Nathaniel Dailey
Nathaniel is a local artist I met a few weeks ago during 2nd Friday Art Night.
Sitting on a park bench outside the restaurant, I ask my 9-year-old nephew Brett what kind of car he wants when he grows up. Our short chat went something like this:
Brett: A Lamborghini.
Lamborghini
Lauren: (agog but not surprised) Ok…well if you can’t have that?
Brett: A Ferrari.
Ferrari
Lauren: (thinking–I don’t want to shoot down this kid’s dreams but he needs to be realistic. Watch your words, Aunt Lauren, watch your words!) It’s expensive but that’s great. If you work hard, maybe you can have it someday.
Brett: Well, Dad still owes me $5.
Nothing’s impossible with a dream and determination. And, Brett, remember: no matter what you drive, Aunt Lauren loves you. And when you do finally sit behind the wheel of your dream Lamborghini, really remember how much Aunt Lauren really loves you.
Love this endeavor. Honoring those who serve. We can say hello, thank you, God bless you–by writing a letter. They fight for us; we can say thank you. And we don’t deserve anything in return, but we still get something. This program, Letters for Lyrics, simply involves writing a letter to a soldier and scoring a free music CD (a partnership between Dodge Ram and Zac Brown Band!)
I got a comment on one of my videos a few weeks ago (the one with Navy guys riding on camels) and I thought for a minute I had a real pen-pal in the military! But I haven’t heard from him since. Oh well, maybe I’ll send a letter through this organization called Operation Gratitude. This website gives you several ways to get involved!
While I’m wearing my patriotic hat (which is every day), wanted to share this eye-catching pic my dad sent to me.
Oh, look! Still got the patriotic hat on 
The new Veteran’s Memorial in North Little Rock at Laman Library is asking for submissions of local men and women who were killed in action. You can go here to submit your soldier’s name. Hopefully after reading this post, you can do something good for fellow Americans. Because, the Lord knows there are other Americans doing so much more for you.
Stars and Stripes
Hearing of gators in our area of the country is not rare, but just uncommon enough to still be rousing. A few years ago my brother-in-law killed at least 3 near their house in Texarkana within just a few weeks of each other!
Whether you think these pictures have been altered or not, they’re still exciting to look at, right? My dad sent the following via email:
What's in his mouth?
Come closer...
His head is as big as ___
KTBS helicopter flying over Lake Thomas in Winter Haven, Florida … This alligator was found between Lakeland and Winter Haven near the house of Anita and Charlie Rogers, who could hear the beast bellowing in the night.
Their neighbors had been telling them that they had seen a mammoth alligator in the waterway that runs behind their house, but they dismissed the stories as exaggerations.
‘I didn’t believe it,’ Charles Rogers said, but after the alligator was killed, they realized the stories were, if anything, understated.
Game wardens were forced to shoot the alligator. Joe Goff, a 6′5″ tall game warden, shown below, walks past the 28-foot, 1-inch long alligator that he helped shoot and kill in the Rogers ‘ back yard.
But I this this looks more like a crocodile, no? I thought alligators had longer, skinnier snouts and were smaller. Perhaps I should brush up on my reptile knowledge. But I did just learn where the term “crocodile tears” comes from. Do you know? Naturally, when crocodiles lie in the sun, they keep their mouths open, which puts pressure on their tear glands which results in “fake tears” (not emotional tears) Or you could consider that when they eat their pray, they cry tears which slide down in to their mouths, making it easier to swallow their lunch. Either way, I think if I saw this monster anywhere close, only one of us would have to fake our tears!
What a sweet spot I found when popping in to the Brown Sugar Bakeshop inside the Rivermarket’s bustling Ottenheimer Hall. The places around town who specialize in cupcakes could probably be counted on one hand, with their secret recipes, unique flavors, signature icing. Kristi shared with me a few things the average customer may not know (or think to ask) about. And what a perfect feature flavor she chose for Arkansas’ sweltering summer months!
Somebody mentioned watermelon? Just a seed of info for you: The Hope Watermelon Festival is a huge event each August spotlighting one of our state’s juicy jewels and all the ways to enjoy it! This year the 34th annual event is August 12-14 and maybe Bill Clinton will find it the perfect casual homecoming after being in the spotlight for his daughter’s recent extravagant wedding. I bet Chelsea wishes she had watermelon cupcakes at her reception.
Sometimes I am amused when I’m out on the scene and I just can’t snap a picture the way I want to. Sometimes it’s the lighting (or lack thereof.) Sometimes I can blame something happening in the background. Sometimes my subjects blink. Sometimes I catch the sneaky bra strap peeking out of a woman’s blouse, or someone’s eyeglasses reflect back at me or someone has spinach in her teeth while at a reception, or maybe someone’s skin color is not flattered by the backdrop. Sometimes I just can’t put my finger on what’s wrong….but I gotta keep snapping. Sometimes you just need another friend to join the picture to make everything all better.
