How Proud Mom's Avatar Became Little Miss Neon Pink Hat, Neighborhood Spy
Too cute to be a spy???
It began at Wednesday Morning's hub about New Year's resolutions...
WednesdayMorning: I ABSOLUTELY should have been cleaning, but...the nanny stole my bleach, so I went looking for it online. Oops! wrong hub!
Proud Mom: The nanny? I thought it was the squirrels....
JamaGenee: It wasn't the nanny OR squirrels. It was the sneaky little monsters that steal socks from the dryer while you're off hubbing, Facebooking, etc. My guess, Wednesday, is that nobody in your family wore socks for a week or so, hence none to wash and dry (or steal!), so the sock thieves went looking elsewhere.
Bleach! Party time!
After downing what amounted (to them) 90-proof Elixir of the Gods, they had the presense of mind to hide the empty bottle under the dirty dishes in the sink. You've probably found it by now. But you won't find the culprits...at least not at first.
(HINT: They disguise themselves as white socks. If you grab a pair and it giggles, it's them.)
Chasing cans @ The Lost Art of Bagging Groceries...
ProudMom: I now live in a town that has a "small-town" grocery store which offers a friendly "paper or plastic" option at checkout. The paper bags actually have handles. I tend to assume the handles will hold and find myself, like robie2, chasing after that can of corn that just rolled under three cars before coming to a stop in the middle of the rain puddle. Something like the scene from "Christmas with the Kranks" where she was after the Honey Ham.
It's kind of funny to see people rushing to get out of this store ahead of me just to find them all leaning against their cars waiting for the entertainment to begin. They continue these shenanigans by phoning my neighbors that I will be returning shortly to unload groceries. That's when coming home is like being in a parade. There they are, lined up along the street in their lawn chairs, each holding their beverage of choice. I once saw a group of children with sparklers.
JamaGenee: Proud Mom, when do you grocery shop next? I want to get in on the neighborhood party when you bring them home. I'll even bring my own lawn chair AND sparklers!
Redneck Luggage @ #1 Packing Tip....
PM: JamaGenee, I use those bags discussed in your other hub for my packing.
That and A LOT of Duct Tape. I like to think of myself as "original".
That is until I find out the rest of the redneck clan has booked my
same flight for the convention. Oh well. Better to travel in packs.
JG:
PM, The bag-and-duct-tape thing *would* be useless on a flight with the
redneck clan. I give 'em credit, tho, for trying to move up in the
world by calling the purpose of the trip a "convention" instead of
*family reunion*.
PM: WHO is giving you all of this inside information? Or are you one of us?
Little Miss Neon Pink Hat's cover is blown...
JG: My information is coming from a kid in a hot pink hat who looks amazingly like your avatar.
If you know her, you might want to tell her parents (and the rest of the neighbors) that she's only pretending she can't talk. So be careful what you say around her from now on. (Pssst... she CAN be bribed with a KitKat...two if ya want the really good dirt...but you didn't hear that from me, okay?)
PM: If she has anything on you, I'll want to buy stock in KitKat.
Jama busted @ Wild Weekend in...IOWA??
PM: And you thought you were going to be bored.
JG: Boring it was NOT, but don't know I'd survive another weekend like it! Sittin' in a lawn chair, wavin' a sparkler while you chase cans down the driveway is more my speed these days.
PM: You're secretly one of my neighbors, aren't you? :-))))
JG: Drats! Busted! Which of our spineless neighbors told you? Or did you just "happen" to be peeking out your front window the other night when I came back from the family reunion...uh, convention? It was the duct tape on my "luggage" glowing like a beacon in the moonlight that caught your eye, right?...
Then we began emailing offline, and she went on vacation...
On the way back from SC (she wrote) "our AC/DC adapter went out, which meant
no more computer or DVDs the rest of the way home, so I made everyone
go to the bookstore so I could get a book to keep me occupied on the 10
hours left of the trip. I was in a hurry, so I grabbed a book by Lisa
Wingate called Talk of the Town. I laughed all the way home. You must
read it! Very funny stuff."
JG to PM: Looked up "Talk of the
Town" at Amazon, which had a "Look Inside This Book" thingy. Being
the curious sort - bordering on just plain weird, some say - I devoured
the first 4 or 5 pages, then bam! it went to the back cover. Hate it
when they tease ya like that. Oh right, they want you to BUY the book. Anyhoo it IS funnnyyy! City Girl with Life all mapped out to the minute in
her Day Runner meets Hunk who turns her world right side up. Good
choice! (And worth every penny I paid the kid at the gas station 20
miles back to make your AC adapter quit. Just kidding. Maybe.)
PM to JG: I think you're secretly Lisa Wingate. You really live in Texas, don't you?
JG
to PM: Noooooo..... According to the cute kid in the neon pink hat -
the one you think can't talk...you're LW, and those conventions you
supposedly attend with your husband are only excuses to get out of
town for book signings. Hubby goes to the convention/seminar/whatever
and you hit the road in the other direction with your agent - yeah,
right - to play queen of the Lizard Gulch Crossroads Cafe & Juke
Joint crowd.
You screwed up when ya left that box of
fresh-off-the-press LW books UPS delivered the other day in plain
sight in the garage. You neighbor, Neon Pink Hat's dad, came over
lookin' for a wrench - thanks to your hubby telling him "If we're not
home, just take what ya need".
Well, guess who followed her
daddy into the garage? Little Miss Neon Pink Hat, of course. While
SuperDad was hunting for the wrench, she toddled over to the box of
books and saw the ones you'd pre-autographed...you know, ones you send
to little old ladies who can't get to book signings, but they write the
most flattering, gushy, "Oh, Miss Wingate, I just love your last book!"
letters from The Home. So ya send 'em a copy of your latest, signed and
personalized. Yep, NPH saw an envelope from a fan - you musta stuck
it a book for the name and return address.
Did I mention Little Miss NPH can read too?
Quite the little prodigy she is - a gold mine of information. And knows what it's worth now.
Forget KitKat bars, this kid has figured out c-a-s-h is much better than candy. (Less fattening too.) Since her parents pay for everything with plastic, she doesn't quite understand (yet) how paper money works, but instinctively knows she wants the kind with a zero (or two) in each corner. So it's costing me a small fortune to get the dirt on you these days. She's probably making a killing from every other snoopy old biddy within six blocks too.
If you still don't believe she's the neighborhood snitch...uh, spy...next time you see her, check the Giggling Elmo she carries everywhere these days. That's not giggling...that's the GoFone stashed inside ringing...a phone the woman on the corner had to get her the other day because she didn't have c-a-s-h, only plastic. So it's costing that woman a fortune too, what with having to replenish the minutes on the Giggle Phone so Little Miss NPH can keep her clients...uh, new friends...up to date.
Any more questions?
From another email...
PM
to JG: Was that YOU behind the bushes last Monday when I came home from
the grocery store? I thought I heard an unfamiliar laugh when I crawled
into the driveway culvert to get the can of peanuts. You should have
stopped by. I would've opened the can and a bottle of Root Beer to wash
the peanuts down.
JG to PM: Nope, wasn't me. Probably Little
Miss Neon Pink Hat making a video of you crawling into the culvert to
put on YouTube. (I prefer cashews, btw.)
Back at HubPages @ Pedigree Schmedigree!...
PM: Wow, Jama! I wish I woulda read this before Cousin Ethyl and her little darlings departed after another fine, down-home Christmas spent patching Uncle Festus' banjo that was not properly secured on the plane ride over. Cleta Sue forgot to stock up on duct tape before the trip, and Festus thought he could improvise. He learned a lesson or two about packing this holiday season. Ultimately, we weren't able to repair it, so we hosted the most honorable burial we could manage in the frigid temperatures.
Anywho, I'm liking the fan shaped document. My line of ancestry has so many forks, about ten years ago, they began forming circles. That fan shape might make it easier.
Grocery shopping here in about 2 hours. Can you make it by? Should be extra-entertaining, as my usual shenanigans will be accompanied by 4-5 inches of solid ice. This time, though, after the laughter dies down, come on in. I have a can of cashews just for you.
The following comments were deleted (by me) from Police Chiefs/Legalize Marijuana because they were about potty paper, not pot:
Proud Mom: I think my boy can read. This morning, while happily typing away, I hear this wee little voice, "Oh Mooommmm. I did it agaaaaain. Do you want to come and see?".
Well, that's never anything you WANT to
hear--at least not in that tone, so I followed the sound of his voice
and realized (*DUN DUN DUN*) he was in the BATHROOM! I yanked the door
open just as he grinned and pushed down the handle. All I saw was the
roll of toilet paper rolling ecstatically across the seat and into the
dark abyss. The WHOLE ROLL!!! I couldn't help but laugh. Now WHY would
he do that after so many weeks of being a good little boy unless he had
snuck in last night and read that I had told you his secret? Or maybe
that was YOU on the phone this morning when he answered. He knows he's
not supposed to pick up the phone without permission, but he told me no
one was there. I'm keeping a closer eye on you....
JamaGenie: Sorry...it wasn't me on the phone this morning, it was Little Miss NPH on the GigglePhone. Called me right after to say she couldn't believe she got all tongue-tied when she heard *his* voice. She likes those older guys, ya know. And remember she can read, so most likely it was her who snuck in last night and saw you'd spilled the beans, then went straight to your son's room on the way out and reminded him what fun it is to flush a WHOLE ROLL of tp. Better hide that laptop before you go to bed from now on.
Links to the hubs mentioned above
- The Lost Art of Bagging Groceries Logically
Most likely you've seen me as you enter the grocery store. No, not the greeter who hands you a cart so you won't have to work it loose from 32 other carts in the line, but the woman off to the side standing over a cart transferring the contents of a - #1 Packing Tip: DON'T BOTHER
Seasoned air travelers have always known to pack light, but now it's more important than ever to consider what to take on your next flight. It wasn't enough when full-size containers of favorite toiletries were banned from the passenger compartment.. - Wild Weekend in....IOWA???
What could Elton John, Billy Joel, a cemetery, a 70-something nudist, John Wayne, The Bridges of Madison County, and a tanning salon possibly have in common? Well, they're all elements of an unplanned,... - Pedigree Schmedigree!
Between now and the weekend after Christmas, many of you will gather with family or friends. For many, the celebration will include that uniquely-American tribal ritual, Watching Football. That's where we sit around yelling at guys paid millions... - Police Chiefs to Obama: Legalize Marijuana!
During every nationally-televised sporting event, we're bombarded with ads for various brands of beer. Beer is "cool"...beer is "fun" they tell us. At many of these events, beer is even sold at the concession stands and hawked in the bleachers...
Comments
I just stopped by to see if your were still kicking up a storm here. I have restarted my writing here after a year or so. Just giving you a heads up.
this is delightful!!
best conversation I have eavesdropped on in quite some time...what???? you don't eavesdrop?
oh, sorry; thought everyone was taught that in grammar school...
what DO they teach then, if not that?
Hi, Jama, I never realised that Walmarts owned Asda! well, you learn something new every day! ha ha and yes my language gets pretty blue sometimes, along with a few curses, mumbles and kicks of whatever happens to be in my way! lol luckily its never been anything living just yet!
Hi, thanks for the giggle! lol It reminded me of when, like you with the bags and the rolling tins, I went to Asda, the biggest store in my town, and little did I know that the plastic bag had split! by the time we got back to the car, the whole darn load of shopping was left behind me in a trail to the front door of the store! my language was so blue it could have painted the cars! ha ha
Funny stuff here except for the reminder of poison ivy. I'm highly allergic and it is terrible stuff to get over when it covers a good portion of one's body. Each summer one of my brothers and I would catch it when picking wild asparagus (my other brother did not seem to be allergic) and I remember being slathered with calamine lotion and leaving as many body parts uncovered as was feasible until we finally recovered. Have had it several times also as an adult. Oh...the itch! Yuk!
Would rather think of your rolling cans, kitkats, cashews, lawn chairs and sparklers. When is the next show? Could you please insert a google map so that I can join in the neighborhood festivities? :))
JG, I popped into this one eyes wide and brain numb. Took me a minute to figure it out, lol. Now it reminds me of an Italo Calvino book I read, only instead of jumping hubs, he jumped books in a library. Good stuff. Wild imagination! Awesome.
You guys are crazy! It was a real joy to read this, plus your comments! One of a kind for sure. Got my vote. This is the funniest thing I have read in a long time. You know the saying, if you can't duct it, there you go. Comical. Take care.
That child is ACE
What can Isay? How can I contribute without sounding like a daft prick? Impossible, so I shall keep quiet. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE your stuff :-)
One last glimpse of my Knight Errant for you
I will have to keep my out for her since , she figured out cash over candy..Lol:) Loved it!!!
good hub
Yis are all completely insane. Funny, but daft as a brush. I have no idea what any of this is about, I just know that the baby is cute in the little pink hat and people drop things when they go grocery shopping. Now I'm going for my siesta, followed by medication and a nice walk in the grounds of this lovely hospital. . . .
Ohhhh boy I can't wait. Just the name "Festus" makes me itch!
Wish i would havebeenaround for this one two weeks ago. I missed all of the fun!
OMG-- I am soooooo late to this party, but it is sooooooo much fun. ROTFL--pass the Kit Kats please. Great idea JG and great material from both you an PM. Can't wait for the next installment:-)
And CC's kept me up to speed. We hope it turns out OK. Please give her our message of support.
Thanks JG, PM emailed me.
I like your avatar too JG; frightfully English.
And very, VERY determined!
She'll talk to you Firm. She can't deny you cause you befuddle her and we all have fun at her expense, but we love ya PM.And JG you have the mostest beautiful avatar
Still talking, PM?
JG, how did PM take it? still ROFLMAO. this just keeps getting better
Okay, maybe I don't want to know......
Well, you won that bet, CC because I don't get it. Who is going to be willing to explain it to me?
Patty, grab your hat and join us! Jama and I have great times together!
Much more exciting than the Red Hat Society, and more laughs!
Firm! you're so naughty. LOL we'll see if she can figure that one out. ROFLAO
Aren't you lucky he wasn't called Richard Presley, PM?
So entertaining!!!
One day, Jama, we're going to meet. I know....... in Tupelo. I've been needing a velvet Elvis anyway.....
Hope the party's not over! The things you talk about and the way you talk about them! LOL thanks for sharing Jama - it felt like listening in to two ladies chitchatting over tea, or beer whichever is more appropriate! :D
JamaGenee that was hilarious, you and PM are quite a pair!
PM, I just took it for granted that you knew. It was in my first story of Tolden Goad, but then again, no one really translated it to you properly. ROFLMAO
No PM, you don't want to know, and don't mention it to my wife.
CC, do I want to know what GT uses his duct tape for?
TOF, that laugh from behind the bushes forced me to let the dogs sleep out front...just in case. Since I know it was you, they can come back in.
Were you eating a burrito at the time, GT?
JG, i read this right after you published and no one had commented yet, I had to come back and tell you what a joy it was reading this. You did a fantastic job. See ther Gt, yer not the only one with a good use for duck tape
This was great. Truly great. I had a little bit of a coughing fit as I read.
I would think so. I can imagine that you were enduring torture until that shot kicked in. I can't even imagine!!!
Not that I'm aware of. It sure warranted a shot in the buttocks. Kinda hard to calamine the eyeballs. LOL
In the eyes? That sounds worse than horrible. Did it scar?
When I was younger......like teens to early 30s.....I contracted poison ivy so easily. I often got it from washing my husbands clothes after he had been in it. He and my son were never allergic to it. My daughter, is just like me, she gets it very easily. She and I both almost always got it on our face. I got it in my eyes once. That was horrible.
This summer the hubby discovered that contact with poison ivy caused him such a bad reaction that ANYTHING that touched his skin reopened all the scratching wounds. His boss didn't think it was a good idea to come to work unclothed, whether he had a donut to sit on or not.
Good to know that he should steer clear of the raw cashews.......
JamaGenee - that was such good fun - I can never again see Proud Mum's avatar without laughing over Neon Pink Hat!!!! Loved it!
I adore cashews which is why I probably adore you and JG so much! It's all making sense now.
Uh oh. Should I be scared? Do tell, KCC. I have a jar of mixed nuts sitting right in front of me, but I won't touch them until I hear from you!!!!
http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/cashews.ht...
Here's the answer.
Oooooh!! I LOVE Ray Stevens, but I was unaware he wrote a song about my family who travels with duct-taped paper bags to the yearly convention.
Thank you, Jama for a much-anticpated hub. You're wonderful!
I need to go research this, but my hubby told me something about them, have you ever noticed cashews never come still in their shell?
Cashews, to be precise, KCC.
Circles, TOF. Many, many circles.....
Headed off to check out your link.
Proud Mom, It was me in the shrubbery last Monday, getting night vision digitals. Hey does you family tree curl in circles, too? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYlJH81dSiw&...
Hi JG. Attagirl, let it all hang out. What a fun hub, thanks.
You do realize you guys are nutcases, right?
Oh, Jamagenee. I am truly honored. And perhaps a little embarrassed. There's no tellin' who'll be lined up on grocery day next week, now!
I am so honored to be a friend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go have a little chat with Little Miss Pink Hat....
Truly, Jama, you done good!!!!!!!
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