Rec'd. an email with some great memories. :)

[John Schmidt]

Just got an email from our friend TJ here in Florida. It was a link to some old Norman Rockwell paintings and one from 1953 reminded me of my youngest daughter Toni when she was in Jr. High. Now, she's approaching 47 which makes it even more amusing....to me at least.

Back in Jr. High, she was quite active and a very attractive girl....according to the neighborhood suitors.  One day, I get a call from the Principal who happened to be the Ass't. Principal I taught under a number of years prior. It seems Toni had a confrontation with another girl, actually the other girl had confronted Toni and it was all over the other girl's supposed boyfriend. She accused Toni of trying to "steal" her boyfriend and was ready to fight for her man. Toni's response was something along the lines of "you're so fat and ugly, any guy you'd attract would be too ugly for my taste." That went over like a fart in church and the girl decided it was time to throw down on Toni. That's when Toni apparently brought things to a halt.

The call from her Principal, who was still laughing about it, first informed me of the confrontation that had taken place. I asked what he'd like me to do with Toni, he asked only one thing of me: Ask Toni that next time she's attacked by an overzealous girl re. her boyfriend, please don't just pick her up in a fireman's carry then stroll into my office and dump her bodily on my desk. Then leave. My reaction....."huh, what happened now?"

It seems the other girl got pushy, didn't listen to the warnings of others, and Toni got tired of it. So, she simply grabbed the other girl in a fireman's carry and walked into the Principal's office and did actually dump her on his desk. Toni did get some detention for some loose adjectives tossed in the other girl's direction while still in the office. Again, it was something to the effect of; "tell that fat bitch to leave me alone." Her Principal and I had a good laugh over it, he said the only problem he had with it was it really messed up the papers on his desk. And the girl's screaming at Toni as she walked down the hall with her kinda interrupted some classes.

Here's the Norman Rockwell painting that brought back some memories.


And here's my Toni last summer on a lake in Wisconsin where they have a large RV parked on their lot. What I find amusing is when her 16 yr. old son tries to wrestle with her, he can't get the best of her.

[The emperor has no clothes]

  Nice story. Your daughter was very wise for her young age

[John Schmidt]

Thanks Meathead. I see you registered in April, 2012. It was about three months later I had a major heart attack and wasn't expected to make it. Toni kept everyone up to date with what had happened, what the dr. was saying, and any progress I made. Quite a gal who has had some major bumps in the road along the way. While I was still in the hospital, she got into it with a head nurse re. something they were doing to me that she felt was unnecessary. She finally turned to me and said "I'll be back after I take care of some business."  Then disappeared for nearly an hour. Shortly thereafter, the problem was gone....and so were the nurses. They live in the Green Bay, WI area which is a heartbreaking 1400+ miles away.

[solo1]

 

Nice story John.  Toni sounds like a daughter that really is there for you.  As you said, she has had some rough times and you have too, John.  Losing two daughters, having almost a fatal heart attack, and being a caregiver for your wife.

I can equate with the last but my only daughter is still here.  My three sons are great but when it comes down to the wire, a daughter is hell on wheels if someone doesn't treat her Dad right!

Wayne

[John Schmidt]

Nice story John.  Toni sounds like a daughter that really is there for you.  As you said, she has had some rough times and you have too, John.  Losing two daughters, having almost a fatal heart attack, and being a caregiver for your wife.

I can equate with the last but my only daughter is still here.  My three sons are great but when it comes down to the wire, a daughter is hell on wheels if someone doesn't treat her Dad right!

Wayne

Wayne, you're so right. All my girls were "daddy's girls" from day one. My eldest, at the point where we knew it wasn't long, came and sat on my lap and asked me to sing to her like when she was just a toddler. She had no hair, was all gone from the chemo, skin with that sickly pallor, and could barely walk....the cancer had almost eaten through her thigh bones. She laid her head on my shoulder with her face in my neck and I started to hum a little and just sit and rock her. That was January, 2012, she was gone April 4, 2012....I nearly joined her July 1st. She was a grown woman just shy of her 54th b'day. This youngest one and her oldest sister were real close, in the weeks that followed it took a lot out of me to help the two remaining girls recover somewhat. I recall when they were teenagers and their mother and I were dancing in the living room one evening.....they all started to playfully fight over who was going to get to dance with "dad" next. Something special about daughters I guess.  

[mrider]

country girls you just can't beat them.......

[John Schmidt]

country girls you just can't beat them.......

Toni is my Florida Cracker, born and raised here in Orlando. But, give her the outdoors and she's all over it....fishing, boating, motorcycles, snowmobile, etc.  If it's outdoors she loves it. There house is on a fairly large pond which carries their name on the county tax register. They have fixed up a neat little firepit with seating around it and a dock where the kids get to feed all kinds of fowl. Beautiful place, she seems very content.