Saturday, March 19, 2016

Boy, The Big H

Title: Boy, The Big H
Jones County, TX
Photo Credit: Rachael Ellisor
Enriching Music: Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End; The Beatles


Art Moment: This is the land of my father, Arturo Quintana Herrera. It is in the middle of nowhere in West Texas. My father never got to seem me in the dress, because he died before I married. When he died, I hauled railroad ties up a hill and painted them white so that it could be seen for miles. It is in the shape of a Big H for Herrera. The land is the closest my children will get to meeting him. It is peaceful. It is family.

Behind The Photo

As far as I'm concerned, this chapter of my life is titled, "Seven Years of Solitude." I have no plans on disrespecting my children by having random people pick me up at my house on dates. I want them to feel secure and I don't need, nor do I want, a man to do that.
    Don't get me wrong. I'm not a jaded man-hater. I love men. But I love my kids and want to protect them. I was already up front with them and said, “I don't plan to date, but if I do, you will likely never meet the dude unless he is going to be important to your lives." I am not a parade, dating site, kind of gal.
    However, I do not adhere to that quote, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle."  That’s not my quote. Some people give credit to Irina Dunn for that one. But what the heck does that mean, anyway? And how in the heck did that get to be a popular cultural saying that people actually use and distribute on buttons, magnets, and the internet?
    If I weren't a woman who takes pictures in her wedding dress from nearly two decades ago, I'd say, "People are weird." But, given the circumstances, I don't think I'm in a position to judge what people find amusing or worth distributing.
    Since Austin has the endangered salamander, I think, "A woman needs a man like a salamander needs a bicycle," is inherently more funny and just as obscure and obtuse. Somebody else probably already coined that phrase as well.
    The only male I love who I see on a daily basis is a freshman in high school and I'm cool with that.
    He is my son.
    He is 14 and still occasionally holds my hand, and puts his arm around me - as do all of my children. He is growing into a fine young man. He still likes to play basketball with me - yes, I do win sometimes. We throw the football and baseball. He is athletic, funny, kind, smart, and is a gentleman.
    He calls me mama. Mama=love.
    He tells me randomly daily that he loves me. I believe he will be one of the best men I will ever meet. I will guide him to greatness.
in time, see
By me
           i remind him that he is a boy and
              not  


  the man of the house.
  i
am
the adult.
i got this.
        He
      listens.
    I have an affinity for calling him, 'Boy,' as in, "Boy, pick up your crap from the living room," or "Boy, you seem pretty proud of stuffing your mom in basketball."
     I call him Boy after reading Roald Dahl's autobiography, Boy. He's best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.
    Anyway, in his book, Dahl's mom calls him Boy. When his mother died, Dahl found that she had saved every letter he had ever written to her. I thought that was a sweet, sentimental relationship.
    Now, that said, I'm not one of those Psycho moms who wants my son to espouse as Norman Bates did, "A boy's best friend is his mother." I just think that strong, healthy relationships between mothers and sons help boys grow up to be respectful toward women. At least that's what I'm hoping anyway.

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