Rain dancing - Palmore style!

As most of you have probably heard (or experienced), Texas is in the middle of a pretty bad drought. It has rained a couple of times this summer but not much and certainly not in any significant amount. This might not be that unusual for some parts of Texas but I live in the Gulf Coast region, which tends to be a little wetter than other parts of Texas. In fact, by now we usually have had a couple of tropical storms and some rain from a hurricane that has made landfall somewhere along the Gulf. So it's strange to go this long with no rain. Trees are dying, grass is burned up, and my backyard looks pitiful.

The other day, I thought things were taking a turn for the better. I was walking my dog and noticed that the sky had turned gray, the wind had picked up, and I heard thunder and smelled rain. I was really excited because I figured that we were in for a good storm. But, alas, the cloud just passed over us and gave us a whole lotta nothin'. It was just cruel. So I decided to take matters into my own hands.

It was time to do a rain dance.

So I Googled the steps to a rain dance and it sounded simple enough, at least according to the websites I read. Here are the steps as I understand them:

1. Stand in a clearing in your yard or outdoors somewhere.
2. Hold your hands up above your head.
3. Look up to the sky.
4. Spin around while chanting something easily repeated, such as "rain rain rain rain."
5. Spin until you're too dizzy to continue.
6. Immediately drop to one knee until the dizziness subsides.

As I was reading the steps to a rain dance, I realized that it's very similar to a game that my parents used to play with us called "the broom trick." We're very creative with our game names in my family. ANYWAY, the steps are somewhat similar. Judge for yourself:

1. Stand with a broom in a clearing in your yard.
2. Hold a broom so that the base of broom is touching your chin.
3. Look up to the top of the broom.
4. Spin around 15-20 times.
5. Immediately drop the broom and try to jump over it.

Granted, it's not the SAME as the Native American rain dance. And it's certainly not a spiritual ritual. But it IS pretty fun. So I decided to use that as my own version of a rain dance and I got my sisters' kids to help me out. Together we did our own Palmore Rain Dance in my sister's front yard to try to bring some rain and end this drought.

You're welcome.

Now, my nieces and nephew had never done this before so it was a new experience for them. Emma was the first brave soul to try it out. Aaaaaaaaaand she didn't quite make it . . .


Then Avery gave it a shot. And had about as much success as Emma did. She even gives off a totally involuntary growl/grunt:


Savannah went next and quickly showed us that rain dancing/broom tricking can be a dangerous activity . . .


Ben went last and did the best of anyone. Perhaps his success is due to his commitment to keeping his chin on the broom at all costs or his absolutely terrifying Frankenstein-esque face:


When all the kids had gone, I decided it was time to show them how it's REALLY done. After all, I am 35 and have much better balance than these little KIDS:


Not my proudest moment. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who had to chase my rain dance with a muscle relaxer.

Since the broom trick proved to be a little too difficult, we decided to try something a little closer to an actual rain dance. Surely that would be easier, right?


Not so much . . .

So that was our attempt at trying to get some rain for Texas. And I don't want to take credit for anything but we DID get some rain this weekend. So I'm pretty sure that you have us to thank for that.

You're welcome. Again.

Just think how much rain we could get if you all got out there and did a broom trick rain dance, too! I think you should try it. And video it. And send it to me at catherine@thecatherinechronicles.com so I can post it for all to see. I mean, you don't want me to be the ONLY one on here making a fool of myself, do you???

So get rain dancin', people! Texas needs you.

And don't forget the muscle relaxers . . .

A great sport . . .

My nieces Emma and Savannah - 10 and 8, respectively - have recently had some orthodontic work done. I know - it seems young, doesn't it? But, apparently, this is the new trend in orthodontics: take care of things while they're young so that their teeth move more easily, more quickly, and less painfully. ANYWAY, Emma just got braces today and looks presh with them, of course. See?

I wish I had looked that pretty when IIIIIIIII had my braces on!

Savannah just got an expander in the roof of her mouth to make room for all of her teeth and then she'll be getting braces. I don't know if you know what an expander is but it's a big metal contraption in the roof of her mouth and it makes it very difficult for her to form words because it gets in the way of her tongue. Being the empathetic aunt that I am, I like to make her say things so that I can laugh and laugh at how funny she sounds when she says them.

Don't you wish you had an aunt like me?

But don't worry - Savannah isn't offended by us laughing at her. In fact, she has been a great sport about us using her as entertainment and usually laughs just as hard herself. In fact, she's SUCH a great sport that she has agreed to let me videotape her talking and singing so that I can share this entertainment with you.

Don't worry - it's okay to laugh at THIS 8 year old . . . you have her permission:

After we recorded this, Savannah said "Catchy, THIS one is gonna get a LOT of comments." So, if you get a chance, leave a comment for my two favorite little metal mouths. I'm sure they'd love to hear about what YOU thought about braces, if you've had them. And if you haven't had them, feel free to tell them how cute they are. That's what I always do.

You know - when I'm not laughing at them . . .

Until we meet again . . .

Hey, friends! I'm in trial this week so I won't be able to post again until next week. Since I'm not gonna be able to try to make you laugh on my own this week, I thought I'd share a couple of videos with you that made ME laugh this week . . . I meeeeeeeeeeeeeean, a couple of weeks ago when I wasn't getting ready for trial . . . :)

You've probably seen this one but it just never gets old for me:




Here's another one that cracked me up:



I researched it and found out that it's a comedy sketch from a Dutch comedian but it's still funny. His laughter is just so contagious . . . and I have DEFINITELY been there!

I'll be back next week. Until then, I hope you miss me LOTS!!!

Loveyoumeanit!!

Chatterboxes.

Whenever I travel, I always meet interesting people. And by "interesting" I mean "fun to make fun of later." I love that God puts these people in my pathway - I think He knows I love a good story and I appreciate that He humors me.

A few years ago, I had to travel to McAllen, Texas to appear at a hearing for work. It was an interesting experience as I had never been to the Valley. My cab driver spoke only Spanish so I was excited to use my Spanish from the airport to hotel. I stayed overnight at a hotel and then caught a cab to the courthouse the next morning. Again, my cab driver did not speak English so I got to speak Spanish to him, as well. I was loving McAllen. I got to the courthouse and found the courtroom where the hearing would be held. The judge came in and began doing docket call. She'd say the name of each case and the lawyers present would stand up and announce ready. They all had very latino names and pronounced them very quickly like the occasional hispanic news reporter does. I was surprised that the court reporter never missed a beat: "Alicia De La Guerra for the defendant" or "Ramon Garcia de la Garza for the plaintiff" or "Anulfo de la Playa del Carmen for the defendant." Ok - the last one I made up but you get the point. I was really impressed with her that she could type all those names with no problem at all! But I was MOST surprised when I stood up and said "Catherine Palmore for the defendant" and she threw up her arms in frustration and told me to slow down.

I'm sorry . . . what?

I tried again, a bit more slowly: "Catherine Palmore for the defendant . . .??" She looked at the me as if she'd given up on me and then looked at the judge for help. For a second I honestly thought I was about to be held in contempt. The whole courtroom was looking at me by that point and I kept replaying the whole thing in my head to see if I had accidentally cussed or something instead of saying my name. Then the judge had me spell it out for her and I was in the clear. Phew . . .

On my flight home, I sat by an "interesting" lady who might be THE most talkative person I've met to date. And that's a lot coming from a Palmore. ANYWAY, I sat down in the seat next to her and the show was on. She took breaths only when necessary for survival: "Hi. How are you? Is this your first time to McAllen? [no pause for an answer] I just moved her not too long ago. I actually come from Cincinnati. I know, I know - I'm a "yankee." [laughs heartily at her own joke]. Have you been to Cincinnati? [no pause for answer] It's a great city. But I do love McAllen. I just got married a few months ago. I know, I know - I'm a little old for getting married, huh? Well, he is just the greatest. He was definitely worth waiting for! We're renting a house right now while we're building. You should see our floorplan! It's unbelievable. We were going to pick one floorplan - I think it was floorplan A or something like that - but then we decided that we really wanted an office and that floorplan didn't have an office. So we went with floorplan C. We are so excited. [noticing the sun shining on my face . . .] Oh! The sun's hitting you right in the eye, isn't it? Let me close the shade here. [distracted by the view . . .] Look at how small the cars are from way up here! I bet this is how God sees us. [laughing heartily at her own joke again] Don't you think? We're just all like a bunch of teeny tiny little bugs from that far away, huh? Have you ever seen the cars look so small? Man, we must be REALLY high up . . ." And it went on like this forEVER, bouncing around from topic to topic. I think I spoke 10 words the whole time! But despite the fact that she was preventing me - a talker - from talking, I enjoyed sitting next to her. She had so much to say and seemed so excited about saying it. And I got to practice some courtesy laughs and got a good story out of it so it wasn't a complete waste. What else can you ask for from a plane ride, right?

I thought of that lady yesterday when my mom sent me this video . . .



She is sooooooooooooooooooooo precious, isn't she?? She is REALLY trying to give him some latest bit of news that she heard recently. I just love it. And part of me wishes that I could have been the person sitting next to her so that I could have been a part of the "conversation."

But I have no doubt that I'll be sitting next to her on a plane in 30 years. And I know I'll hear all about it then.

"I feel funny."

I saw a video today that made me laugh so hard. And since I want this blog to be a place where we can all share a laugh with each other, I thought I'd post it here so YOU could enjoy it, too. Check it out . . .



Don't you remember that feeling of sitting in the dentist chair, basically getting gassed? I remember how they would put the mask over my face and I'd start breathing in that laughing gas and feeling so strange - like the way white noise or the snow screen on the TV must feel. Poor David was so concerned he would feel that way forever . . . don't you love how serious he is when he asks "Is this gonna be FOREVER??" I think I could list all my top dentist moments and none of them could compare with this video.

I could tell you about trying to drink a milkshake after a dentist visit in college and having my friend point out to me that the milkshake was actually running down my chin onto my shirt and I just couldn't feel it. But David would still win.

I could tell you about how I had my wisdom teeth removed and couldn't open my mouth bigger than about the size of a quarter and that my mom got me some mashed potatoes from Boston Chicken (before it became Boston Market) that made me sick. And how I suddenly found myself throwing up through a quarter-sized hole, hoping I didn't get "dry sockets" (what are those, anyway??)) while my sister and fellow wisdom tooth patient almost got dry sockets from laughing so hard at me. But it's just not as funny as this video.

I mean, his primal yell? Cracks me up every time. He looks positively crazed.

ANYWAY, that's good stuff, people. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!