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Monday, August 30, 2010

I Love A Parade According to Marilyn

Time for another "According to Marilyn." For those who are unfamiliar with the "Marilyn" series, I occasionally write about Marilyn, who has been my best friend for over 50 years.
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Marilyn has the spirit of a gypsy. It's difficult for her to remain in one place very long. I blame it on her being a Virgo with Sagittarius rising, as it is well known that Sagges are born vagabonds.

Whenever the restless urge calls, Marilyn throws her Flamenco guitar in her gypsy wagon and heads for the open road. She's now looking-up old haunts of our childhood in Minnesota. The marvelous invention of the telephone, keeps us in constant touch, she wearing her blue-tooth and me with my phone on speaker. That way, she can safely drive and I can play domestic. We can carry on an endless chatter for, perhaps weeks. You'd think we would have said it all in 50 years, but I guess not.

Saturday, she was driving in Northern Minnesota, giving me a live-at-the-moment description of the scenery that I haven't seem in ten years. She had just approached a small town. Have you ever had someone trying to tell you a story but were laughing so hard at their anticipated tale, that you couldn't understand one word they're saying?

So it was with Marilyn. She suddenly broke into a laughter with little screams and muffled words followed by more laughter and little screams.

I said, "I can't understand a word you're saying. What's so funny?"

All I got was, " (Laughter) muffle, muffle, (laughter) parade, muffle, muffle."

"What are you talking about? Are you OK? Did you have an accident? What's so damn funny?
What's that music I hear?"

"Parade, parade. I'm driving in the middle of a parade. People think I'm part of the parade," she finally managed to get the words out.

Then I started laughing. I could picture her driving her van with the California plates in the center of a small town parade in Minnesota.

I said, "Open your window and wave to the people. Too bad you don't have candy to throw to them."

This started another round of laughter. Apparently she had taken a wrong turn and got wedged inbetween a marching band and a briskly waving politician sitting in the back of a convertible.

We laughed for several minutes before we could speak. "What's the parade for?"

"Lobster day or something," she said.

"They don't have lobsters in Minnesota," I reminded her, "Perhaps walleyes or corn."

By that time, the parade had ended and Marilyn was leaving the town that began with a W. Some of the town folk watched the gypsy wagon fading into a tiny speck as she was describing the floats of the parade to me. "And then there was a flat bed with a jazz band that ..................."

Adios Amigo





7 comments:

  1. Sounds like my territory, here in MN.
    Isn't it fun to have a very long time friend to laugh with? It's soooo good to laugh. Thank you, for sharing the fun with us.

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  2. Marilyn sounds like quite a character. I am wondering if she has always been a traveling soul -- did she ever settle down in one place, marry and have kids . . . work (horrible four-letter word)?

    I certainly admire Marilyn's love for adventure.

    : )

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  3. Teresa, Yes, both Marilyn and I grew up in Mn. I lived most of my life in Mpls. The fact that you are living in Mn. first attracted me to your blog. Only first... Love your blog.

    KJ..... Yup, Marilyn's been married, 3 kids (2 of them are my god children) she's worked all her life but in jobs where she has a certain amount of freedom. She can't help her love for adventure. Saggitarius. My husband was one too. They just love to travel. I used to keep a traveling case packed whenever he wanted to go. Me? I dislike traveling with a passion. Give me a weed wacker and a clothesline.

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  4. Marilyn's a hoot. I love her sense of adventure. I'm a two-footed archer, too. Maybe if I worked in more traveling, even around the area, I'd find some of my passion.

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  5. Su-sieee... Enlighten me, oh wise one. What is "two-footed archer?" Is that an expression and if so, what does it mean? I never heard it before. Or are you really an archer?? Hate to show my stupidity but if you can't at my age, when can you?

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  6. A sagittarius. My own wording. Probably two-hoofed archer is better. :-)

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  7. Su-sieee......Duh.... Pinch my head off. Yeah the feet threw me but I like words like that. Yes, Sagittarius is sooooo much fun. They are always upbeat and have a kind heart. And are two-footed archers... ha ha!!

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