Tuesday January 9, 2007

After hearing SO much about him, Scott arrived and he is drop-dead gorgeous with a body & personality to match. I wanna adopt him as I do most of Johnny’s friends. Scott is a “10″ all the way; gentile and sweet with a very disarming charm. Tuesday night we all went to Bar Louie with Aimie and Kelly, and stopped at another local spot for an additional night cap. When we got home I made a fire in the fireplace and Scott & I talked and danced. He made me a DVD of Johnny’s Moving Into Light video and seeing that on the big screen drove me into a dance frenzy! Outta the way – ma is gonna shake her stuff!

Wednesday night more cousins, family & friends came over for spaghetti. I think we must’ve had about 150 people here during the three weeks he was home. Food, friends, fun and love. Who could ask for more?

Johnny left yesterday, which was Thursday. Monday I started to have the crying jags; Wednesday was unbearable; Thursday was “pull the plug” day.

You see, when Johnny is here his laptop remains, for the most part, on the island in the kitchen. It is at full throttle with music constantly. He must’ve given me about 500 songs while he was here. I made so many CDs I can barely keep track of them! I have music going in my bedroom at full blast even when the kitchen is rocking.

Picture it… Ohio 2007… the Hazzard household. I’m in the kitchen listening to his laptop dancing my heart out and singing along. Oh – gotta go pee! Walk down the hall and hear a different tune blaring from my bedroom. Change rhythm – dance and sing. Crazy. Wonderful.

So on Thursday I was watching Johnny and Scott load up Milo for their cross country trip. I just sat there with tears rolling down my cheeks after a sleepless night. The laptop was, of course, going full tilt in the kitchen provided a beat for their packing. Once Milo was loaded Johnny walked up to his laptop. Dead silence… the plug was pulled.

I knew he was looking forward to getting “home” to HIS place with HIS furniture and HIS goodies all over. After such a long time away it was only natural that he yearned to reclaim his life out in California, but that was little comfort for me at that moment.

Johnny has a habit of buying me things that he just happens to see and thinks are appropriate. For instance a retro postcard in purple (my favorite color) that says “MOMS: ALL SUPERHEROES DON’T WEAR CAPES”. Now, he not only thinks of me when he sees that, but goes out to buy a FRAME for it as well! Then on Wednesday he presented me with a small booklet titled “Dear Mom – Thank You For Everything”. It was one of those 30 page mini books that is filled with sayings (and pictures of cute animals) about how much love and appreciation he has for me. Wednesday was tough enough. I took it from him, the tears became heavier and I told him I would read it later. On the inside cover he wrote “Enough Said… Don’t Cha Think? I ‘heart’ U” next to the date.

Now it’s Tuesday and I’m still in withdrawal. Shit! I can’t stand this. We’ve talked at least twice every day since he and Scott left. They’re doing well. That’s all that matters. I’ve said it before… my sons are doing my traveling for me… seeing those places I’ve only dreamt about. Johnny just saw Carlsbad Caverns today and he’s still in awe. When he was younger, we had a mobile home and boat up at the Lake Erie Island and had taken a day to visit the caves / caverns / wineries on the Islands. He asked me today if I remembered the stalactites and stalagmites from one of the caves. Of course I did! Then he said I should picture that same scenario… only they’re 30 ft. high!

Mother Nature’s beauty… Mother Nature’s wonders. Just image the centuries it took her to make those. Johnny told me that WE’RE going to go there together! He wants me to experience the same awe he did.

That’s my boy.

Johnny asked me to write an entry about the holiday we spent together. That was six months ago and since then he forgot about it and I forgot about it and when I remembered it seemed like no one would give a damn. Well, Boy Wonder thought differently so I decided to brush off what I started back then and present the readers of Hazzard Ahead my Christmas with Johnny diary in three parts.

For most of the years since Johnny left home to make a life for himself he has ditty-bopped into town close to, if not ON Christmas Eve and blasted out again before New Year’s Eve. I’m no fool… I know when you’re young you want to hang out with your buddies and party. That’s the way it should be and when it comes to majorly festive holidays, well, sometimes the family gets the short end. This year I had him home for three whole weeks. THREE WHOLE WEEKS! Some people might think of an extended family visit as a trial or an obligation. Me? I could hardly wait!

Unless you’ve spent some down time on the home front with Johnny you can’t understand the energy he exudes… the electricity in the room from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed. It’s something very unique like the fragrance of lilacs – nothing else smells like lilacs!

The holiday started off with Johnny’s unexpected early arrival. He and Carmen concocted the heart-arresting meeting at the local Winking Lizard where I was so shocked and racked with happiness I didn’t know what to do with myself! From that moment on it was non-stop.

My four kids – I need NO MORE than them… each of them is an individual that brings a different ray of sunshine to my life. Each of them contributes something completely different, while equally meaningful to me. As they say, and I’m dating myself here, “Variety is, indeed, the spice of life”. Those spices combine to create a very fine recipe indeed. Augment that mix with the friends and acquaintances of all four and, Hell, Emeril – I’ve got you beat! There are the muted spices that, when mixed with the zesty spices, give you the best taste you’ve ever had. What more could a mom wish for?

A big part of my bond with Johnny has been all about music. My God what a time it has been! Johnny constantly introduces me to new groups, new sounds and broadens my horizons. Yep – Moving Into Light is, by far, my favorite. I have to admit that it’s hard to listen to while I’m trying to concentrate on cooking or getting the house ready for the next influx of family/friends, but I give it my best shot! Milo has a kick-ass sound system and I rev that puppy up every time we’re driving. DPRN2U drives me turbo!!!!!!!!!!

So the old lady has learned how to make her own CD compilations of every genre of music. And Johnny bought me a new receiver to play them as I tool around town. Several years ago Carmen got into this sound arena and the trunk of his car was filled – to the brim – with speakers. I always knew when he was about two miles away from home (so did the neighbors) ‘cause you could feel the vibration of his sound system.

When you see Johnny shaking his thing in some video to a song you’re looking at a little piece of me. Stay tuned as I will continue this tale in a few days.