Holy crap! Titles are back!

And yet, I can't think of one.

I smell irony...

I guess this post will be a farewell to Claudia Alta Taylor (better known as Lady Bird Johnson). I've always liked her for many reasons.

1) She was an East Texas girl. I'm sorry, but you can't get much more east Texas than Karnack. Karnack is right next to Uncertain, and it's all really close to Jefferson and Caddo Lake. That area is known for having Spanish moss in the trees and alligators in the swamp. It's also known for some bad ass fried catfish. It always made perfect sense to me that Lady Bird had that thick "Gone With the Wind" drawl. Northeast Texas is FAR more "southern" than it is "Texan." The reason for this is pretty simple: As Southerners migrated west after the Civil War (a.k.a. the "War of Northern Aggression," as my people like to call it), they got to northeast Texas and pretty much stopped because it looked and felt like home. If you've ever spent time in northern Alabama or Georgia and listenend to those pines and dug your hands into that red clay, you know exactly what I'm talking about. That Southern dialect--which was, in and of itself, a descendant of the Scots-Irish and English settlers--just set its roots into the deep red clay and thrived. When I listened to Lady Bird, I heard my grandmother--Johnnie Mae who was from a town that no longer exists in northeast Texas and who died before I was born. I heard my Aunts (pronounced "Aint") Mary Lois and Annie Merle and my great Aunt Annalea. I will miss hearing that voice.

And then there was the hair. East Texas through and through.

2) She was not classically beautiful, but was insanely attractive. She wasn't loud, but she got heard. She wasn't tall, but she seemed larger-than-life. I will miss all the things she was able to be without trying. Her subtlety.

3) The wildflowers. Thank goodness her last spring and summer in central Texas were both so ridiculously beautiful with wildflowers. Earlier this spring, when I was marveling at the gorgeous highway interchanges while driving through the Carolinas, with all of their swaying native wildflowers, I remember speaking about Lady Bird, and thanking God for her highway beautification program. What a legacy.

4) The one and only time I ever went to the the LBJ ranch just outside of Johnson City was a couple of years ago. I went with my dear friend and admitted Texophile "Tommy Joe" who was visiting from NYC. It was spring, and he just wanted to drive around and look at Texas. So we got in my car and started driving with no plan whatsoever. We ended up at the LBJ Ranch in the late-afternoon. We asked when the next tour was taking place, and the dude in the booth said, "Now. Go on!" So we boarded the open air tour thingie--you know, the kind that used to take you from the Six Flags parking lot to the gate--and we were on our way. The first thing that we realized is that we were the youngest passengers on the tour thingie by some forty years. The next thing we realized is that we were DEFINITELY the only ones onboard with a righteous buzz working. (Thank you, travelin' tall boys!) Anyhoo, we started on our tour of the ranch, complete with the canned over-the-intercom commentary of the he/she tour guide. At first, we giggled about the surreality of our situation, but soon, we were captivated by the loveliness of the place itself. The ranch is still a "working ranch" meaning there are still herds of cattle roaming and still ranch hands tending, etc. It was early spring, and the entire ranch was flush with life--from the impossibly green grass to the abundant butterflies. It was idyllic to say the least.
We rounded a gentle curve and started down an easy hill to President Johnson's final resting place. The tour guide suddenly slowed the tour thingie down and took on a hushed, whispering tone, as if he/she were trying to keep from startling nearby wildlife: "Ladies and Gentlemen. This is a rare treat. If you'll look to your right at the ranch house, I believe you'll see Miss Lady Bird herself enjoying some iced tea with a friend on the front porch. Even though this is a national landmark, the Johnson family still enjoys it whenever they like. Ms. Johnson comes down a couple of weekends a month if she's able."
As we all gawked as if we'd seen a polar bear and an octopus playing chess, Ms. Johnson lifted her hand and waved to us as if to say, "I know...this is so awkward. I'm sorry. Y'all have a nice tour, okay? Take care..." Very Southern. We all waved back with silly grins on our faces. Very awesome.

Right after passing in front of the house and The Grave, we rounded the corner just in time to witness a cow giving birth to a calf, afterbirth and all.

Ah...Texas in the spring.


So yeah. That's my tribute to Lady Bird. I hope by the time she gets to heaven, Lyndon realizes what a treasure he had and showers her with kisses and apologizes for being a philandering jack ass. But regardless what happens when she arrives, I hope she rests in peace.

P.S. And dudes, I was going to totally post this awesome photo of Lady Bird I ripped off of someone's website, but guess what: BLOGGER'S NOT LETTING ME POST PICTURES. I get titles back, and they take away pictures. ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!