Oh, Those Movies

I think I must join the crowd, but the movies I know aren't the latest. I belong to the past, I guess where women were ladylike and men were--what were they?

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The one with Alystair Sims. The part I would want is his housekeeper. I guess that's what she was. I loved the way she talked and laughed.

GONE WITH THE WIND
Any of these roles would be great. Aunt Pitypat, Melanie, Butterfly or whatever the slave girl's name was, and the black Mammy. Even Scarlet, I guess.

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
Any one of the aunts or sisters of the bride. (She did have sisters, didn't she or sisters-in-law?
Or the mother of the bride would be better.

I could go back farther, but it would leave you wondering what I was talking about. One of the movies that scared me the most was back during the silent films. Someone local playing the organ set the mood of what was happening on the screen. Good old days? Not a chance!

Taste of Heaven

Luana told me some time ago to write memories about raising kids, but those stories are all old. All of you know them backward and forward. Maybe a few times having to do with grandkids....I don't know now if I was tending Sam and Jeremy on a regular basis or just as needed. But one morning they arrived in their sleepers, and Sam as usual followed me wherever I went to bring me up to date on all hiis doings. I forgot we had set a mousetrap in the freezer room and went in to get meat out for dinner. SNAP!! And loud cries from Sam. His big toe was caught. We rocked for awhile until it felt better. One afternoon they pulled chairs up, one on each side of me, to "help" stir up a cake. Jeremy hovered by the stove all during the baking because he was afraid it wouldn't be done before his Mommy came after them. "And all we have to eat at our house is carrots." he mourned. It was out of the oven and sampled before Mommy arrived. Another time the two were brought over in the evening and learned that there were no goodies here. Jeremy was very concerned about the situation. "But what are you going to do, Grandma?" It struck Grandpa's funny bone a good one so he and the boys went to the store right then to load up on candy and cookies. That reminds me of a time when Sue was about 5 years old and at her Grandma's. "I wrote you a grocery list, Grandma. Cookies, candy, and ice cream, and what else do you need from the store?" Grandma gave her a dime and sent her off to buy herself some candy.
But what does that have to do with heaven? Not a thing. I got sidetracked. When I was very young and we lived in the country, but I think I'll write about that next time around. Taste of Heaven coming up later--One more memory about Sam and Jeremy. They liked to sit on either side of me when I was crocheting so they could "hold the rope." Often I just did chains for them to play with. Several of them that they took home one evening had to be taped to their living room wall as Christmas decorations! Debbie did it to make them happy.

Summer I was 15, 1935

Soon after school was out that spring, I developed an infection in both eyes. It put me out of the line of fun for about six weeks. That's because it kept getting worse and worse, and the eye doctor couldn't find any way to bring it to an end. I didn't know, but he told my mom that he was afraid I was going to be blind. I had to see him every morning, and because my eyes were to dilated I couldn't see anything but blurs, my mom had to take me. Even the city bus driver was asking her each day how it was going. Mom kept the shades down in the house, and since they were a dark green, every room was shadowy. My best friend, Doris, was over every day to hang out with me and also to read magazine stories to me. The women's magazines at that time had loads of fiction and not quite so much about housekeeping and mothering. Doris was hooked, but I only read books--till she got me hooked too. Also I listened every day to the soaps on the radio. Backstage Wife, Stella Dallas, Ma Perkins, Mary Marlin, Vic and Sade and many others. I still remember the tune to "Rinso white, Rinso bright, happy little washday soap." The doctor tried something different each day, and one medication burned my eyes--made them worse. That ended that one. Another made one eye feel like a stickery burr was in it but only when I closed it! Mom washed it out over and over but no go. I worried about how I'd be able to sleep, but found I could lie on my left side and do okay. Finally, I guess my own good health and whatever the doctor tried did the job. I got well.
Later that summer Doris's mother suggested that Doris and I go visit her dad in Pickerell, Nebraska--about 75 miles from Lincoln. Population of about 150. Doris's sister was there for the summer to keep house and cook for her grandpa. The train we had to take was more like a Toonerville Trolley! Just one car that had engine and all in it. And one man to drive it along the track and a conductor. It was fun. We went on a Thursday morning and Doris's mom, dad, and little brother came for us on Sunday. The Grandpa had a nice little house on a country road and no plumbing. We followed a brick path through a flower garden to reach the potty house. Smells were kept down as much as possible by all the flowers. One evening we went to a ball game but sat with a few kids our age in back of the bleachers and didn't see even one pitch. On Sunday
we walked down the gravel road to a small church and went to Sunday School. That "vacation" is a very happy memory.

My Best Summer of All, 1936

The first week-end after school was out, a Music Camp for all high school kids in Nebraska got underway. This was with the Uni. of Nebr. music department. Orchestra, which included all instruments and not just strings, and a chorus of mixed voices (boy/girl). I was in the chorus so I'll say no more about the orchestra except that each member had the same stuff the singers had. Voices were quickly tried out by several teachers, and I was put with the high sopranos. We had chorus practices twice a day at the university's Temple theater. Also each day, but only once, we had singing section practices. Twice a week each of us had a private voice lesson from one of the uni.'s teachers. And each of us had a practice hour in one of the practice rooms at the School of Music building. Now all that kept us very busy, but even so a group of us from Lincoln High managed to hang out in the ladie's lounge in the School of Music basement. And our practice hours were more of a fun time when we gabbed and played all the nameless duets on the piano. There was a piano in each practice room on all floors. The out of town kids stayed and had meals at the dorms. Town kids were on their own for lunch. A group of us usually headed for Woolworth's lunch counter. This was 5 days a week from, I think 8:30 to 5:00. And it was fun, fun, fun! We memorized several songs that were of a variety and really great. I only remember a part of one of them--about a farmer who lived in the west country and had daughters one, two, and three, bow down, bow down. Etc. That took care of my daylight hours and now for the evenings.

I was 16, my friend Jerry Nelson had hit 17 the Feb. before. And we were mixed up with our NAVAM girls plus kids of both sexes from the Lutheran church. We got together every evening at Jerry's house because her mom made us welcome. They had a big basement room with a phonograph and lots of records of dance music, so we learned ballroom dancing that summer. And sometimes we gathered on the front porch (with the porch light on and the bugs thick) and sang songs or just talked. Mrs. Nelson or Mr. Nelson kept pretty close tabs on us. And Mrs. Nelson handed out root beer floats at the end of each evening. Sometimes my dad and Mr. Nelson hauled us to Capitol Beach, the amusement park, where we would go on the rides (such as they were then) and have picnic suppers. There came one night when my folks said I had to stay home and visit with them--and my sister and her husband who were living with us at the time. I was horrified and then surprised about how much fun I had with just my family!

At the end of the music camp--8 or 9 weeks--we put on a concert at the coliseium, and had a huge crowd to cheer for us. All those town parents and all those from all over Nebraska who had to come and collect their kids.

I finished off the summer by visiting a friend, Elizabeth, who lived in Talmadge, Nebraska--population of 500. I met her when we both played in the piano carnival during the spring. My folks took me there on Thursday afternoon and came for me on Sunday. We were on the go every minute, but the most fun was the County Fair. We enjoyed every ride and looked at all the exhibits. Richt after that bit of vacation it was school time again. I can hardly believe it all took place 72 years ago! Now I expect comments since I am a VIP!!!

The hurting

When Sue was still a new baby, I read in something about a woman who gave birth at home by herself to a baby she definitely didn't want. She got rid of it by putting a towel around it and sticking it up in her icy attic. Left it to die. I thought of that baby when Sue had finished nursing (at night) and that tiny face lay, sleeping, against my still bare boob. She was warm and cuddled and dearly loved.

When she got older and had all the little kid bumps and bruises and hurts that mamas can make well with a kiss and maybe a bandaid, it was all acceptable. All but that broken collar bone when she was about 6. She was so scared when she swallowed a dime and asked me if it would hurt very much when the doctor had to cut it out of her. Her relief was great when I told her how it would get out on its own! And when fevers caused her to hallucinate creatures that terrified her, being on my lap kept her safe.

Then came the day she clung to me, both of us crying because she had cancer of the lung. And a world of love from a mama couldn't help. I could only hold her hand when she died.

Bedtime Entertainments

Every night when my bedroom light goes out, I get to watch a "show" on my ceiling. Sometimes I see wind-blown mounds and piles of snow, and usually there's a house or country type school house toward the background. It's never nighttime there for there often are rays of pink on the snow--as of sunrise or sunset. Once I felt a little concern because the house I was seeing had such a huge amount of snow on its flat roof I was sure the weight would cave the roof in. The picture changed before that happened however. Some people had started trying to clear the snow off with shovels. I never did get back there to find out if they did okay.

This is for real. I'm not kidding. And I see these things with my eyes open or shut. Sometimes I'm moving along a country road, and the scenery is beautiful. (I'm just me and not in a car). And sometimes there's a car a little way ahead of me on the road. When I see that I always try to catch up with it. I want to pass it so I can see who is driving and if anyone else is in the car. I've come close at times but never have made it. Sometimes the car will turn off on a side road, and I can't manage to make the turn. There are other kinds of roads too. Sometimes long straight stretches with fields or farms along the way. Sometimes it's hills, steep ones occasionally. A few times I've been riding in a train. Last time that happened we went through a forest of trees all leafed out. Sometimes it's winter with just skeletal branches sort of jammed together.

The most interesting though is when I'm on a downtown sidewalk and watching cars going by--moving in both directions and NOT in a steady stream. I'm always able to see the different store fronts across the street, but I can't ever make out the names of the stores or exactly what's in the window displays. I watch people walking by and going in or out of the stores too.

This all started in the last many months--as my eye problem got worse. Next time I see Dr. Lawless I'll try to remember to ask him about it. I've always had hurting eyes on my mind every time so I forget about the "movies." For a long, long time I've seen words on walls but they keep changing before I can read more than one or two of them. No messages. I've lots of times seen music too. The words and music are in the daytime. Now, I'm also seeing huge flowering bushes on the walls. Lots prettier than the white walls with people's pictures. The colors are so beautiful. And so there it is. Do you envy me my entertainment?

Mary needs--

Sandy did her own needs and then did mine.
Here's what I need--

1. Attention on my feet.

2. Numbers

3. More take cover alarms!

4. Overtime to tame Gonzaga

5. To schedule appearances6

6. A time-out

7. Shadows

Marital Togetherness

I thought Luana, being interested in the togetherness of her parents, might find this memory of mine worth hearing about.



Harold finished the two years of classes offered at the Southern Branch, but I quit after the first year. The only work I could find in those days of depression was an occasional baby sitting job, so I helped Harold with the research for term papers he had to write. We lived at the Lodge Hall then and with the city library just across the street doing the research was easy. One class Harold had was American History, mainly the years of the Revolutionary War. In case you don't remember, that war was from 1776 to 1781 and was fought with England. We wanted an end to taxation without representation and wanted to drink coffee instead of so much tea. The paper the professor wanted had to be either a journal of that time or letters. And he warned the students that they better be sure of what they said. "If you say it rained on such and such a day, you better be sure it really did rain."

Harold thought it would be interesting to make it letters written by a soldier and his wife. Forget about the problems of getting the letters back and forth to each other. Harold took over
the soldier, and I took on the research about the wife. There was tons of information about a woman's life without her husband's help. The crops, hunting for meat, keeping warm during the cold winters, preserving food, caring for the animals, butchering. And all the information about the clothes they wore, the cloth for clothes, soap making, the food they ate, how the food was cooked, care of children, cooking utensils, dishes.

When all the research was done, we began the writing. Harold and I agreed that I should write the wife's letters while he took care of the soldier's. Then, the night before the paper was due, Harold could begin typing it all. We were living in the Lodge Hall then, so he took the typewriter and all essentials down to the meeting room, and I went along to keep him company. It was an all night job. While he clacked away, I read and sometimes played the piano. The Lodge had a very good piano. At one time during the wee small hours I baked bran muffins, and we took a break to eat and drink milk. Just before dawn, the job was done. After breakfast, while Harold took a bath and shaved, I quizzed him on his German vocabulary. When he walked out the door to head for his 8:00 class, I hit the sack!

How's that for marital togetherness? Oh yes, he (we) got an A on the paper, and the professor wrote several nice comments on the sidelines.

This is for Dr. Melissa

I kept putting off smashing up those pills, and I'm very very glad I did. One night not long ago I had a humdinger of a restless legs spell again, and finally. after all else failed, I took one of the pills. LO AND BEHOLD, IT WORKED!!! So now I have taken one each night not long before bedtime. At first, I would wake up and not be able to go back to sleep until after I had been up for awhile. Habit, I guess. But last night I was up only to take care of potty needs a couple of times and then right back to bed and to sleep. But this better keep on working or I'll go beat the crap out of Dr. Benson! And then I'll beat him up again!

Luana's again giving me orders!

So you're asking for details about the Harold and Mary Lou romance...I had my eyeballs on him before we ever exchanged a word, as you know, but back in those days a girl had to wait for the guy to make the first move. So there I was trying to figure out how to make him break the ice. If I saw him unexpectedly in the hall of one of the buildings or coming toward a door as I was departing, my stomach would drop to my toes and my heart would thump like mad. I learned later that he had the same reactions. But the first -- the very first -- thing that caught his eye regarding me was my sizeable chest muscle. I presume you know what I mean. It was just before the start of a regular choir class, and two or three of us females were leaning across the grand piano. Harold told me a long time later that he and Burton clapped their hands over their eyes and staggered a few steps as if overcome! Shameful!

Every Friday night there were stag dances at the gym, so groups of us from the dorm who didn't already have a date would hie ourselves to the dance. Always, there would be someone who would ask to walk us home. During intermission one Friday--after we walked together for the drinks of water during the oratorio--I saw Harold walking toward me. I knew he was going to ask me to dance, but he just said hello and walked on out the door to the entry. Two minutes later he was back and asking for a dance. That was the start of several dances that night and the walk to the dorm afterward. Then came dates for movies. He didn't have a car, so we walked back and forth. No kissing for the dorm entry was always crowded with couples. No privacy.


There wasn't time for very many dates though before Christmas vacation came along, and I was going to go home to Lincoln for the holiday. Harold borrowed a friend's car and took me to the depot. Then came the first kiss. It was wonderful! But the "All aboard" cut it a bit short. We wrote to each other during those two weeks, and he was at the depot when I got back. That night we went out with two other couples--in the car of one guy--and kissing came easier.

If I could turn back the clock, I wouldn't get married the way we did. My mom felt bad because she had wanted to give me a real wedding. Also I had a hangover of worry stemming from childhood that I couldn't get married because I didn't know how to cook or what to do with blankets in the summer and keeping track of hand soap so we wouldn't run out, etc. Dumb stuff . During our short engagment our squabbles mainly were about my wanting a little time to spend with girl friends once in awhile. Harold felt all our free time should be spent with each other only. I don't know how we worked it out, but there weren't any bad feelings. I could write more but I think this is enough.

More Wishes

Second bathroom so Sandy won't have to save coffee cans for her own use when I'm taking too much time

A walk-in shower. I can't use the shower/potty chair we had for the father because I can't swing or lift my legs over the tub. So I take spit baths all the time. At least that's better than in the old days when folks seldom even washed and everyone stunk.

A piano. I might rarely play it, but Sandy would.

A full and finished basement with a ramp instead of stairs.

A dining room. A big one that could seat at least 12 people comfortably at a table with room left over for a card table.

An overhead bonus room (again with a ramp instead of stairs). It would be large enough for shelves for my yarn and crochet books. Also storage space and a sizeable work area for scrapbooking. And windows on all 4 sides so I could look out over the neighborhood.

I would like to visit my old home-town, but I'd like the clock to be turned back so it could look like the old days. But maybe that wouldn't be so good.

A ride on a merry-go-round again. And -a first time one for me- a ride on a roller coaster.

I'd like to visit Australia, London, and Norway.

I want to go to a New York stage show, a good musical. When my Aunt Babe lived with my mom in Portland, she would drag my mom to a lot of the touring stage musicals. But first she'd buy a copy of the play so my mom, who was very hard of hearing, could read it and know what was happening. The music was something she could hear okay. And they always got seats near the front.

And I guess that is enough for now. Wish in one hand, spit in the other, and see which one fills up first. That's something my grandfather-in-law Herrick used to say to the wishers in the family. Only he didn't say spit!

Wishes

Okay. 20 wishes, or however many as I can think of

1- to be needed.

2- new hearing aids that would work and let me join the world again.

3- to be able to live alone. I don't want to live alone, just to be able to.

4- to be able to go grocery shopping or any kind of shopping really. Computers sure are handy, though, huh?

5- to be able to sew and have someone to sew for besides myself. And that brings up the next one--

6- to be able to see clearly.

And now I'm going in a new direction.

I'd like to turn back the clock by many years so I can ask questions. I would want to know all about my Grandpa Burns. His brothers and sisters, who they were and what became of them
and their children. And I'd ask about his childhood, how his foot got crippled, who his parents were. I would want to know all about my Grandma Burns too since she died before I was 2 years old. Another one I would question is my dad. He talked a lot about his work as a pennitentiary guard and about the inmates at the reformatory and about the stage shows he and my mom saw. He sang me the songs from those shows. But--I want to ask him about his mom and dad and his first wife and his son George by that wife. I would want details! But I never asked one single question. How could I be so indifferent? He told me some of the devilment he ans his brothers got into, but that was all he told. My mom went in the other direction, and since I insisted on hearing everything from her over and over, I should have realized Iwould someday want to know about my father. Dumb! Another person I would pin down is my Grandpa Bixby. He did talk quite a bit about early days of his life, but nothing that I considered interesting. I didn't feel like I really knew him until about 35 years after he died when I came across the life story he had written. He was such an interesting and entertaining man, and I botched it! I would ask him all about Grandma Bixby too since I was only 8 when she died. And I would want to know all about Grandpa and Grandma's sisters and brothers and parents. I want to know them, and I'd like so much to know them now--or preferably many years ago!

All this makes me wonder if my grandkids and great-grandkids someday in the far future will wish they had gotten better acquainted with me when I was around to talk to! There's that old saying--now I'm old enough to know all the answers but nobody asks me the questions!

Into the Garbage With Them!

Okay, Smellnell, I did what you -- and others -- suggested! And I found out I should have listened to old Benson. The restless leg crap began the moment I hit the sack a few nights ago, so I took one of those PILLS, and that's when the restless crap really hit the jackpot. Always I have been able to stop the problem by sitting up, but not that night. My legs were doing a jitterbug dance -- had to do so -- whether I was sitting or standing on my head. And I didn't think it was ever again going to stop! I hip-hopped from one end of the house to the other, back and forth, tried to use the computer to get my mind off it, and several hours later it all slowed down and finally ended. Since that night I have found getting up and reading or doing stuff on the computer quite pleasurable. Leaving my "ears" in the bedroom keeps me from hearing all the bumps and thumps from the Undead Room, and those ghostly things I see floating about are quite friendly--so far. And so far I haven't been able to sneak out an ice cream bar from the freezer -- in the dark even -- without alerting the cat. She insists on my leaving a bit of ice cream on the stick so she can lick it off. Then she heads back to Sandy's bed.

You stirred up my memories, Kris

It seemed like our dog Trixie was always having puppies so I never ran out of little dogs chasing at my heels all summer long during the years we lived in the country. Trixie didn't care how much I handled them.

All summer there were cicadas making their noise in the trees by our house. They were very large beetles that I wouldn't touch even with a stick. Sometimes in the late afternoons their chirping(?) made me feel lonesome and sad.

The walk to the country school in the fall was absolutely beautiful! The early morning sunshine was slanted across some of the farm fields I passed. I wanted to just stand and stare.

In the spring the huge lilac bush north of our house was a highly perfumed place to play house and was likely about the only time I would play with my dolls. No wonder lilacs are my favorite flower. We had some cherry trees too whose blossoms were beautiful to look at and so good to smell. One afternoon I picked a few that I could reach from the ground (I was under 8 years old), put them in a glass of water, and decorated our dining room table with them. I was very pleased with what I had done, but my Mom chewed me out but good. The blossoms become cherries!!! She never did scold me for gobbling up peas or tomatoes or carrots from her garden whenever the spirit moved me.

During warm weather at the beginning and ending of the country schools years, all of us took off our shoes and socks as soon as we got to school and didn't put them on again till it was time to go home.

Way back then nothing tasted better than minced ham sandwiches. Especially if they were combined with pork and beans and "cabbage salad," better known to me now as cole slaw.

One of Margaret's friends used to mix up all kinds of stuff to "treat" her brother and me. We had jello with hard candies dissolved together with ice chips and soda pop. Good! My mom didn't know. That girl and her brother and sister were the children of the man who rented the store close to our house---by the state Pen. They lived in town with their mom and spent week-ends with their dad. He

Where did Monday go?

I do believe I was born in the best generation era to have the best sort of childhood. This has nothing to do with Luana's idea for Monday Memories I have of my kids and/or grandkids. My kids could play outside within reasonable limits but were hooked on television programs to fill many hours. My grandkids can't play outdoors except under close supervision all because of the pervs and gangs and all the evil thereof. They just about have to have video games and television to occupy their free time. So imagination has pretty much gone down the drain. How many kids today can tip a coaster wagon upside down and turn it into a streetcar to take imaginary passengers to the shopping areas? And can any kid sit in a box in one spot but still be flying through space or from big city to big city? A writer whose name I've forgotten said that the only rule kids in my day and age had to abide by was to get home by suppertime. They didn't have to tell a parent where they were heading off to play or who they planned to play with. I didn't have quite that much freedom, and neither did my "gang." The folks had to know where we were and who we were with. We roamed several blocks of the neighborhood on our roller skates and scooters. We had a square block area for our evening hide 'n seek and Mother May I and run sheep run and sardine games. And at the ghostly twilight hour we played the game I made up--haunted house--that paved the way for the scary bumps in the night.
All of us many times walked home from each other's houses during the bedtime-get-home-now darkness, and made the trip alone. I have really great memories of after dark snowball fights
and of sitting in the summer darkness of a yard and telling ghost stories that made our blood run cold. And now I've come to a "memory." The first year I worked for Mary Kasai Grandma Read was the baby sitter here, and Sue drove her wild sometimes. Sue and Kris shared a room--Sue would call Kris to the doorway of their dark bedroom and tell her to "look in the corner over there and see that hand moving up and down--"all told in a spooky whisper. Sue would then cheerfully go to bed in that dark bedroom and Kris would cry because she was scared to go in there where hands could get her. Or other monsters Sue would tell her about. There's one other memory I'm thinking about, but it's one that Grandma Read told me about your dad/grandpa and his brother Bud. The two of them were about 4 and 3 years old when a friend of their mom came to visit for a short time and brought her very young baby girl. During the gab session it became necessary to change the baby's diaper and as the mama started the job, Grandma Read told her boys to go play in the other room. They had never been around a girl.Harold started to leave, but Bud planted himself firmly by the action going on. So Harold told him, "You better come with me, Buddy, or you see something make you eyes twinkle!" Grandma had no idea where his "knowledge" came from about little girls.

Tell me what it's like to sleep at night!

Restless leg syndrome has its clutch on me every night! So I get out of bed--usually that non-stop urge to move my legs goes away when I sit on the couch or my special chair or at the computer. But I'd much rather be sawing logs in bed. Seems like the only time I can sleep sitting up is in the daytime. So I read and snack on bread sticks or mess about with the computer. I've ordered lots of books and lots of yarn at 3 o'clock in the morning. And played card games. On several nights I've been up all night. That's when I leave the light off and sneak ice cream bars to eat. Have to be sneaky or the cat shows up and demands plenty of ice cream be left on the stick for her to lick.

I have asked the doctor about pills to relieve the problem, but he has been reluctant to order any because of all the blood pressure stuff and the water pills and the colesteral stuff and the thyroid junk that he has me taking. But yesterday I begged again via telephone (via Sandy doing the calling), and he agreed. I got the pills; I looked them up on the computer; and I got up again last night instead of sleeping. No way do I want to have depression, see monsters that aren't really there, lose muscular control--I'm wobbly enough already--fall asleep while I'm walking around, have trouble breathing, and a load of other unpleasant side effects.

I forgot about the Monday Memory idea Luana suggested. Here's a short Thursday Memory though. When Rick was newborn he discovered the joy of thumb sucking and he was still enjoying it when he was 3 years old. He also had developed a "thing" about big dogs by then. So I worked on breaking the sucking by letting him know "Big dogs don't suck their thumbs." Thumb out of his mouth. "Little dogs do." Thumb back in.

Saving my ass from Luana's foot!

I'm quoting from an order Luana gave me--"On each Monday I want you to make an entry entitled, "Memory Monday." Then I want you to write a memory from your life after you were married and started having kids......it would really be fun to read your memories of your time raising us....." and she added more suggestions. Also told me to get BUSY or she would "kick my ass." Sweet and gentle relative you all have.



She has no memory of having a swimming pool on her head, and I don't remember how it got started, That's Luana I'm talking about. But the swimming pool was there, covering the entire top of her head. Because of it I had to be very careful combing her hair and even more careful about washing it. I don't know why the water didn't spill out when I did those chores, and chores they were, for she was fussy about her pool. I never did think to ask her who went swimming in it. I wonder how she could lie down in bed without spilling the water. Hey, Luana, try to remember. I had to repair it one time because Jeff smacked her on the head when they were having a battle.



I believe the swimming pool was slowly sliding off into the nothingness by the time Luana found the little girl who lived in the door knobs. They were happy and congenial playmates but I heard one shouting battle--yelling only for they couldn't very well hit each other. When I went to investigate, Luana snarled that the little girl (nameless) insisted they were cousins, and they WERE NOT! She refused to play with her all the rest of the day. I bet that door knob girl felt real bad--ha ha!



Luana, how can you say your growing up years were the happiest of your life when you can't even remember them. Huh?

Who Knows?

I don't have pictures, so I can't put any of those in here. Besides, all of you in my family already have all the pictures. So--And I wouldn't know how to put them in anyway. Again--so---Luana said I should make this like a journal and write what I'm doing and what I'm thinking, etc. My days follow a pattern with little variation. Come to think of it, my days always followed a pattern, but the patterns changed as the years went by. Early years--mostly playtime. Then came the school days with piano lessons on Saturday mornings and church (with neighbors) every Sunday. Marriage and kids meant the rounds of breakfast, school lunches, hustle kids out the door in time for the school bus, cleanthehousedothelaundayirontheclothescoffeewiththeneighborwomencookdinnerherdkidstothe bathtubandintobed. RELAX, READ BOOKS, WATCH TV--By degrees it eased off, and now today it's gone back to mostly playtime. Playtime a la the grown up kind of fun -- reading, crocheting, scrapbooking, the computer for games, research, emails, etc. I know I couldn't live on my own now, so I'm fortunate to have had all those kids back then. Two of them cook my meals, do my laundry, and boss me around in a friendly sort of way.
Reaching this advanced age does make for a lonely life really. There's only brother John left in my age group, and I didn't know him until I married his brother. John was 10 and I was 18. All the others who knew me as young and called me something other than Mom or Grandma are dead and buried, most of them for a long long time now. Being deaf makes for a lonely life too--causes people to live in their own little world. Keep that in mind when I hound you with my "What did you say?" And that's enough belly-aching. Life is good, life is fun, especially since I am blessed with the greatest family ever set up by the good Lord.

A to Z Tag

A to Z Tag


A- A favorite story or poem - Mint Fields Beneath the Slant of Rain--a poem from a magazine long ago when I was only 17 years old. I still have a copy.


B- Best friend - From childhood--Doris Blomenkamp, the girl next door. Now it's my family members

C- Cake or Cookies - Cookies for sure--except for spice cake full of raisins

D- Diet coke or Dr. Pepper - Yuk to both of them!

E- Essential Item -Computer, crochet hook, room full of books, etc.

F- Favorite candy - caramels, plain or chocolate covered

G- Greatest Accomplishment - Raising a bunch of kids and hanging onto my sanity

H- Happy Moment - Right off I can't think of any moments that weren't happy--except when I had earachesu

I- Indulgences - Eating out - used to be anyway. Now it's Wendy's hamburgers

J- Junk food junkie or Healthy Eater -Combination of both, but I pig out on veggies.

K- Kids - Rick, Kris, Sue, Sandy, Steve, Jeff, Luana, and Erin.

L- Life is incomplete without -Coffee and chocolate

M- Morning or Night - Morning, but I have insomnia so I enjoy getting up in the wee small hours to read and play around on the computer.

N- Naughty or nice - I've always been nice

O- Oranges or Apples - oranges

P- Phobias or fears - high places and things that go bump in the night. When I get up at night, I leave out my hearing aids so I don't hear those bumps.

Q- Quilt or comforter -Quilt. Comforters have a way of sliding off the bed.

R- Reason to smile - I'm still alive and living is fun!

S- Season - Fall is the most beautiful, has the best weather, and the best holidays. Also my birthday.

T-Temper igniter -People who forget that I'm deaf. Only one person has never done so, the eye doctor I see always looks straight at me when he's talking and he speaks clearly--every word.

U- Unknown fact about me --Most people don't know I have a half-brother that I've never seen or heard from.

V- Very favorite store - Any good book store or yarn shop or scrapbooking shop

W- Worst Habit - Putting things off too often.

X- Xtra dessert or main course -I'm not sure if I'm supposed to choose which is my favorite or name my favorite in each. I shall do the latter--pumpkin pie and a good tender juicy steak or spaghetti with meat balls.

Y- Your favorite restaurant - Olive Garden

Z- Zoo Animal Favorite - Monkies

I'm Here

Even though Peterann is here, it is Sandra D filling this first part in for her. She named it however. But, for now this is all she wrote "fokes."