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."