OCTOBER 17, 2019
Hello there my friends,
As the title states, I never, "I mean NEVER" imagined. that I would actually write an entire book!
First of all, my English skills are pretty terrible! I have known this fact for major part of my life but have been willing to let things limp along as they were and continue to be. It has not been a great problem, most of the time. Perhaps, when my husband and I were raising children, our own and numerous others, as foster parents, I am sure it would have been wonderful had I been more skilled in the proper use and punctuation of the English language, but parenting aside, I did not ever plan to write anything longer than a check or an occasional letter (both practices that are now becoming, close to obsolete) so I did not let it worry me.
A few years ago I bought my "first computer" and at that time I decided I would write a "short story." Well- - let me tell you, this "short story" has become the "loo-o-ongest short story in history!" Not only in it's approximately 110,000 words but also in the length of time it has taken for it to be written!
I started writing it in the year 2000! (I told my family if I didn't do something soon that I would have to call it Historical Fiction!)
Over the years I have started and stopped, started and stopped and as time went on, the short story just kept getting longer and longer! About ten years ago my computer crashed and I lost the entire thing! Luckily I had a printed copy with most of what I had written up to that point so I slowly re-typed the entire thing into my new desktop computer!
Did that mean I finished at that time. No-oo! Not! I am telling you this girl is a procrastinator if ever was one. If they gave prizes for Procrastinators I would take 1st place and the Blue Ribbon!
But, slowly I have come to believe that Joletta's story deserves to be told. Over the years she has almost become just another family member. Now, finally, although I never dreamed it would happen, Joletta's Dreams is now, not only One book, but Two in One! (I plan for her story to continue.)
Did I become an expert in English skills in the years of writing? I am sorry to say that has not happened, but with some much appreciated help with editing the story is now both, printable and readable!
Joletta's Dreams is being published together as Two parts, One book! Book 1, Joletta's Dreams and book 2, Dream River. IT IS NOW AVAILABLE as either an eBook or in print on AMAZON until the first of January, after which it will be sold through other channels also!
I NEVER WOULD HAVE IMAGINED, BUT MIRICLES CONTINUE TO HAPPEN!!
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Friday, May 20, 2016
It's Called CAMPIN' (CAM-PUN)
That's right, not Camping -- we say "CAM-PUN" and CAMPIN' IS FUN! It is something I have done pretty much all my life.
First--- when I was a little girl, with my parents and brothers and sisters, then later, with my husband and our young family. Years later, we started going with our grandchildren and foster children, (more on that later) and now (at least for the most part) it is only me and my husband Wayne, who has now put up with me for 50-plus years!
Our kids have been grown now for many years, the foster children are gone and the grandchildren are well on the way to growing up! We even now, have our first great-grandchild, Little Abigail, who just had her very first birthday!
My earliest memories of camping consisted mostly of Daddy driving the big green Nash loaded with Mom and whichever kids were along, down to a local creek (usually within less than an hours drive from home. We thought Daddy was a super driver and I can remember standing (yes, that is what I said) behind his seat as my twin brother Keith and the rest of us hollering for him to drive "Faster, Daddy, Faster!!" (I don't know if he actualy was speeding, but he always played along! It was a game that was played more than once. After awhile, we would pull off of the main road and soon would be twisting down and around until we were right beside the water and under one of the many access bridges in the area of Southwest Missouri where we were raised. There he would park right on the rocky gravel-bar of whatever creek or river the adults had chosen for our newest adventure.
I am not sure but I think it was, usually, only Mom and Daddy and the 4 of us younger kids. We were always grouped together, because we were close in age and everyone called us "the Little Kids". We also had 2 sisters and a brother that were several years our seniors, I think they were probably perfectly happy (possibly thrilled) to get us out of their hair for a day or two or more! Momma's mother, "Grandma Price" lived with us, so the job of keeping up with the older siblings was left up to her. Not sure if there was ever a time that all 10 of us actually camped together.
I don't remember exactly how many times we actually camped while I was young. Many times our family would go picnicking at the creek or in the woods, so some of those memories have become jumbled and I am not sure which are the "real camping" experiences and which were, perhaps, only day long picnics,"
To me it doesn't really matter, since in MY mind they were all wonderful experiences! Roaring River, Capp's Creek, Flat Creek, Sugar Creek and 43 Bridge, are only a few in my memory.
Although I may have fantastic memories, I have to wonder if my "Momma and Daddy" possible may have felt very differently.
Among my memories are a few of the following---
One time, Mom was cooking our supper on a campfire. It consisted of bacon, eggs and toast. but--- the problem was--- somehow in packing up "we had failed to bring all the necessities! NO PLATES to eat off of!" But we did not go hungry, we ate our supper that night off of the "torn up" cartons and boxes" that the food was packed in! Mom told me in later life that it seemed we NEVER made a trip without FORGETTING something that seemed, at the time, to be important!
On another trip, we just gotten settled into our make-shift camp. (Because we had no tent, Daddy had set up a shelter with an old tarp and saplings. Unfortunately, just about the time Mom and Dad were all ready to relax for the evening and enjoy watching the stars and campfire, we little children started complaining of "Itching!" It did not take very long before it became painfully obvious that we had set up our bedding right in the MIDDLE of a nest of SEED TICKS! Needless to say, things were packed up as quickly as possible and we were packed, once more into the "Old Nash!" Once we got back to our little stone house in the country we were lined up and systematically "De-ticked! I will never forget standing naked while my tired little body was searched from "the top of my head, to the bottom of my feet!"
Then there was yet another trip when a family friend had offered to let Dad use his outboard motor and "I think Daddy then rented a flat bottom canoe". Anyway, we had a wonderful afternoon flying up and down the "Brand new Table Rock Lake." That is, until my youngest brother who was about 6 got so badly sunburned that another trip was brought to an end!
Now, most people would think after all that, it would be the end of camping for our family!
"NOT!"
The year I turned 8 (I think), we got to go on a "real vacation." This time it would be several days and we would be going to several different places!
After everything was readied, we headed out once again.
That trip included following the wild and scenic river-ways of Southern Missouri, where wonderful natural springs gush and bubble up out of the sheer rocky hillsides.
"Big Spring State Park (on the Black River, close to VanBuren, Missouri), has an amazing water-flow of approximately 276,000,000 (yes Million) gallons of water a DAY!
We spent at least one night at a brand new park called Johnson Shut-ins! It was and is a FAVORITE memory. Huge volcanic rock formations form a natural water-park, with the clear cold river splashing in and out of the shut-in valley. The park had only recently been opened and did not have water, electricity or even toilets built yet, but, oh my the huge rocks and ice-cold water was absolutely the most wonderful thing a small child could imagine!
It is kind of hard to describe. It was and is, different than any other creek or river I have ever visited. Not deep, the water runs and splashes between huge rocks, some as smooth and slick as a park sliding board. It made many personal pools to sit in and feel the chilling water flow over your body and some of the rocks had been worn so smooth you could (carefully) climb to the top and slide into the pool below!
I only remember going to the "Shut In's" that one time, although others in the family went back numerous times, Never-the-less, it was permanently etched into my young mind. Many years later while traveling, I saw a picture that had been taken there and I immediately recognized it! My husband could not believe that I recognized a picture of a place that I had only been to once when I was no more than 5 or 6 years old!
You know I can still remember the smell of Fried Chicken that Momma had made before leaving home. There is nothing better on a hot day, than tea, after it has been brewed in a gallon jug, iced and carefully wrapped in newspaper and towels to keep at its coldest until we made our destination.
Or, have you ever eaten a watermelon (not the little puny ones they sell you these days), but one that is huge and bright red and sweet after it has been siting in the cold creek water all afternoon.
We spent our days chasing bunnies, we shivered and shook as we tried our best to catch crawdads, chased tadpoles and minnows and we skipped flat stones across the glittering ripples of water.
At night we roasted marshmallows over the campfire and cracked pieces of flint-stone against each other to make sparks. We caught fireflies and June-bugs and listened to Daddy and Momma as they sang old. sad songs to us. (Favorites were Daddy singing "The Old Number Nine" and Momma singing "As I wandered 'Round the Homestead"
Finally, our little bodies were so worn out that we happily got washed up and then curled into our warm blankets for the night. It didn't take long before the song of the Whip-o-will and river night sounds would lull us to sleep.
I would wake in the very early morning to the sound of Daddy and the boys, getting ready to go out on the river for a couple of hours of fishing. I still feel the morning mist on my face and can easily imagine smelling the campfire and the coffee perking!
That's right, not Camping -- we say "CAM-PUN" and CAMPIN' IS FUN! It is something I have done pretty much all my life.
First--- when I was a little girl, with my parents and brothers and sisters, then later, with my husband and our young family. Years later, we started going with our grandchildren and foster children, (more on that later) and now (at least for the most part) it is only me and my husband Wayne, who has now put up with me for 50-plus years!
Our kids have been grown now for many years, the foster children are gone and the grandchildren are well on the way to growing up! We even now, have our first great-grandchild, Little Abigail, who just had her very first birthday!
My earliest memories of camping consisted mostly of Daddy driving the big green Nash loaded with Mom and whichever kids were along, down to a local creek (usually within less than an hours drive from home. We thought Daddy was a super driver and I can remember standing (yes, that is what I said) behind his seat as my twin brother Keith and the rest of us hollering for him to drive "Faster, Daddy, Faster!!" (I don't know if he actualy was speeding, but he always played along! It was a game that was played more than once. After awhile, we would pull off of the main road and soon would be twisting down and around until we were right beside the water and under one of the many access bridges in the area of Southwest Missouri where we were raised. There he would park right on the rocky gravel-bar of whatever creek or river the adults had chosen for our newest adventure.
I am not sure but I think it was, usually, only Mom and Daddy and the 4 of us younger kids. We were always grouped together, because we were close in age and everyone called us "the Little Kids". We also had 2 sisters and a brother that were several years our seniors, I think they were probably perfectly happy (possibly thrilled) to get us out of their hair for a day or two or more! Momma's mother, "Grandma Price" lived with us, so the job of keeping up with the older siblings was left up to her. Not sure if there was ever a time that all 10 of us actually camped together.
I don't remember exactly how many times we actually camped while I was young. Many times our family would go picnicking at the creek or in the woods, so some of those memories have become jumbled and I am not sure which are the "real camping" experiences and which were, perhaps, only day long picnics,"
To me it doesn't really matter, since in MY mind they were all wonderful experiences! Roaring River, Capp's Creek, Flat Creek, Sugar Creek and 43 Bridge, are only a few in my memory.
Although I may have fantastic memories, I have to wonder if my "Momma and Daddy" possible may have felt very differently.
Among my memories are a few of the following---
One time, Mom was cooking our supper on a campfire. It consisted of bacon, eggs and toast. but--- the problem was--- somehow in packing up "we had failed to bring all the necessities! NO PLATES to eat off of!" But we did not go hungry, we ate our supper that night off of the "torn up" cartons and boxes" that the food was packed in! Mom told me in later life that it seemed we NEVER made a trip without FORGETTING something that seemed, at the time, to be important!
On another trip, we just gotten settled into our make-shift camp. (Because we had no tent, Daddy had set up a shelter with an old tarp and saplings. Unfortunately, just about the time Mom and Dad were all ready to relax for the evening and enjoy watching the stars and campfire, we little children started complaining of "Itching!" It did not take very long before it became painfully obvious that we had set up our bedding right in the MIDDLE of a nest of SEED TICKS! Needless to say, things were packed up as quickly as possible and we were packed, once more into the "Old Nash!" Once we got back to our little stone house in the country we were lined up and systematically "De-ticked! I will never forget standing naked while my tired little body was searched from "the top of my head, to the bottom of my feet!"
Then there was yet another trip when a family friend had offered to let Dad use his outboard motor and "I think Daddy then rented a flat bottom canoe". Anyway, we had a wonderful afternoon flying up and down the "Brand new Table Rock Lake." That is, until my youngest brother who was about 6 got so badly sunburned that another trip was brought to an end!
Now, most people would think after all that, it would be the end of camping for our family!
"NOT!"
The year I turned 8 (I think), we got to go on a "real vacation." This time it would be several days and we would be going to several different places!
After everything was readied, we headed out once again.
That trip included following the wild and scenic river-ways of Southern Missouri, where wonderful natural springs gush and bubble up out of the sheer rocky hillsides.
"Big Spring State Park (on the Black River, close to VanBuren, Missouri), has an amazing water-flow of approximately 276,000,000 (yes Million) gallons of water a DAY!
We spent at least one night at a brand new park called Johnson Shut-ins! It was and is a FAVORITE memory. Huge volcanic rock formations form a natural water-park, with the clear cold river splashing in and out of the shut-in valley. The park had only recently been opened and did not have water, electricity or even toilets built yet, but, oh my the huge rocks and ice-cold water was absolutely the most wonderful thing a small child could imagine!
It is kind of hard to describe. It was and is, different than any other creek or river I have ever visited. Not deep, the water runs and splashes between huge rocks, some as smooth and slick as a park sliding board. It made many personal pools to sit in and feel the chilling water flow over your body and some of the rocks had been worn so smooth you could (carefully) climb to the top and slide into the pool below!
I only remember going to the "Shut In's" that one time, although others in the family went back numerous times, Never-the-less, it was permanently etched into my young mind. Many years later while traveling, I saw a picture that had been taken there and I immediately recognized it! My husband could not believe that I recognized a picture of a place that I had only been to once when I was no more than 5 or 6 years old!
You know I can still remember the smell of Fried Chicken that Momma had made before leaving home. There is nothing better on a hot day, than tea, after it has been brewed in a gallon jug, iced and carefully wrapped in newspaper and towels to keep at its coldest until we made our destination.
Or, have you ever eaten a watermelon (not the little puny ones they sell you these days), but one that is huge and bright red and sweet after it has been siting in the cold creek water all afternoon.
We spent our days chasing bunnies, we shivered and shook as we tried our best to catch crawdads, chased tadpoles and minnows and we skipped flat stones across the glittering ripples of water.
At night we roasted marshmallows over the campfire and cracked pieces of flint-stone against each other to make sparks. We caught fireflies and June-bugs and listened to Daddy and Momma as they sang old. sad songs to us. (Favorites were Daddy singing "The Old Number Nine" and Momma singing "As I wandered 'Round the Homestead"
Finally, our little bodies were so worn out that we happily got washed up and then curled into our warm blankets for the night. It didn't take long before the song of the Whip-o-will and river night sounds would lull us to sleep.
I would wake in the very early morning to the sound of Daddy and the boys, getting ready to go out on the river for a couple of hours of fishing. I still feel the morning mist on my face and can easily imagine smelling the campfire and the coffee perking!
Friday, March 25, 2016
REMINDER OF A MEMORY
March 23, 2016
Last week, my niece Jackie posted a memory on her Facebook page that had to do with her Grandma (my Mother),
Her post caused responses from, not only myself, but several others who had witnessed "Momma" madly waving a tea towel in the direction of the loud beeping of the house "fire alarm" that was mounted in the hallway, perhaps 20 feet or so from the kitchen.
Mom was a wonderful cook (at least her family always thought so, she would dispute that fact, but we each have our own opinions and she was certainly outnumbered) With that said, Mom did have a tendency to cook everything over high heat which, in turn, caused said alarm to loudly object on numerous occasions! This was the cause of much irritation and frustration on her part and snickers and head shaking and giggles, from Daddy and her family! However, she never did learn to turn the burner down and cook things slowly ---- "Thankfully" she never burned the house to the ground either!
This incident reminded me that I had initially started this Blog, "Karen Spillin' her Dreams" with the idea of writing about just such memories in the hopes that, at some point, my children and grandchildren might possibly enjoy reading the "bits and pieces" of , not only my memories but also "their history."
Admittedly, my life has not been particularly exciting but, still, I thought it would be kind of fun to go back and think about earlier times and or things that were possibly funny, significant and sometimes, even life-changing!
I did enjoy doing it for awhile, but as is so often the case when it comes down to it, I am not a very motivated person and as frequently happens when I start a project, I get sidetracked and soon it is forgotten, perhaps, never, but not always. to be finished at all.
Well, Jackie's post on Facebook reminded me of the Blog and so, HERE I AM ONCE AGAIN! I had no idea it had been so long since I had checked out or written anything on these pages. WOW! How quickly time flies by! The first 20 or 30 years of our lives seems to take forever and then the next 40 or 50 years fly by so quickly, you are kind of left shaking your head and wondering where they went!
Of course, I never actually worked at "blogging" long enough to really find out if I could manage to get people interested in following my pages, so there most likely will be very few people, other than myself that will ever see my ramblings. So here goes, I am back once again. I have decided my brain could use the exercise.
More than a few changes in my life have taken place these past five years, so I once again I am ready to start "SPILLIN" IT OUT FOR ALL THAT ARE INTERESTED!"
GOOD NIGHT ALL AND GOD BLESS!!!
Last week, my niece Jackie posted a memory on her Facebook page that had to do with her Grandma (my Mother),
Her post caused responses from, not only myself, but several others who had witnessed "Momma" madly waving a tea towel in the direction of the loud beeping of the house "fire alarm" that was mounted in the hallway, perhaps 20 feet or so from the kitchen.
Mom was a wonderful cook (at least her family always thought so, she would dispute that fact, but we each have our own opinions and she was certainly outnumbered) With that said, Mom did have a tendency to cook everything over high heat which, in turn, caused said alarm to loudly object on numerous occasions! This was the cause of much irritation and frustration on her part and snickers and head shaking and giggles, from Daddy and her family! However, she never did learn to turn the burner down and cook things slowly ---- "Thankfully" she never burned the house to the ground either!
This incident reminded me that I had initially started this Blog, "Karen Spillin' her Dreams" with the idea of writing about just such memories in the hopes that, at some point, my children and grandchildren might possibly enjoy reading the "bits and pieces" of , not only my memories but also "their history."
Admittedly, my life has not been particularly exciting but, still, I thought it would be kind of fun to go back and think about earlier times and or things that were possibly funny, significant and sometimes, even life-changing!
I did enjoy doing it for awhile, but as is so often the case when it comes down to it, I am not a very motivated person and as frequently happens when I start a project, I get sidetracked and soon it is forgotten, perhaps, never, but not always. to be finished at all.
Well, Jackie's post on Facebook reminded me of the Blog and so, HERE I AM ONCE AGAIN! I had no idea it had been so long since I had checked out or written anything on these pages. WOW! How quickly time flies by! The first 20 or 30 years of our lives seems to take forever and then the next 40 or 50 years fly by so quickly, you are kind of left shaking your head and wondering where they went!
Of course, I never actually worked at "blogging" long enough to really find out if I could manage to get people interested in following my pages, so there most likely will be very few people, other than myself that will ever see my ramblings. So here goes, I am back once again. I have decided my brain could use the exercise.
More than a few changes in my life have taken place these past five years, so I once again I am ready to start "SPILLIN" IT OUT FOR ALL THAT ARE INTERESTED!"
GOOD NIGHT ALL AND GOD BLESS!!!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
TRUE CONFESSIONS!
Once upon a time, there was a magazine on the market called "True Confessions. Perhaps, it is still out there somewhere, but, it has been many years since I have seen one, much less read one. At that time I was a
very young girl and I thought it to be "Quite Shocking!" Of course, at this time in history it would probably be a little like "Bubble Gum Music" and would not even shock a 10 year old, but, that was a long time ago. Unfortunately things have changed rather drastically.
Actually, what I have in mind today has nothing at all to do with magazines, "Shocking or not", but, I remembered the name and thought it would be an appropiate title for what I do have to say.
Last night I sat at this computer and wrote a "tongue in cheek" list of my complsints about the weather we have been having to deal with this spring. Asmittedly, I was not totally serious, I was just a little out of sorts and felt like complaining.
As I said at the time "I was even getting on my own nerves!"
Well this morning, as I got up and prepared to leave the house for a full day, I decided I would turn on the TV and check out the news to see if there was anything interesting happening in our world.
The minute a picture came onto the screen, I realized there had been a terrible tragedy. On Wednesday, April 27, 2011, as I am sure everyone already knows, a huge storm system had barreled across the southern part of our country and devastated everything for many miles around! Sadly and tragically, taken by the storms, were also more than 200(and still counting)lives! This was SHOCKING and HEARTRENDING.
It has caused me to rethink what I said last night, it dosn't matter if I thought, at the time, that I was being funny.
I am now so ASHAMED of myself. For I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT!
EACH and EVERYDAY, I look around me and see people that are truly HURTING! EVERYDAY, I talk to someone who is sick, or without a job, or without a home, or a wonderful husband, or a loving child, or a friend, maybe they can't walk, or havn't got a leg, or are paralyzed, or cannot see, or hear or speak! OR DYING! The list goes on and on!
EVERYDAY! Not once in awhile, but EVERYDAY!!!
So my friends, I want to apologize to each and every one of you that read last nights article.
I AM and HAVE BEEN BLESSED in so many ways I could never begin to count them all.
And I AM SO THANKFUL FOR WHAT GOD HAS PROVIDED! Sometimes I just need to be reminded of how much I really have!
What a sad wake up call!
I have decided that I must stop complaining and whining when things don't go exactly the way I think they should!!
My heart goes out to all who are hurting!
I pray that the storm clouds will soon pass and the healing will begin.
"MAY GOD WATCH OVER YOU AND BLESS YOU"
very young girl and I thought it to be "Quite Shocking!" Of course, at this time in history it would probably be a little like "Bubble Gum Music" and would not even shock a 10 year old, but, that was a long time ago. Unfortunately things have changed rather drastically.
Actually, what I have in mind today has nothing at all to do with magazines, "Shocking or not", but, I remembered the name and thought it would be an appropiate title for what I do have to say.
Last night I sat at this computer and wrote a "tongue in cheek" list of my complsints about the weather we have been having to deal with this spring. Asmittedly, I was not totally serious, I was just a little out of sorts and felt like complaining.
As I said at the time "I was even getting on my own nerves!"
Well this morning, as I got up and prepared to leave the house for a full day, I decided I would turn on the TV and check out the news to see if there was anything interesting happening in our world.
The minute a picture came onto the screen, I realized there had been a terrible tragedy. On Wednesday, April 27, 2011, as I am sure everyone already knows, a huge storm system had barreled across the southern part of our country and devastated everything for many miles around! Sadly and tragically, taken by the storms, were also more than 200(and still counting)lives! This was SHOCKING and HEARTRENDING.
It has caused me to rethink what I said last night, it dosn't matter if I thought, at the time, that I was being funny.
I am now so ASHAMED of myself. For I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT!
EACH and EVERYDAY, I look around me and see people that are truly HURTING! EVERYDAY, I talk to someone who is sick, or without a job, or without a home, or a wonderful husband, or a loving child, or a friend, maybe they can't walk, or havn't got a leg, or are paralyzed, or cannot see, or hear or speak! OR DYING! The list goes on and on!
EVERYDAY! Not once in awhile, but EVERYDAY!!!
So my friends, I want to apologize to each and every one of you that read last nights article.
I AM and HAVE BEEN BLESSED in so many ways I could never begin to count them all.
And I AM SO THANKFUL FOR WHAT GOD HAS PROVIDED! Sometimes I just need to be reminded of how much I really have!
What a sad wake up call!
I have decided that I must stop complaining and whining when things don't go exactly the way I think they should!!
My heart goes out to all who are hurting!
I pray that the storm clouds will soon pass and the healing will begin.
"MAY GOD WATCH OVER YOU AND BLESS YOU"
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
Haven't written for awhile. Thought it about time.
I've been in a bit of a funk recently and while I sit around feeling sorry for myself I have been accomplishing very very little of any importance. Worst of all I am getting on my own nerves!
The weather here in Northwest Ohio this season is certainly not helping my mood one bit! I know we are not the only ones experiencing a late spring, and that complaining about chilly temps and rain, rain and more rain isn't going to make it come faster (believe me, I have been doing that for many weeks and it hasn't worked!!
Well anyway, FINALLY, we did have a couple days last weekend with SUNSHINE! And warm temps, taboot! SPRING!!! FINALLY!
The tulip magnolias and flowering pears began to bloom, daffodil's and tulips in every color, purple and pink hyacinths and little violets (Originally, we brought them from my parents house in Missouri, probably by now, over 30 years ago. These tough little flowers are no longer in my flower beds, where I planted them so long ago, but have seeded themselves all over our back yard.) I have to admit (even with all the doom and gloom) that I smile when I see them because they are a sweet reminder of my special family.
EVERTHING WAS BECOMING BEAUTIFUL! That is, for about 24 hours there, I actually believed we were going to make it. Did I dare sat the word -- SPRING?
I should have known that IT WAS A MISTAKE to voice it because, YESTERDAY, we were RIGHT BACK to 50 degree's and MORE RAIN and MORE FLOODING!
I tried to turn on the weather this afternoon and the SATALLITE would not even work!
I guess, it just didn't think "I COULD HANDLE MORE BAD NEWS!"
BUT, I still have my FAITH and I am STILL hoping that there WILL COME A DAY when I can bask in the sunshine and breath in the warm gentle air of a "PERFECT SPRING DAY".
I've been in a bit of a funk recently and while I sit around feeling sorry for myself I have been accomplishing very very little of any importance. Worst of all I am getting on my own nerves!
The weather here in Northwest Ohio this season is certainly not helping my mood one bit! I know we are not the only ones experiencing a late spring, and that complaining about chilly temps and rain, rain and more rain isn't going to make it come faster (believe me, I have been doing that for many weeks and it hasn't worked!!
Well anyway, FINALLY, we did have a couple days last weekend with SUNSHINE! And warm temps, taboot! SPRING!!! FINALLY!
The tulip magnolias and flowering pears began to bloom, daffodil's and tulips in every color, purple and pink hyacinths and little violets (Originally, we brought them from my parents house in Missouri, probably by now, over 30 years ago. These tough little flowers are no longer in my flower beds, where I planted them so long ago, but have seeded themselves all over our back yard.) I have to admit (even with all the doom and gloom) that I smile when I see them because they are a sweet reminder of my special family.
EVERTHING WAS BECOMING BEAUTIFUL! That is, for about 24 hours there, I actually believed we were going to make it. Did I dare sat the word -- SPRING?
I should have known that IT WAS A MISTAKE to voice it because, YESTERDAY, we were RIGHT BACK to 50 degree's and MORE RAIN and MORE FLOODING!
I tried to turn on the weather this afternoon and the SATALLITE would not even work!
I guess, it just didn't think "I COULD HANDLE MORE BAD NEWS!"
BUT, I still have my FAITH and I am STILL hoping that there WILL COME A DAY when I can bask in the sunshine and breath in the warm gentle air of a "PERFECT SPRING DAY".
Friday, February 25, 2011
Momma, The Heart of our Home, Part 2
Momma was not only a loving mother and wife, but she was gifted with many talents as well.
Her plans in early life did not include even having a large family. She said she expected to become a teacher and raise cats! She did get her teaching certificate but never got a school. (I suppose lacking a car (she didn't even get a license to drive until much later) or not wanting to go far away probably was part of the reason. "Boy, was that a plan that never worked out!" Instead, after she married she never worked away from home and instead of cats she raised 7 children! (and a few cats and dogs too!)
After graduation she lived and worked in Wichita, Kansas taking care of children and cleaning.
She then got a job at the Wichita Eagle and was working there when she was invited to go with some friends on a picnic. That day she met a young man who was working with a C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corp) group at Roaring River State Park in SW. Missouri. They spent the afternoon together. They wrote letters while he was traveling around the country and married two years later.
She loved writing poetry and wrote many heartfelt verses. Most were about everyday things such as love and family, some were spiritual and some were "just for fun". She wrote one about "A mail order puppy that arrived without a tail" and even one about "the stork bringing her two babies, instead of one"!
When I was a young teen she decided she would take up oil painting. She continued painting for the remainder of her life and there was. almost always, oil paints and "partially finished masterpieces" set up so she could work as time permitted.
At first she only painted for herself but, as time went on and many people seemed to appreciate her work, she would paint pictures as gifts and later she painted one each year that was used used as a prize in her garden clubs yearly "flower show". Her favorite subject was old "mills and waterwheels".
For quite a number of years, Dad was ill and not able to do a lot of things away from home. Mom stayed with him and never seemed to be unhappy or resentful about it. That was just the way things were and perhaps it wasn't always as you wanted but, you accepted it and did the very best you could.
When we lost Dad at 72 years old (he had a heart at tact on his birthday and died a month later) we worried about Mom being alone, But, being the person she was, she did not sit around feeling sorry for herself.
Instead she surprised all of us by becoming more active at church and that was also when she joined the local guarded club. She made many special friends and loved working with the flowers she planted. She always loved flowers and this gave her the opportunity to work with them and learn more about them than she ever had before. Her favorite flower was the rose.
She was so proud of her pretty arrangements and always took pictures of them and the many ribbons she won.
She remained living in their house for a year after Dad passed away and then, because it was just too much for her financially and to care for on her own, she sold it and moved into an apartment, only a few blocks away in the small Senior Complex that her and Dad had helped bring to their tiny community. She became the manager there and continued until shortly before she moved in with my sister Jeanie and brother-in-law just a couple of years before her death three years ago.
She loved every one of her children and grandchildren. She would start knitting months before Christmas making footies. Never in her almost Ninety-three years was there a child in the family that did not have a gift at Christmas. Many times they were homemade, but they were always well loved.
She never missed a birthday and mailed cards to everyone in the family and also wrote many letters to friends far away.
She sewed a quilt for every grandchild. They received them when they got married (and on occasion without the wedding).
The last few years of her life we were blessed to have her come to Ohio and spend several weeks before Christmas with us. It will always be a cherished time for our family.
Weekly she and I would go to the public library and she would get stacks of books which she would finish before the week was over and also every day she would do the daily cross word puzzle in our local paper.
One of my now favorite memories is of the visit the year before she passed away. I pulled a plastic bin out of the closet that was full of our grandchildrens dress-up cloths. They had pretty much stopped playing with them and I was going to get rid of some things. In the pile was a long slinky dress with red sequins sewed all over it. I pulled it out and told Mom I thought she could go to a Christmas party wearing that dress. She quickly took it and pulled it up over her cloths and then put a hat on her head. "Wow, I said, it fits everything EXCEPT at the top!" She then pulled even more things out and STUFFED the front of the dress full! We were laughing so hard we could hardly stand up!
Momma didn't worry about how old she was, she just enjoyed life the best she knew how and gave not only me, but countless others many, many special memories!
Her plans in early life did not include even having a large family. She said she expected to become a teacher and raise cats! She did get her teaching certificate but never got a school. (I suppose lacking a car (she didn't even get a license to drive until much later) or not wanting to go far away probably was part of the reason. "Boy, was that a plan that never worked out!" Instead, after she married she never worked away from home and instead of cats she raised 7 children! (and a few cats and dogs too!)
After graduation she lived and worked in Wichita, Kansas taking care of children and cleaning.
She then got a job at the Wichita Eagle and was working there when she was invited to go with some friends on a picnic. That day she met a young man who was working with a C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corp) group at Roaring River State Park in SW. Missouri. They spent the afternoon together. They wrote letters while he was traveling around the country and married two years later.
She loved writing poetry and wrote many heartfelt verses. Most were about everyday things such as love and family, some were spiritual and some were "just for fun". She wrote one about "A mail order puppy that arrived without a tail" and even one about "the stork bringing her two babies, instead of one"!
When I was a young teen she decided she would take up oil painting. She continued painting for the remainder of her life and there was. almost always, oil paints and "partially finished masterpieces" set up so she could work as time permitted.
At first she only painted for herself but, as time went on and many people seemed to appreciate her work, she would paint pictures as gifts and later she painted one each year that was used used as a prize in her garden clubs yearly "flower show". Her favorite subject was old "mills and waterwheels".
For quite a number of years, Dad was ill and not able to do a lot of things away from home. Mom stayed with him and never seemed to be unhappy or resentful about it. That was just the way things were and perhaps it wasn't always as you wanted but, you accepted it and did the very best you could.
When we lost Dad at 72 years old (he had a heart at tact on his birthday and died a month later) we worried about Mom being alone, But, being the person she was, she did not sit around feeling sorry for herself.
Instead she surprised all of us by becoming more active at church and that was also when she joined the local guarded club. She made many special friends and loved working with the flowers she planted. She always loved flowers and this gave her the opportunity to work with them and learn more about them than she ever had before. Her favorite flower was the rose.
She was so proud of her pretty arrangements and always took pictures of them and the many ribbons she won.
She remained living in their house for a year after Dad passed away and then, because it was just too much for her financially and to care for on her own, she sold it and moved into an apartment, only a few blocks away in the small Senior Complex that her and Dad had helped bring to their tiny community. She became the manager there and continued until shortly before she moved in with my sister Jeanie and brother-in-law just a couple of years before her death three years ago.
She loved every one of her children and grandchildren. She would start knitting months before Christmas making footies. Never in her almost Ninety-three years was there a child in the family that did not have a gift at Christmas. Many times they were homemade, but they were always well loved.
She never missed a birthday and mailed cards to everyone in the family and also wrote many letters to friends far away.
She sewed a quilt for every grandchild. They received them when they got married (and on occasion without the wedding).
The last few years of her life we were blessed to have her come to Ohio and spend several weeks before Christmas with us. It will always be a cherished time for our family.
Weekly she and I would go to the public library and she would get stacks of books which she would finish before the week was over and also every day she would do the daily cross word puzzle in our local paper.
One of my now favorite memories is of the visit the year before she passed away. I pulled a plastic bin out of the closet that was full of our grandchildrens dress-up cloths. They had pretty much stopped playing with them and I was going to get rid of some things. In the pile was a long slinky dress with red sequins sewed all over it. I pulled it out and told Mom I thought she could go to a Christmas party wearing that dress. She quickly took it and pulled it up over her cloths and then put a hat on her head. "Wow, I said, it fits everything EXCEPT at the top!" She then pulled even more things out and STUFFED the front of the dress full! We were laughing so hard we could hardly stand up!
Momma didn't worry about how old she was, she just enjoyed life the best she knew how and gave not only me, but countless others many, many special memories!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
"Momma,The Heart of Our Home"
It has been some time since I wrote about my Dad and my Grandma Price. Both very much loved and so very important in my life.
Now I want to tell you another story. This time about my momma.
I have wondered what exactly I would say when I told this story but, for some reason have put off writing it because -- Well, I don't really know for sure why I haven't done it.
It certainly isn't that there aren't many, many wonderful things to tell about Momma, there certainly are.
Perhaps, and I had not really thought of this before, but perhaps, it is partly because I still miss her so much.
She has been gone now for several years, but, to try and tell the world (or the dozen or so people that may or may not read this) just how special she was is not easy, because it makes me miss her even more.
I have always been a little on lazy side and if something is not easy for me then I may put it off forever if I think I can possibly get by with that.
Of course, it has not kept me from getting myself into trouble, time and again.
Apparently my mind sometimes plays games with me and tells me something is going to be easy at the beginning, but then, I find out much too late that it is much harder than I had anticipated!
Unfortunately, when you commit to do something (especially when you have told someone else you will do it) then it can be a problem that must be completed! I call it my (Open Mouth -- Insert Foot) complex!!!
So on with my story.
Momma was a wise wonderful lady that always gave her all to everyone.
She told me once,that sometimes, her all did not feel like enough.
By the time she became MY mother she had also served in the role of daughter, career woman, wife and mother to 4 older children and also a fifth, who was delivered only a few short moments before my birth and happens to be my twin brother. I was number 6 (if you don't include the little twins that were born too early to survive several years before our birth.)
Now think for a moment if you will. The challenges our earlier generations had to deal with. No heat without the effort of putting coal or wood into the pot belly stove, no faucets with hot and cold water, no indoor bathroom, no shower, and until "the twins came along" no automatic washer.
But, life became "so much easier" with the addition of a new set of twins and an automatic washing machine.
Let's see --- A nine year old, a 7 year old (who had heart trouble), a 5 year old, a baby that was 11 months old and now two newborns!
Heres how that wonderful new washing machine worked. If I remember how I was told -- First, you carried water and put it into the tub with shaved pieces of soap. Next, you put a load of laundry in and the miracle machine would agitate the wash load until it was finished (I don't know if it had a timer of any kind) at which time you had to lift each piece of clothing out and put it through a hand ringer (two rollers and a handle that you turned) until that piece of clothing fell through into a tub with clean water to be rinsed at which time you repeated the wringing process (twice, I think) and then the items were hung out to dry.
Of course, while you were doing this you had to clean house, make the meals, change diapers, weed the garden, wipe runny noses, and take care of the dogs, chickens and various other animals that also happened to be living with the family at the time.
As I told you before "Thank God for the fact that my Grandma was there to help her out!" I don't know if she would have made it through otherwise.
We moved several times during the years as I was growing up and though I don't really remember much of anything from my earliest years, I know that no matter where we lived She was the rock that held us all together.
Daddy struggled with depression and if it had not been for Mamma's love I do not believe he would have gotten through many of the hard times.
She was a wonderful cook, although she never thought she was and the house was always warm and welcoming.
We were a wild bunch and I just know it was not an easy life for her.
There was a time that she would eat uncooked oatmeal out of the box as a snack. She told me that she even ask our doctor if he could explain why she craved raw oatmeal and he told her he could not explain it, but perhaps her body had a deficiency and it was telling her she needed it.
Once she told me that even though things were hard she never wanted to leave us, but that she daydreamed sometimes that if she could "just go out and hide in the middle of the field, with her box of oatmeal and a bottle of water" she would be able to rest awhile and she would be alright.
She also said that she believed "Daddy never really understood how exausted she was all the time."
We started going to church the year I was 6 and I remember sitting beside her and holding her hand. I can still feel how warm and secure I felt when I held onto those precious hands.
When we moved into town when I was 8 she scrubbed and painted and put wallpaper on the walls to make the house look nice for us. Dad did a lot of cleaning the yard and fixing on the outside. They made a deal with the lady that owned the house that they would work to make it better and she gave them something off the cost of the rent.
The year I was fifteen she had to have surgery the same time my older brother Richard was having open heart surgery close to 200 miles away. She was so worried about him, but had to be in one hospital while he was in another close to 200 miles away. They both had serious complications, but, thank God for bringing them through that very tough summer.
She was a wonderful seamstress and although I don't have any idea how she found the time she not only mended our clothing, but she sometimes sewed wonderful things for us.
One thing that I was impressed with were the wonderful gowns she made for each of us girls.
Betty had a beautiful white taffeta (I think) dress, with a very full tea length skirt and low V neck.
Jeanie's gown was long and gorgeous. It was strapless, red with a white sheer overlay and a wide red satin cumber bun.
The year I was 16 I wanted a yellow dress I saw in the Sears catalog. She asked if I would like her to make it and when she had finished it,I thought it was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen!(It was much prettier than the catalog version which another classmate wore to the dance!) That dress was yellow satin and had a strapless top under a white lace top and long lace sleeves (trimmed with the yellow satin). The skirt had two layers. One of yellow satin and the other of yellow chiffon.
I went to the prom that year (with the love of my life, the man I was to marry 2 years later) feeling like I was as beautiful as a princess.
I can see this is getting to be way to long and so I think I will stop for the moment and perhaps continue another day with "Momma, Part II"
Now I want to tell you another story. This time about my momma.
I have wondered what exactly I would say when I told this story but, for some reason have put off writing it because -- Well, I don't really know for sure why I haven't done it.
It certainly isn't that there aren't many, many wonderful things to tell about Momma, there certainly are.
Perhaps, and I had not really thought of this before, but perhaps, it is partly because I still miss her so much.
She has been gone now for several years, but, to try and tell the world (or the dozen or so people that may or may not read this) just how special she was is not easy, because it makes me miss her even more.
I have always been a little on lazy side and if something is not easy for me then I may put it off forever if I think I can possibly get by with that.
Of course, it has not kept me from getting myself into trouble, time and again.
Apparently my mind sometimes plays games with me and tells me something is going to be easy at the beginning, but then, I find out much too late that it is much harder than I had anticipated!
Unfortunately, when you commit to do something (especially when you have told someone else you will do it) then it can be a problem that must be completed! I call it my (Open Mouth -- Insert Foot) complex!!!
So on with my story.
Momma was a wise wonderful lady that always gave her all to everyone.
She told me once,that sometimes, her all did not feel like enough.
By the time she became MY mother she had also served in the role of daughter, career woman, wife and mother to 4 older children and also a fifth, who was delivered only a few short moments before my birth and happens to be my twin brother. I was number 6 (if you don't include the little twins that were born too early to survive several years before our birth.)
Now think for a moment if you will. The challenges our earlier generations had to deal with. No heat without the effort of putting coal or wood into the pot belly stove, no faucets with hot and cold water, no indoor bathroom, no shower, and until "the twins came along" no automatic washer.
But, life became "so much easier" with the addition of a new set of twins and an automatic washing machine.
Let's see --- A nine year old, a 7 year old (who had heart trouble), a 5 year old, a baby that was 11 months old and now two newborns!
Heres how that wonderful new washing machine worked. If I remember how I was told -- First, you carried water and put it into the tub with shaved pieces of soap. Next, you put a load of laundry in and the miracle machine would agitate the wash load until it was finished (I don't know if it had a timer of any kind) at which time you had to lift each piece of clothing out and put it through a hand ringer (two rollers and a handle that you turned) until that piece of clothing fell through into a tub with clean water to be rinsed at which time you repeated the wringing process (twice, I think) and then the items were hung out to dry.
Of course, while you were doing this you had to clean house, make the meals, change diapers, weed the garden, wipe runny noses, and take care of the dogs, chickens and various other animals that also happened to be living with the family at the time.
As I told you before "Thank God for the fact that my Grandma was there to help her out!" I don't know if she would have made it through otherwise.
We moved several times during the years as I was growing up and though I don't really remember much of anything from my earliest years, I know that no matter where we lived She was the rock that held us all together.
Daddy struggled with depression and if it had not been for Mamma's love I do not believe he would have gotten through many of the hard times.
She was a wonderful cook, although she never thought she was and the house was always warm and welcoming.
We were a wild bunch and I just know it was not an easy life for her.
There was a time that she would eat uncooked oatmeal out of the box as a snack. She told me that she even ask our doctor if he could explain why she craved raw oatmeal and he told her he could not explain it, but perhaps her body had a deficiency and it was telling her she needed it.
Once she told me that even though things were hard she never wanted to leave us, but that she daydreamed sometimes that if she could "just go out and hide in the middle of the field, with her box of oatmeal and a bottle of water" she would be able to rest awhile and she would be alright.
She also said that she believed "Daddy never really understood how exausted she was all the time."
We started going to church the year I was 6 and I remember sitting beside her and holding her hand. I can still feel how warm and secure I felt when I held onto those precious hands.
When we moved into town when I was 8 she scrubbed and painted and put wallpaper on the walls to make the house look nice for us. Dad did a lot of cleaning the yard and fixing on the outside. They made a deal with the lady that owned the house that they would work to make it better and she gave them something off the cost of the rent.
The year I was fifteen she had to have surgery the same time my older brother Richard was having open heart surgery close to 200 miles away. She was so worried about him, but had to be in one hospital while he was in another close to 200 miles away. They both had serious complications, but, thank God for bringing them through that very tough summer.
She was a wonderful seamstress and although I don't have any idea how she found the time she not only mended our clothing, but she sometimes sewed wonderful things for us.
One thing that I was impressed with were the wonderful gowns she made for each of us girls.
Betty had a beautiful white taffeta (I think) dress, with a very full tea length skirt and low V neck.
Jeanie's gown was long and gorgeous. It was strapless, red with a white sheer overlay and a wide red satin cumber bun.
The year I was 16 I wanted a yellow dress I saw in the Sears catalog. She asked if I would like her to make it and when she had finished it,I thought it was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen!(It was much prettier than the catalog version which another classmate wore to the dance!) That dress was yellow satin and had a strapless top under a white lace top and long lace sleeves (trimmed with the yellow satin). The skirt had two layers. One of yellow satin and the other of yellow chiffon.
I went to the prom that year (with the love of my life, the man I was to marry 2 years later) feeling like I was as beautiful as a princess.
I can see this is getting to be way to long and so I think I will stop for the moment and perhaps continue another day with "Momma, Part II"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)