Sunday, October 06, 2013
The Past
Do you remember the smell of fresh perking coffee? Oh, I know, you say, Coffee made today still has that fresh smell. But, I believe that smell along with the perking sound gave us memories that are just not quite the same with today's new pots. Maybe that is why the old fashioned style of Coffee Pots, even the Percolator have been returning to stores to be sold? Perhaps they want to sell Memories just as much as they do Coffee? Now I am not saying that things tasted or smelled better back in the past, but the Memories sure make us think so, don't they? Remember the Maxwell Coffee ads? How about the one at Christmas time for Folgers? AAAh, Good to the last Drop! Coming home again, it gets no better!
How about the smell of Bacon frying? Yummy. Even if you don't eat the bacon, I bet you can remember that smell! Breakfast time, the best part of the day? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But one thing I remember about those days is that people would take the time to sit and enjoy that feast of food before they went about their day. They did not rush off, coffee mug in hand, spilling a bit on the way. Yes, they did indeed work hard. They labored and worked and labored and worked some more. Now I am not saying that people don't work as hard now as they did then. In fact, some work longer hours for less pay than those hard working people did back on the farm when I was a child. (We won't even mention how long ago that has been, thank you very much!)
What about the thrill in the Fall when the leaves start turning and people begin to burn leaves. Ah, what a memory that revives. That smell of crisp leaves as they crackle and burn. Most places won't even let us burn leaves anymore! Not environmentally safe! Still the memory of that smell returns to our brains often this time of the Seasons. Most of us can remember the smell of those wet, damp leaves after a rainstorm too. How about the fun of jumping into them and hiding from one another. Another past lovely Memory, though I would not enjoy doing so now a days!
I remember the smell of cakes baking. the whir of frosting being whipped. Oh what a lovely memory that entails. You see, for a while my Mom baked and sold cakes from her home. I don't remember if she made much money, but I do remember that smell and getting to lick out those pans and to eat the non used sections she would trim off before the frosting began. No cake has ever tasted as good as that memory lingers. She took lessons from a friend of hers in Iowa. We used to go visit there and I could not believe the smell of that house. It was like Heaven to smell. Then to get to taste what she was making too? Wonderful. True, I suppose that might have contributed to my weight gain, but my brothers ate their fair share as well and neither is fat.
How about the smell of marsh mellows melting around a tree branch sharpened to a nasty point? Nothing tasted as good at those Rendezvous Camps as those gooey melted treats smashed up against the chocolate piece and enveloped by that graham cracker crust. Marsh mellows smell really good up close. That burned on crust, burned though it might smell, was just part of it all.
I can remember how the Cow barn smelled too. Or the smell of fresh milk as it is being processed. There were smells in that barn I would rather forget, but it was all a part of the experience. My brother had to milk the cows when my Dad was away earning some extra money. He would squirt milk in the Kittens mouths too. I would help to lock the stansions on the cows and let them out when milked. My brothers and I used to take turns riding on Dad's milk route when he would take our just milked milk to the Creamery in town. We always got to have a bottle of chocolate milk to go with cheese slice sandwiches Mom would make for us for lunch. That smell returns to this day whenever I open a block of cheese. I did not know back then how involved my family had been in establishing and overseeing the local Creamery business. That is a story for another time.
What other smells can you think of that stir up fond memories? Tell me what takes you back. I look forward to hearing. I will add to this list if and when I think of more smells. Have a good weekend and week! From Kate
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
It is fun to remember back when I was little. Some times were good, some not so good. Like the time when I got stung by a wasp. Ouch! It hurt! I can still remember that pain. I also remember when a Bumble Bee got in my car when I was coming home from working at a Daycare. As I turned the last turn to get to our home, the bee got stuck behind me. Of course, he panicked and did what any creature does when trapped. He stung! I really do remember how bad it felt. Yikes. Memories like that always stay clear for some reason.
I remember our place in Missouri very clearly. It was 2 miles from a tiny little town called Louisburg. I also remember Grandma and Grandpa's house in Buffalo. Which place to describe first. Hard choice. I believe I have described our house at one other time, so if this is repeating, please stay with me. We had a big circle driveway. It came in by the house, curved around by the milk barn, then out to the road again it went. There were tall grasses and flowers growing in the green grass in between the driveway and the road. I remember Dad usually cussed that part of the lawn when mowing it. It was difficult to get mowed without taking some chances. He often mowed up snakes there.
The house set to the right of the Driveway. It was a two story frame home, very typical of houses then. I see that type of house often in Iowa too. I wonder sometimes if it might be one of those that could be ordered from the Catalog. Will have to look into that. When you came in the back door, there used to be a porch. Soon after we moved there, Dad and Grandpa and Don, Dad's brother, closed in the screened porch and made it into our kitchen. I don't really remember it before the remodel, I was still pretty little then. What I do remember is after they closed it in. Dad splurged and bought some really neat kitchen cabinets. Or got them on a special deal, which was more likely. I wish I could find a picture of cabinets like them. I have not seen them anywhere. Not even when looking in the retro style ads. They had glass doors which were frosted. You could see the form of the dishes and cups behind them, but not clearly. There was a countertop and then the sink. I can't for the life of me remember what color the counters were....but yellow does come to mind. I remember the Refrigerator was Yellow. Really quite stylish for the time! The room was small, just big enough to hold a table and chairs with a little space to walk through or around the table to set it. I got lots of practice doing that, trust me, lol. The table was a pretty one. It had an enamel finish that looked a lot like puzzle pieces for a surface top. It was metal and the legs were curvy. The seats of the chairs were yellow too. I believe there was a little yellow scroll or some such on the table top. Very 1950's. Then along the wall to the east of the table was the place we kept the party line telephone. It was black. That was the only color choice back then. There was a large opening into the living room. Large enough to put our bookcases there. They made a sort of serving bar type area. The cabinets had been pink, but Mom had painted them a sort of teal blue green. I believe that Dad might have even constructed or put the cases together. They may have come in a kit even. The shelves were quite deep about 14 inches by 26 or perhaps a bit wider. They wore on forever, and we got them to use in our new home when we got married. They had sliding corregated doors.
In the living room was the couch. It was a black one with little orange or golden flecks woven in. That couch lasted many years. In fact it was handed down to my brother and his wife and they might still have it. It wore like iron. Even with 3 kids abusing it. Then my brother had 4 kids and it survived them too. I will have to ask him if they still have it. Mom had some knick knacks setting around the room, but Dad really didn't care for the tops of the tables to be cluttered. There was a door into my bedroom and one into the folks bedroom. Mom thought that was just too many doors. So, she had Dad close the one door into my bedroom in with shelves for her keepsakes. He did so, but did not totally close it off. He used some sort of heavy gauge wire. Not chicken wire, but similar. Her what nots looked really nice setting on those shelves. We had some chairs too, but for some reason no picture of them comes to my memory right now. I remember a coffee table that my brother made for a school project. It became a fixture of their living room for many, many years. Mom was really proud of that table! It was beautiful. I don't remember what ever happened to it. I think she might have given it back to my brother when they moved to a smaller place many years later. That room where I ended up had been the original kitchen. We were one of the last ones in the community to get a Television set. When we did, it became the center of our world. Then there were 2 bedrooms upstairs. Then the folks had their own bedroom to the east of mine. My Dad bought my Mom a new bedroom suite shortly before we moved to Iowa. It was a kind of gray and white set. Not blonde, yet not really gray either. It had a Dresser for Dad's things, the bedframe, of course and then the wonderful spacious, wide Dresser that was Mom's alone. She really loved that Dresser and we had it until I was married. Then when she got a new set yet again, my husband and I inherited that set too. I had always loved it, so it was great to finally get to use it! My bedroom was also the Utility room with the makeshift bathroom and the washer and dryer, plus a table to fold the clothes on and an old tall dresser that was probably my folks until they got the Blonde/Gray set.
Now that I think of it, that was a pretty small house! We got by, however. I know I had a bed in their bedroom for a while, until the kitchen redo. My brothers shared one bedroom upstairs while the other room served as a storage place. As the Pot was in my room, I got the lovely job of taking care of that little chore too. (yuck) We would mostly use it just at night, but it was still a pretty gross job. I think back on that sort of thing that we did back then, and I truly appreciate what I have much more. We had a toilet/outhouse a ways from the house, but it was not a very safe place to go, to go. I never knew what kind of critters might be in there when I went to dump the pot. I got stung once by a wasp who thought he should live there and that I should not be bothering him! Not only did he sting me, he put his legs inside my nose to hang on with! He would not even shoo away when I tried. So, that time dumping the pot had an entirely unrepeatable ending. Let's just say Mom was pretty nice to me. She even went out and cleaned up the outhouse for me! I think she felt bad that I had gotten stung. She used to always tell me that the wasps would not bother me if I did not move too fast. WRONG!
The upstairs was pretty small even though it had two rooms. I think it was just barely large enough for twin beds. Unless the boys had a bunk bed. I don't remember that for sure. I will have to ask my brother about that. I see him more often. My brothers are 5 years apart in age. One turned 65 this year, the younger one is just 60. I turned 63. Where on earth did all that time go? I keep on writing that, but it is so true. Time is rushing by so fast, faster every day. That describes the house pretty well.
Then just to the west and a bit south of the house was the old root cellar. There was a big tree that grew up practically right out of the cellar. That was the tree that I had my adventures in. North of that tree was the cistern. (see, I did remember what it was) That area was quite large and built just like a stage. Of course, I was tempted to play upon it. But, my Mom would always warn me off of it. She said it might collapse and I would drown. I was pretty good about minding, but every once in a while she would yell out the kitchen door at me. The root cellar had been there a very long time. It was built of stone with a wooden door. I don't believe Mom ever kept much in there. I don't remember going in there at all. Then next to it stood the double car garage. I remember that Dad did not park the cars in it very often. I think he was afraid it would just tumble down some day. They ended up knocking that entire area down and carting the rocks away later on. Next to that right up next to the wall was that old outhouse. Then about 15 feet south of that was another building that Dad used as his shop. He had his tools in there with parts of things I did not even recognize. We were never to play in that building either. It was a wooden frame building, but still very old. Then the cow barn was just west of that garage door. They milked many cows when we first lived there. Further south and a bit east stood the big old Barn. I know that when we went up in the Hay Mow of the Barn that there were many holes in the floor. Yes, we were not supposed to be there either. The cows would come to this area just before milking time. Sometimes we would have to go out to the other pasture to herd them in, but not very often.
I will tell more about my home in Missouri later on. We returned a few times to see the old place. Later on my husband and I stopped by on our way back to Iowa from a Vacation. The old place had changed so much that I barely even recognized it! Still, the Memories remain in my brain if no where else. We had a good life there. It was certainly different than the next place we lived. Sometime I will describe my Grandparents home also. For now, I need a break. Goodnight Moon! Grandma Kate
I remember our place in Missouri very clearly. It was 2 miles from a tiny little town called Louisburg. I also remember Grandma and Grandpa's house in Buffalo. Which place to describe first. Hard choice. I believe I have described our house at one other time, so if this is repeating, please stay with me. We had a big circle driveway. It came in by the house, curved around by the milk barn, then out to the road again it went. There were tall grasses and flowers growing in the green grass in between the driveway and the road. I remember Dad usually cussed that part of the lawn when mowing it. It was difficult to get mowed without taking some chances. He often mowed up snakes there.
The house set to the right of the Driveway. It was a two story frame home, very typical of houses then. I see that type of house often in Iowa too. I wonder sometimes if it might be one of those that could be ordered from the Catalog. Will have to look into that. When you came in the back door, there used to be a porch. Soon after we moved there, Dad and Grandpa and Don, Dad's brother, closed in the screened porch and made it into our kitchen. I don't really remember it before the remodel, I was still pretty little then. What I do remember is after they closed it in. Dad splurged and bought some really neat kitchen cabinets. Or got them on a special deal, which was more likely. I wish I could find a picture of cabinets like them. I have not seen them anywhere. Not even when looking in the retro style ads. They had glass doors which were frosted. You could see the form of the dishes and cups behind them, but not clearly. There was a countertop and then the sink. I can't for the life of me remember what color the counters were....but yellow does come to mind. I remember the Refrigerator was Yellow. Really quite stylish for the time! The room was small, just big enough to hold a table and chairs with a little space to walk through or around the table to set it. I got lots of practice doing that, trust me, lol. The table was a pretty one. It had an enamel finish that looked a lot like puzzle pieces for a surface top. It was metal and the legs were curvy. The seats of the chairs were yellow too. I believe there was a little yellow scroll or some such on the table top. Very 1950's. Then along the wall to the east of the table was the place we kept the party line telephone. It was black. That was the only color choice back then. There was a large opening into the living room. Large enough to put our bookcases there. They made a sort of serving bar type area. The cabinets had been pink, but Mom had painted them a sort of teal blue green. I believe that Dad might have even constructed or put the cases together. They may have come in a kit even. The shelves were quite deep about 14 inches by 26 or perhaps a bit wider. They wore on forever, and we got them to use in our new home when we got married. They had sliding corregated doors.
In the living room was the couch. It was a black one with little orange or golden flecks woven in. That couch lasted many years. In fact it was handed down to my brother and his wife and they might still have it. It wore like iron. Even with 3 kids abusing it. Then my brother had 4 kids and it survived them too. I will have to ask him if they still have it. Mom had some knick knacks setting around the room, but Dad really didn't care for the tops of the tables to be cluttered. There was a door into my bedroom and one into the folks bedroom. Mom thought that was just too many doors. So, she had Dad close the one door into my bedroom in with shelves for her keepsakes. He did so, but did not totally close it off. He used some sort of heavy gauge wire. Not chicken wire, but similar. Her what nots looked really nice setting on those shelves. We had some chairs too, but for some reason no picture of them comes to my memory right now. I remember a coffee table that my brother made for a school project. It became a fixture of their living room for many, many years. Mom was really proud of that table! It was beautiful. I don't remember what ever happened to it. I think she might have given it back to my brother when they moved to a smaller place many years later. That room where I ended up had been the original kitchen. We were one of the last ones in the community to get a Television set. When we did, it became the center of our world. Then there were 2 bedrooms upstairs. Then the folks had their own bedroom to the east of mine. My Dad bought my Mom a new bedroom suite shortly before we moved to Iowa. It was a kind of gray and white set. Not blonde, yet not really gray either. It had a Dresser for Dad's things, the bedframe, of course and then the wonderful spacious, wide Dresser that was Mom's alone. She really loved that Dresser and we had it until I was married. Then when she got a new set yet again, my husband and I inherited that set too. I had always loved it, so it was great to finally get to use it! My bedroom was also the Utility room with the makeshift bathroom and the washer and dryer, plus a table to fold the clothes on and an old tall dresser that was probably my folks until they got the Blonde/Gray set.
Now that I think of it, that was a pretty small house! We got by, however. I know I had a bed in their bedroom for a while, until the kitchen redo. My brothers shared one bedroom upstairs while the other room served as a storage place. As the Pot was in my room, I got the lovely job of taking care of that little chore too. (yuck) We would mostly use it just at night, but it was still a pretty gross job. I think back on that sort of thing that we did back then, and I truly appreciate what I have much more. We had a toilet/outhouse a ways from the house, but it was not a very safe place to go, to go. I never knew what kind of critters might be in there when I went to dump the pot. I got stung once by a wasp who thought he should live there and that I should not be bothering him! Not only did he sting me, he put his legs inside my nose to hang on with! He would not even shoo away when I tried. So, that time dumping the pot had an entirely unrepeatable ending. Let's just say Mom was pretty nice to me. She even went out and cleaned up the outhouse for me! I think she felt bad that I had gotten stung. She used to always tell me that the wasps would not bother me if I did not move too fast. WRONG!
The upstairs was pretty small even though it had two rooms. I think it was just barely large enough for twin beds. Unless the boys had a bunk bed. I don't remember that for sure. I will have to ask my brother about that. I see him more often. My brothers are 5 years apart in age. One turned 65 this year, the younger one is just 60. I turned 63. Where on earth did all that time go? I keep on writing that, but it is so true. Time is rushing by so fast, faster every day. That describes the house pretty well.
Then just to the west and a bit south of the house was the old root cellar. There was a big tree that grew up practically right out of the cellar. That was the tree that I had my adventures in. North of that tree was the cistern. (see, I did remember what it was) That area was quite large and built just like a stage. Of course, I was tempted to play upon it. But, my Mom would always warn me off of it. She said it might collapse and I would drown. I was pretty good about minding, but every once in a while she would yell out the kitchen door at me. The root cellar had been there a very long time. It was built of stone with a wooden door. I don't believe Mom ever kept much in there. I don't remember going in there at all. Then next to it stood the double car garage. I remember that Dad did not park the cars in it very often. I think he was afraid it would just tumble down some day. They ended up knocking that entire area down and carting the rocks away later on. Next to that right up next to the wall was that old outhouse. Then about 15 feet south of that was another building that Dad used as his shop. He had his tools in there with parts of things I did not even recognize. We were never to play in that building either. It was a wooden frame building, but still very old. Then the cow barn was just west of that garage door. They milked many cows when we first lived there. Further south and a bit east stood the big old Barn. I know that when we went up in the Hay Mow of the Barn that there were many holes in the floor. Yes, we were not supposed to be there either. The cows would come to this area just before milking time. Sometimes we would have to go out to the other pasture to herd them in, but not very often.
I will tell more about my home in Missouri later on. We returned a few times to see the old place. Later on my husband and I stopped by on our way back to Iowa from a Vacation. The old place had changed so much that I barely even recognized it! Still, the Memories remain in my brain if no where else. We had a good life there. It was certainly different than the next place we lived. Sometime I will describe my Grandparents home also. For now, I need a break. Goodnight Moon! Grandma Kate
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Pets
Long ago and far away I remember loving and petting animals. Cats and Dogs mostly. Odd thing is that I can't remember any of their names anymore, except for Free Free, or Fri Fri...not sure how my parents spelled it. He was named that because we got him as a gift, thus the name. That cat was such a sweet cat. We had him most of my life. I was about 5 or 6 when we got him. Mom and Dad were running the Grocery Store at that time. It was my first experience with nurturing. He became my charge, my child so to speak. We spent a lot of time together in the back room of the store. He and I would take care of each other back there. He would let me push on his little nose as an affectionate gesture. He would purr at the drop of a hat. He was very loving. When we moved to Iowa, he came along too. Sometimes I would even take him with me to see the little girl across the street from the store and to play with the little girl and her sister who lived there. I remember making her laugh a lot by singing the Purple People Eater song.
We had a little black dog with a white spot on his/her chest. This was the dog that I would give my abc gum to just to watch him/her chew it as long as possible. I think it was a he. I don't know why I have forgotten the dog's name. As much as I love animals, you would think that their names would stick. I got a lot of love from those dogs and cats. Once time I had a little puppy that I would even dress up in my doll's clothes. That was lots of fun for me, not so sure about the puppy, but he never complained. Animals will act different with children than with adults. They seem to know what to allow and become patient with the little ones. That Puppy was brown with little black tips on the tips of the fur. He had a white patch on his nose that almost looked like a mask. Strange but I don't remember much else about that puppy. I don't even remember what he looked like when he grew up. Maybe the memories will come back the more I write.
We used to have a concrete area near my favorite tree. I don't remember what it was, only that I would sit there sometimes. Perhaps a remnant of an old building? I think Dad called it a Cistern, but am not sure. I will have to ask Dad if I can think of it when I next talk to him. I am going to end this here for now. I am tired and the screen might begin to jump at any time now. For now, Good night and take care of you, you deserve it. Hugs
We had a little black dog with a white spot on his/her chest. This was the dog that I would give my abc gum to just to watch him/her chew it as long as possible. I think it was a he. I don't know why I have forgotten the dog's name. As much as I love animals, you would think that their names would stick. I got a lot of love from those dogs and cats. Once time I had a little puppy that I would even dress up in my doll's clothes. That was lots of fun for me, not so sure about the puppy, but he never complained. Animals will act different with children than with adults. They seem to know what to allow and become patient with the little ones. That Puppy was brown with little black tips on the tips of the fur. He had a white patch on his nose that almost looked like a mask. Strange but I don't remember much else about that puppy. I don't even remember what he looked like when he grew up. Maybe the memories will come back the more I write.
We used to have a concrete area near my favorite tree. I don't remember what it was, only that I would sit there sometimes. Perhaps a remnant of an old building? I think Dad called it a Cistern, but am not sure. I will have to ask Dad if I can think of it when I next talk to him. I am going to end this here for now. I am tired and the screen might begin to jump at any time now. For now, Good night and take care of you, you deserve it. Hugs
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Stuff
I wrote this to a friend in an email several years ago now. I am putting it here before I begin to edit it. I am not sure why I did not, or if I put it somewhere else in my writings. If this is a repeat, I apologize.
Wait. Did I just apologize to myself? Rubbish! lol
Here it is:
Looking for History
Exploring the Past
Finding my Family
Solving the mystery
Strangers the last
Where did I come from?
Who could they be?
Why so important
is this to me?
Where did they travel
Freedom and Prosperity Seek
What made them wander
From lands far away
Seeking much better
Risks, they did meet
Wander lust stronger
than Homestead it seems
Crossing Mountains, ditches,
Hilltops and Streams
Land Rush in wagons
Walking and riding
Watching for dangers
Fears never subsiding
What did they leave
behind them
What chased them away?
Were they following Passion?
Why couldn't they stay?
"Onward Wagons"
Did this they hear?
What kind of Adventures
and Hardships did they bear?
Children dying, illness and woes
Strength never failing
They moved on for years.
From England to Massachusetts
They came by boat
Then on to Vermont
For a few years of History
and Hope
In Illinois's Beauty
they settled a while
Then on to Wisconsin,
Iowa, and Missouri
they moved with style
I may never find the
exact things I seek
The route is so muddled,
but a quest it is true.
Researching and Looking
Is time well spent I know
Struggling to find Family
sometimes goes slow.
Never sure what I am
finding will have meaning
to too few
I know in the study
Myself I will better
know.
It helps to see clearly
how things were way
back then
So my own Life has
more meaning
and the generations
can Sing!
My Children someday
will know the struggles
they face now
Are as different as Snow
As through their own Lives
they continually go.
We all can learn
something so great
Investigating the Past
Just so we aren't Stuck there
And move Forward
Not Back!
Wait. Did I just apologize to myself? Rubbish! lol
Here it is:
Looking for History
Exploring the Past
Finding my Family
Solving the mystery
Strangers the last
Where did I come from?
Who could they be?
Why so important
is this to me?
Where did they travel
Freedom and Prosperity Seek
What made them wander
From lands far away
Seeking much better
Risks, they did meet
Wander lust stronger
than Homestead it seems
Crossing Mountains, ditches,
Hilltops and Streams
Land Rush in wagons
Walking and riding
Watching for dangers
Fears never subsiding
What did they leave
behind them
What chased them away?
Were they following Passion?
Why couldn't they stay?
"Onward Wagons"
Did this they hear?
What kind of Adventures
and Hardships did they bear?
Children dying, illness and woes
Strength never failing
They moved on for years.
From England to Massachusetts
They came by boat
Then on to Vermont
For a few years of History
and Hope
In Illinois's Beauty
they settled a while
Then on to Wisconsin,
Iowa, and Missouri
they moved with style
I may never find the
exact things I seek
The route is so muddled,
but a quest it is true.
Researching and Looking
Is time well spent I know
Struggling to find Family
sometimes goes slow.
Never sure what I am
finding will have meaning
to too few
I know in the study
Myself I will better
know.
It helps to see clearly
how things were way
back then
So my own Life has
more meaning
and the generations
can Sing!
My Children someday
will know the struggles
they face now
Are as different as Snow
As through their own Lives
they continually go.
We all can learn
something so great
Investigating the Past
Just so we aren't Stuck there
And move Forward
Not Back!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Missouri Memories
There are many places in my writing that topics can be put now.
I just put them where I happen to think they should go as the mood
to write hits me. I have been trying to write every day, but that does
not always happen. The writing comes to me, I have no control. I have
been spending time visiting with friends in a chat room that I love
going to. It is like a big coffee clatch. How I missed that. This one
is different than most I have belonged to though. I always feel so
welcome now. They always greet me like they have missed me so much. That feeling of belonging is so important to me now. I always said I didnt care about those type of things, but we all do. We all feel left out. I left myself out. I did not keep in touch with real life friends because it was just easier to do. I did not get hurt that way, for I was not close enough to anyone to feel that way. I always wonder why I am the person who has to get things together. Organize, arrange. Why do my friends not call me. Yes, I realize they are all busy with their own lives. I have always used that as the excuse of all excuses. Why did no one reach out to me when I was trying to eat myself to death? I got bigger and bigger, but no one said one single word about it to me. I will have to say that it would not have helped anyway. I was not ready to hear anything anyone had to say about it. I was truly trying to accept myself as I was. That is the most difficult thing to do in the world, did you know that? Self love is selfish, etc. I did not mean to wander here. See? My mind has it's own direction to go, no matter what my intent might be to begin with. This is not a bad thing, it is a good thing. "Go with the Flow" is what I will do from now on, let it happen.
I was going to sit here and remember things about my Missouri days again. Those times seem to calm me. I felt good in those days. I felt bad in those days too. I chose to feel good. You see, it IS a choice. I was always doing my best to be Happy. I was back then. I truly believe that. I always remember that Peggy Lee song...."Is That All There Is?" Life is like that. Every day is different...yet some are always the same over and over again. Good. Calm. Some would even say Boring. Routine. I hate routine. I always have. Routine is boring. Give me something different every day. Stimulate me, entertain me. We spend way too much time expecting someone else to make us Happy. Deep inside I think we all know that this is not truly possible. Happiness is a choice. Look at all of the people who have survived horrible trauma in their lives. They can choose to be negative and give up, or they can fight tooth and nail to get better. Some make it, some don't. I want to be one of those who makes it.
I almost wasn't. I am sure had I kept eating my feelings, I would be dead soon. I would no longer feel anything except that continuous feeling of adreniline that eating gives a person for a short time. Maybe adreniline isn't the right word. The right word is probably something to do with hormones or a balance in the system. I cannot think of the word I mean right now...but you know what I mean. That feeling you get after a Holiday meal. All those calories begin to do what they do to your body and for a bit you really feel good. Then the dis-comfort hits and you wonder just how you could eat so very much again! You promise not to do it ever again and yet, you crave those same things again way too soon. Then before you know it, you are addicted to that feeling and want it over and over again. Common sense leaves you. All you can think about is getting that feeling again as soon as possible. It is comfort, joy, satisfaction, lust and last of all, Love. Unadulterated Love. Food is something that won't treat you badly. It won't say mean things about how you look, It won't judge you for any reason whatsoever. It tastes so good, is sweet, salty, all your senses get into it. For a brief time, you can be Happy without even thinking about how. It just happens. I guess you would say my Drug of Choice used to be Food. I could have easily been addicted to many other things, came close at times to that also. Gambling, Drugs, Fast driving. Many more that come to mind also. Why I chose Food, I truly don't know. Perhaps it was because at special occassions, there it was in all its glory. Special cakes, cookies, more cakes, good meats. Good eats. Most of our comfort foods are things that were not expensive when we were growing up. Mac and Cheese, Potatos with lots of Butter, Homemade cakes, pancakes, french toast. I could go on and on. I begin to see more and more how the two things can come together...Love and Food. Love of Food. Food for Love. It certainly worked for me.
The exercise thing...not sure why I did not get into moving more. Most Children do. They cannot wait to go outside and play. I would rather sit and read a book, take a nap, or the newest one, watch television. Would not want to miss a good show! I know part of all this was that my Mom and Dad were so busy trying to put the food on the table and find their own self worth. I read books about "Finding Oneself", "Being What You were put on this Earth to be", things of that nature. Where I was born and raised no one had the time to think about such things. These things alone were the things my Family Dreamed of! Time to sit and relax was very limited. Time to Dream was even less. This said, my Folks and Grandparents still did take the chance to do their own form of Dreaming. Having their own place, not renting anymore. Running their own store, being their own boss. These too, they acheived. Mom went back and got her Teaching degree years after she had us three children. That takes a lot of guts and stamina. I envy her that. She got her Teaching degree in Missouri when I was about 13. It made us all stronger. I had to grow up. I had to learn to cook, such as it was. I never really put much into that process, just enough to get something on the table. I was limited again by money. So many receipes called for things I never had heard of, thus could not buy. I still find this true even today. I do take more chances though, and buy certain foods now that are good for me, no matter what the price. I am worth eating right. I am cooking more now, but not able to share it with my Husband, as he hates the foods I should be eating. He is strictly a Meat and Potatos Man. He would eat Hamburger ever day of the week and sometimes does. I love chicken, turkey, fish...all the foods the body really needs. I always have craved the good foods....just way too much of all of them. I never thought I could get over craving sweets or homemade breads. Once I got switched off of them, it became easier all of the time. I now do not suffer from Heartburn anymore. I used to get it a lot. I was worried I had an ulcer or some such. I believe it was the Bread and starches fermenting with the milk and other foods. Now I know that I cannot eat too much of those things. I do not eat much white flour or other white foods other than potatos. Potatos are the exception to not eating white foods. They are so valuable in nutrition that they excape the rule. I have desserts sometimes when I really am craving them. Spelled backwards, they are stressed. What does that tell us?
This is the first year I did not want or have a Birthday Cake on my Day. I made that CHOICE. This is a landmark accomplishment for me, for sure. We have not had one Birthday Cake for any of our Spring Birthdays. What an amazing thing to have happen. Who knew we could survive without them? The same is true of Chocolate. I have been able to control and limit my intake of this food as well. I have to admit, there are days when I still crave it immensely, but those days are becoming less and less. I find something else sweet to take the place, usually fruit or yogurt. Some things stay in the mind a long long time.
I remember Mom and Dad struggling to feed us when we were little. We never starved, but I think sometimes we came pretty close. Like the times when Dad went Hunting. It was never just for "sport" for him. If he hunted, we would eat it the next meal.
There was one time that he and a bunch of the neighbors got together for a "frog hunt". Yes, we made it into a party of sorts, but we were all pretty hungry. I do not remember much else of what we had at that party, but I do remember thinking that the frog legs were very tasty...like chicken. Everyone jokes about that one, but it is true. There were also Venison feeds. I can still remember how the Elementary School smelled when that Deer was cooking. It had a flavor I still cannot describe. It was not the best taste ever, but it was pretty good barbequed. As I said, anything is tasty when you are hungry enough. We also had to eat a lot of Pheasant and other game birds. Mom got so good at fixing them. I used to watch as she would pick the buckshot out of them....yet we still had to be very careful not to bite down too hard on the meat, for she always seemed to miss some. We raised chickens or someone in the Family did. When Mom was going back to school to get her Teaching degree, Dad began to cook and fix us foods he had while in the Army. I loved Chipped Beef on Toast with gravy.
Have not had that in ages now. I am sure it is not good for the Heart. Lots of things weren't back then. But if they were cheap, we would eat them. We would get together with my Grandparents at Easter and sometimes at Christmas. With my Mother's parents living about 8 hours north of us in Iowa, the times spent with them were very rare. We would always go visit my Dad's Folks a lot though. I think Mom needed the respite from us, so she would leave us there and we would explore and pretend while Mom attended to her College courses. I cannot help but remember these things because now I see my Daughter returning to get her Law Degree and going through some of the same stresses I would see my Mom handle. Mom worked part time also. I know she did not earn much money, but whatever she earned helped to pay the bills and keep us in our home. My Folks even managed to buy a Grocery Store and run it for a while. Mom had been raised helping in my Grandparents Grocery in Iowa, so that came naturally to her. She said they barely could pay the bills of the Store though, because Dad was so kind hearted when folks could not pay their grocery bills at the end of the month.
I will have to ask Dad how long they had the store. I still remember eating Watermelon on the end of the front steps and spitting the seeds down to the ground below. We were told not to swallow them for they might grow a watermelon in our tummies! The things I believed in those days. Its no wonder I am certifiable! Kids are so gullible. I found myself doing similar things later on when raising my own daughters. What goes around comes around as they say. I think the girls are pretty level headed in spite of the things I did....at least so far!
I remember babysitting a little neighbor girl who lived across the street from our store. I would sing the Flying Purple People Eater song to her and make her laugh and giggle out loud. It was a fun song to sing as silly as it was. Even grownups liked it, though most never admitted it. I would go over to see this little girl often as we could swing on her brand new swing set that was store bought....
My parents resented the gifts that my Mom's parents would shower upon us. Strange that I barely remembered those things. When I think hard about it, memories still do come back, though most are only in bits and snatches anymore. Time will do that to one's Memories.I find comfort in the remembering and the telling of those things here as I remember them. Things I had truly forgotten were so enjoyable. Like our cat Fri Fri. He was a gem of a cat. He got a flat nose from us all pushing on it so much.
We got him when my folks had the store. I think someone wanted to get rid of him and his brother or sister. I do not remember the name of that cat. Fri Fri survived the move back from Missouri to Iowa when Mom got a teaching job back near her parents.
I never felt welcome in that community. I wonder if I would have felt welcome anywhere new. I still like things "just so", even when that is a boring thing. Comfort takes many forms I suppose.
Dad would try to give us things to entertain us. I remember one time he put up a Circus type bar in our yard so I could pursue my Dream of being famous one day.
Children tend to Dream of things they cannot be in the real world...or at least I did. I wanted to be on TV, but am truly very shy. My acting attempts were lapluster at best. I never wanted to put the work into them that I should have. Take the easy way, thats me. Guess I was too much afraid of failure to give it my best try. I still tend to be that way today....going along easily. Now I see that that has its good side as well. I tried my best when I was raising my children. I wanted them to have the Life I never had. I let them Dream. I wish I had tried to help them more with that. I too fell into the same dilema as my parents. Too little money, too little time. Spending time trying to earn a dollar and becoming too good at trying to buy my Happiness, and theirs. They say they never felt deprived. I am so glad of that.
There were so many things they did have to do without. Just things though, not anything important to how they turned out. Children will remember the things you do with them more than anything you can buy them. I have seen this time and time again.
I will write more about our new home (new to us) in Fenton after we returned to Iowa at another time. For now, it is time to get going on my walk. The wind is to die down for a bit before the rains begin again. I want to take advantage of that and get in my walk. Even if I do not walk as far, I make the 20 minutes or more, so all is good!
Don't forget to hug someone you love today. Start with yourself!
Hugs n Smooches, Katie
I just put them where I happen to think they should go as the mood
to write hits me. I have been trying to write every day, but that does
not always happen. The writing comes to me, I have no control. I have
been spending time visiting with friends in a chat room that I love
going to. It is like a big coffee clatch. How I missed that. This one
is different than most I have belonged to though. I always feel so
welcome now. They always greet me like they have missed me so much. That feeling of belonging is so important to me now. I always said I didnt care about those type of things, but we all do. We all feel left out. I left myself out. I did not keep in touch with real life friends because it was just easier to do. I did not get hurt that way, for I was not close enough to anyone to feel that way. I always wonder why I am the person who has to get things together. Organize, arrange. Why do my friends not call me. Yes, I realize they are all busy with their own lives. I have always used that as the excuse of all excuses. Why did no one reach out to me when I was trying to eat myself to death? I got bigger and bigger, but no one said one single word about it to me. I will have to say that it would not have helped anyway. I was not ready to hear anything anyone had to say about it. I was truly trying to accept myself as I was. That is the most difficult thing to do in the world, did you know that? Self love is selfish, etc. I did not mean to wander here. See? My mind has it's own direction to go, no matter what my intent might be to begin with. This is not a bad thing, it is a good thing. "Go with the Flow" is what I will do from now on, let it happen.
I was going to sit here and remember things about my Missouri days again. Those times seem to calm me. I felt good in those days. I felt bad in those days too. I chose to feel good. You see, it IS a choice. I was always doing my best to be Happy. I was back then. I truly believe that. I always remember that Peggy Lee song...."Is That All There Is?" Life is like that. Every day is different...yet some are always the same over and over again. Good. Calm. Some would even say Boring. Routine. I hate routine. I always have. Routine is boring. Give me something different every day. Stimulate me, entertain me. We spend way too much time expecting someone else to make us Happy. Deep inside I think we all know that this is not truly possible. Happiness is a choice. Look at all of the people who have survived horrible trauma in their lives. They can choose to be negative and give up, or they can fight tooth and nail to get better. Some make it, some don't. I want to be one of those who makes it.
I almost wasn't. I am sure had I kept eating my feelings, I would be dead soon. I would no longer feel anything except that continuous feeling of adreniline that eating gives a person for a short time. Maybe adreniline isn't the right word. The right word is probably something to do with hormones or a balance in the system. I cannot think of the word I mean right now...but you know what I mean. That feeling you get after a Holiday meal. All those calories begin to do what they do to your body and for a bit you really feel good. Then the dis-comfort hits and you wonder just how you could eat so very much again! You promise not to do it ever again and yet, you crave those same things again way too soon. Then before you know it, you are addicted to that feeling and want it over and over again. Common sense leaves you. All you can think about is getting that feeling again as soon as possible. It is comfort, joy, satisfaction, lust and last of all, Love. Unadulterated Love. Food is something that won't treat you badly. It won't say mean things about how you look, It won't judge you for any reason whatsoever. It tastes so good, is sweet, salty, all your senses get into it. For a brief time, you can be Happy without even thinking about how. It just happens. I guess you would say my Drug of Choice used to be Food. I could have easily been addicted to many other things, came close at times to that also. Gambling, Drugs, Fast driving. Many more that come to mind also. Why I chose Food, I truly don't know. Perhaps it was because at special occassions, there it was in all its glory. Special cakes, cookies, more cakes, good meats. Good eats. Most of our comfort foods are things that were not expensive when we were growing up. Mac and Cheese, Potatos with lots of Butter, Homemade cakes, pancakes, french toast. I could go on and on. I begin to see more and more how the two things can come together...Love and Food. Love of Food. Food for Love. It certainly worked for me.
The exercise thing...not sure why I did not get into moving more. Most Children do. They cannot wait to go outside and play. I would rather sit and read a book, take a nap, or the newest one, watch television. Would not want to miss a good show! I know part of all this was that my Mom and Dad were so busy trying to put the food on the table and find their own self worth. I read books about "Finding Oneself", "Being What You were put on this Earth to be", things of that nature. Where I was born and raised no one had the time to think about such things. These things alone were the things my Family Dreamed of! Time to sit and relax was very limited. Time to Dream was even less. This said, my Folks and Grandparents still did take the chance to do their own form of Dreaming. Having their own place, not renting anymore. Running their own store, being their own boss. These too, they acheived. Mom went back and got her Teaching degree years after she had us three children. That takes a lot of guts and stamina. I envy her that. She got her Teaching degree in Missouri when I was about 13. It made us all stronger. I had to grow up. I had to learn to cook, such as it was. I never really put much into that process, just enough to get something on the table. I was limited again by money. So many receipes called for things I never had heard of, thus could not buy. I still find this true even today. I do take more chances though, and buy certain foods now that are good for me, no matter what the price. I am worth eating right. I am cooking more now, but not able to share it with my Husband, as he hates the foods I should be eating. He is strictly a Meat and Potatos Man. He would eat Hamburger ever day of the week and sometimes does. I love chicken, turkey, fish...all the foods the body really needs. I always have craved the good foods....just way too much of all of them. I never thought I could get over craving sweets or homemade breads. Once I got switched off of them, it became easier all of the time. I now do not suffer from Heartburn anymore. I used to get it a lot. I was worried I had an ulcer or some such. I believe it was the Bread and starches fermenting with the milk and other foods. Now I know that I cannot eat too much of those things. I do not eat much white flour or other white foods other than potatos. Potatos are the exception to not eating white foods. They are so valuable in nutrition that they excape the rule. I have desserts sometimes when I really am craving them. Spelled backwards, they are stressed. What does that tell us?
This is the first year I did not want or have a Birthday Cake on my Day. I made that CHOICE. This is a landmark accomplishment for me, for sure. We have not had one Birthday Cake for any of our Spring Birthdays. What an amazing thing to have happen. Who knew we could survive without them? The same is true of Chocolate. I have been able to control and limit my intake of this food as well. I have to admit, there are days when I still crave it immensely, but those days are becoming less and less. I find something else sweet to take the place, usually fruit or yogurt. Some things stay in the mind a long long time.
I remember Mom and Dad struggling to feed us when we were little. We never starved, but I think sometimes we came pretty close. Like the times when Dad went Hunting. It was never just for "sport" for him. If he hunted, we would eat it the next meal.
There was one time that he and a bunch of the neighbors got together for a "frog hunt". Yes, we made it into a party of sorts, but we were all pretty hungry. I do not remember much else of what we had at that party, but I do remember thinking that the frog legs were very tasty...like chicken. Everyone jokes about that one, but it is true. There were also Venison feeds. I can still remember how the Elementary School smelled when that Deer was cooking. It had a flavor I still cannot describe. It was not the best taste ever, but it was pretty good barbequed. As I said, anything is tasty when you are hungry enough. We also had to eat a lot of Pheasant and other game birds. Mom got so good at fixing them. I used to watch as she would pick the buckshot out of them....yet we still had to be very careful not to bite down too hard on the meat, for she always seemed to miss some. We raised chickens or someone in the Family did. When Mom was going back to school to get her Teaching degree, Dad began to cook and fix us foods he had while in the Army. I loved Chipped Beef on Toast with gravy.
Have not had that in ages now. I am sure it is not good for the Heart. Lots of things weren't back then. But if they were cheap, we would eat them. We would get together with my Grandparents at Easter and sometimes at Christmas. With my Mother's parents living about 8 hours north of us in Iowa, the times spent with them were very rare. We would always go visit my Dad's Folks a lot though. I think Mom needed the respite from us, so she would leave us there and we would explore and pretend while Mom attended to her College courses. I cannot help but remember these things because now I see my Daughter returning to get her Law Degree and going through some of the same stresses I would see my Mom handle. Mom worked part time also. I know she did not earn much money, but whatever she earned helped to pay the bills and keep us in our home. My Folks even managed to buy a Grocery Store and run it for a while. Mom had been raised helping in my Grandparents Grocery in Iowa, so that came naturally to her. She said they barely could pay the bills of the Store though, because Dad was so kind hearted when folks could not pay their grocery bills at the end of the month.
I will have to ask Dad how long they had the store. I still remember eating Watermelon on the end of the front steps and spitting the seeds down to the ground below. We were told not to swallow them for they might grow a watermelon in our tummies! The things I believed in those days. Its no wonder I am certifiable! Kids are so gullible. I found myself doing similar things later on when raising my own daughters. What goes around comes around as they say. I think the girls are pretty level headed in spite of the things I did....at least so far!
I remember babysitting a little neighbor girl who lived across the street from our store. I would sing the Flying Purple People Eater song to her and make her laugh and giggle out loud. It was a fun song to sing as silly as it was. Even grownups liked it, though most never admitted it. I would go over to see this little girl often as we could swing on her brand new swing set that was store bought....
My parents resented the gifts that my Mom's parents would shower upon us. Strange that I barely remembered those things. When I think hard about it, memories still do come back, though most are only in bits and snatches anymore. Time will do that to one's Memories.I find comfort in the remembering and the telling of those things here as I remember them. Things I had truly forgotten were so enjoyable. Like our cat Fri Fri. He was a gem of a cat. He got a flat nose from us all pushing on it so much.
We got him when my folks had the store. I think someone wanted to get rid of him and his brother or sister. I do not remember the name of that cat. Fri Fri survived the move back from Missouri to Iowa when Mom got a teaching job back near her parents.
I never felt welcome in that community. I wonder if I would have felt welcome anywhere new. I still like things "just so", even when that is a boring thing. Comfort takes many forms I suppose.
Dad would try to give us things to entertain us. I remember one time he put up a Circus type bar in our yard so I could pursue my Dream of being famous one day.
Children tend to Dream of things they cannot be in the real world...or at least I did. I wanted to be on TV, but am truly very shy. My acting attempts were lapluster at best. I never wanted to put the work into them that I should have. Take the easy way, thats me. Guess I was too much afraid of failure to give it my best try. I still tend to be that way today....going along easily. Now I see that that has its good side as well. I tried my best when I was raising my children. I wanted them to have the Life I never had. I let them Dream. I wish I had tried to help them more with that. I too fell into the same dilema as my parents. Too little money, too little time. Spending time trying to earn a dollar and becoming too good at trying to buy my Happiness, and theirs. They say they never felt deprived. I am so glad of that.
There were so many things they did have to do without. Just things though, not anything important to how they turned out. Children will remember the things you do with them more than anything you can buy them. I have seen this time and time again.
I will write more about our new home (new to us) in Fenton after we returned to Iowa at another time. For now, it is time to get going on my walk. The wind is to die down for a bit before the rains begin again. I want to take advantage of that and get in my walk. Even if I do not walk as far, I make the 20 minutes or more, so all is good!
Don't forget to hug someone you love today. Start with yourself!
Hugs n Smooches, Katie
Friday, April 07, 2006
Family Almost Remembered
These are the Family of my Parents as I remember them now.
Please be patient as it will take time to bring them all back.
My Mother was an only child. Her Parents were Cecil O. Bailey
and Oma A. Bailey. They lived in various towns around Iowa.
I will try to do a trace of where. I am not sure that even
my Dad will remember now. One of the things I regret not asking
back when I had the chance. The thing is, when I could have asked, I was wrapped up in the present, did not see far enough down the line. Now I find comfort in looking back.
I suppose that is what Age can give us. If we choose to receive this gift.
My Grandpa Bailey was a wonderful man. He kept to himself and was pretty quiet. He never spoke much, but when he did, He said things that were awsome. He had been
a Banker back in his younger days, working in two different Banks. Later on when my
Mother was a young child, he and my Grandma Oma bought a plot of land in a very small town called Seneca. It had been named after the Seneca Indians who used to roam near that area. On this plot of land was a nice home, several apartments in a one floor complex, and the Grocery Store/Gas Station/Repair shop. I spoke a bit about this in a previous writing.
There were several other houses in this very tiny town. As the years went by, more and more of the homes disappeared as folks moved away and the buildings tumbled
down and were then torn down or burned.
There had been a School there for many many years. This was a brick building much like some schools still use today. There used to be one just like it here in the town in which I live now. This school also went the way of those other buildings. For a long time afterwards, the playground equipment remained for those remaining children in the town to use for exercise and fun, and sometimes even torment. (more about this in another story).
I am getting away from where I wanted this story to lead. I am trying to recall what my Grandmother's History was before she married my Grandfather. I know that they both Graduated from the Same High School much earlier in life. They graduated a few years apart in the early part of the Century, around 1917 or so. I also do not know how soon after that they married. This is a perplexing thing to me, for any history of this that I could have gleamed is now lost for all of the Family who knew are long
dead. I would have to contact some of my Mother's cousins to get the information.
Perhaps I will do that someday soon. I have always wanted to look into it. I will put it on my List of things to do. I love looking into past information and can almost see the travels of the people back then when I do read such things. I did a bit of geneology searching about 2 years ago, and ran into some dead ends, so gave up for a while. I will soon get back to it. There has to be some sort of link to get me to that one generation that is skipped in the search.
My Grandmother Oma had one Sister, Orma. She had a brother Roscoe who died while still fairly young. Her other brother was Weber. He used to drive the School Bus
I rode on for a while until he retired and his Son Clarence took over. They both had driven for many years before they retired. Both are long gone now. So are my Grandma Oma and her Sister Orma and brother Weber. If there were other Siblings, I have no recollection of them at this time. Who knows what memories will come back to me. I find them flooding back more every time I write.
I used to get to go to my Mom's Cousin's houses to play when I was about ten years old. We had moved to Missouri, but returned when I was just starting to go through puberty. Not a good time for any young woman...trust me. So many rapid changes, the body cannot keep up, let alone the mind! (Again off track)
There was Marlin Wegener and his wife Gladys. They had a large family. I remember
Karen, Beth Ann, and David. The other's names won't come right now. Now that I remember, these children belonged to Marlin's Sister. Her last name was Feye and I used to babysit for their children. The only one who's name I can get back now is Debbie. She hurt her nose on a barbed wire fence one time when we were visiting.
It was getting dark and she couldn't see where the fence was. She fell into it and I can still remember her screams to this day. She was ok, just cut up and needed some stitches in her nose. Nowdays they would just super glue the cut sides together!
Weber's wife's name was Nettie. I always liked to go there because she always put up a lunch which they called a coffee. It came from the years on the Farm making food for the Threshers or the neighbors during Harvest time. I always did like fancy foods!
Clarence's wifes name is Helen and I saw her a few years ago at Mom's Funeral.
She has not changed one bit since when I knew her many years ago. They had several children, all much older than us. Gee whiz, I cannot even remember Grandma's maiden name right now. I hope these things will return as I continue to write on.
I remember Orma was married to a Farmer who was a mean son of a gun, to hear my Grandma tell it. One of those that thinks Women and children are little more than property. Hard working women who suffered abuses that no one should have to feel.
I liked the Coffees then. They used the good china and teacups. They put fancy napkins out and silverware that they spend much time cleaning. I helped do that one time and trust me, the newer silverware is MUCH nicer. I don't know where Mom's Silverware Box went. I know I didn't want it at the time because of the cleaning thing. Tarnished Silverware is not very attractive.
I felt like a Princess when we attended these parties. People got together for entertainment back then. They would play cards or converse and in later times,
watch TV.
I will do some thinking to try and come up with more names of the lost cousins.
Until that time, I need a snooze. Hugs all, enjoy!
Don't forget that HUG!!!
Katie
Please be patient as it will take time to bring them all back.
My Mother was an only child. Her Parents were Cecil O. Bailey
and Oma A. Bailey. They lived in various towns around Iowa.
I will try to do a trace of where. I am not sure that even
my Dad will remember now. One of the things I regret not asking
back when I had the chance. The thing is, when I could have asked, I was wrapped up in the present, did not see far enough down the line. Now I find comfort in looking back.
I suppose that is what Age can give us. If we choose to receive this gift.
My Grandpa Bailey was a wonderful man. He kept to himself and was pretty quiet. He never spoke much, but when he did, He said things that were awsome. He had been
a Banker back in his younger days, working in two different Banks. Later on when my
Mother was a young child, he and my Grandma Oma bought a plot of land in a very small town called Seneca. It had been named after the Seneca Indians who used to roam near that area. On this plot of land was a nice home, several apartments in a one floor complex, and the Grocery Store/Gas Station/Repair shop. I spoke a bit about this in a previous writing.
There were several other houses in this very tiny town. As the years went by, more and more of the homes disappeared as folks moved away and the buildings tumbled
down and were then torn down or burned.
There had been a School there for many many years. This was a brick building much like some schools still use today. There used to be one just like it here in the town in which I live now. This school also went the way of those other buildings. For a long time afterwards, the playground equipment remained for those remaining children in the town to use for exercise and fun, and sometimes even torment. (more about this in another story).
I am getting away from where I wanted this story to lead. I am trying to recall what my Grandmother's History was before she married my Grandfather. I know that they both Graduated from the Same High School much earlier in life. They graduated a few years apart in the early part of the Century, around 1917 or so. I also do not know how soon after that they married. This is a perplexing thing to me, for any history of this that I could have gleamed is now lost for all of the Family who knew are long
dead. I would have to contact some of my Mother's cousins to get the information.
Perhaps I will do that someday soon. I have always wanted to look into it. I will put it on my List of things to do. I love looking into past information and can almost see the travels of the people back then when I do read such things. I did a bit of geneology searching about 2 years ago, and ran into some dead ends, so gave up for a while. I will soon get back to it. There has to be some sort of link to get me to that one generation that is skipped in the search.
My Grandmother Oma had one Sister, Orma. She had a brother Roscoe who died while still fairly young. Her other brother was Weber. He used to drive the School Bus
I rode on for a while until he retired and his Son Clarence took over. They both had driven for many years before they retired. Both are long gone now. So are my Grandma Oma and her Sister Orma and brother Weber. If there were other Siblings, I have no recollection of them at this time. Who knows what memories will come back to me. I find them flooding back more every time I write.
I used to get to go to my Mom's Cousin's houses to play when I was about ten years old. We had moved to Missouri, but returned when I was just starting to go through puberty. Not a good time for any young woman...trust me. So many rapid changes, the body cannot keep up, let alone the mind! (Again off track)
There was Marlin Wegener and his wife Gladys. They had a large family. I remember
Karen, Beth Ann, and David. The other's names won't come right now. Now that I remember, these children belonged to Marlin's Sister. Her last name was Feye and I used to babysit for their children. The only one who's name I can get back now is Debbie. She hurt her nose on a barbed wire fence one time when we were visiting.
It was getting dark and she couldn't see where the fence was. She fell into it and I can still remember her screams to this day. She was ok, just cut up and needed some stitches in her nose. Nowdays they would just super glue the cut sides together!
Weber's wife's name was Nettie. I always liked to go there because she always put up a lunch which they called a coffee. It came from the years on the Farm making food for the Threshers or the neighbors during Harvest time. I always did like fancy foods!
Clarence's wifes name is Helen and I saw her a few years ago at Mom's Funeral.
She has not changed one bit since when I knew her many years ago. They had several children, all much older than us. Gee whiz, I cannot even remember Grandma's maiden name right now. I hope these things will return as I continue to write on.
I remember Orma was married to a Farmer who was a mean son of a gun, to hear my Grandma tell it. One of those that thinks Women and children are little more than property. Hard working women who suffered abuses that no one should have to feel.
I liked the Coffees then. They used the good china and teacups. They put fancy napkins out and silverware that they spend much time cleaning. I helped do that one time and trust me, the newer silverware is MUCH nicer. I don't know where Mom's Silverware Box went. I know I didn't want it at the time because of the cleaning thing. Tarnished Silverware is not very attractive.
I felt like a Princess when we attended these parties. People got together for entertainment back then. They would play cards or converse and in later times,
watch TV.
I will do some thinking to try and come up with more names of the lost cousins.
Until that time, I need a snooze. Hugs all, enjoy!
Don't forget that HUG!!!
Katie
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The Store
Grandpa's Store was always a fun place to visit. It was like he owned this Kingdom. Especially to a young girl like me. My main memories were from when I was about seven until ten years old. There were so many wonderful smells in that place. It was a somewhat large square building with open space everywhere except where goods were piled or arranged on wooden shelves.
It was amazing. There was a smell of the pink cleaner he always used to clean the floor. It was just called Sweeping compound as far as I know. My husband remembers it being called that. I just remember how it smelled and how I used to watch my Grandpa clean the floor with it. He sometimes even let me help when he was feeling particularly patient and work was not in a rush. He used to sit and play Cribbage a lot in the "back room". There were always several regulars there playing cards, having coffee or just generally shooting the breeze. It was the local gathering spot around the area. Being a rural place, farmers would come in for goods and sometimes could take a few extra minutes to relax before going back to their work. Grandma was known for putting the coffee pot on at the drop of a hat. There was even occasional fresh home baked goodies offered or brought in, too. Even when passing the time, the folks seldom stayed very long, only a few minutes, but the entertainment materials were many. Stories came out about so and so. Or, weather will be changing soon. Miss Molly the teacher has a male friend. The regular, tame gossip. No harm was meant, it was just conversation. There was no television yet, so self entertainment had to be it. I was always reading something when possible.
There was a special Meat Counter. It was always stocked to the hilt with the normal fare. I do not remember how it got there, but I assume it was delivered. I do not want to think of where else it could have come from. I know he didn't butcher it himself! I have had more time to think about it and I believe that he may have had it delivered by the local Locker. Those meats were always piled high and seemed to go quickly whenever a customer would arrive. I don't remember a meal without it, though sometimes there was not a lot of it. I was pretty little at that time and did not worry on such matters. My favorite was the different choices of lunch meat! It was a sandwich heaven!
There was a wooden glass candy cabinet too. It was a large rectangle box with glass on three sides. It
always amazed me to see how many different kinds of candy he had there available to buy. It opened on the back side with a latch.This was the only wooden side and made access easy. He said it was the only way to keep the penny candy from leaving without getting paid for, even back then! Guess certain things are just too much to pass up. I know I was guilty of taking a piece of bubble gum one time. It bothered me for a very very long time...till I fessed up and he forgave me. Trust me, I never ever did any stealing again, ever! We kids used to get to eat whatever sandwiches we wanted when we were visiting there. Usually Grandpa would make us up one with mayonnaise or pickles or whatever we were in the mood for. Sometimes Grandma would bake or cook for lunch, but most of the time it was a quick lunch and something more grand for supper hour. She always had some sort of very good meal there waiting for us hot and simmering when we got home from the store. She would either start something before she went over to work in the store, or she would leave early in the afternoon to begin something.
There were only a few houses in the town, Seneca. It is still there, but the store isn't. It has been gone for many years now. The town had been larger, but over the years, folks either moved away or found jobs away, or both. In the last few years of the store, it became pretty much like a little ghost town. So are all the people who lived there then, dead and long buried. Sometimes I wish I could go back then just to observe more things that I never paid attention to. The memories of that place have faded as the years have gone on. By the time I was big enough to spend time in the store, a lot of the business had ended. The changing tires, repairing engines, etc. were a thing long gone then. Grandpa used to have a hired man who did the garage part and when he left, it was just stopped. They demolished the store sometime in the seventies. I remember being really sad when we drove by and saw what had been done. It had been a big deal when my grandma sold the store. Grandpa had died at 68 and she lost the will and strength to keep it going. It was for sale a long time. Then Grandma got the great idea to advertise the sale as "A whole town". That seemed to peak interest and a buyer gave her a good offer and the deal was done. Grandma sold the entire property in 1968. It was then auctioned off because the people did not want the store stuff at all. Sad now that I think about it. The guy who bought it was going to raise critters for their fur. I am not sure if that ever happened or not. I don't remember seeing any evidence of that, but seeing the house go downhill was not easy either. I always loved that house. There was also an apartment complex with 2 apartments that went along with the sale.
There used to be a public school there too. My folks had gone together when they were very young, about 13 i think. At least that is the way my Dad remembers it. They were just friends for a while, the love came later. But, he said he always liked my Mom from the first time they had met. They had a "puppy love" he said. I know how much he still misses her. He is doing well at getting on with Life, it is just difficult to lose someone you have been with for 67 years.
Seneca had my Grandparents house, the apartments that they rented which were motel rooms earlier on before I was born. They were fun to see the inside of, but I do not remember much about them now. I do remember a picture or two of us standing beside it. It was some sort of stucco I believe...at least that is the way I remember it now. Then the store was next to that. They had gas pumps and a area to work on cars on the east side of it. My Grandpa did it all, so did Grandma. They could work on any type or model and it did not take all day either. I look back at what they did, and I am amazed. They also figured Taxes for the area people whenever that time of year came around. There was always a promotion of some sort going on. One that I remember is the one where you would buy so many groceries, then you could buy plates to complete a dish set when you had enough points or stickers. Sort of like S & H Greenstamps, remember them? Or Raliegh Cigerettes promotion. There was a stamp or so on each package of cigerrettes. My Dad collected them, as did his parents.
They were not aware of the dangers of the awful weed back then. Dad says the government even provided them free for all who were overseas. Who knew?
I will have to continue more about Seneca at another time. Now the couch calls me.
And it is time to answer. I have been having a problem with a muscle in my back since yesterday. It is very painful when i turn a certain way or bend down or up. The only thing I can figure out that I did was when I was holding Hunter yesterday, getting up and down off of the couch, and feeding him and the getting up and down off the floor a few times. Dang, it ain't easy aging! But it beats the alternative~!
Hugs
Katie
It was amazing. There was a smell of the pink cleaner he always used to clean the floor. It was just called Sweeping compound as far as I know. My husband remembers it being called that. I just remember how it smelled and how I used to watch my Grandpa clean the floor with it. He sometimes even let me help when he was feeling particularly patient and work was not in a rush. He used to sit and play Cribbage a lot in the "back room". There were always several regulars there playing cards, having coffee or just generally shooting the breeze. It was the local gathering spot around the area. Being a rural place, farmers would come in for goods and sometimes could take a few extra minutes to relax before going back to their work. Grandma was known for putting the coffee pot on at the drop of a hat. There was even occasional fresh home baked goodies offered or brought in, too. Even when passing the time, the folks seldom stayed very long, only a few minutes, but the entertainment materials were many. Stories came out about so and so. Or, weather will be changing soon. Miss Molly the teacher has a male friend. The regular, tame gossip. No harm was meant, it was just conversation. There was no television yet, so self entertainment had to be it. I was always reading something when possible.
There was a special Meat Counter. It was always stocked to the hilt with the normal fare. I do not remember how it got there, but I assume it was delivered. I do not want to think of where else it could have come from. I know he didn't butcher it himself! I have had more time to think about it and I believe that he may have had it delivered by the local Locker. Those meats were always piled high and seemed to go quickly whenever a customer would arrive. I don't remember a meal without it, though sometimes there was not a lot of it. I was pretty little at that time and did not worry on such matters. My favorite was the different choices of lunch meat! It was a sandwich heaven!
There was a wooden glass candy cabinet too. It was a large rectangle box with glass on three sides. It
always amazed me to see how many different kinds of candy he had there available to buy. It opened on the back side with a latch.This was the only wooden side and made access easy. He said it was the only way to keep the penny candy from leaving without getting paid for, even back then! Guess certain things are just too much to pass up. I know I was guilty of taking a piece of bubble gum one time. It bothered me for a very very long time...till I fessed up and he forgave me. Trust me, I never ever did any stealing again, ever! We kids used to get to eat whatever sandwiches we wanted when we were visiting there. Usually Grandpa would make us up one with mayonnaise or pickles or whatever we were in the mood for. Sometimes Grandma would bake or cook for lunch, but most of the time it was a quick lunch and something more grand for supper hour. She always had some sort of very good meal there waiting for us hot and simmering when we got home from the store. She would either start something before she went over to work in the store, or she would leave early in the afternoon to begin something.
There were only a few houses in the town, Seneca. It is still there, but the store isn't. It has been gone for many years now. The town had been larger, but over the years, folks either moved away or found jobs away, or both. In the last few years of the store, it became pretty much like a little ghost town. So are all the people who lived there then, dead and long buried. Sometimes I wish I could go back then just to observe more things that I never paid attention to. The memories of that place have faded as the years have gone on. By the time I was big enough to spend time in the store, a lot of the business had ended. The changing tires, repairing engines, etc. were a thing long gone then. Grandpa used to have a hired man who did the garage part and when he left, it was just stopped. They demolished the store sometime in the seventies. I remember being really sad when we drove by and saw what had been done. It had been a big deal when my grandma sold the store. Grandpa had died at 68 and she lost the will and strength to keep it going. It was for sale a long time. Then Grandma got the great idea to advertise the sale as "A whole town". That seemed to peak interest and a buyer gave her a good offer and the deal was done. Grandma sold the entire property in 1968. It was then auctioned off because the people did not want the store stuff at all. Sad now that I think about it. The guy who bought it was going to raise critters for their fur. I am not sure if that ever happened or not. I don't remember seeing any evidence of that, but seeing the house go downhill was not easy either. I always loved that house. There was also an apartment complex with 2 apartments that went along with the sale.
There used to be a public school there too. My folks had gone together when they were very young, about 13 i think. At least that is the way my Dad remembers it. They were just friends for a while, the love came later. But, he said he always liked my Mom from the first time they had met. They had a "puppy love" he said. I know how much he still misses her. He is doing well at getting on with Life, it is just difficult to lose someone you have been with for 67 years.
Seneca had my Grandparents house, the apartments that they rented which were motel rooms earlier on before I was born. They were fun to see the inside of, but I do not remember much about them now. I do remember a picture or two of us standing beside it. It was some sort of stucco I believe...at least that is the way I remember it now. Then the store was next to that. They had gas pumps and a area to work on cars on the east side of it. My Grandpa did it all, so did Grandma. They could work on any type or model and it did not take all day either. I look back at what they did, and I am amazed. They also figured Taxes for the area people whenever that time of year came around. There was always a promotion of some sort going on. One that I remember is the one where you would buy so many groceries, then you could buy plates to complete a dish set when you had enough points or stickers. Sort of like S & H Greenstamps, remember them? Or Raliegh Cigerettes promotion. There was a stamp or so on each package of cigerrettes. My Dad collected them, as did his parents.
They were not aware of the dangers of the awful weed back then. Dad says the government even provided them free for all who were overseas. Who knew?
I will have to continue more about Seneca at another time. Now the couch calls me.
And it is time to answer. I have been having a problem with a muscle in my back since yesterday. It is very painful when i turn a certain way or bend down or up. The only thing I can figure out that I did was when I was holding Hunter yesterday, getting up and down off of the couch, and feeding him and the getting up and down off the floor a few times. Dang, it ain't easy aging! But it beats the alternative~!
Hugs
Katie
Dreamy Days
As we come upon Spring...as it Sprungs, or is that Sprangs? hehe....Anyway.
This time of Year is Bittersweet to me. It is my favorite time of the
year, the time of newness, rebirth, proof of Life going on.
As you know from other writings, it is bitter as well because my Family
lost our dear Wife and Mother in May 2003. Her birth month as well as her
mothers. The month after mine, almost to the day. Several months
after my brother George(February 19), and Jim (March19). Her illness
began on my Dad(Sheldon Junior)'s Birthday on the 25th of March.
My Dad's brother Don's Birthday is in June as was their Dad, Sheldon Senior,
June 14. I have forgotten Don's actual Birthday, will have to ask someonethat. I know they always would celebrate them at the same time, always
around Easter....so you can well see why it is Bittersweet.
I remember growing up when we lived in Missouri, it was one of the
favorite times of the year because my Grandparents from Iowa,
Grandpa Cecil and Grandma Oma would come down to visit us, or in
later years, we would go up to visit them. Those visits were not
very often, as the distance was so far. It would take about 7 or
8 hours in those earlier days because the roads were so winding.
Later on there were some straighter stretches built in so that the world
could move ever faster...as it continues to do.
We would nearly always get to celebrate Easter with our visiting
Iowa Grandparents. That was always fun as they always brought us wonderful
goodies. Things my parents could not afford. I think they really loved
showering us with gifts. I certainly understand that now as we do
that with our two Grandsons, Tyler and Hunter. There were Toy Pedal
Airplanes, Wagons, various Easter Baskets, always brimming with
candy and toys. I still to this day do not understand why my parents
always felt bad about those gifts. I still remember the clothes
Mom made us...we were always "spiffin" in our homemade clothes.
She was the one who felt that we were poor, we children never did.
I have asked both Jim and George and they agreed with me.
One special gift one Easter that we received were pet Bunnies.
I could not believe that they brought those Rabbits clear down
to us in their car! My Grandad always prized his vehicles and kept
immaculate care of them. So, for him to do such a thing really
did prove how much he loved to bring us exciting gifts! I wonder
how my Grandma talked him into it? I bet that was one heated
conversation! My Grandmother pretty much wore the pants in their
Family, at least as far as I can remember. If she said it, it got
done. My Grandfather was a Romantic married to a Practical. He would
always buy her expensive, loving gifts. She always put them in
a box or cupboard and never very often wore them. She did not
want anyone to think she was flaunting their well being. I would say
Wealth, but I do not think they were really wealthy. They always
were able to dress nice, and Granddad loved dressing her in
beautiful clothes. I remember looking in her closet and not believing
all the wonderful clothes in there. She would let me play Dress Up
in them! I remember the smell of that Closet. Not Musty, but a smell
of perfume and leather. She had several Delicate hats which later in
her Life, she began to wear often. She had a Fox Stole! It was kinda
creepy to me, but I knew it had been expensive to buy. I wonder
if she ever wanted a Fur Coat? I don't remember seeing one of those
in there. She probably was too practical to want one. I have inherited
most of her remaining jewelry. I do not know if I got all of it or
where it went if I didn't. I have several of her rings though,
and although they aren't really worth a lot of money, they mean
the world to me just seeing the history of wear on them. I prize
them very much. I also have some of my Mother's rings. I regret
that she always wanted Dad to buy her a decent wedding ring. He
tried, but I think she always wanted that but never asked for it.
She told me one time that she did so. I think she regretted it too.
Dad was a Practical....to a fault. Too many days of being so poor
instilled it into him I think. He loved Mom beyond words or writing,
but that is one thing that I would suppose he never knew because
she never said a word.
I remember having Easter egg hunts every Easter as well. Wherever
we were, whether at our home or visiting Family. That Easter Bunny
was just as wise as Santa. I always wondered if they used the same
list. :)
I remember the grass turning green was always a first sign of Spring
soon to come. That and the Robins returning. That song is always so
welcome to me. Spring always comes earlier in Missouri that it does
in Iowa. The temperatures are usually a bit warmer about a month
sooner there. I say this as in the past. Nowdays I believe they are
nearer the same time. Missouri seems to get more weather like we used
to here. More Snow storms than ever back then. A Snow with much
accumulation was rare there. Now they seem to get almost as much
Snow as we do here.
This Spring is also made sweet by enjoying time spent with our
Daughters and Families. Having people who care for you, celebrate
with you is so wonderful. The two Grandsons growing so fast also
make Spring more Springlike. The Joys of spending time with them
and doing fun things is time well spent.
My Health concerns are improving. I am responding to the medicines
and will have a good checkup at my Surgeon's office tomorrow, I feel it!
I have lost 60 pounds since I realized when Tyler was a baby that it was
time to fix me. I could not change the past or my reaction to it. I
could not go back and make amends for things that should have been done,
but I know now that I can only move forward. I have to take care of me
and what is to come now....a rebirth of myself as well as the Spring.
I LOVE the newer me. I know I am worthy of this change, I deserve it, I deserve to brag a little and to celebrate Life! I almost lost that...so I am doubly thankful.
Well, Dear Folks, My hands are hurting from typing and other chores,
so I will bid you adeiu till the next time the writing bug tells me
to get in touch with you again.
Keep your sights on today. Enjoy it, don't waste time worrying about
tomorrow. It will be here way too soon!
Sleep Well, rest your weary Soul, and be as good as You can.
Love you, and hug yourself and someone you Love today.
Katie
This time of Year is Bittersweet to me. It is my favorite time of the
year, the time of newness, rebirth, proof of Life going on.
As you know from other writings, it is bitter as well because my Family
lost our dear Wife and Mother in May 2003. Her birth month as well as her
mothers. The month after mine, almost to the day. Several months
after my brother George(February 19), and Jim (March19). Her illness
began on my Dad(Sheldon Junior)'s Birthday on the 25th of March.
My Dad's brother Don's Birthday is in June as was their Dad, Sheldon Senior,
June 14. I have forgotten Don's actual Birthday, will have to ask someonethat. I know they always would celebrate them at the same time, always
around Easter....so you can well see why it is Bittersweet.
I remember growing up when we lived in Missouri, it was one of the
favorite times of the year because my Grandparents from Iowa,
Grandpa Cecil and Grandma Oma would come down to visit us, or in
later years, we would go up to visit them. Those visits were not
very often, as the distance was so far. It would take about 7 or
8 hours in those earlier days because the roads were so winding.
Later on there were some straighter stretches built in so that the world
could move ever faster...as it continues to do.
We would nearly always get to celebrate Easter with our visiting
Iowa Grandparents. That was always fun as they always brought us wonderful
goodies. Things my parents could not afford. I think they really loved
showering us with gifts. I certainly understand that now as we do
that with our two Grandsons, Tyler and Hunter. There were Toy Pedal
Airplanes, Wagons, various Easter Baskets, always brimming with
candy and toys. I still to this day do not understand why my parents
always felt bad about those gifts. I still remember the clothes
Mom made us...we were always "spiffin" in our homemade clothes.
She was the one who felt that we were poor, we children never did.
I have asked both Jim and George and they agreed with me.
One special gift one Easter that we received were pet Bunnies.
I could not believe that they brought those Rabbits clear down
to us in their car! My Grandad always prized his vehicles and kept
immaculate care of them. So, for him to do such a thing really
did prove how much he loved to bring us exciting gifts! I wonder
how my Grandma talked him into it? I bet that was one heated
conversation! My Grandmother pretty much wore the pants in their
Family, at least as far as I can remember. If she said it, it got
done. My Grandfather was a Romantic married to a Practical. He would
always buy her expensive, loving gifts. She always put them in
a box or cupboard and never very often wore them. She did not
want anyone to think she was flaunting their well being. I would say
Wealth, but I do not think they were really wealthy. They always
were able to dress nice, and Granddad loved dressing her in
beautiful clothes. I remember looking in her closet and not believing
all the wonderful clothes in there. She would let me play Dress Up
in them! I remember the smell of that Closet. Not Musty, but a smell
of perfume and leather. She had several Delicate hats which later in
her Life, she began to wear often. She had a Fox Stole! It was kinda
creepy to me, but I knew it had been expensive to buy. I wonder
if she ever wanted a Fur Coat? I don't remember seeing one of those
in there. She probably was too practical to want one. I have inherited
most of her remaining jewelry. I do not know if I got all of it or
where it went if I didn't. I have several of her rings though,
and although they aren't really worth a lot of money, they mean
the world to me just seeing the history of wear on them. I prize
them very much. I also have some of my Mother's rings. I regret
that she always wanted Dad to buy her a decent wedding ring. He
tried, but I think she always wanted that but never asked for it.
She told me one time that she did so. I think she regretted it too.
Dad was a Practical....to a fault. Too many days of being so poor
instilled it into him I think. He loved Mom beyond words or writing,
but that is one thing that I would suppose he never knew because
she never said a word.
I remember having Easter egg hunts every Easter as well. Wherever
we were, whether at our home or visiting Family. That Easter Bunny
was just as wise as Santa. I always wondered if they used the same
list. :)
I remember the grass turning green was always a first sign of Spring
soon to come. That and the Robins returning. That song is always so
welcome to me. Spring always comes earlier in Missouri that it does
in Iowa. The temperatures are usually a bit warmer about a month
sooner there. I say this as in the past. Nowdays I believe they are
nearer the same time. Missouri seems to get more weather like we used
to here. More Snow storms than ever back then. A Snow with much
accumulation was rare there. Now they seem to get almost as much
Snow as we do here.
This Spring is also made sweet by enjoying time spent with our
Daughters and Families. Having people who care for you, celebrate
with you is so wonderful. The two Grandsons growing so fast also
make Spring more Springlike. The Joys of spending time with them
and doing fun things is time well spent.
My Health concerns are improving. I am responding to the medicines
and will have a good checkup at my Surgeon's office tomorrow, I feel it!
I have lost 60 pounds since I realized when Tyler was a baby that it was
time to fix me. I could not change the past or my reaction to it. I
could not go back and make amends for things that should have been done,
but I know now that I can only move forward. I have to take care of me
and what is to come now....a rebirth of myself as well as the Spring.
I LOVE the newer me. I know I am worthy of this change, I deserve it, I deserve to brag a little and to celebrate Life! I almost lost that...so I am doubly thankful.
Well, Dear Folks, My hands are hurting from typing and other chores,
so I will bid you adeiu till the next time the writing bug tells me
to get in touch with you again.
Keep your sights on today. Enjoy it, don't waste time worrying about
tomorrow. It will be here way too soon!
Sleep Well, rest your weary Soul, and be as good as You can.
Love you, and hug yourself and someone you Love today.
Katie
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