Happy Birthday Andrea

This day is almost over and I forgot to post a Happy Birthday to my youngest child. Today she is 34. It seems only a short time ago that we brought her home. Being the youngest and several years younger than her brother, I had more time with her as she was growing up. Well, that is after the others left home. She showed me how to be young again and was my best friend for many years.

We toured the state of Oklahome when she was involved in "Oklahoma Kids" and spent a lot of time talking while driving around. She always loved to talk and actually had a lot to say if we just took time to listen. She also loved to sing. She still sings today and I love to listen to her. God gave her a beautiful voice and she uses it to glorify Him as she sings in the church choir, community entertainment, to her children and sometimes to me. I thank God that he sent this child to as an afterthought. (that's what people used to say to us) God planned for us to have her all along. Wasn't that grand of Him. Happy Birthday Andi. We love you.

Baby it's Cold Outside

These past days are preparing us for Winter. We have had such a lovely fall. The temperatures in the month of November were actually above normal. December brings change though. I remember so many times over the years when the last of November or the first of December brought in snow and ice. One December we were blessed with such a storm that broke power lines and poles and shut our part of the country down for 6 days. NO ELECTRICITY meant no water to the house (electric pump), no lights, and no heat except for the fireplace. I could cook on the top of my gas range so we didn't go humgry.

The idea of not having water was almost a disaster as far as our teenagers were concerned. They could not wash their hair every day, much less take a bath. It was embarressing to go to school in town, where they still had electricity, with dirty hair. I reminded them that in my teen years, it was impossible to backcomb clean hair so we would not dream of washing it everyday. That just earned me a strange look, and how could I NOT wash my hair every day? We did have water that we hauled in buckets from the windmill a mile north of the house. We also went to a friends a few miles away who had electricity and took a bath, but not everyday. When did it happen that people thought they had to bathe at least once a day. I wonder how often Cleopatra took a bath? How about Queen Victoria, Marie Antionette, or even Martha Washington for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I am all for clean but going for a day or two did not kill anyone, especially in the dead of winter when there was ice on everything outside.

Well, anyhow, back to the lesson on survival-----Being the great Mom that I am, I carried snow into the house and melted it, and caught the water dripping from the roof and heated it so that my lovely daughters could have shinning hair. You know what, that was the softest water and their hair did feel lovely. At one time people did have rain barrels to catch water for such things. Maybe I should think about that.

It does not bother me to do some of the things my grandmother did but I do appreciate the electricity. We have become so dependent on it. We have freezers full of meat that I pray will keep and not thaw, and I like that warmth of the central heating system. I can get along without some of the things though. It is rather fun to read by the kerosene lamp for an evening or two and snuggle down in a bed heavy with comforters. Yes, it is fun once in awhile, but I guess that I really wouldn't want to do it everyday. I admit, I like my modern conveniences and I sort of like a bath everyday too. I pray when the storm comes in that is predicted, that there is just good old snow instead of ice. I know that the linemen with the electric companies are praying for that too.

Oh My Gosh!!!!!

I can't believe it!!! This thing is fast!!! I got my Christmas present from the Rancher today. High Speed Internet----Yea, No more waiting for 5 minutes for the next window to come up. Now I can even look at the things on Utube. Unless you have had dial up or now have it, you don't know the disadvantages of it. I am thankful for the young man that spent 3 hours at my house rewiring my phone system and fixing me up. He did a great job. Now maybe I can spend a little more time figuring things out. Probably not though as I am a slow learner.

I think I am just getting slow at everything, I notices that some of you have your Christmas up, Not me, I am waiting on the spirit to inspire me and that hasn't happened. I think I need some little kids around, I used to get more done when I had 4 children at home than I do with just the Rancher and myself. I just tend to put things off though.

Have a hapy week end and finish your Christmas shopping. Maybe I will put my tree up tomorrow, if I am not playing on the internet.

The strength of my Neighborhood.

Living in a very rural area has many reqards but, it also has it's trials. As rural people, we are very dependant on each other. The nearest town is a small one 17 miles on the Texas side of the line and the nearest hospital is 34 miles away. This hospital will check you over and send you on down the road if there is much wrong.

it is the people of this community that make it a wonderful place to live. We are there for each other in all things. Even before the rural fire departments were developed, everyone, young and old, men and women would get the gear that was needed and do their part. Often I used a wet burlap sack and a shovel while my husband took the tractor and plow and did his part. This was a way of life. Now days, I just fix sandwiches and do my part from a check point with the other women.

There are fewer people in this community than when I came here as a bride. Young people go where there are jobs and money. One knows that they will never be rich out here but let me tell you, riches do not always come as you dream of. It isn't the material things that count. It the mountain of friends that show up to help a neighbor when things go amiss. Holding them in their sorrow in the loss of a loved one, praying for them in times of need, helping get a crop in, or work with the cattle when there is sickness, and more often than this, it is just sharing a time during the day with each other on the phone, in the middle of the road, or over a cup of coffee. We are neighbors and family and friends. We need each other as we pass through time. As I age, I know this to be more so now than it was 45 years ago.

Jesus reminded us to Love our neighbor. He also taught that we are to be charitable, in our deeds before man. As we know that our Father in heaven takes care of each one of us, we are to do our part and take care of each other. In doing this we are also serving Him.

So here we are, So many of our neighbors are sick, getting older, and some just have everyday worries, but I know this.....As God cares about the birds of the field, the grass blowing in the wind and all of the little things of this earth....He cares even more about us. We are to follow in that example and serve each other in love and thankfulness that we can.

Well, what kind of a post is this, Maybe is is depressing, but I was just reminded this morning as we waited with neighbors for an ambulance just how fragil we are and that we really are our brothers keepers.

Thank you Father for your daily care, Thank you for friends and neighbors who are there for us in our time of need. Amen

A Pet for a Day

Have you ever had a pet? Okay then, have you ever had a pet wasp or yellow jacket?
Alas there was such a thing in my childhood. I wasn't the only one to have one of these exotic pets. It was quite the thing in my little school. This was all brought back to me as I sit watching the yellow jackets swarm so thick around my doors and windows that I hesitate to even go outside. Today I am a little bit leary of them but there was once a time......

In the early 1950's in the fall of the year, the yellow jacket wasps were plentiful as they are today. Back then, no building was tight much less wasp proof. They were always in our classrooms, the entry way and on the bus. Early in the cool of the morning, being very brace, one could capture a wasp in their suttle stage and remove their STINGER. This was done by holding him down with someones pocket knife and using tweezers to pull that nasty poisonious stinger out. Look back a few words here.....Yes, I did say pocket knife. That was a tool of the trade in those days and no one thought a thing about a child having one in school. That is a different story and I shall have to write a post about it someday.

NOW.....back to the wasps. Having had his weapon removed, he was quite harmless. Now the wasp didn't know that yet so he was still quite fiesty as we held onto them and tied a piece of sewing thread aroung their middle. How we ever did this, I don't remember but we did. Often the thread was still attached to the spool and the pet had quite a long leash. Sometimes tape was used to secure the thread so it would not unwind further, as the wasp usually just ventured to the bright windows of the classroom.

Often, races were held. We all stood in a straight line and released our wasps to see whose would fly the furtherest before coming to a rest. This was measured by the thread that was released. Some kids would use a small stick and put through the spool and let the wasp fly quite a ways. To the wasps dismay, he would be reeled back in.

These pets were kept in the classroom and I am not sure why the teacher put up with them but to my recollection, it was she that taught us all about them. I never told my grandchildren this story, I am not sure I shared it with my children when they were of the age to want to try this stunt. Today, I don't think I am brave enough to hold one down and remove the stinger unless it is dead of course. At the end of the school day in our little rural school, the pets were disposed of. Sad but true they were euthenized. We had no heart for them at the end of the last recess. But I can tell you this, we did not need a Wii or a DS, we all had a pet wasp and guess what... it was free.

It's a dogs life---Or is it?

Sometimes I feel sorry for dogs. They are so dependent on us, their masters. They are always following us around and being under foot. They crane their necks to see what the next thing we drop on the floor for them will be. They are happy for all of the little morsels that we drop and are always begging for just a little more. Sometimes they are impatient with us when we do not meet their needs as quickly as they want us to.

I guess, to a domestic dog or cat, we must look like giants. Mostly what they see of us are our feet, legs and the underneath side or the bottom of everything. They must think a table looks a lot different than we do. They don't see the top side of it. We see a larger picture of everything than a dog does. Even more than us---God sees a much larger picture. He sees the entire world and universe that He has created and knows what is going to happen at any time.

When our pets get tangled up in their leash, run out of water or food, we are the ones to take care of them They depend on us to meet their needs. They sometimes get impatient and whine around waiting for us to get things done. They might even get a little irritable.

Like our pets, sometimes we get ourselves tangled up in the things of life. We do things that we shouldn't and whine around about the mess that we are in. God listens to our whining around and sometimes teaches us to have a little patience. Sometimes we just see no way out, with the limited view that we have. Just like our animal friends, we need someone bigger to take care of ur needs. Some of the mountains in our lives are just a grain of sand to God. As we take care of our pets, God takes care of us. Too often, we whine and expect more than God is ready to give us. He knows what is good for us and gives to us according to His desires and our needs instead of giving us the never ending supply that we often demand. We should be greatful for the abundance that He blesses us with.

I am glad that I am not a dog or a cat. For one thing, I like to take a good shower every day. I wouldn't want to have to meet my hygiene needs as an animal does. I rely on God as my pets rely on me. I can talk to Him at all times. He knows my needs and my limitations. I suspect that He expects more out of me that I give though. I need to work on that. What about You?

Because I Am The MOM!!!

Because I am The Mom!!! The words of my own mother echo back to me as I say those words to my own grown Son. One never stops being the Mom even when your children are grown, have children of their own and probably even when THEY have grandchildren. You will always be the MOM. Being the Mom gives you many priviledges and also SHOULD put you at a place of authority in the peck order of the family. MAYBE!!! Sometime my place seems very small. I feel that as I get older, my place has slipped further and further away. I know that this is not true but sometimes being THE MOM means that much is expected of you.

To be right truthful, I love being the Mom but I want to be relieved of some of the responsibilities that go with it. I thought that when everyone left home and went our on their own, that there would not be so much to worry about as far as my children were concerned. WRONG!! The truth is, You might worry more. Your children are not where you can take care of them and protect them everyday. They have moved to some place half way across the continent with the love of their life and are not at all concerned that Mom may be at home worrying about you as you go driving off, All by yourself. Did my own mother worry or did she give a sigh of relief that some of her flock had finally spread their wings and went out on their own.

Did my great grandmothers worry when their daughters climbed into a covered wagon and went across the prairie with a young man to a place they had never heard of. Probably so, but as they had done the same, they knew the dangers and the rewards. They also knew that it was time for them to be on their own.

My daughters have all made this change. They are also MOMS so they know the worry and joy of watching your children as they go through all of the changes and development stages of their lives. My son still lives near. He is a divoriced man and can take care of himself. HA :^) He does do his own laundry, clean his house, and works with Dad in the fields and with the cattle but who do you think he comes to when he wants to EAT??? I am the Mom and he thinks every meal should come from my kitchen. He also thinks I should be responsible for other things, but guess what!!!
I'M THE MOM AND I DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT ANYMORE!! I have reminded him that a mother cat runs away sometimes when she is wanting to be away from her young and I think I am about ready to do that.

Okay, now I have vented about that enough. I do love being a Mom, sometimes I need a lot of prayers though and I know that God gives me the strength that I need to get through some things.

Being a Mom is really great but I can tell you a truth---Being a grandmother is a whole new game. I love it.