Things I Learned From My Children

You know the old saying: " The older you get, The smarter your parents get."

I know this saying is true as I am the parent that is getting smarter. Not in a way that you might think but I am learning more each day about the antics that my now adult children pulled when they were young.

I recently learned that the family car we owned at one time was the hottest car in town. It could out drag and outrun all the cars and trucks of the guys in town. I learned this from my youngest daughter, not my son, who I knew was a hotrodder. She delighted in a good race and never wanted to lose at anything.

I also learned that the local cop did not know how to spell. When she was pulled over for failing to yield, she had to help spell the word Yield and approaching. She also was on a first name basis with the local Highway Patrol. I learned this one day while visiting with one in the local quick stop.

Seems he knew three of them by name along with the Rancher. They didn't get that thrill of driving fast from me. I drove a school bus for too many years. In reality, I was probably just lucky. The little dear never got a ticket though until she was stopped by a local lady cop in a nearby town. Seems like the charm didn't appeal to her.

And did you know that you can put your makeup on as you are driving to school or to your job. I learned this from my second daughter, when I met her one day. I have never tried it but putting on mascara while you are driving 65 miles an hour down the road is probably right up there with texting. I haven't done that either.

You also get to be on a first name basis with the people in the emergency room at the county hospital. I learned this about the 4th time of the 7 that we visited one summer. It was a summer of learning to be Evel Knevil and some was actually from helping dad.

I also learned that the oldest daughter put up with a lot of things while I was working. Sometimes she got a little perturbed and got even with them. it seems one of the younger ones got a bowl of mashed potatoes in the face for being such a brat.

My house can actually be cleaned in 30 minutes. I would leave instruction of the jobs I wanted done and about 30 minutes before I was due home, the dust would fly. I wonder why it takes me so long.

There are a lot of things I have learned, some they don't even know that I know, but someday I will tell their children in secret and get even. By the way, there were a lot of things my parents didn't know either.

A Little Country School

Today as I opened my facebook page I was happy to see a group of young ladies that I knew many years ago. The picture showed 6 young ladies at their 8th grade graduation in 1960. I know them today as friends and grandmothers.
Where has the time gone and when did we become the older generation. I still have my mother-in-law living in the wonderful Panhandle community but for the most part that generation is gone.

When I moved to this area many years ago as a young bride, we had a lot of neighbors. There were houses on every section and there were still 4 country schools in the area. These schools were mostly 2 room schools and served this rural area. The year before my oldest started to school, the smaller ones closed and my children went to a country school that was 13 miles from our home. Dawn started to first grade there but the next year, they added kindergarten. It had K-8 and had around 60 students most of the time. Some classes had as many as 13 students and some as little as 4.

It was a wonderful little school on the highway and educated my children well. They lacked nothing in education and had band, vocal, sports, and some of the best teachers around. They were challenged to do their best and today I can say that some of the people who passed through have made a difference where they live. There are teachers, college professors, doctors, nurses, meteorologists, geologists, ministers, farmers, ranchers, secretaries, firemen, mechanics, pharmacists, and some are dads, moms and grandparents. I am sure there are a lot of professions that I don't know about but they are people who have made it and they all started at a little country school.

Today, these schools are all empty. Some have been forgotten and sit in disrepair in a sparsely populated land. Some have been revived into community centers and some are used for church functions as well. Where they stand, they are a reminder of what once was. If you look and listen, you can imagine children laughing and playing on the swings out behind and hear the teachers as they start the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a morning prayer. Wasn't it a grand time?

Spring, Spring, Spring, The Birds are Singing...........

Today was the day that I knew I had to get busy and do some yard work. This Spring has been so discouraging to me. It is dry, the wind is blowing and it is winter one day and summer the next. Where is Spring? Today was a wonderful SPRING day. A light breeze, not too hot and it is time to set out the plants that have been withering at my back door for a week.

I asked the Rancher to buy me some potting mix at the local hardware a few days ago and he obliged. Well, seems that he didn't read the bag as he brought home "In Ground Mixture" which says all of the package...DO NOT USE IN CONTAINERS. We had to make the 30 mile trip to town this morning for other things, so I bought the right stuff.

This afternoon, I got many of my containers planted and I did use the mixture that he bought and worked the ground around my Hosta bed. I still have more but I figure I can use it. I also decided I needed to move some of the rocks from another place to protect my beautiful Hostas. You see the Son has a dog that enjoys bedding down anywhere there is something damp or soft. I also have two cats that have decided that the back porch is their new home. (the youngest granddaughter loves that)

Let me tell you....Those large rocks grew over the winter. through the years I am moved them from one spot to another with no trouble at all. Not this time. I would carry one, puff and pant, and rest before tackling another one. Those babies are huge.

When the Rancher and Son came in for supper, I was not finished with my job outside. I fixed them some chicken salad sandwiches and fresh veggies to munch on. (ranchers like chicken too.) We always play some game right after supper as TV really has nothing to offer. I commented that I had to finish my job outside before it got dark. The guys followed me out and after watching me struggle with one boulder, they finished my job. I should have waited on them in the first place. All they were doing was moving cattle around. I know my job was much more important.

In reality, I did realize that each spring for the past few years, I have to really work at getting yard work done like I used to. Riding the mower and picking up the broken limbs is not a problem but lifting and digging or welding the hoe is something else. I guess that my get up and go has finally got up and went. If you find it would you please send it home!!!!!!!

Something to Think About!

Do you think that God laughs at us for digging up all the beautiful flowers that he has scattered all over the yard? A yard that is all purple and yellow with chickweed and dandelions is colorful.

Read This Book

I enjoy reading. My favorite books are historical novels. Several years ago I started reading Chritian historical novels. I love them. My daughter who is a librarian suggested that I sign up to review books for Bethany House. I received my first novel last week, It is by Kim Vogel Sawyer, who is a retired school teacher turned author. The book is titled Courting Miss Amsel,

This is the story of a young women who followed her dream to be a school teacher in the late 19th century. As the oldest child in the family she had been the one to raise her younger siblings. Her father was against her ambition and never encouraged her in anything.

When Edythe was finally able to persue her dream she was hired to teach in Walnut Hill, Nebraska. She followed a teacher who was stern and did not believe in sparing the rod. Her method of teaching was a delight to the children but questionable to some of the parents who thought the children were spending too much time on learning foolishness.

When Edythe arrived in Walnut Hill, she was seeking a new way of life and left behind the obligations of raising a family. What she found was a new family to love. Joel Townsend, a young bachelor who was raising his young nephews, had his eye on Edythe from the first time he met her. The most important thing that Edythe found was a relationship with Jesus. Edythe boarded with a wonderful christian woman named Mrs. Kinsley. As Edythe went through her many trials of teaching in her liberated way, and worrying about the sister who showed up in Walnut Hill, Mrs. Kinsley, assured her that Jesus was where she needed to take all of her burdens.

To quote a scripture at the beginning of the book.."In the day when I cried thou answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul." Psalm 138:3.

As this book shows, God knows what is best for us and our plan is not always the one that He has for us. We are to listen to His calling, sometimes it is in a whisper.

Thanks Dawn for recommending this, it made my stay at the lake in the windy weather a joy.

What was That Word?

OMG! Did you see where this is now an official word in the Oxford Dictionary? I sometimes have trouble understanding what all of the abbreviations and symbols used by the younger generation mean. I am glad to know that I will soon be able to look them up in the good old dictionary and it will be explained to me. A lot of them I don't even want to know.

Learning that bit of trivia was something you needed to know wasn't it. I got me to thinking about a lot of the other words or terms that we use. The term RED NECK has always amused me. I guess I had my head in the sand but I don't remember it much until Mr. Foxworthy started using it so much. Some of his ideas for a "redneck" are funny but in reality, some of them have a lot of truth to them. I wonder if Mr. Foxworthy knows where the word really origionated.

1. In the 1930's a group of miners in WV who wore red bandanas on their necks pressured the mine owners into letting them become unionized. That was one of the definitions that I came up with.

2. In the 1800's sharecroppers in Georgia and Alabama with sunburned necks were also called 'rednecks".

3. The term also used by the Scottish to refer to supporters from lower Scotland who fled to upper Ireland. These were called Lowland Presbyterians. They fled to Ireland during the persecution by the British Crown. they signed their names on documents using their own blood, and wore red cloth on their neck. They did not want Scotland to accept the rule of the Church of England but be under a Presbyterian form of Government. This earned them the name of "redneck".

4. Many of the settlers in the Southern States were Presbyterian so the term applied to them and there descendants. Maybe as the Comedians are always referring to these "Redneck Good ole' boys from ther South", they may have known the true answer all of the time.

Remember when Archie Bunker called Mike, his son-in-law, Meatheat. Do you know what this means? Me either, so I looked it up and learned a meathead is "dead from the neck up.".

I always wondered where the word Hoity-toity came from. I remember it in the movies when I was a girl, I thought it was a fun word. It actually is someone on a high horse, conceieted, know it all. Hey, it is also the name of a nail polish. You can learn something everyday.

In an E-mail; about Ponderings, I learned a few things too.

1. Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

2. I used to eat a lot of natural foods before I learned most people die of natural causes.

3. Finally: I am a nobody and Nobody is perfect...... Am I Perfect? What else must I say?

Have a good day and do your research.

A Sentimental Journey

Sorting through my Mother's things this week has been quite a learning experience for me. I have learned many things about my family that I never knew before. Nothing secret, mind you, just facts that were not passed on to me. But now I know, and I have laughed, cried, and been excited that I have found these things of family history past.

My intention this morning was to go through all of those boxes of pictures that Mom had kept. My sister took half of them and I know it will take us forever to complete this task. Going througth the pictures taught me a good lesson. Never, never take pictures that you don't identify. People are easy, if you know them, and a lot of them were unknown to me. Oh, I did know they were relatives, but who and what side of the family??? The real kicker was the hundreds of pictures of scenery in every state my parents had visited. We have no idea where they are and they mean nothing to us without a person in them or some sort of identification. They were precious to Mom though as she could look at them and remember.

I divided pictures into 5 folders for myself and my siblings and divided them according to family or just makeing piles at random so I wouldn't show favoritism.
Dividing pictures that way was easy, but wait....What are all of these letters?
And what is in this shoe box of old papers.

I have found a treasure. I spent a lot of time reading and crying and getting to know a grandfather that I never got to know. He was very ill as he wrote the letters to his sons who were overseas during WWII. He told of his health issues and the conditions on the farm. He advised them of what kind of men to be: Be kind, always pay attention to the other fellow, treat people fairly, Look to God in heaven to give you strength and help your through the trying times. spend time in prayer each day. Grandad, who was my mothers father, passed away 5 months before I was born. I always knew that he was a gentle man because of the family that he had. I am glad that I was able to read those letters written in pencil on a tablet. Every inch of the page was used. There were also letters from my grandmother and letters from the uncles who were serving our Country. Grandad told them to be proud of what they were doing.

In another box were treasures from my other side of the family.My great grandad R. was a school teacher. In this box were copies of all his teaching certificates, dating back to 1882. There were also many letters of recommendation from people that he taught and the parents of the children that he had taught. The script of the peoples writing was so beautful. They took great pride in neatness and the beauty. No typewritten words or computers for them. It was all long hand and perfect.

I found many poems that had been written by family members. My family had quite a talent for writing. I found all about my paternal grandmothers school days in Indian Territory at the Coulter School near Gutherie. Pictures of early day I.T. and a great parade celebrating 50 Year since the Land Run of 1889.

I can't wait to get into the other boxes tomorrow. I have a lot of copies to make for all of my siblings. There are so many pictures that now have meaning and I think they all need copies of these family documents, don't you?

The next job will be starting on my own treasures. I am not sure that my kids will take too kindly to some of the things that I have kept. One thing for sure, I don't have any of my early childhood things. My family moved and pitched what we didn't need. Thank goodness they kept the history.

And a Top O' The Morning to You!!!

Tomorrow is the 17th of March, St. Patricks Day. Legend says that St. Patrick, who was the Patron Saint of Ireland, used the Shamrock to explain the meaning of the Trinity to the pagans who worshiped idols. It is also said that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. Snakes were thought to be a part of this heathen way of worship. Truth is, there were probably never any snakes in Ireland. How would I know though, Saint Patrick died on March 17, 460 A.D. or sometime near that. That was way before my time.

Through the ages St. Patricks Day has expanded to mean many things in many cultures. To the Irish, it is a religious holiday. The day is spent at Mass and in prayer. All of the businesses, except for the pubs and cafes, are closed. It is a day for Spiritual Renewal. I am wondering about the Pubs being open though. I guess that is for the "Spirits".

March 17th is also celebrated by doing anything that is Irish or that connects with Ireland. Wear green, gold, shamrocks, and have "Good Luck". In America, Irish communities also have parades, festive music eat lots of Irish food and play games.
There is also the idea that if you don't wear green, you will be pinched. I don't know if that is an Irish tradition or not. I always worried that I would not have anything green to wear until I bought a green pin that had a little leprichan sitting on a pot of gold, holding a shamrock. That covered all of the bases.

On of our favorite things to eat is Blarney Stones. If you haven't had this, you are really missing out. My daughters family makes the best ones. I have made them only once and that was enough for me. They are time consuming so I just get one from her to eat. It is a lot less fattening to do it that way too.

My mother always fixed corned beef, irish potatoes, and whatever else she could think of to celebrate the day. She also fixed green jello. She was good to think about celebrating the day. My dad, was called "Pat". That was not his given name but he earned that name as a very small child. His home was near a new highway that was being built through the country in the 1920's. A big part of the workers were Irish. Dad developed quite and Irish brogue and was therefore called "little Irish Paddy". The name was later shortened to Pat and most people thought that was his name. Two of his great grandsons are named Patrick to honor him.

Tomorrow, I will get out my green shirt and find my Irish Pin and see what a good Irish meal I can fix for the Rancher. If you make some Blarney Stones, eat one for me, as I probably will miss out this year unless I get really ambitious.

Have a Happy St. Patricks Day and may the Luck of the Irish be with You. (whatever that is)