FUN THINGS THAT OCCUPIED OUR TIME!

For the most part, I think we thought up things to do on our own. You know the old saying--Necessity is the Mother of Invention.

I don't remember ever not having a bicycle to ride. I remember how I would climb up on the fence to the yard to get up high enough to get on the seat. Only one foot would touch the pedals, so I would push off and there was a slope to the barnyard and that kept me going. After falling over at the end, I would wheel it back up the incline and start again.

My sister and I would play doll, but she was 5 years older, and we didn't do that a whole lot together.

We had dominoes, checkers that we would play in the house. When we got so we could beat our dad, we thought we had arrived. Otherwise, we improvised our fun things.

One time we were down at our neighbor's home and we were playing in the barn. There was about a foot of hay at the bottom. We got the idea that we would take a ride on that rope that pulled hay up into the barn with (I had mentioned about this in one of my writings). In order to get the rope (on a pulley) down low enough to sit on and grasp the rope on each side, the other end had to be very high. My sister was the first person to get this fantastic ride. All of the neighbor kids and I climbed up on a high 2X4 and got a hold of the rope. When she was firmly in place in the center of the barn and her hands were tightly in place, we then jumped off the 2X4 and this rose my sister for a very fast ride to the top. All went well, until she hit her head on the roof, we all got scared and let go of the rope at the same time on the other end. This sent my sister down faster than she had gone UP! Needless to say that idea was scrapped. I don't know how she kept from getting hurt, but she wasn't hurt. Our parents didn't know about this episode.

This neighbor family had older kids that rigged up a merry-go-round with a large wheel stuck in the ground. We would ride around on that for fun. It was a far cry from a real merry-go-round.

That same family older boys dug a big basement type of room and had dirt steps leading down and a rigged up top. I think this was short lived, probably because of the first rain that made it into a mud hole.

On the farm there were windmills to climb, as well as trees. My sister climbed up in a tree and on our roof of our house and fell off and broke her arm one time.

We did have a swing in one of our trees and this was quite fun to play on.

Off limits was the corncrib. We were NEVER to play in the oats or bean bins. There were too many children would be sucked into the chute when the farmer was getting grain out to feed some animals and not knowing a child was playing up above. This suffocated the child in that situation. THIS WAS A NO, NO FOR SURE!

Stilts of various heights were made and was lots of fun to walk with them.

We would have club meetings with the neighbor kids and president, and vice would be chosen. I don't know what we did in these meeting. I do know we had a snack. Also, we performed a funeral for a small dead animal at one of the meetings. Yuk--that sure sounds like fun. We must have been desperate for ideas.

Another time we put two chairs together and a person laid on the floor with arms up, and blanket over all. The arms were covered with more cloth. This was supposed to be a ghost that could answer anybodys questions. The kids in the other room didn't know the set up. They would come in and the arm would nod no or yes, depending on the question.

One time my dad had a glass of water he said he was going to pin to the wall. We wanted to see that trick for sure. Well, he got up on a chair to make him higher, then he accidently dropped the pin. While we were down picking up the pin, he would pour the water on our head. The joke was on us.

At one point in time, we had a motor scooter. It was a used one and was rather short lived.
Our trusty bicycle was really the thing that I lived on a lot. I got so I could ride it without holding on to the handlebars and turn and steer with the slant of the body.

Wisdom today--When something doesn't work, try, try again until you find something that will work.

I HAD TWO MOMS!!

This doesn't sound too absurd today. Well our household was up to date in that area. I did have 2 mothers. One mother that was quite strict in her approach to my raising me and my other mother gave me the keys to the family car at that tender age of 10.

When I was born, and after the shoke of me coming in that black bag, I guess my mother told my sister (5 years old) that they both could help raise me. That I was her baby as well. Well, she took this literally and she had a live baby to play with, feed, diaper and whatever babies did in those days. She claimed that she enjoyed the process.

I've been told, but do not remember, that when she was feeding me my milk, that she would drink a little herself just to make sure it was good. The formula was Eagle Brand, which you still can buy. I know it is good to the taste, as I just made some fudge with it this month. I would cry and my mother would see what was happening. So that's the reason I am so undernourished today!!!!!!

This year we saw scenes of Sarah Palin's six year caring for her young sibling. What stands out and was adorable, was when she licked her hand and then slicked the baby's hair down. How sweet and innocent this scene was. She was so unaware of such a vast audience and just making sure that the hair laid down correctly. What a darling little girl!

I do think that this was a wise decision to have my sister involved, and then there was no rivalry
from the very start. My mother certainly did have her hands full, with 3 children under the age of 5 and all the work that she did besides just parenting. So you can see that I truly did have two mothers.

One mother would tell me there was a whole attic full of toys and I would just dream about them and want to get them down. The other mother (no nonsense approach) would not stand for any lying and punctured my bubble. I liked the first story better, and kept on dreaming about the attic full of toys. Maybe, just maybe, my older mother was telling the truth after all. However, a little pretending once in awhile is fun, and unharmful.

Tomorrow I will tell you of the toys that we did have to play with.

Wisdom for today--Mothers, involve your older children in the care of the siblings. This helps them bond with the new arrival.

POPULAR RADIO PROGRAMS!

There were no television and we would look forward to popular radio programs of the day.

I will list some of the ones that I seem to recollect and were very popular.

Little Orphan Annie & Daddy Warbucks--My all time favorite. We would rush home from school to be able to listen to this program. The sponsors would have you buy Ovaltine and send in the seals (don't remember how many) to get a decoder in the mail. We drank a lot of Ovaltine so we would always have the decoder to decipher the next day suspense story.

Lum and Abner--These were enjoyed by everyone. It seemed to center around a pot-bellied stove in the Jot-Um-Down store if my memory is correct. It really was funny!

Gracie Allen and George Burns show--Here is one of Gracie Allen's recipe for Roast Beef.
You take 1 large roast of beef and 1 small roast of beef. You put these two roast in the oven, and when the little one burns, the big one is done. She had to be the smart one in the family to carry out this hillarious comedy the two put on to entertain us week after week. She would really come up with some ding-o-ling sayings, line after line.

Fibber McGee and Molly--This show always had a scene where Fibber McGee would go to the closet and everything would come tumbling out of it. It reminds me of some of my closets today.
I'm like Fibber, I'm going to clean that closet out one of these days. This show was funny as well.

The Fred Allen Show was on.

Eddie Cantor show.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto

Mr Anthony--A "Dr Phil" of radio--Such sad stories of families that were on the "Rocks". So foreign to the family of my "little" world.

The Hit Parade--Top songs for the week--I knew each one and this was a regular listening event.

You can go to the library and take out a lot of the old time favorite programs of these old time favorites. We try to take them on trips and it helps with boredom.

Today's Wisdom--The Bible contains all the nutrients for a healthy soul.

DAD'S TRUCKS!

This is December 27 and it it about 57 degree outside and going higher today. The last week it has been a "bummer" as an ice storm whirled through. Ice is all gone and I know I am showing my age, but am I glad!! We had so much ice that our son-in-law labored to chip off and then another blast of ice covered our driveway. We drove our car to the mail box each day while the ice was so thick for fear of falling and breaking a bone. The mailbox is only at the end of our drive.

Yesterday I mentioned that my dad had trucks all during the time I was growing up. These were very valuable on the farm to haul things. But the memory I wanted to tell you about was when he would haul loads of cattle, hogs to Chicago for the farmers in the community. They would schedule these trips ahead of time and it usually was on the first day of the week for the stock yards sales. Come rain or high water (mostly snow and ice), he would be on schedule and carry out his commitment. Many, many times I saw him leave for Chicago in very hazard weather conditions. Since this was mostly done during the severe winter months, and weather was very unpredictable, I would worry as a child that he would make it up and back safely. It was during these times, as a child, I learned to trust in God for his safety. He never had any mishaps or accidents, even though I would see him go in foggy conditons and icy roads.

He always said, that he would much rather drive in Chicago in his large truck, than drive in a car up there. The reason was that other cars stayed their distance and did not want to tangle with a truck full of animals.

Todays wisdom--God hears the simplest prayer, even from a small child.

MODE OF COMMUNICATION/TRANSPORTATION!!

Our world when I was a child was limited in our communication to the outside world. We always had a car, and dad had trucks down through the growing up years. Of course, there weren't any television, internet, computers, blackberries, I-pod, that one has available today.

We always had a telephone (a MUST if you live in the country). It was one of those that hung on the wall and when you wanted to call, you had to turn a crank to get Central. She then would ring the party that you wanted to speak to. We were on a party line, and when the telephone rang, others would pick up the telephone and eavesdrop on the latest news/gossip. Our telephone number was a short and two longs. One had to listen carefully, so to know who they were calling.

When I was in high school we could call our friends up and talk, (with all the bored housewives listening), and when an important call came through, the telephone operator would cut in and tell us that we had to get off the line, as someone important wanted to use it. A way of life for us, so we got off the telephone. I could have talked with my friends all day, if that rule wasn't inforced.

We had a battery radio and then an electric radio after we were wired for electricity. The battery radio was rationed out, because we feared the batteries would go dead. When we got electricity, my mother insisted we get a radio that carried WMBI. If we couldn't get that station we would buy one that would get that station. It was a Christian station out of Chicago (Moody Bible Institute). The radio was "glued" to this station, from morning til evening. My mother would so enjoy their music, sermons, as she did her daily work. I believe, this is why her work was never drudgery to her.

Traveling in those days were limited to short trips. Long trips (like 100 miles) were rare. Each
year we would go visit my aunt and uncle that lived 100 miles away. This was an EVENT in our young life. Oh, by the way, the town they lived in, is the town that we are living today in. Who would have dreamed we would end up here, of all places. That is another story on another day.

I had only been in 2 states by the time I was 18 years of age. The other state we traveled to was only 10 miles from our house, so go figure why we traveled in 2 states. Our grandchildren bop around from city to city, and travel abroad.

There were buses and trains, but did not travel on these until I was 18 and over.

On another day, I will tell you more about my dad and his trucks.

Wisdom for the day--How thankful I am for the station WMBI, I was able to listen to "Aunt Theresa" and other children's programs. D. L. Moody was the founder and back of this station. You know that the Gospel was preached. The bible (God's Holy Word) is the same, yesterday, today and always.

MERRY CHRISTMAS--THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!!!

It is unreal that another year has past and it is Christmas once again. We had Christmas early this year and both of our children are with the other side of the family. We are going to have everyone here for New Years Day and just have soup and sandwiches and hopefully lots of fun. Now if the weather permits, we will be OK. Our driveway is a glaze of ice, even after the last ice storm. Our son-in-law came over and chipped out about 3/4 to an inch of ice off of double driveway a few days ago. Now it is at least a half inch on and more freezing rain tonight.
My sister was planning on coming over today, but just too icy for her to venture out, so we are going to have a quiet dinner and watch television. Last night we watched "Grace alive Christmas
program" on television. We went to the music program and it was spectacular!!! It was on last night and early this morning on television. We also watched "A Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart. I honestly think this was the first time I was able to sit down and watch the whole thing without interuption of Christmas to do list in front of me.

My title is today "The greatest gift of all". In the back of my Daily Bread devotional booklet was the following, titled-- Too Good to be True? I will type it as it is written.

"In the world of shopping, if the product sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Whether it's a vegetable chopper, a weed whacker, or the latest automobile, the advertised image is more likely to be a mirage than reality. What you think is a bargain can turn out to be a major disappointment.

God never advertises more than He delivers. He's not out to deceive us. He wants us to have the best He has to offer--the joy of a close relationship with Him now, and heaven later.

To enjoy God's best, though, you and I first need to take Jesus at His word. He said, "He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

His offer is conditioned only on our acceptance of His free gift. Does it sound too easy? Too good to be true? It's not. Jesus has proven that He can be trusted. He came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross in our place, and rose from the dead. If He can't be trusted, nobody can.

If you've never done so, choose now to take God at His word. Admit that you deserve God's judgment for sin, believe Jesus died for you and rose from the dead, accept Hs offer of new life, and then build your life on the promises of God".

When I was eleven years of age, I was home from school (Washington Birthday) and my mother was cooking supper. I had been thinking about what God did for me, but had yet not accepted his "free" gift for myself. I asked my mother about this and she stopped what she was doing and she explained to me the Gospel. I knelt beside my bed right there in "simple faith" and asked Jesus into my heart and life. I did not know the full meaning of this, but I know He heard my simple prayer and He has walked beside me down through the years. I have failed Him, but he has always picked me up when I stumbled and I know and believe I shall have eternal life.

This was a faith in what He (God incarnate) did on the cross and not what I have done. My righteousness is but filthy rags in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6).

Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast".

John 1:1-4 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

Jesus gave his life and rose again to save us from our sin so we can have Eternal life. This is truly "THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!!!!! It is all wrapped up and all we have to do is reach out and claim this GREAT FREE GIFT!

POCKETS, POCKETS EVERYWHERE!

This is the day that most children are looking for the man in the red suit to come to their house over night. He always is jolly and has a big round belly that shakes like jello. As I had mentioned earlier, this is one childhood memory that I didn't have, BUT - - - - - - - -

I did have a man that I looked up to in my life as a child. That was my dad!!!! He wasn't round, but tall (6 ft tall), handsome and just the right built. I can't remember a time that he would not allow us to sit on his lap. He might have been reading a paper and engrossed in the latest news, but we always knew that we could climb under the paper and on his lap whenever we wanted. He really enjoyed his children. I guess after waiting so long for us to arrive, he wanted to cherish each moment.

As a farmer, my dad had umpteen pockets in his overalls. Each pocket had something to explore. He was such a kind gentle man and never got ruffled easily, that we wanted to never disappoint him in our actions. He wasn't necessarily demonstrative, but showed his love in the way he responded to our needs as children.

Our son-in-law's mother mentioned that her dad was so kind, that it was easy to know what our heavenly father is like, by the example of her earthly father. This is exactly the way I felt about my father.

Dad was indeed one that I held in high esteem. He was so---ooo easy to talk with and discuss anything that we were concerned with.

Wisdom of the day--Relationships and not "things" build the right memories.

HUTTENKASE, GERMAN POTATO SALAD AND MORE!!

Since my dad was from German heritage we would have the following recipe often growing up.
My mother would cook without recipes, for the most part, I don't have her particular recipe, but another recipe that very similar is below.

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

5 bacon strips

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cider vinegar

1 1/3 cups water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

6 cups sliced cooked peeled potatoes

In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp; remove and set aside. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons of drippings; cook onion until tender. Stir in flour; blend well. Add vinegar and water; cook and stir until bubbly and slightly thick. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Crumble bacon; gently stir in bacon and potatoes. Heat through, stirring lightly to coat potato slices. Serve warm. Yield: 6-8 servings.

It seems that my mother would often have milk on the back burner of the "old cook store" for the first steps of making Huttenkase (the German name for Cottage Cheese). However, we always called it "Smearcase" and I thought that was the correct German name, but just recently found out differently. I know there is high German and Low German and I don't know the difference. Anyway, when the milk curdled just right. My mother would put this in a cheesecloth and hang it up to get all the whey out. Cottage cheese was not to have the whey left in for a really "good" tasting cottage cheese. Then she would put cream, milk and salt and pepper to taste. We had a lot of milk, so this was a staple on the table.

Another memory seems to loom up, is my mother would after supper and before bedtime would make a large pot of Mush. We would often eat a bowl just before bedtime, but she made it mainly for the next morning breakfast. The next morning she sliced it and we would have "Fried Mush". To this day, I have never tasted fried mush as good as she made it. She fried the slices until golden brown and we ate it with butter and syrup poured over it. Of course it was served with ham or bacon. Yummy!

Below is some Pan Cookies that my mother made a lot and is the same recipe that she used, but I modernized it into today's kitchen appliance language.

PAN COOKIES

1 cup raisins or nuts

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup lard (I use butter or oleo)

1 cup sour milk (I've used buttermilk and that works)

Sift together dry ingredients--flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and set aside. Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla in mixer until fluffy. Start adding 1/3 of dry ingredients alternating with half of milk, 1/3 dry, and rest of milk, ending with 1/3 dry ingredients. Fold in nuts and raisins. Pour in flat sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees. Depending on the size of pan and how thick it is, take it out when it tests right with a tooth pick. Frost with thin layer of butter cream icing. Cut in squares. (My husband likes it plain without icing)

I ran across this next recipe for homemade Lye Soap. One of my stories told about my mother making homemade Lye soap. At the time I wrote about this, I didn't have a recipe, but this is very close to what I remember how she did it.

HOME MADE LYE SOAP

5 to 7 lbs. melted grease

16 oz. lye (1 can plus 1/3 can)

1 qt. cold water

3 Tbs. Borax

1/2 Cup hot water

1 Tbs. salt

1/4 Cup ammonia

2 Tbs. sugar

Early in the day, put 1 quart cold water in a steel bowl and carefully pour in 16 ounces lye; stir with a wooden paddle or spoon. Let set until cool. In a small bowl, pour hot water over Borax and stir. Add salt, sugar and ammonia and set aside. In an enamel pan (use an old dishpan or an enamel canning pan), heat grease to 110 degree on thermometer. Have ready a good wooden paddle, 2 feet long, to stir. Outside or garage (open area), slowly pour the cooked lye into the pan of grease, stirring all the while. Then stir the Borax mixture and add it, stirring. Keep stirring and if it doesn't get thicker, leave it a while and return. When it starts to thicken, pour it into a flat enamel pan and let set. It must be scored (cut into squares) with a sharp knife, maybe that evening or the next morning, let set a day or 2. It must be removed and cakes placed on brown paper in a cardboard box. Let cure. Easy on hands, great soap. Use pans only for soap. Can not use for cooking soup or anything after containing lye.

Now I don't suppose any of you have 5 to 7 # of fat around, (well maybe around our waist, perhaps) but thought you might be interested in the process anyway. This recipe was taken from my sister's church cookbook.

When cleaning out my mother's town house, I wish we would have kept an old cookbook that her mother used when she was homesteading in Nebraska. It called for butter the size of an egg, in the instructions, etc. Probably the date on the cookbook was back in the 1800's. I suppose, we threw it away thinking that the instructions were so far removed from our current cookbooks, that it was useless.

Wisdom today--God's law shows us a need that only God's grace can supply.

SOUP TO NUTS ON WHEELS!!!!

First of all, I have to tell you that we got the estimate for the car damage. It totaled about $1,500. It sure adds up, even though it wasn't damaged that much. A new bumper in the back and the sensor lites were goofed up and needed new ones. To compare the difference today and what it was when I was a child, you could purchase 2 new cars for this price in 1938. Now it just repairs a minor fender bender. My dad purchased a Chevrolet car in 1938 and paid $750 for it. What a difference years make!!!

My title today is that years ago we could purchase "soup to nuts" right in our own barnyard.
I remember a country peddler would come often and he would have brooms, cure-all medicines, and what ever the house wife should need for the next month or so was in his "store on wheels". We also, had the Fuller Brush man to come to sell his wares. The Raleigh Man would sell vanilla, spices, and all the array of enticing products that a housewife "MUST HAVE". We even had a "bakery on wheels" would stop by and try to sell bakery goods. Occasionally we would buy "Long Johns" that had filling inside. All these were regular peddler's that would try to make a living selling their products to the busy farmwives when I was a child. No doubt, Lydia Pinkham (a cure all), was part of the potions that were sold. I mentioned this is in the "Big Black Bag" story. However, I think the title should have been "The Little Black Bag". It just appeared BIG to a 5 and a 3 year old.

Today's wisdom--An honest talk with God is the first step in finding peace of mind.

"OUR CUTIE" IS ONE!!!

December 20 of last year we had our First Great Grandson!! Yesterday we celebrated his first birthday. WHAT A CUTIE!!!!

Yesterday we were over to our daughter's home and Cutie's mother and father were home for the holidays, so we had a great day celebrating his birthday. Children are truly a joy to be around and see the world through their eyes once again. We made a game out of putting up one finger and saying "one". He got the idea and would put his finger up and we would clap. Then he would clap and smile. Of course, he didn't know that ONE meant that he was one year old.

Later on in the day we noticed it was starting to rain and freeze more on the trees. Our kids suggested that our granddaughter's husband (Mr. Wonderful-as our granddaughter calls him) could drive us home and our son-in-law would drive his truck so that he would have a way back. We were so grateful for this, as it truly was bad driving conditions.

Well you might of guessed, we had a fender-bender experience. We are so glad that "Mr. Wonderful" was driving, as he has been teaching "Drivers Education Classes" for many years
and knew just what to do. No--it wasn't his fault, as the other car didn't have his car under control and slid into our back bumper as we were exiting onto another road.

Since I am on the subject of "Mr Wonderful", I have to tell you a story a few years back.
Our daughter called one morning and gave me some prayer requests about her daughter.
These are the requests--1. She would find a Christian Soulmate (God's choice), 2. That he would love her dearly, 3. That our daughter and husband would love him and he would feel the same about them (this was just an added request), but not as important as the first two requests. I promised that I would pray with her about these requests.

Our granddaughter went with some Sorority close friends to a New Year's Eve party in Chicago
shortly after this. (Her best friend lived in Chicago at the time). She met her "Mr. Wonderful"
that evening. I'm sure this was no accident, but an answer to our prayers. He truly is a good Christian man and has a clear cut value system that is rare. Yes, we all truly love him and he shows that same love in return to all of us. Beside, he loves our granddaughter and is really a great daddy to "Cutie".

One thing that helped him to develop this value system was that his dad and mom had foster children into their home all during his growing up years. I think they said that there were 51 children that came to live with them, even though some of them were for a short period of time.
That is not counting 4 of their own children.

His mother had always wanted to run an orphanage ever since she was in high school and this was as close to that as she ever got. Her father was a medical doctor and the genes of "caring for others" were present. His mother and father met in college and fell in love and truly have been a loving family and has accepted our granddaughter like their own child.

For an added bonus, he is handsome, has a sense of humor, and very intelligent. Now when God answers our humble prayers, he adds even more than we ask or think.

Wisdom for the day--Invest your life in what pays eternal dividends.

"THE BIG BLACK BAG"

My dad and hired hands had come in for dinner (noon meal) and my mother had fixed a hearty meal for the family and hired hands.

Right after dinner my mother called my dad over and whispered in his ear. He quickly went to the phone and called someone and said who he was and told him "It is time".

It wasn't very many minutes later a car pulled up in our yard and a man got out with a "BIG BLACK BAG". He went into the bedroom where my mother was and just a few minutes elapsed and a cry came from the bedroom.

The man with the "BIG BLACK BAG" came out and told my sister and brother that they had a baby sister (ME). They were overjoyed and couldn't believe it! This man brought me in that
"BIG BLACK BAG". There were 2 eye witnesses to this and they were convinced he carried me in the bag.

I know you thought that "Storks" brought babies to us, but I'm here to tell you that I have two living eye witnesses and it wasn't a stork, it was the man with the "BIG BAG BAG".

I just wanted to set the record straight. That old fable about the Stork is all wrong. I know because I was there!

My mother had a hard time getting pregnant (a word that was not discussed in those days). She had one miscarriage and couldn't seem to have any more. She prayed a lot about this situation and read about a tonic (Lydia Pinkams) that people used to help them have children. They claimed there was a "baby in every bottle". What!!!!! I thought babies come from "Black Bags"
now I hear they come from "bottles"!!!! What gives? Oh well, she has always said that through prayer and Lydia Pinkams (I think this was an iron supplement), she had her 3 children. She was 35 years of age before my sister was born and I was born when she was 40 years of age. A brother was born between these two ages. She was married at 26 years of age and so she waited quite awhile before God answered her prayers.

Wisdom of the day--"Never give up in your prayers! God does answer our prayers, sometime he just wants us to Wait awhile."

MY DISAPPOINTMENT--LEFT BEHIND!

I heard on the Today show about a modern day Frugal Family. They were interviewing this couple and 3 of their children. Because of their frugal living, they got their house paid off in 8 years and seemed to have it all together. They even had their children involved in "good deals" and values that seem to be lost in our society today. They were labeled as tightwads, stingy or frugal. They are writing a book about how to economize so that one has enough for all their needs and budgeting for future needs. Back in my day, this lifestyle was the normal, rather than unusual. At least people in that era was "forced" into this lifestyle since money was scarce.

I mentioned that I was going to write about my disappointment when I was 6 or 7 years old. My dad decided to take my sister and my brother to the Worlds Fair in Chicago. Since my mother didn't want to go and dad had only 2 hands to hang on to 2 children, I was left behind. I remember standing there crying and watching the car leave without me.

My mother had promised me, that we would get a Banana Split the next time we went to the town where there was a really fancy "Ice Cream Parlor". That seemed to console me as they left. This was our "special treat" for not getting to go to the Fair.

They left early after chores were completed and took their lunch with them. I learned about the Worlds Fair second hand. They arrived home yet that day. The year was 1933 (in the depth of depression years).

My mother indeed kept her promise to me and I remember eating a huge "Banana Split" in this fancy (and it truly was a fancy ice cream parlor even in todays standard). We had just been served our Banana Splits, when who should appear in the ice cream place, is my sister and brother. They were disappointed that they weren't included in this "splurge". One must remember that this was in the depth of depression years and truly was a splurge to get to go to the Worlds Fair and or/the "Fancy Ice Cream Parlor".

Wisdom of today--Disappointments are part of life! One thing that we can be sure of, God doesn't ever disappoint us! Down through the years I have found out that Christ truly is "Our Rock" and we can trust Him for our future!

HOW WE BECAME "IRRESISTABLE IN THE EARLY YEARS!

I just came from the beauty parlor and had my hair cut. She made me "irresistible" and so I decided to let you know how we did that when we were very young.

During the time that our house was lite by kerosine lamps we had a curling iron that we heated up in the globe part of the lamps. When hot, we would curl our hair with this iron. It didn't stay curled very long with this method. Then I remember wires that had leather wrapped around these wires and you twisted the hair up in this contraption, and that did a little better with our curls. Some used strips of cloth and wrapped their hair in these until dry.

There were metal curlers that we used at one point in growing up. This wasn't a very good method either (it split your hair). Then we used hair pins twisting one row one way and the next row the other way, and it created nice waves.

Sometime in the late 30's and early 40's we would go to the beauty parlor and get a permanent.
Now the machine that they hooked you up on was wired to electricity, and they clamped dozens of these strange looking things on to your wound up hair. They set the timer and lo and behold you came out with beautiful curls. I don't know what would happen if the place caught on fire, as you were really wired for a permanent stay! Luckily, this didn't happen and we were transformed into an "irresistible beauty".

So now you know how "girls" got so irresistible!

Todays wisdom--I Peter 3:3,4 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even ther ornament of the meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (God is looking at the inner beauty of a person instead of the outer beauty.)

CLOTHING, SHOES, ETC!

As I remember, we didn't have an abundance of clothes to choose from. We had the necessities but no more. My sister said she made me clothes when she was old enough to sew. My mother had a treadle sewing machine and did a little sewing, but mostly patching and comforters, etc.

In those days, they would buy feed and these came in sacks. The sacks were printed material and many a dress came from these feed sacks. If we didn't use them for dresses, we used them for tea towels.

I have a picture of myself when I was about 4 1/2 and my cousin was about 2 1/2. She was looking down at my bloomers which was hanging below my dress. She seems to be thinking--
"I can't believe she is letting it all hang out"! Everytime I see that picture I have to laugh. I have a fairly nice dress on, but I expect that the elastic in my bloomers were a little worn out, hence the drooping bloomers.

We had shoes and boots, but nothing spectacular. In the summer months we went barefoot all summer long. I do have a picture of my brother and I barefoot at school. My sister was all decked out in shoes. My mother claimed that we took our shoes off that day. I can't remember since I was really young and it had to have been late spring or early fall. I do know that this could be, since I loved to go barefoot.

My dad and mother always kept us clean (well, as clean as a child can stay). My dad did not want us going around dirty.

In the winter months, we had to wear long underwear. Yuk!!!! Then over the long underwear we wore cotton stockings. We had to fold the bottom of the underwear over so that we could pull the stockings up and then put on garters to keep the stockings up. So you can see that we really were quite the sight! No slacks in those days were even made for girls, let alone wear them. We couldn't wait until spring to remove that long underwear and have anklets on.

In the two small towns closest to our home they had a dry goods store and we would get our shoes, etc in there. Sometimes, the eggs would be taken into town and traded for the clothing, shoes we needed. These stores sold about anything you might need, from groceries to yard goods, etc.

Todays kids wouldn't know what to do without a large selection of the latest styles, but we were no exception, because all the kids didn't have any more than we had. We didn't feel that we were poor and we survived. A lot of children wore hand-me-downs from older siblings.

Wisdom for the day--Luke 12:27,28--Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not: and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

HAZARD ON THE FARM!

When I was about 4 or 5 years old, I found strange things to play in or with. This day was no exception. I was playing in a make-shift chicken shelter. It was just a pen that had boards on top with a few bricks on top of that to hold the boards in place. I suppose, this was made temporary to have chickens get out of the rain in case of a sudden cloud burst. There is nothing madder than an old wet hen!!!!

While I was playing in the shelter, I raised up and the board with a nail and brick fell down on my head. This sent a flood of tears and trickles of blood down the side of my face. I was crying and my dad and his brother was working in the implement shed. He saw all the blood and took me into the house. My mother cleaned me all up and they decided to take me into the doctor in town to get a shot and sewed up. We seldom went to the doctor, but this was too chancy not to get a tetanus shot.

My mother dressed me up in my prettiest dress (I adored this dress) and off to the doctor we went. The dress was two-toned brown with a little diamond applique on the bodice. I'm sure if I saw the dress today, I would not think it "pretty", but as a child, it was beautiful!!!! I will talk about our wardrobe as we were growing up on another time.

Anyway, with a few stitches and a shot, I was good as new!!!

Wisdom of the day--God never is late with any of his promises! I Kings 8:56b states--There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. God is the same yesterday, today and always!!! You can bank on his promises to us.

COUPLE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED!

Before I move away from the school days in the 30's, I will tell you about several events. Hope this doesn't upset you too much.

This one story was before I was in school, but it happened one day as my brother and neighbor girl was walking hand in hand to school. (They both were in the first grade) My sister and the girls older sisters and brothers were walking behind them. There were two cars coming in opposite directions. One passed them and they turned around to see if they could get back on the road, another was coming. Just as my brother and neighbor girl was getting back on the road (they were unaware of the 2nd car), the 2nd car ran over the neighbor girl. She was unconscious and they took her to the hospital. She remained unconscious for at least a month, and thought she would die. She did survive, and is still living. The older children saw this, but was unable to warn them in time before the accident.

Another bad thing that happened in the neighborhood, that was really sad, was a toddler was
out in the yard. The parents had boiling water and sat it momentarily down. The toddler fell in the water and died. They just lived about half mile from us. They were caring parents but for a split second had their guard down. One sure can't be too careful, especially when it comes to children's safety.

Today's wisdom--"In every trial or event God walks beside us, but SOMETIMES he has to carry us!!!" I'm sure the above events, God had to CARRY the parents through these trials. God is always faithful!!!

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR!!!

It seemed to me like there was a lot more snow during the winter months than what we have now. I don't know whether it was because of the fences and roads in the country and the drifts that seemed to be so high or there really was more snow. We enjoyed walking to school on top of the snow drifts. Well, do you think that walking on the road where it was all scooped out is "fun"? Of course, we walked where the snow was the deepest and that was in the snow drifts.

My last writing I was in the 7th grade. That summer I kept telling my dad that I did not like being the only girl in school and would like to go to the school in town. This required money because the town school wasn't in my district. Money was tight in those days, but lo and behold, they scraped up enough money to send me to town school. Even though I wouldn't have my "favorite teacher" I was excited. I hadn't told them about the "pest" so they didn't know the full reason.

It ended up that I had a man teacher for the very first time. I rode the bus like those going to high school and like I would be doing for the next 5 years (8th grade and 4 more in high school).

In "town school" the boys were more refined!!! I developed a "crush" on one of them that sat directly behind me. That crush lasted all during high school. He wasn't aware of it, however.
He was a nice boy and acted appropriately.

I am sure that the money they spent sending me to a different school was money well spent. It gave me an UP on the coming high school years. There wasn't the drastic change from grade to high school, as some experienced coming from a country school into high school.

Well, there you have the memories of "good ole school days" of long ago. I will speak more about high school days later.

Wisdom for the day--One sin becomes two when it is defended.

JUST CALL ME "IRRESISTIBLE"!

This is a title to a old song that we used to sing long ago. This song reminds me of a story when I was in the 7th grade. It is as follows:

There was this boy in the same grade I was in, and overnite he just totally changed. When I would go through the double doors into the hallway between the girls and boys cloakrooms, he would invariably pop out of the boys cloakroom and try to kiss me. What on earth got into that boy, he seemed just a year before a nice person. But Whamo, overnite, he got to be such a "pain". I dreaded to go through those doors and be out of the teachers view, as I knew what I was facing on the other side. WHAT IN THE WORLD GOT INTO THAT LAD!!! Maybe they were feeding him his dad's Viagra instead of vitamins by mistake. Needless to say, I stayed very close to the teacher that year. I did not want to let her out of my sight!!! No wonder I remember her as my "favorite teacher". She was my "safety net" from a boy that went from a nice person to someone that wanted to be "Gang Busters"! I hope he grew out of this kind of approach to women.

Well then again do you J U S T S U P P O SE, . . . . . . . . . or M A Y B E . . . . . . . . . .IT W A S
B E C A U S E I was the "O N L Y G I R L" in the school!!! No, no, no, no it couldn't be that----It was because I was just so-oooooo "IRRESISTIBLE"!

When I and another girl in my school was in the 3rd and 4th grade we did eat our lunches with a couple of younger boys and called them our boyfriends. They must of liked "older women". "My supposedly boyfriend", was an only child and his mother was a former school teacher and fixed him the best lunches and in unique interesting ways. He certainly was one to eat with at lunchtime alright!!!!

Wisdom of the day---Always remember, "NEVER FEAR, THIS TOO SHALL PASS".

RECESS AND THE GAMES WE PLAYED!

Recess has always been a favorite part of school, now and years ago. The games we played were the only difference.

On nice days, we would go out and play "Crack the Whip'. This game is where the older kids would be first in line and us younger ones would be on the tail end. They would crack the whip and the younger ones had to run faster and usually would be cracked off of the line first. The one last standing would be the winner.

We would play "Mother May I" a lot. I'm sure you have played it. You all stand in line and the leader would tell how many places you could hop, skip, jump, walk. If you didn't say "Mother May I" first, you had to go back to the start. The one that got to the finish line first, would then be the leader.

We played "Hide and Seek".

On good days, we would play ball. You took turns to pick who you want on your team. Somehow, I never was in great demand to be on someone's team. There seemed to be older children and they were much better players. The community was getting older and babies were being born less and less, so I was one of the tail-end of the children in our community.

"Fox and the Geese" were played in the snow. One person was the fox and the others were the geese and if the Fox tagged you, you would go to his den in the center. This was a great game to play on a new fallen snow as you could mark off the pattern in the snow.

"Andy I Over" was played. They divided the group up in 2 and threw the ball over the school house, and if the other team caught it, they could run around and tag anybody on the other team. Then that person would be on their team. The goal is get everyone from one side caught and they would be on the other side.

We also, did cartwheels and other stunts. When we started standing on our heads, the teacher brought us girls in and the teacher lectured us about being "lady like". Well, that squelched that talent in a hurry!!!

Another thing we would do is jump rope and this hasn't changed at all through the years.

When I was in about the 6th grade, I think this is when the school had money for some slides, and swings, etc to play on.

On rainy days, we set up the girls cloak room to be a bank. We made our paper money and we were ready for business. Too bad, we can't just make our money now, we would all be rich. I guess that is the governments job today (Printing more paper money). This play prepared me to work at the bank at a later date. (Not really)

Another thing we would do would rope off a section of the school room and play darts with paper darts made like an airplane. The person that was "it" would tag others and they were out of the game. Well, this lasted a little while, until the teacher did not think this was an appropriate game to play. Oh well, she was my favorite teacher of all, anyway. I think she was my favorite because she was our neighbor down the road and her parents were good friends with mine. One day, we were visiting her house, and she brought out a box of scrap construction paper, etc. and gave it to me. You would have thought she had given me a "Gold Mine", as I was so-oooooo excited with these bits and pieces. My creative juices were starting to flow right there on the spot. Later in life, she congratulated me on an Appointed Position that I received at my work after reading about it in the newspaper. She was a true teacher at heart and never forgot her students!!!!! Her brother was in my sister class in high school and later got his doctorate, and was a professor at the University of Illinois.

Wisdom today--It is said, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!" I guess, we did have a balance and had our share of fun. Sometimes probably at times, too much fun!!!

AN EMBARRASSING MOMENT!!

Speaking of the classrooms and how each grade came forward and had their own particular lessons taught by the teacher, I remember in the second grade, I was standing by the teacher and reading for her. All of a sudden I had the urge to go to the bathroom (outhouse in those days). I asked permission to go. Since she was on a tight schedule she asked me to wait. I said I could, and proceeded to shuffle on one foot and then the other foot and this is the way it went until I couldn't wait no longer and asked permission again. After the 2nd try she allowed me to go. By the time I took my first step toward the double doors leading out to the schoolyard toward the outhouse, I had left a trail behind me. When I got outside, I didn't have to go any longer and proceeded to come back in.

At recess time I was standing in the sun and an older 8th grader came up to me and asked if I was drying off. This was about the most humilitating thing that could have been said. Looking back on this, I don't blame the teacher nor myself for this little mishap. It was one of those things that happen in a persons growing up years. Even though it was not one of my pleasant memories of school, but it became a memorable one. I lived to tell about it.

Lesson for today--We can endure this days problems because of the next days joys.

ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE!

I mentioned that our one room school house has been torn down. It remained as a community center for the area for a long time, but now it is even gone.

I will try to describe the school house and what it was like to have all eight grades in one room.

The school was a square building and when you came in the front door, the girls cloak room was to the right and the boys to the left. Double doors led into the school room. A huge round furnace sat in the corner of the room. Fire had to be built by the teacher or her father before the children arrived. Desks of all sizes were in the room. Blackboards, maps, a bench for each class to come forward to sit on when the teacher was teaching that particular class was all that was in the room besides the teachers desk and a small cubboard to house the school library. Most homes have more books today in the home than our school had for all grades. There was a stile that was made of concrete to get over the fence of the school yard. (I suppose this was made so animals couldn't get into the school yard). Girls and boys outhouses and a coal house , a well was the only things in the school yard. Much later when money was available there were playground equipment.

Most of my teachers were excellent, but the odds of trying to teach all levels everything that todays school requires, was impossible. My daughter teaches kindergarten and her class room is so pretty and so "State of the Arts" that I often comment if we only had 1,000th of the tools and "fun" things she has to work with, I would have thought I was in heaven. Both my granddaughter and daughter has overhead projectors, computers and every tool imaginable to work with.

Depending on the year you were born, you might take 8th grade work before 7th grade work.
My sister was always in the odd year and studied one grade before she took the previous year.
So the teacher had 4 grades to teach all subjects. It was divided up by First & second, 3rd & fourth, 5th & Sixth, 7th and eighth grades. These groups would come up and sit on the bench as she taught that subject. Can you imagine the first grade getting the attention that children of that age gets today, when the teacher has so many others to teach.

We would start off with the Pledge of Allegience to the flag and a prayer. Well, that sure isn't politically correct in school today! (at least the prayer part) Somethings were better left alone, and other things improved on.

More about school days at another time.

Today's wisdom--Thank a teacher today, as they have your best interest at heart!

BUILDINGS ON THE FARM WHERE I GREW UP!.

First of all, I have a correction to make about James Bradley book. The title of that book is "Flag of our Fathers", not Battle of Iwo Jima. This book is not for the weak of heart but will make you more patriotic than ever before, after you read it.

Beside the house we had the infamous out house, milk house (that stored the cold trough I spoke of earlier), tool shed/garage, large barn, corn crib, implement shed, chicken house, brooder house, Wash house, corn/coal house. We had a windmill by the milk house. I think that was it basicly. This was a typical of the farms in our area.

A few weeks ago we were going to visit my cousin and took a side trip by the farm where I grew up. All the buildings are no longer there and instead of a gravel road, it is a black top road. The home and farm of my grandparents is no longer there, as well as a number of farm homes & buildings around on that road are gone. Even the school house had been torn down. Just memories of all of this remain vivid in my head. I guess, this is why I am trying to preserve a few of these for future generations.

Today's wisdom--God's highest Gift awakens our deepest gratitude.

DATES IN HISTORY TO REMEMBER!

Do you remember what happened 67 years ago on December 7, 1941? I know, some of you weren't born yet, but you have read about it in history books that Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was bombed (about 8 AM). I was 15 years old and didn't learn of it until dad turned on Gabriel Heater (News commentator) about 6 o'clock Central time. Dad jumped up from his chair and said, "We are in WAR!!!". I thought we would be bombed in our country. I think some of the people on the West coast did wonder if they would strike again on the Pacific side of the US soon after. Four years was a long, long black era in our history.

I've read a number of books written on World War II and there was nothing even remotely pretty about war. Among the books I've read were D Day, Wild Blue Yonder, Citizen Soldiers, all written by Stephen E. Ambrose. Also, Battle of Iwo Jima by James Bradley (son of the flag raiser). Some of the language isn't very pretty, but pales compared to the magnitude and horror
of the battles that took place in the war and what our Service Men experienced!!! Any one of those books are worth the read, if you haven't read them. One really appreciates the freedom that these men fought for and a lot gave their lives for. Hats off to all our Service Men and Women who fight and preserve our freedom!!!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart if you were among those people.

Later in my writings I will tell you more about this era in our history.

Do you know what happened 96 years ago December 7, 1912? Well, I didn't think you would know the answer to this one, so I will tell you. My mother and dad were married on this day in 1912. Dad had a sense of humor and when December 7th was the day World War II broke out, he said, "All great wars start on December 7." He was only joking, because they both got along really well. I don't remember them even in a heated argument of any nature.

Long after dad had passed away, my mother needed proof of her age for some legal work, and I had to go to the court house to look up this information. They were married by the Justice of the Peace. When I went to get the copy of this, the thought came to my mind, wouldn't it be funny if I found out something I never knew about them. The clerk at the courthouse looked at the copy and started to smile. I didn't look at it until I got home. There in black and white was that my dad had married 2 women on the same day!!

I gave mom the papers and told her that Dad had really gotten around that day they were married and married 2 women. Her reply was, "Well I don't know how he could have done that since we were together the entire day." I think what had happened was that the Justice of the Peace had filled the top of the paper out and had them sign it and then later after he collected a number of these, filled out the bottom part of the same sheet. He picked up another persons name and wrote it on the same sheet by mistake. They were happily married for 42 years when he died in 1954 (one month before my 2nd daughter was born).

Wisdom of the day--Thank a Service Man today for protecting our freedom. They deserve our respect!!!!

MY HOME--WHEN WE WERE GROWING UP!

I will try to tell you about our home as I was growing up.

It was a 2 story farm house. There were 4 rooms down stairs and 4 rooms upstairs.It looked rather like a saltbox structure, with a lean out kitchen in the back, with a screened in backporch and a front porch. It was surrounded by a large yard.

Downstairs consisted of--

Kitchen--Old fashioned woodburning cookstove
large square table
Cubboard
work table
kitchen cabinet

Pantry------This consisted of shelves, cream seperator, Storage for Pots & pans, supplies, Etc.

Washroom--The size of a small bathroom but without plumbing. It had a pump and sink for
pumping rainwater from the cistern into the house. It was used as a closet for coats
and it stored our washing machine when not in use.

Bedroom----This was our parents bedroom. Bed and chest of drawers. Place to hang clothes,
but no closet.

Family room--This room was used on a daily basis. It consisted of a Round Oak table,
Rolltop Desk, 2 rockers, couch, woodburning stove, library table, Sideboard (to hold
dishes), radio, straight chairs, square plant stand to hold house plants. Our landlord
gave each of their tenants a piece of furniture from their estate upon their death.
We received a marble slab cherry piece of furniture. (see note below about this)

Parlor-This room was off of the family room and used very seldom. It consisted of a davenport, overstuffed chair, end tables, coffee table, bookcase and was carpeted.

Downstairs closet. Only 1 closet downstairs

Four upstairs bedrooms, only one closet upstairs. One of the bedrooms was used as a closet or/ storage room. Each bedroom had a dresser, and bed and our bedroom had a chevarobe. (place to hang dresses). Probably a chair in each. We also, had a little skirted makeup table. My sister and I would choose the West bedroom in the summer time and the East bedroom in the winter time (this room had a register in the floor over the stove). The West bedroom had prevailing winds that brought in the breezes and was cooler.

Our house had an screened in back porch with a big door at the end of the porch that you lifted up and this was the entry to the cellar. The cellar was where we stored all the food that was canned for the winter months, plus potato bin, hams, bacon, sausage in large crock jars stored down there.

As I had stated prior, the home was not fancy, probably not insulated, wingscotting in the family room, but it was "Home". Structures doesn't make a "home". Love, security, respect produces a "home". I felt I was loved, I felt secure and there were plenty of respect in the home. So I felt it was about the "best place on earth".

Note: This piece of furniture was in our farm house and then was moved into town. When we cleared out the town house to rent it out, my brother had it in his home for quite awhile. My sister-in-law abhorred this piece of furniture. I kept telling them that it was an antique and not to sell it. Finally, after they had sold some other items, I offered to buy it, for fear that they would dispose of it. So today, I have this in my living room and it is the centerpiece. It holds lots of memories and I love it. Our landlord owned lots and lots of farm land and each tenant got a nice piece of furniture from their estate home when they passed away. The one who died was a Judge in the city he lived.

Todays Wisdom--"Be it ever so "humble" there is no place like home!"

CHRISTMAS--LONG, LONG AGO!

We always had a Christmas program at our school. This was always something that everyone participated in our one room school house. We had a white sheet to partition the stage off. Not much talent was evident in this event but we had fun.

No one had any money to spend on decorations, gifts, or what we think is essential, but we heard the real meaning of Christmas, which was Christ (God himself) came down and was born in a manger for the purpose to to die on a cross (our substitute) to save lost sinners.

My mother would make cookies, fudge with black walnuts, popcorn balls, etc. My mother did not believe that she wanted to tell us about Santa Claus, because she thought it was a lie. Lying was prohibited in any form or imagination with her. If we asked her a question, and she wouldn't answer the question, then you knew the answer, because she would never, never tell a "white lie" to appease a person. Black was black with her and white was white and the two didn't mix.

We would get oranges, apples, bananas, nuts, candy, and those infamous chocolate drops at Christmas. Remember money was scarce and times were hard in those days. These things were a real treat.

Esther and I got a doll one year I remember. One year I got a little baking set that I longed for so much. Any other gifts were so small that I can't remember. We were happy with what we got and didn't think we were cheated out of anything. Most children in those years were in the same boat, and did not expect much. Their parents were struggling to have enough daily food and shelter, not any big things at Christmas. I know this seems foreign to the average person today.

We did not have a tree. We did have colored lights at the window. One year I wanted a tree so bad that I had my dad cut a branch off of the evergreen tree and bring it in to decorate. I was so proud of that tree.

We were "happy campers" and was thankful for what we did get. No regrets of any kind on my part. I think it made me know what really is important in life, by such humble beginnings.

Today's Wisdom-- "Wise men still seek Christ!"

CHRISTMAS IS IN THE AIR!

We have been busy dragging things up from the basement to decorate our home for Christmas. It gets harder each year to do this. I'm so thankful for our grandson's wife and daughters that helped clear out the unused Christmas decorations, etc. this past year. It made it much easier. We got the tree up and today I will finish with the other things. Maybe, not as much, so there isn't as much work to take down.

We just finished the backyard leaves when the storm hit with a batch of snow. We ended up getting 81 containers (mostly bags) of leaves from our yard. Now we have snow to contend with. Hopefully, it won't be so deep. I was under the weather a tad Monday and my husband had to do this by himself.

Today I have cookies to bake. Tomorrow I plan to go to my bible study class, and we will have a Christmas party/breakfast and gift exchange. Tomorrow evening we will see a Christmas Musical performed by our daughter's church. It really has been spectacular in the past and am looking forward to hearing it this year.

More of my stories about how it was at Christmas when I was a child on another day. A tad different than today!!!

PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES!

Another story I remember vividly about the privilege of using the family car, was between 1941--1943. It is as follows.

We had an end of the year all High School Picnic about 10 miles away from our home. Dad allowed me to drive myself to it and permission to pick up my best friends. They lived about 7 miles away in another direction and then we drove to the picnic. In those days, it was the exception that girls in the family learned to drive. My friends were glad that I was able to drive and pick them up.

When we got to the park where the picnic was being held, there were large rocks along the park road, so people didn't park on the grass of the pretty park. I was slowly driving along and looking for a place to park that was legal, when all of a sudden some guys from the high school saw us coming and they quickly jumped on the fenders of the car. (In those days cars still had fenders) This obstructed my view and I couldn't see the large rocks. I hit one of the rocks and the guy that was on that side went up in the air and landed back down on the fender. Well, there was a nice dent on top of the fender. I felt that I couldn't go home with a dented car, because then I feared I would never be trusted with the car again.

So my girlfriends and I went to the Chevrolet Garage to see if they could fix the dent in the fender for fifty cents (all the money I had with me and no more at home). He smiled and said that he thought he could fix it. As I left the garage with my friends, I told him that if need be, he should paint it. I was asking a lot from the garage repairman, even in those days.

The end of the day, we walked to pick up the car and they did such a beautiful job, that you couldn't tell it had been dented. Perfect!! I had covered my tracks!! I tried to be responsible! No need to tell dad about what was "Perfect"!

The next day my Dad asked, "Did I have a good time at the All School Picnic?"

I said, "Yes we did".

Dad said, "I was over in that town yesterday myself".

I said, "You WERE!! Where did you park?" (Dad had a truck in those days, also, and knew he surely would have looked around to see if I was driving around with the family car).

Dad said, "In front of the Chevy Garage."

I said, "YOU DID? You didn't happen to see our car in the Garage did you?"

Dad asked, "Was I suppose to see the car in the Garage?"

Then I broke down and told him about what happened. He didn't scold me or blame me for anything, but calmly listened.

Later I thought about it and came to the conclusion that the man at the garage probably phoned my dad and told him he was instructed to fix a dent in the car and fifty cents was not going to cover the cost and what did he want done? Dad never told me this, but even then, 50 cents was pretty cheap for repairing a dent. Dad had an even disposition and knew how to handle his children. We would never try to disappoint our Dad so we tried very hard to be responsible with the trust that he doled out.

Wisdom for the day--Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admoniton of the Lord.

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE!

This is a story about the car again. My sister had come home from Business School for the week-end. She wanted to visit some friends that were 10 mile away while she was home. Dad permitted her to take the car. I was the tag-a-long (as usual). Well we had a little visit and then she decided that she would like to visit various people in various towns around the community. Without permission, we did just that! Before we got home my sister had me promise that I wouldn't tell Dad about these extra excursions we took. I gave an oath to her that I would not tell Dad. I should have known that my sister was short a little bit from a full load in her head after giving me the keys to the car at the tender age of 10. If she happens to read this, just kidding sister, just kidding! Like my grandchildren informed me JK sister, JK. But there again, I thought she was all wise and I would go along with the deceiving process.

All went well and nothing was said when we got home. When the weekend was up, dad took my sister back to school (about 50 miles away). Dad had a way about him, as I had mentioned earlier in my writings, that he could extract what he wanted to know, without the person even realizing what he was doing. This day was no exception. While driving the 50 miles back to school my sister on her own free will "spilled the beans" so to speak.

The next day my Dad asked, "Did you have a good time with your sister visiting her friend?"

I said, "yes".

He said, "I heard that someone saw you in a certain town".

I said, "No we didn't go there". (As I remembered my promise to my sister)

He repeated a few other towns that people happened to see us in. Again, the same response from me.

By this time, my Dad was getting really perturbed with my outright lying.

He said, "I didn't care that you went to these places, but you are lying and this is not acceptable." He made it perfectly clear that I had better not ever lie to him again. I truly was between a Rock and a Hard Place!! To my knowledge, I believe he got his message across to me that I never lied to him again.

The next time I saw my sister, I found out she had told him where we had been on her own. Did I mention that above, that she was a few stacks short of a full load! Just kidding, sister!!!! (or JK)

Wisdom for the day--Number 32:23b says, "and be sure your sins will find you out".

LEARNING TO DRIVE THE "STICK SHIFT" CAR!

Well today I will try to tell you how I learned to drive the car. My sister was about 15 and knew how to drive the car. She was allowed to go to town to run errands, etc. Well there was a viaduct about 1/2 mile from our home and one day when we got through the viaduct she asked me, if I would like to learn to drive. Well, this was just too good to be true. Of course, I wanted to learn. I was about 10 years old. This was my first attempt to drive. Occasionally, she would let me try again. By the time my dad thought I was old enough to learn, I had a pretty good handle on what to expect with the "clutch". Dad thought I was a "quick study"! Little did he know.

One time Esther was driving on one of these excursions and we came to a railroad crossing ingrade. She climbed up on top of the tracks and the car stopped. We looked down the tracks and there was a train coming right at us. She couldn't get it started, but somehow the car rolled backwards and the train went by. Whoa!! That was a close call.

Another time we had our aunt, grandpa, mother, my sister and myself in the car going to town on a gravel road. Gravel roads are quite unpredictable when it comes to controlling the car when you try to slow down. This time, Esther was driving and the car started skidding (due to loose gravel) and her trying to dodge a pothole. She tried to dodge the pothole and landed in the ditch. My grandfather got out of the car and didn't want to get back in. I guess he thought walking was safer than an inexperienced driver.

One day Dad and my sister went to town. My dad had gone in the store and she stayed in the car til he purchased what was needed. She looked and saw that the engine was on FIRE. Then she ran in to the store and told dad that the car was on fire and everyone in the store came out to help put the fire out.

In those days we did not have to have a drivers license to drive a car.

Other mishaps I will tell on another day.

Wisdom of the day--Rules of the road are there for a purpose to avoid accidents and was created by those who know the pitfalls. God has rules to go by and they are put in the Bible to avoid pitfalls in life.

CAN YOU SLEEP WHEN THE WIND BLOWS!

I got this e-mail today and it is really good. Hope you look it up on Yahoo@.com and type in the words years ago@yahoo.com. It should bring you to a site that tells the story about a farmer and his hired hand. The hired hand promised he could sleep when the wind blows. He was hired. He nearly was fired when the storm started, but check it out and see what happened. This is my prayer for all of you. Have a great Thanksgiving day tomorrow!

TRANSPORTATION!

The cars that my dad had purchased were as follows:


Overland car--First car owned and before I was born.

Model T (year of car was unknown) It had artificial glass as windows (called isonglass).

Buick--Had a mishap with this car and purchased the 1929 Model A

1929 Model A (Purchased this as a used car in 1931)

1938 Chevrolet car (Purchased this new for $750)

1950 New Chevrolet Car (Last car he purchased as he died in 1954)

The car that I remember as a child was the Model A. It wasn't fancy, but it got us where we wanted to go. My dad always paid cash for his cars. The last 2 cars he owned were purchased new. He always said, "If it gets you from point A to point B without giving you any problems in between point A & B, then why buy another". This has been our philosophy even now. We never tried to keep up with the Jones, but bought things when they were close to wearing out.

When the snow was really deep and cars couldn't get through, our neighbors to the north of us had a Surrey with a fringe on top that we rode to school in. This was pulled by a team of horses. We were invited to ride with them on those days. They had nearly 2 miles to walk to school and we had a mile to walk. On rainy days, dad would be sitting out in the Model A waiting for us to get out of school, so we wouldn't have to walk home in the rain. That was a pleasant sight when it was pouring down rain. I will tell you more about our school days on another day.

Words of Wisdom--You're headed in the right direction when you walk with God.

SHEEP SHEERING!

I had mentioned that we raised sheep when I was growing up and about my pet lamb named "tootsie". Today, I will tell you about each spring they had to be sheered.

They had a thick coat of wool that needed to be taken off before the summer heat started beating down on them.

Dad had a clipper that he would clip off their wool about the first part of May. He could almost take all of their coat of wool off in one swoop. He would have them lay down and start clipping until all of it was off. It was just like taking off a wool coat. I'm sure it felt a little breezy right at first for these sheep, when the spring would have a cool spell.

My mother would wash the wool and then in the winter months she would make wool comforters out of this wool. Since our bedrooms weren't very warm, we were really cozy warm under all these wool comforters.

A metal comb or wire brush would help untangle and fluff up the wool. This was our job whenever we lacked something to do. I'm sure we got tired of this job quickly, but I do remember doing a little of it.

Todays wisdom--When Jesus comes into your life, He changes everything. Our rough edges must be chipped away to bring out the image of Christ.

NOTHING IN PARTICULAR!

We plan to go to see my husbands sister today. Yesterday we went to see the movie "Fireproof".
If there were movies like this shown more often, society would not be in such a mess.

Wisdom of the day--When Jesus comes into a life, He changes everything. (this is evident in the movie "Fireproof".

BUTCHERING DAY ON THE FARM!

This was always done when it was cold and meat would be able to process in your leisure. There were no flies to contend with. There were no danger of the meat spoiling either.

A huge black kettle was used when they were butchering. They built a fire and put water in the kettle. The men did all of the work of killing and dressing the animal. The fat was saved and rendered for lard. The cracklings were salted and eaten. This part was done next day. Sausage was made the day of butchering. Casings were scraped and cleaned and sausage were ran through a sausage press and put in the casings. The next day was a day for the housewife to cook all the sausages up and place them in huge crocks. Then melted lard would be poured over the sausage. The huge crocks were put in the cellar. They were preserved in this fashion. As long as the grease covered the sausage, the sausage did not spoil. My mother would can meat. This was done by a hot water bath for a certain length of time. The meat would be hung to season outside and hams and bacon would be smoked in a smoke house. Then dad would bring the hams in and cure them with salt and seasoning and wrap them up. They would be hung in the basement. Bacon would be processed this way, also.

When I was in high school, they took the animal and had the people butcher the animal and cut in various cuts and place in the locker in town (10 miles away). Then each week, one could get the pieces out that you needed for the week. So the process was much simpler in the 40's.

The meat was quality meat and much better than any a person could buy today in the grocery store.

Wisdom for the day- The birth of Christ brought God to man; the cross of Christ brings man to God.

MORE ON CENTRAL AIR AND CENTRAL HEATING!

I thought this was really funny! Somebody had mentioned that we did have Central Air and Central heating at our house in the 30's. It was Central heating in the summer and Central Air in the winter months. That really rang a bell! I thought this was hilarious and described it very well.

We went to the eye doctor today for grandpa's eyes. He has a little macular degeneration in one eye, but it hasn't gotten any worse since last visit. He now takes vitamins expecially for this problem. He always took vitamins, but this is a special kind for this problem.

THRESHING DAY!!

The threshing machine was owned by my dad and two uncles. They did the threshing for themselves and for other farmers. (I really don't know how they decided which home to thresh first, but you knew what home they would harvest next in line).

The woman of the house where they were threshing the oats, would be the one to prepare, serve the meal for all the workers (which happen to be a lot of men). The neighbor ladies always came to help with preparation of the dinner. This meant that their children would also come. As children, we viewed this day as a HUGE picnic! The men were big eaters as they really burned the calories while working. Most of the families in those days had a LOT of children, so there were a lot of children to feed as well. Then they would repeat this until all the farmers had their crops threshed. Each farmer would go and help the other farmer thresh their oats.

Each lady tried to fix the best meal ever and each seemed to succeed in their endeavors. There were a variety of meats cooked (fried chicken & roasts), slaw and other salads, many vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, home made biscuits, all kinds of pies & cakes. The table was laden with delicious food. The table had lots of leaves to it and still the men had to eat in shifts. There were as many children and women cooking and preparing the dinner and washing the dishes between shifts as there were men eating. I can't imagine the work that went into the preparation of the dinner. After the men went out to the field the ladies and children got to eat. There were always lots of food, so this wasn't a problem.

Prior to threshing day, the men had to cut their oats with a binder that made oat bundles. Then they had to go out and pick up the bundles by hand and put them into shocks. This consisted of standing the bundles up against each other and putting caps on each shock (made out of bundles by spreading the bundles to protect the grain from the rain). This process also helped the grain to dry. On threshing day they would get the bundles into the barnyard and put them through the threshing machine. This seperated the oats from the straw and chaff.

Harvesting oats today consists of a combine that does this in one step. Quite a lot easier.

During the hot summer months when the men worked in the field. We would prepare a snack/drink and take it out to the field about 10 o'clock. (This was usually my job). They would have dinner (noon) and then supper at night. I know that nobody calls it supper anymore and now it is lunch instead of dinner at noon. Vocabulary changes with time. For instance, when someone called you gay, it meant that you were a happy person.

We visited friends out in Portland, Oregon and ate at the same table that the threshers ate at long ago. The table didn't have the leaves in, but it served at least 12 men at a time when the leaves were all in. So that table had legs and did travel!!!!!

Wisdom for the day--Galations 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

MANY HO-BOES AND GYPSIES IN THOSE DAYS!

There were many men that rode the rails to look for work or just out of a job and tried to exist during my growing up years. They came to our house on many occasions, since they would get off at a rail switching station only half mile from our home. My dad and mother both agreed that no matter who or what they looked like, they would feed them. I'm sure there were never a hungry soul that came to our house that was ever turned away. My mother would stop what she was doing and fix them a hearty meal (even if it was just a good breakfast). I'm sure my mother identified with these people, because of her early experience of nearly starving to death as her parents took her and the rest of the family in a covered wagon to homestead in Nebraska (the year was 1887). She was 9 months old when this happened. They lived on the land in Nebraska for 9-11 years. This was in compliance with the Homestead Act that they had to live and improve the land for a certain amount of years, and then the land was theirs to keep.

The thing that each ho-bo would do as they left the premises, was make a mark on the road gate leading to the house. This told other poor souls where to find food. The spread of the Gospel is like this--One begger telling another begger where they can find food for their soul. They were never disappointed with what was given them. This brings tears to my eyes yet to this day!

One day my brother and I was playing in the sand by the roadgate and my brother told me to look up. I did and there stood a ho-bo that was so pitiful that it scared me so much. I couldn't run fast enough to the house.

I remember gypsies coming by and camping down by the switching station about half mile away. We were always leary of these people as they were prone to steal. I remember witnessing a gypsy approaching my grandfather and frisking him to see if he had money. I will never forget this.

Wisdom of the day--Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.

DAILY CHORES!

We all pitched in with our chores, depending upon our age. Some of the regular chores were as follows:

1. Gathering eggs
2. Getting coal & cobs in from the cob house (to burn in the stoves)
3. Getting the cows into the barn from the field so they could be milked
4. Feeding the white-faced Hereferd steers in a long feeding trough
5. Running the seperator (to seperate the cream from the milk)
6. Feeding the pigs (stirring water in the tankage) and then pouring it in the
trough. The trough went under the fence, so we were away from the pigs.
7. Pulling weeds from the garden
8. Picking vegetables, etc and the preparation work
9. Ironing clothes
10.Filling the reservoir on the stove for washing hands, etc.
11. Running errands (so dad didn't have to do this)
12. Turning the butter churn to make butter
13. Setting table for a meal
14. Helping with the dishes
15. Bringing water in from the pump for cooking, dressing chickens, etc.
16. Washing the seperator
17. Picking raspberries along the hedge fence every other day

These chores were assigned to us as we grew old enough to handle them. I do remember that we all wanted to go out to help our dad. We would fuss over who would get to help him. He had a way about him, that when we finished helping him, he would praise us so much that we really felt we were appreciated. He would often say, "I just could not have done this without your help". This always made us so proud and we wanted to help again.

Some of the things that I remember as I grew old enough to drive a tractor and truck, was my help during hay making time. I would drive the tractor pulling the hay rack and followed by the hay loader. Dad and my brother would be loading the hay in the hay rack while I drove. Later I would drive the truck while they loaded hay bales onto the truck. Also, I would drive the tractor when they put the hay into the barn. I would be on the other side of the barn and they would have big forks that went into the hay and when they called to me, I would start the tractor for the incline to the hayloft (this fork was on a pulley). If I went too soon, it could be a tragedy, and if I went too far with the tractor, I could have pulled the pulley out of the barn.

A neighbor and good friend of my dad was doing this one day and he fell out of the haymow and fell on a pitchfork. He died due to this accident. I'm sure my dad appreciated my help during this job on the farm. He always was very vocal in his praise, which made us want to help him all the more.

My mother never learned to drive and so when we were old enough to drive, we were assigned to run errands for dad. This included getting groceries, picking up parts for machinery, etc. Dad always said that girls should learn to drive the car. I am so thankful for my dad and his wise slant on new ideas. It was more the exception than the rule, that girls learned to drive a car.

A few times, I remember harrowing the field with the tractor. Also, we would shock oats in the field to prepare for threshing the oats. This was when the weather was threatening and they needed to get the job done before it rained. (So my sister and I would pitch in and help) This was a HOT job.

I never learned to milk a cow. I just did not know how the get the milk out. Of course, it was because I did not WANT that job. No matter how I tried, the milk would not come. I knew that if I learned to do this, I would be milking the cows. This did not appeal to me, so I faked it.

I am so thankful for good health that I was able to contribute to the families well being. I'm sure the good food that was put on the table was a contributing factor to my good health.

Wisdom for the day--Idle hands is the devils workshop!!

ENTREPRENEUR (OR AT LEAST FIRST PAYING JOB!!

I mentioned that my father didn't have a tractor until later in 1930's. My sister said that he had a tractor in 1929 she was sure. Later they purchased 3 tractors.

When I was old enough I had the job of herding the cows along the roadside of our farm. This was when the drought was on and you used every green blade of grass you could get. My dad paid me a penny and hour to do this task. Before you start feeling sorry for me, let me set you straight. When you were getting 10 cents on a bushel of grain, a penny was worth more in those years. Also, I was making money when I was playing on my bicycle. All I had to do was turn the cows around when they grazed to the end of our land. By the 4th of July I had saved up $2.00 and blew it all on rides, etc. The rides were like 5 to 10 cents. My first shot at being an entrepreneur!

When I was in high school I typed the high school and grade school tests papers for the year for the teachers. I got the grand total of $1 a month. I wanted the experience and thought it an honor that they trusted me with these papers.

My dad would give us 5 cents everytime we were in town to buy candy, etc. My friends would have to stand and beg for their spending money. Needless to say, I thought my dad was about "IT". He told us later that he wanted us to have something to spend and not be tempted to steal. He prepared us for the real world.

The farm was really a great place to live when times were rough. When people were out of work in town, they had nothing and the cubboard was bare. In our club meeting, a lady was telling about at supper time they would rattle the dishes, so people would think they were fixing supper. There was no food to eat and they were ashamed and wanted the other tenants in the house to think at least they were eating. (This lady lives in a beautiful home today and you would have never guessed how destitute they were in those early years in the depression).

Wisdom for the day--Impossibilities compel us to rely on God.

FARM ANIMALS AND PETS!

Horses were used solely on the farm prior to tractors. I can't remember when dad purchased his tractors, but it as probably in the late 30's. He ended up with 3 tractors to farm the land. He had 1 pair of mules, as well as the other horses, but after his bout with the mules, he sold them.

There were hogs, white faced hereferds (cattle), chickens, roosters, sheep, 2 dogs, galore of cats and kittens. We had a few ducks but they were quite messy. Of course, quite a few cows to milk. Calves, piglets and a few colts were born regularly and this made life interesting.

A house rule was that the animals stayed out of the house. This was a great idea, since there were so many animals that as children we would have carried into the house, if this rule wasn't in force. Of course, my mother would allow a orphaned sick small animal to nurse it back to health in a box behind the stove. We would have a menagerie of animals in the house if this rule had not been adhered to.

Our dog's name was called "Rudyscoot". He was a collie mix and was a beautiful dog. We had a wire terrior, also. Now as far as cats and kittens, we had them running around everywhere. On a farm there were lots of mice, etc for the cats to catch. Some of the kittens were wild and some we tamed as pets. I even had 7 pet chickens that would follow me around like I was their mother. I had a pet lamb named "Tootsie". She would eat out of your hand and would run to you when she saw you out and about.

Wisdom of the day--Why have toys when you can have the "real" stuffed animal to play with.

SURVIVOR MODE IN THE 1930'S!!!!

I heard on the television today that one needs to take inventory of their own circumstances. There were 3 catagories that they listed. They were--necessities, needs, and wants. The necessities were food, clothing and shelter. This was the pattern our family followed.

Many things that would be nice to have, really were not necessary. We learned that needs and wants were not the same. During those years, we learned fast the difference.

Last night we viewed on television the PBS special about the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It put us in a sombering mood, what transpired during those years. I was 3 years old and didn't know what was going on. However, if you were older and witnessed this, you probably wouldn't forget it.

My dad and mother lost a farm during these years. They had their farm more than half paid for and after the crash, it wasn't worth what they still owed on it. They couldn't make the payments because crops went down to 10 cents a bushel on corn and drought hit the land. With these prices, one couldn't pay the payments. This happened all over America. They made the decision to let it go back before they foreclosed. However, if they had put that money in the bank instead of purchasing a farm, they would have lost it anyway. It was a lose-lose situation. As a family we survived but knew what wants and needs were all about. We still lived in the home on the farm we rented.

There was a quick comeback and dad purchased a farm adjacent to the farm he lost and paid for it in several years.

Wisdom for the day--Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Note that it says all your "need".

PREPARATION FOR FRIED CHICKEN DINNER!

If one decided that they wanted fried chicken for dinner you had a lot of preparation to do before this occurred.

Since there was no refrigeration until about 1940, your chicken dinner was running around the barn yard. You had to go out and chase your chicken down, kill it. I won't go into all of that, but after that, you need a bucket of hot water to dip the chicken in. Then it came time to pluck all the feathers off. Some of the pin feathers were still left on the bird, so you had to light a newspaper and singe the remaining feathers. After this, came a really good scrubbing of the bird. Carrying water into the house to supply enough to get the bird really clean was no small task. After the outside of the bird was clean, one had to cut into the bird and remove all the insides, being really careful not to cut the Gall. This would make the chicken taste bad. The gizzard was saved after the lining was removed, as well as the liver. The chicken was ready to put in a frying pan when all the pieces were cut up.

I never did have this job to do, but sure saw a many a bird processed. Fried chicken was made only in July & August because the chickens were too big to fry after August. Then we made chicken and noodles, baked chicken, etc. Then of course there were all the other vegetables to pick, wash, look, stem, etc. for a good old fashioned Fried chicken dinner. Oh but it was all worth it when it got on the table!!!!

Wisdom of the day--God never puts you in the wrong place to serve him.

REGARDING VIDIO THAT I SPOKE OF YESTERDAY!

I tried to get on the video site that I mentioned of yesterday. I wasn't able to, so I will tell you that this man had no arms, no legs, only flippers for a foot and hand. He was an inspirational speaker at a school assembly. He said he was a happy person. If life knocks you down 100 times and you can't get up, you try again until you succeed. He fell down and showed how he was able to get up by himself. We can't complain, when we are so blessed with so much. I think there were 86,000 responses on the internet about this video. How powerful a message is he giving with his limited ability.

Wisdom for today--"Bloom where you are planted!"

DOWN IN SPIRIT? MUST SEE!!

Today I received an e-mail that needs to be viewed by everyone. You have to go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=210DRk8dfjl

This video is powerful! You think you have problems? Whoa! I think when you see this, your problems will be brought into perspective. This man is a giant and defeats all odds in my opinion. We should never complain or get discouraged and be optimistic in every situation. God truly does use a person, no matter who or what the odds. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO VIEW THIS!!

ENCOUNTER WITH A COW AND HER NEW BORN CALF!

When I was not doing my chores, I was usually outside enjoying the fresh air, riding my bicycle, etc. This day was no exception. I was outside playing and my brother was carrying a new born calf in his arms that was born in the field. The cow was following close behind watching over her calf. Seeing me close by, he called to me to open the barn door (so he wouldn't have to lay the calf down). I quickly started running toward the barn door to make this happen.

Well, the cow thought I was a predator and was going to harm her little new born. She started running after me. I tried to run faster and toward the hayrack to get under it. Even though I could run pretty fast (especially when I was scared), I didn't escape the fiery mad cow. She butted me over and she turned around and started to gore me. My brother came to my rescue chasing that cow away. My "hero" that day for sure.

The cow did do a little damage, however. I developed a large bruise the side of a muskmelon on my thigh. In the few seconds it took to butt me over, the cow managed to step on me.

My lesson for the day was--DO NOT MESS WITH MAMA AND HER NEW BORN!!

We are going to bag the leaves up again in the back yard today. We have gotten 53 bags so far off of our lawn this year. The back yard is just covered again and lots more up on the tree.

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, "BABY" OUR COW!!

One thing I forgot to mention about the hatching of eggs. When you see that the chicken is pecking it's way out of the shell, one must never help this process along. The chick needs to build up strength by doing this for itself. If you help, you really are causing the chicken to die. I think of welfare and having the state or government step in, is somewhat like this. This kind of thinking weakens the person. One needs to help them help themselves. This promotes growth and makes the person strong. Give them a fish dinner and it helps 1 day, teach them to fish and it helps the person for a lifetime.

One day when I was in grade school I was riding my bicycle on the road by the strawstack that was very close to the road. I heard a horrible groaning and moaning going on. I investigated closer, and noticed our "Baby" (our name for a certain cow) was the one that was in so much agony. I ran to the house and told my mother and our neighbor lady (visiting that day) about it. They both came out to check this out. They both agreed that I must run out to the field (where dad was working) and have him come in immediately. I did as I was told, and I told my dad that Baby was having a calf and he MUST come in. His first reply was, "let the cow have her calf". Cows have a way of dropping their calves by themselves all the time, so he thought I was just witnessing a normal birth. "No, no" I said. "Mom and our neighbor lady said that you
you MUST come now" After hearing that, he knew that this was no normal birth. When he sized up the situation, he had our neighbor's husband to come down to help deliver this calf. The calf was so huge and already dead, and the cow was not able to deliver. They got the cow in the barn and then got the tractor and had a block and tackle to help deliver the dead calf. (Much like forceps would help in the birthing process.) Most cows will get up and walk immediately after birthing a calf and take care of themselves. This cow was so weak and was not able to stand up for a whole month. Then one day, as I was gathering eggs, Baby had managed to get up on all 4 legs and was leaning against the manger. She had come a long way baby, from such a painful experience. One thing you learn on the farm very quickly, is empathy and sympathy at an early age as you witness many things with God's creatures. This happened in the late 1930's, because dad was using tractors to farm the land.

Next time I will tell you about a new born calf being carried in from the field. It involved me and the mother cow.

Todays Wisdom--God always has a lesson for us to learn in each situation, we just have to keep our eyes open for it.