For the past few months, Eric and I have been cleaning out our attic. We have been looking through old cards, letters, books and papers. I brought home a book when we were cleaning out my parents house titled 'We Had Everything But Money'. My mother had ordered it from a company that published a magazine that specialized in stories from years ago. This particular book is about the depression. People had written short stories about their life during those days. I never really heard my parents talk about the depression much, only that they didn't have any money before so they really weren't affected when it happened.
I started reading the book as I walked on the treadmill at the gym. I expected the book to have some sad stories but amazingly most of them focused on their families and how they helped each other. Some of the writers used such words as 'pride, determination, courage, bravery and hard work'. A few of the people told of the banks closing and losing their money. Everything they had was gone. But they never gave up.
One story that struck my heart was about 2 young men who 'rode the rails' looking for work. They stopped off in one town and decided to knock on doors of houses looking for a meal. The 2 men split up since they knew most families wouldn't feed both of them. Chester went to one house and knocked on the back door. As he was about to leave, an elderly lady answered. He offered to do any job she needed in exchange for a sandwich and a cool drink. The lady invited him in and proceeded to show him the bathroom so he could wash before eating. She cleaned his clothes, then fixed him a hot meal. "How old are you"?, she asked as he ate his breakfast. "Twenty", he said. To which she responded, "my son will be twenty soon. He left last spring looking for work. He sent me a postcard from Salt Lake City 2 months ago and I haven't heard from him since". After the young man finished eating, he asked her what work he could do to repay her. She told him that he didn't need to do any work for her, that she wanted him to go home to his family. She didn't want another mother to worry like her, wondering where her son was and if someone was kind enough to fix him a meal.
I have 2 sons. I can remember them at the age of 20 years old. They were in college and worked on the weekends, summers and breaks from school. They were hard workers and were willing to do anything to make money. I cannot imagine what the lady in the story felt like. Every day wondering if her son was hungry or had a place to sleep.
That story was the last one I read that day as I worked out. It's kind of hard to read when your eyes are blurry.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Happy Birthday Amber
Today is our daughter-in-law Amber's birthday. She and Paul have been married for over 6 years. I remember the first time we met her when Paul brought her to the house. It was on our house cleaning night while we were trying to get things done. I'm sure we didn't make as good an impression as we would have liked. We knew right after they started dating that she would be our daughter-in-law one day.
Amber is very talented at whatever she does; whether it is singing or decorating their home. She is very creative and has made the grandchildren's nurseries so sweet. Her ideas for Georgia's birthday parties have been amazing.
Amber has always been a very upbeat person, even when she has had a bad day. We are so blessed that God picked her to be Paul's wife.
Happy birthday Amber.
Amber is very talented at whatever she does; whether it is singing or decorating their home. She is very creative and has made the grandchildren's nurseries so sweet. Her ideas for Georgia's birthday parties have been amazing.
Amber has always been a very upbeat person, even when she has had a bad day. We are so blessed that God picked her to be Paul's wife.
Happy birthday Amber.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Comfort Food
Eric and I walk in the afternoon and the other day the conversation came up about food. There are certain people in our lives that we associate different foods with. When I was growing up and attended church, we had Homecoming every year. Women cooked for 2-3 days to get ready for the Sunday that special speakers and guests would be there. Chicken and dumplings, fresh coconut cakes, all kinds of food that weren't made every day.
We started naming the women who made dishes that we could remember. LB made the small little ham sandwiches on the dinner rolls. MJ made chicken and dumplings that made you think she had just killed the chicken that morning and cooked it. One lady made country ham biscuits that she took on the bus when we went to the Worlds Fair in Knoxville one year. Hot dog suppers meant someone always brought her baked beans (no canned) in a big casserole dish.
Thanksgiving Day was spent with both families. Everyone had their familiar standbys that we could be counted on to bring. No need to call each other to make sure we didn't have 5 of one dish. That never happened. Eric's grandmother always made the dressing and when you walked into her house that day, the smell of sage met you at the door. My specialty was macaroni and cheese and rice casserole and I took home empty containers every time. At my parents house, you could always count on my mom to make a cherry pie. My sister had a garden and always brought green beans that she had canned that summer. As it happened one year, she dropped the pot of beans in the yard. Thinking she could pick up the pile of beans that had not hit the ground, she scooped them up and put them back into the pot. Only later as we were fixing our plates, did we realize what she had done when we found a few pine needles mixed in. Since we had all eaten 2 meals that day, dessert wasn't really thought about. But every year, my sister-in-law made rocky road squares for us to snack on as we sat around and talked.
I can see pictures of food now and think about those days. I can walk into a place and a familiar scent will be present. It takes me back to the days of good food and good times.
We started naming the women who made dishes that we could remember. LB made the small little ham sandwiches on the dinner rolls. MJ made chicken and dumplings that made you think she had just killed the chicken that morning and cooked it. One lady made country ham biscuits that she took on the bus when we went to the Worlds Fair in Knoxville one year. Hot dog suppers meant someone always brought her baked beans (no canned) in a big casserole dish.
Thanksgiving Day was spent with both families. Everyone had their familiar standbys that we could be counted on to bring. No need to call each other to make sure we didn't have 5 of one dish. That never happened. Eric's grandmother always made the dressing and when you walked into her house that day, the smell of sage met you at the door. My specialty was macaroni and cheese and rice casserole and I took home empty containers every time. At my parents house, you could always count on my mom to make a cherry pie. My sister had a garden and always brought green beans that she had canned that summer. As it happened one year, she dropped the pot of beans in the yard. Thinking she could pick up the pile of beans that had not hit the ground, she scooped them up and put them back into the pot. Only later as we were fixing our plates, did we realize what she had done when we found a few pine needles mixed in. Since we had all eaten 2 meals that day, dessert wasn't really thought about. But every year, my sister-in-law made rocky road squares for us to snack on as we sat around and talked.
I can see pictures of food now and think about those days. I can walk into a place and a familiar scent will be present. It takes me back to the days of good food and good times.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Happy Birthday Drew
Our grandson Drew turned 1 year old last week. He is the son of Danielle and Andrew, our older son. We were not home when they stopped by to tell us that they were expecting. So they left Eric a box with a belated Christmas gift in it-a Baby UNC Tarheels sweatshirt. As it turns out, we had just bought a baby baseball cap that said 'I'm the Boss', which apparently was something that Danielle said a lot when she was a little girl. They had a reveal party a few months later where we found out that they were having a boy. Blue balloons were released and floated up to the sky.
On the night they went to the hospital, we sat with Danielle's mom in the waiting room. When Andrew came out to get us, we asked who he looked like. I never really thought that babies looked like anyone but themselves. But Drew looked like his dad. And still does.
We kept him for a week-end last month so Andrew and Danielle could celebrate their anniversary. What fun it was to build things with his blocks, play with his farm animals and stroll him around the neighborhood. But my favorite thing was to rock him and read to him. I hope he grows up to love reading and has his dad's imagination and talent for drawing.
People have asked if I feel like it is 30 years ago since Drew looks so much like his dad did when he was one year old. It seems like so long ago that Andrew was that age. We are just enjoying watching our grandson grow and learn so many new things.
We love you Drew and pray that you will have a long and happy life. We pray for good health and that God will bless you in everything that you do. You have made our lives so much better just by being born.
Granny B and Pops
On the night they went to the hospital, we sat with Danielle's mom in the waiting room. When Andrew came out to get us, we asked who he looked like. I never really thought that babies looked like anyone but themselves. But Drew looked like his dad. And still does.
We kept him for a week-end last month so Andrew and Danielle could celebrate their anniversary. What fun it was to build things with his blocks, play with his farm animals and stroll him around the neighborhood. But my favorite thing was to rock him and read to him. I hope he grows up to love reading and has his dad's imagination and talent for drawing.
People have asked if I feel like it is 30 years ago since Drew looks so much like his dad did when he was one year old. It seems like so long ago that Andrew was that age. We are just enjoying watching our grandson grow and learn so many new things.
We love you Drew and pray that you will have a long and happy life. We pray for good health and that God will bless you in everything that you do. You have made our lives so much better just by being born.
Granny B and Pops
Monday, September 8, 2014
Little House on the Prairie
When I was a little girl growing up in the 60s, one of my favorite books to read was Little House on the Prairie. All of the books authored by Laura Ingalls Wilder were always checked out of the library at my elementary school. I enjoyed reading about the different things that the family did, going to school and church and living in a cabin out on a farm. It was hard to imagine that they only had 1 or 2 'nice' dresses or that the children received a stick of candy and a pair of knitted mittens for Christmas. If crops were productive that year, the children might find a coin in their stocking or their own little cake for Christmas dinner. The stories were written in a way that you never felt sorry for the family and Ma and Pa made sure that they had enough of what they needed.
When the TV series was created, my mother was a dedicated follower. I don't know if she could relate to the Ingalls family; getting milk from a cow for breakfast, dad killing an animal for meat for supper, chopping firewood to stay warm and sleeping under stacks of quilts in the winter. One year when we were in the mountains, we found a set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books. They were the same books that I had read as a little girl. We gave my mom the set for Christmas, even though they were juvenile and paperback; not exactly an adult gift. Those books stayed by her recliner in the winter where she would sit and read after she got home from work.
My mom liked to travel and was able to visit many places. She often talked about going to see the 'Little House in the Big Woods'. The Ingalls family had lived in different states and I'm not sure which place my mother wanted to see. Sadly, my mother passed away and was never able to go to any of the houses.
Last month when Eric and I were on vacation, our travels took us to Wisconsin, where Laura was born and lived during her childhood. I had researched the route we would take and we would be near Pepin, Wisconsin. We spent a little time at the museum where her things are displayed, then went to the replica cabin of the Ingalls home place. It is built on the land they owned, a few miles from town. There wasn't that much to see, the cabin is small with 2 areas off of the main room and a loft. Indeed, it was a 'little house.'
I am glad that I got to fulfill the dream my mom had. It brought back memories of the stories I read as a little girl.
But I wish my mom had been able to take a trip to see 'her friend Laura's house'.
When the TV series was created, my mother was a dedicated follower. I don't know if she could relate to the Ingalls family; getting milk from a cow for breakfast, dad killing an animal for meat for supper, chopping firewood to stay warm and sleeping under stacks of quilts in the winter. One year when we were in the mountains, we found a set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books. They were the same books that I had read as a little girl. We gave my mom the set for Christmas, even though they were juvenile and paperback; not exactly an adult gift. Those books stayed by her recliner in the winter where she would sit and read after she got home from work.
My mom liked to travel and was able to visit many places. She often talked about going to see the 'Little House in the Big Woods'. The Ingalls family had lived in different states and I'm not sure which place my mother wanted to see. Sadly, my mother passed away and was never able to go to any of the houses.
Last month when Eric and I were on vacation, our travels took us to Wisconsin, where Laura was born and lived during her childhood. I had researched the route we would take and we would be near Pepin, Wisconsin. We spent a little time at the museum where her things are displayed, then went to the replica cabin of the Ingalls home place. It is built on the land they owned, a few miles from town. There wasn't that much to see, the cabin is small with 2 areas off of the main room and a loft. Indeed, it was a 'little house.'
I am glad that I got to fulfill the dream my mom had. It brought back memories of the stories I read as a little girl.
But I wish my mom had been able to take a trip to see 'her friend Laura's house'.
Friday, August 15, 2014
We had the 'cool' house
After my dad built the putt putt course in our back yard, that is where you could find him every Saturday night. With his 8 track tape player sitting on the picnic table and the speakers blaring blue grass and country music, he would settle in for the night. (If you are under the age of 40, please Google '8 track tape'). Since there weren't really any neighbors around and it was a dead end road, there were few complaints about the loud music. If the fish had been biting at the river when he had recently gone fishing, supper was fried fish. If daddy had come home empty handed, the menu for the night was T-bone steaks. Usually it was just momma and daddy, but if someone happened to stop by, he sent her to the grocery store to pick up a few extra steaks. Most of the time, there was always an extra person or two. Everyone was welcome as long as you didn't turn the music down. It was a lot of fun to be there, listening to the music, playing golf, laughing and joking around. Good clean fun.
When our sons were in high school, Eric and I built a garage. It was a 2 car garage, but one side housed a rec room. We put our old den furniture in it and bought a juke box from my uncle that he restored. The juke box was from the 1970s and played 45s. (If you are under the age of 40, please Google '45 record'.) We put a dart board on the wall and bought a pool table. Records from the 70s and 80s were loaded in the juke box and a sharpie pen was placed by the door for everyone to sign their name. The crowd started coming over after football games, stopping long enough to grab a canned drink out of the refrigerator and sometimes pop a bag of popcorn. Names were written on the back of the door and the music was turned up loud. No matter how cold it was outside, the gang still came over. We had a few basic rules that everyone knew, but as far as we know, they were never broken. High school was soon over and the kids started college. Weekends still found them at our house if they were home. The college years flew by and wedding invitations started showing up in our mailbox. We now see some of the guys, married and with children of their own.
I am so glad that we were able to provide our sons and their friends with a place to hang out. I hope they made some good memories and remember all of the times they laughed and joked around. I hope our house was as cool as my parent's house.
When our sons were in high school, Eric and I built a garage. It was a 2 car garage, but one side housed a rec room. We put our old den furniture in it and bought a juke box from my uncle that he restored. The juke box was from the 1970s and played 45s. (If you are under the age of 40, please Google '45 record'.) We put a dart board on the wall and bought a pool table. Records from the 70s and 80s were loaded in the juke box and a sharpie pen was placed by the door for everyone to sign their name. The crowd started coming over after football games, stopping long enough to grab a canned drink out of the refrigerator and sometimes pop a bag of popcorn. Names were written on the back of the door and the music was turned up loud. No matter how cold it was outside, the gang still came over. We had a few basic rules that everyone knew, but as far as we know, they were never broken. High school was soon over and the kids started college. Weekends still found them at our house if they were home. The college years flew by and wedding invitations started showing up in our mailbox. We now see some of the guys, married and with children of their own.
I am so glad that we were able to provide our sons and their friends with a place to hang out. I hope they made some good memories and remember all of the times they laughed and joked around. I hope our house was as cool as my parent's house.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Happy birthday Daddy
Today is my dad's birthday. He would have been 88 years old, but still looked like he was in his 40s.
My dad was a quiet man, was slow to lose his temper and never raised his voice. I wish I could say that I got his good qualities but sadly, I did not. My dad worked in the automobile plants for a few years in Michigan before coming back to Belmont to live. He took a course in TV/radio/stereo repairs and opened his own business in the front room of our home. My dad carried a big case with TV tubes in it when he would go to someone's house on a call. Years later I had someone tell me that she remembered my dad and how tall he was and the big tube case he carried.
My parents were given a mill house to be moved onto a lot that they owned. My dad had great plans to restore the house but most of his talents were not anything that could be used on the house. After he had 'finished' with the house, he decided to build a putt-putt course in the backyard. The lot was pretty big and there were no neighbors behind us. My dad made the sides and different obstacles for each of the holes. Astroturf was installed and my sister-in-law painted a sign to hang up. When the grandkids came over to play, my dad was completely in Heaven. It was exactly what he had hoped it would be, a place for anyone to be a kid. Especially him.
Happy birthday daddy.
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My dad was a quiet man, was slow to lose his temper and never raised his voice. I wish I could say that I got his good qualities but sadly, I did not. My dad worked in the automobile plants for a few years in Michigan before coming back to Belmont to live. He took a course in TV/radio/stereo repairs and opened his own business in the front room of our home. My dad carried a big case with TV tubes in it when he would go to someone's house on a call. Years later I had someone tell me that she remembered my dad and how tall he was and the big tube case he carried.
My parents were given a mill house to be moved onto a lot that they owned. My dad had great plans to restore the house but most of his talents were not anything that could be used on the house. After he had 'finished' with the house, he decided to build a putt-putt course in the backyard. The lot was pretty big and there were no neighbors behind us. My dad made the sides and different obstacles for each of the holes. Astroturf was installed and my sister-in-law painted a sign to hang up. When the grandkids came over to play, my dad was completely in Heaven. It was exactly what he had hoped it would be, a place for anyone to be a kid. Especially him.
Happy birthday daddy.
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