This Old House

This house is located on Adams St. in Stillwater. Ok.

Pictures can bring back so many memories. My family was living in this house when I reached my 16th birthday. There were two little one room houses  behind this house and a pen. My brother Ray had a horse in the pen. He called the horse Sox because the horse wore white anklets as I called them. Ray always said, " They are not anklets they're socks".

The other shed was used for a laundry room. My Mom went into the business of doing laundry for the many service men that were stationed there during WW11. This was before clothes washers and dryers as we know them today. Everything was hung on a  clothes line to dry. She had an electric clothes washer with a ringer to ring the item with. She spent many hours standing by an ironing board ironing the uniforms. Dad had a job with the city driving the street sweeper and also spent time in the Fall working with the threshing crews when it was harvest time. Most of the time he was also the Preacher of the church they were attending. We moved from there because the landlord wanted to move into the house as I recall. My little sister, Carol was born when we lived in this house. She was the 8th child my mother gave birth to. All the births were home births except the last one. They all had a doctor assisting the birth except the one born in a hospital. A nurse ignored my mother when she told her the baby was coming and told her it would be hours before the baby will be born. She went on her merry way and mom gave birth all alone without anyone. When Dad got through discussing it with the head of the hospital it was decided there would be no charge.
They were the start of a very large Lockwood family. I know all of us are very grateful for Dennis and Letha Lockwood. 

The Black Machine

I'm so old I remember when we got our first phone. I was in my teens. We had a two digit phone number. It was a black thing with a dial and was attached to a wall in the dining room. The city had phone booths on the sidewalks with a phone that had a slot for a dime. When you made a call you dialed 0 and a woman's voice would answer and say "number please". They were so polite they never forgot to say 'please'. It wasn't a robot, it was a real live human being and always women. 
The home phone was paid monthly and didn't  have a slot. 
When the home phone rang the family would get so excited and knock each other out of the way so they could answer the black machine.
 How we hate the sound of a ringing phone so we have it set up to take messages so you don't have to touch the phone.
Now we seem to be returning to the early days everyone has a small phone they can carry in their pocket and some never put it in their pocket, they stare at it constantly. This is because it now has the internet and games. I'm not sure why they still refer to it as a phone. Some even stare at it while walking down the sidewalk. They made it illegal to use one while driving because some folks try to talk and drive at the same time and many people just can't master that skill.
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The Calendar Stands Still

In a couple months I will be 90. Am I looking forward to it? No, I am not looking forward to getting any older.
Almost everything got up and left. I now have fake teeth, hearing aids, glasses, that no longer help much, thin hair, memory loss, worn out joints, I wear a contraption over my face called a C pap to keep me breathing while asleep.
Everything either aches or won't do anything. I once had many friends and now they have already departed. Why them and not me? I've been told it's because God still has something for me to do. I wish I knew what it is so I could help make it happen.

When I first started blogging I had no problem thinking of something to write. Now I live such a dull life getting the weeds sprayed is a thrill.

The news stated that George W Bush was treated for fatigue and sent home from the hospital. I'm tired too, but I don't want to be hospitalized so I will suffer in silence.

Its just another day.