Once Upon a Time

This is not the one I attended, but similar. 

When I was 12 years old the world was a much calmer place. Husbands and wives didn’t get divorced. I don’t think the thought of it ever crossed their mind. The worse trouble a kid ever got into was talking back to the teacher, and if that happened they got a sound beating from the teacher, and when they went home they got another one from their father.

 How would the father know what happened? Because there was no phone in the school building; why would they need such a useless thing in a school house? Yeah, we called them school houses in that day. The father knew because the kid that was in trouble had siblings that couldn’t resist sharing the exciting news with the parents.

The school had a play ground with some swings, a slide and a couple Teeter Totter’s. Ah yes, we had a thing we called Johnny Strikes, which I have since discovered the real name is Giant Strides.  It makes a lot more sense than Johnny Strikes. 

 It was a steel pole with a rotating device on the top with six or more chains hanging down at just the right height for a child to grab the loop on the end of or you could put your arm through the loop and hold the chain with both hands, then everyone would run around the pole until we were almost flying. Most if the time we would take turns with one kid taking his chain and walking around all the others, and when we started running the kid wrapped around the top would become airborne, saved by the chain. 

If State Farm ever heard of that contraption they would have tripled the rates. Schools didn’t carry insurance, in fact their overhead was zilch. They had no school buses, meals, nurse, security guard or even indoor plumbing. We had two smelly outhouses, one for girls and one for boys. A water well that we pumped a bucket of water from each day for the students to drink. I believe the teacher brought the bucket of water in each morning before the kids arrived. The bucket of water had one dipper which we all used. We shared our germs in that day.

 Did I mention this school only had one room, grades one through eight.

That is the way it was back in my day.

This is similar to the one we had, but not as tall as this one.

This is what the bottom was like,

 

A few Old Things

Taken a few years ago. My two youngest brothers, Gene and Hollis.

This was back when a picnic was to take your food to a park or the woods, and spread it out on the ground and eat.
1946 or so. Left to right, Bud (my husband), me, Mary, Arthur(father-in-law) Lucinda(MIL) The boy is Little Wayne. We called him that because he had an uncle with that name. We sometimes still call him little Wayne. His Dad, Leonard behind him. They are now all deceased except me and little Wayne.

Remembering When

By Bill Boyd, Perkins, Ok

Do you remember when?

The noon meal was called dinner and the

evening meal was called supper?

You went outside to the toilet and ate inside?

Folks said: “I’m much obliged” instead of

“thank you?”

Seeing a picture show for a dime was delightful

entertainment?

Red Christmas socks were hung near the Red Cedar

Christmas tree?

Cardinals sang their melodies, perched above

The snowy landscape?

The aroma of peanuts roasting in the oven,

excited the palate?

The handshake was a binding contract?

Eating snow ice-cream was a winter treat?

Blue-bib overalls were considered fancy dress?

Wagons were pulled by horses, instead of tractors?

Piggly Wiggly was popular as Wal-Mart nowadays?

Western movies were shown at the Mecca and

Camera theaters?

Every Saturday night at 11:30, previews were shown

at the Aggie Theater?

The Glencoe cotton gin was like money in the bank?

Gene Autry did a show at the Campus Field House?

Where did I lay my glasses?

Grandpa and Grandma

The above picture is my Grandpa and Grandma Potter( Martin and Ione) I have never seen a picture of Grandpa before, but thanks to Facebook I have been able to make connections with family members that I have never met in person. One of his Great grand daughters sent us the picture. This couple had 8 children. Ernest, Letha (my mom)Murl, Florence, Rhuel, Ted, Martha and Naomi. They are all now deceased. 
 When I was born they lived in Colorado and we lived in Oklahoma. I only saw him a few times in my life, and he died in 1939 at age 59 from a stroke.We have a few pictures of Grandma, but didn't have one of Grandpa. It doesn't look as though Grandpa has any shoes on, but I am not sure. Grandma may have heels on, but she was very short so she may have been trying to get up there a little higher.Time moves on, and now I have added to the clan. I have 3 children, 6 granddaughters,and 6 great grandchildren, My brother's and sister have also done their share adding to the family tree.
This next one is my parents and siblings taken a few years ago. 

Dennis, Letha, Carol, Gene, Hollis, Bennie, Lorrene, Ray, Cecil.
Now deceased ( Dennis, Letha, Bennie, Cecil) (and now, Ray 8/2014)

Reasons for Dropping out of Church

 

One couple attended morning church very faithfully. She was wheel chair bound, and her husband would push the chair. One morning as they were going down the sloped aisle to their pew, the husband became distracted, and took his hands off the chair momentarily; it took off down the aisle like a speed boat. He realized the mistake and did the 20 yard dash in 3 seconds flat, and saved his wife from crashing into the altar.

They never again returned to church. I watched for his obituary after that, but I guess she didn’t kill him.

One time a woman was strolling down the aisle with the tail of her dress caught up in her underwear. Finally a lady leaped from her seat and did the 10 foot distance in one enormous giant flying step, and pulled her dress down for her. The lady with the dress problem never came to church after that.

One time a Good Samaritan volunteered weeks of her time organizing the church library.

Taking each book down, and making sure all books were in the correct order. The next week it was announced that the church would no longer have a library as that area would be included in the children’s nursery. The lady never again set foot in the church.

One time sitting in the pew in front of me was a lady and her teenage son. After the sermon droned on for quite some time the boy leaned over to his mother and in a whisper much louder than he realized asked, “When is that airbag going to finish?” I’m not sure if the teen was ever able to return to church or not.

One time I fell asleep during the sermon, and woke up suddenly when I heard music. Everyone was standing; I jumped to my feet, grabbed my bible, opened it and began singing. I don’t think anyone noticed it was the bible, and not the songbook.  I didn't either at first.

I have been debating whether to name this “Reasons for dropping out of church”

or “Things I miss about church”.

True Story

 Years ago when I first became elderly, and I’ve been elderly most of my life, I had a neighbor, and we were very close friends. We spent hours discussing our fattened condition that sometimes follows into elderly agehood.  We decided we could do something about it, and could start by taking up daily walks. We decided since we get up so early we would start at 4:30 AM. We had a perfect place to walk. It was the parking lot of the Seventh Day Adventist church nearby. It was just behind the local nursing home, and up a small embankment to get into their parking lot. It was still pitch dark, but we felt safe until the morning a car turned into the driveway and came speeding past us to the dumpster. We didn't think we could be seen because of the darkness, but we both felt sudden fear, and just knew it was the ax murderer. The conversation went like this.

Alice:  Look at that cheap skate, putting his garbage in the church dumpster.

Me:  Or is it a body?

She:  Oh Jesus Christ!!! Let’s get the hell outta here!

And so we did, as fast as our chubby little legs would carry us.

After that we went shopping to get our exercise.

Blogger's Choice

A few pictures of the grand kids and family pets.

Statue of Liberty ?

Statue sitting down do the job

Shelby

Bath Time for Little Sisters

Summer Fun

A stroll in the snow

Mommie and Daughter

Daddy and Daughter

Sassy

Sophia and I call the dog Shelby. Sophia is Chris and Sarah's daughter.

 

 

 

 

Lucy

What if?

I just read the book 'Heaven is for Real' by Todd Burpo. A little boy had surgery and claimed he went to heaven. He met his sister that his mother had lost through a miscarriage, and told his parents about her. They didn't even know what sex the baby was.  Anyway the story is very interesting and turns on your 'what if' button. It makes you think of your own family and friends that have passed on. Just this past summer we lost this precious family member, Bob.  He is my nephew. Both his parents have also passed away. He was an only child because his mother had miscarried and lost two or three babies before she was able carry this one full term. I have been thinking of him and wondering if he met his siblings, and  what a celebration that must have been. He left a lot of family behind. He had made a career of the Marines, and when he retired from the marines he went to school, and was working in the medical field when he came down with a rare form of cancer that he thought he may have picked it up while in desert Storm. A chemical dump had been blown up. He thought at the time he was far enough away not to be affected. He was 55 years old when he joined the other side.

Bob and his daughter, Thea

  

School days

His daughter's Lisa and Thea

Happier times

Find Your Own Worms

We are not finished when we are born. It’s the parent’s duty to mold you into what you should be, not into what they think you should be. Unfortunately most only have the blueprint they were molded from.  Many of those blueprints need drastic alterations. Some are successful, but many more make a worse pattern than they were molded from.

They begin to grow and progress, and you feed and supply all their needs. 

Until one day they decide they can fly on their own, they hop out and flutter their wings.

 Some think, Oh no, this is more difficult than they expected , and fail miserable. They flutter back to the nest again and again.

Others hop out of the nest and are ready to fly. They have had good lessons and well prepared to find their own worms. 

One more quote.