IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 68

When Carl and I moved to Arkansas a long time ago we were told of ticks and to make sure we checked ourselves over before going to bed. Now we were aware of pests because New Jersey has the biggest greenhead flies and mosquitos both that bite.

Carl was a man with a light ruddy complexion and I myself  have an olive complexion.  I was constantly picking ticks off of him.

Every place on earth has its season when pests prevail certain times of the year and here in Arkansas has one of the least desired one when the ticks are “in”.

My mobile home is surrounded by Pine trees  and I believe that is their breeding spot. I don’t know this for certain but it’s as good guess as any.

My metal carport is close to the house so when I pull my car under it I don’t have to walk but a few steps to get to the ramp or steps to the porch to get in. The mobile home sits parallel to the woods which is only ten feet away and DIL’s dog Chili lays right at the edge of the woods so he can survey the woods for critters he might like to chase and still see me park.

The other day it was warm and windy and when I came in from the women’s Bible study.  As soon as I was under the carport and opened the door Chili was right there and put his head in my lap to be petted. He  loves the attention and I love to give it to him.

I always have a chore getting my groceries in because I have to stop close to the porch and open the trunk to get the groceries out and lift them on the porch which is about chest high. I then put the car under the carport and get out. I did all this and after petting Chili I came in and put the groceries away. I had lunch and sat down on the couch feeling completely exhausted. This little chore tires me out.

My shoulder had an itch on it where I couldn’t reach and after trying and trying I finally got up and got an old bamboo back scratchier we purchased many years when we lived in Southern California. Well I scratched and seemed to be reaching the spot okay and didn’t think much about it until later.

I was preparing for bed and my shoulder had an itch at the same spot (I certainly missed not having my bed buddy.) where I couldn’t see if anything was on my back shoulder. I finally got some rubbing alcohol and pour some on my shoulder so it could run over the spot I had been scratching relentlessly. I went to bed and didn’t think much about it. I awakened about two hours later and I was itching and itching so it was at that time I remembered Oh yes it’s tick season time.

I stood in front of the large bathroom mirror and held a small mirror to see if I could see anything. I used the back scratchier with and alcohol swab wedged in the prongs and I scratched away. I finally did see a black speck on my back and I doused  it good with alcohol because I did remember ticks do not like the stuff and they will retreat from the hold they have on you. I finally was making headway but I still could not reach it with my hand. I remembered I had a long tweezers  somewhere and after searching  I finally found it. I reached back using the wall mirror  and finally reached that pest with my extended fingers and pull it out. I still have a welt where it bit me but I don’t itch any more. I am much relieved and finally went back to bed. This process took an hour at least.

I am much annoyed with myself because I let myself be pestered all day and didn’t remember the solution as soon as I should. I guess age does have it’s limitations.

I have been enjoying watching the college March Madness basket ball down to the sweet sixteen. So far a couple of my favorites are still in the running. It has been such a good tournament that it is anybody's guess who will win.

I do enjoy watching sports. One thing for sure you won’t  see people disrobing and jumping in bed together. In the sports world baseball is beginning.  It is hard to keep up with that sport because they have increased their number of teams in the league that it isn’t interesting until it comes down to the World Series. It is impossible for me to remember them all so I wait until the series and then pick a team to root for.

I remember baseball of years past with fondness because it was when Carl came into my life then. Back then Dad always had a radio on for the customers that came into the restaurant. Baseball was very popular, and everyone liked to listen and young men and boys played on the local teams. I remember telling you that Dad hit the ball over the barn and broke the window in the doctor’s house and then ran back in the store and left my brothers to take the blame.

Needless to say our country was a good place to grow up. Getting back to my story. I was seventeen and asked out to go to a baseball game to see the Philadelphia A’s  play a night game. As fate would have it a sailor who came in the restaurant also asked me to go. I would have liked to go with him too so I had to think of how to go with both. I asked B the customer if he would not mind if Carl came with us if he had his own date and he said yes. You have to remember this was a small town and customers got to know each other because of conversation going on in the restaurant. You see a waitress couldn’t neglect or favor customers.

So a friend from school came to be Carl’s date. Customer B had the car so we all met in the restaurant so my Dad could see there were four of us going to the night game in Philadelphia. All four of us had a good time because the A’s won and we ate hotdogs and popcorn and rooted for the old home team.

The picture above is Jimmy Foxx who played for the A’s.

So whenever I hear the song “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” I have loving memories of the Lord letting me have the best of the ballgame and Carl too. I share these glimpses of my life for my children to look into my past of things I might not have shared with them. I can’t remember.

Until next time, I Am IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 67

Last Sunday it was so cold here in Arkansas that I had to wear my winter coat, something I have not done thus far. When I was in Pennsylvania whenever I wore it I received so many compliments. I bought this coat out of  one of the many catalogs we had coming to us in the mail. Carl loved to get mail even if is what I call “junk Mail”. This stemmed way back to his Alzheimer's and with that I had to intercept his not sending checks. I have had to return many items.

I’m getting the catalogs still because some just refuse to stop. I needed a warmer coat so I started looking at the catalogs and I saw this beautiful blue coat and decided it would perk me up a little because I never had a blue coat. Well it did because whenever I wore it with the hat and scarf the same color I received many compliments. One of my friends took a picture and this is what I looked like three years ago.

Well I wore it for the first time here in Arkansas and I received the compliments about the color and how nice it looked and I thanked the Lord for His blessing.

When we lived in Dallas Carl traveled to visit the men who worked the territory he had to supervise and was gone Monday thru Thursday. Our kids were in college and/or married and I had nothing to do. I started looking for work that did not require to work weekends.

I began working for an insurance agency.  The agency had several agents who worked out of the main agency. One of these men raised German Shepherd dogs and he was selling the last litter of dogs and asked if I wanted one. He knew I liked dogs because that is the place Carl gave me Sandy the Smooth Hair Fox Terrier as a gift and I shared this bit of news with the agency. I asked him the amount he wanted? His answer surprised me when he said  he wanted to give me the mother because he needed to close down his kennel. I told him just as long as I could have her spayed. He said that is okay he just wanted to find a home that would love her . This dog had been more of a pet.

We did take her  because we had our small back yard all fenced in because of Sandy.  This dog was so laid back that  she tolerated Sandy as the alpha dog. Going to dog training was an unique experience.  Carl and I took them to training class and had lots of fun. Our family increased.We named the dog Nitch.

I want to mention a little  bit about insurance. If you have children old enough to marry please encourage them to take out whole life insurance on each other as a safe guard. I know it was a godsend for me when Carl died. If they have children then especially on the children as they are born because the premium is smaller. As the policy comes of age you can cash it in or leave it  on file and keep on paying for their life. Or give it to them and they can reinvest it as owners and they get to name their own beneficiary. The younger age you are makes the premium cheaper.

I noticed an ad in the newspaper to buy insurance for your pet. I am afraid I draw the line on that. not that I don’t value my pets life but that opens up a can of worms, Can you imagine getting  a death certificate for a dog or cat. I just snicker at the cost. I just finished paying a funeral home for my own demise for when it happens, Funerals are not cheap even when you don’t want  anything but a cheap, cheap funeral.

When I was driving to church Sunday I want to tell you I felt I was driving on the Lord’s canvas of beautiful color. We have blooming at this time Bradford Pear tree, the Redbud trees and bushes, yellow forsythia bushes and yellow daffodils and a blue ground cover I don’t know. It is beautiful picture as I drove.

Daylight saving time was yesterday and jumping forward doesn’t give us any more time like some people think it just a push and pull of the mechanism of the clock. I see I am near the end  and want to say, until next time I am, Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 66

I have been putting a  Thomas Kinkade  1000 piece puzzle  together that is a beautiful winter scene in the alps of a whole village. I will admit that it is very challenging because as you know Thomas Kinkade paints with so many colors and shades that it is hard to separate in colors in groups. I have received this for Christmas and really enjoy  putting  it together. I just finished it.  This is what it looks like.

                                                                                    

I remember many years ago we sent my sister and her husband a puzzle that was a picture of the four of us. It is amazing what they reproduce in a puzzle format. I love Blue Birds and think the picture of the Blue Bird that looks mad and frumpy is one of my favorites because Carl and I had a birdhouse for them when we first moved here. We use to sit on the porch and watch them come and go building their nest. 

                                                                         

Country life can be very relaxing but you have to like being alone. I have been asked; “How can you stand it away from people? “ I know we like it because we had each other. I am still having to adjust being alone. Now dogs take up the slack.

I am glad The Kings Speech won best picture, and best actor and actress Oscar awards last night. I don’t see many movies but when I do I am glad they were good choices.

I have been watching some very old movies on cable and I am surprised that there are so many I haven’t seen. The war movies are always good. It seems to me there won’t be any of todays crop that will be memorable.

I have two grandsons who have birthdays this month and it turns out it’s the oldest 30 and the youngest 16, of different children. If I hadn’t felt old before I do now. I told the youngest I can remember my 16th birthday very well because I received a gold stretch band that was a Lily that circled around my wrist that I still have. On my 30th Carl took me out to dinner and gave me a gold horse pin which I still have. I must admit I don’t remember many of the in-between  birthdays.

My father gave me a locket that mom wore that  he had given her. It is a gold heart shape that opens up and had his picture on one side and moms on the other.You can’t see it, but Mom is wearing the locket in the picture below.   I still have it also. Memories are so good to remember when the individuals have passed on.

        

Also this February my oldest sister who is living, she and her husband celebrated their 61st wedding  anniversary. From the picture it indicates the weather was warm for February in New Jersey way back then. They still live in the same house.  

A friend sent an email with pictures of ice burgs on lake  Michigan were beautiful and huge.   Here are a few of them below.

I went also and had my tax return done and filed electronically.  It cost almost same as last year.

I have seen many winter pictures but the one that wins the prize was an Amish farmer pulled an empty milk container truck out of a ditch that he slid in.   He was very skeptical and when the farmer hitched his four horse team to the truck and pulled it out. They were large like the AnHauser Bush Clydesdales.

I am enjoying life even though it is not quite the way I would   say is ideal but God knows what’s best for me, I want to get his posted so Until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.