Immigrant daughter 64

Back to a glimpse of another memory of my past. Carl and I had so many good years and I remember that one day a voice from his past came calling. We were living in Muncie at the time and the phone rang and I said hello this is the Moody residence and there was a hesitant voice asking “Is this where Conrad  lives?”. And after a few questions back and forth I put Carl on the phone to talk. When Carl finished talking he had such a glow on his face when he sat down and told me this.

When growing up in one of the foster homes he was befriended by another foster child who was adopted. This boy lost touch with the others because his new parents moved out of the mid west to another region. He, like Carl, never forgot his past and he was  trying to find some of the other kids he remembered growing up with. When checking back with the Children’s  Aid Society and other agencies he found out about Carl who was also inquiring about his past. I am not sure about all the particulars but he found out that Carl lived in Muncie. He made a phone call to find out if the Carl who lived here was the Conrad who lived at a particular place many years ago. And from there this voice of the past came alive and brought a flood of tears and remembrance of part of his life he had long forgotten.

Carl told me he had forgotten this, because this boy was adopted and he had not because Carl was unruly and wild and did not take correction well. Carl told me all this was true because he was told nobody cared whether he lived or died. This man who called was a  boy who befriended when Carl  when they growing up and he remembered him after all these many years wondering what happened to him. Isn’t it strange how the Lord brings to light things long forgotten?

Carl invited him to come out to the house for a visit after finding out he was passing through on his way to California. This young man grew up and became successful in engineering with a large firm. He stopped  by for a minute on his way to California which turned out to be quite an enlightening visit. The visit lasted several hours filling in some of Carl’s past.

It was great for me because I heard things that are not written in any of Carl’s record.

When we lived in Little Rock while our kids were growing up we lived there right before the eruption of the school system between blacks and whites. We lived on the outskirts of town and sort of missed all the problems of the inner schools. There were blacks in the school but not that many and all kids were treated the same at least where we lived.

Some of the things they are showing  in the news we lived through them without any mishaps. My DIL and her mother and I went to see The Kings Speech and it was excellent. There again her mother and I remembered very well living at the time of  this crisis  England was having with the King giving up the throne to marry  a divorced woman.

If you have not seen it you a missing some history  very well done, because the movie casting was excellent and the story true.

I haven’t been to see many movies because there are very few worth seeing. They just don’t make the westerns as they used to be and when they remake any movies too much garbage is added. I realize this is kind of short and sweet But its raining and it is getting dark outside even though it is in the afternoon.

This new month was Carl's’  birthday month and one birthday I gave him a surprise party even though he is gone he is not forgotten at least by me.

Well this weekend is super bowl time and I will enjoy watching and eating popcorn having as good a time by myself as best as I can. So until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 63

It has been a week since I last posted and weather wise a lot has happened. Here in Arkansas we have had freezing weather and six inches of snow and for me that is more than I have seen since living up north.

It is a bit of  an in convenience  for me for me not being able to drive myself around and therefore I am a shut in. I really don’t mind being alone but I must tell you of an incident I experienced this  past holiday.

Since my better half passed on three years ago it really hit me low. I became very depressed and not liking myself at all. When I snapped out of it after going to the doctor and asking for some help just to get over the bumps in the road. I am not a willing pill taker. I did not get to see my regular doctor and had to see an associate in the clinic. Not liking it but accepting it. The doctor was either Indian or or Hindu and I had to give him a complete run down of my medical history. This is why I want to stick to just one doctor. Even though my medical history is in the computer he asked me all the usual questions because he was too lazy to read it ahead of time.

I can go on about what a bummer this visit turned out to be but I took the script he prescribed and left. I mailed it in to my mail order pharmacy and when I got it back I started taking it. I never read the contra indications of the drug just the directions of when and how to take it. That was my first mistake. Mistake number two would show my prejudices and that is not good.

One day while getting bills ready to be paid I all ways go through the the extra junk paper to throw away so it won’t pile up. I started to read the rest of the information that came with the drug he prescribed and realized this is an indicative drug you can never stop and my brain went WHOA and no wine or drink of any kind. I immediately weaned myself off this off this by cutting the pill in half and taking it every other day until it was gone.

I am not a habitual drinker but I do like a glass of wine or even two and for me not to be able to indulge at all would be adding to the problem I went to eliminate. I can remember my better half was a pill pusher selling drugs to the doctors and hospitals and he told me so many things to avoid and drugs like this was one of them.

I called my mail order pharmacy and had to go through the rigger  ma roll of trying to talk to a real person and not a machine. That is another pet peeve I have calling and trying to reach someone to talk to and being told don’t hang up you call is important to us and leave us hanging on to battle the machine and finally get the “leave you name, age and why you are calling and someone will get back to0 you”. This makes you having to stay glued to the house until they call back like my time is not important as important as theirs.

When I did get a call back and was put through to a person I told them not to send this drug to me ever again and explained to them why.  They said they understand and would wipe it from my record. They did confirm the danger of  the addict ion to this drug.  Most of my life has been spent of having to take insulin to live and I wasn’t needing another crutch to live on. I know people that think pills are the answer, but I do not

Well I am over the depression state now that the holidays are over and I feel great not perfect but just great.

I received four puzzles for Christmas all different and I started to put one together. A thousand pieces will keep me busy for several weeks. In between I am enjoying the sports and getting ready for March madness in college basketball. I do have a couple of favorites.

Carl and I loved to watch all the teams play but we did want the favorites end the year in the top so we could root root for the home team. He always like the big ten schools and I always liked Pennsylvania and East Coast teams. We would have lots of fun kidding each other while enjoying our beer and popcorn watching the game. I can’t explain the inner pleasure we had but I can tell you I miss that when I am watching the games by myself. The weekends were relaxing times for us because it was special.

My home is small but comfortable and the saying “a place for everything and everything in its’ place. I have a small plastic tool box on my two drawer file cabinet that has wheels I have the small tools like hammer, pliers, level and the like. They all have my initials on the handle. I had to do this because Carl was great for not being able to find his tools half of the time because he would lend them out to  anyone and never get them back. So I kept my own tool for the house so  that I could find what I needed to hang a picture or what ever I needed a tool for.

We really were compatible and blessed that the Lord Jesus put us together to share our lives. I know this more now that he is gone and I am still here. And yes, I am not in the state of depression.

Without the Lord I would be. Until next time I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 62

  It has been a long time since I posted and I didn’t want let it go too long since I got back into the swing of things. I noticed that blogging has a way of going to the back burner during the holidays.

My youngest  came to spend Christmas with me and it was a special treat for me because she lives in Virginia and that is a bit far for them to drive. She has three boys and one girl  and it is amazing to me how much they changed in one year. I must brag a bit because I think they are good looking. The boys are all over six feet plus tall and the my granddaughter wears high heels to keep up in height, I could remember wearing high heels but never that high. It was encouraging to see young people with lots of life. I couldn’t house them all in my two bedroom Mobil home so the boys stayed down with daughter-in-law and daughter and granddaughter stayed with me. I had one folding bed and rented one so they were at least up from the floor. They had their own bath so that worked out fine.

I had gotten into a state where I didn’t want to cook or if I did nothing tasted good. You know it is easy to slip into depression. And I made up my mind that was not going to happen  after I went through two weeks of it. So at this point I want to tell you I will continue about my life.

My daughter in law tells me about some of the sad tales of families breaking up with the lame excuse we fell out of love and don’t want to live together any more. and when finding out more there is always an involvement of a girl friend or boy friend. They think  that when trials come on they can just walk away. Vows made meant  nothing. It seems to me upon hearing some of the stories the couples left God out of their lives. I know even those who know the Lord and strayed like my son did  is heart breaking. Lust plays a big part in wanderers.

No marriage doesn’t have problems but when you learn to give more than take it seems to get you over the bumps. Lord know none of us are perfect.

We  were discussing the whys of this and came up to the conclusion that the moral teaching has disappeared from families and schools. Without morality people live without rules and the we have to have them. Not just for a few but for all of us.

I can remember growing up we always ate our meals together on the weekend. In the restaurant during the week we ate while working but we did have a family booth where the family sat. It is amazing how much you can say while eating. When C was coming to the restaurant he graduated from the counter to our booth rapidly. I can still remember the look dad gave him the first time. It is a shame today that we eat more drive in food than meals made from scratch. It the sign of the times and the beginning of family break down. Of course this is just my opinion.

My dad was the center of our holidays. When he was living we always made the trip home. That was one of the things we gave up was family holidays in our own home. And you know we gained more from that because it gave dad something to expect. I can better appreciate now because when I know any of the family is coming I mark the days off on the calendar.

I want to say that now the holidays are over I had the delightful experience of the special feeling that dad had after we visited him. I was so thankful after their visit.

A week later I had gone through a sort of rescue situation with Scout the Sheltie that DIL owns. She always followed DIL home when she came home from work after spending the day with me. One night she followed her home but wouldn’t go in when she opened the door and DIL couldn’t catch he to make her go in.

She disappeared  for two days and we just assumed she went off to die. She wasn’t eating and was a shekel walking around. In the meantime AR got a snow storm that brought freezing weather more than I have ever seen. I had attempted to sweep off the porch and ramp and when I did there was nothing but ice left. So I knew I would stay put for awhile.

I was ready to stop when I noticed Scout came scrawling out from under the ramp next to my steps I was cleaning. Now here is where the rescue begins. Scout was covered with snow that was stuck to her. I went down  the steps I cleared off and tried to pick her up which I couldn’t because I can’t bend that far down.You can imagine what a sight I was trying to pick her up by the scruff of her neck and hold on to the rail and cane at the same time. She was too heavy for my one hand I would get her front feet up the step and then try to lift her bottom up the step trying now to let her fall or myself either. I was near the top and I just couldn’t reach up from where I was and had to come holding her bottom on the step and to keep me from falling. I thought I might do well by sitting down the step and then scoot up step by step, You can imagine my surprise to find out I sat too low to be of any use to finish the job. Here I was stuck on the steps and not being able to get up myself. I prayed and asked the Lord for the skill to get her to the top and me too. It took me one hour to get her and me up five steps. When I got to the top I still couldn’t lift her and had to drag her one step at a time across the porch that is 14 by 16. Fortunately I left the door ajar and I was able  to drag her into the living room where I had a sheep skin to put her on. I only was able to get her head and shoulders on. I left her to get a towel so I could dry some. She was so cold she was shivering. When I got a large thick towel and threw it over her she looked up as if to say thank you.  As bet as we could determine she was out under the ramp the three days it was 18 to 25 degrees with weather people saying keep your pet in out of the cold. C and I felt awful but in all fairness she wouldn’t come in when we called. And by this time her back legs couldn’t work. C came from work and brought a small can of dog food and fed her and she ate it all.

After discussing  the situating she decided to put her down and I agreed because I couldn’t be of much help. We both knew the Vet would try to talk her out of it but the decision was best for the dog because she works all day and I am handicapped. So she wrapped her with the towel and took her home. She put her in her very large bathroom to lock her in for the night and its a good thing she did because she let go both ends scooting all over the floor. It broke both our hearts she had to suffer.

Until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.

Immigrant Daughter 6I

Here it is December already and I am wondering what happened to Thanksgiving, the expression “time flies” really is a truism. I never let the passing of time bother me before and I don’t know why I should let it do so now.

Getting back to my story, I know I mentioned St. Judes’  Ranch for children before but I want to tell how how working there blessed our life. We had just returned from our trip to Germany from visiting our daughter and son in law. We had been there almost two years enjoying the birth of their first child John. We learned to adjust to the cold winters and the countryside. But it was time that we got on with finding a place to settle down.

We were visiting our son and daughter in law having the comfort of bed and bath on the lower level of their tri-level home with all kinds of privacy. After not being able to decide where we wanted to live Carl came out of the shower,  he told me we couldn’t move  as yet because he contacted St. Judes and I assumed it was the St Judes in Memphis, Tennessee, but it wasn’t, it was Boulder City, Nevada.  That is why I told you we went back and forth over Hoover Dam many times coming East to see the kids.

So while in the shower he said he prayed to the Lord that he really didn’t want to retire and asked for help to find a place where we could help others because we were too young to retire. When he stepped out of the bathroom the phone rang and it was for Carl. (Isn’t that just like God to answer immediately.)  The caller said he was impressed with his resume and wanted  us come there so they could interview us . They paid our expenses for the trip. They hired us on the spot and gave us our own cottage up on a hill away from the 4 cottages where the children stayed with their cottage parents.

Here is what we found out about the place: St Judes was started by an Episcopal Priest that was not connected to the diocese as working priest but one who was not doing priestly duties because his heart was for neglected children. These children had parents that kind of shunned them because they were too busy and didn’t want to care for them. These were not poor or disadvantaged kids just  ones with selfish parents who showed no love  to them. Most of these kids were very smart and knew how to get around the rules so when you escorted them to doctors or other activities you really had to watch them closely.

One day Carl and I took two of them fishing and all they wanted was to try  hide from authority and perhaps do what they shouldn’t like spend money buying candy or playing pinball machines. One occasion we took them bowling and we knew we couldn’t do that anymore. Too many places to hide in the bowling alleys like having to go to the bathroom too many times.  They use to say I can go by myself and we learned the hard way to never to let them out of our sight.

Father Bert ---- was really a pastor that could demand respect and get it from them. They knew right off they would not be allowed to stay at the ranch and they also knew what awaited them if expelled from the Ranch. Some would have been put in detention homes they knew their parent didn’t want them home all the time. Here at the Ranch they knew they were loved and people cared for them and they were never were left alone.

Once a year the celebrities in Vegas had a dinner and fashion show to raise money for the ranch. The one year we were there the dinner host was Ed McMan and whatever stars were appearing in Las Vegas at the time. The Kids, Cottage Parents and volunteers were also invited. It was a great night out giving the kids and opportunity to dress up for the night out. The dinner was either steak or lobster with all the trimmings. The stars made people aware of the ranch and its’ needs.

The Ranch used the front of Christmas cards and pasted them on of  blank cards with the information printed on the back telling about the Ranch. They still do this so if you care to send card fronts in their address is:

St. Judes Ranch for Children

P. O. Box 985, Boulder City

Nevada 89005-o985.

The sales also helps to pay expenses. Their budget depends on contributions.

When Carl and I were there we were called resident grandparents. We did whatever was needed. Every day we opened mail separating, the cards and the money it took us all morning just to open mail.  I understand now it has grown from three bags of mail to a truck full of mail. They now have to hire  people open mail. It was a rewarding  job to us because we didn’t have to punch a clock.

We we went to Nevada the first time Carl had just purchased a Large panel Vanguard Chevy van that had a bed across the back that we slept in often. It kept us from having to worry about motels. We saw the desert in bloom and let me tell you it is a sight to behold. As far as the eye can see was color everywhere. It was amazing to see large cactus in bloom no one can paint like the Lord.

As I write about the different time in our life of what I can remember I am so thankful the Lord gave allowed us to have a memory. It gives me an opportunity to understand how frustrating it was for Carl when he lost that part of his brain. Someone mentioned I should volunteer in that area, but you know I don’t think I could do that family is the only connection the patient has to life they can remember.

Christmas time was a difficult time for the kids at the Ranch. Most of them went home but there were some that couldn’t because of conditions at home. Their parents did not care anything about the  real meaning of Christmas. Now the Ranch was definitely started on a religious base and Christmas was a  glorious time having many religious  services. Of course we fit right in because we were of the same faith as Fr. B….    You know your Christmas memories play big roll  in your expectations of the present Christmas.   

 

Until next time, Immigrant Daughter

Immigrant Daughter 60

It seems like a long time since I am getting back to my story of my life. But time has a way of getting away from me so I will just give you special incidents that I remember.

A few weeks ago in the Parade Magazine from the newspaper there was a beautiful picture on the cover of Hoover Dam that is 75 years old and the new bridge that was open to get across the Colorado River making it quicker to get on your way. I understand from the article that you can still get across the dam on the old road (which is on top of the dam) going East  only.  All traffic will be using the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial bridge.  This new bridge was built in part for national security reasons, as the Hoover Dam is considered our most vulnerable landmark.

When Carl and I first came across the Hoover Dam  it was still new and we took the tour going down to see the inside and how the turbines worked. It was magnificent to see. The picture shows at the bottom of the dam where they allowed the tourist to view this large structure and it looks mighty small on the outside. The thing I do remember was the elevator took some time to get down to the tourist section closer to the water. I remember the water was green.

Here are some pictures of the bridge.  Each span was built by casting each piece by piece in mid-air.  106 sections in all. 

This new bridge span gives me goose bumps just looking at it. It looks like it is all open but is is not. The road lanes are all inside away from the side of the bridge making it impossible to see anything from your car while driving.

Our children were small when we crossed over years ago so I am sure they couldn’t remember even seeing it. Our country has such a beauty that the Lord made, that it is impossible to describe with mere words.

We have seen a good bit of it in our lifetime and I would encourage you to expose your children to it if you can. The Grand  Canyon is another place Carl and I saw together. I have fond memories of the places we have actually seen together and I will say this there is no place like home no matter where you live.

I would like to admit I do like the four seasons. It is a good feeling f rom going through spring, summer, fall and winter, each one has its high and low spots.

Now that I lived this long and still kicking, I can appreciate how Carl loved being at sea away from all the distractions on the ground. He never could make up his mind just where he wanted to live. Each part of the country held different distractions. I just knew where he was I wanted to be and I had no preference. That is why it is so hard for me to live without him, but I know I must because the good Lord isn’t ready for me yet.

One day Carl said I want you to lean how to shoot and took me to the skeet shooting range. We sat through the short program to learn this isn’t a toy and how to be careful. The first time I didn’t do well but after a few times it was a good feeling to say “pull” and aim and shoot.  I hit more than I missed.

Growing up my dad always had a revolver in the house. We knew where he kept it and were allowed to handle it. As far as I knew there were not any bullets around. So when Carl wanted me to learn how the shoot I was not afraid to handle a gun. Carl always had a rifle in the house. When he became seriously ill with Alzheimer's I had to actually hide the rifle from him because he imagined people coming to get him. I have great respect for firearms.

When we lived in Muncie we lived on a dead end street that was on the bottom of a U, giving us two streets  in to our house in this small development of about 90 homes. We lived a happy life there and had many friends in Muncie. We lived there 13 years. We purchased a blue high back couch and chair that we didn’t own very long because there was couple with one child in our congregation where we attended church that was going through a tough time. They came to our home for Bible study and prayer and before I knew it the Lord instructed us to give them our lovely couch and chair because they needed it.

After checking into their situation it seems they had purchased one of the government homes  that needed lots of fixing up because that is all they can afford consequently they lived out of boxes and make shift furniture. He had a low paying job that required him to have two jobs. They had one son who was on fire for the Lord. Everyone he would met he would ask them :Do you know JESUS? and would proceed to tell them who he was. We were blessed by giving them our furniture. The Lord is so good.

Until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 59

 

It seems like ages ago since I have been in my blog Immigrant Daughter.When you let your brain get out of gear it is hard to get back. I will try to pick up  our life in Muncie, Indiana. We did so many things that I may extend some of the stories I already mentioned.

We attended several churches there, But when we first arrived in 1990 we were still members of the Episcopal Church and we tried to attend there first. They had a man there that didn’t know his Lord personally and was leading his group down the path of destruction so we didn’t stay there long. We then tried a Nazarene  Church close to where we lived and that didn’t fill our need. In the evenings we went to a Fellowship and Praise group  and found out there was an independent Evangelical church out in the country in our end of town. We attended on Sunday and knew we found our new church home. The Pastor preached the Gospel without giving his opinion about what it said. We sang praise and worship songs that gave glory to the Lord.  The group was a good mixture of young and older people. They did not have “Church Membership” so to speak. If you came you were on the roll as being there.

The Pastor surrounded himself with men to be accountable to. It was a great body of worshippers praising the Lord Jesus Christ every Sunday. We felt very much at home and became involved in the activities in the church and out of church.

Carl was always wanting to give food to those in need and he found out about “Christian Ministries” doing just that,  so we volunteered two days a week down town working in their food pantry doing anything we could. We  collected food and held various food drives. We went and picked up donated food from churches in Muncie because we had a large van.

We became so capable they offered Carl the job to overseer the the task of running the Pantry. This was right up our alley and we had the time for it because we were “retired” and worked for free. They insisted on giving us $200 dollars a month which we donated back to the ministry. We had lots of fun while working very hard keeping the place clean. We were never to busy to talk to people. Lots of time people just needed someone to listen to them.

We expanded the food items to include frozen foods because there was a commercial frozen food locker that kept wanting to give  their extras to the pantry to pass on to those in need. Most of the “needy” had refrigerators with freezers across the top and at times we would try to get one donated to the family  if they needed one. I am so glad I don’t have to mess with the plastic bags that are in use now the brown bags held more neatly.

I really do miss not being involved in giving help. But we live in a time when there are more give away programs than those in need. The standby is the Salvation Army for collecting items for give away programs that they have become very selective at what they will and will not take. We truly are a land of plenty.

I miss my independence of being being able to do for others. This getting old has its’ drawbacks.

When the pastor “retired” we lost something that was never recovered in that fellowship. They spent a lot of money on the Childrens church building, and as time past the young pastor was too dictatorial and forgot the adults and preached like we were children and neglected worship so people stopped coming. So we looked for another place to worship. And the place turned out to be a place that had a very large sign on the highway coming in to Muncie. We were able to see the sign but not the church building. So were searched and found it.  One Sunday Carl and I attended and were very blessed. It was a large congregation that made you feel “at home”  the very first visit. It was a joy and also the name fit, it was called “Glad Tidings” and had a pastor that could preach that was a blessing to us. Again we found we were home.

One of the things the churches did in the Muncie area was have funeral dinners for the family members whose love one passed on. I was involved in handling the dinners.  Instead of donations I just cooked the whole dinner and had workers to help serve. I realized with Thanksgiving Day this month I remember cooking  the Turkey at the church and having dinner for anyone to eat whether members or not. That was so gratifying and as I think back Carl and I did so many different things together that we never had time to get bored with each other.

One of the Fun things we did was meet once a month with other Christians couples to eat a meal and sing songs. It was at least thirty people to set a table for and that meant the ones with the large houses hosted. This was a bring  a dish of your choice and the hostess provided the meat. I understand they are still meeting and eating together. I sure tasted dishes that were new to me. There was one couple who always brought beans and franks and ended up taking them home.

Isn’t it amazing just what we will remember. When Carl was in the working world at Christmas time we received many Christmas cards. I also like to send cards, so as we got the cards I hung them up on red ribbon that was attached to the curtain rod so that we were able to see the beauty of the cards. I did that for many years and then people just stopped sending cards or even writing notes. I use to write a note in every card I sent giving an update of our family. We really lost the personal touch. The next time you see a Hallmark card shop stop in and buy a card to remember someone that you haven’t seen. The computer just can’t give that personal touch.

Until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter

Immigrant Daughter 58

One night about the time I go to bed a large water bug that looks like a giant cocka roach invaded my kitchen, I went for the bug spray and fly swatter.  I then realized my fly swatter was so small compared to this monster and thought for a moment I was in Guam because this is what greeted me one morning. I forget to mention this was on the counter in front of the toaster oven, I must have used a half can of the bug spray.

Well this monster ran under each item on the counter until it ran under the microwave which is on the end. I managed to knock it on the floor between the frig and the counter. Again I used more spray and sat down at the table and waited. In about five minutes a groggy bug comes out and by the time I made it to my feet it ran back under the frig. This time I got the broom and waited and again it came out for air because of all my spray. The broom came down so fast on that bug and I held it until I could get closer to step on it. When I heard a snap I knew I got it. Let me tell you I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I hadn’t killed it.  I emailed my DIL and told her I almost called her to come and help but knew she was sleeping and didn’t have the heart to wake her up. Surely I can kill a water roach.

I sure miss my honey saving me from such chores, In Guam the bugs were big but I never worried about such things because Carl was always there and I was younger and could move faster than I do now. Does anyone else dislike spiders and bugs as much as I do?

My trailer is only 16 months old and the dirt is only mine so you can see I was a bit taken back when I saw it. Every area  of the country has it share of undesirable bugs. I remember in Guam and California we had to cope with scorpions and crickets. In Arkansas its the brown recluse spider and the black widow.  Isn’t God wonderful that he takes care of his children of any age.

It been at least a week since I have been on the computer to complete this post. I will try to finish it and get on with other things. I have a painting started and I am doing a 1000 piece puzzle just to keep busy.

I had to prepare the lawn tractor for winter and made a trip to Home Depot to purchase Staybil for the gas tank this way I don’t have to worry about the tractor not having a permanent cover. Oh I have a mower cover but that won’t protect liquid from freezing. I know gasoline won’t freeze but the condensation from climate change in the mower gas tank will . I am sure glad Carl was patient and taught me many of the things I need to know now without him.  Our anniversary date just passed making me a bit sad that I am not with him walking on the streets of gold with our Lord.

We are not into our winter as yet so sitting out on the porch with the dogs is a treat for me and them because they know they will get a goody. I took out two pieces of bologna and the Sheltie just swallowed it whole but the Belgium Milionis took it and carried it off the porch and dropped it to lick. As soon as the Sheltie  got too close he just swallowed it whole. I think I am going to take a trip to the dog pound to get a small mutt to have inside. I do miss not having a pet. I thought I would just share Cindy's but when the day is over and they realize she is about due home they want to go out so they don’t miss her. It never ceases to amaze me how attached animals get to our schedules.

I can remember when Carl was due home our dog use to wait on the door stoop just so she could be first to greet him. I already mentioned the Cocker Spaniel “Missy” who adopted Kim’s  bed as her night time sleeping place. Pets are family members as far as I am concerned.

This is where Missy should be sleeping:

 

 

When we chose to live in Muncie, Indiana there was a pet shop that will be remember by by me until my dying day. It really was striking how they advertised their store. They had a large hippopotamus out in front on the sidewalk painted purple that was as large as small car. It was used for many things. The parents use to put their kids on it and take pictures and grownups used it for giving directions because it was on the main drag and you really couldn’t miss it.  It was a fun thing to see and it reminded me of several large cement animals we have seen in different parts of the country. There is a large elephant at the Jersey Shore all decked out that people could climb up for pictures and in the mid west there was a huge Mother Goose that that displayed some of her rhymes.  Also there was a large shoe that the old women lived in that sold cookies and candy. The nursery rhyme themes were easy to copy and everybody enjoyed them. Do kids even hear nursery rhymes anymore? I know the comics in the papers aren’t funny to me in fact they are gross. It seems like the more ugly the better is tolerated. 

I am concerned as to what is ahead for the future children because they are not allowed to be children. I read Stickhorse today and she hit the nail on the head that children are not made to read a book or just have discussions at supper time or even just some quiet time without the TV or computer. They really do need to use their imagination.

I hope I haven’t bored you silly but this nation needs to get back to basics to help the children realize the important things they need don’t come in boxes. Until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter