Leg- Children

My husband and I divorced. It was not hateful. We just should not be married any more.

The thing that many found unusual was that we each remained close to the other's families. My husband often visited my mother. I was always close to his mother.

He called my mother Ma. I called his mother Mom. I only wish I could have been as wise as she was.

Mom liked tapioca pudding. None of the family would eat it except me. Whenever we visited she would make some just for me. 

Mom and I had the same feelings about family. Family members should make the effort to be a part of the family. 

Many years after she died I was having lunch with my sister-in-law. The topic of conversation went to Mom as it usually did. 

I knew Mom had been hurt because I never sent my kids to spend the summer with her. I knew my kids. I called them "leg-children" because they made sure I was close by. They would have stayed as long as I was near. Otherwise they would have cried the whole time.

My sister-in-law laughed. She said they were the same way. 

It is funny how patterns repeat.

Hot Stuff

I was a toddler. Less than two years old.

Popcorn was a favorite snack. There were no foil pans that you shake over heat until the exploding kernels makes the foil expand and is ready to eat. No nice little packages to put in the microwave and push the popcorn button. 

Way back then the way we made popcorn was to put the grease (we used lard) into a pan to get nice and hot. Then the kernels were added, a lid put on the pan, and the pan was shaken back and forth until the kernels popped.

Mom was making popcorn one night. I was a nosy little girl even then. I obviously wanted to see what was in the pan. 

I toddled over to the stove and grabbed the handle of the pan. It was hot so I let go of it. But I had started it moving in a downward direction. Hot lard poured down the front of me.

The doctor prescribed a burn ointment.

The only thing I actually remember is standing on the toilet while Mom smeared the ointment on my legs. She was practically in tears and worried that my legs would be scarred.

She was so worried about my legs that she forgot about my hand.

My legs have no sign of damage. The back of my hand is scarred. It has always looked like the hand of an old woman. 

The use of my hand was not affected. Thank goodness.

See The Sights

 When I recently announced that I would be taking some time away from my blog because company was coming there was a person wondering about places to see in Sioux City. So https://rhymeswithplague.blogspot.com/ this is for you.

First on my list is the house my family built. We did not have someone build it for us. We did all the lifting, measuring, cutting, pounding of nails, and painting ourselves. Daddy did the plumbing and electrical work. Mom laid the hardwood floors herself. 

My high school is magnificent. Central High is known as The Castle on the Hill. It was built in the early 1890's. It was made of the finest materials available. The stairs were made of marble. Some were so worn that they were condemned from use. The original gymnasium was called The Dungeon. Whole floors were added to the original building but retained the look of the castle.

Palmer Candy is known for making Cherry Bings. The store is a different location away from the factory. The store carries a wide variety of both bulk candies and packaged candies. And of course Cherry Bings. There are Bing souvenirs and a little section off to the side that offers exotic spices. They also display machines that made candy in past decades.

Jolly Time Popcorn was begun in the basement of a man in Sioux City. It soon became a nationally known brand and is the oldest popcorn producer in the United States. Jolly Time Koated Kernels is the museum. They feature all things popcorn. Of course souvenirs are a must.

Sioux Bee Honey has been renamed as Sioux Honey. In 1921 five local beekeepers worked together even sharing equipment. That was the beginning. Now there are keepers all over the country who contribute to make Sioux Honey so well-known. Their online store offers a wide variety of honey products.

Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Lieut. William Clark were commissioned to explore the Louisiana Purchase. In this part of the country there are so many places named for them. The most important to me is the Sgt Floyd monument. He is the only member of this famous expedition to die. It is believed that his appendix burst. He was buried atop a hill in Sioux City. The Sgt Floyd monument is an obelisk visible for miles. It has the honor of being the first officially designated National Historic Landmark in the United States.

War Eagle was a leader of the Santee Sioux tribe. He left the tribe to avoid a power struggle about who would become chief. Eventually he joined the Yankton Sioux which was his wife's tribe. He later became their chief. He is buried on a bluff that overlooks the spot where the Big Sioux River empties into the Missouri River. At his monument there you can see Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

War Eagle befriended Theophile Bruguier. He was a fur trader who was the first white settler in what would become Sioux City. When Bruguier's wide died War Eagle gave him two of his daughters as wives. Yes at the same time. His cabin is still standing in Riverside Park.

LeMars, Iowa, is about 25 miles from Sioux City. It is the official Ice Cream Capital of the World.  It is where Blue Bunny Ice Cream is made. It was the first time I had visited the ice cream parlor. I pictured a little shop with a few tables. Boy was I wrong! It is huge with a second level just as large. We all got ice cream and sat to enjoy it. Then we hit the gift shop. I do love souvenirs.

There are so many more things to see. There is the visitors welcoming center on a boat in the Missouri River. There are museums. The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center has hiking trails as well as a learning center inside. And certainly a gift shop. There are three universities.

Across the river is Freedom Parkin South Sioux City, Nebraska, which holds a replica of the Vietnam Wall and a replica of the Korean War Memorial.

Want to see Sioux City?

Apologize

I was a union steward in the company I worked for. I am proud of what I did there.

A union steward is the in-store representative who is the go-between between the employees and management. While conducting union business the steward is on equal footing with management.

I used to greet each new training class personally to introduce myself. I would then give each new employee a copy of the union contract with the company. I explained that they should know their rights as covered by the contract. The union and the store basically wanted a safe successful place of employment.

Most of us think of the union steward as the person who will file a grievance for an employee. If the worker has a problem that cannot be solved by consulting with a manager the steward tries to negotiate a solution. 

The steward also represents the employee during disciplinarian actions. It ensures that the tenets of the contract are upheld.

I sound like a virtuous person. I tried.

There was a conference held for representatives of various unions. There were lectures and seminars to offer learning opportunities. In the evenings we would gather to just enjoy ourselves.

One evening several people were sharing jokes and laughing heartily. Of course I had to join them.

I told a joke that had a person with a disability as the main character. I did not mean to hurt anyone. But it turns out I was wrong.

A woman took me to one side and told me that another woman left in tears. Her brother had that particular disability. She went to her room because I had hurt her.

I found out which room she was in and knocked on the door. She answered. I could see she had been crying.

I apologized to her. She graciously accepted. I learned a valuable lesson.

Words matter. They have the ability to cause real pain.

I should have known better. I will always be ashamed of that.

Shocking

 Imagine my shock.

I pride myself on knowing the birthdays of relatives and friends. Of course with family it is often easy. There are a lot of shared birthdays. The years may not match but the days are the same.

Often to remember the age I have to compare. For instance my youngest brother was born when I was 15. Subtract 15 from my age and I know how old he is.

 I have bragged for years about my age. I do not lie about it because I have earned every second.

My oldest son will be 59 in a couple of weeks. I was shocked.

Here I was thinking I would be 78 at the end of the summer. But I was 20 when he was born. I know for sure because I was there.

So all this time I have been looking forward to my 78th birthday. Actually I will be 79.

I guess my brain is getting old. 

 Imagine my shock.

Company Is Coming

 I have company coming from out of town. They wish to see some of the sights. 

I love being the tour guide. Unfortunately it takes a lot of time.

I will be gone for a couple of weeks. Back after that..

Spatter Paint

We were introduced to so many activities when I was a child. I guess it kept us from sitting around whining about having to do.

We would take some of the biggest cucumbers from the garden. They were cut lengthwise and the seeds scraped out. With a stick for a mast and a piece of paper for a flag we sailed our ships in the washtub all afternoon. 

Cutting soft branches from a weeping willow sounds boring. But when you pick dandelions and other wildflowers magic happens. You can braid the flowers in with the branch from the willow tree. It makes a bee-u-tee-ful wreath for a princess crown.     

 l sorts of creative things. Some were shown To us by older people. Some we came up with on our own.

I do not remember who first had us spatter paint. Possibly it was in school.  

We had a clean piece of paper. We would place an object on the paper. Large leaves are nice. Then there is a piece of screen like they have on the door in summer. A wooden frame for it is handy but not necessary. You might want to wear old clothes or something to cover your clothes. We will get messy.

Have the screen about 6 inches above the paper, Water based paint like they use in school works best. Dip an old toothbrush into the paint. Scrap the toothbrush back and forth across the screen. Doit until you have the desired amount of paint spattered on the paper.

Then you carefully remove the leaf or whatever object you chose. Let the paint have a few minutes to dry.

You now have a lovely work of art.