Cowboys

  When I was a child westerns were what we watched when we got home from school and all summer. Cartoons were only available Saturday mornings. 

Of course I had some favorites. The Cisco Kid was special. He and Pancho righted all the wrongs they encountered. At the end of each show they had a little conversation that ended with "Oh Pancho Oh Cisco". Then they rode off to the next adventure.

Hopalong Cassidy was another. He and his horse Topper took care of many bad guys.

Roy Rogers was a favorite of most of us kids. Dale Evans and Pat Brady were sidekicks. Did you know that Dale Evans wrote the theme song Happy Trails one day as they were on the way to film the show? She was a talented author and song writer. Pat Brady was known for his Jeep Nellybelle and provided comical behavior for the show. He also a singer in The Sons Of The Pioneers which was co-founded by - you guessed it - Roy Rogers. Roy Rogers was well-known as a horseman too. You will never see anything more beautiful than Roy Rogers riding Trigger at full gallop.

Gabby Hayes was the ultimate sidekick. He mostly appeared in western movies so whenever he was in a television cowboy show it was a real treat. He even had his own TV show for a time. He did not star in any of the features but he played the host of the series.

I vaguely remember Wild Bill Hickock but I do remember his sidekick Jingles. His real name was Andy Devine and he had a strange voice and usually was reluctant to enter an adventure that might be dangerous. He later had his own children's show on television called Andy's Gang sponsored by Buster Brown Shoes. It had Midnight the Cat and Froggy the Gremlin.

Annie Oakley was a female western star which was almost unheard of then. She could ride and shoot with the best of the men.

The Lone Ranger will end my list. It is the story of a man who rode with his brother and other Texas Rangers into an ambush. All were killed except for him. He was found half dead by a young Indian who nursed him back to health. Tonto remembers that the ranger had befriended him when his village was wiped out. When the ranger recovered from his injuries he and Tonto travel the Southwest helping people who are the victims of outlaws. He is called the Lone Ranger because he was the lone ranger to survive.

As a side note the Lone Ranger's brother left a son named Dan who spent a lot of time with his Lone Ranger uncle. Dan became a father to Britt Reid. Britt Reid was the Green Lantern.

Hi-Yo Silver.

Bag Of Popcorn.

We were living in a small town in Nebraska. I consider it my hometown because we lived there for almost four years.

One of the attractions in this town was that we had a theater. Every Friday a new movie was shown.

If I remember correctly the price of admission for adults was 50 cents. Children had to pay 25 cents. Almost all of the movies were suitable for children to see.

I was 11 years old and working as a pinsetter at the bowling alley. I made good money for a child. (I also paid my taxes and Social Security which was deducted from my check.)

Anyway my little sister (7 years old) and I wanted to go see The Blob. We were told no because it was too scary for us. I had my own money so we pleaded until Mom finally gave in.

She was right. We escaped in the middle of the movie. We went to the bowling alley and had my uncle walk us home.

There was no big snack bar. There was a woman from town who made the popcorn. She had her own big popcorn machine.

She scooped the freshly popped corn into small paper bags. They cost 5 cents. A paper bag large enought for a school lunch was 25 cents. It was the family size.

I miss those days. Especially the prices.

In The Beginning

 I am a baby boomer. After World War ll, there was a huge increase in new babies. The servicemen coming home from the war married and started their families. 

My father was in the navy. His younger brother was dating a nice girl who had a sister who was not attached. A blind date was arranged and my parents met. Soon after, they married and a whole 10 months later, they had a beautiful baby girl.

My daddy had always wanted a daughter. When he came home from overseas, he had a kimono for his wife-to-be and one for his little girl. He wasted no time getting both of us. I have always felt very special because I was the little girl my daddy wanted. I wore that kimono until I could no longer fit into it. 

I have 4 brothers and two sisters. It was great being part of a large family. We never had much money but there was a lot of love.

My mom was the most intelligent person I have ever known. She was a quiet, nurturing woman. Daddy could make or fix anything. He loved being a family man and we all adored him.

Daddy was always looking for something better so we moved a lot as I grew up. I went to 9 different schools before I graduated from high school. 

He still kept moving until they moved to Detroit. I think he finally found his home. He loved it there.

Mom just packed and moved to where-ever. She never liked Detroit and as soon as she could after Daddy was gone, she moved to warmer weather. She was living in Kentucky with my sister when she died.

Now you know how I came to be here.

By the way my aunt and uncle broke up and eventually married other people

Stroke

 I always thought a stroke would be extremely painful. Not necessarily.

As you know I had a stroke about three years ago. It was minor and only affected my left side. Can I tell you about the beginnings of it?

In the morning I usually sit on the edge of my bed and watch TV for a while. I live with my son and we do not like the same programs. We watch different televisions to avoid conflict. I can also take my time getting dressed.

One morning I felt a spot of my tongue go to sleep. It was the size of a pin head. It was an interesting experience. I wondered then forgot about it.

When I finally decided to go to the living room I felt fine. Suddenly my left side did not want to cooperate with my movements. No pain. It just would not allow me to move normally.

I looked at my son and said, "I think I just had a small stroke."

He immediately wanted to take me to the doctor. I felt fine so I said no. He tried every so often to convince me to go. I always declined. 

Finally it was time for bed. I was on my way to my room. There was something on the floor. I went to pick it up and fell flat on my face.

I could not get myself up. My son tried to help. After trying for about 45 minutes I finally agreed to call the ambulance.

At the hospital they ran tests. I had indeed had a stroke and they admitted me.

The doctor told me that if I had gone to them when it happened they could have helped more. Apparently the earlier it is treated the more the doctors can do.

Now I need no sympathy. It was a small stroke. I still deal with some effects but am able to care for myself. I am fortunate,

I just want to remind you to take care of your blood pressure. If you have a problem see your doctor. It is better to be safe than sorry.

She Is In Charge

My son's dog has made a strict schedule that she tries her best to make us stick to. The humans in the house do not always cooperate with her but she tries.

She takes naps in the afternoon with son. When the time comes for a quick sleep she starts trying to get her bunkmate to get on the ball and go to his room. If he keeps ignoring her she tries to go to bed on her own. She knows to close the door when in there. The problem is that she cannot open the door and needs to be rescued.

In the morning she waits for me to come out of my room. I give her doggie treats then.

Meal times are supposed to be on her schedule. If my son does not feed her at the right time she bothers him until her meal is set in front of her.

.At 8 o'clock every evening we have an ice cream treat. We buy doggie ice cream for her. At precisely 8 o'clock she leads my son to the kitchen. Then she stands patiently in front of the freezer. When he gives her the little cup of ice cream she takes the edge of the cardboard cup and trots into the living room. There she eats her treat while we have an ice cream bar. It is a family treat time.

Then she asks to be let out for the last time of the day. She goes out and does what dogs normally do. And she barks and barks and barks. It is her special time.

Does your pet rule the house too?

Nicknames

My grandma hated nicknames.

She reasoned that you should name a child the way you want them called. She gave each of her children a name that could not be made into a nickname. 

My uncle Clarence only lived 2 days so there was no time for someone to find a nickname.

Aunt Franncis became Fran or Frannie.

Aunt Florence was Flo which somehow turned into Flossie. 

Evelyn was my mother. She actually chose Lynn as hers.

Louella became Lou.

Raymond was Ray.

We called Donald Donnie.

Somehow Keith became Deke.

Carol was Keith's twin. She never had a nickname.

Michael was known as Mickey when we were little. Now they call him Mike.

Then I came along. My uncles loved giving me nicknames. There must be at least 30 of them. I love them all.

Number Three

My three boys were on a little league baseball team. It was a small league with only three teams. 

The coach had a son on the team too. The little boy had a severe case of asthma. His father hoped playing baseball would be good for him.

The team did not win a game. Not one. The boys felt bad.

In the middle of the season the coach had to quit. He got a new job and was moving away.

Since we could not find a new man to coach and I could not be considered because I was a girl my father took over the team. 

The team won their first game ever. The boys were elated. 

As we drove them to the small store we always took them to after a game there were boys hanging out windows of all the cars. They were yelling, "We are number three!"

They felt like they had finally earned a place in the league. You have never seen happier little boys.

The team was in third place at the end of the season. But they were proud to be a part of something larger.