Whistle To Go Home

I have mentioned that my father was the marshal of two small towns we lived in. It got a lot of perks for us kids.

When there were parades for homecoming or Labor Day we got to ride on top of the hoses of the fire truck.

 The very best of all was the noon whistle. Every day at precisely 12 noon the noon whistle alerted everyone that it was time for lunch. I can remember seeing men run to get home for a hot lunch. Some of the stores even closed for lunch.

The town marshal had to make sure the noon whistle was activated on time.

We would race to the city building at lunchtime every day. We hoped to be the one who got to turn on the whistle.

Now it was a really easy operation. It was like a light switch. 

The marshal kept a watch on the time. At the precise moment we flipped the switch on.

Immediately you could hear a low growl that built in strength. The pitch of its sound got higher as its strength grew.

We let it stay at the appropriate length of time. Then the marshal would have us flick the switch off. The whistle acted like it had no energy left. It slowly got less shrill and quieter until the sound was gone.

I cannot explain the thrill of blowing the noon whistle. There was power in knowing that I was the person who let everyone in town know that it was time for lunch. Also my daddy trusted me with that responsibility.

I know it was actually the marshal who was responsible. But my daddy let me feel important.

Talk To Me

Apparently people feel comfortable talking to me. That is fine with me. I love to talk.

I could be standing in line at the grocery store and the person behind me would begin to have a conversation with me. I would learn all sorts of unwanted information. My mother was always amazed. She wished she could do that.

One evening before fixing supper I needed to call the telephone operator for some reason or another. She ended up telling me practically her life story.

She lived with her boyfriend. They were not getting along. She gathered all his belongings and threw them into the front yard.

She was terribly upset. I was on the phone with her for almost 2 hours until she was finally calm enough to let me go.

All I wanted was a phone number.

What To Do

 Every so often I remind you that I have epilepsy. It is a nervous system disorder in which the person suffers from seizures.

I am one of the lucky ones. My seizures are very well controlled with the medication I take. I have not had a seizure in many years.

Seizures can be frightening to those witnessing them too. If you do not know what to do you feel totally helpless. I can help. You can know what to do if you see someone having a seizure.

1. If they are upright, lower them safely to lying on their side. That will help keep them from injuring themselves in a fall.

2. NEVER, EVER, EVER, try to force anything into their mouth. Fingers have been bitten off. Tableware and wooden sticks are either broken or cause damage to teeth.

3. The human tongue is a muscle. It sits in a particular spot in the body. It is physically impossible to swallow your tongue. However the tongue like any muscle can fall to the back of the mouth and block the air passages. Gently position the person on their side. That way the tongue falls to the side instead of the back of the mouth.

4. If the seizure lasts for more than three minutes or if there are repeat seizures call for medical help immediately.

5. When the seizure is over often the person will lose consciousness or maybe just be confused. When they awaken the body and brain are busy trying to re-establish connections. They have no time to answer questions like "Do you know me?" Leave that for professionals. Simply say, "hi, (insert their name, it is important). I am (insert your name, it is important). You just had a seizure. You are safe and I am right here. Everyone is taken care of. You need to rest so go to sleep. I will be here when you wake up." If an ambulance is on the way or the doctor is on the way let them know that too. That way they can let their body heal itself without wondering what is going on.

In the beginning  I was up and full of energy after a seizure within a couple of hours. As time went on it took me at least two full days to be able to even get out of bed and stand on firm feet. Each person is different.

Epilepsy is nothing to be ashamed of. No more than diabetes, heart disease, or asthma. If you were ever to see the list of famous people and world leaders throughout history who had seizures you would be amazed.

But it must be treated. By a doctor who knows what he is doing. Not many do. Most of the "maladies" are only mentioned in medical school in passing. I hope I have enlightened you a bit. I hope you never need the information. But if you are confronted with a situation you now know what you can do.

To Eat Or Not To Eat

My youngest brother was a picky eater. I do not mean he was fussy. He was picky.

There was hardly anything he would eat. Mom worried and talked to the doctor about it. The doctor said he would eat more as he grew older.

In the meantime he took a bag lunch to school every day. It was always the same. Two slices of white bead with 1 leaf of lettuce between them. Every day for I cannot remember how many years.

Most children like spaghetti or macaroni and cheese. Maybe chicken noodle soup or grilled cheese. Not my brother.

If he was at a cook-out he liked hot dogs. Not to eat.

He would wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Then he threw them on the hot coals.

As the hot dogs got hot they swelled. When they swelled enough they would explode. What little boy could resist that?

I suppose I should let you know that he is now a grandfather. And he is still a little fussy but the foods he eats are a much wider variety...  even vegetables.

Ooooh Scary

My mother was pregnant with me. My due date was August 18.

I was not born on August 18. Daddy thought I might be born on the 20th. That was Mom's birthday. 

I was still not ready to enter the world. Then Daddy began to hope that I would wait until his birthday on September 1.

Oddly enough he did not wish for me to be born on the birthday of any of my three uncles before then. Each had a different day to celebrate.

So to take their minds off the summer heat my parents went to the movies. The Beast With Five Fingers was the one playing. 

It was about an evil man who died but his hand lived on. It went from place to place killing people. Sounds wonderful right?

After the movie they went home. They began to get ready for bed when Mom realized they needed to go to the hospital instead.

I was born at 12:30 AM the next night. I missed everybody and had a birthday all my own.

My mother was scared into having me.

The Farm

It is heart-breaking. 

We live not far from the farm my mother-in-law and father-in-law lived as long as I knew them. 

My husband was born in that house. Not a hospital...that house.

It was a ram-shackle house. And very small. They had to move a mobile home on the property to hold some of the people.

It was not much of a farm in the traditional sense. All the land was on hills that are like small mountains. That means no planting. Even raising livestock would be too hard. 

My children loved visiting their grandparents. As long as they stayed away from the road they had more freedom to rove than they had in the city. Their favorite activity was to climb the hill and roll down. They still go over there when they visit to roll down the hill.

The man who now owns the property has invited them to roll down the hill whenever they wish to.  

When I began dating my eventual husband there were no people living close. The nearest neighbor was about a mile and a half away and there were no other houses until you got into town.

Now there are at least a dozen places between town and the farm. The open scenery is spoiled.

After my mother-in-law and father-in-law died the farm was sold. My husband asked the man who bought it not to take down his mother's weeping willow tree. The man agreed. Unfortunately the tree became diseased and had to be removed.    

All that is left of the farm now is my father-in-law's yard light. There are so many memories tied into that 40 acres. I feel them every time I drive that way.

Those Who Go Down To Sea In Ships

The folks who go to sea are a brave bunch to my way of thinking. They encounter so many things they cannot control. Storms, icebergs, pirates are only a few. No wonder they have superstitions to try to keep them safe. Some of them are:

No bananas on board. This is possibly because they rot so fast

Tossing a coin into the ocean before a voyage will guarantee a safe trip.

Protect the albatross. It is supposed to be the home of the spirit of a sailor who died at sea.

A female on board brings bad luck. I do not know why.

Whistling on board calls winds and storms

Red sky in the morning sailor take warning. Red sky at night sailors' delight. It foretells the weather.

Place a coin under the mast for a safe voyage.

The ship's bell marks watch times and time in general. It also drives away evil spirits to protect thew crew.

Tattoos were made to represent designs to bring good luck to the sailor.

Rats deserting the ship was a bad sign. Fire, leaks, or the ship falling apart are reasons.

My mind describes the Kraken as a giant octopus.

Mermaids lured sailors to their deaths with their beauty.

Phantom ships like The Flying Dutchman struck fear into sailors who feared they would be forced to man that ship.

Losing a hat overboard means a long voyage.

Of course this sis a partial list. Do you have a favorite to share?