In Your Easter Bonnet

Last year for Easter my grandson took pictures of him and his daughter making Easter eggs. The eggs were made of Play Doh. They were beautiful in the way that only homemade items can be. Beyond that he spent hours with his daughter creating something they could be proud of and that they enjoyed doing together.

It made me think of Easters past. Of course I love thinking of things from the past so I reveled in the memories.

My family did not have much in the way of material things when I was a child. For Easter we had plenty of eggs to color because we had chickens. The Easter bunny left baskets with candy. Mom made a fancy meal. Then we re-hid the eggs over and over all that day.

New clothes were not often bought for Easter. We just dressed in our Sunday clothes like most of the rest of the children where we lived.

I only had one Easter bonnet. Out house had burned and a collection was taken and placed with a neighboring department store for us to purchase new clothes. There was a little extra money and I was able to talk my parents into letting me have my only Easter bonnet.

However we used to make Easter bonnets at school. They are fun and fairly easy to make.

Some of the items we used were disposable aluminum pie pans, facial tissues, crepe paper, and ribbon. Paper plates could be substituted for the pie pans but they are not as sturdy. You will also need scissors, paste or glue, string or thread and something to punch small holes into the pie pan. Paint might be an addition but is optional.

First we made flowers with the tissues. We separated the plies so that each tissue was two. Then we used several layers. More layers make a fuller flower. After stacking the tissues we would pick up the stack in the center and bunch it. Then we tied the center with thread to hold it together.

We trimmed the corners from the tissues so they will not stick out past the rest of the tissue. Then comes the fluffing. Gently separating each tissue and arranging them so that it creates a full soft looking flower. If you cannot find colored tissue you can spray paint the flower for the desired color.

Use either crepe paper or ribbon or both you fasten a band around the hat. Paste or glue into place. Then punch a hole on each side of the pie plate. Pass the ribbon through each hole from the top. It should be long enough to be able to tie beneath the neck to hold the hat in place.

Punch more holes in the pie plate. When you have decided the placement of the flowers you will need to be able to secure it to the hat by putting the bottom end through a hole. A little bit of glue helps keep it in place.

Bows can be made as well as any other decorations you wish to include. After allowing time for the glue to dry completely You have an Easter bonnet fit for any princess.

Running Hot And Cold

I have moved from one house to another, one town to another so many times in my life.  I hate moving.

First you have to pack up all your belongings. Wrap the breakables. Find good sturdy boxes. Try not to fill the boxes so full that they were too heavy. An over-filled box is likely to lose its bottom and strew contents everywhere.

You begin labeling all the boxes so you will know where to put them when you get to your new home. After several thousand boxes (yes I exaggerate a bit) you stop labeling because it takes too much time.

Some pieces of furniture need to be dismantled. Beds for instance. You must make certain that mattresses stay with the bed frames they are meant to stay with.

Washers, dryers, stoves, and refrigerators need to be emptied if necessary. Breakable parts will be removed so they do not jiggle around and break in transit. Any foods that have to be frozen or refrigerated have to be stored so they will not spoil. You of course try to keep those foods at a minimum.

Finally everything is packed and ready to go... you hope.

Then you must load them into whatever vehicle you have chosen to carry your belongings to the new destination. Large heavy items in first. Keep it orderly.

Then larger boxes are fitted in. Be careful with the ones that hold breakable items. Nothing heavy on top of them. Soon smaller packages are being loaded wherever they will fit.

You make a last tour of the empty house. Did you empty the medicine cabinet? Is all the silverware out of the drawer? All the closets completely empty? What about that high shelf in the basement? Is all the trash disposed of?

Look at the check list. Did you discontinue the paper delivery? File a change of address for your mail?

Finally you are ready to roll. The truck heads out for the new house. The rest of the family climbs in the car and follows.

Let us say that this move is a fairly short one. You reach the new house fairly quickly. Now the reverse begins. You unload the truck.

Everyone is too tired but it has to be done.

Almost half of the boxes were not marked so you decide to stack those into an out-of-the-way room. The rest are carried to the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, or wherever the markings say they should be.

Furniture is unloaded. At least you know which rooms the furniture belongs.

Beds are re-assembled. Once the mattresses are on the beds it is a good idea to add sheets, blankets, and pillows. Otherwise you will be too tired to do it later.

Large appliances come last. They are put into the rooms they belong. You try to hook up washers and dryers right away simply because you do not want to do it tomorrow.

The kitchen stove needs to be attached to its power source. You probably will order pizza tonight just because it will be easier but the stove will be ready for business the next day.

The refrigerator is easy to install... put it in place and plug it in.

I have heard that you should allow any appliance that contains a cooling agent to settle for 24 hours before plugging it in. I never had any problem with that though.

Until one move when my children were small.

I immediately plugged in the refrigerator when it was carried into the kitchen. I had not brought any perishables so I would have to run to the store first thing the next day. Which I did.

I filled the refrigerator with meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and all the other goodies we normally keep in the fridge. We were all set.

Late that afternoon I was ready to cook supper. When I opened the door of the refrigerator to take out the meat I was hit with a wave of warm air.

All the meat was partially cooked! I cracked an egg... also partially cooked. The vegetables were all wilted from the heat. I had to dispose of all that food.

Apparently because I knew better than experts I had plugged the appliance in too soon and somehow reversed the way it operated.

We unplugged it and waited 2 days before plugging it back in. It worked normally for two more years when we moved again. We decided not to take it with us. It was an older appliance and we thought it best not to take any chances.

It's Magic

My best friend is beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. Of course she knows it and uses it to her advantage but she also sees the beauty in other people.

Men always flock around her. As I said she is beautiful. And she gets the special treatment that beautiful people often get. That is a handy asset for her and for the people with her.

At the same time my friend is not a shallow person. She is caring and giving and has a marvelous sense of humor.

My friend has two sisters who are also good friends. We all support each other the best we can.

Her younger sister had two sons. The oldest was in school and the school was having a carnival/fundraiser. We all went to spend as much money as we could.

There was a mildly famous magician who appeared on local television children's shows often. He was appearing at the event.

He noticed my friend in the audience (what a surprise) and called her up to assist him in doing some of his magic. I can attest to the fact that they did not know each other.

He performed a lot of standard magic tricks to amaze and astound. He even managed to take my friend's watch from her arm without her knowing it.

Then came a trick that involved him placing an object into a container that looked a lot like a martini shaker. He told my friend to hold it between her hands with one end above the other and flip it three times. She did.

Then as he was giving his spiel she flipped it once again. He passed his magic wand over it and said the magic words. He then asked my friend to open the container to show that the item had disappeared or changed into something else or something.

She opened it. Nothing happened!

The magician was mildly flustered but he kept his poise and chuckled that they would need to do it over.

He watched carefully as my friend flipped the container three times for him. He reached for his wand and she flipped it again. He passed the wand over it and said his magic words. My friend opened the container. Nothing had changed.

By now the magician was determined to get the trick completed. By now the smirk on my friend's face was impossible for her to hide. They started over.

Once again even under the close scrutiny of the magician the trick failed. He was definitely aggravated.

He said he would try ONE MORE TIME. He watched as my friend flipped the canister three times. She flipped it an extra time. He waved his wand and spoke the magic words. Then he grabbed her hands and flipped the canister once more. SUCCESS!

He promptly booted my friend off the stage and completed his act. She re-joined us and we had a good laugh. I told you she has a good sense of humor.

Then he called to her that she could come back up onto the stage if she wanted to collect her necklace.

Ssssssss

I went to the post office yesterday to get my mail. I saw a couple of kids playing at one end of the building. That is not unusual. There is a nice patch of grass there.

As I got out of my car one little girl began to peek around the building at me. She had a bit of a guilty look.

Then she said, "There's a snake here."

Because this area is known for its high population of prairie rattlesnakes I went to take a look.

The post office has those glass block windows set low in the ground. I assume that there is a basement down there but I am not sure. There are half moon shaped metal barriers to keep the ground from eroding down to cover the blocks. There is a layer of gravel to keep plants from growing.

When I went over there the little girl told me that they picked one up and it acted like it wanted to bite them. When I asked if any of them were bitten they said no.

I gave them a quick talk of rattlesnakes to make sure they understood how dangerous they are. They were surprised that they can bite and are venomous as soon as they are born.

Another little girl joined us. She had been searching for a grown snake they saw slithering away.

I looked into the area by the glass blocks. There were several little snakes rolling around in there. They were no bigger than a small earthworm. From the markings they looked like garter snakes.

We talked a while more. I tried to impress on them that they needed to know for sure what kind of snake they tried to pick up. I also let them know that all snakes will bite to protect themselves.

A man yelled out then and all three children scampered away. As they were leaving I told them to make sure they told a grown-up about the snakes.

As I drove around the corner I saw a couple of the fathers standing outside talking. I rolled down my window and told them about the snakes over at the post office. I told them that I thought they were probably harmless and that I had told the children to tell parents about them.

You never know with little ones. Sometimes they keep information to themselves to keep from getting into trouble.

It was so cold yesterday that I was surprised to see baby snakes (or grown ones for that matter). I have no idea whether the fathers decided to do something about them.

I think I will make sure to visit the post office tomorrow. They should know that the little places by the glass blocks are being used to breed snakes.

That's The Life For Me

 I have said many times that I lived in very small towns when I was a child. They were idyllic places to be. Children had a lot of freedom to come and go without fear.

Everybody knew everybody else in town. Adults looked out for children. If there was a problem parents could be called. We were as safe as possible.

The best thing about small town living was the community. Everyone attended community events. I already told you about watermelon day. There is more.

There were pancake breakfasts.  I remember one especially. It was at the library. For a nominal fee you had all the pancakes with syrup that you could eat. Sausages were the meat that day. It was great fun eating with other citizens of town and the surrounding farms.

I of course did not realize it at the time but those breakfasts were fund raisers. The library (which my family used all the time), the fire department, the VFW... all the organizations that served the town needed a little boost in funding. Pancakes were inexpensive to make.

The library had other festivals. Some were fund raisers. Others were simply fun activities to remind us how much fun the library is. Sometimes we would have cleaning parties to dust the books and shelves. It was fun.

School sports programs were community activities. The whole town attended football and basketball games for the boys and volleyball for the girls. We cheered out team. We bought snacks from the concession stands that helped with funding. And we had a great time besides.

Speaking of school all the grades went to the same school. Kindergarten through 12th grade. Every grading period there was a parents' night when parents could discuss the children's progress.

The teachers were members of the community so they knew the parents and the children. So these were another social event.

What I liked most was that each classroom was expected to perform at each of these events. The lower grades had three grades to a room so there were not as many performances as you might think.

What was fun for me was that there were far more boys than girls in the school. If a room was doing a dance they had to borrow girls from other rooms. I got to show off again! I am a terrible ham you must know.

My teachers also recognized the ham. And they knew that I had a good memory. I was given long poems to memorize and recite as the stage was being redesigned for a new act. I still remember pieces of all those poems.

Halloween is second only to Christmas for me. The reason is the little town life. We decorated all over town. We dressed up in our costumes and made sure we had a good supply of large paper grocery bags.

When we were finally allowed we went out for trick-or-treat. Every house had a treat for us. Some of the treats were candy bars (full sized of course),  cupcake cups full of smaller candies (including the dreaded candy corn), coins (a lot of pennies and some nickels with an occasional dime), homemade cookies, cupcakes (and sometimes a slice of a real cake), and candied apples.

When our large paper grocery bags would fill we took them home and grabbed another one. We then went back out for more goodies. We did not stop until we hit every house in town.

By the time we were finished we were so tired that bed was where we wanted to be. That was when the older kids went out to pull their pranks. My favorite was the outhouse placed at the main intersection of town.

If a child had a birthday party every child in that grade was invited. Events were all-inclusive. My mother was a master at unique parties. Each of us had one party in our lives. Each party was memorable.

On Valentine's Day we all made valentines to give to the other children in our room. No one was left out. We also took a treat to share with everyone so there was a party. Fun.

May Day was another day we celebrated. My first was when I was 5 years old. Using huge paper cupcake cups we filled them with goodies and anything to make them pretty. A pipe cleaner was used as a handle to make a May basket. We made them for each child in our grade.

My mother explained to me that I was to take the basket to the door of the child that lived in that house, knock on the door, then run. If the child caught me they got to give me a kiss.

I followed her directions to the letter. As I jumped into the car my mother was laughing hysterically. She did not make it clear that I was supposed to leave the basket on the doorstep! I still had it in my hand. Of course Susan Otradostey gave me a big kiss on the cheek when I dejectedly got out of the car to give her the basket.

I love small town life.

Teach me

 Education is so important. There are many people who will say that school did little for them and they might be right. But anyone who is successful became educated about something.

My husband was illiterate. He went to school until the 9th grade but he could not read. Because of that he thought he was "dumb". That was his expression. But in reality he was so smart.

He educated himself in things that interested him. For instance he had a friend who was a welder by trade. My husband said he laid "the prettiest" weld he ever saw.

So my husband watched him and asked questions. He had the friend show him what to do. Then he had the friend watch as he tried. He wanted his friend to tell him if he was doing something right or wrong. He was never the master he wanted to be but his weld would hold and be strong... just not as "pretty" as he wished.

I on the other hand found school to be easy. I learn fast and retain the information. I had "book learning".

I am still an avid reader and I search the internet about topics that interest me. I keep learning that way and keep my mind sharp. I am interested in so many things that I will always have something to study.

I had another advantage. I got an excellent education in school. I can count on one hand the number of poor teachers I had and have fingers left over. That includes college and the fact that I went to 13 different schools before I graduated high school.

I am also the oldest child of seven. My mother insisted that I speak correctly. (She was a highly intelligent woman.) Therefore words like "ain't" are not a part of my vocabulary. She relaxed a bit on my siblings but I am grateful she was strict about my words.

My beautiful children seemed to inherit the best qualities of both parents. They are much more intelligent than I am. They learn easily as I do. They also educate themselves as their father did. Add the wisdom they got from their paternal grandmother and they are all impressive people.

Sadly they went to school in the big city. The number of good teachers  combined among the four of them can be counted on one hand with fingers left over. Sad.

I taught all of them to read because the schools were poor. Often they taught themselves other subjects and would come to me if they had questions because the teachers were not accessible. Again sad.

My oldest son went to school with a star basketball player. He was often in the news. It was reported also that he was such a good student and had high grades.

My son said he never went to class. The school had him sit at a table in the counselor's outer office all day. He just sat there pretty much doing nothing for the whole day. But he was a basketball star and valuable to the school.

He was automatically enrolled in a Big Ten school for college. He promptly flunked out because did not know how to learn and was used to having his grades taken care of.

He tried out for the NBA. That did not last too long. He was good but not better than a lot of other players. The last we heard he was playing professional basketball in Italy. Sad.

What a disservice the school did to him. Because he was a big star in a big city he knew he would be rich from playing basketball. He and his family were not concerned with whether or not he had an education. Unfortunately neither was the school.

Education is too important to ignore. Not everyone is cut out to excel scholastically. That is fine. But you must be educated about something to accomplish anything. Traditional schooling  is a good base to build on.

Old Man Of The Tree

Have you ever seen the Old Man of the tree? If you are a lover of trees like I am you have probably seen a few.

He looks as if his face is coming out of the tree like the picture above. That is an un-enhanced picture.

I have noticed that there are not as many here as there were in Michigan. Perhaps they do not feel the need to be seen here. I do not know.

I have noticed that whenever I see one he looks as if he is in pain. Does that mean his tree is in danger? Maybe he is simply lonely and crying out for someone to notice him.

Now it may be that I see the Old Man more often than some do because I love trees so much. I have been known to stop along the road to glory in a particular tree.

Each tree has a distinct character and some seem to call to me. Sometimes it is the fullness of the tree. Sometimes it is the way the branches spread. Sometimes it is just a feeling that the tree and I connect.

Even dead trees are attractive to me. I can see what they once were. I appreciate the graceful lines that are still visible and envision what they might have looked like.

I close with a well-known poem by Joyce Kilmer.


I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Watermelon Day

During the summer Saturday nights were special nights. The farmers came to town to purchase what they needed from the grocery store and the feed store. It was a small town so there were not many other stores there.

What we did have was the free show. The free show was a big movie screen with a bunch of benches set up for us to watch. And it cost absolutely nothing.

I got 25 cents each week for allowance. Five cents went into the collection plate at Sunday school but the rest was mine all mine. Before the show started I would stop at the store and buy a bottle of pop and a candy bar. It took half of what was left but it was worth it. Besides I would get back a penny when I returned the bottle for the deposit. That penny was worth two pieces of bubble gum.

I loved sitting outside watching those movies. It was just like being at the theater. Except we had the stars above us.

The reason the free show was there was to keep the kids busy while their parents shopped and socialized. The fire station was where the men would gather to play cards and discuss manly things. The women stood off to the side talking about children and whatever else they talked about.

We lived just a block and a half down the street from the free show so I always went. Unless it rained. Then us kids would join the adults in the firehouse.

At the end of the summer came the best day of all. It was watermelon day.

On watermelon day all the farmers brought part of their harvest to town. Someone donated a cow and someone else donated a pig. They were both roasted in a huge pit dug in the ground. They started cooking a day or two before.

Then there were tables set up. They held cooked potatoes, corn on the cob, fresh salads, vegetables, fruits, homemade breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, homemade jams and jellies... you name it, it was there. And watermelon.

After eating more than you could possibly eat, you had to go back for a huge chunk of watermelon, then another one, and so forth. It was everyone enjoying the bounties of the harvest.

There were games like sack races and other fun group activities. When the sun went down there was the free show.

The very nicest hing about watermelon day was... IT COST NOTHING. It was just people getting together and enjoying each other and the offerings from the land. It is one of my favorite memories.

Boom!

My second son and his family lived on a very busy street in the city.  The noise from traffic would be unbearable if you were not used to city traffic sounds.

This is also a city known for violence. Drive-by shootings were not unusual even if they were not as frequent as some news reports would have you believe.

For those who do not know a drive-by shooting is when a car drives by and occupants of the car shoot guns. Sometimes they have a specific target in mind such as a person sitting the the porch or a certain house where someone they were angry with lived. Sometimes they simply want to shoot their guns.

One night we had a family get-together at my son's house. We were sitting inside and talking. The children were watching television. It was a relaxing evening.

We all jumped when we heard what sounded almost like cannon shots one after the other. There were four in all. Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Of course we knew it must be a drive-by. We made sure all the little ones were accounted for and safe. Then we asked each other if we were safe. Then we started to wonder if the neighbors were safe.

Having no idea what had actually happened we were puzzled. But you cannot rush outside because the shooters might go around the block or something. So we waited.

There was no one screaming outside. No police came.

After a considerable amount of time a few of us went out to see what damage had been done and where it had been done.

My son's house had no bullet holes. We saw no damage to neighbors' houses. My son went across the street to where he parked his semi truck. Nothing there.

Then he started to laugh. When he was finally able he pointed to my car. I had four flat tires!

No they were not shot. I had little money and desperately needed different tires. They had chosen that day to all explode and go flat.

Stand Up

I am so proud of me. A little background will come first.

I am a person who does not want to hurt someone else's feelings. That is a virtue most of the time. But it can be limiting to me.

I do not like to argue. That does not mean that I cannot argue; I just do not like it.

I once made that comment to a co-worker. She took it to mean that I would always back down from a conflict.

I worked in the cash office and she was manning the service desk that night. If postage on a package was an unusual amount the service desk would come to the cash office for a metered postage stamp.

She proudly came to the window and ordered 87 85-cent meters. I told her to use the 85-cent stamps provided for her in her cash drawer. That is why the stamps were there.

She said there were too many packages for her to lick that many stamps. I said that was why there was a moistened sponge beside the weight scale. She stomped away.

After a time she was back at the window. She had 87 85-cent stamps that she wanted to exchange for meters. I again refused her. She stormed away.

She came back with a stronger demand for the meters. "Do you mean to tell me that the United States Postal Service is refusing to serve me?" I told her, "No. I am." She managed to get the stamps on the packages by herself.

To be honest I probably would have given in and made the meters which would have taken me from my other tasks if she had not come at me in such an imperious way. Then I would have been in trouble with my superiors for not having her use the stamps in the first place.

That is an example. I was not trying to hurt her feelings. She had a job to do but she wanted me to make it easier for her at the expense of me being able to do my job. She was obviously not concerned with my feelings.

But I digress.

I needed new tires for my SUV. I went to a tire shop. They gave me the price of the tires and told me I would have approximately a 2 hour wait. I gave my keys and went to wait. I had something to read with me so the wait seemed less than it was.

I was called up to the counter. I was ready to pay.

I was told that three of the lug nuts would need to be heated and taken off that way because they were fused to the wheel. It was estimated as a two hour job. I would be charged according to the amount of labor actually used so I might pay a little more or a little less depending on the actual labor time.

What choice did I have? I reluctantly agreed.

Almost exactly 1 hour later I was called to the front. My car was ready to go. All I needed to do was pay them.

The man presented me with the bill that included the charge for 2 hours labor to take off the lug nuts. I half-heartedly questioned the price because it took less time. He explained that the technician had charged for the full 2 hours.

I sighed and began to turn my head in disgust. I was going to have to pay for something I did not receive but what was I to do?

Then it hit me! Stand up for yourself, dummy!

I pointed out to the man that it had been only an hour since he called me up to explain the problem. He looked at me and begrudgingly said he would give me a "discount".

The discount was the same as 1 hour of labor. I stood up for myself. I was not rude but I was firm. I did not yell or cry or make a scene. I simply asked for my due. And I got it.

So yes I am proud. Perhaps not for the reason you might think.

I learned a lesson. That is the reason I am proud of myself. I did not hurt anyone. I simply asked not to be hurt myself. I am probably a little old to have learned the lesson but learn it I did. And I am proud I did. I stood up for me.

Cocoa's Momma Does It Again

Cocoa's Momma  once again has a list of things to make me think about myself. You can visit her by clicking on her name. Her posts are so entertaining.


1. If you could sit beside and/or jump in any lake in the whole wide world today, which lake would you choose and why? Lake Titicaca mostly because it is fun to say.

2. What's your favorite 'fruity' drink?
Grapefuit juice

3. I read a list here of thirteen things to do right now to simplify your life. They were-
clean as you go, re-evaluate your relationships, unsubscribe, de-clutter, write down your daily goals, reply to emails right away, forget multitasking, create a morning routine, re-evaluate your commitments, say no, clean up your computer, and plan your day ahead

Which of the tasks listed do you currently find most helpful, in keeping life simple? Which item on the list should you adopt, in order to simplify your life this month?
Clean as you go is the best one. I also need to forget multitasking and try to accomplish one thing thoroughly.

4. What did you do the summer after you graduated from high school?
I went to work in the kitchen of the hospital. I had a lot of fun on my free time too.

5. Are you a fan of podcasts? If so what's a favorite?
I do not listen to podcasts as a rule.

6. Do you think today's fathers have it harder, easier, or just different than fathers in the past?
I think it is just different. A father who loves his children will make time to enjoy them and let them enjoy him. Sometimes work and responsibilities get in the way and Dad needs to learn which things he can postpone for a time. Children no longer have to help out in the field or in the house in the same way they used to (back in the good old days). They have other activities that need to be considered too. Families now have to plan time together but they can relax more than they could before.

7. Tell us one way you're like your father? Or not at all like your father, if that's easier?
I have my father's lop-sided smile and his blue eyes. I have his ability to be able to talk to someone even if we have not met until just now. I have his sense of humor. I think I have his capacity to love. Those are for starters.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Give someone a smile. They can keep it and give it back at the same time.


Some of these will make you stop and think. You can thank Cocoa's Momma for a fun workout for your brain.

Shocking!

When I worked in a factory it was a shocking experience in more ways than one.

First of all I had never worked in a factory. Most of the jobs I have worked had a different atmosphere than a factory. I was not used to being totally dependent on the person before me to do a task the right way so that I could do my task the right way before I passed it on to the next person.

In my other jobs even if the person before had made a mistake (it happens) all I had to do was take a closer look and fix it. In a factory sometimes the mistake could go back several people before the problem was solved. And sometimes it was not a human problem. Parts defects might cause things to go wrong.

Second the factory I worked at actually made shocks! We built industrial shocks rather than the kind found in the suspension system of a car.

The shocks we made ranged in size from maybe ten feet long to about 3/4 of an inch long. There were all the sizes in between.

Shocks are used to cushion the sudden stops of rides at an amusement park. Or they might be used in machines doctors use to do micro-surgery. Some are used to lessen the recoil of military guns. We did all that and more.

Most of the very large shocks we made were made for amusement parks. A lot were shipped to Florida for example. And there is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the United States which is not too far from where our factory was. If you ever ride a "drop" ride like the Demon Drop chances are our shocks are what kept your head from exploding when you hit bottom.

We even made shocks that operated Batman's cape in the Dark Knight trilogy. A simple mechanism would cause the shocks to hold the cape open and stiff looking. Then a release would relax the cape so it draped as a cape should.

We had in-house engineers whose sole reason for being there was to invent shocks for new applications. Most never panned out but sometimes we had a new type of shock to build.

Most but not all shocks consist of an outer tube made of metal, a bladder inside to allow the flow and holding of a liquid (usually some sort of oil), a rod that is pressed and released, and ball bearings and washers. Sounds fairly basic, Doesn't it?

Each different type of shock has its own unique set of building instructions. They are stored in the computer system and should be pulled each time a particular shock is to be built. Most of the time they are built in multiples so machines and parts can be set only once.

Of course testing is necessary to detect faults. Each and every shock is water tested to make sure it is sealed properly. A leak will cause it to not work the way it should. Then the pressure of the shock with the fluid inside is tested to make sure it has the correct pressure.

If they fail someone needs to find out why. Many times the whole thing needs to be taken apart and all the components examined as well as the build.

I was still a trainee but I had been working there a while. The woman training me was a saint.

She never not once heaved a heavy sigh or rolled her eyes with disgust when I made a mistake or needed help. She was always so nice about stepping in to give me a hand.

In that department one person often built the shocks from start to finish. The runs were usually not more than 20 pieces.

She was building one kind of shock and had me working on another kind.

I was in the final testing phase. To test those shocks we put the rod against the edge of the metal build table and pushed. It should have no give.

These were pushing all the way in. I called my trainer and she tried to help me.

We tried refilling them with the oil. They failed.

We took one apart and rebuilt it. It failed.

We examined the parts. They looked to be fine.

We rebuilt again. It failed.

Finally she called our supervisor. He came over. If anybody could find the problem it was him.

He pushed on the rod and it went all the way in. He tried refilling it with oil. It failed. He took it apart and examined the parts and decreed that they were not the problem. He rebuilt the shok. It failed.

The three of us spent almost a day and a half trying to find the problem.

Then the supervisor asked about the number of washers in it. I showed him that the build instructions called for one. Except that it said two were needed. That second washer cost us a day and a half of time and product.

Who would think that a little bitty washer or a bearing makes such a difference. Each one had to be built exactly according to specifications. There is a reason for instructions.

So we took them all apart and rebuilt them with two washers. We filled them with oil. We tested them and the rods all pushed back! Success.

There is one thing to remember... if the shocks do not work properly Batman could fall and break his neck!

Blow, Ye Winds

This has been a most unusual experience. You must read on to understand my befuddlement.

At the beginning of the week we had a terrible storm. Late in the morning everything turned dark. The wind began to blow... hard.

I watched as the branches on the trees blew around and around. They did not blow straight in one direction but in a circular motion. I watched for signs of a tornado.

Then came the torrential rain. For several minutes it came down in barrels full. I thought I heard hail but it was just the rain hitting so hard.

I expected to lose power but we did not. Thank goodness.

As often happens during a storm our satellite dish service was interrupted. I was not terribly concerned. It always returned to normal eventually. It does not take long most of the time.

After some time passed I could get CNN and Fox News. Nothing else. I waited and nothing changed.

A day passed and I decided to reset the receiver to see if that would correct the problem. It not only did not fix things I no longer had any service at all.

I called the satellite company and spoke to the nicest woman. She tried everything to fix my problem from her end. After much searching she found that some connection between the dish and my house was disconnected. She would send someone out... Monday. It was a week away but the best she could do.

I was prepared for life without any television. I like to watch the news to see what is going on in the world. But this was the week following the awful events in Orlando. I was beginning to feel bombarded by all the information and repeat information. So the television stayed off.

Then the strangest thing happened. A couple of days passed and a few more channels came back. I could watch my ballgames and a few other channels along with the news. Oh joyousness! But the High Definition did not work.

I was still looking forward to the repair crew though. There were a lot of programs that I normally watch that I could not get. All the local channels were gone. That meant no local news.

So I sat and waited for Monday... afternoon.

Last night we were watching the ballgame. (We lost... bad.) It was night time but it grew even darker than a normal night would be. I watched as the winds grew stronger and stronger.

Every now and then We heard small things roll across the roof. Once we even heard a crashing noise and some clanging sounds.

The wind was not as strong as from the first storm but it was still blowing harder than I feel comfortable with.

I read a weather warning on the computer that said that any animal including a human outside WILL BE HURT. It is not a warning that I have seen before.

We lost power off and on for several hours. It was never off for more than a minute but it was annoying.

When I went to bed I noticed the porch light for the neighbors was on. He works the night shift and she leaves the light on so he can see to get safely in the house if it is still dark when he comes home.

I realized that I could not see the porch light as clearly as I usually do. There was a fallen tree branch partially blocking the view.

I called my son from his room and asked him if we should go check on the neighbor and her daughter. He looked closely and said that the branch had not hit their house. It was late so we decided they were okay and we would not bother them.

This morning when I woke up I looked out the window. Holy Cow!

The branch that fell was a big one. It fell toward our house. It took out most of a crab apple tree in our back yard. It hit the wood stove enclosure behind the house and knocked the chimney off. That was the clanging noise we heard.

The fallen branch missed our house by only a couple of feet. It is a big one. Most of the back yard is full of tree branch. We were lucky.

There are branches down all over town. None as big as this one but there are a lot of them.

The neighbor burns wood so he can use the branch this winter. Something good came of it. And it did not land on any houses.

We decided to see if there was any news of weather on the television. I halfway expected no television again.

WE HAVE TOTAL TELEVISION RECEPTION! Our HD is back. The local channels have returned. All the programs I have scheduled to record are once again scheduled to record. Can you believe it?

It sort of reminds me of Gilligan's Island. Someone accidentally gets hit in the head and has amnesia. His memory does not return until another blow to the head.

In my case one storm took my TV. The next one gave it back. No one can tell me that life is not stranger than fiction.

Questions

Here is something fun. I stole it from Coco's Momma. Click on the link if you wish to see her answers.

Question 1: Do you have any pets ? Technically Isabella is my son's dog but she does live here.

Question 2: Name three things that are physically close to you: A bottle of water, the half of my sub that I have not put in the fridge yet, and my shoes that felt so good when I slipped them off.

Question 3: What's the weather like right now ?   Partly cloudy and about 79 degrees. Very nice.

Questions 4: Do you drive ? If so, have you crashed? I do drive. I have not crashed myself but someone crashed into my car.

Question 5: What time did you wake up this morning ? I woke up at about 9:30 and made myself get out of bed about 11:00 to watch the storm.

Question 6: When was the last time you showered ?  Sponge bath today. It was really storming.

Question 7: What was the last movie that you saw ?  Alice Through The Looking Glass.

Question 8: What does you last text message say?  No texting for me.

Question 9: What is your ringtone ? Ring, ring.

Question 10: Have you ever been to a different country? Only Canada.

Question 11: Do you like sushi?  I do not eat raw flesh... parasites you know.

Question 12: Where do you buy your groceries?   Walmart and Hy-Vee. It depends on what I need. Hy-Vee does the shopping for me and all I have to do is give them a call when I get there. They bring out my order and load it in my car.

Question 13: Have you ever taken any medication to help you fall asleep faster? Only a couple of times. They gave sleeping pills to all the mothers when my second son was born. We were up all night. You could hear the giggling up and down the floor all night.

Question 14: How many siblings do you have ?  I am the oldest of seven. There are only five of us still alive.

Question 15: Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?  I bought a laptop when I moved here and I love it.

Question 16: How old will you be turning on your next birthday?  I will be 69 years old in a couple of months.

Question 17: Do you wear contacts or glasses ? I wear glasses. I cannot stand the thought of putting something foreign into my eyes.

Question 18: Do you color your hair ? No. Even at my age I still have very little gray hair. It is creeping in though.

Question 19: Tell me something you are planing to do today: I went to the grocery store earlier. Now I am watching the baseball game (so far we are ahead!). Then I will go to bed.

Question 20: When was the last time you cried?  When my ex-husband died a few years ago. I am fortunate to be a happy person.

Question 21: What is your perfect pizza topping? Either Hawaiian pizza (ham and pineapple) or a good veggie pizza.

Question 22: Which do you prefer, hamburger or cheeseburger ? I like cheeseburgers but I prefer a tavern burger.

Question 23: Have you ever had an all-nighter ? Much too often. I used to work the night shift.

Question 24: What is your eye color ? I have blue eyes.

Question 25: Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? I used to be able to but I no longer drink colas. I drink either water or iced tea.


Want to try your hand at this? I am sure Coco's Momma would not mind.

Humming-Bird Moth

It was another exciting evening at our house.The ballgame was over on TV. (We won!!) My son had let the dog out to bark at the dark.

She (the dog) finished letting the whole town know she exists and is ferocious. She was ready to come back inside. My son opened the door to let her in.

Then he hollered, "A big moth just flew in! That's the biggest moth I ever saw!"

I had not seen anything but he kept saying, "There it is."

When I finally saw it I told him it looked like a hummingbird moth. And he said it did look a little bit like a hummingbird.

Hummingbird moths are called that because they behave much the same as a real hummingbird. You can see them hovering over flowers collecting nectar the same way hummingbirds do.

There are several species of hummingbird moths. In Europe they are called Hawk Moths or Sphinx Moths. They are of the Sphingidae family. In the United States they are of the genus Hemaris.

The hummingbird moth moves and flies just like a humming bird. They hover above a flower to be able to insert their long tongues into the flower to drink the nectar ust like a hummingbird. If it is quiet enough and you listen carefully you can even hear the hum caused by their wings moving so rapidly.

Hummingbird moths are often mistaken for real hummingbirds even though the moth is smaller. If you look closely you will see that the feathers that seem a little out of place on the head are actually antenna. And you will probably not be able to get that close to a hummingbird because it will flit away.

Hummingbird moths are sort of plump rather than the sleek look of a real hummingbird. The moths have a tail that opens into a fan.

They have scales instead of feathers. Sometimes the scales are lost from the wings as in the case of clearwing hummingbird moths. Some have stripes similar to a bumblebee.

The wingspan of a hummingbird moth is from 2 to 3 inches. The length of their bodies is 1 to 2 inches.

Hummingbird moths can be seen during the day but prefer the night . They especially like early evening when the sun is setting or has just set.

The moth is a pollinator and likes many of the same flowers a hummingbird likes. But it seems to prefer flowers that are less bright in color. Hummingbirds like the brighter colors.

The larva of a hummingbird moth is a green caterpillar. They feast on the leaves of plants not the flowers. Then they go into the pupa stage in a loose cocoon partially hidden by leaf litter. They lay dormant all winter and hatch when the weather turns warm again.

My son finally decided to take a plastic gallon ice cream container like the one he uses for water for the dog. He captured the moth by enclosing it against the wall and covered the plastic container with an aluminum pie pan. When he took it outside he released the hummingbird moth and off it flew.

And the next time you see a pretty hummingbird take another look. It might be a pretty hummingbird moth.

Red Light, Blue Light

I went to town the other day to do some shopping. I waited for the light to change so I could make a left turn. I had my turn signal on.

Imagine my surprise to see a police car turn right behind me. I was surprised because the lights on the police car were signalling that I should stop.

As soon as I found a safe place I pulled over. The police car was right behind me with the lights flashing.

Now I knew that I had not been speeding. I was stopped at a red light. I knew that I had flipped my turn signal on. That is a habit for me and I do it without thinking. I was puzzled.

The policeman stepped from his car and came forward. He leaned forward toward my open window, smiled pleasantly, and said, "Hi. I'm Officer So-and-so of the city police department. Were you aware that your tail light is not working?"

I was not.

The dog was with me and she began to bark. He looked at her and said, "He sounds like a big one." I explained to him that she does not trust most men. (She was a rescue that had been abused.)

The officer chuckled and told me that he must be in double jeopardy for being a man and being in uniform. He politely asked me for the necessary paperwork which I gave him.

He went back to his car to make sure I was honest. When he came back he handed me all the documents. He told me I would need to have the tail light fixed as soon as possible.

I actually thanked him for pulling me over as he walked back toward his car.

Now let me tell you the main reason I am telling you about this.

I lived in the big city for far too long. If I had been stopped the officer would have sauntered up to my car. He would not have introduced himself.

He would have demanded my driver's license. Then he would have demanded the paperwork for my vehicle. Then he would have snatched them from me a marched back to his squad car.

After determining that I had all my affairs in order he would have written a ticket. He would stomp back to my car and shove all the papers including the ticket into my face. Well... into the window so I could grab them.

I would drive away knowing that I had to repair my tail light. Then I would have to appear at the police station to prove that I had fixed the problem.

All in all it would have been an extremely unpleasant experience.

The way it was handled by the officer here was not unpleasant at all. I will have the light repaired. I do appreciate knowing that it was not working. But I felt human rather than criminal and a waste of space.

I went from the experience the other day feeling good about myself and the situation. What a difference a smile and a good attitude make.

Let There Be Light

I was sitting here minding my own business. The ballgame was on television and for a change the Tigers were winning. My son was resting in his room.

Suddenly there was a quick flash of light outside. The television screen went black. The lights dimmed.

There was still sound on the TV and I was afraid to turn it off for fear it would not come back on. I wanted to hear the end of the game. I could not check the score on my computer because the internet was not working.

My son came from his room. He said, "We're having a brown-out." I knew that. We waited to see if the problem would fix itself. It did not.

I was going to make spaghetti for supper. With no lights (or very little) in the kitchen I could not see to cook. We decided to take a run into a bigger city for fast food.

As we walked out to get into the truck the woman across the street came out of her house. She said that the whole town was without power but the electric company was on its way.

She lives with her son but he was out for the afternoon with friends. I asked her if she was okay. She was. Did she need anything? She did not. After I was sure that she just wanted to be the one to tell someone about the news we left.

As we were driving toward the highway we met a man who was towing the remains of a tree he had cut down behind his pickup. I told my son he was trying to remove the evidence that he was the cause of all this. We laughed.

It was a bit over an hour when we returned home. It is a long drive to get fast food here. There was no power at all.

My son went to his room before he sat down to eat. He was halfway there and the lights came on. Yay!!

The satellite dish had to reset the receiver before we could see if the TV was damaged. Thankfully it was fine.

There was a replay of the ballgame that night so I was able to see the end. Yay again.

We use CFL light bulbs to conserve energy. Unfortunately they do not adapt well to power outages. We had to replace several of them. That means we will have to replace them the net time we go to the store.

And I hate having to reset my alarm clock. The wall clock is battery operated so it needed no attention. And the telephone flashes after a power outage until an incoming call. So I had to have my son call me using his cell phone.

All in all it was an exciting day in my mundane life.

Oh by the way, the problem was not the man who cut down his tree. Whatever it was I saw the repair crew coming back from the opposite direction.

Run, Emma, Run!

I never have been able to run well. As a child I was awkward and slower than the rest of the kids. Because I was not graceful my ankles would twist and slow me down even more. It still happens.

As a child I was active. I liked to play tag and other running games. Football, basketball, and baseball were sports I liked too. Those are the ones that require running.

I barely passed the 50 yard dash time for President Kennedy's fitness challenge. And I do mean barely.

So I learned very early that if I was playing baseball I would have to hit the ball hard and far to make it safely to base. I am a good batter. I do hit it far and hard. I usually make it to first base.

As an adult I have been on a few softball teams. Softball is similar to baseball. For some reason women are expected to play softball rather than baseball. Do not ask. I have no idea why.

One softball team I was a part of was pretty good. It consisted of many women who were younger than me. One of them was even a physical education major in her last year of college. I managed to hold my own most of the time.

There was one day in particular that sticks in my mind.

I was up to bat. I hit the ball way out to right field. I managed to make it to first base.

The phys ed major was batting next.  She also hit the ball long and hard. I started to run to second base. I made it. Unfortunately the phys ed major was right behind me.

I ran at my top speed toward third base. With the phys ed major breathing down my neck all the way.

I had to keep running after I touched third base because the phys ed major was ready to touch the bag too. And of course we could not both be on third base. So I kept running.

The phys ed major stayed right behind me. She was not quite touching me but she was close. I wheezed all the way to home plate with the phys ed major right behind me.

She hit an in the park home run. It took me until the next inning before I was breathing normally again.

It seems that if I am forced I can run a little.

My Home

 
Once the Plains States were home to Native American tribes. The area where I later lived and where I live now were inhabited by tribes of the Great Sioux Nation. Lakota, Ponca, Shawnee, Pawnee, Omaha, Santee, Kiowa, Osage, Kansas, Quapaw, Winnebago, Otoe. Those are only a few.


 In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana Territory more than doubled the size of the United States. Nebraska and Iowa were included in the 828,000 square miles of the Louisiana Purchase.

The Lousiana Purchase prompted the Lewis and Clark expedition. The US government funded the expedition to explore the land in the purchase and to try to make maps.

The Louisiana Purchase opened the lands west of the Mississippi River for white traders, trappers, and explorers. Most were men who stayed in one area. Many married Native American women and were accepted by the tribal leaders.

Soon white settlers were establishing farms and communities. That is where my story begins.

The small town I live in is the western-most town in Iowa. It was originally platted in 1856. Most of the people who hoped to live here abandoned their homes due to Indian uprisings.

In 1877 the present town was platted. It is on the northern edge of the Loess Hills. Most of the town is nestled in the shadow of one of the hills. The opposite border is the Big Sioux River. On the southern side is Broken Kettle Creek just at the end of my street. The opposite border is the Westfield Creek.

In the beginning we boasted several businesses. There was a bank, blacksmith, post office, grocery store, barber shop, hardware store, hotel, grain elevators, 2 churches, and a lumber yard.

Today we still have a post office in spite of attempts to close it. There is one church. There is a bar that also serves a limited menu. And we have a gas station. 

One of the biggest scandals in town was when the bank was robed in broad daylight. The robbers were captured and put in jail. 

Then they escaped. There was gunfire from both sides. The sheriff and his son were both wounded. The sheriff's wife was knocked out by a blow to the back of her head. The son died a few days later from his injuries.

After being captured and taken to another jail in a larger town nearby the men once again escaped. When they were captured yet again they were taken to Sioux City and put on trial.

There is a railroad that was completed in 1874. It is directly across the highway today. The grain elevators take in and deposit grain to train cars. I can hear them running when they are working.

There were stage lines running between towns. Unfortunately because the trips were so small not many records are available now. 

Before open pit sand mines there were sand mines dug in the area. Most were not very successful but at least one operated well for a while. Unfortunately it ran up under what is now the highway and has caused some problems over the years. I think they have finally found a permanent repair.

The sand was often used for laying a foundation for a building. In those days trees were not plentiful on the prairies. No wooden houses here. Stone and brick were much too expensive for most people. So they used what was available. 

The prairies have always been known for their grasses. One and a half to two and a half acres of prairie grass could be used to build a fine sod house. 

There is coal in the area. Attempts to find profitable coal mines were not successful and often led to disastrous results. 

One disaster was the mine being dug when suddenly they struck water. The water quickly filled the mine. Being industrious the miners decided to sell the water instead.

They soon found out that they were taking all the underground water from a neighboring town. They had to close the operation.

As i said there are small coal deposits in the area especially around Broken Kettle Creek. Some farmers had small amounts to burn. The main problem there is that the coal is not of good quality and not really worth the trouble of digging it out.

Very near here was the largest cottonwood tree in Iowa. It measured over 29 feet in circumference and was over 100 feet tall. Lightning struck the tree and destroyed it.

The prairie grasses that I mentioned earlier looked almost like an ocean to someone looking out over it. Wind caused ripples that resembled waves of water. The grasses could be anywhere from 1 foot to 7 feet tall. But those grasses offered no shelter from the wind.

They were a big danger. Fires would spread even more rapidly than some forest fires and were almost impossible to put out.

The most important grasses in this area were Big Blue Stem, Little Blue Stem, Side Oats Grama, Blue Grama, Needle and Thread, and Buffalo Grass. There were more than 250 species of prairie grass here.

We have the normal animal life in this area. Coyotes, chipmunks, birds, deer. There are too many to list. During warm weather the pests like ants, mosquitoes, and boxelder bugs drive us crazy. 

Our town is known to be home to prairie rattlesnakes. I have not seen any although I have seen garden snakes.

Bison roamed free here until the white settlers both killed them for food and hides and drove them out. About five miles from my town is The Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve. Prairie grasses grow free with no one trying to wipe them out to clear land for farming.

Also in the preserve is a large herd of American Bison. They roam free within the confines of the preserve. The rattlesnakes are plentiful there as well as a lot of other animals that are in danger if found outside the preserve.

Our high school was established in 1910. It was the first Township High School in the United States. Alas the last school building sits empty. School consolidation has our children being bused to our neighboring town. It is only 5 miles. 

But our building does not look too old. It was sold on the internet for very little money and the new owner is not happy with his purchase. Sad.

There are more trees now. Cedar trees especially have taken over. They are an invasive species here but they are pretty. My town is the northern boundary of the mulberry tree.

We are supposedly the home of Jack Smurch. Mr Smurch was the main character in "The Greatest Man In The World" a short story by James Thurber. In the story set in 1937 Jack Smurch flies a monoplane around the world without any stops.

We are a small small town. The 2010 census says we have 132 people living here. About 1/3 of those people are children. 

It is so quiet here. Except for those days when the bikers visit the bar there is little noise at all. For a retired person that is perfect.

Fear

Did you know that humans are born with a fear? It is the fear of falling. That is one reason a baby flails around if it does not feel properly supported.

Throughout our lives we experience other fears. Some we are able to conquer and some maybe not.

For myself I have never gotten over the fear of falling. I can climb a tree (or could when I was younger) and feel perfectly safe. I feel like there is a sound base beneath me.

But being up high and feeling as if there is no safety net to catch me makes me afraid. That is the reason I do not ride carnival rides. I come to the top of the Ferris wheel for instance and look out at the scenery all around. But what happened to the contraption I am on? I see nothing. I panic.

There are also lesser fears. Stage fright is normal they say. I am a "ham" so I have not experienced that one.

There is a slight fear when being confronted with a new situation. When changing schools you wonder if anyone will like you and whether you will fit in with others. I did that a lot when I was growing up. It never gets easier.

Some fears make us be a little more careful. Since being in a terrible car accident a few years ago I am very aware of the cars behind me. Not everyone pays attention as they should so it is up to me to watch for them.

As I am getting older I must admit that I see my mortality. Death is closer and closer. I have already lived a longer life than either of my parents. Two of my younger brothers are dead. I know I will not live forever and I feel good at this point.

But the certainty of death is present. I fear it a little simply because it is an unknown. I suppose the best I wish for is that my death will be quick and painless.

I do have a fear that might be considered irrational. I have had several dreams over the years of suddenly going blind.

Not to be able to see is to me the worst debility there could be. No more watching movies or television. No looking into the faces of others. Not being able to curl up with a good book. Not being able to drive. I would be truly unhappy.

Not much scares me. I guess age eases many small fears. Some things are just not important enough to fret over.