3-3-11...REMEMBER I WAS THERE
Boon-docks? There was a song in the 50's called Down In The Boon-docks. It declared “People put me down cause that's the kind of town I was born in”. Another song proclaimed Someone was born on the wrong side of the tracks. Now I don't know much about the other side but I grew up almost sitting on the tracks. That was a long time ago, and I'm not saying how long for sure. I'll just say I remember steam engines. Do your own math.
There was only one car per. family , if that many. Daddy took it to work and the rest of us walked. Everyone rode the big yellow school bus. No seat belts, not much heat and no AC. The school had radiators and no AC. My home had a teeny bit of heat and no AC. Stores and businesses had heat but no AC. We were all in basically the same circumstances didn't matter if you were across the tracks or in the boon-docks.
Food was raised in the garden that was plowed with a horse and turning plow. Mamma canned the veggies. We had a hog and chickens to feed and then to eat. Our horse was Ol' Dixie and I loved that old horse. Ol' Dixie loved me too. I could tell you a bunch of stories about Ol' Dixie.
No one sat around and watched TV. Main reason for that was we had no TV. We all worked together on most of our chores and we did have chores. We never even considered arguing about it.Playing was great especially in the summertime. We didn't need a bunch of toys. We climbed trees, made mud pies, waded ditches after rain, played softball with a board and old sock full of beans, played hop-scotch, jumped rope, and ran up the roads barefoot. I have no idea what the heck most of the toys are today. I was going to buy my Great Niece and Nephew Christmas presents and that was an awful ordeal. I picked up things and had no idea what they did. I tried to go by price but everything was expensive. I saw a Barbie doll and thought I had found the perfect thing for my 8YR. Old niece. It was pretty but I didn't much care for the clothes it had on. Then that blamed thing started making noises and twitching and moving. Scared the heck outta me so I put it down fast. Another lady standing there with one in her cart told me, “That's a computerized Barbie.” WHAT!! Oh Good Grief! Am I that old that I don't even know what toys are. Embarrassing to say the least. I gave up and put money in cards for them. When I was 8 I doubt if I would have been as happy with money as I would have a gift to unwrap no matter the cost. I never had more than a penny for penny candy. Remember the little penny candy sacks? You could get it full of candy for a penny. One penny was enough for all of us to have candy.
I love the boon-docks and I love the tracks and trains. Nothing much has changed with me for many a year. I don't much like change. Is that a sign of age being set in my ways? NAWWW! Couldn't be.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
MY DADDIES HAMMER
3-2-11...MY DADDIES HAMMER
I came across my Daddy's hammer last week. Mamma had it in her apartment. When she moved to the Nursing home I asked her if I could have the hammer. Of course she said yes.
There are so many memories in that old hammer. Someone gave Daddy a new hammer once. He took it and graciously thanked them like we were taught but Daddy never used his new hammer. I asked him why and he said that his old hammer and him had an understanding. “It fits my hand and aims straight”, he said.
I 'Helped'? Daddy build a pair of stilts for us to play with. Every nail was hammered with love for his kids he said. Daddy would sit on his feet in the floor under the Christmas tree and crack nuts with that hammer and a brick. He picked out the nut meats for us to eat. I 'Helped'? Him build the form to use at the dug well. A pulley and rope were used to draw up water from the well in a cylinder bucket.
I remember when the handle had to be replaced because the old one broke while Daddy was pounding nails in the wall of the chicken house. Daddy said that for a while his hammer didn't feel right. I also remember Norman and Paul misplacing it once when they weren't supposed to be playing with it. We all scurried around and found Daddy's hammer.
Daddy used the hammer when he built a dog house for our dog Ol' Tip. He did that for us kids telling us all the time that Tip wouldn't like it. Tip had a bed under the house and never got in his house. Daddy never said I told you so.
I can almost see and feel my Daddy when I pick up that hammer. It has 'Daddy', scratched in the handle with a nail. Yep, I did that. It is messy but my Daddy said he loved it.
Daddy's hammer was retired when he was no longer able to use it. I hope someone will lovingly take care of it when I'm gone. I need to work on that. I sure wouldn't want my Daddy's hammer ever lost again.
I came across my Daddy's hammer last week. Mamma had it in her apartment. When she moved to the Nursing home I asked her if I could have the hammer. Of course she said yes.
There are so many memories in that old hammer. Someone gave Daddy a new hammer once. He took it and graciously thanked them like we were taught but Daddy never used his new hammer. I asked him why and he said that his old hammer and him had an understanding. “It fits my hand and aims straight”, he said.
I 'Helped'? Daddy build a pair of stilts for us to play with. Every nail was hammered with love for his kids he said. Daddy would sit on his feet in the floor under the Christmas tree and crack nuts with that hammer and a brick. He picked out the nut meats for us to eat. I 'Helped'? Him build the form to use at the dug well. A pulley and rope were used to draw up water from the well in a cylinder bucket.
I remember when the handle had to be replaced because the old one broke while Daddy was pounding nails in the wall of the chicken house. Daddy said that for a while his hammer didn't feel right. I also remember Norman and Paul misplacing it once when they weren't supposed to be playing with it. We all scurried around and found Daddy's hammer.
Daddy used the hammer when he built a dog house for our dog Ol' Tip. He did that for us kids telling us all the time that Tip wouldn't like it. Tip had a bed under the house and never got in his house. Daddy never said I told you so.
I can almost see and feel my Daddy when I pick up that hammer. It has 'Daddy', scratched in the handle with a nail. Yep, I did that. It is messy but my Daddy said he loved it.
Daddy's hammer was retired when he was no longer able to use it. I hope someone will lovingly take care of it when I'm gone. I need to work on that. I sure wouldn't want my Daddy's hammer ever lost again.
IT'S NOT WHO BUT WHAT
3-2-11...IT'S NOT WHO BUT WHAT
“I might look crazy but I aint no fool.” That was a line I had in our Junior play. That just reminds me of how someone can get too big for their britches fast. It never ceases to amaze me the self worth some people can put on their selves. Daddy used to say their noses were so high in the air that they would drown if it rained.
When I moved to Idaho I got a job as Food Service supervisor in a Nursing home. I had the credentials, I had the diploma, I had everything except the right home state. My accent was a source of humor to them. I had to learn what they ate in that place before I could write the Menues. One Big headed nurse set out right away to throw me off. She didn't want to have to cooperate with me because she thought I was a stupid hillbilly with beans for a brain.
She just couldn't get used to me being in charge of the kitchen and having authority over her in Food Service. She was always trying to get me in a tight that I couldn't get out of. No Way Sister you've messed with the wrong one now. I caught her holding an old ladies nose one day to make her swallow her food. I said, “Betty you could strangle her to death doing that.” She looked at me and said, “Why don't you go back to Arkansas where you belong”. Now guys My head steamed up till I thought it would pop. It wasn't what she said that had me disturbed but what she was doing. I was not going to let her strangle an old woman to death. I said, “Betty if you don't take your hands off that lady I'll take them off”. She paid no attention to me. I'm so glad that someone else had gone to get the supervisor and she showed up right then because I would have taken her away from that lady or have died trying. She was fired on the spot. I was not proud of myself or happy that Betty lost her job but it just goes to show you that the mightiest always fall the hardest.I don't mind someone laughing with me. But when some big nosed bitty starts making fun of me and laughing at me I don't like it. And isn't it just the way of things. She was trying to get rid of me because she thought I was stupid and she was the one who had to go. YEP!!!
“I might look crazy but I aint no fool.” That was a line I had in our Junior play. That just reminds me of how someone can get too big for their britches fast. It never ceases to amaze me the self worth some people can put on their selves. Daddy used to say their noses were so high in the air that they would drown if it rained.
When I moved to Idaho I got a job as Food Service supervisor in a Nursing home. I had the credentials, I had the diploma, I had everything except the right home state. My accent was a source of humor to them. I had to learn what they ate in that place before I could write the Menues. One Big headed nurse set out right away to throw me off. She didn't want to have to cooperate with me because she thought I was a stupid hillbilly with beans for a brain.
She just couldn't get used to me being in charge of the kitchen and having authority over her in Food Service. She was always trying to get me in a tight that I couldn't get out of. No Way Sister you've messed with the wrong one now. I caught her holding an old ladies nose one day to make her swallow her food. I said, “Betty you could strangle her to death doing that.” She looked at me and said, “Why don't you go back to Arkansas where you belong”. Now guys My head steamed up till I thought it would pop. It wasn't what she said that had me disturbed but what she was doing. I was not going to let her strangle an old woman to death. I said, “Betty if you don't take your hands off that lady I'll take them off”. She paid no attention to me. I'm so glad that someone else had gone to get the supervisor and she showed up right then because I would have taken her away from that lady or have died trying. She was fired on the spot. I was not proud of myself or happy that Betty lost her job but it just goes to show you that the mightiest always fall the hardest.I don't mind someone laughing with me. But when some big nosed bitty starts making fun of me and laughing at me I don't like it. And isn't it just the way of things. She was trying to get rid of me because she thought I was stupid and she was the one who had to go. YEP!!!
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