I woke up in the middle of a dream this morning. It might be more accurate to say "My nightmare woke me up!" I dreamed it was the first day of school and I was trying to make a check out for school lunches. I knew I had 5 kids and lunches were $3.29 each, but Patty would not eat meatloaf so I would need to pack her a lunch that day, whatever day that was. Debbie wanted to take her lunch and she only ate mashed potatoes on home made bread. Donna, Sam and Susie were happy just to eat. I was out of cat food and the dogs were barking their heads off about some silly thing or another and I better get out of this bed or I was going to be late for work. I was very relieved to open my eyes and look up at my lavender ceiling and remember that my kids were grown and gone and I was alone here on my acre. Well, not happy to be alone, but very happy to remember that I had raised my kids and they had raised theirs and school lunches were no longer a daily problem for me to face. Maybe I was dreaming I was my mother. God sends me those dreams a lot!
I remember growing up on Strong Street and Mother would be frustrated and she would say "I hope some day you get married and have a bunch of kids and they all behave just like you!" In later years I was to tell her that the curse worked. I had 5 kids, just like she did; 1 boy and 4 girls. I had always thought I was such a sweet little thing growing up, but here were these 5 kids and they were the busiest kids I had ever seen. What I had done growing up, was called survival and as I look back I guess they were doing the same.
We had run the dirt roads in our bare feet and our idea of fun was a clod fight.
My kids egged the neighbors house.
Jake decided one day to bring his 22 rifle and see how close he could come to the top of my head.
My kids took 10 month old Susie down to Cow Creek to baptize her one night before I got home from work.
I watched a Black Widow spider hatch babies behind the door of the chicken house.
My kids gave the cat a bath.
I smoked Catalpa beans.
They stole the neighbors flowers.
I used to run across the top of the pig sty's at the neighbors house and upset the old hogs.
Don't think the kids topped that one.
We used to spy on Hank Wingate when he milked his goat.
My kids watched Saturday morning cartoons.
Howard Fein used to make his false teeth jump out at me and scare the livin' pee wadding out of me.
My kids cleaned their room by shoving every thing under the bunk beds and pulling the top sheet down to the floor.
So, now these many years later I am still haunted by my mother's curse. I wonder if I every cursed my kids like that and scarred them for life? I must have because I had 5 kids on my own and they have produced 8 total. I have 8 grand kids that sprang directly from my loins (This is not to count the step, adopted and foster) and my grandchildren have given me a total of ...OK, this is where I lose count. I adopted a grandson who became my son who now has a son that is legally my grandson, but if he were not my son, this would be my great grandson. So when you ask me how many grand kids I have I will tell you 20 grand kids and a lot of great grand kids. And it is way to early in the day to start off confused when all I wanted to tell you was about the school lunches.
And there, dear people, is the reason I am screwed up like I am. It is the curse my mother put on me all those years ago. She did, before her death, apologize many times and I told her many times that it was quite alright because I have a good life and my kids survived my raising them. Of course I sometimes hear them recounting the memories of growing up in Hutchinson and Garden City and I wonder how they survived my raising them!
Sorry, kids, but momma did the best she could with the knowledge she had at that time. Sam taught me that.
I remember growing up on Strong Street and Mother would be frustrated and she would say "I hope some day you get married and have a bunch of kids and they all behave just like you!" In later years I was to tell her that the curse worked. I had 5 kids, just like she did; 1 boy and 4 girls. I had always thought I was such a sweet little thing growing up, but here were these 5 kids and they were the busiest kids I had ever seen. What I had done growing up, was called survival and as I look back I guess they were doing the same.
We had run the dirt roads in our bare feet and our idea of fun was a clod fight.
My kids egged the neighbors house.
Jake decided one day to bring his 22 rifle and see how close he could come to the top of my head.
My kids took 10 month old Susie down to Cow Creek to baptize her one night before I got home from work.
I watched a Black Widow spider hatch babies behind the door of the chicken house.
My kids gave the cat a bath.
I smoked Catalpa beans.
They stole the neighbors flowers.
I used to run across the top of the pig sty's at the neighbors house and upset the old hogs.
Don't think the kids topped that one.
We used to spy on Hank Wingate when he milked his goat.
My kids watched Saturday morning cartoons.
Howard Fein used to make his false teeth jump out at me and scare the livin' pee wadding out of me.
My kids cleaned their room by shoving every thing under the bunk beds and pulling the top sheet down to the floor.
So, now these many years later I am still haunted by my mother's curse. I wonder if I every cursed my kids like that and scarred them for life? I must have because I had 5 kids on my own and they have produced 8 total. I have 8 grand kids that sprang directly from my loins (This is not to count the step, adopted and foster) and my grandchildren have given me a total of ...OK, this is where I lose count. I adopted a grandson who became my son who now has a son that is legally my grandson, but if he were not my son, this would be my great grandson. So when you ask me how many grand kids I have I will tell you 20 grand kids and a lot of great grand kids. And it is way to early in the day to start off confused when all I wanted to tell you was about the school lunches.
And there, dear people, is the reason I am screwed up like I am. It is the curse my mother put on me all those years ago. She did, before her death, apologize many times and I told her many times that it was quite alright because I have a good life and my kids survived my raising them. Of course I sometimes hear them recounting the memories of growing up in Hutchinson and Garden City and I wonder how they survived my raising them!
Sorry, kids, but momma did the best she could with the knowledge she had at that time. Sam taught me that.
