Ok, I just signed up with amazon.com so I have a link to their sight. Now I have to find out how this works. May not be something I want to keep, but then again it might be. I buy a lot of books from Amazon and was surprised to find that they have lots of other things including groceries. Especially the gluten free stuff.
I think I told you the other day about the Brain Gym book I bought from there and use here at home for myself and my sister. So anyway, I just wanted to see how this little widget works. If you don't like it let me know. I sure don't want to clutter up my site with stuff we don't need.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Nickerson, Kansas Elementary School, 1945-1953
This may take more than one posting. I woke up this morning thinking about grade school. When I can not fall asleep at night, one of my favorite things is to remember the one mile walk to and from school. I picture the houses and try to remember the names of the people who lived in them. It usually works if I follow it with the Lord's Prayer.
What I woke up remembering this morning was the music room. At least what passed for the music room before they moved in a small school building and set it on the corner and that was the music room. This room was on the second story. Cultural Department.
The windows in the whole school were huge, very tall. Every window in the school was covered with heavy blackout curtains that were fastened to the sides. This was in case the Japanese were to fly over here and end up in the center of the United States in a town named Nickerson, Kansas, population 1,100, we could close them and no light would get out so they would not bomb that building. Homeland Security!
Once a month, we were all called to the central hallway, which doubled as a lunch room and given a glass of orange juice. There was a small room off the first grade classroom that doubled as a sick room. Health Department!
I think that was so we would not get Rickets, or something like that. Our meals were cooked in the kitchen by Mrs. Ritchie. Her husband was the Janitor. He committed suicide shortly after the 8th grade, or so we heard. Probably about the 4th grade one of the boys in our town was killed in the war and the whole school went to the train station to meet the coffin. All I remember is looking up his marker in the cemetary and it says "He sleeps in Iwo Jima."
Also in fourth grade, a classmate named Beth (You know who you are!) brought a popcorn ball to school and dropped it in the stool in the bathroom and blamed it on me! Said I grabbed it away and threw it in there! If I had touched it I would have eaten it! Mrs. Howe was very upset with me and wrote on my report card, "Louella teases the other kids on the playground." So much for the Justice Department!
Fifth grade I had a poem published in the Jack and Jill(?) magazine. Other highlights: Last day of school in 8th grade, the band played outside and a bird pooped on Gay Withrow's cap. Mother had cancer and the church ladies sewed all us kids clothes for school except Jake who only wore overalls anyway. Mother recuperated and lived to be 80 years old. Miss Barkis, the music teacher, married the principals son, David Houston. Miss Donnough, the first grade teacher, married someone. Mrs. Howe, the fourth grade teacher got a thorn in her intestine and nearly died.
Oh, for the days of trivial nonesense!! And to think I have remembered some of this stuff for 63 years!!!
What I woke up remembering this morning was the music room. At least what passed for the music room before they moved in a small school building and set it on the corner and that was the music room. This room was on the second story. Cultural Department.
The windows in the whole school were huge, very tall. Every window in the school was covered with heavy blackout curtains that were fastened to the sides. This was in case the Japanese were to fly over here and end up in the center of the United States in a town named Nickerson, Kansas, population 1,100, we could close them and no light would get out so they would not bomb that building. Homeland Security!
Once a month, we were all called to the central hallway, which doubled as a lunch room and given a glass of orange juice. There was a small room off the first grade classroom that doubled as a sick room. Health Department!
I think that was so we would not get Rickets, or something like that. Our meals were cooked in the kitchen by Mrs. Ritchie. Her husband was the Janitor. He committed suicide shortly after the 8th grade, or so we heard. Probably about the 4th grade one of the boys in our town was killed in the war and the whole school went to the train station to meet the coffin. All I remember is looking up his marker in the cemetary and it says "He sleeps in Iwo Jima."
Also in fourth grade, a classmate named Beth (You know who you are!) brought a popcorn ball to school and dropped it in the stool in the bathroom and blamed it on me! Said I grabbed it away and threw it in there! If I had touched it I would have eaten it! Mrs. Howe was very upset with me and wrote on my report card, "Louella teases the other kids on the playground." So much for the Justice Department!
Fifth grade I had a poem published in the Jack and Jill(?) magazine. Other highlights: Last day of school in 8th grade, the band played outside and a bird pooped on Gay Withrow's cap. Mother had cancer and the church ladies sewed all us kids clothes for school except Jake who only wore overalls anyway. Mother recuperated and lived to be 80 years old. Miss Barkis, the music teacher, married the principals son, David Houston. Miss Donnough, the first grade teacher, married someone. Mrs. Howe, the fourth grade teacher got a thorn in her intestine and nearly died.
Oh, for the days of trivial nonesense!! And to think I have remembered some of this stuff for 63 years!!!
School days, school days, dear old golden rule days!
Reading and writing and 'rithmetic,
taught to the tune of a hickory stick!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
This is my Church: First Congregational United Church of Christ
This is my new church. I love the United Church of Christ and have been a member for probably 20 years. Not at this church, but at the Christ Congregational UCC Church which is in Belmont. I will do a piece on that one later. For now, I want to introduce you to my present church and it's history.
This building was built in 1878 or thereabouts. It has lots of wood and lots of stained glass windows which I would love to see at night, but I don't get into town at night and if I did I would be inside the church. This building is on the Historic Registry and since it is a working building it really has to be kept in tip top shape. I am sure that the reception area which is called Mayflower Hall (and I am sure there is a story behind that name) along with the rest of that part was added later.
I really do not know a lot about the history so I am going to tell you about it from a parishoners point of view. We have a beautiful window called "The Rose Window" (again, for whatever reason) which is in dire need of repair. Well, not really repair, but restoration. This is a $20,000 project and I think we almost have enough money to do that.It is the original Tiffany Glass and is indeed a work of art.
The Rose Window is behind the other high point of the church which is the pipe organ. I do not know how many pipes this thing has, but they are BIG and there are a lot. I have not counted them because I am afraid it would be like the counting of sheep. Our organist is named Randy Tryon, and that guy must have been born with a pipe organ under him, because it is second nature to him. He fills our walls with the most beautiful music you have ever heard! That in itself is worth at trip over on Sunday morning.
We are a very small church as is Christ Congregational, our sister church, so we share a minister. Or at least when we get one we will share. I think that will be soon. The way it works is for 6 months we will meet at 9:30 and Christ will meet at a later time. Until we get said minister, we have temporary ministers. We have two who alternate.
The first one is Reverend Fred Dare. He is retired and comes to our church on alterate Sundays. The other one is Rev. Steve Parke. I know him a little better. He is retired from the State Hospital. He plays the guitar and sings us songs. Kind of a little hippie type fellow, but a loveable little cuss and gives a very good sermon. Well, so does Rev. Dare, but you know what I mean, just different types: poles apart! I do love them both.
Ok, I have rattled on long enough. I would love to have you visit my church just for the reasons I have given. It is sure worth the trip. We are in the phone book, or click and leave me a comment!
Remember the old song, "You go to your church and I'll go to mine, but we'll both walk along together!"
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Button up your coat!
I heard some one say "Button up your coat!" That started me thinking about the way we talk and I realize a lot of it hearkens back to the olden times. Like "Button up your coat." If you think about it, that is the correct way to button because you can start at the bottom with the buttons matching and it will button straight. If you start at the top, you really can not see to match them and when you get to the bottom, sometimes one side hangs down below the other.
"Put that book down!" would seem to mean that it should go on the floor as that is the location of "down." We need to be more specific with the kiddies. "Place the book on the table." Now you may wonder, what got me off on this tangent. It was the trash.
I told Bret, "That trash needs to go out." Seems like a harmless statement on the surface, but I could see his wheels turn. So I amended the statement, "That trash needs to go out and you need to be the one to take it out (then I added) to the barrel that is located by the carport and you need to open the lid and place it inside and replace the lid then you need to walk away leaving it behind." I think he did it on his way to work.
He used to be so cute! What happened? Where did I go wrong? I never whacked him in the head I don't care what you think! The last I remember he was a tiny boy coming to the door with both his hands clutching something and saying "Let me in! I have too many hands!" Now he just gives the door a kick and comes on in. Well, at least he has learned to fend for himself!
Well, that is it for the day. Got to go do the Java Automatic Update so it will quit flashing at me. Enjoy your day, and think carefully about all you sentences. You could start a world war!!
"Put that book down!" would seem to mean that it should go on the floor as that is the location of "down." We need to be more specific with the kiddies. "Place the book on the table." Now you may wonder, what got me off on this tangent. It was the trash.
I told Bret, "That trash needs to go out." Seems like a harmless statement on the surface, but I could see his wheels turn. So I amended the statement, "That trash needs to go out and you need to be the one to take it out (then I added) to the barrel that is located by the carport and you need to open the lid and place it inside and replace the lid then you need to walk away leaving it behind." I think he did it on his way to work.
He used to be so cute! What happened? Where did I go wrong? I never whacked him in the head I don't care what you think! The last I remember he was a tiny boy coming to the door with both his hands clutching something and saying "Let me in! I have too many hands!" Now he just gives the door a kick and comes on in. Well, at least he has learned to fend for himself!
Well, that is it for the day. Got to go do the Java Automatic Update so it will quit flashing at me. Enjoy your day, and think carefully about all you sentences. You could start a world war!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sister Mary comes for a visit!
Well, Sister Mary is here for a visit. She is not really A sister, she is MY sister. We are in this order: Josephine, Brother Jake, Me, Donna, Mary and Dorothy. Mother spaced us all 2 years apart. Josephine and Jake have both gone to the big resting place in the sky. Josephine from Pulmonary disease at the age of 70(?) and Jake in a car wreck at the age of 29. That leaves me as the Matriarch of the family.
Being the Matriarch carries a lot of responsibilities and is also a postition of respect. No one bothered to tell any of the sisters this. I have tried to point it out, but I refer back to that statement about the position of respect. My mother once told me " There is no sense beating a dead horse." Now I know what she meant.
Anyway, Mary and I ventured off to the Brain Gym at the Arts Center yesterday to make ourselves smart in our old age. Well, we ventured home in basically the same condition we left. But here is the good news! Brain Gym is based on a premise of left and right brain activity and exercises that will increase usage of both sides.
While the Brain Gym workshop was beneficial to me, I know it is not a magic bullet and we will need to do the exercises to see any improvement. I also know that not everyone has a Brain Gym program in their area, so I ordered a book from Amazon and I am going to recommend this book to anyone who is interested. It has clear directions for some of the more popular exercises.
The book is Brain Gym. It is written by Paul E Dennison, Ph.D and Gail E Dennison. The cover is orange (and that seems to make a difference). The ISBN:0-942143-05-1. The cost is $12.95 new and is well worth the price even if you don't think you have a problem. We are all getting older and need all the help we can get.
So, back to the subject at hand. Mary has been here for 1 week and we have babysat twice. This has been fun. First one was 6 months old and the second was 2 years old. The 2 year old gets around a lot faster then the other and fairly well kept us entertained for the afternoon. Course his grandma was here all the time. Might have been a different story had grandma left! I foresaw screeching if that happened!
We also went to the Mexican Grocery store in Salt Creek. I bought a new cast iron griddle for making tortillas. Got a coke from Mexico that is made with sugar cane as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. It was really good and different then coke made here. Wanted corn meal, but they only had the cornbread mix. Alas, and alack.
Elvira sleeps with Mary and Daisy sleeps with me. So we each have a dog in attendance. Today is church and it starts at 9:30 so I got to start stirring around here or we will not make it on time.
THINK GOOD THOUGHTS!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thoughts of Haiti
It is amazing how the sun shines
and the birds sing
as the very earth beneath me trembles
and breaks into pieces and my home falls at my feet.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
It is my nap time and your point exactly?
Yesterday I missed my nap! I was very busy since I had to take my 90+ friend to the doctor. She does not drive any more. Well, personally I am rather glad about that. Hope I can give up my license long before that. Actually, I could throw that sucker in the pile right now and we would probably all be better off, but maybe not.
Back to the crux of this blog today. When the clock starts pointing to 1:30 or 2:00 o'clock, my little mind starts looking for a place to lay the body down for just a few minutes. Just a short nap, you know. Nothing that drags on, that is called bedtime and that lasts for 8 hours. I figure it this way:
I am pushing 70 and I am not going to miss out on much if I have a short nappy poo. I just lay there on the bed with the telephone right beside me, because we all know if I don't it will ring, but if I do it won't. That is called Karma! I work hard when I am awake, so after this many years, if I selfishly want to take 30 or 40 minutes for myself in the middle of the day, I think I have earned that right.
Now I know realistically I am wasting time. I have been doing the nap thing for probably 6 years. At 30 minutes a day for 6 years that comes to 65,700 minutes which becomes 1,095 hours which becomes 45.625 days, which becomes 6.52 weeks. You know, now that I figure this out logically, I am wasting a lot ot time laying on my duff!
I could get a lot done in 1,095 hours. And sometimes the nap is a little longer. OMG! Talk about wasting time! I could get a lot of weaving done. I could cover this house in blankets. Ok, here is what I will do; I am going to start taking a nap every other day. I will nap on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. That will free me up to hit the garage sales on Friday and Saturday!
You know, I am kind of glad we had this little talk! Wait, we did not have a talk. I am talking to myself! That is what a blog is, I think. They call it journaling, but it is basically talking to myself! So if I give up the napping, I will have more time to talk to myself. I sure feel better about life now!
Sign my widget over there so you can be a follower. I might actually say something some day and you wouldn't want to miss it, would you? I want to have at least 11 followers by the time I croak! And remember, There is a big difference between a follower and a stalker!
Back to the crux of this blog today. When the clock starts pointing to 1:30 or 2:00 o'clock, my little mind starts looking for a place to lay the body down for just a few minutes. Just a short nap, you know. Nothing that drags on, that is called bedtime and that lasts for 8 hours. I figure it this way:
I am pushing 70 and I am not going to miss out on much if I have a short nappy poo. I just lay there on the bed with the telephone right beside me, because we all know if I don't it will ring, but if I do it won't. That is called Karma! I work hard when I am awake, so after this many years, if I selfishly want to take 30 or 40 minutes for myself in the middle of the day, I think I have earned that right.
Now I know realistically I am wasting time. I have been doing the nap thing for probably 6 years. At 30 minutes a day for 6 years that comes to 65,700 minutes which becomes 1,095 hours which becomes 45.625 days, which becomes 6.52 weeks. You know, now that I figure this out logically, I am wasting a lot ot time laying on my duff!
I could get a lot done in 1,095 hours. And sometimes the nap is a little longer. OMG! Talk about wasting time! I could get a lot of weaving done. I could cover this house in blankets. Ok, here is what I will do; I am going to start taking a nap every other day. I will nap on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. That will free me up to hit the garage sales on Friday and Saturday!
You know, I am kind of glad we had this little talk! Wait, we did not have a talk. I am talking to myself! That is what a blog is, I think. They call it journaling, but it is basically talking to myself! So if I give up the napping, I will have more time to talk to myself. I sure feel better about life now!
Sign my widget over there so you can be a follower. I might actually say something some day and you wouldn't want to miss it, would you? I want to have at least 11 followers by the time I croak! And remember, There is a big difference between a follower and a stalker!
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