BLESS THE BEAST AND THE CHILDREN / BY THE CARPENTERS

Bless the beasts and
the children
For in this world
they have
no voice
They have no choice

Bless the beasts and
the children
For the world can
never be
The world they see

Light their way
When the darkness surrounds them
Give them love
Let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children
Give them shelter from the storms
Keep them safe
Keep them warm

Light their way
When the darkness surrounds them
Give them love
Let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children
Give them shelter from the storms
Keep them safe
Keep them warm

The children
The children

MY PARENTS

Well, finally got pictures of my parents. Have put into this blog what I know and what others have told me about the tough marriage my parents had.
Well my brother said he was enjoying my blog and wished that we knew more about our parents and their younger days. I will try to get more info from my family and add what I know about mom and dad here. Will send out some letters and and see what I can find out. I know they married young. Mom fifteen and dad was twenty. Anyway the marriage got a rocky start, mom was young , still a teenager wanting to have fun. Guess you could even say she was rebellious some and really not ready to settle down to a house and kids. However they married and ended up having eleven children in all. My sister Frankie said we were all make-up babies meaning they would fuss and fight and then make up. I would like to think it wasn't so but who knows.?

They weren't without struggles, three of the earlier babies died which must have been so hard on them both plus their marriage. I never wanted to judge them because life was hard back in those days and dad had hard time finding work. He would travel to Ft. Myers every winter to work with some guy named J. Smith in the bee hives. It left mom home to deal with a big family. I guess Frankie really was a big help to mom and dad in those early days.
It seems hard to believe but dad actually came from a pretty well to do family. Dad actually was given a good education but failed to use it. His father owned the home that I grew up in . It was a big two story home with a gable in front and I bet once upon a time it probably was sooo beautiful! Dad's father left to move to Fl. Wayne Ind. where he had another home and let my dad move his growing family into that home. He only ask that my dad pay him a little something each month. the old home stood on Wabash Ave. in Vincennes, Ind. Sometime after I married the old house was torn down.
Hard times hit and my dad dropped off sending money to his father. I remember him telling me this story and his eyes watered up. felt he had disappointed his father. I think he looked up to his dad. I know my dad was strict just like I hear his father was. We were kind of scared of dad but hard times kind of make a person hard! Dad had a sister who was kept from dating cause his dad never approved of anyone. So it was she ended up being a old maid. Sad!

Dad's brother Elmer became successful and moved from the area, and went to live in Ft.Myers too. I am sure dad felt bad because he never became as successful as his brother. Dad rushed into marriage at a early age and had children so fast , he found himself just getting by! I do remember mom was always gone ,always working, she was never home much. She later started hanging out with friends and really didn't want to come home. I always wanted her to be home but that wasn't where her heart was. I know dad never did try to make the home nice for her. She so wanted a nice home to come home to. Not being educated it must have been hard, mom held down odd jobs like being a waitress and a cook in resturants. Money was always a big issue.


My grandmother was the sweetest lady ever. We called her Ma! thats all. just ma! A sweet lady who went about her daily life cooking, cleaning and keeping up a home. We went their on Sunday afternoon for dinner alot. That lady was a worker, she could cook and you would wake up in her feather bed smelling homemade biscuits baking in the old coal stove. Ma loved her home ! So different from my mother. a sweet and gentle lady ! It happens like that sometimes! A daughter being so different from the mother or vice vera. I don't hold it against my mother , I didn't walk in her shoes so I don't know what burdens she had to carry. will continue this story later.......


Dad held down some jobs but later decided to use our back yard as a junk yard. He found that he could sell car parts and make what he thought was big money. So thats what he did, the back yard got pretty full. This didn't go over to well with my mom and so another issue fussed over. I'm sure had his father seen the way that once nice place looked, he would have been greatly disappointment.

Don't know much about my grandmother on my dad's side, she had died by time I came along. I want to find out about her. I often wonder what kind of lady she was. My grandfather moved to Fort Wayne Ind., I think I remember it was he who came to our home and brought with him some fruit. When dad's father died his brother Elmer got his home in Ft. Myers. He moved there with his family.


As kids we spent much of our time playing in that old back yard full of junk cars, pretending we were driving them and even Bump and I fixed up a old trailer back there and we were going to live in it permanently. We worked hard and thought it looked better than the house. Think one night we got scared and that ended that. My brother and I actually had alot of fun out there!


Don't remember much about dad's sister. Just that she had serious problems because of the strictness of their dad. He was very strict I hear and my dad was also! His father was well known in Vincennes, a photographer , he had his own shop and think he had a lumber place also.

Mom lost a baby girl at five yrs. old. Her name was Ruthie. I think how awful that must have been. later she went on to lose two more children Frank at birth and Bobby at five months. Doctors back then didn't have the tools or knowledge that they do today.
Times were hard.................. to continue.

Summer days of my youth

THE CREEK

SUMMER DAYS AT ROSCOE'S

I was in my last yr. of high school when my sister-in-law Lillie took me out to teach me to drive.
Lillie was my brother Roscoe's first wife and she was so wonderful to Bump and I back then. She and Roscoe later divorced but I will always remember the good times at their home. Lillie always let Bump and I tag along with her wherever she went . She taught me to drive in a old studebaker car. I remember she didn't even get upset when I ran it into a ditch one day. I also recall Bump and I staying over at their place alot in those days , Ross would let us wrestle, blowing a whistle when he thought we needed a break. The object was to see who could keep each other down till he blew the whistle , crazy but fun, such fun days! Ross had chickens and dogs all kind of animals out at his place. A kids paradise! We would swing on vines that hung from trees in the gully and one even hung over the creek where we would drop off . That water was so dirty, but back then it was no big deal to us kids. Never even thought about it . We would play hid and seek in Roscoe's corn field and life was good for a time. Those fun and crazy days of summer! we won't soon forget. mama

Diet / here we go again!

You've heard it said , diets don't work! Well I hope to prove that wrong. I started a couple of days ago with watching what I eat , drinking lots of water, and just in general trying to cut way back. Nope , not easy! and a bit stressful.
My sisters both say I need to lose weight. Being I am the shortest one of us three, its definitely noticeable. So here I go again and will try to give it my best shot! I tell Frankie not to take too much credit for her normal inherited small frame , she takes after our father who was a short thin man.
In the next life I hope to prove their is something to this genetic thing. ha! Anyway, I am told that I take after my mom who wasn't all that small.
Donna is also trying to lose weight so I feel the pressure is on! But true to this all, I seriously feel losing a few pounds will for sure make me feel better and get around better . Getting started well, thats the easy part. Hard part is keeping it up!
To start with, I decided to stop eating what ever dad eats. I want to eat better and it won't be easy cause I have had this cho. cake in the refri. for a few days now waiting to give it to Stacey and Aroon. They love it! so if I can hold out on that I will have won my first battle! Dad also likes to eat so I cook for him now and then but can't eat what I cook cause its the fat stuff. Dad works hard so I reckon he needs the food for energy. . He also is a soda drinker and thats the most temping of all for me but so far so good.
Anyway I got all this bottled water and been trying to drink lots of it , taking and carrying it around with me like all the people do these days to fush that fat right out of my body! ha! Wish it were as simple as that. No so! Heard you need to drink at least two gallon a day. For me thats alot of water!
Every diet I have ever tryed I just got tired of waiting for the numbers to change and it was slow and I'd give up. this time I am hoping it will be different! So come on guys and gals , try to encourage me down this path and I am open to any and all suggestions you might have. Fighting the battle of the bulge is not easy when you are nearing seventy yrs. old. wish me luck! mama
Oh, not to worry, I also plan to check out a gym tomorrow morning.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

ONE OF MY FAVORITE KID SHOW'S IS "THE LION KING" AND WHEN I GO OUT TO DISNEY I HAVE TO SEE THE PRESENTATION OF" THE CIRCLE OF LIFE!" MAKES ME SENTIMENTAL! a sign of old age for sure. ha!
So here goes my take on life. As we go through life hopefully wiser with age and experiences we want to pass this on to our children.
Time moves fast! I'm wanting to slow it down but not having any luck there. So what is really important in this circle of life? IT"S FAMILY! It takes alot of people along time to learn this one simple thing.. Many years ago our church put on a play called" My Time on Earth." it was wonderful! It showed a baby coming to earth to a family and oh how they loved that baby! It showed the child growing up and the struggles of life he encountered until his turn on earth was up , then death and then going back to heaven where he was united with his family that had gone before him. It was one of the best plays the church has ever done. Well, these are the winding down yrs. for us and THE CIRCLE OF LIFE is getting nearer to completion . Here is something Mike Douglas a movie actor said about life and family that I thought worth repeating.
"My career used to be the most imortant thing in my life , then marriage was second and then children. Now its completely reversed! !" He said he finally got it right! today he is 65 . His wife is younger than he and they have two children ages six and nine and he said he is acutely aware of the precious value of time that he has left with wife and little ones.
His wife is Catherine Zeta Jones and they say they both work on making each other happy and spending time together as a family. He said he is a better father today than he was in his early first marriage. He had it all wrong.
So with that said , stay close as a family. Watch your children grow, looking in AWE as you conduct your next act in the CIRCLE OF LIFE! mama

For my grandchildren!

STORY FOR MY GRANDCHILDREN
Once upon a time, their was a king who had a pet hawk. He went everywhere with his beloved master. One day in his travels, the king decided to take a different path home that he thought would be shorter to his castle but on the way he became lost. After awhile he became very tired and thirsty. He finally found some water dripping down from high upon a rock. (drip , drip , drip) "Finally... water!" he said. He pulled out his old cup and finally, after a few minutes his cup was full. He was really looking forward to a cool drink of fresh water! Just as he started to put it to his lips his pet hawk flew down and knocked it out of his hands. He scolded the hawk and warned him not to ever do that again! After a few minutes more, he was about to drink the second cup of fresh water and again... the hawk flew down and knocked it out of his hand. He, once again, scolded the bird and said "If you do that again I will have to kill you!". The king filled his cup again and he was really thirsty by now, and again the hawk flew down and knocked the drink out of his master's hand. The king was very angry this time and said "I warned you", and picking up his bow and arrow, he aimed at the bird and hit him. The bird fell to the ground. Now said the king "I will have my drink of water", but his cup had fell between the rocks and he couldn't reach it. He said, "I will have to climb to the top of the rock and get my water" and so he did. Upon reaching the top, to his surprise, he found a dead poisonous snake lying in the water. He said, "What have I done? My beloved bird was trying to save my life and I killed him!!". He cried . Examining the bird, he found that the bird was not dead but badly wounded! He wrapped his pet in his coat and after a while, he found his way to the castle! After patching his wound , the bird lived and he always trusted his pet from that day on. The king said "Today I have learned a good lesson. To trust those who love you and care about you." His beloved hawk lived to take many more trips with the king and always after he was good to his trusted and faithful friend, his pet hawk!

Hope you enjoyed it boys! gramma

LOVING THE HUNT!!

Since retirement, I have alot more time on my hands and so I make this list everyday of what I need to do and what I WANT to do! It usually starts out with chores around the house and then eventually gets to free time where I can pick what I want to do. ALWAYS, ITS THE HUNT!
The hunt this time was a piece of furniture but usually its a nick nack, or whatever to fill another space as my husband would say " or his quote" just something to cover another part of the wall" . Anyway I should be in the business, owning a shop perhaps.
Dad has put the tv on the wall, so now the hunt has been for a table to put under the tv. Well , I found it! the perfect one and went back to look at it a couple times thinking its old , no one will want it so its safe till I am sure its the ONE! Well, I dreamed about it , how I would put primer on it and how I would paint it possibly red, it would look FABULOUS!! ok,my mind was made up, I would go get it! The price was cheap, just ten dollars.
Well , Happy with my decision I walked into the store and said I came to get that piece! The young girl face appeared saddened and she said , her lips moving and me not believing what I was hearing, she said someone came and I knew how bad you wanted it but {sad face here} we sold it! someone else had had my same vision for that piece. To my great sorrow, it was GONE! the girl said ," I know you wanted it so much," I assured her it was ok ," I just didn't know if you were coming back she replyed," I said its ok again. So now the hunt is on again and this time when I find it there will be no second guessing myself! When I see the piece I will grab it, and it will keep me busy doing what I love to do, and so for now, THE HUNT IS ON!!

Remembering!

REMEMBERING!

Remembering can be both good and bad . To keep or throw away a memory, that is the question? Time has away of helping us with this decision. You have heard the saying "Time is on our side". Well, we can erace the bad and keep the good or vice versa! It's up to us! The mind is a wonderful thing! We get to choose! Wrongs done, death of a loved one, bad relationships , sicknesses , hurts , even people's names, places we have been, sometimes all can fade. faces that were once familiar to us, they all can fade in time . Some times forgetting can be a blessing!
Memory can have its advantages and disadvantages. What a blessing to keep or throw away what will cloud our minds and take away our JOY. If we remember only the bad it can make us Hard. Sometimes we have to remember the bad to enjoy and appreciate the good! Both gives us Hope! Mostly REMEMBERING helps us to move forward in life and find happiness! Let us NOT forget the good times we have enjoyed throughout our life. No good usually comes from remembering the bad. So move forward for so much in life really can be found to be GOOD!!

A FEW OF THE THINGS I REMEMBER GROWING UP THAT WAS GOOD!

COLD WINTER DAYS WAITING FOR THE SCHOOL BUS AT McCOOLS GROCERY STORE

PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK AFTER DARK
BUMP AND I SLEEPING IN A OLD TRAILER IN THE BACK YARD

BUMP PUSHING ME AROUND THE FRONT YARD IN A BABY BUGGY

MARRIANN MAKING ME LOOK NICE ON MY TENTH BIRTHDAY

SLEEPING UPSTAIRS IN THE FRONT GABLE

WATCHING MY SISTER'S GET READY FOR DATES

SPENDING TIME AT THE CLARKS

GOING TO THE ROLLER RINK

BABY SITTING FOR THE MARLEYS CHILDREN ON SAT. NIGHTS

GOING OVER TO MY GRANDPARENTS ON SUNDAYS

AND THOSE THINGS THAT WERE NOT SO GOOD,
WELL I HAVE PUT THEM AWAY.
love, mama

WHATS COOKING!

EVERYONE ENJOYS GOOD FOOD, SO SEND ME YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE TO PUT IN MY BLOG LADIES! THIS SHOULD BE FUN!

As a starter I have this great salad! Had to steal it from

Angie's kitchen , sooo yummy!

" Spinach Raspberry Salad"

Bag of spinach leaves

Can of mandarin oranges/drain

Grape tomatoes/Small ones

Walnut pieces/small container of goat cheese to sprinkle on /cranrasins

1/4 cup light raspberry vinaigrette in salad bottle at store

MIX AS LITTLE OR AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TOGETHER, GREAT SALAD!

Stacey's favorite casserole:

Can of Campbell's Brocolli soup with a half cup milk{blend}

Pkg. of Brocolli spears {I steam tiny bit and drain}

Boiled Chicken cut up { or stir fry some tenders} and add all together

Bake at 350 for 30 mins. turn off oven add cheese on top, close oven to melt cheese. done when cheese is melted.

Rice Casserole: Your favorite rice /seasoning which may come with it/ add sauage links cut up/ or stired fried chicken.

On Being A Lady

Audrey Hepburn - I loved her movies. I saw her in Roman Holiday and Mr. Doolittle. What a lady!

I read a book on what a lady should be while I was out in CA.

It's titled ~ SOME DO'S AND DON'T ON BEING A LADY~

Here are some tips:

- Smile
- Look person in the eye, instant bond.
- Use their name, oops! If you forgot, ask them to jog your memory or admit, I'm terrible with names

- Hugs - only for close pals
- In conversation, ask questions, show interest, find common ground
- Avoid subjects of money, relationships
- No gossiping
- Think before you speak
- Silence can be golden
- Avoid being insincere/no one likes a faker
- Do not swear
- Don't be loud
- Don't drag out conversation
- If asked a rude question, reply "i don't think I feel like answering that."
- Take a compliment
- Use good tones
- Walk confidently
- Stand tall
- Bad subject, move on

Wow. I guess I better get to work!

mama

Trip to California

Well this makes my second day home from visiting paradise! Well, that is what the airline pilot calls it when we were about to land in Sunny CA! I have to say I agree with him. Yes, it is paradise and the perfect weather!
Again this year I had the privilege to visit my daughter's out in California: Angie and her boys, Leslie with her two and my Jenny! I miss them all already!

Angie and Jenny live in San Diego[Pacific Beach] to be exact. Leslie and her little ones live in Berkeley, CA. Both girls took me to the zoo in both cities. San Diego I believe is the biggest but be prepared to do alot of walking!

While at Angie's, I kept Finn and Scout while Angie worked. A new nanny would be taking over when I leave. It was a time for me to spend getting to know my grandson's again before heading over to visit Leslie and her boys. Before leaving Angie's, she and Jen took me out to eat for my birthday. It was all good!

Once at Leslie's we did the zoo thing also and we hit Ikea and a few stores that were near her place. Leslie lives in a dense area with lots of people of different cultures and many homeless people everywhere. Guess they tend to stay in CA area because where else can you live where the weather is nice year round. It doesn't snow and there's not much rain. In all it was just a very nice and fun vacation. Just hanging out with everyone and seeing how they live in their little corner of the world.

Leaving was sooo hard!! Leslie and boys especially cause she lives alone and is going through a divorce. Leaving my Jenny also made me sad. Jen and I had fun together watching DEAL OR NO DEAL one night at her place! I love spending time with her!! When I arrived at the airport in Oakland, Leslie picked me up with the boys in the car. Soren remembered gramma but Ander, he cried not really remembering me. Well it took a couple days for him to warm up to me and then when we finally were getting to really enjoy each other it was near time for me to leave. I could love on him and he would just grin from ear to ear and Soren when he would come in the door would shout, "we're home gramma!! So cute!

Angie's boys had no problem knowing who gramma was but then they are older. Finn speaks like a little adult and Scout is just really sweet period! They are good boy's, they know the family rules and follow them. It was hard to leave. I loved hanging out with all of them!! Good Job Gals - to all of you.

Distance apart is so painful sometimes. Angie has a family and has alot going on in her world so I know she will be ok. Leslie and boys are alone and Jen also. Saying good-by to them, well its harder. Here I must say that without Angie this trip would likely not have happened. So let me say again " Thank you Angie" it meant so much! mama

I have added a few pictures of my time spent with the girls and the grandbabies. Enjoy!
Good-by Sunny Califonria. Hello, Sunny, Hot and Muggie Florida! ha! but true. get some pictures later. mama