Here we are at the end of April 2011. In just a few more hours, four months of this year will have zoomed by. Tomorrow will be May 1st and rent day will have arrived again. I have always heard it said that times goes by faster as you get older, but it seems to me one week goes into another and one month to another, until we arrive at another year before we’ve hardly begun. What was it Eddie Albert said in the song? “The years dwindle down to a precious few.” Actually they don’t dwindle, they seem to be like Superman and rush by with the speed of light.
As it is, I don’t think anyone will regret seeing the end of this April; such a horrid weather month. So many homes destroyed and lives lost, though we were so very fortunate, in that there was no loss of life due to the tornados in our area. Other states, and especially Alabama were not so fortunate.
It seems we have been bombarded with “bad,” by many things: weather, wars, loss of homes, the jobs we need to support our families, kids [and some older folks too] messing up their lives with drugs, which leads to crimes and sometimes their deaths or that of others. So much trouble, not only in our country, but around the world. But among all the bad, there is also much good, as exemplified by the many helping hands reaching out to those who have lost so much.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Welcome to Winter/Spring
Surprise: Woke up this morning to find several inches of snow on the ground and on top of my car, and still snowing quite heavily. Weather people did say a front was coming through and snow could be mixed in. Looks to me like it wasn’t mixed in, but on top of… Supposed to be up around 40 this afternoon, and then maybe more rain, so the snow wouldn’t last long. Really!
About mid-morning, I looked out and the snow had almost stopped, so I thought it was winding down. A few minutes later, it had wound up again, with lots of big, heavy snow flakes. Old Mother Goose was really shaking out her feather beds. After a couple of hours, the snow lightened some, but it has continued to fall all day, and is still going strong.
We’ve had a lot of storms this winter, and most of the time we were on the light end of the accumulation where I live. This morning, they said the forecast had changed and this area was to get more than other places. I guess it was our turn.
One granddaughter, who was raised in Missouri, went to Florida to live, when her family moved there while she was in college. She always missed the change in seasons, and longed to see snow again. Her own children had never been exposed to snow and winter weather. Late last summer they moved back to Missouri, and I’d say they are now well acquainted with snow and ‘snow days.’ Maybe a little more than they would have liked.
I, too, like the change of seasons, but it has been a very long time since I thought snow was a great thing to have. Driving to and from work in snow and ice; the slush, the mess, the concern for people on the roads has long since lowered its appeal for me. I was fortunate never to have had a weather related accident, but one day on my way home from work, I slid on ice six ways from Sunday. [How long since you’ve heard that expression, if ever?] And never touched a thing. Talk about guardian angels!
My children, like many others, thought it wasn’t Christmas without snow. As far as I’m concerned, some of the best Christmas weather we had was when our kids played badminton in the yard with their Dad on Christmas Day. And later, another good Christmas weather day occurred, when the grandchildren were able to eat Christmas dinner at a small table out on the porch. That kind of weather is very much to my liking.
It is still snowing here, but it is now somewhat lighter. At any rate, all you drivers have a safe trip home this evening, and as someone on a television show used to say [I think it was Hill Street Blues], “Be careful out there!”
About mid-morning, I looked out and the snow had almost stopped, so I thought it was winding down. A few minutes later, it had wound up again, with lots of big, heavy snow flakes. Old Mother Goose was really shaking out her feather beds. After a couple of hours, the snow lightened some, but it has continued to fall all day, and is still going strong.
We’ve had a lot of storms this winter, and most of the time we were on the light end of the accumulation where I live. This morning, they said the forecast had changed and this area was to get more than other places. I guess it was our turn.
One granddaughter, who was raised in Missouri, went to Florida to live, when her family moved there while she was in college. She always missed the change in seasons, and longed to see snow again. Her own children had never been exposed to snow and winter weather. Late last summer they moved back to Missouri, and I’d say they are now well acquainted with snow and ‘snow days.’ Maybe a little more than they would have liked.
I, too, like the change of seasons, but it has been a very long time since I thought snow was a great thing to have. Driving to and from work in snow and ice; the slush, the mess, the concern for people on the roads has long since lowered its appeal for me. I was fortunate never to have had a weather related accident, but one day on my way home from work, I slid on ice six ways from Sunday. [How long since you’ve heard that expression, if ever?] And never touched a thing. Talk about guardian angels!
My children, like many others, thought it wasn’t Christmas without snow. As far as I’m concerned, some of the best Christmas weather we had was when our kids played badminton in the yard with their Dad on Christmas Day. And later, another good Christmas weather day occurred, when the grandchildren were able to eat Christmas dinner at a small table out on the porch. That kind of weather is very much to my liking.
It is still snowing here, but it is now somewhat lighter. At any rate, all you drivers have a safe trip home this evening, and as someone on a television show used to say [I think it was Hill Street Blues], “Be careful out there!”
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Grandpa Bowen: A Childhood Memory
William Cornelius Maguire Bowen, "Grandpa" Bowen, as most elderly people did at that time, lived with one of their children. He alternately lived with my family, or his daughter, Aunt Edith Cooper. He is one of my best childhood memories.
When I was born, he was 71 years old. His hair had been black, but by that time his hair was gray, and, he had a long, white beard. His eyes were a beautiful blue. I can still see those twinkling blue eyes in my mind. My brother, Tom, had those same twinkling blue eyes, with mischief added to the twinkle, as a boy.
Of Grandpa's four brothers, three were tall. Two were lean and lanky; the other also tall, but had a bit more muscular build. One other brother died when he was about 30 years old, and I never knew him, or had a description of him. Grandpa William M . C. Bowen was slim, but he was not tall like his brothers. I suspect he minded, as siblings will, that he, the eldest son, had to look up (in height) to his younger brothers.
He was injured by a falling tree while cutting timber when he was in his 50s and his leg was broken. Apparently it was not set properly, and he walked on crutches for the remainder of his life. This curtailed much of the physical work he had previously done, but he made himself useful around the place doing what he could do.
My grandmother, Sarah Jane Deskin Bowen, died two days before I was born. Grandpa and Dad were away at her funeral, and when they arrived home, they found a new baby girl. I suppose this new child helped fill a small hole in the empty space left in my grandfather's life, by my grandmother's passing. He was a very special part of my life as a child. He died much too soon for me, when I was only seven years old, and I missed him sorely. He was my special childhood friend.
My mother told me that when I was a baby, she would pile pillows in a rocking chiar, lay me on the pillows and Grandpa would watch me while she did her housework. If I woke and got fussy, Grandpa would put his foot on the rocker and gently rock the chair until I quieted, or Mother could come to do what was needed, if I was insistent.
Mother said she thought "Pa" Bowen was cranky. And one of my brother's, a little older than I, expressed the same opinion. I don't remember him being particularly crabby with me, except that once he told me to go get him a 'couple of sticks of wood." Being a literal minded child, that is exactly what I did. If that was what Grandpa wanted, that was what he got. I brought in two sticks of wood.
He fussed at me because I didn't bring more wood. And being this literal minded child, I didn't understand why he was displeased, when I did exactly what he told me to do. In my defense, I might add that I was a 'small' child, and unless the sticks were also pretty small, I probably couldn't have carried much more than that anyway.
I do remember that I pestered Grandpa, probably too frequently, to "Please let me look in Grandma's trunk." For some reason, I was fascinated by what was in this trunk and I delighted in going through it. However, I can only remember one item specifically, that it contained. That was the little clay pipes that it was said Grandma smoked, as did older women of some cultures. Grandpa promised me the pipes would be mine when he was gone; but he was not living with us when he died, and noone would have paid any attention to a child my age anyway. Later, I asked my cousins if they remembered anything about the trunk, and what had happened to the pipes, but neither had any memory of them. I suspect that all, or most of what was in the trunk was discarded as having no value.
As often as I asked Grandpa to see what was in the trunk, he had plent of opportunities to be cranky with me if he wanted to, but if he was, I have never recalled it. Cranky or not, I wouldn't have traded him for anything. When he left us, there was an empty space in my life too, and there was noone else to fill it for a very long time.
When I was born, he was 71 years old. His hair had been black, but by that time his hair was gray, and, he had a long, white beard. His eyes were a beautiful blue. I can still see those twinkling blue eyes in my mind. My brother, Tom, had those same twinkling blue eyes, with mischief added to the twinkle, as a boy.
Of Grandpa's four brothers, three were tall. Two were lean and lanky; the other also tall, but had a bit more muscular build. One other brother died when he was about 30 years old, and I never knew him, or had a description of him. Grandpa William M . C. Bowen was slim, but he was not tall like his brothers. I suspect he minded, as siblings will, that he, the eldest son, had to look up (in height) to his younger brothers.
He was injured by a falling tree while cutting timber when he was in his 50s and his leg was broken. Apparently it was not set properly, and he walked on crutches for the remainder of his life. This curtailed much of the physical work he had previously done, but he made himself useful around the place doing what he could do.
My grandmother, Sarah Jane Deskin Bowen, died two days before I was born. Grandpa and Dad were away at her funeral, and when they arrived home, they found a new baby girl. I suppose this new child helped fill a small hole in the empty space left in my grandfather's life, by my grandmother's passing. He was a very special part of my life as a child. He died much too soon for me, when I was only seven years old, and I missed him sorely. He was my special childhood friend.
My mother told me that when I was a baby, she would pile pillows in a rocking chiar, lay me on the pillows and Grandpa would watch me while she did her housework. If I woke and got fussy, Grandpa would put his foot on the rocker and gently rock the chair until I quieted, or Mother could come to do what was needed, if I was insistent.
Mother said she thought "Pa" Bowen was cranky. And one of my brother's, a little older than I, expressed the same opinion. I don't remember him being particularly crabby with me, except that once he told me to go get him a 'couple of sticks of wood." Being a literal minded child, that is exactly what I did. If that was what Grandpa wanted, that was what he got. I brought in two sticks of wood.
He fussed at me because I didn't bring more wood. And being this literal minded child, I didn't understand why he was displeased, when I did exactly what he told me to do. In my defense, I might add that I was a 'small' child, and unless the sticks were also pretty small, I probably couldn't have carried much more than that anyway.
I do remember that I pestered Grandpa, probably too frequently, to "Please let me look in Grandma's trunk." For some reason, I was fascinated by what was in this trunk and I delighted in going through it. However, I can only remember one item specifically, that it contained. That was the little clay pipes that it was said Grandma smoked, as did older women of some cultures. Grandpa promised me the pipes would be mine when he was gone; but he was not living with us when he died, and noone would have paid any attention to a child my age anyway. Later, I asked my cousins if they remembered anything about the trunk, and what had happened to the pipes, but neither had any memory of them. I suspect that all, or most of what was in the trunk was discarded as having no value.
As often as I asked Grandpa to see what was in the trunk, he had plent of opportunities to be cranky with me if he wanted to, but if he was, I have never recalled it. Cranky or not, I wouldn't have traded him for anything. When he left us, there was an empty space in my life too, and there was noone else to fill it for a very long time.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Readers' Choices
Recently another birthday came around. Admittedly, the numbers are getting pretty high. I celebrated with family members who live in my vicinity and received lots of good wishes from others farther away. I’m grateful to, and for, all of you. I also received cards from some of my neighbors here at W.P. And someone sang happy birthday to me over the phone. When the friend called, I was at my family birthday party. The next day, when I checked the answering machine, instead of leaving a message, she had sung Happy Birthday. Nice, Martha!
Anyone who knows me very well knows that I have been an avid reader for most of my life. I fell in love with the printed word as soon as I learned how to read. Or perhaps before I could read, because my desire to do so was what led me at age four, to take my little brother and run away to school, so I could found out what was in those books. Growing up, I can remember hearing my mother say so many times, “She is probably somewhere with her nose in a book.”
As I got older, libraries and book stores became two of my most favorite places. Since I couldn’t seem to walk out of a book store with only one book and ended up with an armful, I forced myself to stay away from book stores and spent more time at the local library instead - much more economical for me.
Much has changed since that day I ran away to school so many years ago, including my vision, unfortunately. For some time I have frequented the ‘larger print’ section of the library for the most part. The fine print of newer books makes them very difficult for me to read. As do other books with smaller or very narrow fonts.
Recently, I saw a news item where book publishers were going to make these types of fonts even more prevalent, because they would use so much less ink and cut their printing costs. I wonder if they have given a thought to eye strain for the reader!
Another big change for readers is the ability to download and read books on a small computer-like ebook, called a Kindle. That was my special birthday gift this year, along with a gift card to load up [download] some books. Needless to say I was/am very pleased.
I remember the fleeting thought of wondering if I would have a problem with the font size. Knowing my love of reading and my vision difficulties, the first thing my daughter-in-law pointed out to me was that the text size could be changed to suit the reader. The case has its own built in little light, so you don’t have to worry about having sufficient light, as well as a reading size that is comfortable.
I’m looking forward to many hours of enjoyment with this new reading tool. I’ve got the Kindle and gift card register, am learning how to use it, and have downloaded one book so far. I still have one library book to finish reading, so I can take the books I now have out on loan, back to the library. Then I can concentrate on this new reading experience. That’s the special gift I mentioned, Trish.
Anyone who knows me very well knows that I have been an avid reader for most of my life. I fell in love with the printed word as soon as I learned how to read. Or perhaps before I could read, because my desire to do so was what led me at age four, to take my little brother and run away to school, so I could found out what was in those books. Growing up, I can remember hearing my mother say so many times, “She is probably somewhere with her nose in a book.”
As I got older, libraries and book stores became two of my most favorite places. Since I couldn’t seem to walk out of a book store with only one book and ended up with an armful, I forced myself to stay away from book stores and spent more time at the local library instead - much more economical for me.
Much has changed since that day I ran away to school so many years ago, including my vision, unfortunately. For some time I have frequented the ‘larger print’ section of the library for the most part. The fine print of newer books makes them very difficult for me to read. As do other books with smaller or very narrow fonts.
Recently, I saw a news item where book publishers were going to make these types of fonts even more prevalent, because they would use so much less ink and cut their printing costs. I wonder if they have given a thought to eye strain for the reader!
Another big change for readers is the ability to download and read books on a small computer-like ebook, called a Kindle. That was my special birthday gift this year, along with a gift card to load up [download] some books. Needless to say I was/am very pleased.
I remember the fleeting thought of wondering if I would have a problem with the font size. Knowing my love of reading and my vision difficulties, the first thing my daughter-in-law pointed out to me was that the text size could be changed to suit the reader. The case has its own built in little light, so you don’t have to worry about having sufficient light, as well as a reading size that is comfortable.
I’m looking forward to many hours of enjoyment with this new reading tool. I’ve got the Kindle and gift card register, am learning how to use it, and have downloaded one book so far. I still have one library book to finish reading, so I can take the books I now have out on loan, back to the library. Then I can concentrate on this new reading experience. That’s the special gift I mentioned, Trish.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Staying Inside on a Cold Day Outside
Several inches of snow on the ground and the temperature in the teens—a perfect day not to go outside if you don’t have to. And hot soup seems to be the perfect accompaniment for such a day. I decided this would be a good day for potato soup. Then I looked in the cupboard and found I had one potato and one onion. One onion was okay, but one potato wouldn’t go very far, would it?
I don’t buy a lot of those items at one time because they tend to go bad before I can use them all. I usually buy only a few at a time. However, when the grocer has a bag of potatoes for $1.00 or $1.99, I buy them anyway, because even if I can’t use them all before they go bad, I more than get my money’s worth, over buying them individually.
I thought I still had several potatoes from my most recent purchase, but it seems not. At first I thought, oh well, I’ll just have to do something else. My next thought was: one person, not a large eater, really wouldn’t need much, so why not see what I could do with one potato and one onion.
When I make soup, I like to make enough for at least two or three servings, so after it started cooking, I began to think of what I could do to make a bit more. I decided to throw in some broccoli, seasoned it to my taste, and when it was done cooking, I added some cheese. It all turned out to be good choices and my taste buds are well pleased. If only other choices would work so well at times!
Later this afternoon, i think I’ll make some cornbread to go along with another bowl of soup for supper, maybe have some broiled tilapia, and that will take care of that. I hope your cold day is a good one for you.
I don’t buy a lot of those items at one time because they tend to go bad before I can use them all. I usually buy only a few at a time. However, when the grocer has a bag of potatoes for $1.00 or $1.99, I buy them anyway, because even if I can’t use them all before they go bad, I more than get my money’s worth, over buying them individually.
I thought I still had several potatoes from my most recent purchase, but it seems not. At first I thought, oh well, I’ll just have to do something else. My next thought was: one person, not a large eater, really wouldn’t need much, so why not see what I could do with one potato and one onion.
When I make soup, I like to make enough for at least two or three servings, so after it started cooking, I began to think of what I could do to make a bit more. I decided to throw in some broccoli, seasoned it to my taste, and when it was done cooking, I added some cheese. It all turned out to be good choices and my taste buds are well pleased. If only other choices would work so well at times!
Later this afternoon, i think I’ll make some cornbread to go along with another bowl of soup for supper, maybe have some broiled tilapia, and that will take care of that. I hope your cold day is a good one for you.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Children - Nutrients and Health
Have you ever heard of “Vitamin Angels?” It is an organization that provides vitamins to young children because they believe it can make a vast difference in their health and life improvement.
I found out about the organization when ordering vitamins online, where the company I order from has an item you can check to add $1.00 to vitamins for Vitamin Angels. I think it says that just 25 cents will provide enough vitamins for one year. Unbelievable! As I said, in my facebook post, a dollar doesn’t hurt much [if at all] even if you don’t have a lot of them.
I don’t know if it is against the rules to list the name of the vitamin company within the blog, but you can ask me about it. There are other ways you can donate, as well as directly to the organization if you like. It seems like a worthy cause to me. You can check out Vitamin Angels on their web site at the URL at the end of this blog. Their mission statement is listed immediately below.
“Our mission is to mobilize and deploy private sector resources to advance availability, access and use of micronutrients, especially vitamin A, by newborns, infants and children in need. Vitamin Angels reduces child mortality worldwide by connecting essential nutrients, especially vitamin A, with infants and children under five. Essential nutrients enable young immune systems to fight infectious diseases, helping children attain good health and the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives.”
http://www.vitaminangels.org/
I found out about the organization when ordering vitamins online, where the company I order from has an item you can check to add $1.00 to vitamins for Vitamin Angels. I think it says that just 25 cents will provide enough vitamins for one year. Unbelievable! As I said, in my facebook post, a dollar doesn’t hurt much [if at all] even if you don’t have a lot of them.
I don’t know if it is against the rules to list the name of the vitamin company within the blog, but you can ask me about it. There are other ways you can donate, as well as directly to the organization if you like. It seems like a worthy cause to me. You can check out Vitamin Angels on their web site at the URL at the end of this blog. Their mission statement is listed immediately below.
“Our mission is to mobilize and deploy private sector resources to advance availability, access and use of micronutrients, especially vitamin A, by newborns, infants and children in need. Vitamin Angels reduces child mortality worldwide by connecting essential nutrients, especially vitamin A, with infants and children under five. Essential nutrients enable young immune systems to fight infectious diseases, helping children attain good health and the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives.”
http://www.vitaminangels.org/
Friday, January 7, 2011
Christmas Cards
Christmas Cards: Economics of mailing them and what to do with old cards.
Is sending Christmas cards to friends and relatives through the mail becoming obsolete? Or has it already done so? Did you send as many cards this year as usual? Did you receive as many as you usually do? The answer for me to the last two questions is “No,” in both instances. I did receive a few cards, and sent a few cards. I still have a couple to send because they need ‘catch-up’ notes to go with them, and I haven’t quite got them all done yet. To friends in the complex where I live, I sent cards, but they were hand delivered to the villa or apartment.
In my case, many of the people I formerly sent and received cards to and from are no longer around. To others, it is simpler and less costly to email a greeting. I sent and received some of those too. And I received and sent Christmas and New Year greeting on Facebook. However, I did enjoy the attractive scenes on the cards I received,and the sentiments inside; not to mention reading the notes included, when the person took a moment to fill us in on the happenings in their life. But, when you mailed a number of cards, the postage was a bit costly, especially when the postal rate just kept going up-up-up. To be fair, everything else has done the same.
Not mailing cards saves the former sender money. Not sending cards costs the postal service revenue. So, it’s more of the good news – bad news situation. We have been hearing recently that the postal service revenue is declining. One of the suggestions has been to cut Saturday delivery. At least one postal worker, and there were likely others who felt the same way, didn’t like that idea because she received overtime for the working Saturday and depended on the extra income.
I can understand that, but I don’t think they should pay overtime for working an Saturday. It could be they thought the overtime for Saturday was less expensive than the expenses of hiring the requisite extra employees. Perhaps another way could be found if Saturday delivery was a necessity. But is it?
In my opinion, dropping Saturday mail delivery is a good idea under the present circumstances, and individuals losing Saturday overtime for that one day is preferable to someone losing thier job altogether.
Retailers work on weekends, but most offices don’t. How often do you get ‘important’ mail on Saturday. If you do get something from a business on Saturday, the office is likely closed, and you can’t act on it until Monday anyway. Since most offices are closed on Saturday, they generally speaking, don’t need delivery, though you can still mail a letter if you want to. If we have mail to send to an individual, we can just adapt to sending it so they will receive it by Friday. After all, that is what we do now for Sunday, when we don’t expect to receive mail
I should think that the cut back on mailing Christmas cards would affect the greeting card industry as well as the postal service. If this trend continues, the following probably will fall by the wayside too. However, if you currently have used Christmas or all-occasion cards on hand, and don’t know what to do with old cards, you might consider sending them to the organization listed below.
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
The children redesign the used cards and sell them as fund raisers.
All Occasion cards can be mailed to the organization the year round.
Is sending Christmas cards to friends and relatives through the mail becoming obsolete? Or has it already done so? Did you send as many cards this year as usual? Did you receive as many as you usually do? The answer for me to the last two questions is “No,” in both instances. I did receive a few cards, and sent a few cards. I still have a couple to send because they need ‘catch-up’ notes to go with them, and I haven’t quite got them all done yet. To friends in the complex where I live, I sent cards, but they were hand delivered to the villa or apartment.
In my case, many of the people I formerly sent and received cards to and from are no longer around. To others, it is simpler and less costly to email a greeting. I sent and received some of those too. And I received and sent Christmas and New Year greeting on Facebook. However, I did enjoy the attractive scenes on the cards I received,and the sentiments inside; not to mention reading the notes included, when the person took a moment to fill us in on the happenings in their life. But, when you mailed a number of cards, the postage was a bit costly, especially when the postal rate just kept going up-up-up. To be fair, everything else has done the same.
Not mailing cards saves the former sender money. Not sending cards costs the postal service revenue. So, it’s more of the good news – bad news situation. We have been hearing recently that the postal service revenue is declining. One of the suggestions has been to cut Saturday delivery. At least one postal worker, and there were likely others who felt the same way, didn’t like that idea because she received overtime for the working Saturday and depended on the extra income.
I can understand that, but I don’t think they should pay overtime for working an Saturday. It could be they thought the overtime for Saturday was less expensive than the expenses of hiring the requisite extra employees. Perhaps another way could be found if Saturday delivery was a necessity. But is it?
In my opinion, dropping Saturday mail delivery is a good idea under the present circumstances, and individuals losing Saturday overtime for that one day is preferable to someone losing thier job altogether.
Retailers work on weekends, but most offices don’t. How often do you get ‘important’ mail on Saturday. If you do get something from a business on Saturday, the office is likely closed, and you can’t act on it until Monday anyway. Since most offices are closed on Saturday, they generally speaking, don’t need delivery, though you can still mail a letter if you want to. If we have mail to send to an individual, we can just adapt to sending it so they will receive it by Friday. After all, that is what we do now for Sunday, when we don’t expect to receive mail
I should think that the cut back on mailing Christmas cards would affect the greeting card industry as well as the postal service. If this trend continues, the following probably will fall by the wayside too. However, if you currently have used Christmas or all-occasion cards on hand, and don’t know what to do with old cards, you might consider sending them to the organization listed below.
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
The children redesign the used cards and sell them as fund raisers.
All Occasion cards can be mailed to the organization the year round.
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