School Daze

The year was 1936 and I was thirteen years old and in Junior High School. One of the fads for girls was to own an autograph book and have all your fellow classmates write something in it, and sign their name. Well, today I came across mine when looking for a recipe book. Oh my, what memories that brought back and it also gave me a few laughs. I thought I might share some of the things that were written in my autograph book. One girl wrote on a slant on the page and this is her contribution;
In years to come, as come they will,
Please remember the girl who wrote uphill!
Another; I'm not a Northern beauty, I'm not a Southern rose,
I'm just a little country girl, With freckles on her nose!
And; I write on white to be polite
And save the yellow for your fellow.
This one I really liked and chose it to write in another person's book. However, one of my teachers did not like the idea of autograph books and collected them all from this particular class, to take home with her to read. The next day she brought them back and gave us all wholly heck for wasting our time on such drivel. She read several aloud and commented on them. She read mine and said she was most disappointed and shocked to read this one from a very special student whom she never would have believed would write such a thing. I was almost brought to tears and to this day I cannot understand why she did not see in it what I had seen. I thought it was so very nice. Here it is;
May your friendship ever spread
Like butter on hot gingerbread!
I laugh now, but I was terribly hurt back then to think she was so cruel to me! Oh well! On to some more.
I thought and thought and thought in vain
Until I thought I'd sign my name!
Yours till the statue of Liberty has twins!
Most all of the other teachers signed our books with a smile and were very gracious. here is one:
Trouble will vanish from you like a bubble
And from you depart
Unless you nurse it and oft times rehearse it
And hold it close to your heart.
Again; When your days on earth are ended and your path no longer trod
May your name in gold be written in the autograph of God
More; Of all the ships that sail the sea
Friendship is the ship for me!
And; I love you big, I love you mighty
I wish your pajamas were next to my nightie.
On the clothes line, that is!
And this; I never went to college
I never went to school
But when it comes to loving, I'm an educated fool!
How about this; I write on pink because I think
You are sweet!
When you see a monkey up a tree,
Pull its tail and think of me. (Groan)
Here is a good one! Love is like an onion, you taste it with delight
But afterward you wonder, whatever made you bite!
And from my very first boyfriend we have this;
Last in your album,
Last in your thoughts,
Last to be remembered,
And first to be forgot.
I have never forgotten Marcel Bartholomew. He drew a heart with our initials in it. How sweet!
There are more, but I just picked out a few for my blog I thought you might enjoy. Do kids today have autograph books? I don't think so! I think they have gone with the jump rope, the kite, hop scotch, hide and seek, kick the can, and all the other games that kept us outside playing. Today's kids don't know what fun is in the great outdoors. Oh well, hope you enjoyed these. It was a nice trip down memory lane for me!

Call The Police!

Nostalgia comes with old age, and it often brings smiles to your face which has happened to me this day. Many years ago I worked at an ice cream parlor that served food along with all the wonderful ice cream concoctions you do not see today. The place was called Bordens and the man and his wife who owned the place were probably the best bosses in any business around. They were absolutely wonderful people and working for them was such a pleasure. The place was very popular and full most of the time. Not only did the locals visit, but so did the soldiers who were stationed here during world war two. However my story is about the police officers who came on a regular basis. Both the city police and the highway patrol. We knew them all by name. Crime was not very rampant in those times and they were always offering rides to any of the waitresses who were stuck without their car to get them home. One night a girl from Windsor had no way home and they volunteered to take her, but that she had to know if they got a call she would be dropped off on the side of the road while they answered the call. That might have been scary, but not so as there just was not that much to worry about back then. Myself and my sister, who also worked there, walked home by ourselves many a night at midnight without any worries whatsoever. I am probably the biggest scardy cat ever, but I did not have fears back then, of walking home at midnight in Santa Rosa. Well, maybe I am not the biggest scardy cat, as my boss's wife would often fear going home when she had to take the cash from the restaurant with her. Therefore, these gallant officers would volunteer to drive behind her until she was safely to where she had to go. I am not sure if she took the cash home or deposited in in the night slot, but whichever they followed her to make sure she was safe. We (my sister and I) lived in the bottom apartment of a two story. One night two of the city police gave us a ride home and parked the patrol car and came in for refreshments. (Yes, that is all!!) It was after midnight and we happened to get a little loud in our conversation and laughing. All of a sudden they heard the speaker in their patrol car and one of them ran out to take the call. He came hurrying back in and said they had to leave as the people in the upstairs apartment had called in and said there was a noisy party going on in the downstairs apartment. OMG that was us! Out the door they went laughing all the way and telling us to, "Quiet down!" I do not believe anything like that would happen in this day and age. It was all pure innocence, but today it might not be so easy to convince anyone of that. While thinking of it today, I could not help smiling and thinking how those guys were always there to protect us gals when we needed them, and even though it was not the right thing to do it has given me a lot of pleasure to recall it all again and make me smile.

A Tasy Test!

Yesterday I received an email that told about a lot of unusual foods at fairs around the United States. Some of them were: chicken fried bacon, fried avocados, (yum! they were coated in corn dog batter and deep fried) Spaghetti and meatballs on a stick, (Yuk! All mashed together)fried frog legs, hot beef sundae, ( sliced beef covered with mashed potatoes and cheese, topped with a cherry tomato) Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich, ( OMG. chicken patty with cheese between a Krispy Creme donut) pizza cones, (wrapped pizza put into a paper cone container for handling) Key lime on a stick, and deep fried coca cola. This last was not bad. It was a batter, flavored with cola and deep fried. That was just some, and when I read about the frog legs it reminded me of a story my mom had told us kids about something she did as a young woman that made us laugh. I guess my grandmother did not think it funny, but you can judge for yourself. My grandmother had let my mom do the cooking for that evening and they had agreed on having chicken for dinner. Back in those good old days, they just went out to the chicken coop and chose a chicken, wrung its neck, put it in boiling water to strip the feathers off more easily, and did whatever they did to prepare and cook the chicken for dinner. Oh boy! I am so glad we do not do that anymore. We would never have chicken in our house if that was the way I had to do it! Some, I guess did use an axe and chopped the head off, but even that leaves me queasy and gives me loss of appetite. Well, any way, instead of chicken, my mom caught a few large frogs. For the life of me, and after consulting with my ninety one year old sister, we could not remember how she was able to get the frogs. We believe there was some kind of water or swamp near their house. Well, anyway, this story is true and on we go! Now my grand mother did not mind the torture given the chickens, or mind eating them, but she had a weak stomach where frogs were concerned, so mom did not tell grandma that instead of chicken for dinner, it would be frog legs. I am told frog legs taste just like chicken. I will never know!! At dinner my grandmother said the chicken was delicious tonight, but she said, "How many chicken did you kill? There are so many legs." About then it dawned on her what had happened, and she flew from the table to wherever they went in those days to upchuck the whole jumping mess! There were no bathrooms, just outhouses, so I assume she just retreated to outdoors. Poor grandma. I feel for her and know exactly how she felt, and my mom deserved the punishment, whatever it was. I do remember my mother saying grandma was very upset with her and checked dinner out from then on. I am also checking out our fair food before I go. I don't think we have anything too unusual at our fair this year. The local paper gave an accounting of what booths there were and the only new thing I could see was deep fried zucchini sticks. I might try them when I go. Bon Appetit!

A Fair Affair!

It's fair time and the Sonoma County Fair has opened in our town of Santa Rosa, California. I have not been yet, but I heard its theme is "The Fair Before Time." That means there are lots of prehistoric things to see and lots of dinosaurs. The fair is a time for fun, rides, yummy food, flower show, racing, rodeos, destruction derby and a lot more than I can name. Lots of fun activities for the kids, and lots of entertainment with big names. I like to go for two things. That is the flower show and the horse racing. I used to enter craft things and the poetry contest, but do not anymore as the standing in line to enter is too much for me. I have won a few ribbons and I treasure them, but I just cannot do it anymore. Back many years ago, there was a lady who was in charge, and ran the big flower show in the back of the building, where garden clubs had their spaces. The front of the building was for florists and nurseries from all over the county. Well, one year when my young son had a job working in the flower building, and before the fair opened that year, he approached the lady in charge, (Mrs. Fletcher) and asked her why there were no spaces allotted to young people who were interested in flowers. She asked him if he was interested, and if she provided such a space, would he be willing and able to do it. Of course he was ecstatic and said absolutely. She told him she would have to run it by the fair manager (Mr. James Lyttle) first before she could let him have a space. Oh my gosh, it happened, and there he was, my young son, the very first junior to have an entry in the Sonoma County Fairs Hall Of Flowers! They even gave him a ribbon for his entry. How proud he was. The following year, Mrs Fletcher found two others who were interested. Then there were three. The next year as word had gotten around, there were more until today, the spaces allotted, are all filled up. It is a joy and pleasing to the eye to go to the fair and see all the gardens of the young people and to know it all started with my son. It is called the junior division. Have you been to a fair lately? It is a lot of fun! Tomorrow I will talk about fair food and a funny story of the past. See you then! ( The above picture was taken of a display in the hall of flowers a couple of years ago)

Honest To Goodness!

Once in a great while when I come home from grocery shopping, There will be something I bought and paid for, but did not get home with. I am telling you that for sure I tell them about it on my next trip and want it to show up in my grocery bag this time without charge. So, last Saturday when I went shopping there were two ladies in line ahead of me. They had not one, but two baskets loaded with groceries and several cases of drinks. They were pleasant ladies and smiled and acknowledged me. I am sure their bill must have been $300.00 or at least near that. My turn came and I visited with the nice guy at the check out stand, gave him my coupons and my Safeway card(which cuts down the price considerably) and said, "No thanks" to the "Do you want help out?" question. When I got home, I sat for a minute, (that's because grocery shopping poops me at my age) then proceeded to put my things away. Out of one shopping bag came one of those green net bags with about 6 or 7 ( I did not count) avocados in it. Wow! Do I love avocados! But hey! I did not buy avocados. Did I mention I love avocados? Oh, yes, I did. Well that is a nice surprise and gift to me. I am sure I could manage to eat all of them over a period of time without them going bad. Then I said to myself, "Do you remember how upset you get when you get home and something is missing? Do you really think these are now yours? Can you eat them with a good conscience? Prices in the store go up because of dishonesty and theft, so if you keep them, you are contributing. O.K! I will take them back, and I did. The guy at the customer service counter was flabbergasted and praised me for being so honest. He did not have to do that, but I guess his surprise made him say it. He was almost sure the owners of the avocados had come back to reclaim them and was given another bag. Well, maybe they had and maybe they had not, but one thing I know for sure is that I felt like a helium balloon floating on air. I had forgotten what a great feeling it is to be honest! Now I love avocados, but even better I like the feeling being honest gives you. It is hard to explain and this is really a small act of honesty, but it still feels good. Can you imagine how I would have felt if it had been a bigger deal. Love that feeling! Try it, you will love it!!

Missy!

I feel like I must write about her. Perhaps if I do it will ease some of the pain I feel. I know it will not help my son, and I so wish I could help him. She belonged to him and she was so in love with him it was a joy to see. Oh, she loved me too, but it was more of a tolerated love because I was her caretaker so very many times when her guy had to make a trip for a few days. The first day or two she did not want to share herself with me, because she just knew he would be coming back through the door any minute and she stood faithfully there waiting for it to happen. When it did not, she then knew it was time to accept my lap and wait patiently for his return. I was the one feeding her now and taking her outside so she accepted the fact he was gone for a while. At bedtime she cuddled up on her pillow and lay quietly by my side. During the next few days she was fine, but would go occasionally to take a sniff at the door. When he did return it was a joyous reunion. It was bouncing and face licking all over the place. It was crouching down and jumping. It was whining to say, "I knew you would come back!" She was five years old when he got her and he had her for thirteen and a half years. What a smart little girl she was. We know she understood every word we said and reacted accordingly. I have to laugh when I look back and remember some of the things she did. When my husband was alive, he sat quite often is his recliner chair. We would put her in his lap when we were running errands and say to her, "You stay with grandpa now!" It got so when we left we would just say to her, "Go see grandpa." Well that little girl was just so upset. She knew we were leaving and she had to wait for us to return. Her head would go down and she walked slowly over to grandpa's chair, turn to look at us, then hop up on his lap and put her head down so she would not look at us. I know the things she did were not much different than anyone elses dog, but don't we all feel that our dog is the smartest? Little Missy was a toy poodle and everywhere we went she attracted attention. Everyone wanted to pet Missy. Her groomers loved her because she was so good and behaved so well. Her veterinarian called her sweet names and hugged her when she had to go in. Yesterday my son had to make a choice of whether to put her to sleep or keep her for a while, just so he could have her for a while longer. He unselfishly chose to let her go. She was blind, deaf, had heart and kidney problems, and had doggy Alzheimer's. She did not know where she was and got lost inside the house. She bumped into walls and stood still just facing furniture and not moving. When she did move she roamed aimlessly throughout the house and would either bump into things or get stuck where she could not get out. Most of the time she slept and slept. We had to pick her up and show her where her food and water were. She would go outside to potty and start to scratch herself and would fall down. A couple of times before we could get to her to grab her she fell off the steps. All this frightened her as we could feel her little heart beating so very fast. Our Missy is gone now, but she still remains with us and will for a while. She will always be in our hearts. If you have ever owned and loved a dog, then you know how we feel. Dogs give you unconditional love and they are forgiving and loyal. They make you feel like you are someone special and if you love your pet, then you will treat it special also. It will return your love a thousand fold!

Going Sailing

Susan’s going sailing
A sailing on the sea
I am going to miss her
And her emails sent to me.
Everyday she sends one
It starts my day off right,
I even get one sometimes
Before bedding down at night.
Oh I have other email friends,
Who always keep in touch
But Susan gives a daily fix
Which I really need so much.
We tell each other secrets
And I ask her for advice
She always answers truthfully
Because she is so nice.
Sometimes she asks me also,
Just what I might think
I tell her very honestly
From truth I do not shrink.
Although I’ll miss her emails
And the closeness that we share
I know that she’s my friend
And always will be there.
Oh Susan’s going sailing
On the great big ocean blue
Smooth sailing I do wish her
And bid a fond adieu.