Friends: What would we do without them? Second only to family, they are our most loyal support. Once a friend is ours, we seldom want to give that person up.
Often I think of friends, both present and past, and remember just how we became friends, or how we connected. Often times we bond with others in very unusual ways.
Sometimes we lose that connection for short periods of time, or possibly for years, only to reconnect in time.
For several years after Ray’s death, I regularly checked the Web site of the 94th Bomb Group. Relatives of air force veterans wrote notes regarding the service of their loved ones. I found their stories very interesting and informative.
Ray was a member of the 410th squadron of that group and I was constantly searching for someone in that squadron who might live nearby, or have relatives nearby. To my surprise one day while I was browsing through the various articles on this Web site, I saw an item from a lady living in Oklahoma City. She had listed her email address, so I sent her an email. She was kind enough to respond and I learned that her husband’s name was also Ray. He had been in the same bomb group and the same squadron.
At the time we connected, her husband was still living. However, he has since passed away, but Georgene and I have continued to stay in touch via email and phone.
We have much in common and although our friendship has not been of long-standing, I consider her a very special person in my life.
I truly believe that God guides us in making these friendships coming together.
I often think of my friend whom I met in church in Antlers, Oklahoma over fifty years ago. I walked into the nursery at church and there sat Nell with her new baby. We began a conversation, and first thing I knew we were lifelong friends. She has been my support and encourager in thick and thin, through good times and rough times. We still stay in touch and I find it a real treat when we catch up with the happenings in our lives.
At my age, many of my former friends have passed away or reside in nursing homes. I still cherish the memories of our times together.
Once in a while, I get word from one of my classmates from high school in Dallas. I love hearing their news, and remembering our times during that period.
When Ray and I were first married, I did not make friends easily, but as time passed I learned from his casual and easy way of making friends. Remembering names is not as easy now as it once was, but I still try.
Not only do I have this bank of my own friends, but my children’s friends are special to me. I continue to have friendly relationships with the children of some of my adult friends, a few who are still living and the children of others who have passed away.
Friends, both old and new, are very special and they are a true blessing in my life. I hope you also have friends such as these.
1-28-2009
#420
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
101 Years Ago was Good, and Bad
With the recent appearance of a New Year, and the historic inauguration of a new president, many of us have been recalling how much times have changed in our lifetime.
Recently I came across some statistics from the year 1908, just 101years ago. I was fascinated with the changes that have taken place during this time span.
The average life expectancy in that year was 47 years. Wow, just think that many persons today live into their nineties or longer. Only fourteen percent of the homes in 1908 had bathtubs.
Only eight percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were just eight thousand cars with 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was ten miles per hour.
The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world.
The average wage in 1908 was twenty-two cents per hour. At that rate, most workers made between $200 and $400 dollars per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year. Some dentists earned $2,500 per year and a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000. A mechanical engineer might earn as much as $5,000 yearly.
Ninety-five percent of all births took place at home, while almost that many doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as ‘substandard.’
Sugar cost four cents a pound; while eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. The price of eggs reminded me of my brother and me delivering eggs to our neighbors in the ‘30s for fifteen cents per dozen, or two dozen for twenty-five cents.
The price of coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month. They used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. What a contrast to the teenaged girls who wash their hair every day!
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering their country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death were: Pneumonia and influenza; tuberculosis; diarrhea; heart disease and stroke.
The American flag only had 45 stars and the population of Las Vegas was only 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet. There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every ten adults couldn’t read or write. Only six percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana. heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.” Shocking!
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.
Try to imagine what it may be like in another one hundred years. It staggers my mind! How about we all work to make it a better place?
1-21-2009
#419
Recently I came across some statistics from the year 1908, just 101years ago. I was fascinated with the changes that have taken place during this time span.
The average life expectancy in that year was 47 years. Wow, just think that many persons today live into their nineties or longer. Only fourteen percent of the homes in 1908 had bathtubs.
Only eight percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were just eight thousand cars with 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was ten miles per hour.
The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world.
The average wage in 1908 was twenty-two cents per hour. At that rate, most workers made between $200 and $400 dollars per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year. Some dentists earned $2,500 per year and a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000. A mechanical engineer might earn as much as $5,000 yearly.
Ninety-five percent of all births took place at home, while almost that many doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as ‘substandard.’
Sugar cost four cents a pound; while eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. The price of eggs reminded me of my brother and me delivering eggs to our neighbors in the ‘30s for fifteen cents per dozen, or two dozen for twenty-five cents.
The price of coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month. They used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. What a contrast to the teenaged girls who wash their hair every day!
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering their country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death were: Pneumonia and influenza; tuberculosis; diarrhea; heart disease and stroke.
The American flag only had 45 stars and the population of Las Vegas was only 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet. There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every ten adults couldn’t read or write. Only six percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana. heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.” Shocking!
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.
Try to imagine what it may be like in another one hundred years. It staggers my mind! How about we all work to make it a better place?
1-21-2009
#419
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Animals Always Fascinate Us
Life often brings us surprises; some good, others not so good. Several weeks ago, early one morning, my daughter Starr whispered, “Mother, come here, but be quiet.”
I walked over to the south windows and there just outside the windows stood six deer! There they were right in my yard.
What a surprise. I had heard others in this surrounding area talking about the over-population of deer this year and I had even heard of several persons who’ve hit them at night on the highway. I never dreamed they would come so close.
These deer stayed in our yard as the sun rose and they became easier to observe. After a while, one of them wandered off into the grain field and grazed there for a while. My older son David had told Starr earlier about seeing them along side the highways for some months.
We surmised that the ones in my yard had come from the field across the street from me. Starr was fascinated with them, and was so eager to see one of them jump the fence to get back. Shortly after we began watching, one of them calmly crossed the street and leapt across the fence with such grace, like a ballet dancer performing. This deer did not even need a running start.
A smaller one followed the first one, but this one went between two of the wires in the fence. Eventually, all of them crossed back over into the pasture.
Since then, we have seen deer in the yard numerous times early in the mornings. As trucks were traveling down the highway, the noise from them caused the deer to raise its head and listen a few minutes, but as the noise subsided, they resumed their grazing in the yard.
If it were summer now, I might not need to have my yard mowed so often.
Many younger children love to observe animals including cats, dogs, chickens, and all sorts of wild life. Children who grow up on farms usually have a far greater knowledge of these animals and their ways than children reared in cities. In the past few years petting zoos have become a huge attraction for youngsters.
As my brother would say, I was a ‘fraidy cat” when I was growing up. I was even afraid of chickens. I accidentally stepped on a baby chick in our back yard one day, and that left a terrible fear in me that I had hurt that chick.
Another time some neighborhood kids and my siblings and I were playing “hide and seek” and I ran into our neighbor’s garage to hide. I had forgotten about their big dog. As I entered the garage, I heard the rattle of a heavy chain, and suddenly became aware of the dog. I ran out of the garage as fast as my legs would carry me, but not fast enough. The dog only caught a bit of my dress in his mouth and tore it. However, even though I was not injured physically, I suffered a scare that lasted for years.
1-14-2009
#418
I walked over to the south windows and there just outside the windows stood six deer! There they were right in my yard.
What a surprise. I had heard others in this surrounding area talking about the over-population of deer this year and I had even heard of several persons who’ve hit them at night on the highway. I never dreamed they would come so close.
These deer stayed in our yard as the sun rose and they became easier to observe. After a while, one of them wandered off into the grain field and grazed there for a while. My older son David had told Starr earlier about seeing them along side the highways for some months.
We surmised that the ones in my yard had come from the field across the street from me. Starr was fascinated with them, and was so eager to see one of them jump the fence to get back. Shortly after we began watching, one of them calmly crossed the street and leapt across the fence with such grace, like a ballet dancer performing. This deer did not even need a running start.
A smaller one followed the first one, but this one went between two of the wires in the fence. Eventually, all of them crossed back over into the pasture.
Since then, we have seen deer in the yard numerous times early in the mornings. As trucks were traveling down the highway, the noise from them caused the deer to raise its head and listen a few minutes, but as the noise subsided, they resumed their grazing in the yard.
If it were summer now, I might not need to have my yard mowed so often.
Many younger children love to observe animals including cats, dogs, chickens, and all sorts of wild life. Children who grow up on farms usually have a far greater knowledge of these animals and their ways than children reared in cities. In the past few years petting zoos have become a huge attraction for youngsters.
As my brother would say, I was a ‘fraidy cat” when I was growing up. I was even afraid of chickens. I accidentally stepped on a baby chick in our back yard one day, and that left a terrible fear in me that I had hurt that chick.
Another time some neighborhood kids and my siblings and I were playing “hide and seek” and I ran into our neighbor’s garage to hide. I had forgotten about their big dog. As I entered the garage, I heard the rattle of a heavy chain, and suddenly became aware of the dog. I ran out of the garage as fast as my legs would carry me, but not fast enough. The dog only caught a bit of my dress in his mouth and tore it. However, even though I was not injured physically, I suffered a scare that lasted for years.
1-14-2009
#418
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Revel in Your Plants This Year
Even though I like winter, especially when I can stay inside, sometimes it’s difficult to keep a positive outlook during these dreary days.
One thing that brightens my day is my Christmas cactus in bloom. I’ve had this plant for a number of years. When I first got it, the stems were full of tiny buds, but then they all fell off and never bloomed that year.
The next year a few blooms opened up shortly before Christmas, but then they soon disappeared. Then for a period of several years, the blooms were prolific during the holidays, often opening prior to Thanksgiving and continuing into the New Year.
Finally, I decided to prune this cactus as it seemed to be too ragged. I suppose I overdid it, because the cactus did not bloom again for about four years.
This year it’s come back with many blooms and is beautiful in my bedroom in an east window. So, in the future I will be very careful regarding the pruning of this colorful cactus.
I have accepted the fact that I do not have the proverbial “green thumb.” I’ve known people who could just stick a stem in the soil with no preparation and little care, and the growth of that plant, whether vegetable or flower, would be phenomenal. Having grown up in the city, we did not have a lot of area for planting anything, although during World War II many people made room for Victory Gardens.
My grandparents and other relatives who lived in small towns or in the country, always had gardens that provided food for the family and many times food to share with the neighbors.
Recently, a dear friend gave me an African violet with a couple of blooms on it. Within a few days, more blooms appeared, as well as more tiny buds ready to open. This violet is full of blooms now and is beautiful.
Certain flowers or plants have come to be associated with certain seasonal holidays. We see many poinsettias during the Christmas season; lilies are the flowers we see most during the Easter season. Daffodils in bloom, are an early sign of spring. At one time an organization here in Oklahoma would deliver cut blossoms to churches in town to be displayed on a certain Sunday in February. This money went to one of the charitable groups, possibly the heart foundation. In the middle of winter, those gorgeous yellow blooms on the altars of our local churches were truly an inspiration.
I’ve always loved the scent of lilacs and the beauty of their purple blooms. They are so fragrant, especially after a spring rain. Ray’s brother and his wife gave us several lilac bushes some years ago and they were a sensual indication that spring had arrived, or as my kids would say, “Spring had sprung.”
Whatever your preference is, I hope that you will be privileged to enjoy your favorite flower or plant sometime during this New Year.
1-7-2009
#417
One thing that brightens my day is my Christmas cactus in bloom. I’ve had this plant for a number of years. When I first got it, the stems were full of tiny buds, but then they all fell off and never bloomed that year.
The next year a few blooms opened up shortly before Christmas, but then they soon disappeared. Then for a period of several years, the blooms were prolific during the holidays, often opening prior to Thanksgiving and continuing into the New Year.
Finally, I decided to prune this cactus as it seemed to be too ragged. I suppose I overdid it, because the cactus did not bloom again for about four years.
This year it’s come back with many blooms and is beautiful in my bedroom in an east window. So, in the future I will be very careful regarding the pruning of this colorful cactus.
I have accepted the fact that I do not have the proverbial “green thumb.” I’ve known people who could just stick a stem in the soil with no preparation and little care, and the growth of that plant, whether vegetable or flower, would be phenomenal. Having grown up in the city, we did not have a lot of area for planting anything, although during World War II many people made room for Victory Gardens.
My grandparents and other relatives who lived in small towns or in the country, always had gardens that provided food for the family and many times food to share with the neighbors.
Recently, a dear friend gave me an African violet with a couple of blooms on it. Within a few days, more blooms appeared, as well as more tiny buds ready to open. This violet is full of blooms now and is beautiful.
Certain flowers or plants have come to be associated with certain seasonal holidays. We see many poinsettias during the Christmas season; lilies are the flowers we see most during the Easter season. Daffodils in bloom, are an early sign of spring. At one time an organization here in Oklahoma would deliver cut blossoms to churches in town to be displayed on a certain Sunday in February. This money went to one of the charitable groups, possibly the heart foundation. In the middle of winter, those gorgeous yellow blooms on the altars of our local churches were truly an inspiration.
I’ve always loved the scent of lilacs and the beauty of their purple blooms. They are so fragrant, especially after a spring rain. Ray’s brother and his wife gave us several lilac bushes some years ago and they were a sensual indication that spring had arrived, or as my kids would say, “Spring had sprung.”
Whatever your preference is, I hope that you will be privileged to enjoy your favorite flower or plant sometime during this New Year.
1-7-2009
#417
Friday, January 2, 2009
Looking Forward to Another Year
Well, here we are into a new year. When I was much younger, I often heard people say, "The older you get the faster time goes by." That certainly seems to be the case now, at my age.
Nine years ago as we entered the year of 2000, many people were voicing dire predictions about all the bad things that were going to happen. We have certainly seen many catastrophes during this past year. Weather-related disasters have played a big part with ice-coated roadways, floods, fires, earthquakes, tornados, droughts and mudslides.
I do not recall being aware of all these events as I grew up. My grandmother lived in a small town that had experienced a bad tornado when my mother was a young adult. Grandma often told me some of the odd things that happened in connection with the tornado.
Both sets of my grandparents had cellars and they visited them frequently. I remember the dank smell they exuded, and I remember the jars of canned goods stored there. Those underground rooms were furnished with kerosene lamps and several cane bottom chairs. My Grandma Stephens usually had at least one quilt in the cellar, in case we got cold.
I always feel a certain relief when the New Year arrives. I look back on things I did and things I failed to do. As I recall these actions, I try to figure out how I can do better in the future. One would think that after all these years we would have gained some wisdom. Perhaps we have, but we still see areas where we could have improved. I have come to look upon a new year as a clean sheet of paper with no errors or erasures—yet. I know that the mistakes will show up right away, but it's good to be aware of our shortcomings.
Come to think of it, this New Year of 2009 can be compared to a baseball game. The game begins with no strikes, no errors, and no outs. So in the beginning, we have a clean slate, even though we are certain that during the “game” we will make some errors and suffer some strikeouts.
For several years in the past, I received a diary each Christmas, and I wrote in it faithfully every day, recording the happenings of that day. At the end of the year, I would go back and re-read all my entries—laugh at some, cry at some, hope I never did some again, and hope some would come true.
Many teachers require or encourage their students to keep journals. These are kept private, except the teacher might check the journals, just to be certain the student is continuing to write each day. To me, this seems like a great exercise to enable the students to express themselves.
Even though I don't want to live in the past, but at the same time, I want to treasure the special memories I have. My goal is to be thankful for the past, to savor today, while at the same time, to look forward to the future. After all, life is a gift and intended to be lived to the fullest.
And so, my friends, I wish for each of you the very best in this New Year.
12-31-2008
#416
Nine years ago as we entered the year of 2000, many people were voicing dire predictions about all the bad things that were going to happen. We have certainly seen many catastrophes during this past year. Weather-related disasters have played a big part with ice-coated roadways, floods, fires, earthquakes, tornados, droughts and mudslides.
I do not recall being aware of all these events as I grew up. My grandmother lived in a small town that had experienced a bad tornado when my mother was a young adult. Grandma often told me some of the odd things that happened in connection with the tornado.
Both sets of my grandparents had cellars and they visited them frequently. I remember the dank smell they exuded, and I remember the jars of canned goods stored there. Those underground rooms were furnished with kerosene lamps and several cane bottom chairs. My Grandma Stephens usually had at least one quilt in the cellar, in case we got cold.
I always feel a certain relief when the New Year arrives. I look back on things I did and things I failed to do. As I recall these actions, I try to figure out how I can do better in the future. One would think that after all these years we would have gained some wisdom. Perhaps we have, but we still see areas where we could have improved. I have come to look upon a new year as a clean sheet of paper with no errors or erasures—yet. I know that the mistakes will show up right away, but it's good to be aware of our shortcomings.
Come to think of it, this New Year of 2009 can be compared to a baseball game. The game begins with no strikes, no errors, and no outs. So in the beginning, we have a clean slate, even though we are certain that during the “game” we will make some errors and suffer some strikeouts.
For several years in the past, I received a diary each Christmas, and I wrote in it faithfully every day, recording the happenings of that day. At the end of the year, I would go back and re-read all my entries—laugh at some, cry at some, hope I never did some again, and hope some would come true.
Many teachers require or encourage their students to keep journals. These are kept private, except the teacher might check the journals, just to be certain the student is continuing to write each day. To me, this seems like a great exercise to enable the students to express themselves.
Even though I don't want to live in the past, but at the same time, I want to treasure the special memories I have. My goal is to be thankful for the past, to savor today, while at the same time, to look forward to the future. After all, life is a gift and intended to be lived to the fullest.
And so, my friends, I wish for each of you the very best in this New Year.
12-31-2008
#416
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