Tacky Day - 1948

Our high school let us go crazy once a year and wear whatever we wanted. These two girls, one of whom seems to be on the way to starvation, were friends: mlb and mlb

(jodphers on one and a 1920 dress and cloche on the other one)

February 28, 2012

Well, we had our first tornado warning of the year. . . sirens blowing - the whole deal.

I must be confused but it has been pounded into us for years that if there is a chance of a tornado, the weather bureau issues a Tornado Watch. 

If there is tornado sighted, then the bureau issues a Tornado Warning.  Tonight they issued a warning because a weather spotter saw a tornado half way to the ground below a wall cloud.  Then they announced later that it is not a tornado unless it's actually on the ground.

I wonder if anybody else is as confused as I seem to be.

Roosevelt Grade School

I am not sure of the year or grade. I would guess fourth grade (?)

This was one class! If I counted correctly, there were 38 children. Do they have classes that large today?
I think it's interestng that the boys and girls were in separate photos. Perhaps it was because there were too many for one shot!
These children were born about 1931.

Favorite Sunday Dinner (crockpot style)

Eye of the round roast, taters, carrots, onions. . . .

And the fat I trimmed off.














.

Fact or Hoax?

Is this really a new experimental tire or just an internet "gotcha?"

Liverwurst, Mush and Tomato Gravy

Tomorrow is the annual dinner at the Mennonite Church near Yoder. All proceeds go to folks who are staying in a long term care facility and no longer have means to pay for their care.
A very good cause.
We went last year but I doubt if we will attend this year. Puppies to care for and watch.

Did I mention?  I love mush.

Kazoo Kitchen Band

This could be late '30's or early '40's.

Various kitchen items and a Bissell-like sweeper were used as "instruments" with kazoos attached.

Very harmonious.

I love the spoon buttons for the very military uniforms.

Thoughts To Live By

I saw this framed on a wall at a cancer treatment center in McKinney, TX. I tried to find one to buy. The store that had carried the item no longer had the item in stock. Also searched the internet and no luck,
so I asked permission to photograph the one on the wall.

No credit was given to an author.

Tom Thumb weddings

The first one is from the internet and is from a stereoscope photo.

The second one is from about 1935 or '36.  Just me and Bobby Vernon. No attendants...just a lot of church ladies were present and the pretend minister.

T-shirt statement

I would like to have a t-shirt with this on it:


Old age happens at a bad time.

Birthday

Today is the birthdate of my cousin, Marcheta. I miss her.

Driver's License

A foggy day seemed like a good day to get my driver's license renewed. It was almost as easy as the first time in 1945.  Two questions:  "Are you color blind." No.
"Do you have seizures?" No.   "That will be fifty cents, please."

Today I had to present a utility bill, my old license and read an eye chart. Then they take a picture and "That will be $20, please."

Four more years.

Oops

Isn't this a lovely throw rug in front of the fireplace?

I don't feel that I was really bragging about the pups being housebroken - I was just so happy that they both used the doggie door and went outside when they had to.

 And I told everybody.

Yesterday Lee was in his stocking feet and discovered a wet spot on  the rug. We usually never walk on it so that was unusual. I went for the spray bottle of Woolite Pet Oxygen. And then we folded the corner back.
Perhaps when it is cold, this was their choice.    

We need a surveillance camera in there.

Former Pegues and Wright store

The store was later called simply Pegues. This was "the" store for shopping in our town for many years. Fashions, jewelry, cosmetics, fine china and all things feminine.
Now closed a long time, the store is losing the modern panels installed to modernize it. They are falling off. It seems each one weighs about eighty pounds so there has been some concern about possible injuries.
I don't remember the facade before but it was reported that it was quite remarkable. If you look closely, you can see the sculpted wheat stalks which did add a nice Kansas touch.
Now it seems as if the building wants to shed these modern, flat, metal tiles and let the old front show once again. I'm afraid the old front was destroyed when the alteration was made. My hope is that someone will repair or replace what is there and find a use for the place.
Today's fog adds to the melancholy look.

Later: I found a photo on the internet of the original storefront.

Happy Valentine's Day

This is what I found in the computer room this morning.

How nice! This is our 59th Valentine's Day.....

Thank you, LN.

Then There Was Light

L. called me in to see "something" in the fireplace.
We haven't seen any critters this winter - like mice or worse, rats!
It has been so warm they have stayed outside. But this morning it was ten degrees and probably an ideal temperature for a small animal to decide to come in where it's warmer.

But this is what I saw. Light. From above. Coming down the chimney.

I had no idea that the sun could be that high overhead on a winter day to shine directly down a chimney. Now L. is wondering if a cap blew off - or something.....

Kindness

A long time ago a friend, Ruthann, told me that she would never say or do anything to intentionally hurt someone else. It made me think - neither would I. At least as an adult I would not.
In childhood it must have been a different story. I do remember standing outside the second grade classroom behind the door as punishment. The reason for this was not in my memory bank until our 45th high school reunion when Karen H. asked me if I remembered stepping on her caterpiller that she brought to school for show and tell.

I absolutely do not remember this execution/murder taking place. My mind must have buried that horrible occasion but saved the "stand behind the door" part.

I wonder if there have been other times that I have said or done things that hurt friends or family. I certainly didn't mean to because I was too sensitive to things said to me. My mom used to say I wore my feelings on my sleeve. Have you heard that expression lately? Instead of being brave and ignoring hurtful things, I would end up in tears...very embarrassing in public places.

There is a lot teasing in our family but nothing really mean or hurtful.  On the second or third date my husband-to-be looked at me and said the following: "Your eyes. They are like two hen turds in a bowl of clabber."   I laughed and could see right then that this was going to be a funny and different relationship. It was a line he had heard from another sailor and just outright stole it!

If I have ever said anything that was mean or that offended any of my friends or family, I apologize. What we need is more kindness  in this world.

And as the Beatles said, "All we need is love,"

Food Fetish

I do not remember but have been told that when I was very small, I wanted only one food on my plate at a time. After all, I was the only child in the house and obviously a spoiled brat.
The main object however, was to get me to eat so my mother did this in order to get some nourishment down my gullet.
Later, many things could be on my plate but they must not touch. Luckily I grew out of this childish stuff.

This is leading up to explain my aversion to a television ad for a local "restaurant." They offer a breakfast with scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes and sausage all served up in a styrofoam cup. As if that weren't revolting enough, they pour some type of gravy over all.

Just give me a cup of coffee, please.

Pots O' Snow

We had a beautiful snow yesterday - big flakes - but it didn't amount to much. Just a dusting on the grass and in these flower pots on the front porch. The streets remained clear but it was cold enough for a few icy patches. We need more moisture!

Mom's Birthday 2/7/1904

Today is the birthdate of my mother, shown in this photo at a young age - possibly high school graduation?  She entered nurse's training at the age of 17 and graduated in the class of 1923 at Halstead (Kansas) Hospital. This was  during the time that Dr. Arthur Hertzler was there at the hospital he founded.
My memory of the 1930's is that my grandmother had a mangle in her kitchen and she did some laundry for the hospital and ran sheets through that ironing device.
Can that possibly be true? Why wouldn't the hospital have its own laundry?
I'm afraid I'll never know the facts, but that is a memory - possibly faulty.

Do other folks have questions later in life that they wish they had asked of relatives that are now gone? Maybe when we are young we are not interested in family history. Evidently I was not. Not everyone left a diary to discover. Now with video it would be wonderful if we would record some of these memories. I think this is being done with WWII veterans.       Anyway, if you have any questions to ask your relatives about your ancestors, do it now.

Later: This week-end (Feb. 18th) was a free time to use Ancestry.com.  I looked up my grandmother's record in Halstead, Ks and her occupation in 1930 was listed as "Laundress at home."  So she did do work for others! Still not sure if it was for the hospital or individuals.

Do you know this woman?

A familiar face in an unfamiliar setting. She is celebrating a very important anniversary this year.

1952 was a very good year and I can hardly believe that sixty years have passed.

Week-end

A nice change on Saturday - coffee with the regulars instead of on Monday (actually, in addition to Monday!)

And of course, today is the game. The hype started so early that the game is almost an after-thought.  I've avoided that channel but we will watch the game.  .  . which as I heard one commentator say, "Doesn't mean anything."

A Small Mystery

There are very few things that happen around here that are unusual so today when I received a survey from a local business addressed to me with the first letter wrong in our last name, I jumped to correct it. This was a hand written address.

Let me add, that an error like that can upset the whole insurance industry and since this mistake involved health insurance, I called the office right away.

While I was talking to the clerk and she was coaxing her computer to work after a lunch break, I noticed that under the wrong letter some correction tape had been used. And the B was in a different color ink than the rest.

Holding the envelope up to a light, I was unable to see the original letter but it didn't look like an N.  I mentioned this to the nice lady on the line and she said, "I send those out but I would never have sent it out with a correction like that!"

So there is the mystery. Who changed the letter; from what; and why? We'll probably never know. 

 But the most important thing is, the name is correct in the computer.

Here we are again

This photo was taken the first time I went for "treatment" at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, two years ago, almost to the day.
I'll be there again today. The nurses are so pleasant and all I have to do is sit there, read, sleep or drink coffee. What a life!

Quilt Rack

This is my lovely quilt rack that I bought at a roadside stand in Texas in 1993. You will notice there are no quilts hanging on the rack. Two new puppies made it necessary to stow all chewable items of value away for the time being.
What is unusual about this rack is that both legs are flush with the wall. The upper section at the end nearest the camera is about 2 1/2 inches from the wall. From the other end, it is about 5 1/2 inches out.
I never noticed this when it was full of quilts. Either the builder messed up on the application of the legs or our house is out of line.