Every once in a while something or someone kicks my brain on "on" and I start thinking about something from years ago. This time it was savings bonds. When I was sixteen I wanted a piano. Of course, I had no money, but mother went into her dresser drawer and brought out an envelope with a twenty five dollar savings bond. I cannot remember if my parents bought that for me in 1944 or my grandparents did. The bonds were called War bonds and good citizens bought them to help the government find funds to fight the Germans.They really only cost about twelve dollars, but when they matured in a few years they were worth twenty-five dollars. Well, that was enough to buy me a beautiful upright piano. Oh, I was so happy!!
I continued to buy those bonds as I grew older. I would save them and go on a mommy vacation once a year. In those days it didn't take much money. I would take a bus to go to Missouri to see friends or go see my mom. (In those days we were a one car family) My husband knew that the mommie vacations were well worth letting me go and tending to the children himself. I came back like a whirlwind and ready to do dishes, laundry, cleaning and changing diapers. I was usually only gone about a day or two. Amazing, like a shot in the arm of high priced vitamins. I can still feel the refreshing savings bond blood rushing through my veins!
There are many different ways that just jump out at you to tell you that perhaps you ARE getting older; forgetting things, losing things, having trouble problem solving, and word finding just to name a few.
My youngest son asked to use our camper last weekend because he had to get up in the middle of the night. He had to get up at one o'clock in the morning and didn't want to wake us up. I gave him a new about a year or so old digital alarm clock so he would wake up.
Yesterday he stopped by and he had a fun time with us teasing us about being able to read the clock. I said, "yes, it is very hard to read. I always have to tilt my head to get the numbers right."
He just laughed and said, "Mom, you have to peel the celephane sticker off then you can read it."
Softly I said, "Oh."
I am sure other people have had the same thing happen to them. I am also sure the directions didn't tell us to do that. ;)
I have an oval mirror in the bathroom with perfume and fingernail polish on it. It looks really pretty with all the different colors. I love perfume, but Fran doesn't, it makes him sneeze, so the lovely bottles stay on the mirror.
As I was dusting the mirror the other day, I remembered the first bottle perfume I received as a gift when I was a child. It was called Blue Waltz. I had no clue how to put it on so I practically took a bath in it. My family seemed to object to my smelly self, so I had to wash it off. I secretly agreed with them. That perfume was very inexpensive, so I repeatedly received it as a gift for a few years.
The jars were quite pretty, so I would put them on my dresser on doilies and they looked very nice.
As I grew older, probably a teenager, I thought I would make room for something else like knickknacks etc. I opened up a bottle of the perfume and it had turned to vinegar. Oh, what a horrible smelling concoction I had been saving. Oh well, the bottles were pretty.
I am sure that those of you that have had children may have heard phrases like, "I didn't do it, she did it!"
When you had children, you stubbed your toe, remember? The chair had not been put under the kitchen table like it was supposed to be. It was one of the children's fault, or "they."
Then the children grew up. There was no one to blame. Oh wait....yes there was..the spouse. Ha Ha. How easy is that?
Yesterday I asked Fran if he had rented out the front bedroom. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. He said,"Whaaaaaaat???" Well, that has been carrying on for two days now. I think that we are starting to realize that we may have been blaming the children all of those years for things we did may have done ,but probably not.
Fran is really getting into the game today so now it is called a two way street. Until now I was the leader of this little game!
How do you tell the difference between a cold and allergies? I have never had allergies. The television says that ragweed is high and mold is high. I have been sneezing and now coughing all day.
I asked Fran if we could go get me some Kleenex and he said,"Do you think you could wait 'til tomorrow?" I couldn't believe the sympathy he gave me. lol On twitter, I said," I walk so slow, how in the world can I catch a cold."
Any way, I am sure you all will have a lot of sympathy for me, so thank you in advance!
There are some odd things that come along with Multiple Sclerosis for some folks. Vison oddities are especially troublesome. Just one of the vision "things" is that I cannot see black. Odd isn't it? If I drop a black remote on a dark carpet I can't see it unless the buttons are on the top.
This week I got the cutest walker, it is pink and black. The seat is black with a pink insignia for breast cancer research. The front rod is black with the same insignia. My therapist laughed today when I told her I kept trying to pick up the pink ribbon and flick off the little one on the front rod. I have to laugh, but I continue to do it, I just can't help it.
I want to tell you also, that half of the money for the walker was donated to breast cancer research. Every little bit helps, I am sure.
When I was little, about four or five, my goal in life was to be just like my mama. My mom must have had the patience of Job. I constantly chattered and asked hundreds of questions.
However, mom loved having children spaced four or five years apart so she always had a child at home with her.
She taught me how to iron when I was about four, she taught me how to stomp clothes when I was about five. She taught me how to set a nice table when I was also about five years old. The ironing was of pillowcases and dad's handerkerchiefs. The stomping was probably something quite delicate compared to sheets and overhalls etc. She taught me how to stem and snap beans, shells peas and make cookies.
The cookies she taught me how to make were very special just for a little girl to make her dad smile.
Mom did a lot of baking to pay for my sister's nursing training. So inevitably there was frosting left over from cakes, cinnamon rolls etc. Nothing was wasted at our house, but I knew nothing of that. I just knew mama made things that tasted wonderful.
One day she said,"Lu Anne, would you like to make some cookies?"What child in their right mind wouldn't say, "Yes!"
She got out a small dish of left over frosting and a package of graham crackers. She taught me how to hold the cracker in my left hand just so, so that the frosting wouldn't break it. She gave me a small spoon to spread the frosting. Then put another cracker on the top, so it ended up being a cookie like an oreo without the chocolate. Oh, how delicious! Some days the cookies were pink, some were white, some chocolate etc.
Today I was eating a graham cracker. Of course, I thought about my five year old housewife days!
