Friday, April 28, 2006
Poodle Skirts and Polio
Life seemed simple and innocent in the 50's, didn't it? Most moms stayed at home while the fathers worked and it was still safe to play outside all day and sometimes into the night without checking in at home unless you were hungry. I think many of us, the baby boomers, look back wistfully the simplicity of life back then but if you think really, really hard about it, was all of it really that good?
If you were an unmarried, divorced, or widowed woman back then you absolutely couldn't expect to be paid the same as a man even if you were fortunate to be hired to an equal position. The labor ratio for male/female was 5/2 and married women who insisted on working were considered to be less a true woman since they weren't available to care for their husbands as well as a wife who didn't work. Minimum wage was a whole $1 (that hasn't changed much).
Polio killed almost 12,000 of our children in the 50's before a vaccine was available nationwide to stop it.
Many families had bomb shelters and there were pamphlets distributed to tell us how to survive radiation fallout.
People of color had few or no rights and couldn't drink from the same fountain, attend the same public school, or sit in the same dining room as a white person. More than 50% of black families back then were below the poverty level.
Spousal abuse, including spousal rape, wasn't considered a crime.
Many human subjects, a lot of them uninformed minorities, elderly people, persons with mental retardation, terminal patients, and prison inmates were used in experiments involving radioactive materials which have led to today's treatments for cancer and for diagnostic tools. In the 50's these experiments weren't as strictly regulated by the US government as they are today.
I turned 5 during the last year of the 50's so I really only remember the carryover of many of these events into the 60's but I think life was probably better then because we never actually knew much about this stuff going on until we heard about it as adults. These days we're bombarded instantly with so much of the worst in the world that we're becoming immune to it.
If you were an unmarried, divorced, or widowed woman back then you absolutely couldn't expect to be paid the same as a man even if you were fortunate to be hired to an equal position. The labor ratio for male/female was 5/2 and married women who insisted on working were considered to be less a true woman since they weren't available to care for their husbands as well as a wife who didn't work. Minimum wage was a whole $1 (that hasn't changed much).
Polio killed almost 12,000 of our children in the 50's before a vaccine was available nationwide to stop it.
Many families had bomb shelters and there were pamphlets distributed to tell us how to survive radiation fallout.
People of color had few or no rights and couldn't drink from the same fountain, attend the same public school, or sit in the same dining room as a white person. More than 50% of black families back then were below the poverty level.
Spousal abuse, including spousal rape, wasn't considered a crime.
Many human subjects, a lot of them uninformed minorities, elderly people, persons with mental retardation, terminal patients, and prison inmates were used in experiments involving radioactive materials which have led to today's treatments for cancer and for diagnostic tools. In the 50's these experiments weren't as strictly regulated by the US government as they are today.
I turned 5 during the last year of the 50's so I really only remember the carryover of many of these events into the 60's but I think life was probably better then because we never actually knew much about this stuff going on until we heard about it as adults. These days we're bombarded instantly with so much of the worst in the world that we're becoming immune to it.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
For Days when you've nothing better to do,,,
It's too late for Easter but you might want to make a few of these for next Easter if you're a crafty sort.
I ran across this link and can't decide wheather it's a good thing or a bad thing that Skippy has agreed to serve and protect our country.
And if you're into games and guns you can go get your own terrorist or 2 or 3 here.
I hope everyone had a great day!
I ran across this link and can't decide wheather it's a good thing or a bad thing that Skippy has agreed to serve and protect our country.
And if you're into games and guns you can go get your own terrorist or 2 or 3 here.
I hope everyone had a great day!
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Contact Baseball
I've always thought of baseball as being one of the milder sports but add a bunch of 9 and 10-year-olds to the game and it becomes almost as wild and wooly as an NFL football game.
During the first game of the season one of our lads hit the ball and it went fast and furious directly into the eye of the other team's pitcher so he spent the rest of that game with an ice pack (and a headache, I'm sure). Last night one of our best players was sliding into second base under the second baseman and when the dust cleared he lay there with tibia and fibula broken a few inches below his knee. That was bad enough but his mom was sitting there 8 months and 30 days into her current pregnancy and I'm sure the accident was causing some major anxiety. She was already scheduled for induction today. I believe they were able to get them both to hospitals in Little Rock, he for surgery and her to have the baby.
That little baseball player didn't even cry until he thought about not being able to play ball for the rest of the season.
During the first game of the season one of our lads hit the ball and it went fast and furious directly into the eye of the other team's pitcher so he spent the rest of that game with an ice pack (and a headache, I'm sure). Last night one of our best players was sliding into second base under the second baseman and when the dust cleared he lay there with tibia and fibula broken a few inches below his knee. That was bad enough but his mom was sitting there 8 months and 30 days into her current pregnancy and I'm sure the accident was causing some major anxiety. She was already scheduled for induction today. I believe they were able to get them both to hospitals in Little Rock, he for surgery and her to have the baby.
That little baseball player didn't even cry until he thought about not being able to play ball for the rest of the season.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Busy April
Sunday, April 23, 2006
I Like Beer
Not every day and not most brands but sometimes there's just nothing that'll quench your thirst or compliment a meal like a frosty, cold beer. I prefer to drink my beer from a glass (preferably frosted), although a bottle will do in a bind, but I don't especially like drinking beer from a can because it seems to have give it a tinny flavor that I don't care for.
Corona is my favorite beer and I especially like to drink it along with a spicy Mexican meal. It beats the hell of our sour cream for cooling the flames after a hot bite. There are some really fine Belgium beers too and I reckon a Beck is about as good a beer as they offer here in the states. About the only domestic beers I can really say I like are Budweiser Select and Miller light. Miller makes another that I tried at the Blues Fest once that tasted mighty fine but I don't remember the name of it right off hand.
Believe it or not, a beer or two a day can have health benefits too.
Did you know?
- Beer is nutritious if consumed in moderation
- That beer is fat-free and cholesterol free?
- Beer has a relaxing effect on the body thereby reducing stress.
- It can help you sleep better
- It helps prevent heart disease and improves the blood circulation
- It has proven to have positive effects on elderly people. It helps to promote blood vessel dilation, sleep, and urination.
An average beer contains the following:
0mg of cholesterol
0g of fat
13g of carbohydrate
25mg of sodium
protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamins B, B2, and B6
Historians believe that the ancient Mesopotamians and Sumerians were brewing beer as early as 10,000 BC.
They also speculate that prehistoric nomads may have made beer from grain & water before learning to make bread.
The pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, instead of further south as planned, partly because they were out of beer. They found the Indians making it from corn and black birch sap.
Corona is my favorite beer and I especially like to drink it along with a spicy Mexican meal. It beats the hell of our sour cream for cooling the flames after a hot bite. There are some really fine Belgium beers too and I reckon a Beck is about as good a beer as they offer here in the states. About the only domestic beers I can really say I like are Budweiser Select and Miller light. Miller makes another that I tried at the Blues Fest once that tasted mighty fine but I don't remember the name of it right off hand.
Believe it or not, a beer or two a day can have health benefits too.
Did you know?
- Beer is nutritious if consumed in moderation
- That beer is fat-free and cholesterol free?
- Beer has a relaxing effect on the body thereby reducing stress.
- It can help you sleep better
- It helps prevent heart disease and improves the blood circulation
- It has proven to have positive effects on elderly people. It helps to promote blood vessel dilation, sleep, and urination.
An average beer contains the following:
0mg of cholesterol
0g of fat
13g of carbohydrate
25mg of sodium
protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamins B, B2, and B6
Historians believe that the ancient Mesopotamians and Sumerians were brewing beer as early as 10,000 BC.
They also speculate that prehistoric nomads may have made beer from grain & water before learning to make bread.
The pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, instead of further south as planned, partly because they were out of beer. They found the Indians making it from corn and black birch sap.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Beam Me UP Scotty!
Collierville, TN, a surburbian town of Memphis, has decided to add a new law to the books regarding bumper stickers. It appears that the police there will be issueing citations for people who place offensive material on their bumpers. I'll be watching the news to see how they're going to go about deciding what might be offensive cause I get a tad bit upset when folks start in with the censoring bullshit.
Some people are going to take offense to just about anything at one time or another and I believe if it's bothersome to them they should not read, not look, not tune in to, the things they find offensive. I surely wouldn't expect anyone who found offense in redneckdom, the occasional swear word, or off-the-wall cartoon to visit my blog but if they do then they should take it in stride and don't start in with the bitching.
If you let THE MAN take away the little things concerning your right to free speech you might eventually end up being lined up against a wall and shot for saying "jack shit" some day.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
I be plumb tired.
I mailed off the last tax extension on Saturday so the season is past, thank the Lord. There were only 2 extensions this year but I'll only worry with one of them some time between now and Aug. 15th cause I fired the other tax and bookkeeping client. I was mighty fed up with keeping her right with the government and then only being paid for my efforts when she got around to it. She always had some sort of dilemma going on, so I thought "dilemma this why doncha" and sent her a final invoice and my regrets.
Some folks still have this "Lady of the Manor" mentality when they ain't no lady and they have no manor, (or manners either for that matter), and she is one of those.
The other client, who's extension I filed, moved up to the wilds of SW Arkansas to live amongst the hillbillies but appreciated my work so much that they're willing to drive 4 hours to bring their stuff to me. Payment is never a problem with them, in fact, they're always trying to pay me more than I charge and you can never have enough clients like that.
Zach has his first baseball game of the season this evening. He'll be home from school soon and we'll wrestle with homework before time to leave for the ball park.
I'll be wagging my camera along with my old, trusty, camp chair, and tote bag full of other ball park necessities, so I hope I'll be able to take some great photos this season. He's gonna be all cute and stuff in his gray pants, gray undershirt, Arkansas razorback red over shirt, black belt and socks, and his gray hat. But cute aside, this Nanaw is also thankful that his uniform pants weren't white this year. It'll sure save some on spray-and-wash and my sanity. I am also thankful that his feet didn't grow enough to out-grow his cleats although his little legs grew 3 or 4 inches this year, I swear!
The kiddies had a great time at our Easter celebration and the girls looked so sweet in their little dresses. They scrambled all over the yard like a bunch of little ants hunting for those 100, mostly purple, cause Jerri mentioned liking that color, eggs. I think we boiled around 170 eggs on Saturday night but after removing the cracked ones to save for deviled eggs and the ones that got cracked later,,or eaten by PopPop and Daddy, they only hid about 100. I'm sure PopPop hopes they found all of them too cause those things can smell pretty ripe when you mow over one.
The Chick is learning her daddy's old ways. When he was a tot he told some enormous tall tales which his daddy encouraged because he thought they were funny and showed intelligence due to their imaginative structure. Anyway, the chick started out with, "when I was your age, my momma left me in a box at the park and I had to walk all the way home but a deer ate me on the way."
Some folks still have this "Lady of the Manor" mentality when they ain't no lady and they have no manor, (or manners either for that matter), and she is one of those.
The other client, who's extension I filed, moved up to the wilds of SW Arkansas to live amongst the hillbillies but appreciated my work so much that they're willing to drive 4 hours to bring their stuff to me. Payment is never a problem with them, in fact, they're always trying to pay me more than I charge and you can never have enough clients like that.
Zach has his first baseball game of the season this evening. He'll be home from school soon and we'll wrestle with homework before time to leave for the ball park.
I'll be wagging my camera along with my old, trusty, camp chair, and tote bag full of other ball park necessities, so I hope I'll be able to take some great photos this season. He's gonna be all cute and stuff in his gray pants, gray undershirt, Arkansas razorback red over shirt, black belt and socks, and his gray hat. But cute aside, this Nanaw is also thankful that his uniform pants weren't white this year. It'll sure save some on spray-and-wash and my sanity. I am also thankful that his feet didn't grow enough to out-grow his cleats although his little legs grew 3 or 4 inches this year, I swear!
The kiddies had a great time at our Easter celebration and the girls looked so sweet in their little dresses. They scrambled all over the yard like a bunch of little ants hunting for those 100, mostly purple, cause Jerri mentioned liking that color, eggs. I think we boiled around 170 eggs on Saturday night but after removing the cracked ones to save for deviled eggs and the ones that got cracked later,,or eaten by PopPop and Daddy, they only hid about 100. I'm sure PopPop hopes they found all of them too cause those things can smell pretty ripe when you mow over one.
The Chick is learning her daddy's old ways. When he was a tot he told some enormous tall tales which his daddy encouraged because he thought they were funny and showed intelligence due to their imaginative structure. Anyway, the chick started out with, "when I was your age, my momma left me in a box at the park and I had to walk all the way home but a deer ate me on the way."
Monday, April 17, 2006
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Just a few little things
Dear Mr. Whoeverthehellisinchargeofcustomerserviceandsatisfaction at this local Wal mart,
When a lady finally finds the "friendly" helper back in sporting goods after she's made 4 trips already, all special like, to see about whether ya'll have gray baseball pants, please ask him kindly if he'll refrain from giving a HUGE sigh for interrupting his conversation with an old school bud. I was determined today to find someone to ask about the availability of this item since on the previous 3 trips there was not a soul to be found in that department. It would also be nice if the "huge display" the young man spoke of were actually a display and not a box holding boxes of these pants stuck back in the sewing fabrics and notions department which has, in my opinion, not a damned thing sporting about it.
Sincerely,
The Wanted Poster Lady
Dear U.S. Postal Service,
I've noticed that along with the increases in postal rates that you insist you must have in order to provide us your services in a prompt and timely manner you are no longer occasionally taking longer than a man on a half dead horse to deliver our mail but managing to take longer than a one-legged man walking, and more frequently. I really do not believe that it should take 10 days for a first class letter to arrive at a destination that's 35 miles away. I'd also like to mention that Christmas card from the Netherlands that finally arrived after only 4 1/2 months. I suppose you had to wait for the winter geese migration for that delivery, huh?
Perhaps if you lit a fire under some asses,,,,,,,just a thought.
Sincerely,
The Irrate Postal Customer
Dear City of West Helena,
Just a note to mention the attempts to increase your city sales tax by another 2 percent and my intention to spend money on gas to drive an additional 15 miles to do my shopping if your attempts are successful.
Sincerely,
Tax Poor and Tired
When a lady finally finds the "friendly" helper back in sporting goods after she's made 4 trips already, all special like, to see about whether ya'll have gray baseball pants, please ask him kindly if he'll refrain from giving a HUGE sigh for interrupting his conversation with an old school bud. I was determined today to find someone to ask about the availability of this item since on the previous 3 trips there was not a soul to be found in that department. It would also be nice if the "huge display" the young man spoke of were actually a display and not a box holding boxes of these pants stuck back in the sewing fabrics and notions department which has, in my opinion, not a damned thing sporting about it.
Sincerely,
The Wanted Poster Lady
Dear U.S. Postal Service,
I've noticed that along with the increases in postal rates that you insist you must have in order to provide us your services in a prompt and timely manner you are no longer occasionally taking longer than a man on a half dead horse to deliver our mail but managing to take longer than a one-legged man walking, and more frequently. I really do not believe that it should take 10 days for a first class letter to arrive at a destination that's 35 miles away. I'd also like to mention that Christmas card from the Netherlands that finally arrived after only 4 1/2 months. I suppose you had to wait for the winter geese migration for that delivery, huh?
Perhaps if you lit a fire under some asses,,,,,,,just a thought.
Sincerely,
The Irrate Postal Customer
Dear City of West Helena,
Just a note to mention the attempts to increase your city sales tax by another 2 percent and my intention to spend money on gas to drive an additional 15 miles to do my shopping if your attempts are successful.
Sincerely,
Tax Poor and Tired
Friday, April 14, 2006
# 1 Reason Old Ladies Should Not Give Birth.
A crawling baby can outrun you.
Jillian will fight with you over a pickle.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Wednesday, already?
You'd think with all the awakenings going on outdoors I'd be up and at em of a morning but in reality a couple more hours of sleep would help me to better appreciate the bird and bloom rituals.
Today I must do the grocery shopping that I've been puttin off due to my lack of enthusiasm about it. It wouldn't be nearly the dreaded chore if I didn't have to manhandle all those food items a numerous amount of times before actually consuming them. It tires me out just thinking about it. I can remember doing this chore in the past with toddlers in tow but I can't remember how I managed it. I do remember having to tell the cashier which items I actually wanted to pay for when we got to the check-out though, because my children were very talented at hiding contraband in the basket as we did our shopping.
Ahhh the memories.
Anyhow, the reason for the past recall is that I'm very thankful that the only thing I have to manhandle today is the food so maybe I'll have time to watch the birds and smell the blooms.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Springy Weekend
The flowerboxes are planted, the garden is planted, James and Zach got the yard mowed and the sunflowers planted, and the Chicklets came over for a visit today. I also had a few minutes to edit some photos that Trish let me download from her camera the other day so I've happily exhausted and will shortly be ready to climb into a nice, hot, bath.
Our city girl ball players, Jaylen and Jordan.
I planted purple and white alyssum and irish moss in the porch flowerboxes this year.
I couldn't find the African Daisies this year (but I'm still looking) so I put Gerber Daisies and Irish Moss in the bottom planters. The Pink that's in one of the boxes is left over from 2 years ago and somehow keeps surviving the frosts. I figure if it's that hardy, let 'er bloom!
The Chick loves to play in the dirt!
Here are the photos of Jillian, Zach, and PopPop. I tried to put them up here but blogger isn't cooperating.
Our city girl ball players, Jaylen and Jordan.
I planted purple and white alyssum and irish moss in the porch flowerboxes this year.
I couldn't find the African Daisies this year (but I'm still looking) so I put Gerber Daisies and Irish Moss in the bottom planters. The Pink that's in one of the boxes is left over from 2 years ago and somehow keeps surviving the frosts. I figure if it's that hardy, let 'er bloom!
The Chick loves to play in the dirt!
Here are the photos of Jillian, Zach, and PopPop. I tried to put them up here but blogger isn't cooperating.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
We keep dodging the bullet here.
Storms rumbled through the south again yesterday but this time the most severe of the storms were across the river in TN and MS. The death toll just keeps climbing in TN from the tornado strikes. I've lived most of my life in this part of the south and on several occasions I've within a quarter of a mile of where a tornado touched down but I've never actually seen one because we normally have so much rainfall during these bad storms that they're difficult to see unless one forms during the daylight hours before the rain begins. If I ever see one of those, I'll be sure to take a photo of it before I head for a safe hidey-hole. Since we also live in a rural area, there isn't as much damage to homes and lives as there is in the cities and towns.
For more information about this type of storm with some terrific photos.
For more information about this type of storm with some terrific photos.
Friday, April 07, 2006
I hear thunder
and the sofa is calling my name. Lotta noise around here but I don't think it'll keep me from getting another hour or two of sleep.
Catch you later if I don't get blown away to Louisana or somewhere foreign like that.
Catch you later if I don't get blown away to Louisana or somewhere foreign like that.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Wise Words
Tears from laughter do more healing than tears from sorrow.
When Jeffrey came for coffee Monday morning he told hubby that his brother-in-law had died on Saturday evening and then, with a smile, told him what had happened.
His wife's sister (a lady in her 40's) and her husband (a man in his 60's) had been separated since last fall and had been talking by phone and considering a reconciliation. Since she lived in NE Arkansas and he in Somewhere, Alabama, they decided to meet in Cleveland, Mississippi to talk things over. After a dose of viagra and 3 continuous hours of "talking", they took a 20 minute rest after which, he died. She proceeded with CPR until the paramedics arrived but nothing could be done to revive him. She told her sister of the horror and embarrassment of having to tell the paramedics what happened, then the police, and then having to also relate the events to a preacher who had been called on her behalf. After she'd told him everything he patted her on the back and said, "Well dear woman, at least he died happy."
That sweet, wonderful, man, a stranger, brought to light what everyone at the scene had been thinking and gave that poor lady a few moments of peace amid the tragedy.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Please keep Jerri in your prayers.
Jerri's step-father died on Saturday morning and she and her family are going to have a hard row to hoe over the next while as they adjust to life without him. Please keep them in your prayers.
The Sounds of Spring
The birds are a'tweetin, the frogs are a'singin, the tractors are a'chuggin, and the thunders a'boomin, the lightning a'flashin, and sometimes the tornados are a'twistin. Those are the sounds of Spring in the Arkansas delta.
Luckily for us, the past couple of years the majority of the tornado spawning storms have been tracking just north of us. Last night and early this morning there were some really terrible ones in NE Arkansas, the bootheel of MO, and in eastern TN. The news this morning says there have been lives lost and a great deal of damage but they're not sure how many or how much just yet. I think they were waiting on daylight to assess the damages.
Our worst storm came through around 1:30 a.m. and peppered us with hail for about 15 minutes. We know down here that hail is a good indication of a strong thunderstorm that can possibly spawn a tornado. Hail doesn't do so much damage right now as they haven't planted but a few acres of beans so far, but from now on, since the planting will be starting full force, a hail storm can wreck havoc in the fields of newly planted crops.
I'm going to venture out in a bit to see if there was in damage around here and visit a greenhouse in Lee county to see if I can find some African Daisies for my flowerboxes.
Luckily for us, the past couple of years the majority of the tornado spawning storms have been tracking just north of us. Last night and early this morning there were some really terrible ones in NE Arkansas, the bootheel of MO, and in eastern TN. The news this morning says there have been lives lost and a great deal of damage but they're not sure how many or how much just yet. I think they were waiting on daylight to assess the damages.
Our worst storm came through around 1:30 a.m. and peppered us with hail for about 15 minutes. We know down here that hail is a good indication of a strong thunderstorm that can possibly spawn a tornado. Hail doesn't do so much damage right now as they haven't planted but a few acres of beans so far, but from now on, since the planting will be starting full force, a hail storm can wreck havoc in the fields of newly planted crops.
I'm going to venture out in a bit to see if there was in damage around here and visit a greenhouse in Lee county to see if I can find some African Daisies for my flowerboxes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)