Memories are made of this….

While reading a wonderful post yesterday by Susie S  I started thinking about growing up with 7 siblings quite a long time ago, although at times it seems like only yesterday.

I am number 6 of 8 children.  Our family was very poor. While I was growing up  I wasn’t overly concerned about this because most of the kids I went to school with came from a poor family too.  Our entertainment came from being barefoot and playing softball in the street on warm summer evenings.  The days were pretty full with household tasks.

Mom always had a big garden and we spent long hours in the summer time working in it.  Mom made us sun bonnets to wear.  The garden work fell mostly on my next older sister, my younger sister and me.  My 2 older sisters had married young and left home.  This in itself brings back a memory for me that is hard to remember but it is always there.  When my next to the oldest sister married and left home I remember dreaming almost every night about her.  The dream was nothing but the color of orange and thoughts of her.  You see she had always been like a second mother to me and I was broken hearted when she left home.

I can remember when she was dying of lung cancer quite a few years ago that Jim and I would try to get across the state to visit her as often as we could.  I can remember her saying to her husband that she and I were always ‘tight.’  I was her little sister and I was special to her and she was special to me.

My mother did not have an easy time of it.  It was hard for her to be able to put enough together to feed us all.  I remember many a meal of cornbread and milk.  I also remember the rows and rows of lima beans spread out to dry on newspapers in the attic.  We had planted those seeds and picked and shelled those beans.  Many things I had to eat as a child such as dandelion and turnip greens, spinach, wilted lettuce, etc. I will not touch to this day.  I do love lima beans though.

My younger sis, my next older sis and I were always close.  Just writing these words is bringing tears to my eyes.  I lost my next older sister to pancreatic cancer in December 1997.  She would always call me each morning about 6 AM and to this day when my phone rings early in the morning I think of her.

I miss my brothers and sisters that are gone and my mom and daddy!  My youngest brother was just diagnosed on Wednesday with a mass in his stomach.  He is to see a surgeon on Tuesday.  My niece and brother in law in WV are not doing well either.  My mind is in a turmoil and I am praying a lot for them.  I would be so grateful if you would join me with a prayer or  a kind thought.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Reliving lots of memories…

going through these old pictures.  Memories of my senior class trip to Chicago where we stayed at the Palmer House Hotel.

Below is a photo taken of me on the left with my two best friends, Anna Mae in the middle and Shirley on the right.  Take note of the flowers at the neckline and the crinoline petticoat.  High fashion in the 50s.  Shirley was my maid of honor when Jim and I were married.  I recently found out that she lives not far from me.  We had a nice long visit on the phone.

That was really a fun trip.  We saw New Faces  of 1954 starring Eartha Kitt.  To this day I can remember one of her costumes was lime green.  I remember thinking how beautiful she looked.

That first night we wandered around the hotel all night long looking in every nook and cranny.  I remember the little boutique that had nothing but hats on display and they were all red.  Times were different then and there was no thought of not being safe.  Looking back kind of makes me shudder.  I definitely would have wanted my kids to be better chaperoned on class trips.  In fact, I know that my kids were because I acted as chaperone on many a class trip through the years.  We had a wonderful trip and we all returned home unscathed.

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It is still miserably hot here.  It was 99 degrees (real temp) here last night at 7 PM and is to get to mid to upper 90s.  The excessive heat warning has been extended now till 7PM Sunday night.  I am staying in the house and not venturing out unless necessary.  I have been to the store and done laundry and that is about it.  I am transported back in time looking at these old pictures.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  STAY COOL!!

  Beth

The start of a brand new week…

and I hope this week is better than last week; too many things happening last week that were very stressful for me.

My brother and sis and law went on a cruise to the Cayman Islands last month.  That is the 3rd or 4th cruise in the last 6 months. I just received the DVD of their photos.  they got some great shots.

I have never had a desire to go on a cruise.  I have always wanted to visit England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.  And now I think that will never happen as my get up and go done got up and went.

Let’s see, what shall I do today.  I have already cleaned the bathroom and I ran the vacuum over the weekend.  I don’t need anything from the store and please keep me away from Bergner’s and Kohl’s as I spend way too much money there.  I didn’t get the car washed so there is that option.

Summer is here.  It is to be in the 80s today and near 90 for Wednesday and Thursday.  Turn off the furnace and turn on the AC.

I had a friend ask what my mom had on over her dress in the picture.  It was an apron.  In those days women made most of their own dresses and if they had enough material left they would make a matching full apron to go over the dress.  I can also remember the sunbonnets that mom made for us girls to wear when we were working  in the garden.  Mom planted lots of lima beans and butter beans.  Most of them she would let dry.  We would then lay the shelled beans on newspaper in the attic for them to dry.  There would usually be enough beans to last most of the winter.  To this day I love lima beans and butter beans.  When Jim and I had our garden we would plant green lima beans to climb the fence around the garden.   Oh what a lovely memory.  We would both spend hours working outside.

I hope you all have a great week.  Be kind to each other, watch what you say, because words once said can never be taken back.

  Beth