Cushaws
Pictured above are two kind of cushaws. They are both a type of squash.
My Uncle Emerson owned a farm in Roxton, Texas. He grew all kind of vegetables on his farm. Every summer he would bring my mother some of his different kinds of vegetables. Cushaws were one thing he used to bring a lot.
My Mother would make things of them all different ways. Sometimes she would make pies, sometimes just bake them in the oven and sometimes she just cooked them in boiling water and put sugar and cinnamon on them. Any way she cooked them they were delicious. I have not had a bite of cushaw for many, many years. I really liked them and I would love to have some right now. The pies she made were similar to pumpkin pies.
I never see them in the grocery stores now. If I did I would buy one. I can never expect one from Uncle Emerson because he has been dead for many years. Maybe he is growing cushaws in God's gardens now!
My Dad Was Hip!
During WWII my Dad worked at the post office at Camp Maxey. That was the army camp near Paris, Texas. He became interested in letters at that time and he wrote me a couple of them from Camp Maxey. I lived in Indiana then.
I regret that I did not hang on to those letters. Somehow over time I lost track of them.
I was surprised to see that when he wrote me he was using circles over the i's to dot them. I never did that but a lot of people did. I don't know what possessed him to do that--maybe he noticed it on some of the letters he processed in the mail. Anyway, that was something that mostly young kids did.
My daughter is a teacher and she said a lot of the young girls put heart shaped dots over the i's in their writing.
When I saw my Dad's writing I felt as if he were down to my generation since he was doing a thing that sort of belonged to my generation.
I don't know how long he kept that practice up because I never got any more letters after that. My Dad wrote very few letters in his lifetime!
As I said before, I really wish I had those letters. It kind of tied him to my generation at that time.
Earaches
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My Mother used to blow her warm breath into my ear to ease my earaches.
When I was little kid I used to get earaches quite often. I always got them at night. This has been explained by the fact that when you are up during the day the tubes in your ears can drain very well but at night when you lie down the tubes can't drain as well, causing the earaches.
My Mother would come lie with me in my bed and blow her warm breath into my ear. The warmth of her breath relieved the earache.
I also read that long ago they used to think blowing smoke into the ear would relieve the earache. Actually, the smoke had nothing to do with relieving the pain--it was just the warmth from the smoker's breath and the cigarette that did the job.
Now a hair dryer would do the job nicely. We didn't have hair dryers when I was a little kid.
I never have an earache anymore and haven't had for many years. Nor did my children ever have earaches. I don't know the reason for that. But I am glad to say none of my family ever has them any more.
Indian Head Pennies
Ruby Mae O'Dea
Home made Dolls
The dolls in the pictures above were dolls I made many years ago. McCall's magazine had a pattern in one of their issues around in the 1970s for the whole process of making the dolls.
They are made similar to the old antique china head dolls. Their heads, arms and legs are made from a mixture of corn starch and, I can't remember the other ingredients, but it was a clay like substance which, when dried, was very hard and durable. The body was made from cloth and stuffed . I looked for the pattern but I was unable to locate it. So I have to write this from my memory.
They had patterns for the cloth bodies and for the clothing. It was a fun project and I was very proud of the results of my project. I did this project for an art class that I took in college. My professor said she would like to give me a better grade than A+ but there isn't one. So she gave me the A+.
I display the dolls in my curio cabinet so they are protected from dust and moisture by the glass doors. I look at them quite often and remember the fun I had making them.
My Grandpa Gregory
My Grandpa Gregory
Today is my Grandpa Gregory's birthday, March 26, 1859. He died on February 17, 1943 when he was 84 years old. He was my Mother's father. My Grandpa lived with us most of the time when I was a child. He died when I was about 16 so I have very fuzzy memories of him.
He was very hard of hearing so I never got to have much of a conversation with him. My main memories of him are of his sitting in a rocking chair and reading. He was an avid reader. However, he never learned to read cursive writing nor to write it. So if he got a letter written in cursive he had to have someone read it to him.
He liked to sit outside in the good weather. He had a rocking chair that he sat in and he also had a cot that he used to take naps on in the yard.
He had a habit of eating whenever the mood struck him and many times he would be up in the late night hours making flapjacks or frying cornbread and enjoying a midnight snack. I also remember him taking big spoonfuls of baking soda because he got heartburn. Probably from his sporadic eating!
My Grandpa was politically minded and he kept up with all of the political goings on. He read the newspaper from cover to cover and he loved talking with anyone who would oblige him about politics.
He liked a little nip of whiskey sometimes and that was a point of contention between my Mother and him! She usually won out and kept the house free of it.
Grandpa Gregory has been gone many years but sometimes I wish I could see him again and have a political conversation with him.
Happy Birthday, Nancy
Nancy at 6 months
Nancy at 8 years
Today is the birthday of my niece, Nancy. I would say my favorite niece except I have some others of which I am very fond , so I will just say Nancy is one of my favorites!
I won't print the age of Nancy because I am not sure what year she was born. She knows how old she is and the rest of us really don't need to know!
Nancy, I hope you have a very good day on your birthday and that you have many, many more.
Once again, Happy birthday, Nancy. I love you!
Hamburger with Fly
My nephew and his wife were out once to eat. They chose a hamburger place. They ordered their hamburgers and waited for them to come.
As my nephew was getting ready to bite into his burger, he happened to see a dead fly stuck on the bun. Of course he motioned the waitress to come over. He showed her the fly. She apologized and asked if he wanted another hamburger. My nephew replied, "I don't think so!" So they gave them their money back--end of story!
The fly in the picture seems to be still alive. The fly on my nephew's hamburger was dead. Either way, I think I would have done just what he did!
MARCH MADNESS
Do you get involved in March Madness? I do not care for basketball, football, soccer or any other ball games. But the people who do the schedules for TV don't ask me. So they preempt all of my favorite programs and put on all of the games that they can find.
March madness for me means having none of my favorite programs on for most of the month of March every weekend including Fridays.
I realize that I am probably in the minority and I don't care if all of the other people want to watch the plethora of games that are on but why do they have to put them on at the same time my shows are on? They even preempt the local news if it comes during their game.
This past weekend I sat and waited for local news and a basketball game that was on had two overtimes. I was really disgusted and wanted to throw something into the TV screen (but I didn't!).
I will be glad to have March madness end. Then baseball will be starting about that time. I give up!
Happy Birthday, Amy!
Amy Nicole Highfield
Jaw Breakers
I have not had a jaw breaker for many years but I still remember how much fun you got out of a jaw breaker. They lasted for hours. Some were so big that your jaws ached from holding the ball in your mouth for so long.
I have seen some as big as an inch and a half. Others were smaller. Of course the larger ones gave you much more time to have fun with them. I sometimes had to put mine up for a while and get it out later when I had more time for it.
I read on Google that they start from a single grain of sugar and it takes from 14 to 19 days to make a single jaw breaker. They have many different layers of color all through the ball.
I used to get my jaw breakers for maybe a penny for a small one to a nickle for a larger one. I saw some advertised for 25 cents now. Maybe some are even more expensive.
However large or small, they are mostly sugar, but sooo good! Makes me wish I was a kid again!
My Birth Place
This beautiful little house was the house I was born in. The house is still standing, or at least it was a couple of years ago. It is located very near Saint Joseph's H0spital in Paris, Texas. The street is Fort Street. I can't remember the number.
I am sure it has been redone on the front and probably doesn't look the same now as it did then. But my Mother and Dad were very happy there (Wouldn't you be happy if you just had a new baby and it was Me?)
We drove by the place a few years ago and looked at it. Of course, I can't remember it at all except for just seeing it later on after we had moved away. I think it had only two rooms but it was a mansion to my Mother and Dad.
I am glad I thought of making a picture of the house before it is listed among the houses of the past. Every one should have a picture of their birth place to pass down to their descendants-- no matter how small and insignificant it may seem to you! At one time it was a very significant place to you and your family.
My Daily Walk
My Park Bench.
My "ROCK."
The pictures above show my old standbys when I take my daily walk. The rock is about a foot and a half off the ground and is just perfect to sit on for about five minutes to rest when I go walking. It is not on anyone's yard but is on the space between the sidewalk and the street. If you look closely you might see my butt print on it! I was sorry to see that for some reason they cut down the tree that was right by the rock--taking my shade away!
If you look in the top picture behind the three trees on the right in the picture you will see a park bench. It is about three fourths of the distance from my house to the end of my walk. The rock is about one half of the distance from my house. I sit for about five minutes on the rock and the bench and catch my breath from walking. I look forward to reaching those points!
I have just restarted my walking routine this spring. I have walked ten days so far. About a year ago I started walking but when winter got here I had to stop because of snow, ice, rain or just plain old cold weather. Now that better weather is ahead I expect to walk every day except when it is rainy.
I estimate that the total distance I walk is approximately 3/4 of a mile. Not far for young people but for an 82 year old woman it is a pretty far distance! It is certainly better than sitting on the couch!
My Very Observant Husband
I found out my Husband was not very observant at all one morning when we were driving to work. He always took me to work and then drove to his work after he dropped me off.
I had gone through my morning ritual of taking my bath, doing my hair and eating something before we left for work. I had done my hair and had purposefully left one curler in my hair right in front meaning to take it out just before leaving the house ( my hair was a little damp).
However, in the last minute rush of leaving for the car I somehow forgot about the curler.
It took about a half hour to drive to my work place and being right in the car with my husband I can't believe he never said one word to me about the curler in my hair!
When I walked into my workplace I was greeted by one of my coworkers with, "Hi, why do you have a curler in your hair?"
I was flabbergasted. I said, Oh I can't believe my husband didn't tell me about it!"
I approached him later that night when we were home and asked why he didn't say something about it. He said "Oh, I thought you meant to have it there!"
Happy Saint Patrick's Day--and Birthday!
Today is the birthday of my dear old Mother and my great nephew, Steve!
Steve, I hope you have a great day and many more to come. I know your Grandmother and my Mother will have a great day, all of her days are great!
Once again, Happy birthday to you, I love you!
Puckered Towels
Do you have towels that look like these? I have quite a few. I bought them before I realized the problem with them. The pink towel is a Cannon brand and the other one is a Dundee brand. They were beautiful towels when I bought them and for a very short time after we used them.
Then came the problems. The pink towel had a fringe at the top and bottom which began to make the towel look like a rag before too long. There is no hem at the top or bottom--just the fringe. The fringe gradually wore away and made the towel look like a rag. The green towel looked fine when I bought it but soon, after a few launderings, the woven band at the bottom puckered more and more making the towel impossible to fold straight and nice. I hate them.
I still do use them because of my frugal nature and I don't want to waste anything. But I do put them on the bottom of my towel stack to hide the ugliness of them.
Cannon is very well known brand and I can't believe they put out towels that are like these. Dundee is also a well known brand. Even if they might be a less expensive line of their towels I would not buy them if I knew they were the way they are.
When I buy towels now I certainly look for the ones without fringe and that have no woven band across the bottom. I have had these towels many years so maybe Cannon and Dundee have remedied their problems. I certainly hope so!
Living Alone at 82
Hot Water Heater and FurnaceI am 82 years old and I live alone. I manage very well. I do have help with my lawn mowing but everything else I can do easily.I think often about how people in my situation could have survived fifty or one hundred years ago living alone.For one thing I have a car and I can still drive. It may be a different story when I can no longer drive. I buy all of my groceries, do all of my shopping , paying bills and errands and never think about needing anyone to help me.One hundred years ago I would have probably heated my house with wood or coal, meaning I would have to either buy my wood or cut it myself-- at 82?--had to heat my wash water for clothes, the same for bath water. Then manage to empty the wash water and bath water in some manner since there were no drains and sinks in houses then, at least not many of them.I would have had to build fires in the morning to keep the house warm all day and then either keep them going at night or let them die out and freeze during the night.Now I have a furnace that does its thing 24/7 and I never have to touch it except if I want to lower or raise the temperature, then I just touch a little button to do that. I also have a water heater that gives me hot water at the turn of the faucet.I thank God every day for all of my precious modern conveniences that allow me to live alone at 82!
My Stolen Lunch Kit
Since I am on lunch boxes I will go ahead with this story also.
Actually, my lunch kit was not stolen! I bought it at Sears in about 1975. I was going to classes at Indiana University and I had to have a lunch some of the time. So I bought the kit to "brown bag" it and save a little money.
One day I was sitting in the lunch room eating my lunch and I noticed a girl across from me who kept staring at me. Finally, she came over to my table and asked me point blank, where did I get my lunch kit. I was kind of shocked and I told her that I had bought it at Sears. She said, "Well, I had one exactly like it and it was stolen." I told her that I was sorry but that I had bought mine at Sears and I did not steal hers. She said, "Well, I just thought I would ask." You would think she could have been a little less blunt about asking!
I wonder if she thought even if I did steal it that I would tell her that? I was really offended about her asking me that. I finished eating my lunch, although the situation sort of ruined my day.
I still have my lunch kit in the closet but it is never used now. I would probably feel like I had to cover it with a paper sack if I used it.
The Oily Lunchbox
My Dad always took his lunch with him every day when he worked for the City and when he worked for the Highway department. He carried the lunch box with him in the truck because he was sometimes out in the county somewhere and had to eat while on the job.
Sometimes he might have a little bit of his lunch left that he didn't eat so he would bring it home. We kids learned pretty quickly that we didn't want to eat that! It had a strong taste of oil to it. By being in the truck the lunches and the lunch box acquired the taste of the fumes of oil and gas from the engine of the truck.
My Mother always said she didn't see how he could stand to eat the food because of the oily smell and taste. My Dad said he didn't notice it. Either because he was so accustomed to eating it or because he had a smell disfunction, he really didn't mind eating the food.
His lunch box was exactly like the one in the picture above. He also had a thermos bottle that my Mother would fill with iced tea or hot coffee, depending on the weather. Of course he always drank that so I don't know if it had the same oily taste or not. But I can, until this day, remember that terrible oily taste of the leftover food from his lunch box!
Hair Nets
My Mother always wore a hair net on her hair for as long as I can remember. She said her hair was unruly and a hair net kept it tamed down.
The hair nets she used were the kind that were sort of invisible. They were made of very fine hair and if they were put on the correct way they really were invisible.
I used to do my Mother's hair a lot when I visited her and I would fix her hair in very nice way and make it look pretty. But within a few hours she wanted to put the net on it-- she said to keep it in place. So my beautiful hairdo would be flattened down under the net! I just let her be because it is hard to teach an old dog (sorry Mama!) new tricks!
My Hero
LeRoy Ford 1945
Above is a picture of LeRoy Ford, my hero! This picture was made in about 1945 in Germany. The plaque is of all of the medals and ribbons with which he was awarded while in the service during WWII.
The symbol in the top middle of the plaque is of the army division he was a part of. It is the Ozark division with the O, the Z surrounded by the Arc. The other medals are for the different areas of Europe he served in, some are for shooting contests and his dog tags are there.
The flag is the one I was given at his funeral services. I am very proud of his mementos from the Army. He served in the army from April 1942 until January 1946. Now he is serving in God's Army!
Hooray for Daneen!
I say Hooray for Daneen! She gave the exact reply I would have given to the person asking this question. I applaud Daneen for giving the answer she did. Most columnists would have hem hawed around and avoided saying what she did as an answer. They would have wanted to be politically correct.Daneen Skube has a column in our paper every week, maybe more. I know that I read her column every time I see it in our paper. I really appreciate her more now that I read this column and saw her great answer to this person who was offended that someone would pray next to her (or him).
Maybe that questioner should pray for herself (or himself ) if she (or he) wants to reach Heaven for an eternity!
Goodwill Stores
While I am on the money saving tips I will give you another one--Goodwill stores.
I have a Goodwill store within a two mile drive for me. I used to go there a lot but I don't get out much anymore. But my daughter hits it every time she is at my house.
There are many bargains to be had at that store. Many items are brand new and others almost as good as new.
Every so often they have fifty percent off sales and then you really get good bargains.
A lot of people look down on thrift stores but they are no worse than garage sales. You might get things some cheaper at a garage sale but you can't go to a garage sale any day you want as you can the Goodwill store. Rain, cold or other bad weather things don't affect the Goodwill store.
Both my daughters love going to the Goodwill store. They buy most of their clothes there and you would never know it by seeing the way they dress. They look as good as any other person except maybe for some one who wears designer clothes!
So if you want to stretch your dollars a lot further, go to the Goodwill store.
A Money Saving Tip
Cauliflower
Celery
Many of you probably already do this but I think it is worth telling anyway.
I used to be guilty of the thing I am telling you about but I learned to be more thrifty in my older years.
In the picture above the woman is cutting just about where most people cut their celery stalks, then they throw away the top part. I learned that you can wash the top part and dice it into small pieces and it is just perfect for soups or salads. For salads it will keep several days. For soups you can freeze it for a longer time and it is perfect to put in soup or stews.
It is the same with cauliflower. I cut the outer stems and leaves and chop them up and freeze them for soups or stews. I do not waste one stem or leaf of either celery or cauliflower. You pay a fortune for them and it is a sin to throw away that expensive food.
When they are in soups or stews you never know the difference whether it is a top stem or a outer leaf and you still get the full flavor of it in your soup.
So, the next time you buy celery or cauliflower and start to trim it remember the price you paid for that vegetable--the complete thing, and think twice before pitching the trimmings into the garbage! It is like throwing away money!
All I Ever had was a Tricycle
The bicycle in this picture was not mine. I think it was my sister's.
I did have a tricycle when I was a little kid but in all my life until I was in my fifties I never owned a bicycle.
I got by fine without one but there were times when I would have loved having a bike.
When we moved to this house in 1976, we noticed that almost everyone in the addition had a bike and they rode them late in the afternoon. So we splurged and bought bikes for ourselves. Not fancy ones but just plain old bikes, at Sears.
We rode the bikes some but not as much as I had thought we would. They hung on hooks in the garage most of the time.
After several years of the bikes hanging on the hooks and being in the way when we walked around in the garage, we decided to sell them. We put them in a garage sale and promptly they sold. We didn't make any money on them, in fact we lost a little but at least they were out of our way.
So I can't say that I never had a bike but I can say that I never missed it after it was sold.
Now, I can say I never had a motorcycle in my life and I can also say, I will never have a motorcycle in my life! Having a bike was dangerous enough for me!
A Little Bug in your Ear
Many years ago when we were visiting in Texas at my Mother's home, we were getting ready for bed one night and a bug flew into my husband's ear. It was very uncomfortable for him and he immediately started shaking his head and trying to get the bug out. But no matter what he did the bug refused to come out. He worked at it for several minutes with no luck. We were getting dressed again and were going to the emergency room at the hospital as that seemed to be the only solution to the problem.
Just as we were about to walk out the door the bug finally decided to come out of his ear. It flew away so we never even knew what kind of a bug it was or how large it was.
Whatever kind or however large it was, it was a great relief for my husband to have the bug out. I am sure the bug was happy to be out also. We went back to our getting ready for bed and the bug went about doing whatever he usually did at night!
Must Have Boots
Ca
rla, my youngest daughter
My youngest daughter was in her teens when she saw a pair of boots in a store that she just had to have. I put my foot down and said absolutely no to her. But she went to her Dad and he always gave in to her whims. He finally said she could get them. So she went and bought the boots, which were way, way too expensive for our pocketbook.
I don't know why she wanted the boots so badly because I thought they were ugly. But then I wasn't going to wear them so why did I care?
Anyway, it was evident that she didn't think they were so hot either. They sat in her closet and she never wore them. I asked her about it and she said they hurt her feet. So there was all of that $$$ down the drain. I festered about it for a while until finally I got over it. The boots ended up in a garage sale and I think they didn't even sell. After that I am not sure what happened to them. Whatever, the money was gone and I think she learned her lesson about things that she didn't really need or actually want.
She works now so she knows the value of a dollar and I don't think she would do such a foolish thing today!
Porch Swings
Ford in My Mother's swing
Me in my Mother's swing
I love to sit in a porch swing. I do not like to swing very much--maybe just a little bit. I get sick to my stomach if I swing long swings. I used to sit with my Mother in the swing and she liked to swing big. I would have to ask her, politely, of course, to slow down a little bit. So she would for a little while. Soon she would get back to her big swings and I would have to remind her again that I could not do that.
She always had a swing on her front porch and also one on a big frame in the yard. My Dad built a big frame out of heavy lumber and attached a swing there. So we were a swinging family! The pictures above are of Ford, my husband, and me sitting in my Mother's yard swing.
Eddy Arnold once had a song called, "Old Porch Swing." A very pretty song about the history of his old porch swing. I think Gene Watson also had a recording of it.
I do not have a swing on my porch. I used to have a glider with plastic webbing on it. The webbing wore out and the glider is now sitting in my patio waiting for rewebbing job. I would love to have a swing but somehow we just never did get that project done.
I do not sit outside much these days and I have lawn chairs for when I do. So the much loved porch swing has sort of taken a back seat to other projects along the line.
I hope when I get to Heaven they have porch swings there because I will certainly sit in one. Maybe then I can swing big with my Mother again!
Dutch Boy and Girl
This is a set of antique Dutch figurines. I think at one time the boy and girl had buckets hanging off their shoulders which must have been lost somewhere along the way because they have never been with the boy and girl as long as I can remember. Otherwise they are in perfect condition with no chips or cracks.
I am very lucky that I ended up with them in my possession. They had belonged to my Mother in the beginning but she gave away most of her little treasures before she died.
Since there were three of us girls in our family we had to decide how we would know who should get what. So we decided to have our Mother draw names. We all wrote our names on pieces of paper and let our Mother draw one name out of the pile. Whoever's name was on the paper would get the dolls. I happened to be the lucky one!
The dolls have a special spot in my curio cabinet right on the top shelf and in the front center of it. I admire them often and remember my mother at the same time--and my unhappy sisters!
The End of the Story for Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey, the newsman died Saturday, February 28, 2009 at the age of 90.
I remember Paul Harvey from many years ago and from not too long ago. He always had little interesting endings to his stories and I enjoyed listening to him any time I could.
So now we know the rest of the story-- Paul Harvey's story. He was in radio for more than 70 years. He had a listener audience of millions for seven decades. We will miss his thrilling and exciting story endings. He is now living in his story ending! Good day, Paul!
Dutch Oven
A round Dutch oven
This is my Dutch oven.I have my Dutch oven on a shelf in my garage. I may never use it again but I am keeping it in case I want to.We bought it years ago to use when we went camping. We made many cakes, cobblers and other desserts in it and they were scrumptious. We also made some good stews in it with chicken, beef or whatever. I think the favorite was peach cobbler. We just cut up fresh peaches in the bottom, or maybe a can of peaches if fresh ones weren't available, then sprinkled sugar and a box cake mix evenly over the peaches. Then we poured melted butter, or margarine over that. We let it cook for about 45 minutes or maybe an hour. It was so good!We had a smaller version of the Dutch oven for us, since we were only two at that time but our friends had a large one, like the large round one in the picture above, which we used a lot when there was a larger number of us eating. You also could put the Dutch oven over an open campfire but we preferred using the charcoal. The oven worked this way: you put about six charcoal briquettes or more if needed, on the lid, or top and about twelve under neath it. They should be lit and started elsewhere. Then you let the charcoal get going good and and cover the pot with the lid. You don't even have to watch it or stir it or anything until you think it might be done.You've never eaten a cobbler until you eat one cooked like this!We made many delicious meals with our Dutch oven and it has many more meals yet in it but they won't be eaten by me, most likely. My kitchen oven is much closer and handier since I don't camp anymore.
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