The View from Here

Wisdom of a Farm Woman

There were many women who influenced my life when I was growing up. I appreciated some of them at the time. Others had to wait patiently for me to mature. My grandmothers were certainly important to me, but Della often had to share her wisdom in cards and letters because we lived so far away. Thankfully we moved near her when I was a teen and I benefited from her wisdom for a few years. Then I was gone again, back again, gone again. I was in Caddo when she wrote this, back in CA when she died in ’85.

Despite the erratic nature of our relationship there were two things that Della managed to imprint firmly on my little brain: be kind and be yourself. The older I get the more grateful I am for those lessons and for her sense of humor. Her viewpoint and her opinions and her “thoughts of a farm woman” were certainly unique and I treasure these clippings I have and can read any time I choose.

Durant Daily Democrat

Thoughts of a Farm Woman

‘The Day Before Christmas’ 1980

By Della Springer

 

‘Twas the day before Christmas and son-of-a-gun,

The shoppers were many and all on the run.

All through DURANT they flit like a sparrow,

Just think, Christmas day is about tomorrow.

The stores downtown are making a haul,

There is not enough gas to go to SherDen Mall.

So they are searching for bargains that they might buy,

They hurry to Sharp’s or TG & Y.

You see them rushing, tight britches, long hair,

Can’t tell by looking if it’s a him or a her.

I can’t understand why in the world,

Women want to look manly and men like a girl!

When holidays over, kids happy, mom tired, dad bitter,

On account of his billfold is flatter ‘n a flitter.

May this holiday be merry and lots of fun,

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Everyone!

 

 

P.S. And I am sure it will be a good Christmas for daughter, Colleen Simmons. Another of her marvelous stories sold last week, padding her billfold considerably! If you will pardon my saying so (and I’m sure you will) I always knew that one had plenty of smart!

Ornaments

I love Christmas ornaments! Each one of mine holds a memory and I always enjoy unpacking them.

Of course as an elephant collector I have to admit that some of my favorite ornaments are predictable:

Living in a Small World...

 

When my husband and I moved here in 1991 I held my breath for a while, wondering how we would adjust after so many years in the city, in another state, away from curious eyes and caring hearts. Family and long-time friends can be loving and supportive, but they can also be quite critical and difficult to deceive.  I’ve never been a very secretive person, but I do enjoy some privacy, and while saying “I’m fine” is usually acceptable to casual friends in the city, that same response often prompts a “Really? Are you sure? You don’t seem fine.” from the people who have known you since childhood.

And there is also the flip side of the coin. Changing habits, reaching for new goals, or living a different lifestyle can be challenging in the midst of people who have witnessed prior failures.

Mom liked to remind me that it’s best not to talk about the neighbors to anyone in town- you never know if you are speaking to one of their relatives. Just another reason to avoid gossip.

Living in a small world means never knowing when your actions and activities will be viewed by someone you who will report that behavior to your parents, even if you are fifty! Best plan is to just always be as good, kind, and caring as possible.

Disagreeing with family members and old friends about religion, politics, parenting, sports, education, or…well…anything…is a challenge and takes more finesse if your goal is to disagree and still remain friends. So living in a small world requires a little more tact and respect than I needed in the city. Not that I was ever rude, but the thought is always in the back of your mind that maybe the person arguing with you in the big city isn’t really necessary to your life.

All that being said, I am reminded again this week that we have been blessed beyond measure to be here in this area, in this county, in this small world of family and friends, old and new.  Going to appointments, shopping, attending meetings, and just generally living out our daily schedules puts us in touch with people we know and love. Even something as random as a routine procedure at the hospital yesterday resulted in an encounter with a friend.  Neither of us knew the other would be there, but we were happy to see each other…a simple blessing of living in a small world.

Ignorance

Ignorance is not bliss.

Ignorance is the basis of poor decisions.

Ignorance is the foundation of prejudice.

Ignorance is the origin of fear.

Ignorance is the source of hatred.

Ignorance is rampant in our country.

Ignorance has discouraged and divided us.

Ignorance has caused us to lose heart and lose sight of our founding principles.

Ignorance cannot be an excuse for our lack of values or our failure to do the right thing.

Ignorance is only a starting point.

Ignorance should compel us to learn.

Knowledge will lead us to understanding.

Understanding will lead us to wisdom.  

If you want to know the benefits of wisdom I urge you to read Proverbs 3.

Christmas Out of Control...

Each year the national news locates at least one house that is decorated with enough Christmas lights to create a public nuisance. They interview the owner and tell us how much it costs to create the display and keep the electricity flowing for a month or two.  They report on the crowds and traffic problems created by the nightly visitors. They take the statements of a few unhappy neighbors. They speak to local authorities about safety and zoning and legal concerns. I usually ignore the reports, knowing that the owners of the outrageous displays LOVE every moment of the publicity and will continue to plug in their lights as long as people flock to see them. However, this year I couldn’t ignore the statements of a man in New Jersey. He believes it is his “right” to have excessive lights that annoy his neighbors, endanger the public, and waste the time of police officers. He does it because he “Loves Christmas” and likes to see happy faces. Really????

If he loves Christmas why doesn’t he donate his decorating money to buy presents for children?

If he likes to see happy faces he could decorate the homes of families who can’t afford lights. He could give away Christmas trees.

Instead of paying for electricity to light up the sky, why doesn’t he pay for the electricity to light up the home of an elderly person who can’t afford heat?

I find it difficult to believe that these excessive displays of Christmas decorations aren’t about ego, publicity, and a few weeks of fame.

Words to Live By...

I grew up listening to the tap, tap, tap of my mother’s fingers banging on an old Royal typewriter. When she wasn’t’ cooking, cleaning, shopping, working in the garden, or helping us with something, she was sitting in front of that contraption typing words on a page. I didn’t understand why she did it, but it was clearly important to her because I sometimes had to “wait just a minute” while she finished a thought and captured it on paper. When I was four she even earned some money and we got to have our picture made at a studio.  As I grew older I came to accept that it was just what mom did. I’m not sure I ever paid enough attention to her “hobby” as Dad called it, or appreciated her skills as much as I should have.

Now I am blessed beyond measure to still have some of those original pages, complete with her notes and editing. And for many years she kept clippings of the magazine articles, stories, and newspaper columns that she wrote. I have most of them saved in binders. When I am lonely, in need of inspiration, or just curious, I take them out and read for a while.

This morning I came across these words:

“The very best Christmas gift is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in one another.” I’m not sure where that quote came from, but it was a concept she embraced and shared with others at every opportunity. Mom always told me that no matter what happened in life, having a family to share it with was the key to happiness. Words to live by…

Antithesis--

a contrast or opposition between two things.

Crowds of people rushing the doors of their local big box store to buy discounted 70” televisions-- crowds of people rushing the border seeking asylum.

A monument declaring “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” -- a wall demanding “Go home and suffer the consequences.”

A season of Christian love and charity-- a leader who shows none.

 

A Day Outside...

On Saturday Gary and I took a picnic lunch to the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. A day outside was just what I needed to refresh and restore my weary brain. 

Witnessing a Miracle...

In October I was thrilled to see this little Monarch chrysalis hanging from one of the potted plants on my patio. It was so perfect and beautiful. I had previously witnessed all the stages in the life of a Painted Lady butterfly because we routinely raised them in my kindergarten class. However, even though the Painted Lady is a pretty butterfly, her caterpillar and chrysalis stages are not.  So the Monarch chrysalis was a welcome sight and the prospect of watching the butterfly emerge was exciting.

It typically takes four weeks for a Monarch to emerge, so I didn’t give it much thought again until November’s cold winds began to blow. When I was told by the weatherman to take my plants inside I debated about what to do with the one hosting my little friend. I feared that putting it inside my garden shed would result in it emerging when I wasn’t around and the butterfly getting trapped among the boxes and supplies stored in there. What if it emerged on a day when I would be gone for several hours? What if I forgot about it for days?

So I put the potted plant on a shelf that is under the patio roof and against the south wall of the house. I tucked it among some empty pots stored there and put a large container of suet on the west side of it and a box that holds my gloves on the east side to block some of the wind. Then I waited and hoped for the best.

A light freeze came and went. The plant hosting the chrysalis wilted and died, but the little stem holding the chrysalis simple drooped over the side of the pot and it seemed to be okay. I wasn’t too hopeful, but I left it alone and waited…and waited. The weather improved, the temperatures rose again, the winds blew warm. Still no butterfly. Another week passed and I entertained the thought that it was probably dead.

Yesterday afternoon I went out to feed the birds. As I raised the lid on the seed container a flash of orange caught my eye and I was amazed to see a Monarch gingerly flapping her wet wings in the warm breeze. I rushed inside to get my camera.

After I took a few photos I gathered some tiny wild flowers from the yard and wet a pad with sugar water. Then I just stood and watched her explore them.

Witnessing a miracle is the perfect way to spend an afternoon…

'tis the Season...

My mother didn’t like for one holiday to overlap another. She believed in savoring every moment of her beloved fall season with its gold and brown and orange hues before unpacking the red and green and silver that would bedeck the house for the winter. We didn’t dare unpack an ornament or mention getting a tree until long after the Macy’s parade had been cleaned up and the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers had been consumed.  One year we didn’t get a tree until the day before Christmas Eve because we just couldn’t afford one; we waited until the lots were practically giving them away. (Remember that in the city in CA we couldn’t just go to the woods and cut one down.)

For most of my adult life I’ve adhered to that childhood tradition and decorated our Christmas tree on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. However, this year even that seems a little too early. So, even though friends on FB have been posting photos of lovely decorated trees for a week or more, I think I will wait another week before taking mine out of storage. I want to spend the last week of November savoring Mom’s gold and brown and orange…