DEAR GOD: THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AGAIN

We all live this really good life these days.  I don’t mean we are all rich or have everything, but if we try, we do have a comfortable life.  Before God allowed electricity to be invented, people lived an entirely different life than we do nowadays.  How would you like to go back to that time.  Not me.  I am spoiled and like it that way.

So when we were given the benefits of electricity, what would we ever use that for except for a light bulb now and then.  But then just look around.  Not only did people get a light bulb, but then other people invented all those ways to use those light bulbs.   Look in your own room or your own house and notice the lamps and the light fixtures and all those other necessary things of today.

And then think about the woman washing on a washboard and how after electricity, she could have a washing machine and after that, an automatic washing machine.  How fortunate for all of us.

And then, take a walk around your kitchen and look at all those marvelous machines that do everything in the world for you.  From the coffee pot to the garbage disposal and even the toaster.  Do you remember when all toast was made in the oven?    And it had to be planned so we wouldn’t heat the house up in the summer and we only had oven toasted bread in the winter.  That was a treat in itself.  Now, we just pop that bread  or whatever it might be in that slot in the toaster and it is done in a matter of moments.

But then in today’s world, we have these people running around telling us that we don’t need to use the electricity anymore.    I need to use my electricity. And I don’t see any reason why they should think they are in charge of how much electricity anyone gets to use. God gave us this great gift because it was in His time to give it to the world.  Simple as that.  God is in charge of everything, including even the most basic things.  He is the one who decides when we are given the computers and the internet and the automobile and all other amenities that we sometimes take for granted.  He is the one who uses the individual for His plans.  He knows what He is doing.  He will be the One who runs everything.  Not some person who decides they know what is best for this world.

It is God’s world.  I hope people will wake up and let God run His world.  All we have to do is live by His rules and this world can be a great place, one of peace and tranquility, and happiness for all.

You know,  I remember a time before all these problems arose during the 1960′s and that generation decided they knew what we should all do and how immorality should rein.  Remember the words – Forty years I loathed that generation and I swore in My anger, they shall  not enter into my rest.

Enjoy your electricity.   We are all so fortunate.  Thank You, Dear God for everything You have given to us.

DEAR GOD: THANK YOU FOR MY FATHER

I grew up in this really great typical family.  There was a mother, father, grandmother, sister and brother.  We lived a perfectly normal life in the decade of the 1940′s.  Everyone was treated fairly, both in praise and in reprimands.  And I am so glad I was placed there by Almighty God because it couldn’t have been any better.

My father was always the last word on anything.  He was very fair and very kind and very strict.  But he always was striving to make people happy and to feel better about themselves.  We had this neighbor who was always talking about his ‘hogs head cheese’ that his family ate when he was growing up. My father had eaten some of that before, too, down in the country where it was made.  So he talked with the neighbor and they both agreed that cheese was just simply great.

Next month or so, the neighbor family invited us over for Sunday dinner. And guess what!  They served hogs head cheese, the real kind, made out of real hog’s heads. The neighbor had made a trip to the country just to get that for us.  We had been taught all our lives to be nice and complimentary and kind to anyone, so when it came time to eat that hogs head cheese, all us kids smiled and swallowed – really, really hard.  I remember my brother looked a little green, but he didn’t say so.  And it was all I could do to eat mine, especially thinking about those hog’s heads.  But we ate it and raved over how good it was.  My father was raving over it, too, complimenting the neighbor for such a wonderful treat.  But, oh boy, we were really glad to get back home so we could brush our teeth and say what we really thought about that hogs head cheese.

Another time, our Great Aunt Mary was coming for a visit.  I had never seen her before as it had been so long since she had visited.  She and her husband were driving from California just to see us.  She had helped in raising my father and so he was really excited about her visit.  He kept talking about how he wanted her to make some of that great chili she had made for him as a kid.  He kept saying it had big chunks of garlic in it and we would just love it.  Well, after visiting for a couple of days, Aunt Mary decided to make some of that chili that my father was just raving about.  You know, the one with the big chunks of garlic in it.

My father watched while she cooked and he was so anxious to taste.  That night  at dinner, we had garlic chili with a little meat thrown in for flavor.  It had so much garlic in it that it was all we could do to swallow it.  But we did.  And we all complimented Aunt Mary for such wonderful chili.  I can still taste that garlic every time I think about it.  But we were kind and thoughtful and smiled a lot even if we did smell sort of funny that evening.

It was truly a great family full of all the things that families did back then.  And lots of fun and happiness.  You might like to read a little more about this family of mine along with living history about what was really going on in the world around us.  My book IN THE 1940′S  tells all that.  The War was raging all over the world and we were living with the rationing and the allotment checks since my father went to War and the air raids and everything else that was going on.  It was a very interesting time and if you like my writing, you will really enjoy this book.

Each book only $10 plus $2 postage.  Send check or money order to BET   P.O. Box 2249   Benton, AR  72018    Thanks, Bet

 

In the 1950′s which was truly a wonderful time for just about everybody, things were o.k.  We lived in an 800 square foot house with three children and didn’t even realize how cramped we were.  We had such a nice time.  The kids played outside all day every day.  We had picnics in the backyard.  They and all their neighborhood friends played in the sandbox that Dad  built.  I ran that washer every single day.  When the local gas company offered a deal of $3 a month to everyone who bought a gas dryer, I was one of the lucky ones on that issue, too.  They had to run a gas line out to my garage in order to install the dryer, but it was truly, truly wonderful.  That meant I had to carry the wet clothes outside through the back yard to the dryer in the garage.  And I didn’t mind that one single bit.  Life was very nice at that time.

Then we all had the Hong Kong Flu which about killed us, but we were still very happy people. My husband had a sales job and the salesmen were making more money that just about anyone in the area.  All the men in our neighborhood were traveling salesman.  We ladies watched out for each other and thoroughly enjoyed our every day lives.  Note – we were all stay at home moms on purpose.

Then those Feminists came along a few years later and gave us all those wonderful benefits we didn’t even know we ever wanted.  And sure enough, we didn’t.  They gave us the right to go to work every day.  Who wants that!    Certainly not anyone I knew.

They gave us the right to have an abortion.   Who wants that!  Certainly not anyone I knew.

They gave us the right to be smarter and more smart aleck than our husbands.  Who wants that!  Certainly not anyone I knew.

And then we could compete with our husbands!  Oh yes.   And lots of people got divorces over that one issue.   No one I knew wanted that one either.

Those feminists marched, hollered, yelled, and whooped it up.  They chanted and ranted and generally caused a lot of noise and trouble.  They even got that glass ceiling broken.  Who wanted that one either!  If I had a glass ceiling, I would just have to clean it!

They gave us the right that every single woman had to get a college education so she could get a good job.  Before them, there were a lot of jobs out there that did not require a college education.  A lot of women could work from their home doing part time secretarial work or insurance work or other things like that.  I know, I did that myself, drawing a decent hourly wage and working in that dab of typing along with cooking, cleaning, and loving my children.

And then they gave us all the right to get to buy and pay for our own cars.  Who wants that!  Before that, our husbands bought and paid for those new cars.  Or used cars. Or whatever as long as it had 4 wheels and a key.  And it moved forward.  We didn’t have to go in the car much so it really didn’t matter.  Until they gave us that right to drive all the time.  After them, we were on a constant treadmill of driving children and driving ourselves nuts.

By that time, we didn’t have many neighborhood schools anymore because we didn’t have much in the way of neighborhoods anymore.  All those happy moms had to go to work to satisfy all those changes. So the houses were all empty every day because the moms were at work and the children were in the daycares or care centers of some kind.  And following that, everyone had to send their children to kindergarten because they couldn’t wait until first grade to learn to start reading and writing.  Everyone was on a fast track now.  It was so important that the children  needed to know so much before age 6.  Why.  Because they said so, of course.

And of course prices increased because most households now had two salaries.  In case you don’t remember the saying – prices always rise to meet income. And that is so true.  So prices went up.  That $10,000 house now costs approximately $150,000.  And it is still the 800 square foot house that is cramped.  Only now it is a lot older.  But those modern people all knew they were smarter.   Oh Yeah!

So, thanks to the feminists, we all progressed or regressed depending upon your point of view.  Mine is regression.  Terrible regression.  And for what!  Nothing!  Except hard nosed loud women.

So, Dear God:  Thanks to the Feminists, we all got a good dose of change of life.  What a shame!

 

ORANGE JUICE

I heard that some imported orange juice had strange ingredients floating around in it and people were advised not to drink it.  In the first place, why would it have anything dangerous in it.  If it was made in America, it would be clean and healthful I am sure.

But instead, the news reported that at least 60% of our orange juice which is consumed in this country is from Brazil.  Now, someone needs to explain why orange juice of all things should be imported from Brazil.  Surely, there are enough oranges being grown in this country to provide for the healthy breakfasts of people in the good old U.S.A.  If not, why not.  It used to be.

Could it be the cost of the products here that make importing the orange juice better for all of us?  Could it be the added government regulations that cause the price to be so high here that it is more cost friendly to import it all the way from Brazil.  Or could it be simply that the labor costs are too high?  Wonder why.  Someone needs to have a congressional committee investigate this one for sure.  And then perhaps a year from now, we will read a tiny notice in the newspaper that says it is because of the cost of producing orange juice in the United States due to labor costs, government regulations and other mandated costs that it is more feasible to import orange juice from Brazil.  Then I will know for sure.

This is truly ridiculous.  Maybe it would help a lot if we all just read the labels and only bought what was made in the U.S  Think I have heard that one before, but it really would work if everyone just took the time to do this.  I am sure that somewhere in your town and mine it is possible to buy orange juice that has been produced in the U.S    Certainly not imported all the way from Brazil. No wonder it has strange particles in it.

HUNGRY CHILDREN

There was an article in my local paper the other day that told of a group of teachers who provide backpacks for hungry children to take home on the weekend.  These backpacks contain enough food to keep the child fed while at home and not receiving the free breakfast, lunch and snacks from the local school.  In another district, a group not only provides these backpacks for the children, but also enough food for their siblings at home.

My question is – why aren’t the parents feeding their own children.  I fed mine.  I’ll bet you fed yours.  Sometimes it wasn’t all that great, but they were fed and full when they left the table after each meal.  All species feed their young.   Why is it suddenly alright for today’s parents not to feed their young.  Is this the Great Society that Lyndon Johnson envisioned when he set up all these free programs?  Makes me wonder about those Democrats and all their freebie policies.  

I know some of these parents do not know how to cook a decent meal because they have never even tried.  But, you know, a box of oatmeal and a loaf of bread can go a long ways towards filling a hungry stomach of a youngster.  I used to figure my grocery money very carefully and I could pay for a box of oatmeal and plan on several morning’s breakfast instead of a box of cereal that would only go round a couple of times at a much higher price.  Why can’t these parents do the same thing.

Are these parents the ones that my tax money is supporting these days?  Are they the ones who holler all the time because they are out of a job when they don’t want to work anyway?  Are they the same ones who line up to get every freebie available?  And then they don’t even bother to feed their own youngsters.  I know times are tough.  I know there are fewer jobs.  I know everyone is having to tighten their belt a little bit.  But not everyone is out of a job.  And not everyone has to depend upon the freebies for sustenance.  

Meanwhile, feed those young children.  They are hungry and they have no reason to be hungry.  Surely, the mother or the father is capable to providing something on the table for every child.  I’m sure the mother and father have something to eat.  If not, they would be lying in the ditches everywhere.  So we know they are eating and probably eating very well.  Just too much trouble to provide for their young ones.  Too much effort to stop playing on their computer or watching their TV set in order to take the time to provide that meal.  If they have any kind of income, feeding their children should come first.  Period.  

It is the parent’s RESPONSIBILITY to feed their own children.  It is not the RESPONSIBILITY of the government, nor the school, nor the neighbors, nor the church.  It is the PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to feed their own young chiildren

Feed those hungry children – NOW!

HOT DRYER

When I got the last load of laundry out of the dryer this afternoon, I started laughing to myself about an article I had read.  It was a very serious  ’helpful hint’   article telling how to save money on utilities.  Of course, it listed the usual things such as wash in cold water as often as possible.  And don’t hot dry your dishes, etc.  But then, the last hint said ‘Always use a hot dryer.’  Now, I know my dryer is HOT.  No doubt about that one.  But how to keep the dryer always HOT was the problem.  

With four teens and a couple of younger ones in the house, I washed about 5 loads per day. On Monday, I washed 8 loads because I did not wash on Sundays.  Some of those Sunday  clothes had to be dry cleaned instead of washed which explains the 8 loads instead of 10 for that day. For some reason, all those teens thought they were supposed to take at least one shower per day.  And they insisted upon changing their clothes at least once a day, too.  I never had the heart to tell them any different.  Our younger ones had to be washed down periodically also.  

I tried to keep that HOT dryer running.  But sometimes, it just wasn’t possible.  I had a habit of being through with the laundry by 3 in the afternoon when everyone started coming in from school.  That way, they could find their clean clothes for the next time.  That wasn’t too hard to do since the machines did all the work.  I just filled them up now and then.  But it still bugged me about that HOT dryer and how to keep it HOT so I could save money on the utility bills.  

Guess I could run the dryer all night. But then I couldn’t see how that would help on the bills very much.  I could imagine that meter going round and round and round outside my house.  Probably start whistling in the middle of the night, too.  Might make the neighbors wonder about me even more than they did now.  Maybe I can call the electric company and ask about this profound advice.  Then they can wonder about me, too.  

 Meanwhile, guess I’ll just have to pay that utility bill every month until I figure out how to keep my HOT dryer HOT.  But it gives me something to laugh about when I open that dryer and  all those clothes fall out onto the floor.

 I know what – this is what it means to Have a Nice Day!  Or another fun day.  Or – oh well, you know – another one of those days!  But at least I have a HOT dryer – sometimes.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Having raised a large number of very average children, I used to hate going to Parent Teacher Conferences.  Not because I dreaded meeting with the teachers, but because I simply did not have the extra time.  I knew what my children did at school.  I knew what they were capable of doing at school.  And I was pleased with all of them as they grew up.  None of them were of the Straight A variety, but I really didn’t care.  They were all well rounded, happy children who knew what was going on in their world, had nice friends, and were blessed with a good sense of humor.  I was a good Mom.  My husband was a good Dad.  And we had a very happy family.  No problems to speak of, ever, except the normal teaching of discipline and manners over the years.  And that usually depended  upon the personality of each individual child.  

But here come the Parent Teacher Conferences once again. Time to go sit in the hall outside the various doors and wait to be called.  

My only problem was that in each and every room with each and every teacher, I was usually told the same line – ‘If your child would just try, he could do a lot better.’  I thought to myself by the time I was through with Parent Teacher Conferences that if one more teacher said that to me I was going to go over the top of that desk.  Instead, I always smiled and acted like a lady  the way  my mother  had taught me to do. 

Maybe I am wrong in my thinking, but it would seem to me that it is the teacher’s job to make my child want to try and want to do better in her class and want to be interested in her subject.   That is what she is there for; to  teach my child her particular subject, whatever it might be.  If she does not stimulate his interest, he will not try in her class.  Period.  That is why different people have different jobs in life.  They are interested in different and various fields.  That is also true of children.  They all have different interests.  May not be science or reading, but then it is the teacher’s job to make them interested in that particular science project or that book to read.  

Sure am glad I am through with Parent Teacher’s Conferences.    I might have become dangerous. 

BREAST FEEDING AND WORKING WOMEN

I just read an article that stated that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act amended the Fair Labor Standards Act which means for the first time ever, ever, ever, employers will be REQUIRED BY LAW to provide nursing moms with breaks and a designated location for either breast feeding or pumping.  This Act  is included in that wonderful health care bill that was shoved down our throats earlier.  And they want your comments regarding this Act. 

I think this is probably the most ridiculous thing I have  ever heard of.  Since when is the employer supposed to provide breaks plus a place for breastfeeding or pumping  If the mother is breastfeeding her infant and the infant is that young, then that mother needs to be at home where she can care  for that young infant. In breastfeeding it is not only the milk itself that is important, it is also the caressing and the cuddling and the holding of the infant that is of vital importance.  Wake up, young mother!  Go home where you need to be and care for your new baby!  It is time for the young women of this country to understand that a baby is not like a doll.  It is a very important human being and its needs must be met in certain ways.  One of those ways is to make sure the infant gets the proper nutritional and physical care.  This cannot happen if that mother is pumping at a workplace and then taking her infant to a daycare for someone else to feed.  Not the same thing at all.

I have never known any woman whose job was that important.  There is no more important job than caring for that young infant.  This is the whole of life!  Your infant’s lifetime  begins in your arms.  Family is ‘where its at’.  Wake up and smell the flowers!  This is what life is all about, your family and the lessons that you teach in that family. Teach your children from infancy that you want them, you love them, and YOU care for them.  

I know a paycheck must be important, but believe me, you can survive for a few more months or a couple more years without an extra one in the house.  You might be surprised to find that your husband can actually do the providing if he is given the chance.  Mine did and when my first child was born, we had nothing and were living from paycheck to paycheck.  But I thought it important to stay home and care for my children.   So he learned to provide very well.  Yours will, too.  Give him a chance.

Give your infant a chance in this world.   

Go to  regulations.gov/#!home and say what you think.  I certainly will.  

SPENDING

I read in the paper last week about a lady who was having her eyelashes glued on.  It was going to cost almost $200 to do this, plus another $65 periodically to make sure they still look good.  Now, I know I am  old fashioned, but I think that is probably the silliest spending of good hard earned money that I ever heard of.  Hope she didn’t also charge it to her credit card and then have to pay interest on the bill.  

I still remember when $200 was a big house payment or a car payment or a month’s groceries.  Maybe this explains some of the credit problems in this country today.  I know the housing problems were caused because people bought houses  they could not afford and the banks and credit companies were encouraging this.  

First house we bought cost $10,000. We could have bought one nearby for $10,500 but we had our limit and $10,000 was it.  Period.  We had an FHA loan and that required $1,500 down.  My husband was a salesman and he had worked his heart out to save up that $1500.  There was no way we were ever going to lose that house.  Our payments were $66 a month.  I remember that years later,  we were required to pay a dollar more a month.  It was almost devastating to us.  A whole dollar month more!  But we managed and had a very good life there.  In fact, we lived there for several years.  Until we outgrew the house because we now had three children and were afraid we might all get stuck in the hall.  

We sold the house for $11,500 so we didn’t come out too bad.

Years later, we had another house, much larger  and more expensive.  The phone rang one afternoon and a real estate agent wanted to know if we wanted to sell it for $195,000.  I turned and asked my husband.  His answer was ‘No, because then we would just have to find another one for ourselves.’  End of subject.

A little common sense goes a long ways.  Wish more people would try using some of it.  And not be spending so much on false eyelashes.  Oh My!!!

THOSE COLD NIGHTS

I was thinking again today about those cold nights back in the 1940′s when I was just a kid.  We had a very nice house, nothing fancy, but o.k.  Houses were not insulated like they are today, though, and it was very cold on some of those nights.  We had what was available to keep us warm, by that I mean gas stoves that had to be lit.  Before Daddy went to the War, he bought a big heater for the dining room.  It sat over in the corner and we all sat in front of it.  Except for when my brother, sister and I were doing our homework at the dining table.  We all listened to the radio.  Had to be quiet to hear it.  Lux Theatre was a favorite of course.  Never missed a word of that.  My grandmother loved Gene Autry on Sunday nights.  

To help keep the house as warm as possible for living, we shut off the living room and my brother’s bedroom.  Mother’s room was also shut off.  And on very cold days, my sister and I had our room shut off, too.  This just meant we had to heat up the dining room and kitchen.  Mother crocheted every evening and my grandmother did tatting.  It was a very simple, happy life.  

Daddy also put a sheeting over the windows in my brother’s bedroom because the wind literally whistled through there.  We could hear those  sheets rattling in the wind all night most nights.  But it was a comforting sound.  When it came time for my brother to go to bed, he would quickly tell us goodnight and then run to his bed and jump under the covers.  Didn’t dare stand around in that room or you would freeze where you stood.  

I don’t ever remember having a warm coat.  All the coats I had were the best at the time, but they were still cold, cold.  All that was available was wool and a lining.  And when that lining got cold, believe me, you were really cold.  And not everyone had gloves.  Most of the time, I couldn’t find mine or one was missing.  A hat might just mess up my hair, so didn’t wear hats a lot and hoods were not invented yet.  

But we were happy in our ignorance and blessed beyond belief.  What a nice life to look back on.  

If you haven’t read my book, In The 1940′s yet, you need to.  I tell of life like it really was in the family and how we helped each other and lived that good life.  For instance, we all saved up our ration stamps so my grandmother could get a new pair of shoes because she needed them more than any of us did.  Nice life.  My books are on Amazon.  Look me up.  Thanks, Bet