Hark ! Back! Issue #9

March 06, 2008

Old Sayings

Things I have not heard in awhile.

 "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."  Then why does it rain and make perfectly good mud puddles to splash in?

"Were you born in a barn?"  I don't recall but I think it was a hospital.

"Clean your plate, don't you know there are children starving all over the world?"  Well, send them the crummy leftovers. 

"Be sure to wear clean underwear."  Like it is going to matter if you are in a really bad accident. What will they say?  Yup, she is deader than a doornail, but land sakes alive she had clean underwear.

"Children should be seen and not heard"  This is one that really sticks in my craw.  If you have children why in the world would you want to ignore what they are saying?

"Don't count your chickens before they are hatched."  No excess dreaming about what could be.

"Don't put the cart before the horse."  Free thinking is not encouraged.

"Let sleeping dogs lie."  If you shut up and don't mention the problem again...it will mysteriously disappear.

"A watched pot never boils."  Will it boil faster if you cook blindfolded? 

"Don't stir the pot." Whoopee...count me in with a really big spoon!

"Good things come to those who wait."  then why do bad things happen to good people?  Were they too impatient? 

"Only the good die young."  So that means old people aren't so good anymore?

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."  Hey, it is a good day when you wake up on the right side of the grass:)

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I will add one.  Sometimes when people ask "how are you? "  I reply "Finer than frog's hair"  Well frogs don't have hair so that could be a clue that I am not going to share how I feel...but thanks for asking.

Far Side

Happy Father's Day!

 We remember our Fathers on this special day.  

Far Guy's Dad, Far Guy and Far Guy's sister photo taken in the Summer of 1950.

My Dad, my baby brother and me in the Fall of 1954...note how attentive I am.

My Dad with my sister and my other baby brother in the Spring of 1967.

My husband is also a great Dad!!

Trica, Far Guy and Jen at the Needles in South Dakota Summer of 1978.

Happy Father's Day!

Far Side

3

 This spunky little gal is 3!  Hard to believe as she is growing up so fast. 

Here she is with her Mom...she looks a lot like her Mom.

Here she is hiding behind her drink cup with Uncle Andy:) This photo was taken one day before her birthday!  She had a pizza party in the evening but we missed that part...still good to see her! Andy made her breakfast...a dipping egg, bacon and toast and of course chocolate milk and she ordered pepperoni pizza for the evening.

Her person is Auntie Jen but she adores Andy also...he can hold her little feet in his hands and she straightens up to touch the ceiling...again and again...fun stuff!

Happy Birthday Peach!  We love you!

Great Grandma

Minnesota Weather Friday: Rain and a bit of hail.  High 63 F or 17C  Low 47F or 8C.

What's cooking: A chicken hotdish...shredded baked chicken breasts, stovetop stuffing, cream of chicken soup, some sour cream and a bit of chicken broth. Yummy!

Hark! Back! Issue #8

 January 09, 2008

Ironing

I gave up ironing about ten years ago when Far Guy retired from the Military.  Up until that time I would do the ironing twice a week.  I would double starch his uniforms...that is a chore I gladly gave up.  However it did relieve some of my frustrations with him over the years,  If I was upset with him...I would just imagine him in his uniform as I ironed it. 

 I just don't use pillowcases or tablecloths that require ironing. The ironing board is stashed away behind the washer/dryer in the furnace room, if for some reason my sister in law Jan visits, I have to drag it out and dust it off before she uses it.  Then there is the old iron, I think it might be an antique.  It used to be a steam iron, it isn't steamy anymore...and at one time it had a short in the plug, so Far Guy replaced the plug with a much larger one and used a lot of electrical tape to insure that I was not electrocuted while ironing...he is very thoughtful!

I do not purchase clothing that needs ironing,  Far Guy does not pay attention to types of fabric and has a thing for really wild cotton Summer shirts. I have learned that if I hang his shirts up when they are still a bit damp...they don't need to be ironed either...and if I overdry them, I just rewash and try again...those shirts are really clean.

I learned to iron when I was about ten  seven years old.  I used to love to help my Mother sprinkle clothing, roll it into a tube and put it into a plastic bag. If you didn't get to the ironing the next day it was placed in the freezer so the clothing would not mold.  My Mother still has a pile of clothing waiting on the ironing board to be ironed...and she still irons...sometime I miss the smell of fresh laundry as it is being ironed...then I remember that I am liberated:)

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Here I am ironing in 1958 when I was seven years old.

Photo taken in the kitchen of the farm house where I grew up. 

I still have the hidden away ironing board should it be needed.  My sister in law Jan died a few years back so no need to get it out for her anymore.  I traded Jen an old rotary dial phone for a new iron and threw my old one in the garbage.  When we packed up my Mother's apartment when she went into the Nursing Home she still had clothing on her ironing board to be ironed.  I am still hanging up damp clothing to dry instead of ironing!

Far Side

Hark Back! Issue #7

February 7,  2008

SHRIMP

The first time I was invited to my future in laws for supper they served deep fried shrimp. It was the first time in my life that I had eaten shrimp... Far Guy had to point that out in front of God and everyone...not to eat the tails...as I was unsuccessfully trying to chew them up.  I was a little embarrassed.

What happened next was not the least but embarrassing to me...but my future Mother In Law was horrified. 

During the quite formal meal complete with linen tablecloth, china and the good silver...their Chihuahua named "Muggy" decided that he did not like me and proceeded to take a dump on my foot.  Suddenly there was this stinky dog poop smell permeating the room...and my foot felt warm...my embarrassment about the shrimp was forgotten...and the poor dog had to be chained up to the clothesline outside. 

A few years later on our Wedding Day "Muggy" tried to get even again...he had been sent to the basement because there were a number of people in the house...he ran up and down the wooden steps so much that he pulled out a toenail and bled all over...apparently his timing was just a little off...because everyone was only a few minutes late for the ceremony...that "shrimpy" little dog with a big attitude had tried his best:)

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Good memories of a very faithful dog who eventually came to accept me and to love me too!

The old photo was taken with a Swinger Camera...Muggy is sitting in the favorite/warmest spot in that house.

Far Side