THE OLD PHONE

I can not take credit for this.
It is one of those email going around. But I thought it was touching and so true.
It is long but worth the read.

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our
neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The
shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the
telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to
it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an
amazing person. Her name was 'Information Please' and there was nothing
she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the
correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my
Mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the
basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but
there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give
sympathy.


I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at
the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the
Parlor and dragged it to the landing climbing up; I unhooked the receiver
in the parlor and held it to my ear.

'Information, please,' I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A
click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

'Information.'

'I hurt my finger,' I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough
now that I had an audience.


'Isn't your mother home?' came the question.

'Nobody's home but me,' I blubbered.

'Are you bleeding?' the voice asked.

'No,' I replied. 'I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.'

'Can you open the icebox?' she asked.

I said I could.

'Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger,' said the
voice.

After that, I called 'Information Please' for everything. I asked her for
help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped
me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park
just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called,
'Information Please,' and told her the sad story. She listened, and then
said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I
asked her, 'Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring Joy
to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a
cage?'

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, ' Wayne,
always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.'

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, 'Information Please.'

'Information,' said in the now familiar voice.

'How do I spell fix?' I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was
nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend
very much. 'Information Please' belonged in that old wooden box back home
and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the
table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those
childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense
of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and
kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle
I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on
the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what
I was doing, I dialed my hometown Operator and said, 'Information Please.'

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. 'Information.'

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, 'Could you please tell
me how to spell fix?'

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, 'I guess your
finger must have healed by now.'

I laughed, 'So it's really you,' I said. 'I wonder if you have any idea
how much you meant to me during that time?'

'I wonder,' she said, 'if you know how much your call meant to me. I never
had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.'

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I
could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

'Please do,' she said. 'Just ask for Sally.'

Three months later I was back in Seattle a different voice answered:
Information.' I asked for Sally.

'Are you a friend?' she said.

'Yes, a very old friend,' I answered.

'I'm sorry to have to tell you this,' she said. 'Sally had been working
part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks
ago.'

Before I could hang up she said, 'Wait a minute, did you say your name was
Wayne?'

'Yes.' I answered.

'Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called.
Let me read it to you.' The note said, 'Tell him there are other worlds to
sing in. He'll know what I mean.'

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Little Irritations

Why is it that as soon as you sweep the last little bit of the dirt into the dustpan and dump it in the trash you simultaneously kick the cat bowl and water dish and have a wet, cluttered mush all over the floor?

...as soon as all the underwear are folded and stacked on the table, the last pair of underwear tip the scales and the whole stack tumbles over and unfolds?

...the short trip from sugar bowl to coffee cup ends with the sugar on the floor below.

...the cups on the top shelf of the dishwasher are filled with water when all the other dishes are dry and topple over spilling into the utensils and dishes below as you pull the rack out?

....the bottom sheet pulls loose but the sheets above it are still in place?

But all is well and if the house is not perfect when all the little grandbabies come running in...who will even notice?

Baby Girl Royal

Just Arrived!
Blakely Ann 9 lbs, 2 ozs.

This is the first photo taken minutes after she was born.

Harvest Tme

As the rays of sunlight broke across the eastern sky the sound of rumbling combines started and I could feel the vibrations of the machinery nearby. The sky was just light enough to see the combines near my back door, starting up and moving across the field of green beans growing just at the edge of my backyard. The harvesters must have arrived while it was still dark and moved in like Hitchcock's birds in the school playground.

As I sat having my morning coffee while I watched an old movie on TCM my senses became aware of the activities outside and momentarily I felt as if I had been plucked up from my serene country life and plopped down in one of those B rated scary movies where the victim of some unknown killer runs through the corn fields with menacing rotating blades of a combine moving closer and closer.

Stepping to the backdoor I watched as the combines took their place at the start of the bean rows and dust began to rise and billow out into the sky as the green plants began to get ripped from the ground and pulled into the blades of the combine.

Harvest is exciting to farm families. It is the time the goals are realized, the big pay off, the light at the end of the tunnel, the end of the hard work that went into that crop, a big relief. For this year, especially we are thankful for all that is harvested, the summer of drought, the wet fall, a struggling economy, and an uncertain future. I am reminded that faith has got to be a part in our lives. We can plant the seeds but God gives our harvest.

There are several harvests of various crops throughout the year. This is the second harvest this year of green beans, corn was harvested early in the summer, hay has been baled and peanuts are being harvested this week, also.

Harvest time and a baby on the way. What a good day it is today!

Living by the Old Tme

What a challenge it has been this week to get the time right.

All this week my internal alarm clock has been waking me up at 4:00 AM because it is the old 5:00 AM. I toodle to the TV downstairs to catch an old movie, put on the coffee, take my morning pills and settle down to the movie until time to go to school. .

Today my internal alarm clock got me up at 5:00 AM which is right for me even though it is Saturday, I toodle downstairs, turn on an old movie, put the coffee on, take my morning pills and settle in to my old movie.

Lee wanders in....awfully early for him....five o'clock.
He thinks it is six o'clock and that is good for him because he thinks it is the old seven o'clock.

Who's on first?

The Math of Love

Still waiting!
Poor Lisa!

Makes you just hurt for her!
If things do not happen before next Wednesday she will be admitted and induced on the 11th.
It is my prayer that things happen sooner than that for Lisa's sake.

Nine months is long enough to be pregnant for anybody with a three year old (4 in February) and a 20 month old at home with a husband who is out of town on business for days at a time. Poor baby! She is trying not to be grumpy but it is just so hard!

When I went into labor with my first I was eating out with a friend who had a five month old baby. I fed the baby all the way to the hospital. It was either I drive or I feed. I chose feed. Our two babies were friends for life, competed for grades all through their years in Pleasanton, graduated the top two in their class, roomed together at college and continue to keep up with each other even now.

By the way, the meal was Mexican food and I never got to finish the meal.

The second one came a week early and when I got to the hospital they gave me a sleeping pill and all labor stopped. Hours later it started again and he was born in two hours.

The doctor decided to induce the last two I had. He did not think I would make it to the hospital.
The next one was born during my mother's father's funeral. I missed the funeral. It was a happy/sad occasion.

By the time I had the last one I had it down pretty pat! Everything went as scheduled!

What a blessing all the babies have been in my life. I would not want to give any one of them up, mine, their spouses and the grandbabies.

Someone once told me she did not want to have any more children after her one child because she did not think she could ever love another child as much.
How sorry I feel for her. She did not understand the math of love!

You don't divide, you multiply!

So if you please, say a prayer for Lisa and the baby.

Tamalada

We were invited to Gaby's parents' house for a tamalada. All I knew was this was to make tamales. I had no idea that the Mexican culture makes a party of the work and everyone looks forward to this. How fun is that?

As you can see Linda jumped right into the middle of it and had her hands in it immediately. It took me a little longer, I had the camera and wanted documentation of it all. Everyone had something to do. If you vacated your spot at the table someone else would come along and take it and pick up where you left off. And don't think this is just for the women. There were as many men around that table as women and they made the biggest tamales.

Kids played outside most of the time. Some watched football on TV, some played football outside and everyone migrated back and forth into the kitchen. At the end of the evening a huge pile of tamales were placed on the table and disappeared quickly.

I came away with a better appreciate of the family my son has linked us to...mi consuegros!

Just a Drink of Cold Water

It was the week after the wedding and my job was to keep the shop while Caleb and Gaby were off in Mexico honeymooning.

The weather had turned off to be so hot people were hardly moving outside and the days were slow.
I had noticed on this particular day that the traffic was even near non-existent on this usually busy road. An occasional car would drive by. Stepping outside to check the thermostat on the porch, I stood outside for a mere few seconds and looked up and down the road, noting the lack of activity and thought how strange the day was without the presence of people moving about.

The thermometer was at the 103 degrees mark and it was just a little after 1:00 still with the heat of the day ahead of me.

Keeping busy with odd jobs organizing, dusting, and rearranging merchandise I had missed lunch and now, I was thirsty and ready to settle down to a bite to eat. I turned and walked back into the shop and headed the twenty or so feet to the back of the shop when I heard the chime. I turned in surprise.

There stood a short, thin man whose age was difficult to determine. Although he was probably a good four inches shorter than I am and could not have been over a hundred pounds my first instinct was fear, never more aware of being alone in the shop. The growth on his face and dirty, sagging clothing made him look unkempt and I knew he was not there on business. With one hand still on the doorknob he stood looking at me. He looked at the shop and moving his cupped hand to his mouth in a motion like drinking a soda he attempted communication in his native tongue. I understood agua. The rest was lost on me but I recognized his need for something to drink.

Telling him to wait I went to the back and took out a cool bottle of water from the refrigerator and took it to him. As I handed him the bottle all fear and reservations had dropped away. Thanking me he turned and left.

As he walked off the porch and began his journey on foot, I stood watching him for as long as I could see him.

even a drink of water to the least of these,

This little man who asked for no more than a drink of water would be a man I would remember for a long time to come.

some have entertained angels unawares

I was filled with emotions, recognizing my own blessed existence here on this earth in sharp contrast to this man.

I wore silk, he wore worn cotton.
I wore gold and silver, he had none.
I drove a nice car, he walked.
I had plenty to eat and drink, he had to ask for water.

I don't know where he came from, or where he went. I had never seen him before, nor have seen him since. But on that day his presence humbled me.

So today, let me leave you with this thought:
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2

Seasonal Cravings

I never had cravings while I was pregnant but the changing of seasons brings out cravings I can hardly control.

• The cool weather and hearing the rustling of fall leaves makes my appetite turn toward sweet spices like pumpkin spices and cinnamon and fruits dessert like apple dumplings, apple crisp or spice bars.
  
• The really wet and cold weather brings out the soup cravings, chili, chicken soup, tortilla soup and taco soup.
  
• Achy joints and stuffy noses bring out a craving for potato soup although week days ending in "y" do the same.
  
• A cold dreary day brings on a desire for homemade popcorn candy, cheese balls with Wheat Thins while watching a good movie and the company of my children.
• Lazy Saturday afternoons bring out the need for pinto beans with cornbread cooking in the kitchen.
  
• And cool afternoons with family around bring on a craving for ginger bread with lemon sauce.

It all sounds very psychological but real nonetheless. Memories of pleasant times and comforting foods at those times make an indelible mark on our minds and replay like an old movie reel in our memories.
With the cooling of the weather lately my cravings are very active today.

The latest issue of Southern Living reminded me of the apple dumplings my mother served when we were children. The magazine did a mother/daughter adaptation of the old recipe. I drooled at the full color pictures of both versions of the apple dumplings and while the daughter's version cut the preparation time in half did look enticing I knew the mother's version is most appetizing. Mother's recipe used fresh apples, a homemade syrup and of course, the homemade version of the pie crust pastry.

Being the busy woman that I am but one who loves to eat good food, I quickly adapted the mother's recipe into my own version cutting time slightly by buying the pie crust instead of making it myslef and had fresh apple dumplings baking in my oven within minutes.

Oh, the smell of apples baking in your kitchen. I could hardly wait for the dumplings to cool before diving into the sweet fruit.

Apple Dumplings Darla's Way
Purchase small apples, peel and core about 6
Make or buy pie crust but each apple needs about a 6 inch square to wrap the apple.
Set one prepared apple in the middle of a square of pastry and fill the hollow core area with a mixture of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon (about a tablespoon of sugar mixture) and top with a small dab of butter.
Bring the edges of the squares up to meet in the middle allowing the rest of the pastry to ruffle around the apple.
Place in a shallow baking dish that will hold 6 apple dumplings.

Prepare a syrup by mixing in a saucepan:
1 1/2 cups sugar with 1 1/2 cups water and a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Bring to a simmer and simmer for five minutes.
Pour syrup over dumplings in baking dish.

Bake in an oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Do you have a good apple recipe you would like to share? Or a favorite fall memory?

The Fun Stuff

Are they in love or what?

The family picture at the wedding.

Entertainment

Arriving at Playa del Mariposa

Playa & Gabriela

Again, just because she is so-o-o cute!

He thinks so, too.

Later, the next week...on to the river.
(couldn't decide...walk or ride...but maybe both will work. Ride awhile, walk later.)

Checking out the fingers.

Uncle & boys

Another uncle holding the water in place....he said this was a harder job than we knew.

Is this a celebrity...or a grandson who seems to be growing up on me.

What kind of celebration without watermelon?

Relaxing in the shade

See you later!