Taste and See

At school yesterday Ada explored tastes.  Lemon juice, dill pickles, pretzels, chocolate!  Five basic tastes  are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami or savory (like in meat or soy sauce).  

Ada tries a dill pickle!

Think this is lemon juice.

Love all her expressions!

 

Surviving

Things some times work out in ways we’d never imagine.  This tree grew around the fence to survive.  I think it’s a Hackberry tree. 

The teachers at Ada’s school have something special almost weekly.  Yesterday it was the fire truck.  It helps the time go by faster.  Ada is one of the tallest.  Ada wanted laces.  Erin got them but she’s been removing them at school.  Erin told her no iPad if she did that today.  She said “I’ll wear my pink shoes”.  They Velcro.  No temptation to remove those laces.   

 

Cool Air

Leaves are starting to turn.  The Sumac is showing reds and maroon colored leaves.  I noticed the Maple looked silver and the Tupelo Black Gum trees have spots of red in their branches.  It’s been really dry so the leaves will fall quickly.  It takes a long time for moisture to travel from the ground to the top of the trees.   Thankful for so much today—cool air, the birds’ songs, the bright blue sky—God is good.

 

A Bed is Important

Erin and Greg inherited the house they live in from his Grandparents.  It’s smaller than the house they lived in before—3 bedrooms and 2 baths but small.  In the will they can’t sell it for 10 years.  It has a shop and a some land.  Erin thought she and Greg could sleep in a regular bed.  They are both over 6 foot and Ada often comes in the middle of the night and climbs in bed with them.  Well, they picked a new bed, the biggest one, California king.  It about fills the room,  but Erin said at ladt they can sleep.  Ada likes it too! 

 

Monica Potts New Book

 This book is worth reading!  The author is from Clinton, AR!  It’s a in-depth look at why some kids grow up to succeed and others live a life of hardships and failures!  It’s about Monica’s best friend Darci!  Monica left Clinton, AR for Bryn Mawr College, but Darci took a different path!  Their families and economic status were similar!  So what was different— that’s what this book is about!  It bruised my heart🩵

My Youngest

My two youngest grands are years apart but are both the babes of their families.  Both like just having fun and love all kinds of people.  Sigrid went to her first “frat” party. She is open about her life and discussed her doubts with her Mom.  She worried about drinking.  They developed a plan.  Take nothing not in container.  Don’t actually drink any.  It all worked as planned.  Hope Ada will be able to express her fears and face them as she grows up.  Youngest kids love attention and seek it.  They like to make you laugh and smile.  They use manipulation to get what they want!  They are often spoiled and “petted” even by their siblings.  They are carefree, charming, easy going, affectionate.  They bend the rules and are persistent.  They don’t worry a lot as all their family does things for them.  I wish I’d been the baby instead of an “in between”!

 

Borrowed Shoes

I graduated from College in May of 1972.  I finished in December of 1971.  They didn’t have December graduation then.  I’m wearing Larry’s mothers shoes.  I wanted black heels.  Her foot was long and skinny and you can see these look funky on my feet.  I believe one way poor people can rise from poverty is through education.  The best degree is a licensed one.  Then no one can just walk off the street and be eligible for  your job.  I was at the bottom of the poverty scale.  If you want an education you can get one.  It’s takes commitment and sacrifice, but the benefits are worth it.   Glad my parents held the belief that their children could succeed.  Parent’s not believing that education is worthwhile or their child is not capable is the biggest hinderance to a child’s success.

Hope you didn’t just sit in your chair last night with eyes glued to the tv.  TheHarvest moon was so beautiful.  You can still go out tonight if you forgot.  It’s a super moon meaning it’s closer to the earth

 

Cowgirl Boots

Ada is a happy child.  She’s sporting new cowgirl boots for western day at Pre-k. Looks like she’s used hat rather roughly.  While attending sister’s volleyball games, she gets to have popcorn and 15 minutes use of her iPad.

Happiness is something if you give it away,

you give it away, you give it away.

Happiness is something if you give it away,

then it comes right back to you.

 

Shine On

Every evening at dusk, I go lock my chicken pen gate.  Lots of coyotes room here at night.  Chicken is their favorite snack.  The harvest moon was shining on.  It isn’t full til Friday but looked enormous up in the cloudless sky.  I’m amazed every evening when I walk back to the pen.  I see so many beautiful scenes and am thankful the chickens send me out each evening.  If not for this chore, I’d miss many beautiful sunsets.    

I took my Rav4 to the dealership today.  It has 22 thousand miles.  It groans when shifting from first to second and when it downshifts.  As he rode with me, it did not make the noise.  He said he’d have to hear what it was doing before he could proceed.  Well, heck.  I just came back toward home and within  a mile away it did it again.  I went straight back and this time he could hear the sound.  It’s something to do with the crank shaft.  He ordered the parts and hopefully my car will quit groaning when I drive it!

 

Gotta Yell—Go Greta

 Got to watch Greta play volleyball yesterday in Greenwood.  She’s never played this sport, but made the team and now is in the starting line up.  Thankful Laura took me to see her play.  She’s loving the game and learning how to fill her roll.  “Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.” - Bethany Hamilton, surfer

He’s In The Mail

Laura has a friend that works delivering mail at USPS and my friend Jonell worked in the local Green Forest Post Office.   Today, local carriers have huge packages to deliver for Amazon and other internet sellers.  But between 1910 and 1920 some mail carriers had children in their jalopies.  1913, the US Postal Service introduced parcel post service. Customers took advantage of the new expanded regulations to mail things like eggs, live bees, harmless live animals, produce, and even an entire building, one brick at a time. The most unusual deliveries occurred between 1910 and 1920, as numerous customers mailed children via parcel post. The most famous mailed child, May Pierstorff, was indeed sent by an Idaho railway mail car in 1914 with the appropriate stamps stuck to her traveling coat. Her adventure made it into a children’s book, “Mailing May.” May’s picture survives, but no physical evidence of her trip. In 1920, this practice was officially banned.

 

Decorating for Fall

Sigrid changed her decor to a fall look.  She’s on a tight budget and found this at Ross.  Changing the scene in her little apartment will brighten her days.k

Laura, Astrid, Ingrid and Siggie painted new fall door hangers.  

My nieces decorated my brothers’ graves for fall.  Yesterday, was Clayton’s birthday, 79 years.  Been gone 10.