Update on FIL

Just wanted to drop by with an update on my father-in-law.  His condition has been up and down so far.  Mostly down.  The staff have been saying that he doesn't have much longer, but he continues to fight to live.  He has a very strong will to live and being a large man, we are told that he could survive several days on his body's reserves...whatever that means.  We've spent quite a bit of time at the hospital, and spent the night there last night.  It is very hard, as you know, to see him struggle to breathe.  But we are confident that when this is over he will be in a better place.  He has lived a long and good life.  Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.  They mean so much.  I will return to regular posting and commenting when things get back to normal...whatever that is.  :)

Hugs to all,
Cheryl

A somber Monday post....

I apologize in advance for the somber tone of this post.  But my FIL is very ill and may not be with us much longer.  We spent the bigger part of the weekend at the hospital and watching him laboring to breath and struggling to live is very hard.  We've been in this situation too many times before, but it never gets any easier.  Losing a loved one is never easy, no matter how old they are.  I know that many of you know what I'm talking about. 

I don't know what tomorrow will bring or the day after or the day after that.  And so on.  I may be away from this blog for a few days, or I may decide to pour out my feelings here in my "journal".  Right now, I'm just very tired and don't know what will happen...just wanted to let my blog friends know what's going on in case I'm away for a bit.  Take care!!

Until next time...

Where were you....

My son sent me this picture he took from the plane he was on this week just flying out of a storm over Dallas.  I was so thankful when he let me know he was back in KC safely.  He travels a lot and I try not to worry over much, but sometimes it's hard not to especially when you know the weather is bad. 

I couldn't help but think of those passengers on the 4 airplanes that fateful day September 11, 2001.  They may not have seen storm clouds out their window, but the horrors they experienced with the terrorists aboard and the realization that they were going to crash is just beyond comprehension. 

I think of all the innocent people going about their daily lives working in the twin towers, the tourists who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I think of all the children who will never see their parent again, the husbands and wives, the families and friends who will never see their loved ones again.

I think of all the firefighters and police officers who gave their lives that day.

I think of all the servicemen and women who are fighting tirelessly today for liberty and freedom, to protect our country from the ones who would do anything to strip us of that precious liberty and freedom we cherish.  

The first line of an Alan Jackson song goes, "Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?"  I love that song.  I remember where I was, and I'm sure most of you do too.  Let us never forget.  

Until next time...

What's in a name and other blogging questions

Who in the world am I?

Ah, that's the great puzzle!

                                                                                             LEWIS CARROLL

  Do you ever wonder how some blog's names came to be?  Some are self-explanatory, many others are not.  In this post, I attempt to explain how my blog came to be named.  I'd love to hear about yours.

 

   When I decided to blog, my first thought was what will I name it?   I wanted my blog to be a journal of musings and memories, with some photos capturing those sweet, simple things that I love.  The name I ended up choosing has to do with how being a farmer's daughter shaped who I am and to honor my father.

    My father was a farmer, a very good one.  He was also a great story teller who had many friends.  He "didn't suffer fools gladly" as the saying goes and was often short on patience and quick tempered, his temper made it difficult at home for all of us sometimes.  I loved him very much but sometimes I wasn't sure I liked him. And he loved me... after all, my mother told me he did.  Although sometimes I doubted that.  He didn't understand girls, and he probably never knew much about what I thought or dreamed of.  I know that my two brothers had their struggles also.  They both tried farming with him, even though my younger brother was a college graduate with a business degree.  Neither one was able to work to suit my father for long.  Each of them finally left the farm, my older brother bought his own farm and my younger brother went back into the business world.  They remained in close touch with our dad, though, and always loved him and never held his controlling ways against him.

   I will always be grateful to my father for the excellent care he gave my mother after she contracted the fatal disease that would claim her life in 2 short years at the age of 59.  The same disease that took her father before her and would later claim the lives of my two dear brothers before they were 50.  Even today, I still have a hard time saying the name of that horrid, devastating disease - ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  Back to my father...he rarely left my mother's side when the disease started paralyzing her body and she needed constant care.  He took her to Florida and Colorado to try treatments that looked promising...only to find out they didn't make any difference at all.  But the bottom line is, he never left her side...he was always there for whatever she needed.  I will always love him for that.  

   After my precious mother passed away, my father visited us often and called nearly every day. He was a good grandfather to my children and he was very fond of my husband, in fact I used to tease my husband that I thought Dad liked him more than me!  He could still be cranky and obstinate and bossy, but we were all used to it by then.  Eventually, I realized that my own shyness and introverted ways made me more sensitive to this headstrong father of mine.  When I was finally able to stand up for myself and throw off the Cowardly Lion ways, I became a much stronger person and I wouldn't let him (or anyone else) intimidate me any longer.  I won't tell you how old I was before I was able to do this...:)  

  We did have good times with the Farmer.  He told us many stories over and over as he got older, but they were always fun to hear again.  He loved to play card games and loved to win.  His favorite expression when he was winning was that "it's just like shooting fish in a barrel."  He knew a lot of people and enjoyed visiting with them, it was a shame that his hearing was nearly gone and that frustrated him.  A hearing aid couldn't help him, the doctor said.  The Farmer lived to be 91, he never really got over the tragedy that struck our family, he missed his wife and sons every day.  And I miss them, too, and him very much. 

  That's a little bit about how I arrived at the name for my blog, The Farmer's Daughter.  I will have to delve into the other areas of blogging that I was going to talk about another time, this has turned out to be a longer post than I intended it to be.  It has been quite therapeutic, though!   

  

Until next time...

It's Tuesday...back to work

It's back to work today.  It will be hard for many to return to work after a 3 day weekend and especially with this weekend signaling the end of summer.  We took a little drive down to the Lake of the Ozarks one afternoon.  Played a round of miniature golf, ate an early dinner, admired the beautiful blue water, and then returned home.  It was a nice drive but a very windy one.  You probably noticed the choppy looking water, but that didn't stop the boaters, tho.  They were out in full force enjoying this last weekend of summer!

 Another area of the lake.

 

We've been visiting my father-in-law as often as we can.  He has been very sick lately.  He's been moved to a different floor at the hospital in Columbia where they can more closely monitor his kidneys and respiratory problems.  He has double pneumonia and MRSA on top of all his other health issues such as congestive heart failure.   It's been touch and go before, but he has always pulled through thus far and hope he surprises everyone again.  Even at the age of 86, he is a tough cookie.  My hubby's brother and sister have been visiting their dad as often as they can, too.  

We didn't get to any of the chores on my very long list of things to do.   Life has a way of rearranging our plans, doesn't it?  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Until next time...

Fall is on the way!

It's September already, can you believe it?  

Fall is on the way

and with this photo, I thought I'd show

a preview of things to come.

 

 It's raining as I write this and I'm

hopping in bed soon to let

 the sounds of distant thunder and rain 

hitting the roof lull me to sleep.

We need this rain and the cooler temperature

is so welcome.

Too soon we'll be lamenting the cold weather

and wishing it was warm again. 

 

Until next time...

A big day coming up

In honor of my hubby's upcoming birthday this week, I'd like to share this poem that I will give to him.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Don't complain....

I'm older than you!

Hubby has given me permission to share his photo...it was taken many, many a few years ago.  The first photo is one that shows Hub's 5 o'clock shadow but it's one of my favorites.  It was taken at a ball game where we spent too many hours to mention over the years watching our children play ball.  Or in Hub's case, coaching. 

He dearly loves his kids and has always been there for them.  And I think he might like me, too...:)  Even tho I know I've tested his patience many times.  We've been through a lot together.  He's a good man and he's my best friend.   Happy Birthday, Hubby!!!

Here's my 6 foot 2, eyes of blue:

The next photo shows the two of us at a picnic many moons ago.  Hub has that serious look going and I have that goofy mouth thing going as usual.  My blond hair was looking dark in this pic, for some reason. 

My dear hubby doesn't have his pretty black hair anymore.  It's gray now and thinning on top.  He has quite a few more lines in his face, but he has stayed fit and trim.  (You notice I'm not talking about my lines, etc!)  He is very active with his job and I know that working out in the elements and late hours has a lot to do with those lines.  My hubby is a lineman for a rural electric cooperative and a lineman never knows when he will be called to go to work beyond their normal 8 hour days.  It might be 10 pm or 2 am.  Whenever there is an outage, and they are called, they go.  Many times, they work straight through the night.  Yesterday, he got called to work for a short time. 

I remember one Thanksgiving week coming home from a grocery shopping trip to Columbia and finding a note on the table that he had left to go work an ice storm around Ozark, Mo. and that he wouldn't be home Thanksgiving Day.  That was before we had cell phones and that is another good reason to keep the laundry caught up!  

The lineman are required by OSHA to practice a pole top rescue once a year.  I'm proud to say that my ole man is still keeping up with the younger ones!  He loves his job and it will be hard for him to give it up.  When he retires in 4 years, he will have been a lineman for nearly 40 years.

Here's one last photo of the birthday boy.  It was taken last year when he went down around the Poplar Bluff area during an ice storm to help out.
  

I've always liked this quote by Mark Twain, "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."   I'm only 2 1/2 years older than Hubby and it's never mattered either, even tho he likes to remind me of it from time to time!

Until next time...

Day is done...

Going

 

going

gone

Until next time...

Another one room school

This old one room country school house was seen on one of our drives late last fall through the countryside.  It is very similar in appearance to many one room schools that once dotted the countryside back in the day.  And it very much resembles the one I attended for 6 years that I posted about yesterday.  The next photos will show you who the well-known person was who attended this school for a few years.

 

Here is a closer look at the plaque.

 

General of the Army Omar Bradley (Feb. 12, 1893-Apr. 8, 1981) was one of the main US Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during World War II and a General of the Army in the US Army.  General Bradley was the last surviving five-star commissioned officer of the US and first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Until next time...

Memories of a One Room School

School has begun for almost everyone here in the Midwest.  The first 6 years of my formal education took place in a one room school almost identical to the one pictured above.  Below is a picture of the country school I attended.   It was built in the mid to late 1800's.   I'm not sure when this photo was taken.

As you see, sometimes the mode of transportation was by horseback even during my six years.   Many rode bicycles or walked if the parents couldn't bring the student by vehicle, often walking 1 or 2 miles.  

The school had 1 teacher who taught grades 1-8 in this one room.  The years I attended the school had approximately 21 students with 1 to 4 students in each class.  My class was made up of 3 students including myself.  The subjects were reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, geography and history.   I don't remember science being taught.   We also had some art projects to do.

The first day of school always was an exciting time because I usually had new shoes, dresses, sometimes a new satchel or book bag, a new pencil box, a Big Chief tablet, and the most exciting of all...a new box of crayons!  

The teacher started the day with all the students saying the Pledge of Allegiance.  We would also say The Lord's Prayer and then recite a bible verse if we had memorized one.  Teacher always taught how important memorization was.  Music was played on the piano by the teacher and we would sing a patriotic song or hymn.  Then classes would begin.  

Below is a photo of a room very similar to the one I remember except the stove we had was in the back of the school.  The teacher's desk was in front on the raised area we called a stage and on the right side, I remember a table and chairs for the students to sit at as they were called up for class.

While each individual grade was in class up front, the rest of the students would be busy doing homework.  If someone needed to go to the bathroom or get a drink, or needed teacher's help, they would hold up the number of fingers that would tell the teacher what they needed.  For instance, one finger was for help, two would be for a drink, etc.  

We would have morning and afternoon recess and a lunch break.  Everyone always brought a lunch, nothing was refrigerated and I remember taking a sandwich, chips, something sweet and usually a banana or apple.  We would sometimes trade sandwiches.
We had electricity, of course, but no plumbing.  Water was gotten from a well outside such as pictured at the top of this post.  We had our water glasses all lined up on a shelf and a table held a container of water.   I remember when the weather was warm enough, the teacher would pump the well and we would line up to wash our hands before lunch.  The school was heated by a stove in the back of the school.

Our bathroom facilities consisted of "outhouses", one for boys and the other for the girls.  They were spaced a good distance from each other.  These were often very fragrant as you might imagine and very cold in winter!  If I remember correctly, the girl's privy was a 3-holer.  My biggest fear was of spiders and snakes, or a boy peeking in between the cracks!  Below is a photo of outhouses by a one room school that I took last year.  Ours were much further apart.

The piano sat about where the bookcase is in the photo below.  The desks looked much like these in the first years, but eventually we got new desks that had desktops that raised up and books were kept in the well below.

I remember desktops being raised and a lot of whispering and giggling going on behind them when teacher had a class in session!  The teacher rang the bell several times to signal we better quiet down.  Discipline was very much in use in those days.   A ruler was used to rap knuckles or the student was made to sit in the corner on the stage.  Occasionally, a paddling might be called for.

I always felt as if George Washington was watching me when the teacher wasn't.  That kept me behaving most of the time.  I'll never forget sitting down at the table at the front on my very first day of school.  And started whistling!  Teacher reminded me very quickly that whistling wasn't allowed and I remember looking at President Washington with that look of his as if to say "mind your teacher!" 

Recess and lunch time was the best part of school to most of us.  We got to play fun games like Anti-over, Red Rover, Tag, Hide and Seek and softball.  We ran races and jumped rope.  We had a nice swing set with several seats to swing on .  And, in winter, played Fox and Geese when we had snow and also brought our sleds for sledding .  When weather was bad, raining or too cold, we played musical chairs with the teacher playing the piano, had spelling bees, and games played on the blackboard or chalkboard.  Teacher would ring a hand held-bell to signal that it was time to get ready for class.  The final bell meant you better be in your seat! 

Each year there would be a fund raiser called a Box Supper that we all looked forward to.   The girls would bring a decorated box filled with enough for two, usually sandwiches, fruit and cookies, and placed on a table to be bid on.  The bidder would then get to share the box supper with the owner of the box.  Most of the boxes were beautifully decorated with crepe paper and had bows, ribbons or flowers.   There was always a girl with a crush on a boy who was hoping that he would get her box so she could sit and eat with him!  Of course, no one wanted to have to eat with a parent. 

Another highlight was the Christmas program.  We had a cedar tree decorated with paper chains, tinsel and lights.  The stage was outfitted with curtains to draw and to box in each side as changing rooms.  We  had skits, recited poems  and sang Christmas songs.  The pageant was last.  After the program, Santa came through the back door bearing a sack filled with treats for the kids, usually a sack of candy with an orange. 

At the end of the school year, there would be a graduation ceremony for the eighth graders who would be moving on to high school.  That was followed by a picnic with lots of good food, visiting and games.
At the end of my sixth year, reorganization was taking place and the district voted to cease operating the school and go in to the city school district.  All of the rural students would be bused to town.  Most all of the one room schools in the county were closed about that time as well as I remember.  The building was bought by my father and the land became his as well.   The building was used throughout the school years for the 4-H Club, the PTA met there, and various other meetings were held there.  About 9-10 years after my father bought the building, someone set fire to it and it burned down.  Sadly, that has been the fate of many of these country school houses.

The schoolhouse is gone but so many wonderful memories of those days remain.  I wish everyone could have attended a one room school just once.   I can't find the words to express what a unique experience it really was.

The transition from the country school to a "town" school was fairly smooth.  Academically we were able to keep up with the town students, but fitting in socially was a bit of an adjustment.  Especially for those of us who were shy.  It was certainly an adjustment going from 3 students in your class to 60.  I think it is interesting that the 3 of us in my class that went to the same country school and high school ended up going to the same college.

Even well-known people have attended a one room schoolhouse.  Tomorrow, I'll show a photo of another country school that I took last year and tell you who went there.

Until next time...