"Where troubles melt like Lemon Drops".....

 I have a new screensaver on my trusty Desktop, and although I have been known to switch images often, I plan on keeping this one, right where I can see it, for a long, long time. Just now, It suits me.

You know by now, that I am a native Kansan. Although, I have lived in Missouri, for many years, I have returned, "Back to Kansas, where the great big sunflowers grow." "I was born in Kansas. I was bred in Kansas, etc."

Although, Kansas may be considered a "fly-over state", by some, Kansas is famous for many things. For example: the man who invented Basketball, James Naissmith, coached and taught for years, "up at Lawrence, on the Kaw." Dwight Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart were Kansans. More recently TV stars,  Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) and Modern Family (Eric Stonestreet), often speak of their Kansas Roots. Kansas is, as one of my Junior High teachers rather oddly stated, "The Navel of the Nation."

But, the most famous Kansan, is Dorothy Gale. She is a figment of L. Frank Baum's imagination, but she is, never the less, outrageously famous. Dorothy saved Baum, from a life of obscurity and failure. She survived a tornado, the wicked witch, her ugly monkeys and a charlatan of a Wizard. And, she sings my second most favorite Kansas Song, "Over the Rainbow". 

So here's my Screensaver. It fits my personality to a tee. Watch out world. Don't mess with this Kansas Girl!

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Dear God. Thank you for dropping me, right where I belong. Life is a journey, and I am so grateful to be traveling along this road. I am your servant. Show me how to serve.

"Life is just a bowl of.................."

 Summertime has arrived in the Midwest. Most days, the temperature has been in the 90s, and for a change this year, our evening temps have been much lower than usual. We have had lots of showers, at night. Our weather has been pretty close to perfect, for July. 

The corn planted in the surrounding suburban fields "Is as high as an elephant's eye" and today, I am not above bragging on our tomato crop. Being a first time raised-bed gardener, there really were no expectations. We had no idea what or if the plants would produce. I purchased four plants, and put them in the dirt, in early May. By mid June, there were tons of yellow blossoms on the plants, and I was surprised that none of them had died. My companion added a wood trellis to the "garden" and things were looking pretty good.

Now, in mid July, we are eating tomatoes. We have several dozen grape-shaped beauties just beginning to turn red, and last night we had sliced tomatoes with our BBQed ribs. Fresh tomatoes, ripened in the sun, have a taste like nothing else on the planet. Sheer ambrosia.

It looks like we will have a bumper crop, maybe too many for 2 folks to consume. Need some fresh tomatoes? Just drop by with a bag or basket. We'll share.

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Dear Lord. Thank you for the abundance in our lives. We are blessed.

AMAZING

 Well, the truth is, I haven't been to a "brick and mortar" Department Store, let alone a Mall (if there are any left?), in a couple of years. It's not that I think Macy's and JC Penney's will actually miss me. Some of my clothes date back to the last century! I'm not exactly a compulsive buyer or a shopaholic. But, I have noticed that they are closing quite a few of their stores. Like Sears, Wards and K-Mart, they may be also toast, before long. 

Oh, I'm still buying stuff. But, like a great number of Americans (I can't speak for Brits or Italians), I am buying my stuff on line. Amazon is indeed Amaz-ing. Why, would I drive to the store, locate a place to park, WALK in, buy something, and drive home? 

I prefer to sit with my computer, or phone and click a few buttons. It's almost too easy. And, my purchases are usually right at my door, the next day! Alexa, who is, I think, the cute girl cousin of Amazon, is a big help in this new retail process. I just ask her, "Alexa, where's my stuff?" And she tells me where in the delivery process my items are. 

Retail is not what it used to be. I do feel a bit sorry for the owners, or in the case of the big chains, the investors. I sincerely hope they have planned for the future. Because, nothing remains the same, dear readers. Some of us can remember neighborhood grocers, front door milk delivery and doctors making house calls. And, gasoline at 25 cents a gallon, pumped by an attendant who also wiped your windshield and checked your oil!

Life goes on. It's survival of the fittest, or maybe those with the quickest fingers, win. Change is inevitable, and for the most part, an improvement.

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Lord, we are your servants. Keep us mindful of all of Your children. We ask for patience and endurance.

 

"Ain't it funny, how time slips away?"

 Like clockwork, my Alumni Magazine, from the of University Kansas arrives in the mail. This magazine reports similar news, in each edition. The Kansas Basketball Team, depending on the time of year, generally gets most of the print and glory. Well, you know, they are always in the top ten schools, at winning. Their recruiting news, number of games won and who is getting drafted into the NBA, is big news, to most folks. Hooray for the Jayhawks!  

The campus is growing and changing. KU is building a new Football Stadium. Apparently, our Football Team, relatively unnoticed and unremarkable for decades, has been winning a few games. Win a game or three and build a new multi-million dollar ball yard. Makes sense, I guess.

Rhodes Scholars and graduates doing important scientific things are always featured. And, there are ads for the Alumni Association and a few Lawrence businesses. Then, there are the obituaries and notices of recently deceased alumni. In the most recent issue, there were 53 names and obits listed, for the decade in which I graduated. I read all of them, but didn't remember knowing any of the folks listed. KU was and still is, a large institution.

The last feature, of the Alumni Magazine, is a "by-year" description of recent achievements attributed to notable alums. In this section there were a mere 4 items listed, for my decade. The achievements were mostly retirement announcements! 

We the graduates of the 60s, folks, are toast! We've been there and we've done that! We have the Tee Shirts and the scars to prove it. Now, most of us are relaxing and enjoying our remaining years. Oh yeah, we have travel plans and travel experiences still on our bucket lists. We continue to "go on ticking", but we are past our "for best results, use by this date....." notice. And yet,........there are a couple of senior citizens, well past 65, who still think they are capable of running for and holding the highest office in this country. Why?? What are the odds that either one of them is going to make it through one term? Seriously, do either of them remember what day it is, or even care? Experience is one thing......"Depends" and walkers are reality.

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Dear Lord. We all need reminders of our limitations. Sometimes, however, we also need a hint about letting go and letting the younger folks take over.  You are our strength and constant. Guide us as we age.

Time for a RE-UNION

One of my favorite Blog Themes has forever been "the benefits of growing up in a small town, during the 1950s and 60s". Small towns are known for many things, but one of the best just might be having bunch of high school classmates, that have remained close and in touch, for 60 years.

This week, we will be traveling a short distance to our home town. Almost, without exception, our high school class has met for some type of gathering, regularly, for 6 decades. Yep. This weekend will be the 60th Year REUNION of the Pittsburg High Purple Dragons, Class of 1964.

I know that I will have a wonderful time, I always do. After all of these years, it will be a gathering of true friends. Many of us have known each other, since we were 4 or 5 years old. We saw each other sporting those bulky letter jackets and pony tails from the 1960s. We screamed over the Beatles and swooned over Pat Boone. Cried over the death of a President. Then, in a couple of years, we watched our boyfriends go to Viet Nam and our girlfriends have babies.

The "Jocks" and the girls, with the perfect "flip hair- dos", are grandparents or great grandparents, now. We are all Seniors, again. The playing field has evened and we will be happy to greet and talk to everyone who appears at the door. We might notice some canes and maybe a wheelchair or two. Several of our classmates have passed on, since our last get-together. But, we'll imagine that we really haven't changed that much!

We are all experiencing the same aches, pains and geriatric illnesses, so those will not be the topic of conversation this weekend. People will do a lot of remembering. Football games, the cute guys over in the shop, dragging the gut and the White Grill. We'll remember summers at the Lincoln Park Pool and  swimming in the Strip Pits. Good times. 

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Lord: You are our constant. Thank You for always being there. Thank You for the memories. We are Blessed.

"New" Sports

 Recess in the 1950's (as I remember it) consisted of "Jacks" and jumping rope for the girls and "Softball" for the boys. The doors into our Grade School were segregated by gender, so likewise, was recess. Maybe softball was considered to risky for females, but I honestly remember sitting on the sidewalk, during recess, doing nothing more athletic than catching a little ball before it bounced, and trying not to get hit or tripped by a rope.  "Teddy Bear,Teddy Bear turn around. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the ground......"

After we matured a bit, say fifth grade, I do remember a co-ed softball game or two. We ladies hated it. Many of us had never played softball, and I did (as my father consistently told me) "throw like a girl".

When my children were in grade school, the kids played a game called "Kickball". I believe that all the kids played., regardless of gender. Talk about the perfect recess game! The only equipment you needed was a big rubber playground ball and a foot! Cheap! Each of my sons told me that they were the best Kickball player, in their respective classes. They loved the game.

So, 30 or 40 years pass, and what do I see, as I drive by a large urban park, on my trips into downtown Kansas City? Organized adult Kickball Games being played. Every Sunday, there are league games and often tournaments for big folks playing Kickball. Apparently, besides the foot and ball, the only other things you need to join in the fun, is money to register and matching shirts! The generations who played recess Kickball, are doing it again.

Who knew that something so old fashioned and simple could become such a great activity? Simple rules...roll the ball, kick the ball, run like crazy. Great exercise.......very little blood spilled.

Terrific. Great idea, but don't expect me to sit cross-legged on concrete trying to catch that tiny ball again (or get back up, either)!

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Merciful Lord. Thank you for the joy of life. Each day is a blessing.

Dirty New Adventures

 Leaving our city vehicles in the garage, the two seniors ventured out today, to visit the wilds of the Midwest. We chose to travel in a  big old Pick-em-up Truck (as we say here in the Heartland).  It was an ethereal day. Sunshine, fluffy white clouds and not a raindrop in sight, for the last two days.

We traveled South, until we reached our destination, a farm in SE Kansas. Pulling past the gate, onto a gravel (or as we say in Kansas, "chat" ) road, it occurred to me that this area had experienced a bit more rainfall than we had  measured in Kansas City. I thought to myself, "Gee I bet this land floods, easily."

A few more yards and we were stuck. really stuck. Our passengers, dismounted, and started up the hill to fire up the tractor, hoping to pull the pick-up out of the mud.  In the meantime, I climbed down and waited by the side of the road for rescue.

Then, I attempted to follow the path of our passengers, but soon found I could not wade through the puddles in the road. So I waited, standing still amid the chiggers and ticks, for rescue. 

Meanwhile the driver, of the truck, managed to get the truck moving forward (don't even think...without Nancy's weight in the cab), slinging black gooey mud globs in my hair, on my clothes and face. Turning around, I got the same treatment on my backside.  

Then, with the utmost skill, our driver got the truck turned around, stopped to pick me up and we headed to higher ground.

Back on the road, I picked caked  mud out of my hair, off my cloths and face. What an experience! 

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Dear God. Life seems to be either a smooth 4-lane highway or a muddy, impassable country road. Be with us always as we travel the ever changing roads of life. Into every life a little mud must be slung.