T

 “Silence is Golden” as sung by The Tremeloes. Originally sung by Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons. Written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio.

I hardly ever listen to the radio in my car. On the way to work during the last year or two, I have listened to a morning talk show for the 40 minute drive…because one of our neighbors is the co-host of the show.  The show is very informative and very funny…such an interesting combination. So…I stop my moratorium on the radio for a short time period.

Our neighbor should be so honored! Otherwise, I can’t take the noise from the radio combined with the traffic. Silence is priceless in the car to me. There was a time when I listened constantly to the radio in the car…talk shows, pop music, country music, any music. And then our daughter turned four and talked continuously the moment that I started the car.

She was four years old just over 25 years ago. Her important conversations were interesting to say the least. She talked about how other people were driving, about buildings that she liked (especially the courthouse in downtown), and how she was going to be mayor someday. She planned to “get this city under control”. Girls are so different. At the same age, our son talked in the car about how he was going to build a baseball stadium downtown. He even drew pictures of the future stadium, but he never talked about being in charge of the whole city! And sometimes he was quiet.

I began turning off the radio so that I could hear what plans she had for the city after she “finished college at TCU”. She had not even started kindergarten yet. She did finish graduate school at TCU, but I haven’t heard much about the mayor’s job recently. The mayor is going to be able to keep her position for a while longer. Our daughter still has a lot to say, but carefully listens too.

And I am still not listening to the radio. I became very accustomed to the car silence after our children were in elementary school. I was facing an entire day of children talking in my classroom, in the hallway, in the cafeteria… teachers talking too! The quiet was calming and gave me time to totally change every lesson plan that I had written for that day! This continued for every single day of my career! I welcomed the chatter when I arrived at school because of my short amount of quiet thinking time.

“Silence is Golden” became my first lesson on the first day of school every year. Most of the children had never heard the phrase. They believed me, especially when I told them about the rewards to those who listened quietly. If someone started talking excessively, someone would invariably say “Shhhhhh!”…”Did you forget about the gold silence?”…victory! Someone learned something!

I also sought to learn some background about the phrase, since I had no idea where it came from at all. Some scholars state that the phrase dates back to Egyptian history. The first time that the phrase evidently was used in English was in a novel, Sartor Resartus written by poet Thomas Carlyle. Translated into English, a line in the book reads “Speech is silvern, Silence is golden”. According to the website literarydevices.net, one of the characters in the book uses the line to mean that discretion could be more important than eloquence.

Actually, I had not heard the entire phrase said together… “Speech is Silver, Silence is Golden”. I evidently was not paying attention somewhere, someplace! Literary analysis from literarydevices.net states the following edited words:

When we are silent and waiting, something great inside us keeps on growing, and silence give birth to creativity. Moreover the more we keep ourselves silent, the less our hearts will be hurt. In past times, the silence would be a great way of communication and more effective than speaking. Often a silent, but angry look of our parents is enough to give us feelings of their agony and fury. It can make us behave in a much better way than harsh scolding.

 It simply tells us that when we remain silent

and wait, something great keeps us growing,

and gives us creativity.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/silence/

Sunset on a Farm-to-Market road in Lindale TX.

 Sunrise, Sunset

Swiftly Flow the Days

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers

Blossoming even as we gaze. 

Sunset view from Top of the Rock at Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale MO.

“Sunrise, Sunset”

 From the musical…Fiddler on the Roof

Song composed by Jerry Bock

Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

Sunset behind the chapel at Top of the Rock, Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale MO.

Photographs by kindergartenknowledge.com

 Singapore Bird by Adams!

I like new dishes, old dishes, dishes for children, sets of dishes, and partial sets of dishes. The more fragile the dish…the more I like it. I don’t know exactly when this situation started. It may have happened when I was born. My mother totally loved dishes of all types. I  thought that every mother had dishes and more dishes in every single cabinet. Every mother surely had a pantry filled with sets of dishes. There were two shelves reserved for canned goods and such. No problem! Brookshire’s Grocery Store was just five minutes away if we needed anything. No need to stock up when you could fill that food space with a creamer or pitcher or…the best…a gravy boat.

My mother’s Avonlea by Minton.

I do not have a gravy boat at all and I have no idea what happened to the ones that my mother had. Did she let a friend borrow one? Did she give a gravy boat to one of my aunts? Did we pack a gravy boat or two in a box and put it in our attic instead of unpacking it? I guess that it doesn’t really matter.  I am not so good at making gravy, but I put out my best effort. I need to gain some expertise in making cream gravy for Chicken Fried Steak. I really have no need for a gravy boat.

 Singapore Bird Gravy Boat.

 Nevertheless, if you happen to find a gravy boat in the pattern Singapore Bird by Adams…let me know right away! When I was choosing china and pottery patterns before we married, I could not look any further than Singapore Bird. You might not have ever heard of it. My friends thought that I was quite crazy. My cousin thought that I was quite crazy. My mother loved it. My dad stayed out of it. He knew better.

                            Singapore Bird Cup and Saucer!                             

My husband-to-be didn’t blink an eye. The Singapore Bird decision is most likely the only major decision that I made on my own for the first two years of our marriage. He had a difficult time having dinner with those blue plates and little birds. Imagine that! I now have the entire set except for that gravy boat. Or a gravy boat in Francisco Desert Rose would be very nice.

Stanwood by Minton.

I couldn’t stop with the Singapore Bird. I needed a formal set of dishes. Remember…this was in 1976. Never mind that I didn’t have a formal dining room for five years. I chose Stanwood by Minton. They were for the china cabinet that matched my estate sale dining room table and buffet. And that china cabinet is where those beautiful dishes have remained all these years. Of course, there is not a chip to be seen. They have never been used. I guess that they are for viewing only. I finished out buying most of the pieces in the set three years ago. A china replacement store was going out of business and they had what I needed. It was like finding a rare diamond in the middle of a forest. Remember…they are for viewing only. I really need to use those dishes right away!

Friendly Village by Johnson Brothers.

Rounding out my dishes I have my mother’s pretty set of Friendly Village by Johnson Brothers. I have used those at Christmas several times. In addition, I have my great-aunt’s set of Franciscan Desert Rose. They are too high up in the cabinet to reach and anyway, some are missing. I haven’t found replacement pieces. A project!

Franciscan Green Ivy

At our farm, I have my mother-in-law’s set of  Franciscan Green Ivy. Our daughter loves these dishes and I most likely would have never chosen them. They are just too traditional for me, but they have very nice glasses to match. To round out my collection, we have the fabulous…

Three Sets of Brookshire’s Grocery Store Dishes.

You probably know the deal…you spend $25 or so and you get a plate for an inexpensive price…or something like that. My mother had one set and my mother-in-law had two sets. We still use them at the farm. They will not break. I can’t tell you how many times that I have dropped a plate or a cup on the way from the dishwasher to the cabinet. They are totally indestructible. There is absolutely nothing fragile about grocery store dishes. They are my husband’s favorite dishes. Go figure! Choosing grocery store dishes over Singapore Bird!

One of the grocery store dish patterns!

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/fragile/

My cousin…Steve Earle. 

I have relatives who can sing, like to sing, and people actually want to listen to them. They sing professionally and can really make a living from doing something they love. They are songwriters, play guitars like pros…I guess so… since they are pros. I am the family member who would absolutely love to be able to sing. How perplexing is that? I really try. I sing in the car at the top of my lungs. My kindergarten students are the only ones who have ever clapped when I sing. And that is because I clapped first!

One of my cousins has won three Grammys and has been nominated for several others. My own mother grew up in Nashville and wanted to be a singer. She sang on the radio and anywhere else where she was asked to sing. However, she met my dad in Texas and was content just to sing in weddings, church, and around the house. To tell the truth, she had perfect pitch and could play the piano or organ without taking lessons or looking at a sheet of music. I took accordion lessons for nine years and played on a local TV station once. Emphasis on the once. I don’t think that the lessons were successful!

My cousin…Justin Townes Earle.

My brother could also sing and was in the All-State Choir in high school. I was in the choir, but I was not meant for contests. My brother did not care anything about singing and I doubt he ever sang (except in church) after high school and college. Our daughter can sing quite well. She auditioned for the Texas Girls’ Choir when she was eight years old and stayed in for over seven years. She literally sang around the world with the choir… singing at some incredibly special places. What a lucky girl!

Still…I am the one who yearns to sing. The one who yearns to write a song.  The one who yearns to play the piano. Sometimes, you just have to accept that you just did not inherit that particular talent! And you need to be proud of those in your family who have been able to use their talent to bring joy or contemplation to a listener. I guess that I should not really be perplexed. Maybe I am a bit envious, but I am filled with pride for their abilities!

My cousin, Stacey Earle and her husband, Mark Stuart.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/perplexed/

My cooking ability during the summer of 1976 was radically non-existent. My mother was the best cook imaginable. I am sure that she tried to teach me to fix delicious meals and treats. I watched. I listened. I did not comprehend. I needed to know how to cook right away. I was getting married in August. Frying an egg was foreign to me. Boiling macaroni on top of the stove? Forget it. And then it happened…as a bridal shower gift, I received…

The First Baptist Church of Longview

“Incredibly Wonderful” Cookbook!

Actually, the name of the book doesn’t include the words “Incredibly Wonderful”. I don’t even know the actual name of the cookbook anymore. I have used the book so much that I have lost the cover and title page. Part of the index is missing. The radical way that I have treated this cookbook is sad. Sugar, flour, milk, vanilla, spaghetti sauce are decorating many of the pages. I now have a floor to ceiling bookshelf full of cookbooks. This book remains my favorite. The recipes are from people I knew when I was growing up. I knew their children. I knew where they lived. They were my mother’s good friends. When I make something from my First Baptist Church cookbook, I am remembering my hometown and the people who made it special.

Selection of First Baptist Church Recipes:

1. Hot Chicken Salad

2 1/2 cups cooked and diced chicken

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Accent

1 cup finely chopped almonds

2 tablespoons lemon juice mixed in mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise

2 small green onion and tops, chopped

1 cup sharp grated cheese

1 1/2 cup crushed potato chips

Lightly toss all ingredients except cheese and chips. Place in a medium size rectangular casserole dish. Cover with cheese and potato chips. Bake for 15-20 minutes in 350 degree oven.

2. Meringue Cookies

3 egg whites

dash of salt 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat until stiff and dry. Add vanilla. Fold pecans into meringue. Drop by teaspoon size onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Larger cookies take 30 minutes.

3. Wonder Drops

Mix together and set aside:

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/ cup pecans

2 tablespoons instant cocoa mix

1/2 cup coconut

Bring to boil and boil for 1 minute:

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup canned milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine first and second mixtures and mix well. Drop on wax paper immediately.

Enjoy!!

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/radical/

Alpena, Arkansas is small town located very close to the Missouri border. Driving on the highway running through town, we noticed a most unusual shop. This is a shop unlike any that we had ever seen. Owned by Kay and Roy Jackson, the sound of a chainsaw gives a clue to the art that is created.

At Alpena Chainsaw Art, Kay Jackson uses a chainsaw to take a piece of wood, just a stump, and turn it amazingly into a bear. There are various sizes and the lot near the shop is filled with logs of every size imaginable. More than just bears, we saw carvings of fish and carvings of pigs. Don’t forget that this is just a couple of hours north of Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas. Razorback country!

On our last trip to Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake (one of our favorite vacation destinations), we stopped to check out what we thought was a woman with a chainsaw in her hands. A lot of noise was going on and sawdust was flying through the air. Kay was working outside and to the side of the shop. We watched and the shape of a bear emerged from the wood. No one really knows what her next piece will resemble. Kay has the vision and cuts until the wood becomes a realistic bear or other animal.

We watched Kay and did not interrupt her concentration, but had an enjoyable conversation with her husband, Roy. Roy’s exuberant personality fills the shop with joy. His pride in his wife’s work is obvious. This shop is his stage while he talks and jokes with every customer. A natural salesman and storyteller, he brightens the entire place.

He asked where we were from and when we said Texas, he ran to another part of the shop and brought back a University of Texas sign that he had made. The sign was so neat looking that we intended to purchase it. Roy gave it to us just because we had the nerve to drive a car through Arkansas with a Texas license plate that sported “Texas Longhorns” and “Texas Exes”!

We also could not leave without finding a bear carving to take to our farm. Several years ago, we rented cabins in Pagosa Springs, Colorado for a Christmas vacation with several other families. Everyone could easily find our cabin because there was an almost five foot tall carved wooden bear standing beside the driveway. He held a lantern that lighted up each night at dusk. We tried and tried to find a similar bear in one of the local shops. But, no luck.

As Kay continued to work outside, we saw a carved bear standing over to the left side of the shop. The bear held a fish in one paw and we could imagine seeing a lantern in the other paw. Absolute perfection was exhibited in every part of the carving. It is beyond words what Kay can make from a stump, a log, a plain piece of a tree. Our carved bear is living at our farm now. He may be very out of place in East Texas and yearn for the mountains of Colorado. However, he reminds us of two wonderful vacation spots…a ski town in Colorado and  Big Cedar Lodge, a lakeside resort in Ridgedale, Missouri (just a few miles from Branson).

We are going back to Big Cedar in a few months and we intend to stop by and visit Kay and Roy Jackson. Through reading interesting articles about the shop (articles published by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism), I have found that Kay carves in yellow pine, red cedar, maple, ash, sycamore, cherry, and elm. Most of her wood comes from local residents…perhaps from tree trimmers and from large trees downed in winter storms.

No matter what the type of tree, every piece of art is different.  As Kay states, “I can’t make the same piece twice. It doesn’t come from a machine. It’s from my head and my hands.” I say the art also comes from her heart and from his heart.

If you happen to be in Branson or Eureka Springs or Fayetteville or on your way to one of the beautiful Ozark lakes, stop by to visit…

Alpena Chainsaw Art

 122 E. Main Street in Alpena, Arkansas.

Alpena is a very small town and you can’t miss the shop…it is located in a building that is well over 100 years old. If you don’t see it, stop your car. Listen! Do you hear the varoooommmm of a chainsaw? You have found the right place! Just go on in. You will be warmly welcomed!

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/stump/

There are times in your life when you have to recharge your energy in order to find your gift. There are times in your life when you search in the wrong places with the wrong people. There are times in your life when you need to stop in your tracks and revamp, reinvent, rethink your options.

It appears that some of the possible options are #1: to ignore your gift and keep walking down the wrong path with the wrong people; #2: to wallow in confusion while the world turns around and around with you standing still in the middle; #3: to embrace the possibilities and try to remember what brings the most joy to you and to those you encounter.

Recharge your memory. What dormant talents have you hidden away deep in your past? What abilities do you personally have that someone in the world needs? What can you create with your hands? What can you write that will touch the hearts of many? What ideas do you have to make your community safer? What ideas do you have to change the education of one child, 30 children, 100 children, 1000 children? Think of who you really are.

You might have just one opportunity to find your true gift. Ask the tough questions. Answer the tough questions. Seek out people who will help you and not bring you down. Be a forward thinker. Be a positive force. Be who you were meant to be.

RECHARGE YOUR LIFE GOALS.

REMEMBER THAT THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE IS TO GIVE YOUR GIFT AWAY TO THE WORLD.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/recharge/

Gus at the top of a pasture at our farm!

Gus became a part of our family during the first week of June. Our first Granddog had arrived! I wondered if I should send out printed announcements, post the arrival on Facebook, or maybe call some friends on the phone. After all, this was a major event!

Now we know how we will act when we have our first grandchild sometime in the future…we will likely be out of our minds with excitement! Gus the Granddog is our practice session and we need a lot of practice. We are rather rusty in the baby category.

Gus is a Black Labrador Retriever! As all Granddogparents know…he is the most precious, friendly, and intelligent Granddog born within the last 10 to  15 years. Something just tells us that this is a true statement. I know some of you have Labs and beg to differ, but trust me…Gus is certainly in the running for the most outstanding award.

Of course, Gus does not live with us. He lives with his parents…our daughter and son-in-law. Gus is the proud owner of a very nice kennel…thank goodness it is a big kennel. I hear from his parents that he is good about sleeping in the kennel. That is good news…in case, we are called upon for babysitting duties…especially a sleepover. We sort of like sleeping without getting up to walk a puppy outside. I imagine that we would do what is necessary. Let me rephrase that…my husband would be happy to walk Gus in the middle of the night.

Anyway, Gus is going to be very tall and strong and big (at least, to me). I checked on the website, dogtime.com and Gus may be anywhere from 1 foot, 9 inches to 2 feet tall at the shoulder. That is just almost gigantic in my mind…our Fritz (our Bichon…the subject of my post two days ago!) hovered around 11 lbs or so. I could carry Fritz anywhere. I may need a stroller for Gus.

Gus has his very own baby swimming pool like you can buy at Target. He jumps in and out while retrieving a stick. Gus is preparing for his future hunting days. He even has a duck play toy. I think it is a duck or something that looks like a duck…a duck that is about to meet destruction by Gus. I believe that Gus will not be hunting during the current season. He has to study and observe and practice. Really! Don’t forget that he is just a baby.

One very important part our Granddog’s life is that he has a special friend. His sibling’s parents are friends of our daughter and son-in-law. Gus is one lucky puppy because he gets to have PLAY DATES! We had no idea about the social lives of puppies these days…a very busy social schedule.

Poor Fritz never had a PLAY DATE that I recall. He did go to the groomer way too often or so it seemed to our bank account. He had many friends at the groomer. The most important place that Fritz went was the doggie hotel. He loved the Fireplug Inn with the very fun outdoor play gym, separate “apartments” for each guest, and the wicker furniture in the lobby.

Gus and his parents will have to find their own doggie hotel. The Fireplug Inn only takes dogs under 20 lbs. Gus is not a candidate at all. However, Gus likes to travel and has already made several trips to our farm. Gus practices swimming and catching a stick in a creek at the farm. Talent, for sure!

So now you know…we are officially Granddogparents of the most precious Black Lab puppy that we have ever seen. It is perfectly fine for Granddogparents to brag a little bit, isn’t it?!!

A Happy Bichon Frise!

Fritz was our puppy for 17 years. He was such an integral part of our family…actually like another child. He sort of missed out on the growing up part. Fritz was everywhere at once…excitable, constantly moving, greeting everyone who happened to visit like they were celebrities. I never called him a “dog”. The word “dog” was too serious for him! Fritz always acted like a happy, happy puppy!

Fritz was a Bijon Frise. He believed that he was very elegant. He acted like he knew good and well that he was supposed to receive every bit of adoration and attention that was available…and then some. Actually, you could tell by looking in his eyes that he was basically fancy. To me, elegant means fancy.

Our puppy was not that elegant when he ran through piles of leaves that were piled in the backyard and the leaves stuck in his curly white fur. Our puppy was not that elegant when he jumped from one sofa to the other in the family room…back and forth, back and forth. Our puppy was not that elegant when he jumped into the pool before anyone told him that it was ok to do so. In fact, he was told “No! No!”. Again, his curly white fur was not that elegant when wet. In the front of our house, he was the picture of good behavior.

The backyard pushed him overboard on the excitement level. Blame me for that. Whenever, he went into the front of our house, I had him on a leash…a brightly colored special leash. There is no telling where he would have gone without that leash. Across the street and around the corner were the best guesses. He was not trained to be a perfectly behaved and elegant puppy.

Again…blame me! We had never had an inside puppy and I told everyone in my family that I could handle the training. No way! I should have gone to a behavior modification class myself. And maybe there is a reason for his behavior…not to make excuses or anything like that! Fritz came to us when he was about four months old by very different circumstances.

Our good friends had a beautiful Bichon Frise (rather elegant, I would say!). When we would go over to their house, their Bichon…Tuffy…would pay an inordinate amount of attention to my husband. He paid a short, but polite amount of attention to me. Of course, my husband liked Tuffy a lot. I thought that this might be my big chance to get an inside puppy. I could find a puppy Bichon! I just happened to mention my plan to my friend…Tuffy’s human mom.

My friend took this announcement as a serious challenge. Within a day or two, she found a Bichon Frise advertised in the newspaper. Good price, all shots completed, great health, excellent with children, friendly…an ideal puppy for us, but needed some training. I was teaching school when she read the ad, so she called the owner who placed the ad and drove over to meet the puppy. As it turned out,  the “for sale” puppy had belonged to the man’s wife. She lost her battle from a serious illness just a week or so before he placed the ad. I am sure that her puppy made him very sad. He wanted to find a good home for Fritz…a home with children. My friend bought Fritz on the spot and told me when I got home from school.

SURPRISE to me…that is for sure! I was thrilled, but my husband was a bit questionable about the whole situation. We decided that we could “try out” the puppy for the weekend and my friend said that if it did not work out…that they would keep Fritz. They would love to have two Bichons. So Fritz came over to our house for the trial weekend and stayed for seventeen non-elegant years! He slowed down for the last few months because of sudden poor health…he was getting really old for a Bichon. We were crushed, but understood that his quality of life was diminished.

When the time came, we had him buried at a pretty pet cemetery under a shade tree. I chose a little white box for him to be buried in with a satin blanket. Perhaps, I became somewhat carried away. However, Fritz brought us such happiness and love and dedication. We were his forever family. He was very, very elegant with that satin blanket.

Bichon Frise on grass with chew toy

 https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/elegant/

Good and decent etiquette says that you just can’t plop yourself on any old item. Tell someone shopping in big stores like Sam’s Wholesale Club or Costco that they can’t plop down anywhere they want and you might not like what you hear. By the time I get close to the food section at Costco, I am ready to find a sofa or a chair or even a bench. At our store, the furniture is usually just located on one aisle. Good luck finding an empty spot.

Entire furniture stores are ideal for plopping. “Don’t mind me…I am just trying out this recliner”. We were recently in Nebraska Furniture Mart located in a Dallas suburb. It has to be the largest furniture store in existence. The name is deceiving…they also sell appliances, computers, phones, flooring, decorative items…you name it, they have it. It took me a year to get my husband to go to Nebraska Furniture Mart. Our daughter and I went when they first opened. We found so much that we had no idea that we really needed.

Perhaps I could have talked my husband into visiting the store a bit sooner, but we happened to be driving by and he saw the size of the store. Mostly he saw the totally full parking lot. No way. Besides, we were on our way to Choctaw Casino just over the Oklahoma border. Even a totally dedicated shopper like myself would prefer to keep on going to Oklahoma. I think that the people watching at Choctaw is the big draw. Or perhaps it is the wonderful buffet. It certainly can’t be the hope that we will win money. We only play the penny machines or Wheel of Fortune. So no Nebraska Furniture shopping on that trip. Choctaw does have a  beautiful pool and plopping there is certainly encouraged.

When my husband saw a Nebraska ad with good computer prices, we were there that very Saturday. Yes…we found a laptop that we liked. I looked at every set of bedroom furniture on the second floor. I was in my own world when I found the beautiful Amish furniture. There was just one problem. For the longest time, I could not find my husband at all. I called his cell phone. I looked in the bargain area. I looked at the furniture from the Fixer Upper HGTV people. Nowhere! No luck until I found the recliners on the far end of the store. Literally hundreds of recliners…most filled with husbands who had plopped down for a few minutes or for most husbands…a whole lot of minutes.

You got it right…one of those husbands belonged to me. He was having a wonderful time visiting with all the other “lost” husbands. It was like a party with no refreshments. No music. No football games or old westerns on a too loud television.

Happiness for these husbands was found in the ideal place to plop down…a recliner that you didn’t have to buy and a wife that was so very busy shopping that she had no idea where to find her husband.

Recliners…not very attractive…but, perfect for plopping!

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/plop/