Looking For a Silver Lining (Book) - 2/28/2017 4:22:30 AM
This sounds like a wonderful book and an interesting, touching read.
Looking For a Silver Lining (Book) - 2/10/2009 1:57:17 PM
Wow! I want to say something but don't know what. I haven't read the book but I'm sure it is filled with ... You see I don't know what to say. Stay strong.
Autumn is a Season of Change: Sept. 30, 2009 (Short Story) - 10/19/2017 6:00:01 AM
Yes, bad times come into every life, but that's no excuse for giving up or thinking that your life is over. Like you wrote, looking back at that time in 2009 turns out to be a good memory from all the love that was poured out in those hectic days.
I must remember to not pass up opportunities and come up, because if I do I may never get another chance to do them.
Ron
Going school in Texas in the 20's and 30's (Short Story) - 10/4/2017 3:54:37 AM
I can relate to this fine story of your mothers, my father's family was from rural south Oklahoma and my mother's from around Cleburne Texas with similar background of moving from one farming area to the other, until my parents married. thank you for the reminder of people like these from harder times
Going school in Texas in the 20's and 30's (Short Story) - 10/2/2017 4:21:14 AM
Your story paints a vivid, although brief portrait of what rural people faced in the early part of the 20th century without electricity, hardscrabble work with little pay, large families and the need to move when the land petered out from over farming/ranching.
Your mother acquired a real need for education when she was deprived of school both at the start and the end of her public school education. You benefited from it.
My mother wrote of her early life a few years ago. Although poor and rural, her life was much happier.
Ron
Going school in Texas in the 20's and 30's (Short Story) - 10/2/2017 1:04:17 AM
Your heartfelt story indicates that your family valued an education despite their hardships. It truly is one of the most valuable possessions we can have for its unlimited potential.
My cup is always half full (Short Story) - 9/12/2017 5:27:27 AM
It looks like having your cataracts removed has given you new vision! I, like you, perhaps because we are writers, enjoy hearing other people's stories and relating them like I often do here. Like the story of a nurse told me that she was going to marry the grand nephew of Mme. Chiang Kai-shek here in Houston. His mother is a former movie star who married his father, a multibillionaire oilman. I wrote her story to post here… But she told me not to do it.
When you related to her relationship with her daughter, I thought of my mother 92 in assisted living and my sister and their love/hate struggle as my mother's medical problems like cataracts removed and carpal tunnel syndrome surgery, multiply. The rest of us are scattered all around the country and can't be there to help my sister out.
When I'm in waiting rooms I tend to interrupt people reading magazines, on their cell phones, or doing crossword puzzles. It's amazing how they open up and start to talk about their lives.
Kudos on your driving! Mom drove until she was 88. When she got pulled over on a lonely highway for driving too slow, she decided to hang it up and sell her car.
Ron
My cup is always half full (Short Story) - 9/12/2017 12:21:48 AM
You're right--this woman is interesting, just as the story you wrote.
May your cup always be half-full!
The Life of a Dandelion (Short Story) - 9/5/2017 5:47:01 AM
I had the same experience when grass cutters removed my perennial blue Lantana that was dormant for the winter by pulling it out by the roots. They didn't replant it.
The flower pictured does not look like a dandelion (dandy lion). I have not seen them very much here in Texas, but they are the scorge of green lawn fanatics in the upper Midwest the yellow flower stage is attractive, but that flower quickly turns to a ball of white fluffy seeds that we as kids used to blow from the stems to spread the flower on the wind.
Makes great salad greens and dandelion wine.
Ron
Rose Polasek, aa Wilson County Woman's Story (Short Story) - 8/19/2017 8:05:03 AM
Quite a story. Thanks for bringing it to us. She sure has a memory for details. When people think about the good old days they don't think about how hard the work was and how devastating illness or sickness would be without insurance.
So many from immigrant families and lives like that. Hard lives with lots of kids and schooling cut off by having to work. Reminded me of my grandparents. My paternal grandfather worked as a farm hand and factory worker for many years before he was able to buy his first hardscrabble farm. My maternal grandfather was lucky to inherit his father's farm that was homesteaded.
Ron
Rose Polasek, aa Wilson County Woman's Story (Short Story) - 8/19/2017 1:34:41 AM
As I continue to read all of your stories, and this one is no exception--most people don't know what hard work is. You and all the folks you write about certainly do, and they don't feel deprived or put upon. Unfortunately, pursuing higher education is one of the major sacrifices, although your subjects have plenty of wisdom and common sense which comes from working the land and not from turning the pages of books.
Turmoil in the 60's (Short Story) - 3/23/2017 6:30:29 AM
Quite enlightening. I think every family has their 1960s period to go through. The 1960s were a period of great enlightenment for me. While there was some worry in my family, nothing like yours experienced. You are right about television. There's something in instant news that makes everyone feel that they are actually involved in it, even though they are not.
I think we are going through a 1960s like period today. News is more instant than ever and creeps into every pore of our bodies and minds almost as soon as it happens. There is a great schism between those that felt some security in the past and those that see a great future ahead and problems they want to tackle with all their heart and energy, curtailed.
Television shows like Archie Bunker were very good at humorously pointing out the challenges and differences. There may be television shows like that today doing the same thing.
Thank you for bringing back all those fond memories of times past. History is a great learning tool. There is no excuse for repeating our mistakes.
Ron
Making friends with the Little Red Corvette (Short Story) - 2/28/2017 6:33:37 AM
Everyone grows old. Most have difficulty walking at some point. I was told by my doctor to get in a wheelchair to avoid injury (I was frequently tripping and falling) in 1990. I chose a racy red and black wheelchair to be built for me in 1992 and started using it regularly in 1993. I'm sitting in it right now as I write this. I never named it though.
My mother has been using a walker for several years now. She is 92 and refuses to get one of those scooters or a wheelchair even though she has very bad joints except for one replaced hip. There does seem to be a problem for older folks to start using these aids because they feel there are some stigma attached. In my case, I accepted the transition, not reluctantly, because I knew I needed it, but slowly because the wheelchair greatly limited where I could go--still does. And I do miss the exercise.
You look great in your picture. May you walk many more years.
Ron
Making friends with the Little Red Corvette (Short Story) - 2/28/2017 2:53:45 AM
Lois, all you need is sunglasses and a straw hat to round the bends in your Little Red Corvette! May you walk many miles!
A Snowy Night in March (Short Story) - 2/9/2017 8:29:50 AM
Lois, you tell quite a story of your birth… Just like you were there. ;-)
Snow is indeed a rarity. We had a hard freeze around January 1 here in Houston. The first freeze like that in several years. Yesterday, it was 83°, an all-time record high for this time in February. So, you have a real story to tell of your birth on a very special weather day.
The birth of my twin brother and me was rather uneventful in a small hospital.
Ron
The Stranger at the Door (Short Story) - 12/29/2016 3:33:13 AM
Lois,
Your faith led you to take the high road. Though I am kind and generous by nature, I would have turned a stranger away from my door. And, I never would have taken a chance on eating a cake that had nearly melted from the heat.
I also think you are one of those angels in disguise. Wishing you many more blessings in the upcoming New Year!
The old Terrell wells Swimming Pool (Short Story) - 7/10/2016 1:06:45 AM
Your Memoir brought back my own childhood memories of trips to Spring Lake before our family gravitated to the ocean beaches. Whereas Terrell Wells Swimming Pool smelled like rotten eggs, I'm wondering if today's public pools smell like chlorine.
Taking Time for the Simple Life (Short Story) - 5/31/2016 5:37:49 AM
You covered a great deal of territory in a very short and so beautifully written description of how fulfilling a simple life can be. I found myself reading it to my partner as she busied herself around the house getting ready to go off and work in her shop for the day.
Just this morning she was telling me she wanted us to sell what we have and buy an acre of land somewhere near (hopefully not near all of the flooding rivers, streams and bayous we have around here) so that she can grow much more than she does now. I told her that we should stay here with our simple micro-backyard, side yard, and front yard. With our bird feeder we have a variety of birds around most of the day, almost all of the flowers you described so beautifully, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and squash in abundance, and exotic plants that she gets from other Vietnamese and then reproduces to share with others.
It's a busy life for her. Taking care of me, running the shop, tending to the yard, cooking, and tending to the many details of life. We have no children but there are many in her extended family. It's a good life. It's a simple life.
Ron
Taking Time for the Simple Life (Short Story) - 5/30/2016 11:51:18 PM
A beautifully written reflection. Life truly does get harder as we advance along the mountain, but like some of those stubborn autumn leaves, will and determination behooves us to cling to dear life and persevere for ourselves and for those we care for.
I loved cowboys and Zane Grey (Short Story) - 2/23/2016 8:04:10 AM
Thank you for the information about Zane Grey and how his romantic Western stories affected your teenage years. It reminds me of how my sister, and 17, sat on the front porch of our country home and admired the young man with a beard and a black Amish-like (he was Lutheran) hat riding his mighty steed (a tractor) on the field across the road. She fell in love and married him. They still live up the hill on his parents old farmstead, 50 years later.
I didn't know about Zane Grey, but I have read that many famous authors at a great deal of difficulty getting published and suffered a lot of criticism before one of their works became famous. I think that every author should not give up writing, no matter how many times they fail. If we put our work on the Internet in a way that it will stay there, it might be several generations after our death that that work will somehow become famous for one reason or another. One never really knows and everyone has a sense of creativity if they only use it. Who knows how many good manuscripts were lost, thrown away, or even burned.
While I read my required high school course classics, I had little time in my very active teenage years to read. I never read any of those series you mention, but I did like science fiction and sought it out first along with historical fiction. The only Zane Grey I ever encountered was in the movies. And those movies were merely romantic soap operas compared to what real life was in the West.
Ron
Cooking on the farm (Short Story) - 1/27/2016 6:22:10 AM
So many parallels--and some differences--to my experience, although it was much worse during the depression. We only experienced the rationing during World War II.
I remember cornbread, cornmeal mush, and fried corn meal pancakes in my youth, but not often. I recall one time telling my father about how great my girlfriend's cornbread was and he said, "I hope I never have to eat cornbread ever again."
In Wisconsin, the summers were filled with a lot of fresh vegetables from the garden, berries, and from trees like apples, peaches and cherries my mother would go pick in Door County. The dairy state, so we had lots of milk, cheese, and sausages. I loved spinach and most vegetables except rutabaga. We cannedst a lot of tomatoes and one of my favorite dishes that I had again the other night was macaroni, tomatoes, and hamburger. We also sometimes would have macaroni and cheese, or for variety, macaroni, tomato and cheese. Simple, easy to make and great food.
I didn't like oatmeal that much, preferring cream of wheat, grape nuts, and just crackers, coffee, and condensed milk--sugar shock. But I like oatmeal now and had some this morning with raisins. I'm certainly glad we didn't grow okra, because I don't like that slimy stuff.
I now eat exotic food from all over the world readily available in the supermarket. But I often think about what if our food supply got cut off and what we would do to survive. Fortunately, my partner suffered through years of food shortage in Vietnam and even the wilderness growing sweet potatoes and chicken, getting fat when others were starving.
Ron
A lonely little boy misses his mother (Short Story) - 1/19/2016 4:36:13 AM
That wasn't just tough on Sammy, it was tough on everyone in your family. What most people don't know or care about who live in the city is that drought has been devastating throughout our history and probably the reason so many left farming like your family and those farms were bought by corporate enterprises.
Growing up on a farm is such a wonderful way to live, it's a real shame that most kids don't get to do that these days. I remember back in the 50s we lived in the city, but my father, a trucker, went to work for another trucking company in another town and had to stay there during the week to work and only came home on weekends. That only lasted about a year, and then we moved to that town. I don't recall his being away as much of a problem because mom was always there for us, but I do recall moving to that smaller town was not appreciated.
Ron
We were livng off the grid and we didn't know it (Short Story) - 1/6/2016 3:58:35 AM
We were a different people back then, Lois. Not necessarily better, but self-reliance was prized, balanced with 'community' out of necessity - thanks for reminding us.
The Day the Lights came on at the farm (Short Story) - 1/5/2016 8:44:19 AM
What a wonderful description of your feelings at the time you first got electricity. You may not recall, but most people were poor at that time. Today, even poor people take electricity for granted, until it's turned out for lack of payment.
I didn't experience that transition, but I certainly remember a lot of kerosene lamps being used by my grandparents and parents. I still can't imagine how Abraham Lincoln taught himself to read by reading the Bible in front of the fireplace. Those good old days required a lot of family togetherness and cooperation. Now everyone seems to want to have their own things and their own space in a selfish sort of way.
Ron
The Day the Lights came on at the farm (Short Story) - 1/4/2016 11:57:51 AM
I remember the kerosene lamps we had in case we lost our power which happened often enough back in the day. You really shined a light on how the dimness of a kerosene lamp muted imperfections and overshadowed poverty, while bringing out the fact that love outshines everything.
Full moon serenade (Poetry) - 4/12/2017 12:43:20 AM
I remember those times too...
You capture the atmosphere of such times admirably...
It's still possible at any age...
Try it!
Best wishes,
Diana...
Full moon serenade (Poetry) - 3/23/2017 9:46:07 AM
These days, young people don't seem to have time for just sitting on the step in the moonlight, dreaming. And who would be walking anymore if they could drive with their GPS squawking every corner or so telling them where and how to go. There are really too many distractions for peaceful life planning anymore. And that's a shame.
Ron
Night and Day (Poetry) - 3/5/2017 12:32:05 PM
There is more to this poem than simple changes to the daily light. It is a metaphor for the ups and downs that you are facing as the days run out of the hourglass and the end will come as it always does, for everyone.
Sad but true.
Ron
Growing Old (Poetry) - 10/19/2016 1:33:12 PM
I love your outlook on life...
When my !other was my age I remember her saying
That she still felt as if she was in her twenties...
I remember thinking ( although she never ever really looked
Old...even later when she reached her 70's) 'look into the mirror Mum'....!
I know exactly what she meant now...as I feel it too...
Stay 25 years in your heart and mind...it will keep you young!
Hugs, Diana....
Growing Old (Poetry) - 10/19/2016 4:42:00 AM
Lois, I love the concept of your poem about never too old to stop living and learning about new things, no matter how old we get. No matter where life has taken us, we should never stay stuck in the past as you talk about, even once the body limits us on what we can do, then we must use our mind to be creative for as long as that works too.
I waited until later in life to start writing poetry and songs, even had some success with some of the songs. I could have said, well, too late to start now, what's the point? It is never to late to do what you want to do. If you like you might check out my poem I titled "The Bridge Of Time" that compares older and younger attitudes that many have about life.
Dan
Growing Old (Poetry) - 10/15/2016 7:41:32 PM
How beautiful.After an age, age does not matter.especially for a writer, performer, all the more... i thoroughly enjoyed Our Ron's mother's outlook at 92 as he has written here. I will be fifty eight this summer. and i look ahead to grow to a wise old age if time permits!!!J K Roseline
Growing Old (Poetry) - 10/11/2016 6:54:23 AM
You had a great outlook at 75 and at 84, probably better.
Talked to my mother (92) via her caption phone yesterday because she can no longer hear. She talked about how nice the weather was so she was able to take a long walk (actually quite short) with her walker outside and enjoy a bit of the fall color. She told me that my sister who helps her with shopping, going to the doctor, etc. has a leg problem and can no longer come and help her a couple times a week in her assisted living room.
I worried because we are all a thousand miles away except for our sister and she had no one to help her. At that, she giggled like she always does in childlike abandon and said, "Oh, there's a few good young ones around here to help me and at least I have a roof over my head."
Ron
Growing Old (Poetry) - 10/10/2016 5:42:52 PM
Is not age only how you feel, not so much a number, still we live as long as God allows us too...-e-
Growing Old (Poetry) - 10/10/2016 10:23:53 AM
The only thing I don't like about getting old is the loss of friends as die off one by one. It sure leaves an empty space.
Michael D.
Growing Old (Poetry) - 10/10/2016 9:43:28 AM
As you say, old in body but young at heart, the part that most people will never see, especially those who only see the surface of things. Nice work. John
Tuesday's Song (Poetry) - 2/16/2016 1:24:49 PM
Hope only goes so far. At some point we have to act. Merely by writing this poem you have moved from hope to action.
Ron
Tuesday's Song (Poetry) - 2/16/2016 9:59:44 AM
This is a nice Tuesday's Song, Lois, I like it!
With faith in God, we can't go wrong;
there is hope!Blessings to you!
Tuesday's Song (Poetry) - 2/16/2016 7:37:32 AM
If you must have faith in something, Lois, I guess God is as good a choice as any, and much better than some. Faith in yourself without a crutch is also a good thing to have.
How can it be? (Poetry) - 10/17/2015 9:57:57 AM
Your husband was handsome even with the disease. Someday soon the key to Alzheimer's will be found, and people will suffer no more from it.
Ron
He's Been so Good to Me (Poetry) - 9/8/2015 10:09:41 AM
Yes, lift Him up, for He is GOOD!
Praise Him too, for He is worthy
to be praised!
Thanks for sharing, Lois!
What is joy? (Poetry) - 9/7/2015 10:08:12 AM
AMEN!!! FOR THOUGH 'ALL' MAY LEAVE - HIS 'JOY' WILL REMAIN FOREVER AND EVER! THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
He's Been so Good to Me (Poetry) - 9/7/2015 10:05:40 AM
HALLELUJAH! AND YES, LIKE THE SISTER BELOW...I HAD TO SING THE SONG! FOR GOD HAS BEEN SO-O-O-O- GOOD...TO ME!!!!!GOD BLESS YOU AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
He's Been so Good to Me (Poetry) - 9/4/2015 11:03:47 AM
Thank You Lois!!! (Smile) I just read and sung your poem, such a sweet melody and an outstanding praise to our Lord of Lords, King of Kings--our God Is Good To Us!!!! (Smile)
Go forward (Poetry) - 10/16/2011 5:35:53 PM
I love these words and they are one that many should consider instead of just sitting there feeling down and out,"Just move forward!!!" Thanks Lois, these are inspiring words.
What is joy? (Poetry) - 1/10/2011 7:14:10 PM
This was a joy to read.
What is joy? (Poetry) - 7/18/2010 5:23:46 AM
Wonderful writing sweet lady..enjoyed..stay safe and well..Hugsss
Go forward (Poetry) - 7/13/2010 9:50:18 AM
Lois,
Very wise words, live for today.
Mary
Faith (Poetry) - 12/28/2009 4:08:48 PM
The loving Lord Jesus never leaves us, even in bad times, times of sorrows and sometimes times of testing he does give us.
I Keep Looking For Your Face (Poetry) - 12/28/2009 4:07:07 PM
I did read your latest and see who you finally did make it with him til the end. You had a loving wonderful hubby, and remembrances will be with you of him forever.
Yesterday is Gone (Poetry) - 12/28/2009 4:01:18 PM
So sorry about your loss, I lost my Tom to smoking and heart disease COPD Aug 17 07 and still miss him, but your poem here helps me cope somewhat better too. I'll pass it on to my loved ones still here with me and family members.
The Mirror (Poetry) - 5/22/2009 8:27:34 PM
I Read This Great Sadness,i.e.Humans Are Born To Die...We're All Going To Get Old Look Like Old Dried Tomatos...DEATH IS INEVITABLE...
I Look Forward To Death It Is Better Than Anything In This Evil Out Control World That Rapes Maims Kills Molests,Chokes, Sodomizes Millions Little Children To Death...
If You Lived This Long Might Be You Should Never Look Back Only For Those Good Memories-Huh!
Etal: You Should Do Charity Work--Join Group That Helps Little Children They'll Make You Feel Like That Young Girl Again...
Me,I Somehow Made It To 18 But Never Got Past 23...
TRASK...
The Mirror (Poetry) - 5/22/2009 11:40:15 AM
This is a well written poem,I enjoy reading it,take care
EDWIN
Faith (Poetry) - 2/28/2009 5:24:14 AM
I can definitely relate to this piece personally. In times of testing, we gain strength if we are able to endure & trust Him. Thanks for sharing.
zahra V
Faith (Poetry) - 2/28/2009 4:04:47 AM
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! Liana Margiva
Faith (Poetry) - 2/26/2009 7:37:24 PM
I hope your Faith has sustained through to today.
Warmth and Love to you, Carin'
Faith (Poetry) - 2/26/2009 5:50:53 PM
You speak emotional words that many hear and experience and your faith is strong to carry you through, very heartwarming...
Be always safe,
Karen
Dawn in San Antonio (Poetry) - 10/19/2008 8:23:48 AM
Very well expressed, Lois! Good poem!
Dawn in San Antonio (Poetry) - 10/13/2008 12:40:02 PM
How reverently you express you most inner thoughts and allow us to see through your eyes. A place of wonder indeed, especially this history surrounding The Alamo....
Be always safe,
Karen
