62 and Grateful

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  Today I am 62 years old! 

Well, not really until about 11:57 p.m.

So sometime around mid-night I’ll be 62.  3 minutes doesn’t give a person a lot of time to celebrate so we just go with the whole day.  Only my Momma and Daddy had to wait until three minutes until mid-night after that we all started counting the whole day.

It was snowing as I drove into work this morning. At least it wasn’t -15* it was right up there with enough warmth the snow could come 21*.  I’ll take it!  Now if the sun would come out….oh, heck I need not complain. It is warmer.

When I was born and when I grew up things sure was a lot different.  I truly did not see a television until I was in the third grade…it took my Dad awhile to save up to purchase one. 

(Mice searching for food in the bean straw)

That was a ‘very good’ year for the coal furnace was put in and the warm morning heater taken out…toasty house all the time. 

The year I was in the second grade, just about time for the holiday’s Daddy, also got Momma an electric range.  She was more than delighted. I was excited because in the oven was a complete set of RED dishes.  I still have a few pieces of those dishes.  I think I loved those dishes more than she did.

(Boomer the beagle searching for mice in the bean straw)

Back then dishes came in all sorts of things….oat meal, dog food…you name it.  For me, dishes in the oven were the ultimate.

Times were different then.  It seemed that everybody worked including the kids.  There were always more chores to be done than time in the day.  It wasn’t just our family; it was the neighbors as well.  (You were judged first and foremost by your work ethic and then your honesty.  This was critical because if you were found wanting in either department, the extra jobs that might pay cash money for you or the kids, or possibly a quarter of beef or a hog would not be available.)  Further, the cooperation with your neighbors was the only assurance that if you needed help, you would get help.  Nobody in the farming communities could get by strictly on their own.  A few tired.  When they left, nobody missed them.

Times are unusual now…we have the world at our fingertips –  through the internet, blogging, facebook, world news, and other means of ‘instant’ connection to peoples from around the globe.  It’s harder to go help your neighbor or friend, but the sense of community is just as strong.  Every time we connect a new pleasure or joy is created in the sea of everyday living.

Thank you everyone…I enjoy these days of technology and for being alive for 62 years.

Linda

41 thoughts on “62 and Grateful”

  2. Happy Birthday from South Carolina! I hope your day is great! I really don’t know how you deal with all the snow. We have been dealing with 7 inches of ice and snow since Sunday night and things pretty much came to a standstill. : )

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  3. They were good days.

    I think the best days are the days of adversity, when you have those you care for and who care about you, come up alongside one another and carry each others burdens.

    I think we remember these times more than the times of ease and plenty.

    I think one important key is to be grateful for each gift we are given by the Lord, and to train ourselves to look for them. Wonderful memories develop from these gifts in the midst of trials.

    Beautiful post, Linda. And I love the photos. So simple, yet speak of much that we were miss if we were not looking.

    Happy birthday. May the Lord bless you, your family, and your home according to the riches of His grace and mercy. May you all draw closer to Him and to one another in the coming year. May the Lord bless you and keep you, and make His face to shine upon you and give you rest.

    ~Faith

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  4. Have a very Blessed and Happy Birthday!! When my kids were little and I couldn’t pull off the whole birthday thing in one day I gave them a birthday week. Presents on their birthday, but the cake,special meal, and maybe a friend or to over happened as I could do it. All week long I’d let them have first choice of things(that was to alleviate my guilt). They loved it, and as they got older and I could could do the shebang in day they felt robbed, so we have gone back to the birthday week. Fun snow story, its a nice way to enjoy winter.

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  7. Happy birthday. I find that each one is a blessing. The world was simpler in those times, but in the complex world of today, I find that I am less complex than I was in the past.

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  11. Happy Birthday Linda. I hope you have a great day and it has been a pleasure getting to know you. I’m glad we have the technology we do today too….I embrace it.

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  12. First of all I hope you have a very happy birthday. And second, thank you so much for the memories! I remember dishes coming in laundry detergent and oatmeal and hoping to be the grandkid that got to open a box of something (I was the oldest on both sides so I often did). And the boss and I talk about how everybody worked and how the work mattered…not just something like taking out the trash once a week… I think it gave everyone, especially kids, a meaningful sense of self-worth. I tell our kids that despite how much hard work is involved in farm life, at least they know that what they do, or don’t do, truly matters. Great post!

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  13. Happy BD
    how wonderful to be healthy and have family to celebrate with (o:
    Like your look back. I do love technology too… but sometimes I like to be without. Like camping and sitting around the campfire.

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  14. Honesty and work ethic are two of the major values we taught our son. There were times when I despaired any of it would stick, with all the negative influences at school. He has managed to bridge both worlds though, and in the REAL world, where you have to work for a living, he is a valued employee. Simply showing up everyday, on time, doing his work cheerfully, and being trustworthy, moves him to the top of the ladder very quickly – past people with advanced degrees and more years of work experience. I guess there are a lot of slackers out there. And yes, you are sooo right, the world has changed. The only people in my area who are living like we used to when we were children are the Mexican immigrants. They work hard, they get by with very little, and they have wonderful families.

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  16. Happy Birthday to you…..

    Here we celebrate a little known phenomenon called “The Birthday Month”, as it usually takes that long to get all the lunch dates, playdates, etc. with friends scheduled. The good news, for you, is you still have half the month left to celebrate! 🙂

    We wish you peace, oodles of love, and many, many more years of blessings to come! If we wanted to be truely greedy, we could throw in the hope for a few more sunny days with 10 or 20 more degrees on the themometer, just for good measure! 🙂

    Happy birthday, my friend!
    Fondly,
    Whit

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  17. Your track pictures just tell me we are sisters in a different way. When I walk the spoo on the irrigation ditch lately I too watch the tracks, mice, birds, deer and now as the snow has melted I also see the trails the mice have run under the snow. We also find the places where a hawk has come down to grab dinner – especially if the snow is new and light. Kinda cool and it makes me think about how those creatures struggle during the winter. Glad I’m not the only one taking pictures of those things.

    Happy Birthday!!!!!

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  18. What a great post! I was 62 this past November and relate to all of your life examples. Growing up on a large dairy farm in SE Pennsylvania, we were dollar poor but rich in hard work and honesty. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything because I learned at a very young age how to work and work hard we did. Our kids and grandkids don’t understand my frugal ways because each successive generation has “had it better” . . . Times today are indeed unusual. One would hope future generations continue to “have it better”. Like you, I enjoy the technologies of today and thankful to God for continued good health and the ability to work hard (when I need to . . .!)

    Enjoying sun and a warm 65 degrees in North Phoenix today1

    Joan

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  19. Add my best birthday wishes to the list. Your early life and mine are very similar…no t.v. in the home for most of my youth (we all learned to love reading). All of us worked hard all year long. Dairy cows provide a constant paycheck but are high maintenance. And a community that cares is priceless. Since DH has been in the hospital we’ve had neighbors clearing our snow long before we can get to it. DH is on the mend and in fact, pretty much back to normal.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!

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  20. OH Happy Birthday Linda!! I hope you got to enjoy some sunshine. Loved your post and the reminiscing. Those were different times – for sure. And as much as I like the “good’le days”, I too, am grateful for the modern conviences of today. Glad to call you my friend too! Hope it’s a wonderful day of celebration for you.

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  21. What a Beautiful post!! Here it is your birthday and you gave us all a wonderful gift… I’m 63 and the memories we share of growing up are fond and dear to me as well. Happy Birthday dear friend, and Thank you.
    hugz,
    Cully

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  22. Happy Happy Birthday all the way from snowy Minnesota! I hope that your day is special..just like you! Red dishes..have you mentioned them before? I would love to see them..they weren’t the Ruby Red were they..they are beautiful..I collect pieces for my daughter.
    Such great childhood memories you shared today on your special day..thanks! I think it is great that you celebrate all day long..instead of just those few minutes before midnight! 🙂

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  23. Happy Birthday, Linda. YES—much has changed in 62 yrs….

    Glad your temps have moderated a little bit…. We did get out today to get some groceries and run some errands. The main roads were good and the back roads were fair.. It was nice to get out though.

    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  24. Happy Birthday!

    My dad is 76… he didn’t get electricity til he was a senior in high school. They lived on the ranch and used kerosene. How times have changed.

    Peace to you, my friend!

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  25. Well Linda a very Happy Birthday to you. I hope you have a marvelous day. I really enjoyed your childhood memories. Sometimes I wish things were as simple as they seemed back then…but then if they were I would never have met you via computer and I would have missed out on following along your path. So some things changeing was a good thing. Happy Day.

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  26. Linda, two of the most important values one can teach their children is honesty and a work ethic. Happy Birthday to you my dear blogging friend, would just love it if you could pop in for a mug of hot cocoa! Blessings from Maine

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  27. A very Happy Birthday, my friend!! I am several years older than you, but my growing up was much the same.

    Blessings to you on this special day!
    CottonLady

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  29. Happy Birthday!
    I’m somewhat older than 62, but you did a great job of describing my life growing up on a small farm. While I enjoy living in the current technological age, there were many wonderful things about ‘the good old days’.

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  35. A very, very Happy Birthday!!!! I’m grateful for technology because that’s how I met you. I’m thrilled for the stories you shared and if I were to be honest, I’d rather go back to the slower, older days. We’ve lost so much (including land) even though there have been strides.

    Here’s to your wonderful years ahead Linda!

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  36. Happy happy birthday dear friend!!!!

    My siblings I was always told that its wasnt my birthday til 5 pm!!! That was a long day for me as a little kid that bought into their joke. Cant imagine how long of a day your birthday was!!! (Maybe you didnt have 4 older siblings tho.)

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  37. Happy Birthday. Yes things are wonderful now. I am going on 58 and things were tough when we were kids but we always helped others that had tougher lives than us.
    I live in a farming community now and it is more like family, if someone is needing something it just appears. We support each other, we cry, we laugh, just like a family. I think things have changed but people have not really. People are busier but they still need you and you still need them. I wish everyone had a community like mine. Again Happy Birthday.

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  39. I missed this. Thanks for stopping over at my place. I always enjoy your posts and pictures as you know.

    A very happy belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!

    I was hoping you were going to say that work was over for you. I can not wait for the day to come that I’m driving away from a place that was such a good home to me to another place that will be home to begin what will be one of the last chapters so to speak. A chapter that will not include going to work on a daily basis.

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