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