What Surprises Lurk in Hidden Places!

Every once in a while (not very often), I try to get rid of some of my clutter. A lot of my clutter are treasures that I just can't let go of. To most people, they would be considered junk or trash. I have a few family members that tell me, "If it has no use, get rid of it."  I hope they never feel that way toward me as I get older.  Getting rid of things is easier said than done, especially since I'm the most nostalgic person in the world.

 

Well after over four years, I decided to go through my husband's brief cases. They were full of all of his favorite sermons that he had preached throughout the years. It was hard getting rid of them. They are all on CDs, but still the paper copies have all of his notes he wrote. I had to keep some of my favorites.

 

While going through his brief cases, I reached down into one of the pockets and to my surprise, I found a Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake. It was still wrapped. It had to be over five years old.

 

I think it was in the petrified state. What was so strange, there was not any mold on the cake at all. It made me wonder what kind of preservatives are in Little Debbie Cakes????

 

 

It is strange the things we hold on to and have a hard time letting go of. Especially things in the past.

We sometimes preserve them like the cake was and every once in a while we reach down into our hidden places and bring them back out. Sometimes it's a injustice someone has done to us or some bitterness we have toward another person. The past can never be changed. All a person can do is get rid of the bad things and only remember the good things.

 

I did decide to throw the cake away. I'm not that nostalgic!

Little Things that Bring Big Memories

The smell of coffee sometimes can stir my senses and bring back memories of another time. I'm usually reminded of being a little girl and being at my paternal Grandpa and Grandma's house. We called them Poppy and Mammy. They had an old percolator coffee pot. I can still remember how the coffee would smell in the morning. They always let me drink a little bit with cream (real cream). And then they would have toast. I remember it was one of those old shiny toasters with the old electrical cord. The toast would always blacken too much and they would have to scrape off the black. Then they would spread butter (real butter) all over it.

To me they were very happy times. Grandparents have this way about them. It is almost like their goal is to bring happiness into the life of their grandchildren. Maybe because around their grandchildren they can become kids once again.

 

My Poppy and Mammy when they lived on Florida Street. My brother is in the middle and front left to right are 3 of my cousins and I'm the little girl at the end in front of my Mammy.

 

 

My grandparents never had a lot. I remember their home on Florida Street in Evansville, Indiana. It still had an outhouse. This was in the early 1950's. But I still remember their home. I remember as a little girl having meals there and listening to the radio. I can still remember listening to "The Lone Ranger."

At the end of the broadcast, I can still hear the voice of the Lone Ranger riding off and yelling "Hi-yo Silver! Away!"

Such good times.

Later Poppy and Mammy moved into government housing. My Mammy would sew and make pillows and slipcovers and sell them to make a little money.

My Poppy taught me how to play cards. That probably wasn't a good thing to teach your granddaughter, but it sure was fun. I'd sit at the kitchen table with him and my uncles and play poker for hours. Also he taught me how to play solitaire.

It was only natural. My Poppy and his brothers had been riverboat gamblers and musicians on steamboats up and down the Ohio River. They could play any kind of instrument there was.

Unfortunately, the musical talent was never passed on to me. I'm sure it would have been more useful than playing cards.

They passed on several years ago. My Poppy going first and then Mammy years later. 

They were a great part of my life and I know their memory will always remain a part of me, especially when the smell of coffee fills the air.

 

I'm sure there are things in everyone's life that can spark a memory, a feeling of nostalgia, or maybe even a little sadness.

 

And Fall is always a special time. The chilly mornings with colored leaves bring back childhood memories that I always love. They are memories that always bring a good feeling inside.

 

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Fall

filled with wonderful days of making memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Election Year

I have never been much on politics.  I am a Republican, very conservative.

This election year amazes me. It has been a battle between two selfish children to see who is the best. There's been name calling, character assassination, bullying. I just want to hear what each candidate is going to do to bring back America to where she was when our founding fathers first signed the Declaration of Independence.

We were a united country with one goal in mind. To be the United States of America, one nation under God.

I have 12 grandchildren and I worry about the kind of country they are growing up in. The United States is not the United States I grew up in.

I was born in 1947. It was after World War II and the Korean War. We had been a country in battle, trying to keep the freedoms that we had fought for through the years. We had men and women give their lives for this country. Does that mean so little? Was their death in vain?

I would certainly hope not.

I grew up loving and respecting my country. As a little girl going to school, I learned the Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance to a wonderful flag that represents these United States. We prayed every morning. When I walked down the stairs of my school, there on the wall in huge letters was the Ten Commandments.

Every Memorial Day we would go to the cemetery to honor our dead loved ones and the soldiers who had fought for our freedoms.  On the fourth of July, it just wasn't a holiday. It meant something. It meant that we were a free nation, that we had freedoms that other countries didn't have. We were a prosperous nation, a strong nation.

We do have rights as an American. They are to see that our country remains the great nation that it was and that it can be again.

Please God, bless America again!!!