My First Job

So Dad, in all his infinite wisdom, gave me my first job. He hired my brother and me to walk beans on the family farm.  We do a little work and we make a little cash.  A little.  We made a whopping $3.00 an hour.

The idea was that we would wake up early and head out to the field with Grandpa, and while he did other things, my brother and I would walk up and down the rows of beans with a corn hook.  We were told to hook the corn and pull the velvet weed and the cockleburs. It was a pain in the butt.  I hated it.

We walked up and down rows, miles and miles, in the blistering sun.  We were swarmed by locust and chased by critters.  I even lost my flip flops in the mud.  They were just sucked off my feet! I know, I know.  Why was I wearing flip flops?  I was 12!  And I didn’t wasn’t sock tan too….jeez! 

This job was pure torture.  Not my idea of a summer vacation at all – for only $3.00 an hour?  You have got to be kidding.  I wanted to be home with my friends, talking on the phone, getting a tan…not a farmer’s tan. 

That job lasted approximately sixteen and a half hours, for me.  Long enough for me to make the money to buy my first pair of NIKE Tennis shoes….leather ones with the light blue swoosh.  I had calculated the time exactly, and when I hit the magic number?  I was done. 

And Dad let me get away with it.  I was a brat…a spoiled brat.  He tried to guilt me into getting my fanny back out in the field, but there was NO WAY I was going back out into that field.  I had my shoes, and that was that.  Period.

The Rules of Life

I am the product of my parents.  My strange sense of the world comes from my father and I my good looks come from my mother.  My Dad has established the Rules of Life.  I am sure you are familiar with them. 

Rule # 1

Never, I repeat, never leave the house with the dryer running.  

It could start a fire and burn the house down.

Rule #2

Don’t leave lights on.  

They could overheat and……burn the house down.

Rule #3

Don’t leave the house with the dishwasher running.  

It might overflow, flood the house, short out and then…..burn the house down.

Rule #4

Unplug all appliances before leaving town. 

They could go willy nilly and……you guessed it…..

burn the house down.

I am sure you see the pattern here.  It is all about safety!  Care and concern for the family…..and the house.

I have been soul searching lately.  I am trying to figure out why I am the way I am.  As I write about experiences though, I have created  a small novella.  So this is going to be an installment piece.  I hope you return to share in some of my life.  And maybe, just maybe, you will understand why I am the way I am.

Coming Down Off the Sugar High

I am glad I have a day to recover. 

What are parents thinking?  Valentine’s Day.  I was witness to students receiving flowers, huge stuffed animals, balloons, and mountains of sugar during the day at school.  I even had a family member walk into my classroom to personally deliver flowers and candy to a student. 

This Valentine’s Day, I saw a veritable Molotov Cocktail of corn syrup, laced with fun dip and a fruit roll-up stuffed in the top of the cola bottle.  By the end of the day, there was one group of kids with their heads spinning in circles and chattering at a rate of a Lear jet.  The others were passed out on the floor from the sugar crash, waiting to be scooped up by parents.

What happened to the parties of yesteryear?  The cute card with the goofy saying on it.

Trying to secretly drop it into a decorated cereal box.  The anticipation of who sent you a card, maybe with a secret message of how they really feel about you!  They might REALLY want to BEE my Valentine!

I want to go back in time.  Keep it simple. A couple of games, maybe one special heart cookie…

This year, I received cards with the To: left blank and only the kids name on it - OR – just a piece of candy, tossed on my desk as if the kid was on a parade route through the school. “Throw some to me! Throw some to me!”  The kids don’t write names on Valentines anymore.  Can’t they find time in their hectic schedule of video games and soccer practice to write a name on a card?  Is there no thought of who you are giving a gift, a thought, an inspiration to?

My final vision of the day?  A boy with a skip in his record, squatting on a chair, head twitching side to side to side, uttering…….,”fart, fart, fart, fart, fart….”  His classroom teachers response?  “Debit, debit, debit, debit, debit.” 

I may take a personal holiday on the next “holiday.” 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sending love today from Puppy!

A College Tour

Frog has been looking at one college for a long time.  She has her dreams and her goals.  One great goal that she has is how to lower her debt impact from increasing college prices.

My Frog has been checking out ROTC.  Their scholarship program is great!  We should know.  Tall Man used an ROTC Scholarship for his education.  It has been an awesome career and lifestyle.  I have always looked at it on the scholarship side of it ----- yes, that is right, the money.

We went for her formal interview portion last week.  We skipped off to my alma mater of Western Illinois University.  They have great new facilities for the Military Science Department….gorgeous….and yes, I think her interview went great!

She loved the campus and the ROTC facilities so much, she voiced out loud that she might apply to Western!  Well, if you want to apply to WIU, let’s look at the other department you will be spending lots of time in.  The Art Department. 

What awesome memories hit me as the first waft of chemicals from the Printmaking classrooms overtook me.  Ahhhh, to be home.  We saw the light on in the litho room and I got a bonus surprise!  Don Crouch was checking out some fresh prints his student assistants just pulled off the press.

I introduced Frog and explained I was showing her the department after her interview over at ROTC.  We continued to discuss the current program and current professors, but Don kept turning and commenting to Frog, “You wanna be a soldier?”

I threw in what a great scholarship program they have and what a great advantage to go to school through that program.  Frog stood silent and just watched the interaction.  Later she mentioned, in passing, how many students only apply for the money, however, even if she doesn’t get the scholarship, this program really interests her and she plans to pursue this path.

Thinking on this comment for a couple of days, and watching her prepare for her next adventure at the high school, I have a new view of my daughter.  The next time I hear the comment, “You wanna be a soldier?”  I now have a different response, a new enlightenment, a change of perspective given to me by my daughter……

“No. She wants to be a leader.”

Oh Cheese, This is Good!

It has been a slow motion day.  Just can’t get motivated to do anything.  We have watched movies, and napped, and just been comfortable.  So that called for comfort food.  And what is more comfortable than….macaroni n’cheese.

My favorite recipe is from a box of elbow noodles back when I was married 21+ years ago.  I don’t even remember the brand.  And yes, I have made it so much over the years, that I have it memorized. Now, I just have to add in here that I am a cheese snob.  I love good cheese.  My yellow cheese of choice right now?  Cady Creek Farms Gold’n Jack.  It is a semi soft Colby Jack cheese that is heavenly.  

 Are you ready for comfort?

Mac N’ Cheese

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, about 7 minutes

2 cups milk (I use skim)

2 TBS corn starch

Pinch of salt and some pepper

1 pound Colby cheese, cubed

Bring water to a boil and salt the water. Add elbow macaroni and cook 7 minutes. While macaroni is boiling, make the cheese sauce.  Pour milk in medium saucepan with cornstarch and salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat and stir constantly.  When milk begins to bubble, turn heat off and add cheese (except a handful of cubes to put on top for extra yumminess).  Stir in cheese until the sauce becomes smooth. Drain macaroni, pour into a greased casserole dish.  Pour cheese sauce over and stir in.  Place the extra yummy cheese cubes on top, if desired.

Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes, or until browned on top.

I hope you enjoy this comfort food as much as we do.  Now I am off to watch Downton Abbey on PBS and prepare to be unprepared for another week.

When you can't say anything nice....

When you can't say anything nice, don't write anything at all.

I have started five different blog posts this week, but it always comes back to that first sentence.

So this is all of the posts together...they all have the same theme.

I am grumpy. I am sad. I ache. I am grumpy.
I think it is the season. Lack of sunshine, taxes, lack of husband, lack of help, lack of inspiration.  It is all connected.

I don't want to be a grown up some days.  I am tired of the grown up responsibilities.
I come home to find only one child's dishes done....yes, that means there are still dirty dishes in the sink.  Why should I wash her dishes? She made the mess!

But it doesn't stop there.  I find my laundry wadded up in the laundry room.  I try to set the example and fold their laundry as I pull it out of the dryer.  Has it made an impression? Obviously not.

We used to have chores written out for each of the kids.  It is funny though, when the list came down, the chores stopped.  Nothing changed except for the piece of paper on the refrigerator.

I need a polish grandma! Someone who can get ring-a-round-the-collar stains out and the coffee stain on my tablecloth.  Someone to follow through with the folding of the laundry.  Someone to really clean my bathroom once a week.  And....I am confident my windows would be squeaky clean to let that sunshine in and then I will feel all better!