Piecing it all back together.....

Here are a few pictures of the progress.  We had to keep the one little wall because it was the only way to route all of the electricity.  We are excited.  The last picture shows where the pots will be hanging, not how they will be hung.

Deconstructing....yet again!

Well, with me getting a job, we really are wanting a new kitchen.  I was going to say needing, but that isn't really true.  But this kitchen is really kind of gross.  We bought upper cupboards at a clearance at Lowe's last year.  So, we needed to get matching lower cabinets.  It is hard to explain how things are going to be, but I can show pictures of things getting torn up, and eventually, in a few weeks show what we did.  I'm pretty excited about this.  Stan is doing a great job.  It's always interesting to deconstruct and fix the old stuff.  I know he will make it look great!

There's something about me and lemons......

The dairy was a lot of work!!  A lot of people talk about working 24/7, but those who own a dairy really know what that means.  I could go into a lot of details, but I'm really not out to make a mission statement.  Milking has to been done a minimum of twice a day.  For a little over a year and a half we milked three times a day.  Don't get me started...I digress.  Those who have been in a milk barn will remember the sound of pulsaters.  Those are the mechanics used to compress and release air in the milk units attached to the udders which squeeze and draw out the milk.  It is a very rhythmic and steady, and can be quite hypnotic when you are as sleep deprived as some of us regulars were.  The best way to describe the sound would be in the movie Ben Hur.  When Judah Ben Hur is on the ship, chained to the oars, there is a Horator, who is beating rhythmicly so the oarsmen will row in cadence.  Now there's a job!  I only know the man is called a Horator because of the subtitles for the hearing impaired.  Look for that on Jeopardy sometime!

So, what does milking cows have to do with lemons?  Let me tell you a story.

To make that job a little easier (little being the operative word here), I would purchase large bags of Jolly Ranchers and keep it in the barn.  Those who milked were able to suck on these delightful pieces of hard candy.  When sucked, they last a long time.  And, as long as you keep your mouth shut while sucking, nothing else will fly in it...use your imagination here...it's a milk barn...with cows.

There was only one stipulation, you couldn't pick and choose the flavors you wanted, you had to look away, put your hand in, pull out a candy, and it was yours.

Now I also believed in bribery at church.  Those who were reverent during the beginning of the meeting through the sacrament, got a Jolly Rancher, which helped them be reverent for awhile longer.  They were in the pocket of Stan's jacket.  Again, no choosing, just enjoy what you got.  He would take one out, fully enclosed in his hand, and put it into the hand of each member of the family.  We did this as quietly as possible, hand the wrapper back to Stan, who would put them in the opposite pocket.  Everyone was happy with what they got, because they got something!

My favorite flavors were green apple and watermelon.  Stan's was cherry.  I think those three flavors were the universal favorites of our family!  If I recall correctly, there were also grape, lemon, orange, and strawberry.

95% of the time, I truly believe this is a correct percentage, I pulled out, or was given a lemon.  I believe my children would back me up on this, and I know Stan would.  Now of all flavors, lemon was the least favorite of anyone, hence the rule.  Since I made the rule, I couldn't complain, murmur, grumble or anything like that. I needed to be the example.  However it did get a little old.  In a 5 pound bag of Jolly Ranchers, there were very few times I got a green apple or a watermelon...sad.  It got so bad that even my children would feel sorry for me on occasion and trade with me.  I think that might validate my honesty in the telling of this story!  I have to admit, here, in writing; there were times I sneaked a peek and nabbed one of my favorites.  But, since I don't like cheaters, it wasn't very often.

Why am I telling this story?  Stan and I enjoy Crystal Light.  At Sam's Club you can buy a container of 44 individual servings, 11 of each flavor.  Again, it's the rule, you can't see what the flavors are from the outside, you pull one out, it's yours...and you are happy you are not just drinking water, which you may have noticed, has no flavor.

Today while Stan was making sandwiches, I made the drinks.  Reached in, pulled out two packages, they weren't even facing me.  I decided not to even turn them around to look at the flavors.  I took the scissors from the knife block, cut off the tops, and poured the contents into the two glasses I had ready.  Both came out yellow...you guessed it, straight lemonade.....

Next time, perhaps, Stan should make his own drink...ya think?

Snow Day!

We finally had more than a skiff of snow a few days ago.  I was excited, only because it gave me the opportunity to some great contrast pictures of our beautiful birds!  They don't blend into the background nearly as much.  I hope you enjoy!  I was able to get a couple of pictures of new birds.

Words....

With the advent of facebook, I have become 'reconnected' with a lot of people.  Some of them from grade school through high school, some from college, and some from the various places I've lived throughout my life.  There are a few who have requested  me to be their friend, and I've thought, "what the heck, since when were you ever my friend?"  Memories flood into my mind and heart.  Some were mere acquaintances, some I admired from a distance, some I've been curious about how their lives turned out, where are they at decades down the road?  Some of them are friends of my children. It's fun to see what they are doing with their lives, who they married, their children.  The pictures that are posted, links shared, the updates posted have opened a window into their morals, ethics, political leanings, what matters most in their lives.  It's been exciting to see how wonderful most of them are.  Then, I've been disappointed in a few, truly believed they had more to them than what they were showing.

We label who we are.  We don't need anyone else to do it for us. By what we have to say and share we let those around us glimpse into our minds and hearts...and those are the things that define us.

I've had a lot of interesting memories wash upon me.  I've been thinking a lot about how what we say and how we treat other people truly have a lasting impact on our lives; especially those things that were said and done to us in our formative years. 

For quite a few years, we had a dairy.  Like the busy ants in Aesop's Fables, there was a lot to do to get ready for winter.  One of those things was bringing in a lot of hay and straw.  We were also building sheds out of metal, which required the use of a welder.  One afternoon while I was milking and Stan was welding, our straw stack, with tons of straw, caught fire.  That is an impressive sight, in a gut wrenching, sickening way.  Unless you had a fire hose within immediate reach, there is no stopping a straw fire.  It is immediate and intense.  The only way to get it out is to bring in large tractors and pull the stack apart.  We had three fire departments come to help put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to the 150+ tons of hay we had stored, the farm buildings, and the house.  The land fill was fairly close to our farm, and they immediately drove over with the ginormous tractors.  It took hours to finally get the fire out and ensure there were no hot spots.  Actually, to ensure no hot spots, we got up every little while through the night and went out to check the stacks.

As devastating as the fire was, something else happened that day that was much more devastating and had more lasting consequences than the fire.

As the children were coming home from school on the bus, and it was apparent that the fire was at our farm, there were several children on the bus who started mocking my daughters, saying that they hoped it was  our house that was on fire, then we would have to move, and voiced their disappointment when it wasn't.

Now one of the children who was involved in this exchange has wonderful parents.  Somehow, they found out about what was said and brought their child to the house to apologize.  The child was tearful, the parent horrified and apologetic that their child would have said something so awful.  The apology was accepted.  Life was so busy, I soon forgot the exchange.

Years later when this child was grown, very responsible, a good adult; I was telling my daughters (at different times and settings) about the good things they had accomplished.  Both of my daughters said the same thing.  "I can't help looking at them and remembering how they wanted our house to burn down."  More than 10 years later, the hurt was still there.  I know the reason the hurt was still there wasn't just what happened on the bus, but various things continued to happen throughout their school years there.  Other parents' responses were "Oh, kids will be kids, what does it matter?"  It matters a lot!  I know their perception would have been quite different had their children been on the receiving end.

The reason I remembered this tonight was because I was thinking about how mean so many people were to one the boys I went to school with, who is now a friend on facebook.  I remember how mean 'Coachy' was to him in P. E. in grade school.  Which brought me to thoughts of how mean some peers were to me.

There was an accident playing baseball when I was 7 years old that ended with the baseball bat connecting with my teeth, and my two front teeth, most of them, on the ground.  I had two silver caps, that was the only solution in 1964.  I became Reera Kay Silver Tooth.  When I was in 4th grade, one of those caps got swallowed with sticky candy, and never replaced.  I had a silver cap and a diagonally chipped tooth.  I became Reera Kay Snaggle Tooth.  Every year at Christmas time everyone sang to me, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth..."  When my mouth became full grown, just before I entered 10th grade, I was overjoyed when my dad took me to the dentist and I got porcelain caps.  I thought it would mean all the difference in how I was treated....but... I became Reera Kay Rabbit Teeth.  It wasn't everyone, and it wasn't all the time, but I don't know how many years it took for me to look in the mirror and feel that I wasn't ugly!

I remember the Dunnagans.  They lived in our area for about a year when I was growing up.  They were a very poor family.  The oldest was a girl named Donna.  She was SO protective of her little brothers!  They were not very clean.  From what I understood, whether it was hearsay or not, I don't know, they lived in a shack without any running water.  They were taunted and made fun of unmercifully on the bus. One day, Donna got on the bus with a horrible burn on her arm.  You would think people would be concerned and want to help....no, just another thing to make fun of.  They moved shortly after that.  I have always been so ashamed that I didn't defend them.

Words can lift us up to where we feel we can conquer anything, give us confidence, make us feel like a Prince or Princess, even if we are rather plain, encourage us, etc.  Or...they can make it hard to breathe.

Remembering these things helps me understand how vital words are.  I can make a difference!  I want it to be of the really good variety.

The evolution of laundry!

When Stan and I were married in February of 1977, I was morphed back into depression era living, in some ways.  My first car was a bright orange Opal Rally (I need to find an image for that...way cool), Stan had a little Datson pickup, yes it was a Datson, not a Nisson!  They were very modern, contemporary, vogue, however you want to say it.

Laundry on the other hand, was going to be a totally new experience for me, way different!  The house we moved into was Stan's grandparents, who had been dead for quite some time.  The house was quite antiquated and had been empty for some time.  We had an old coal oil stove in the front room, and the rest of the house was a freezer in the winter, and it was winter when we got married.  I think one of my best qualities is that I have taken what was available at the time and made do with it.  I don't even think I complained much, you'll have to ask Stan.  We had a very old bathroom set up.  The tub was so rust encrusted from the water, it looked like someone had done an art deco design.  I need to add here that I have never been a fond of art deco.  I remember scrubbing for hours with cleanser and bleach.  NOTHING would take out the rust.  This was in the years before CLR and other rust removing miracles.  In the shop, there was a bottle of Naval Jelly.  I don't know if that is produced anymore, but when I read the label, it said something about being able to remove rust, but it was corrosive and needed to be handled with care.  It was a pink jellied concoction with a brush in the lid for application.  I knew that whatever happened, the tub couldn't look any worse.  I slathered it on lavishly!!  Waited about 10 minutes, washed it out...wa la  the stains were lighter!  I went through 2 or 3 bottles over a several week period, and the tub was white again, almost.

But I digress.  In that tiny bathroom, there was an old wringer washer.  Growing up, we had regular washers, but in the basement, there was an old wringer washer...so I HAD seen one before and knew what it was.  But, I didn't know how to use one.  I learned!  The rinse tub was, you may have guessed, the bath tub!  It didn't do a lot of wash at a time.  After things had swished around for as long as I thought was necessary in the soapy water, I would feed the clothes between the rubber rollers to squeeze the water out, plop the clothes in the bathtub full of clean water, empty the wash water in the toilet, then put the rinsed out clothes through the wringer again.  I have always had a little OCD about laundry, the house, NO, laundry, yes, I would generally rinse the clothes two or three times.  Wringer washers were truly a throw back, for most, to depression era times.  Doing laundry was tedious, and took a long time, but the clothes were clean! To my knowledge, I was the only one anywhere to be using what was a state of the art, most wonderful invention ever, after rocks in a stream and washboards in a bucket 50 years prior!

Then...you guessed it, my dryer was the great out doors!  My lines looked very similar to the ones above.  When the twins arrived in October, yes 8 months, 8 days after we were married (I told people they could pay the hospital bills, if they were counting fingers), I had a LOT of diapers to wash.  All of my friends were using the new invention of disposable diapers, but they were far too expensive for us, so, it was cloth diapers, with diaper laundry almost everyday!  Stacks and stacks of them!  Do you know how many cloth diapers a baby can go through in a day?  I figured I had 30 to 40 diapers a day to wash.  Believe it or not, even cloth diapers have been improved upon!  My daughter Rachel uses them and loves them.  They are much more absorbent, etc. than 34+ years ago!

Did I mention they were born in October?  We brought them home from the hospital in December.  December is in the winter.  Winter in Sugarville, Utah was really cold, many times below freezing at night and never getting above freezing during the day!  So, my drying of diapers had to be a little creative.  I would freeze my fingers to almost frost bite condition, not to mention hypothermia for the rest of my body, pinning them on the clothes line...where they would, you guessed it, freeze dry.  By the time I got to the bottom of the basket, it was hard to shake them out to even hang them!  After a few hours, I would repeat the frost bite/hypothermia routine and bring in stiff, frozen diapers.  They did not flap in the wind!  If they were flapping, and I was too close, they could have knocked me out!  I would then put them by the coal oil stove until they were malleable, then drape them over a wooden rack, like the one below, to finish drying.  When Richard was born in August of 1979, Isaac and Alex were 22 months old, and I had three children in cloth diapers!  That might have been the time I started doing erratic things, like knocking my head into the wall, wishing for a knock out! 

We finally did get an old washer from Stan's parents, when they bought a new one, but it wasn't until Phillip was 1.5 years old that we got a dryer!

When we did have the ability to buy a washer and dryer set the summer of 1982, I thought I had died and gone to laundry heaven!  You can never imagine how wonderful some things are...unless you have had to live without them.  That particular set lasted us until I think 2000.  Part of that time, it was in the dairy barn, where it was used twice a day to wash the cloths we used to clean the cows udders with.  It was a large capacity unit, which was so wonderful!  With 8 in the family, I was doing 2 to 3 loads of laundry a day!  Laundry was one of those things that was never done!

In 2002, we bought an unbelievably wonderful new front loading set.  It could do double the capacity of the large capacity that I had before.  At that time, with only 3 in the house, I only did 1 or maybe 2 loads of laundry a week.  It's amazing how the evolution of things made it to where when I had the most capacity and best convenience, I needed it the least!  But, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

When Stan and I were in Ukraine, we did have washing machines in our apartments, except for the last one. But even though they were modern, they were so tiny, we had several loads a week...and hung them on the line.  We were living in a courtyard area guarded by all of the Babushkas (Grandmothers).  Even though I had done a lot of line hanging in my life, I found out I had been doing it wrong the entire time!  I was instructed by these good ladies, that a wooden pole was needed to hold up the center of the line.  It's funny, I didn't understand Russian, and they thought that if they just talked louder and louder I would understand.  However, when it got to almost a yelling fit, they took me out for visual instruction.  That worked.  When we had hung up our clothes and had to be late coming home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we would find our laundry missing.  The first time this happened, we were like, great, our clothes have been stolen!  But within minutes of getting home, one of our neighbors would come with our laundry in their arms!  Needless to say, unless it was an after thought, we were careful of the days we hung out our clothes.  No Pitbull could have ever guarded our courtyard better than these sweet ladies.  We were taken care of.  

In Nicolaev, our last area, we didn't have a washer and Stan, bless his heart, did our laundry by hand in the bathtub...a blast from the past!

Memories, Light the Corners of my Mind.

I have been thinking a lot about the stories my children may or may not have been told.  I started printing my blogs a couple of years ago.  I knew this would probably be the only journal I would ever write.  Watching my grandchildren and children go through the books, "Oh, I remember that", etc., I decided it would be good to write down some of the stories I can remember from when I was young, a young mother, etc.  I know so few family stories.  So, as I think of things, I'm going to write them, hopefully in a fashion that will encourage my children and grandchildren to read, remember, and perhaps even pass on to their children.

Oh my goodness....did I just say I would be writing my life story?

Yes, with a glitch...it will not be in chronological order.  I will try to remember ages, or at least time frames, but it will be as something reaches deep into the files of my mind and pops out in a memory.  I'm pretty excited about this.  From time to time, there will be no pictures, just memories--lighting the corners of my mind.

Life is Good!

Everyone in life goes through similar phases.  Some of those phases can last longer than others.  We make choices along the way that have a tendency to dictate how long some of those phases last.  Having 6 children in 8 years made me an empty nester much quicker than others my age.  And many other things.  I'm really grateful the choices I've made haven't led me into paths of harmful, addictive phases.  Not that all of my choices have been the best!  But I've had the ability to see far enough ahead to know that the consequence of those choices would not equate into the life I wanted.  Now, I need to clarify, the choice of good food, in quantity, has led to 30 lbs. I  wish I didn't carry!  But there is so much good in my life.

Today is my 55th birthday.  My double nickle year.  As I look back at my life, it's passed really fast!  There were times I thought would never end; there were even a few times I didn't want to end; then there were the times I wanted life to end...I'm glad it didn't, I would have missed a lot.  Everything that has happened in my life makes up me and after a lot of years, I kind of like who I've become!

I used to look at people a lot differently than I do now.  It was so much easier to see their faults than the things that were inherently good.  I wasted a lot of good years doing that.  But I'm doing better, and hopefully that will continue.  Through visiting teaching in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have learned that good often comes in surprising packages.  I have been asked to visit teach some wonderful ladies who never go to church, those who go to church every week, and some who go now and then.  Some of the roughest personalities in these groups have become my best friends.  I would have never met them, if I hadn't been asked to visit them.  I'm so glad I visited and had tenacity, they have become some of my best friends. There are those who never go to church who would give the shirt off their backs, if I was in need.  You kind of expect that in those who go to church every week...but some of them don't have that quality.  Obviously, people interrupt being a Christian differently. 

Love is the great qualifier.  If you truly love someone, there are SO many good things to find in them.

My mother in law, Allie Mae Losee Smith always saw the good in others.  I never heard her say anything bad about anyone, ever,  even when she was baited.  More impressive than that, Stan never heard her say anything bad about anyone.  He told the story of a man in the community where he was raised, Dugway, Utah, who was truly a miserable individual, there was really nothing to like about this man.  When he died, there was a lot of talk about how the world was so much better off without him.  In the middle of one of these discussions, Allie Mae's contribution was, "He had such a beautiful head of hair."  She helped teach me to look for the good, even when you had to look really deep, or at least on top of their head.

All of us have a side we have no desire for anyone else to see.  However, with human nature as it is, there are times when 'the dark side' slips out.  Inevitably, someone will see, or be the victim of it.  Some of these people are in the grocery store and we may never be able to show them the other side of us.  However, most of the time, my dark side has been shown to those I love the most, my family.  The absolutely incredible aftermath of this is my family loves me!  I believe my children and husband have shown more unconditional love to me than I have to them.  They have been so forgiving.  That's the miracle of love.

The older I get, the more I understand, and crave, the gift of family.  None of us are perfect, there are SO many personalities involved; which also involve likes, dislikes, preferences, choices, desires, aspirations...the list could go on and on.  But we are family!!!  And somehow, this has the ability to transcend the differences that can be annoying, irking, worrisome, disappointing, or whatever emotion we might add to the mix.  Family is there after friends may go.  At least this has been my experience.  I realize there are others who can't say this and my heart aches for them.

THANK GOODNESS FOR DIVERSITY!  Our world would be a pretty boring place if we all liked the same thing, or had the same capabilities, or...a lot of other things.

In a family, there is the celebration of success, the sadness in other's suffering, even when that suffering has been self inflected.  There is the compassion and prayers for those who are needing something...and isn't that all of us?  There is the joy in the moments of reunion, we don't see each other often.  There is looking at caller ID or a text from a child and knowing they had the desire to share...whatever...it doesn't matter.  Even when they are needing a shoulder to cry on, it's good they know that the shoulder is there for them.  So many in the world don't have it.

One thing I tried hard to teach my children is that even though life isn't fair, we have the ability to make our little part of it as fair as possible.  Not just the ability, but I feel the responsibility, to make it as fair as possible.  There will always be those who rain on our parade and try to take that away from us, but we have the choice of how we will react and how our lives will go forward.  There have been many times I have had to remember my own council.

Since the end of May 2011, we knew we would be moving to Carthage, Missouri, and were excited for this new adventure.  We DID think Stan would have a job here when we got here, it was a bit of a blow when that wasn't the case.  Having never had a great deal of extra money, finances have always be a bit worrisome to me.  We spent a lot of money, most of our savings, to get us here and to buy the property we have.

The truly amazing thing during this was the peace I felt.  Peace has been a difficult commodity for me to come by, and fairly fleeting.  But in the last few years, Peace has found a place in my heart.

  I started going to the Missouri Career Center early in November, doing testing, applying for jobs, etc.  By the end of January, I have to admit, I was getting a little discouraged and anxious; but my fingernails were not bleeding, the nails were intact.  Peace.  I had started applying for jobs I didn't want, at all, so I could get a job.  I went to a temp agency and applied through them.

I finally received a phone call last Wednesday, February 1, for an interview.  Insert happy dance!  Then I went for a plant tour with the shift supervisor I would be working with.  That went well, I like him and he seems to like me...now I just need to prove myself to him.  On Thursday, I was called and offered the job, they asked me to come in, fill out some forms, order my uniforms, and sent me to the Medical Clinic for a drug test (pretty sure I passed) and physical, at the end of which the doctor said, "Good luck with your new job."  I will probably start work on Friday.  I opted for the night shift, 6 PM to 6:30 AM, so I would be able to go to church on Sunday.  With all the many blessings I have received, I feel it is important to show my gratitude.  For 4 weeks, the schedule is Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then for 4 weeks it is Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, with mandatory overtime on other days.

Manufacturing is hard, 12 hour shifts are hard, overtime is mandatory, I will be working a lot of my 'days off', but when so many don't have jobs, I do.  For this I am very grateful.  I'm grateful my health is good enough to work.  I'm grateful I will receive medical benefits...getting older has been a little rough on our bodies.  I'm grateful there will be enough to pay the bills.  There is SO much to be grateful for.  Peace.

It is a little before 1 AM on February 6, my birthday.  Already on facebook I have received 5 birthday wishes from Kirtland New Mexico, where I was raised, Kiev Urkaine, and other places throughout the states.  I know by the end of the day there will be many more.  When Stan wakes up, he will have birthday wishes for me.  Throughout the day, my wonderful children will call.  I'm sure I will hear some of my 13 grandchildren singing "Happy Birthday" to me. I have been told to 'expect' a package that will need to be collected so nothing will happen to it!  Friends and family will wish me well, and I know they love me.  What more could anyone ask for?

LIFE IS GOOD!

A little domestication...please....

Rachel requested some chicken, feathered friends, pictures.  The first two pictures are our roosters.  The first one is a Blue Orpington.  He is the Alpha Male, head hon-show, etc.  Within 3 minutes of putting him in the pen, he let everyone there know it.  They all acquesied immediately.  He is two to three times bigger than any of the other chickens.  The second one is a Black Copper Maran.  When the Maran pullets start laying eggs in 5 months, they will lay chocolate brown eggs.  We are excited to start getting them.  But right now they are just little, but growing fast.  If you saw my post from December, you would have seen some of the chocolate brown eggs...pretty amazing!

Today I had the happy experience of collecting 2 eggs from our brand new pullets.  You can't tell in the picture, because of the flash, that the 2 smaller eggs are light brown.  They should get darker brown after a little while.  I am going to assume these eggs are from the Production Reds.  We have been waiting for this to happen...very exciting.  Of course from that last statement you can tell we are easily entertained, or, our lives border on complete boredom, take your pick!  Those who know us, know we live on the edge!

We have had some newcomers to our table the last little while.  I really need to get a bird book and find out what types they are.  This little one here is a yellowish green, very pretty.  It's mate's colors are muted, but not as much as the Cardinals.  I love the picture of the three birds on the feeder at once!  It happens often, it's just hard to get a clear picture of it.  The 3rd picture shows the mate of the top picture.  Then there is the picture of what he looks like from the back, I love how their wings lay!  I got a picture of one of the little birds with the sunflower seed in it's mouth!

In pictures 6 and 7, I have another new mate!  I love the red laced into the brown feathers of the male.  The the last newby is the last picture.  He has a little top knot himself.  The wind was blowing pretty good today. It's fun to watch their feathers blow all over, but they never have a 'bad hair' day for very long.  Their feathers know where they belong!

Those of you who have visited know how bad the our bathrooms are.  The little one, of course, is the least expensive one to redo.  Since we got a great deal on the tile, we got enough for the small bathroom.  We don't have the walls textured or painted, but the floor is done, and we bought a small vanity.  Eventually, we will pull out the plastic, truly that is what it is, tub and replace it.  Thanks to Isaac, there has been a new toilet in since July.  Slowly, but surely, we will have things the way we want them.