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Washing Dishes

27 Jul

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistI have almost always washed dishes, sometimes I had help, sometimes not. When I was a child, Mother called on me when the restaurant got too busy for her, Dad, and a waitress, if we had one, to handle. My brother washed dishes with me. Usually I washed and he dried. To amuse ourselves we bickered or stacked the dishes in the drainer as high as possible stopping just before they began to topple. We called it making castles. Our parents paid us 25¢ an hour. One day I was at my friend, Patricia Franklin’s house for supper. I loved the Franklins, a big catholic family with five boys and one girl. The girl, Patricia, was my best friend, and I had a crush on one of her brothers. He didn’t have a crush on me.

Usually, Patricia and I washed the dishes after supper when I was there. The Franklins 1obviously had other arrangements when I wasn’t. On this summer evening, when I went into the kitchen to start on the dishes, I figured somebody would follow. To my surprise, no one came. I washed all the dishes by myself and left them to dry piled majestically into a fine castle. I got a lot out of the experience. For one thing I was pleased that my skills were such that someone besides my own family needed me. For another, being so responsible make me feel like a grown-up. The third thing was that I felt I was expressing my regard for the family and they would all pleased with me. I don’t know whether that ever happened, because I’m not sure they knew they had a martyr in their midst. Of course, their being Catholic, I wouldn’t be even a minor martyr compared to the ones the had read about. But I felt good about myself, anyhow.

A restaurant customer once said I was the chief cook and bottle-washer. I couldn’t claim the first part-but the second part was true. I have been washing dishes for 70 years. Every country on this globe has people who can make the same claim (if they have dishes, and more to the point, if they have food).

Now there’s only Bill and me. Together we keep the kitchen moderately clean. I’m glad I have things like that to do. I heard a story once from a friend who visited a rehab center. She gave a talk and after refreshments, one of the elderly women took her plastic cup over to a sink where she slowly and lovingly washed and dried it. You see, she had no home to care for anymore. I’m glad I have jobs to do even now. I thank God for dishes and for everything that goes with them. Also I thank him for my electric dishwasher, even though one of us has to wash them by hand before we put them in or they won’t come out clean.

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Granny~Part 3

26 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                      

I’ve mentioned before that Granny was a great seamstress. I don’t know whether or not she made Mother’s wedding dress, but it is quite possible.

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And remember – she and both of her daughters (my Mother and Aunt Jessie) all three worked in the Rochester Handkerchief Factory in San Antonio for a number of years. So she was well-versed in the art of sewing, and with a machine.

I know that she was partly responsible for teaching me to sew fiesta dresses (please see my post on December 9, 2012).

I remember my brother, Bill, telling me how she would make Western shirts for him. Seems she had the pattern for a long-sleeved western-style shirt on hand. He would go to Sears or Penney’s or a fabric store where they had fabric by the bolt, and he would purchase 3½ yards of fabric of his choice. He would take it to Granny, and she would sew up that shirt in no time. Bill had a “kit” that enabled them to anchor pearl topped snaps on the shirt. They would get together; Granny would mark off where the snaps were to go; and Bill would make the attachment. Fun time for both of them, and lots of shirts in his closet.

Remember now……Granny had an old treadle Singer sewing machine.

She did all this work on that machine. I seem to remember it was “commercial grade” – they probably purchased it from the handkerchief factory. I believe in later years they removed the treadle and upgraded to an electric motor. But I’m not sure about that. One thing I really do remember about that machine is that, off to the left side, was a long button drawer. And it had tons of buttons in there – all kinds, colors and shapes.

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I would spend hours just sifting through those buttons. It was such fun for a child. (Don’t be alarmed – I never swallowed any!)

Bill told me that Granny also made him an “Ike” jacket, which was very trendy during that time.

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She made it out of red corduroy – and he loved it! He had a pair of red corduroy pants to go with it, and he wore that outfit to school. He thinks that is what captured DiVoran’s attention after they had met. Interesting story, huh?

I also remember that she made a turquoise velveteen jumper. I wore it a lot.7

She also made a turquoise wool coat for me –

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and later a blue wool coat. And along with those, was a turquoise bathrobe. Think I might like the color turquoise?

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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Hurry…and Wait!

24 Jul

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

Why do we discipline ourselves to always be on time for appointments
when we know in our heart we will have to wait?

To me it is a matter of courtesy.
When we die, I know God will meet us at the Pearly Gate.
He is a God of perfection.
I don’t expect him to make us wait.

Jesus bids us “Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden
and I will give you rest.”
Such welcome words to a tired soul. It’s true.
I’ve already put him to the test.

Do you have a problem?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Free yourself of worry.
You’ll find true peace and comfort there.

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Our Greatest Fear

22 Jul

Due to technical issues, Bill’s post won’t be available today. I am sharing this personal story and advice written by my FB friend, Mark Myers

A Generous Helping

What is your greatest fear? What is it for you – that thing that gives you shudders just to think of it? Thunderstorms? Dogs, snakes, spiders? Heights or maybe confined places? Perhaps it is something psychological like public speaking, failure, or being alone. Most of us are afraid of death. Everyone has something they fear in varying degrees – even Chuck Norris.

Your list of fears might be long or it might be short.

While I don’t love snakes, I know my greatest fear is being eaten by a shark. What are the odds, right? I go to the beach one week out of the year and stay in the surf. Oh, I wade out and play. But I always I keep a wary eye on the horizonjaws-poster and make sure there is at least one person bobbing between me and the deep blue. I call him chum and he is…

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Janet and the Paint Puddle

7 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

                                          

Fred and I waited until he graduated from college before we married. We had known each other about three years and engaged for half that time (I invite you to revisit my October 5, 12, 19, 2014 posts on “How We Met”).

As soon as we left the wedding, we headed for Fort Worth, Texas, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where Fred was to study for the ministry. While there for four years, I went to work, getting my “PHT” degree – you know – Putting Hubby Through, while Fred achieved his MDiv and MRE (Master of Divinity/Master of Religious Education).

When no ministry openings came available for Fred upon his graduation, and his Draft Board became interested in him, he began checking into the military openings. And so we found ourselves in the United States Air Force.

We spent one year in San Jose, California, while Fred studied Meteorology. We then spent three years in Wiesbaden, Germany. Our next tour was 13 months in northern Maine. And the follow-on tour was in San Antonio, Texas, where Fred was an instructor in the Air Force Officer Training School.

After living in apartments and government housing all that time, we decided it was time to finally own our own home. And we found one that was quite comfortable, and a new construction.

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The entry to the house was divided from the living room by a half-wall, with spindles to the ceiling.

After we had been in the house for several years, we thought of painting that half-wall and entry way, and set about to do it. We laid out a cover for the carpet, just in case. We had a step-stool to get the higher-up areas. We had our rollers, brushes, and paint trays that we kept filled with paint.

Roller
Roller
Brush
Paint tray
Paint

Karen was in school, but Janet was still at home with us. We were busy painting, and had warned Janet to stay either in the living room or her room, but do NOT come in the entry way. However, I frequently found her edging her way around one of the half-walls and into the entry way, rather than going the other way, through the kitchen and family room. And then, as you might surmise, I looked up, saw her squeezing by that half-wall again, and I yelled, “JANET!” Startled, she looked up, whirled around and lost her balance, and SPLAT! landed right in the middle of the “puddle” of paint in the paint tray!

Fred was rather furious, but I picked her up (she was bawling by this time), and took her to the nearest bathroom. While she was in the tub, with me “hosing” her down, the whole thing just tickled my funny bone. I began to giggle – as did she – and we had a great time cleaning up.

She survived the paint – and we survived the painting. And it’s a sweet memory.

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Are electronic devices the doom of family time?

2 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

FrienI'm a winner

The heat wave here in the hills last week, kept me inside chilling with the A/C. This week is much more pleasant, weather wise and fun wise.  We have been enjoying a visit from a Florida forever friend and have taken some short but scenic drives. When we haven’t been out enjoying the sights, we seem to gravitate to a comfy space and spend time on our “devices” At first thought, this seemed a bit anti-social. But today I realized, it is very much like the “olden days” when people would grab a section of the newspaper to read, then share a laugh or tidbit of news with everyone else.

Last evening our daughter Rebekah flew up  to spend the holiday with us. We always have a good time when we are together here in the hills. There was a lot of excitement going on this morning. We could hear a mowing/chopping machine moving through the neighborhood. Our roads are communtiy owned and we hadn’t paid for any maintenance. Those machines are impressive! The saplings that were crowding the road were no match for this beast. I watched, fascinated as it’s arm reached out and leaned the tree over then began chopping and grinding. By the time  the machine moved on, the road looked like a tornado had been through. Can you tell it doesn’t take much to entertain me? Meanwhile, our friend from Florida was so excited about the cool temperature that she insisted on dead heading our rose bushes.I made the barest of protests before handing her the pruning shears. We now have tidy rose plants and clean (sort of ) road sides. What a day!  But wait, there’s more. Our son and his family came for dinner and even though it was raining, the husband set up a large umbrella and grilled chicken. I had brined it that morning and it was so juicy, we all enjoyed it. After dinner we played some rounds of Would You Rather and Apples to Apples with the grandchildren, who like everyone’s grandchildren, are the most beautiful, adorable and smart grands around.

To finish the evening after our son went home  we spent time on our back porch, listening to the drip-drip of the rain and enjoying the fireflies. Rebekah reminisced about the fun she had chasing them each summer and I smirked remembering the blessed relief of not having to entertain her! Then we all retired to our comfy spots and picked up our electronic devices, kind of like the times when cities had a morning and evening edition of the newspaper.

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CLOWNING AROUND

28 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 Growing up in Albuquerque, my first friend was Shirley. She lived down the street, through the side yard of a house, down the alley, and into her back yard. We were fast friends. I was at her house so often, that her mother had a jar of dill pickles in her refrigerator, just for me.

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We were visiting with Shirley and her husband, Jim, a few years ago, as they live just one-and-one-half hours away from us. At that time, they presented us with a couple of pictures. Shirley said, “that’s you (Judy) and me, but I don’t remember what was going on, or why you are on the ground.”

And instantly, the memory came back. Shirley and I were with a youth group from our church (we were about 16 years old), and we had gone to Glorieta (New Mexico) Conference Center for a retreat. As you can see, I was a bit of a clown back then. Shirley was NOT impressed!

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As for my being on the ground:   Not only was I clowning around, but some of the others were, as well. One of the guys picked me up and slung me over his shoulder. Fun thing to do, huh? Something guys and girls do a lot for fun. Unfortunately, however, my nose met his back with such force that it gave me an instant bloody nose! So there I was, on the ground, swallowing blood and trying to get my nose to stop bleeding!

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Shirley remembered that she had been trying to get the attention of one of the guys – and he happened to be the one who hefted me over his shoulder! She was NOT a happy camper at that point!

But all turned out well….the nose stopped bleeding….the retreat proceeded successfully….and neither Shirley nor I married the guy in question.

But it’s a fun memory of a simpler time.

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Love Encounter

15 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

Big cat slides
Between child and fence
Small hand comes out to pet
Cat collapses in dry leaves
Tummy up for scratching

Cat rolling in grass

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The Space Race~Part 3

10 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill Small Red Plane

 

 

When that program was over in 1979, I was laid off and lucky enough to get a job with MacDonald Douglas’ (MDAC) Space Operations, who was processing and launching Delta series 3914 vehicles to place communication satellites in orbit for NASA and various U.S. Government organizations from complex 17A/B there on Cape Canaveral. This job required quite a bit of travel to Vandenberg AFB, CA where the U.S. Air Force was using the same Delta series 3914 vehicle to place their own satellites in a different orbit.

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In 1981 Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. (LMSC) called me back to Complex 46 on Cape Canaveral, to work on the U.S. Navy’s new Trident II submarine launched ICBM. This program was similar to the Trident I program in that it consisted of the assembling, testing and launching of 21 development missiles from a flat-pad, to qualify that missile for submarine launch operations and eventual duty in the Navy’s new Ohio class nuclear submarine fleet for which it was originally designed.

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When that program was completed, I remained a few years to help with the facility transition from a launch operations facility to what was called a Fleet Certification Facility. Then in 1989, rather than being laid off again, I transferred to the Lockheed Space Operations Co. (LSOC) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). By that time NASA’s Space Shuttle Launch & Recovery Operations had recovered from the 1986 Challenger accident, and launches were again on a fast track.

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One of my first assignments for LSOC, away from my KSC office, was in 1990 to observe and coordinate several Space Shuttle Drag Chute deployment system tests being conducted at Edwards AFB, CA. NASA’ B-52 (52-0008) was used for the initial tests, and it was quite a site for me to see, and quite a challenge for the pilots, to land that huge aircraft at the 160-230 mph speeds required to simulate the Shuttle landing speeds. NASA eventually added the drag chute system as part of the Shuttle landing system in 1992 on STS-49 and all subsequent orbiters, to help protect the orbiter’s brakes and tires during landings at the KSC runway.

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After I retired in 1996, my interest continued to be centered around aviation and I took up flying R/C Model airplanes, as a hobby, along with many of my friends. In addition to flying R/C Model Airplanes, around 2010, I started a bucket list of various aviation museums across the country I wanted to visit. Now I try to plan a two-week museum trip to some area of the country about every six months, one trip in the spring and one again in the fall.

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I usually fly to a conveniently located airport, rent a car and use the road-trip to see as many museums and airshows as possible, on the planned route, in the time allotted. My main interest is, off course, visiting aviation museums, but usually includes automobile museums, train museums, and maritime museums alone the way. One of my most exciting aviation airshows I attended last year was in Texas to see “FIFI” (the only air worthy WWII B-29 Flying Fortress in the world). What a beautiful war bird that is. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I got goose bumps when they started up those four huge improved Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines. What a thrill that was for me!

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                                                            —–To Be Continued—–

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Lizard Revenge

8 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

Cat catches lizard.

Lizard catches cat

Green anole

Fur in mouth!

Green anole

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