My Take
DiVoran Lites
Story by my mother, Dora Bedell Bowers
Card-Star of the West Press
On Christmas Day, when DiVoran was nearly two months old Ivan’s Uncle Glen and Aunt Lucille invited us to Sparks for Christmas. We put aside the long gown that most babies wore for the first couple of months and she wore a pretty pink dress a and a bunting I had crocheted which went perfectly with the leggings her Great-grandmother Hunter had made for her. When we got to Sparks, Glen and Lucille were glad to see us, especially the baby who squirmed and kicked her feet to show she was happy to see them too.
For Christmas DiVoran received a wooly dog made by a convict from the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City where Granddad Bowers worked as a guard. She also got a baby rattle from Boonie Egbert and another rattle from the Safeway folks, where Ivan worked as a meat-cutter. There was another baby book from Ivan’s aunt and uncle. She got a soft, fuzzy duck and swan from my brother, Snooks (Smithy) Bedell and his wife, Lena. She received a crib-sheet and pillowcase from Mrs. Hill and Kitty Hill. We got her a doll, which she likes to have in the crib with her.
She learns something new every day. During her first eight weeks, she learned to turn her head to see who was talking to her. When she smiled, that person would just beam. And on the second day of January when DiVoran was three months old, she held up a tiny hand and stared at her fist for a long time as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
DiVoran likes to suck her thumb, she not only likes it but feels it is an absolute necessity. Last night, we wrapped her thumb in gauze so she couldn’t suck it. She cried, so we unwrapped it. She went back to sleep so we wrapped it again waking her in the process. She cried again so we unwrapped it. So that’s how it went until we gave up and went to bed. All in all, though, she is a good child and not only because she belongs to us.
Photo by Pixabay
Our baby girl likes intense colors, particularly the afghan throw over the back of the Chesterfield couch. She lights up at the sight of a bright dress. She enjoys listening to music on the radio, especially the lively tunes. There are a few things she is particular about such as thumb sucking, sleeping in her basket, and not having too many covers on. She wants plenty of food and it had better be on time. Sometimes she just lays in her crib and kicks her feet. The doctor said we were not to pick her up too much because it would spoil her, but sometimes it is hard to resist. She coos and smiles a good deal, particularly when we say hello or call her sweetheart. She turns her head with a definite movement now.
To Be Continued
DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn. She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”
Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
On October 29, 1938, my water broke. The time was 12:15 in the morning. After becoming convinced that the moment had come, Ivan ran for the doctor. Doctor Perry brought him home in his car, then took us to the Lovelock Hospital. In those days, the hospital was just a house with several bedrooms. Dr. Perry observing the timing of my labor left me with the nurse and went back home to finish his night’s sleep.
Fourteen hours of labor later, the tired father sneaked into the nursery to see the baby. It was three P. M. on Saturday and there she was, blue as your hat and not a fit sight to see. For Ivan, it was hardly love at first sight because the first sight was bad–very bad.
By the next time we saw her, she looked better. She had tiny ears, a nicely shaped head, a small mouth, and blue eyes. Her hair was the same color as Mama’s and Daddy’s which was dark brown. When one of her beautiful little hands curled around my thumb I knew those hands were the things I loved best about her, although it was hard to choose.
We all want to look our best. And we do our best to achieve it.
And if you’re like me, you’ve tried various products, hoping that the promise on the bottle will prove true.
The latest one I tried had this instruction: “The best time to apply skin care products is when you are fresh out of a warm shower or bath. Not only is your skin clean, but it is also thoroughly moist and will better absorb anything you apply to it.”
Old Things R New 