Hide and seek

A game we liked to play was hide and seek. I am not real sure about this but I think each time we set boundaries that you could hide in. Like you could not cross the street or the alley. The person who had to do the seeking leaned against a tree, closed their eyes and counted to what ever number was decided and the others ran and hid. Then the person went out looking and if they saw someone he called out their name and then raced them back to base. I wonder if children still play it and is it an American game or international. I was "It" a great deal as I did not hide very well.

Hopscotch

I loved to play hopscotch when I was a kid and now I am not sure if I really remember how. It seemed we drew this design on the sidewalk with squares and drew a line we stood behind and threw a rock and whoever's rock hit the highest number was first. Then we said a poem. 1-2 buckle your shoe, 3-4 shut the door, 5-6 pick up sticks, 7-8 lay them straight, 9-10 start over again. I know we hopped on one foot and when you got to the end you turned around and came back. You were careful not to step on a line. I know my own children had to play it on our driveway as there are no sidewalks here where we live and where my five children grew up. I know I liked the game although I seldom won. Maybe that is why children liked to play with me as I was seldom a winner in games. I did better at card games and dominoes.

LIARS

The world has lots of people. During your lifetime you may lie but most people try to tell the truth. Sometimes you lie to be polite when someone asks your opinion and you would rather not share it. Some people lie a lot for they like to have things the way they think they are and not as they are. I have a family full of lawyers and they say that even in front of a judge people lie. They want you to see things their way and not necessarily the way they are. You soon catch on when someone lies a great deal and get so you never believe them. That is sad. There are diplomats in our goverment who call it diplomacy when they are represented our country and like to tell you the way things should be or how they think things are even if they are not. This is my lecture for the day so now you can relax. Fill free to lie to me if it makes me happy and does not cause anyone else trouble. However, if I need to know the truth for my own good do not lie to me.

After Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is still fun. I received delightful cards, delicious cookies, candy and visitors. I received a great video I like. What more could you ask? Thanks to E Mail I heard from grandchildren as well. I am glad it is still a friendly day that at 87 you can still enjoy. Even my 90 year old neighbor sent over a piece of pie. She is an excellent cook. It was nice to have the mail not be just bills or advertisements. Now let us see if the next holiday is as fun.

Valentine's Day

The nice thing about Valentine's Day is that somethings are the same. Valentine's are mailed, cards, flowers and candy are given as gifts and everyone seems happy. When I was in school we exchanged Valentines and they used to have comic ones that were mean. I did not like them and generally got them from mean boys who thought they were very funny as they mentioned some of our faults. I never sent comic valentines. My mother had me give one to everyone in the class but I never did comic. As I became older and had boyfriends they were more interesting. Now I receive them from relatives and my church and it is still fun to get them. I guess there was a St Valentine they were named after but I am not sure of the historical facts on the holiday so I just enjoy what I receive. It is fun to get email with greetings and know you are remembered. I like the heart decorations around my house. I have a cute clown doll that sits on the bookcase and I enjoy seeing. If my memory is correct my husband Ray was making a speech and the clown was a decoration on the table. They presented it to me after the speech much to the sorrow of the woman who had made it and was planning on taking it home. I have a heart wreath on the front door and on a wall inside. I have hearts falling from my ceiling and a flag outside on the house with a Valentine greeting on it. I will eat my candy and think happy thoughts about past Valentine's Day. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ANYONE READING THIS.

Lincoln Log

Ray and I liked to celebrate everything and on Lincoln's birthday we had a Lincoln Log for dessert. I made a yellow cake roll and filled it with chocolate and iced it with chocolate and we had it for dessert on February 12. I do not know if it made our children remember the day and why we celebrated but it was fun to eat. I doubt if I could make it now even if I found the recipe but I still have fond memories of eating it.

Writing class assignment

We are to write about our changes in life and this is my version. I have had a few things in life that have changed my direction. The first thing was having children. The second when I was confined to a wheelchair. Maybe a small change in high school when I met my future husband. He was editor of the school paper and did not have a high opinion of my writing ability. I did not either. After you have children things change. We had two boys and three girls. Your days and nights are about them. You get to be in their activities. You are a Cub Scout den mother, a Campfire Girls leader, a nurse. Your holidays are more fun. You meet people with children. You teach Sunday School and have birthday parties. You go through measles, mumps, chicken pox, rheumatic fever, a sick child in the hospital you can only look through the window at. You sit through soccer, piano lessons,violin lessons and other wonderful things.You sell pop at school functions and just when you relax they are ready for drivers ed and college. You add exchange students from Norway, Turkey, Argentina, Germany and Jamaica. Life is full of many changes and you enjoy them and think how great they are as they unwrap in front of you. Now I sit in my wheelchair and think of the changes in my life. TV is invented and in color. There is radio and a man walked on the moon. I have traveled around the world and visited all the continents. Women are now in politics and can do many things they did not use to do. I am 87 and am God let me come.

Shelves in the closet

I sit in my wheelchair and try to remember what is on the shelves of my closets. In one room I can see the Barbie suitcases which must house my daughters' Barbie Dolls and I look at what is hanging there and there must be the clown suits Ray and I wore to run games at our grandchildren's birthday parties and the dresses that Sally and Cindy wore at their older sister Susan's wedding. I can see Cindy's prom server dress I made wrong side out because I picked the pretty side. In another closet I see the box of letters that I wrote Ray when he was in the army and he kept. Maybe it is just as well I cannot take things down and look through them as I might be disappointed and this way I just have the memories which are kind of faded now. Two rooms I cannot even get my wheelchair in so those closet shelves might have treasures only to me and no one else. It is probably like the drawers in my chest of drawers that have treasures for me and rummage sale value to others.