Susan's Birthday

This weekend both Kansas and our daughter Susan have a birthday. The year Susan was born Kansas Day was on Sunday like this year and so most of the festivities were held on Saturday night. Then Susan appeared on the real birthday. Her father was working covering the festivities but was very available on the Sunday when she was born. We left our oldest son Steve with his father's parents and went off to the hospital. She was very cooperative and arrived in St Francis Hospital in Topeka. I always enjoy Kansas Day as the schools put on programs and I got to see how clever our grandchildren were at their schools. Kansas had been created as part of te Kansas Nebraska act where they were moving the eastern Indians west. Kansas had a time picking Topeka as its capital because Leavenworth thought they should be. In Indian language Topeka means a good place to dig potatoes which is not very glamorous but did have good potatoes. It has some very colorful history and did not just settle down and behave for we had John Brown come in and burn Lawrence and they had a time in Topeka. My father had a garage on 4th St and the location of the hall where the Kansans met was just up the alley. Susan had many nice birthday parties as she grew up for we loved to have birthday parties at our house. Now our daughter Sally came home from the hospital on Mother's Day, Scott tried to hit Fourth of July, Cindy had Thanksgiving and Steve had Halloween. Birthdays are fun but at 88 I wonder if it is time to quit and just stay 88 but maybe like my mother I will reach a 100. You do not decide that so I will wait and see. I just hope my sister Helen stays around with me so I have someone who understands me.

ETHEL'S bIRTHDAY

Today is my sister Ethel's birthday. She was named after my mother's twin sister. My mother was named Edna Jessie and her twin Ethel Bessie. I have two sisters and they were always kind to their little sister who was skinny, cross eyed and kind of dumb. My brother just kind of ignored me but my sisters Helen and Ethel were kind. When she was in college and dating a student from Kansas State whom had a rather low opinion of my exsistence and he gave her a cocker spaniel she shared him with me. I really loved that dog and after she was married and moved to Sas Diego I had trouble adjusting to the departure of the dog more than them and embarassed them at the railroad stastion when they left with the dog. We visited her many times along with her five children but Tarbaby had been hit by a car by then. She managed to have her daughter born on my birthday which I thought was a rather nice gift. Her mother in law also helped me get my first job teaching in a rural school just between Topeka and Dover, Kansas. Hasppy Birthday Ethel. You were a great sister.

Friday the 13th

We have just lived through another Friday the 13th' I use to be scared of them but my mother taught me that they are really a blessing because anything you do stupid on that day is blamed on the date so you can just relax and enjoy yourself' I think back over the years and remember I fell out of bed one 13th just after I got out of the hospital after one of my 4 pnuemonia trips. I remmeber that all the dumb things have been after turning 60. I shall try to be careful on those dates but will relax if things if do out work out well. HAPPY FURTEEENTH.

What I like about writing a blog

When I met my future husband, Ray, we were in high school in Topeka and he was a year ahead of me and the editor of the school paper at Topeka High. He thought I was not very good and so he assigned me to cover girls athletics. He did not even ask me to sign his yearbook so I signed it later after I found it after we were married. Later in college when he started dating me, he still did not have a high opinion of my writing ability but was quiet about it. He never felt I was a reliable source for any news stories and checked the facts after he talked to me. He would have loved having a blog to write everyday but would probably have gone in for facebook, which I do not even understand. We have a great writing class at my church, taught by an excellent teacher and she gives me courage to write about all the places I have been and all the people I have been lucky enough to meet who do not read my blog so are not crushed by anything I write.

calendars

When I was younger we got lots of calendars. Now I get a couple, both from daughters; They have wonderful pictures of people I know and all the dates I need to remember like birthdays and anniversaries. I use to get national parks and animals. I hung them all around the house but now just in my kitchen. I get a funny one every year you tear the pages off. Last year it was Maxine and this year Peanuts. I sometimes forget what day of the week it is and the Daily paper shares this knowledge with me. This is short but I just wanted the world to know we still need calendars.

New Year"s resolutions

I have generally avoided this as I generally break any before nightfall on New Years Day. 1 I will not eat all the M and Ms in the world until February first. 2 I will let Buster out immediately or as fast as my wheelchair will go. 3, I will stay awake and see the ends of my show on TV except when I have a good reason to fall asleep. 4. I well try to finish the daily crossword puzzle on the day it comes out. 5.I will actually think positive on things instead of thinking of exciting things I could be doing if I would walk. I guess there are not a lot of positive thoughts of what I could be doing. I may need to dwell on this and try in a few weeks after I can think of things I could be doing to spend more time out of a wheelchair. I am going on and post this so others who write one like it will feel real smart. Happy New Year World. Mary Grace and Buster,