Life Lately

 

How many years is a generation? 

What's your favorite piece of equipment?

How much is it when you add your two ages together?

 

Inquiring minds want to know - at least, inquiring minds in Mrs. Kylie Meyer's second grade classroom wanted to know! 

 

(Mrs. Meyer - after politely asking if we minded sharing our ages - had the students do a little mathematics on their own to come up with the answer. Now that's a good teacher! (And ... mental math has never been my best skill.)

 

Randy and I spoke to the Stafford second graders Monday on Farming: Then and Now.  We have visited the second graders for several years now. As with any quality teacher, Mrs. Meyer gave us an assignment. She wanted us to compare the "then and now" of farming. The second graders are learning about comparison and contrast. Mrs. Meyer helps to illustrate the concept by inviting community members with different backgrounds to talk about their professions or interests and compare them, then and now.

 

Every year, I'm thankful to my mom for putting together family history books for all the grandchildren. She made my job creating the PowerPoint easy because of the old farm photos she compiled in a three-ring notebook. I added some old photos from Randy's side of the family, along with some from our farming days. (There are examples of the photos in this blog post.)

 

This reporter was thrilled to see a few of the students had actually jotted down a note so they could remember their question during the Q-and-A time.  

It's always a pleasure to see the current "crop" of second graders. This year's class is small, but they were polite and inquisitive. 

 

STAYCATION

 

 

Last Thursday, we went to Dodge City for a Kansas Wheat event at Boothill Distillery. Randy had reservations to play golf the next morning in Dodge. But a sprinkly, foggy day changed the plans. (We won't complain about rain. In fact, we'd like to order some more.)  

 

So, instead of golf, we took the round-about way home and drove to Greensburg's Big Well Museum. Anyone in Kansas will remember, but for others: The rural Kansas town of Greensburg was virtually destroyed by an F5 tornado on May 4, 2007. While most of the town's buildings were reduced to rubble, the town decided to build back using "green" construction - appropriate in a town called Greensburg, right? 

 

These are some of the signs collected and saved after the tornado.

 

Both Randy and I remember visiting the Big Well on school trips when we were students ourselves. The Big Well, an engineering feat, was completed in 1888, with its 109-foot depth and 32-foot diameter originally serving as the town's water supply.

 

During our school field trips, we also remember seeing that "1,000 space rock" advertised in the salvaged sign above.  Now, the world's largest pallasite meteorite has a place of honor in the new museum. The meteorite is a blend of olivine crystals and metal.

 

The current site is much more impressive than the original. Now, the museum tells the history of Greensburg, along with the story of the tornado and the rebuild. For an empath, it's hard to see and remember the destruction and the lives lost.  But it's an inspiring story and an inspiring museum - good for a day trip.

Looking up

Looking down

We also ate lunch in Greensburg and toured the museum (home to a soda fountain) and the library. (I didn't take any photos there.)

 

FAMILY TIME

 

I've posted to Facebook about some family events recently, but I wanted to have the record in my blog posts, too. We treated the whole family to supper at The Blind Tiger in Topeka to celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary. We were so glad everyone could be there. 

 

Bonus event: This was the same weekend the girls had regional 4-H Club Day. Both had qualified for presenting at the regional event after getting top blues at the county 4-H day.

 

 Kinley's multi-media presentation was on dog shows. She got a purple.

 

 

Brooke's was a demonstration on making crafts with air-dry clay. She also earned a purple ribbon. 

After lunch, Brooke and I had a side trip to Barnes and Noble. (I tell her parents I'm glad to accommodate Brooke's book habit. They also visit the library, but we have fun at the book store, for sure!)

 

 

BIG BIRTHDAY

After all that excitement on Saturday, we couldn't have a regular old day on Sunday. We helped my dad celebrate his 91st birthday with a pizza party, cake and ice cream.

 

 

Kent, my dad, me, Lisa and Mom. Darci was in Pratt County a couple of weeks ago.

After the dessert, my dad was looking for his cowboy hat that he used while on the 1953 Kansas State University Livestock Judging Team. 

 

 Success! 

 

A LITTLE BASEBALL

 

We met Randy's sister, Kathy, her husband Dave and daughter Emily and cheered on the K-State Bat Cats in their baseball game vs. the Wichita State University Shockers last week. It's always fun to see lots of scoring. We did. K-State was triumphant - 13-10. And popcorn for supper? Yes, please!

 

1980s Tupperware and Anniversaries

 

I've been married so long that my Tupperware is considered "vintage." Every so often, someone will post a meme on Facebook, asking who still uses their yellow Tupperware colander. 

Since I try to be a savvy Facebook user and not get sucked into conversations with potential scammers, I just smile and nod to myself. I may even have a conversation with myself, "I just used that for dinner today." (Don't judge: Don't you have conversations with yourself? If not, don't answer that!)

Anyway, that yellow Tupperware colander has been in a kitchen drawer for our entire married life. And that number just went up. Today is our 42nd wedding anniversary. We got married at the Pratt United Methodist Church on March 28, 1981. There was a deluge as we were traveling to the church, but the sun came out as we left for our honeymoon. On March 28, 2009, we woke up to almost 2 feet of snow. I don't think either of us would have gotten to Pratt from our respective farm homes.

I've always said that rain was a good omen for a couple of farm kids. We could sure use some of that rain today. 

Wedding photos by Stan Reimer, Pratt, KS

Anyway, I don't remember specifically, but I'm guessing the colander was a gift at one of several bridal showers where I was guest of honor. 

At one of those bridal showers in 1981. Sue Thole made the aprons. We still have those, too.

The yellow colander joined the other popular Tupperware of the era - all in the shades of avocado green, golden harvest and orange. (Why couldn't blue have been the popular color in the '80s?)

Found at 80sThen80sNow on Twitter

I couldn't find the meme with the yellow colander, but here's one with a similar product. I still have my pitcher in the same harvest yellow as the colander, complete with set-in tea stains that are well beyond ever being bleached out. 

When I Googled vintage Tupperware, I realize I still have some of those items in my Tupperware cabinet. Another popular bridal gift at the time was brown Pyrex. I have multiple 9 X 13 baking pans in brown, along with a pie plate and a round casserole dish, though the casserole's glass lid broke several years ago.

With our anniversary approaching, I thought about that Tupperware colander in another way. Maybe it could be used as a metaphor for marriage. 

I use the colander to strain out extraneous liquid and keep the "good stuff." Marriage is kind of like that, too. Some of the "stuff" needs to get washed away - the misunderstandings, the disagreements, the hurt feelings ... you get the idea.

But, if we wash that extraneous stuff away, we're left with the "good stuff." As I emptied the dishwasher recently, I thought about how those leftovers from the 1980s bridal showers could be a metaphor for marriage itself. They may have a few stains. Some of the pottery may have a few chips and dings. The surfaces aren't pristine any longer.

But isn't that the way we are, too? There are cracks and dings and imperfections in our lives, and, yes, our bodies, too. But we are still of value. 

 
It's kind of like the story of The Velveteen Rabbit, when a stuffed animal becomes real by being loved. I just love the message:

 "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse to the Velveteen Rabbit. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

From Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit

During several of our anniversaries, we worked baby calves. It was that time of year, so you do what needs to be done. On one anniversary, we had to round up an escaped bull. Randy asked, "Did you expect to be doing this on your anniversary all those years ago?" I just laughed and shook my head because all those years ago, I was more concerned whether the flower girl was going to stand in the right place during the ceremony and whether I'd get down the aisle without tripping in my unfamiliar high heels.

"Well," I told him back then, "I don't know that I would have imagined I'd be moving a bull on my anniversary. But I expected to still be married. I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

Being married isn't always easy. But through all the imperfections, we have definitely become more "real" and more loved ... just like that Velveteen rabbit. And I couldn't ask for more than that.

For an inside family joke, read this blog post from the early days of the blog, A Living Doll. It also talks about the Velveteen rabbit! 

 

 

Happy Anniversary, Randy! 

A Banner Day

Today is a banner day. My parents - Bob & Janis Moore - celebrate their 68th wedding anniversary. (This collage is from one of the books my mom put together for the grandkids). 

2021 Photo by Kent Moore

They were just 17 and 19 when they were married. And even though that seems young by today's standards, it seems to have worked out pretty well for them and their descendants - four children, seven grandchildren and 10 great-grands. 

A couple of those great-grands also are having a banner day today.

It's Kinley's and Brooke's first day of the new school year. Kinley is a 4th grader, and Brooke is in 1st grade. I was anxiously awaiting the first day of school photos.

At this point in her life, Brooke wants to be a kindergarten teacher. (I wonder if that will change to first grade teacher after this year?)

Kinley's career choice of "veterinarian" has remained constant for several years. (I think that it was "dolphin trainer" one year, but that's still animal related.)

For old times' sake, I foraged in my childhood scrapbook to see what I looked like when I was the girls' age. (Thanks to my mom for her organizational efforts! I wish I'd inherited that quality.)

Jeff Berry, Kim Moore, Carol Beberstine, Lorraine Frisbie, Eugene Stotts

 

For me, first grade was the first stop in my academic life. Byers didn't have kindergarten.  I had a whopping five people in my class - counting me!

At Byers, two grade levels were combined, so both the 1st and 2nd grade had Mrs. Bond as their teacher. 

Front row: Curtis Matulka, Eugene Stotts, Ronnie Young, Mike Kelly, Kim Moore, Carol Beberstine, Jeff Berry. Back row: Monte Pritchett, Kevin Warren, Mrs. Bond, Danna Stinemetze, Lorraine Frisbie, Bob Parker.

 My fourth grade year was the final one at Byers. In fifth grade, Byers consolidated with other small Pratt County schools to form Skyline. I don't remember exactly what I wanted to be at those milestones in my life. I remember "composer" was one of the things I dreamed of becoming. (I was not granted that God-given ability, though I certainly appreciate musical composition.) But I also thought of being a writer. So I guess maybe I had an inkling of what I might become.

 The shot of the girls boarding the bus this morning also brought back a little nostalgia. I rode the school bus the 3 1/2 miles to Byers. My kids had a longer trip for their dozen miles or so to school. I didn't find any photos of my "antique" bus.

Even though my efforts in scrapbooking did not compare to my mom's, I did find a few photos of Jill at similar ages to her girls.

Jill was 8 1/2 and Brent was 6 in this first-day-of-school photo.

Here was their school bus photo that year.

Jill would have been 6 - just like Brooke - in these photos. Brooke wanted her hair crimped for her first day of school. And I noticed that Jill had her hair crimped for her first day of school, too.

You can see the bus lights coming in the dark!

What goes around comes around, I guess!

Happy anniversary and happy first day of school to some special people!

My Kind of Date

It's not hard to imagine why Randy's ancestors chose a spot along for Rattlesnake Creek to stake a claim as they pushed westward more than 125 years ago. It's especially true on an evening when the sky was painted like an expansive, texture-filled canvas of light and darkness. The creek gently gurgled as the current ebbed and flowed along the banks after recent rains. 

That particular night, there were few insects to swat away. And a little springtime chill in the air made a sweatshirt the perfect fashion accessory.

 

It's no wonder that this piece of ground has been handed down, generation to generation, better than an antique ring or dusty family china.

 

The evening "date" was an excursion to replace a rotted hedge post along the eastern border of the Big Pasture, as Randy's family calls it.  

 

 

 

I rode along - not for my fence-building prowess, but for the company for him and the scenery for me. It was the evening after my second Covid vaccination, but it was before the side effects arrived. The cloudy sky promised the chance for an interesting sunset, an unexpected bonus.

 

It was just a couple of days before our 40th anniversary. This kind of "date night" has become the norm in the past year, with Covid restrictions. But, in truth, it's always been my kind of date. God's creation is an ever-shifting painting here on the Kansas plains. Some may not recognize the beauty, but to me, it seems a gift to savor.

 

On Sunday, I gave Randy a canvas of a photo I took last August at the same pasture. We don't usually give each other gifts for things like birthdays or anniversaries, but I thought the 40th deserved more. I take thousands of photos a year. It was really hard to choose just one to enlarge and present. But I chose the scene from the Big Pasture for several reasons, including the tradition and family ties it represents. We have held that family partnership for 40 years now - significant, of course, but just a fraction of his family's legacy. The creek's twists and turns mimic a marriage's ebbs and flows, and water is a life force on a Kansas farm.

 

It was especially hard to choose the photo when I couldn't ask Randy his opinion, even though he's usually my sounding board when it comes to my decision-challenged selection of photos for contests and such. 

 

It's just as well I already had the canvas ready to go because that evening's scenes were pretty enough to move into contention to take up some real estate on the wall of our farm home. 

 Here was the scene looking west from the border fence as Randy made the fence repairs.

The view to the east looked past the fence into the neighbor's pasture, where the Rattlesnake continued its meandering path through more native grasses.

Once the fencing mission was complete, we worked our way back to the bridge on a dirt road that borders the pasture to the west. 

The "same" scene looked nothing like the canvas that Randy would unwrap on Sunday morning, though it was taken from about the same spot. And that's the beauty of nature, isn't it?

More of the fence line that Randy and his cousin Don maintain provided a foreground for another snapshot facing east.  It's hard to know whether they were the ones to set the posts or their dads or granddads planted them in the Kansas soil. And there's some history and symmetry in that, too.

The view to the west of the road gave a very different perspective. The sunbeams were almost like God reaching fingertips downward to our little piece of heaven on earth. I guess it seemed right on that Friday before Palm Sunday, a message of hope and peace in a world too often fraught with chaos.

The sky continued to shift. Most of the time, ducks soaring high overhead were our only companions. Eventually, a couple of guys in a pickup came by to make sure we weren't broken down on this desolate road with limited cell phone coverage. 

 (They also may have been curious about what we were doing, but I hope they were giving us the benefit of the doubt.)

We moved down the road and climbed onto an oil tank platform for a view of a pond where our cattle will drink this summer.

Some of those ducks who had been soaring overhead found a resting and feeding spot in that small pond.

Randy said it looked like they were making jet streams in the pond to mimic the ones in the sky as they glided over waters unruffled by typical Kansas winds.

I probably gave up on the sunset too soon. As we turned the corner on our road to go home, we saw the vivid pink underneath a blanket of blue as the sun went to bed for the night. We stopped at our wheat field for a quick snapshot.

Afterwards, we got to enjoy Randy's blueberry anniversary pie. Nature's "movie" and a snack. Maybe it's even better than a blockbuster and popcorn. (It's been so long between blockbusters, we wouldn't know.)

The next day, I was really glad I'd made the pie early. Dose No. 2 of the Covid vaccine knocked me for a loop. Thankfully, the reaction was short-lived. And I figure it's just a sign that it's working.

I hope it will help move life back toward "normal." But I'll still love dates with nature as the marquee attraction.