Randy is standing in for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz today. He's doing five mini-magic shows for Stafford Schools' Kansas Day celebration. He will miraculously reveal this cake during one of his tricks. (His assistant was busy behind the scenes yesterday making and decorating the cake. Thankfully, his assistant doesn't have to wear a skimpy outfit like those TV assistants!)
As a high school junior, I visited New York City. Cab drivers and waiters had similar responses when they found out we were from Kansas. "Oh! Dorothy and Toto!" they'd exclaim. And they'd want to know about the last tornado we'd been in and were sure our lives were lived in black and white.
As a Kansan born and raised, I'm glad to celebrate the day our great state entered the Union, January 29, 1861, and became the 34th star on the U.S. flag.
Under the Homestead Act, any person 21 or older could choose 160 acres of land on which to farm and/or ranch. If the homesteader could live and farm on this land for five years, they could own it. Randy and I are the fifth generation in our families to live and work the Kansas plains. We credit those adventurous forefathers who dreamed big dreams under a big Kansas sky.
For more on the pioneers who settled this great state, click on my last year's Kansas Day post.
Happy Birthday, Kansas! Pretty cake, Kim.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what people in the big city think about fly-over prairie life. Sometimes, they will ask if we get attacked by Indians.
When we were first married, someone who was contemplating a visit wanted to know if we had indoor plumbing. REALLY?! Unfortunately, that person lived in Kansas - evidently under a rock - in a bigger city.
DeleteHappy Birthday, Kansas! Actually, Terry & I commented on Kansas Day first thing this morning. I guess once a Kansan, always a Kansan. We do get a kick out of the things people think about Kansas and we love telling about life on the plains. Our current favorite story is retelling the story of "Kansas Kitty".
ReplyDeleteWe still gladly claim you! His magic went over well, especially with the K-2 and 3-5 grade groups. There were lots of exclamations: "How'd he do that?!"
DeleteAfter I posted the blog, I got an email from Erin with Movoto, a real estate brokerage site,who sent me this blog link: http://www.movoto.com/ks/kansas-words/ It's "30 words that mean something entirely different in Kansas." I can relate to some - though not all - of them. See what you think!
The words certainly gave me a chuckle. It is interesting to see what words are used differently in other places. Between time in Louisiana, Texas, & Oklahoma we've adopted a lot of different meanings. The one that always trips me up in Kansas is that I use soda now rather than pop. I guess we've been indoctrinated to the south.
DeleteWhen our kids have been in other places for school and work (TN, SC, KY) I have noticed the soda/pop difference!
DeleteHappy birthday Kansas! Ya know I have never watched wizard of oz..
ReplyDeleteI like Robyn's comment about being attached by Indians! Lol!
Cameron's dad tells a story of his grandmother coming from Germany. Not speaking English or Indian. And an Indian coming to the door, saying something to her. She said yes. He snatched the duck cooking on the stove! Lol! She decided to learn Indian before English....oh the good ole days.
Cheri
You will have to put "The Wizard of Oz" on your list to see on Netflix or something! That was one of Randy's questions to the students yesterday: How many of you have seen "The Wizard of Oz?" I'd say most everyone had.
DeleteYou have to wonder if the old stories that have been passed down have been embellished with time - ha!
Great cake, Kim! yum!
ReplyDeleteThe kids were impressed! They wanted to know if it was real!
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