Then and Now

Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?

C.S. Lewis 

 

How can the little girl who wanted to be a dolphin trainer just a few years ago now be graduating from 8th grade? How is it that we'll have a freshman granddaughter next year? How is it that she is old enough to drive us instead of us driving her?

 

There was no Willie the Wildcat nor caps and gowns like there was for her preschool graduation back in the day. But,  I guess we blinked and life happened. Kinley graduated from 8th grade at 8 AM May 21. (Yes, 8 AM!) There were 127 students in the school's Navigators Team. (There was another graduation ceremony with a similar number of students later in the morning for the other team. Coming from a small school, the numbers blow my mind.)

 

 

 

The afternoon before, Brooke was promoted from 5th grade, making way for middle school next year. She started kindergarten in 2020 in the midst of the Covid pandemic.  

 

 

Yes, she still had the handy, dandy sign made by her mom, but her classroom was in the basement at home. Back in that moment of time, she wanted to be a teacher. 

 

On Wednesday, she was among 90 classmates who said goodbye to elementary school.

 

Brooke's preschool graduation in May 2020.

  

No caps and gowns for her either. Maybe we could still see a glimpse of that little girl in that confident, maturing new 6th grader? 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what their current dreams for their futures are. But we've certainly been enjoying the present this spring. 

 

While the bulk of the girls' middle school tennis season was last fall, Kinley got to compete in a mixed doubles tennis tournament earlier this month. 

 

 

She and her partner got 2nd. 

 

 

Then, she got 2nd in her pool in the league singles tournament on May 6. 

 

In her "spare" time, she also went out for middle school track. She ran the hurdles ... and she didn't get hurt (the most important part).

 

 She high jumped. (I was not responsible for any of those genes.)

 

At various meets, she ran the mile and the 800. (Also not responsible for those genes.)

Tennis will be her sport in high school, so these final track meets will likely be her last. That's the difference between tiny schools and 6A schools. Students do more specialization. 

During the winter, we also got to watch Brooke play volleyball - with her mom as coach. It was amazing to see how much all the girls had improved from last year to this year. 

She played basketball, too.

Earlier this month, we went to Brooke's 5th grade music concert featuring recorders. Brooke told me and Grandma Christy that we could skip the concert. You know ... recorders and 5th graders? Yes, there was the requisite Hot Cross Buns, in both a traditional and a jazzy version. But who could turn down a chance to hear recorder renditions of Eye of the Tiger or Coldplay's Clocks? Contrary to pre-concert warnings, it was a good performance. 

 "The days are long, but the years are short." 

Long days are probably more a reality for parents than grandparents. But even for we grandparents, time races onward. 

 For my girls as you both leave behind the old and stride toward something new: 

Always remember that you are braver than you think, stronger than you believe, smarter than you realize and more loved than you can imagine. 

Ah Kansas!

 

If there's anything better than life - it's life in Kansas.

Kansas Chamber of Commerce, 1930

 

It's been awhile since Randy and I were in school. But we can still complete an assignment. This morning, we spent an hour with Mrs. Kylie Meyer's second grade class at Stafford Elementary School, Randy's alma mater. 

 

Mrs. Meyer gave us an assignment 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. 

 

Another Then and Now comparison: When Randy was in second grade, there were two classes of 26 each. This year's class has 16. We also talked about the difference in the number of farms and the county population when comparing then and now.

 

We have gladly participated in this activity for several years now. I put together a PowerPoint slide show with historic photos from both of our families. We were both 5th generation farmers before retiring in 2022. Many of the photos are from books my mom compiled for our kids with memories of family members and farm equipment from my parents' farming legacy. (There are several photos from the slide show and links to family history posts HERE in a blog post from 2022.)

 

 

 

For this year's presentation, I added some information on the number of farms in the early 20th century compared to now. That information was from our visit to the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka on the day after Kansas Day. I suppose a Kansas Day visit on January 29 would have been more symbolic. But, after finding out that 800 people (mostly school children) had been at the museum on Kansas Day to celebrate the state's 165th birthday, we were happy we were able to visit on a quieter day!

 

 

What is Kansas? Kansas is a crossroads. The heartland. A geographic center. The birthplace of ideas that have shaped our nation. A site of adaptation, conflict and consensus. A home of people, ideas and dreams ... Why Kansas? People came to Kansas for many reasons: for the land, for its resources and for the promise of a better life. Some, regrettably, came by force. Kansans stayed to make a home, to make a living or to fight for a cause. While here, Kansans have experienced conflict and cooperation, engaged in innovation and adaptation and promoted celebrations and communities. 

From displays at the Kansas Museum of History

Randy had been to the museum with our Kansas Master Farm Family group four years ago. However, I was sick and didn't get to go on the tour.

Since Jill and crew live in Topeka, we're often looking for something to do when the girls are in school and Jill and Eric are working. The Kansas History Museum wasn't an option for several years. It had been shut down for three years, undergoing a $6 million renovation. It updated the 1980s-era displays to new, colorful, interactive exhibits. 

While we were mainly in Topeka to see the girls' sports activities and to enjoy some family time, we thought the Kansas Museum of History was a worthwhile diversion. The gallery shares personal stories of people who came for many reasons and became Kansans for many more. The new exhibits are broken into four main themes: Bleeding Kansas, Making Kansas, Connecting Kansas, and Changing Kansas:

Bleeding Kansas tells our formative story from the territorial period, tracing the political and violent events that led to our statehood and recounting Kansas' role in the Civil War.
Making Kansas shares stories of people building lives, developing industries and grappling with extreme weather - experiences rooted in the land and its rich resources. 
Connecting Kansas weaves accounts of trails, transportation and the railroad which shaped our towns and influenced immigration and settlement.
Changing Kansas explores efforts for civil rights and social reforms, examining why Kansas is often at the heart of issues with national implications. 

There was also information on Kansas' indigenous history, featuring contributions from all 36 tribes with historical ties to the area.

We have seen the actual mural of John Brown in the Kansas Capitol on another "tourist" day in Topeka. (Click HERE for that blog post.) The Capitol mural was painted by artist John Steuart Curry on the east and north walls of the east corridor of the Capitol's second floor. 

But a reproduction of the mural also helped tell the story of "Bleeding Kansas" in the museum. And I learned something new about the mural:

The famous mural depicts the moral complexities of war, featuring a heroic, yet fanatical, John Brown painted larger than life. Many Kansans opposed Curry's interpretation, saying it misrepresented their state's identify. Frustrated by the criticism and unable to fulfill his vision, Curry refused to sign his statehouse murals and left Kansas. He died of a heart attack in 1946 at the age of 48, never knowing how celebrated his work would become.  

As required by the new constitution, the first Kansas Legislature established the state seal and motto in a joint resolution on May 25, 1861:

 

The east is represented by a rising sun in the right hand corner of the seal; to the left of it, commerce is represented by a river and steamboat; in the foreground, agriculture is represented as the basis of the future prosperity of the state by a settler's cabin and a man plowing with a pair of horses; beyond this is a train of ox-wagons going west; in the background is a heard of buffalo, retreating, pursued by two Indians on horseback.

 

The motto, Ad astra per aspera, which means "to the stars through difficulties," is above 34 stars, representing Kansas' entry as the 34th state in the Union. 

 

What is Kansas? It is the promise of a better life - sometimes fulfilled, sometimes deferred. It is striving to reach the stars in the face of difficulties. It is the joy of belonging, the creation of community.

Kansas is the story of everyday people whose inspiring narratives reach far beyond the state's borders. Some Kansans served the noblest of goals. Some served their own self-interests. Most, just like the rest of us, acted with complicated and very human combination of both. Regardless of their intentions, they all helped shape the world we know today.  

The Emporia Gazette used this cylinder press from 1890 to 1906 to print daily and weekly issues, including William Allen White's influential 1896 editorial, "What's the Matter with Kansas?"

While I enjoyed all the exhibits, I especially liked the "power of the press" section. (I worked as a reporter and editor at The Hutchinson News for nine years and have done a daily M-F radio Central Kansas Report for KFRM 550AM radio since March 2008.) The exhibit featured Emporia journalist William Allen White's printing press and a projector showing Kansas headlines, even as recently as the police raid on The Marion County Record newspaper back in August 2023.

And, of course, both Randy and I were attracted to the displays featuring farming and agriculture.  

I took a photo of this because the windmill was from Clay Center, where my sister lives.

"All parts of Kansas grow good corn, but
in wheat, Kansas can beat the world."

-- Topeka Daily Capital, 1889 

Farming is a way of life in Kansas, impacting its politics, laws, innovations, social customs and traditions. The economy relies on many agricultural businesses, including those related to storing, transporting and processing farm products.

Most early Kansas farmers wanted to grow crops they could sell. The standard farm size of 160 acres was too large for subsistence farming but generally not large enough for commercial ventures, especially as farmers moved west. As technology advanced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, farming became big business in Kansas. There were 178,000 farms in Kansas in 1910, with an average farm size of around 244 acres. That number dropped to 55,000 farms in 2023, with an average size of 807 acres. Changing - and more expensive - technology, fluctuating crop prices and efforts to make farming more efficient all contributed to the rise of larger farms and agribusiness. With its advancements in agriculture, Kansas came to be know as the Wheat State and the Breadbasket of the World.  

This just scratches the surface. There is also a 1914 biplane made in Topeka, an 1860s cabin, train cars and depot and lots more. Both Randy and I would recommend a visit if you're near Topeka. Hours are 9 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM. It is closed on Mondays. 

***

And, just for my memories, we also got to experience several of the girls' activities. 

 We picked up Kinley from school and got to watch her tennis lesson.  

We saw Brooke's basketball game. 

And we got to see a couple of her volleyball games (and witness the coach's skills.)

 

Though I don't have photographic evidence, we shopped for Kinley's 14th birthday presents in Kansas City and ate lunch with the whole family - including Brent and Susan. 

Fun and a little education? It was another great stay.

It Was a "Grand" Time!

It was a GRAND time! We spent several days in Topeka with the girls while their parents had a quick getaway. 

This time, there were two lists of instructions: One was for our granddaughters' schedules and activities. The other one was for Summer, the dog. Thankfully, Randy handled most of the dog duties. Other than a brief time when we lost the red collar that's supposed to keep Summer in the yard, we had minimal mishaps. Summer was a good girl and stayed anyway. Whew! That's on Randy. 

But ... oh yeah ... the broken plate is on me. 

Still, Kinley and Brooke got to all their activities and were fed. Summer also survived the week with the novices left in charge.

Before the parents departed, we got to see Brooke's volleyball team in action, led by Coach Jill. This is the third graders' first year playing volleyball. This is also Jill's debut season as coach. They don't keep score. But, the Attack won, I'm sure. It had to be due to the superb coaching, right?

Many of the girls are already serving overhand. Of course, they don't serve from the regulation line and they get two chances to get it over. But, we were still impressed.

Having a team cheer is vitally important to success.

The girls had an early release day on Wednesday, so we went bowling. 

Grandma lost. Of course, they had bumpers and I didn't. But, as I told them, there was a reason I took bowling in college pass-fail. Back in the olden days, we had to take a lifetime sport to graduate. I chose bowling. And I sure didn't want my lack of skill at the bowling alley to affect my GPA. I was bad. And I didn't improve much, even with some input from the instructor.

Then, on Friday, we took Kinley to her tennis lesson. We're always amazed in her improvement. You'll have to take my word for it because the video won't upload, for some reason. And she's one of the younger ones in the class and I sure wasn't going to make her pose for a Grandma photo when she was surrounded by her older friends. That would be a Grandma fail!

It wasn't all sports. Brooke was working on her X6 multiplication facts. And she passed and has moved on to the X7s.

She also got her pet rock decorated and turned in early - just one less thing for Mom and Dad to help with when they got home!

We got to see some of their artwork come home. They did not get their artistic talent from me.

We were proud to clean out book bags and find positive notes from their teachers, too. Brooke was honored for collaboration, going above and beyond and respectfulness during the Friday assembly. I was ready to go and cheer, but I was informed that parents (or grandparents) did not go to these assemblies. And Kinley was recognized for including others and welcoming others to her group. While I'm also a firm believer in working hard on school subjects, those character traits get an A+ from Grandma, too!

While the girls were in school, Randy golfed at three different courses around Topeka. And I read my book.

The first day, we were at Forbes Field.

The second day, we went to Lake Shawnee. Randy survived golfing with three KU fans.

The third day brought chillier weather. Though he'd planned to golf 18 holes at Western Hills, we quit after 9 when it began sprinkling and the wind was blowing.

He thought it was easy to give the "Play Better" advice. It's not as easy to do.

Randy and I needed to be back in Stafford so I could take photos at the ribbon-cutting for renovations and donor recognition for the Nora Larabee Memorial Library during the Oktoberfest celebration. So Uncle Brent and Aunt Susan were the pinch hitters.

I asked Jill yesterday whether we all got good grades from the girls for our role as stand-in parents for the week. We did - Bonus!

While at Oktoberfest on Saturday, we were told (yet again) that farmers aren't supposed to retire. However, if we hadn't retired, we would have been home planting wheat at this time and we wouldn't have gotten to spend the week with the girls. 

Hmmm ... sounds like a good decision to me.