"Unnecessary" is a poor way to feel.
I have a number of projects that I would like to be able to call "done!" but if they do not get done, no one will suffer. (Sounds like depression to me!)
1. Start a knitting project. This is for my comfort.
2. Sew the cover for the couch in the living room. Not difficult, just time consuming. That will be a big show project as everyone will be able to see it.
3. Make flannel pajama bottoms-2 for Scott and 1 for Lauren. I already have the fabric and the adjusted pattern. Again, not difficult.
4, Finish writing down the arrangements for my funeral. It is paid for and I have made arrangements for my remains to be donated to KU. However, I feel like it is a kindness to have written instructions about accounts and insurance policies and things like that. I also want to write my obituary. A classmate from G'burg died recently and her obit sounded somewhat like a nomination for sainthood. I certainly don't want that sort of thing.
Friday, January 25, 2019
Saturday, January 5, 2019
I hope that by putting this into words I will be able to shed the discomfort
caused by No.45 and his attitude and lack of governance skills. I realize
that my stomach pains are caused by outrageous happenings that affect
me but over which I have no control. Our president seems to view his
position as a giant video game. His personality shortcomings (lack of
empathy, for one) keep him from any action that benefits the greater
populace. Having never lived paycheck to paycheck, he cannot fathom
how shutting down the government for “months, years, even” will ruin
a great many people.
caused by No.45 and his attitude and lack of governance skills. I realize
that my stomach pains are caused by outrageous happenings that affect
me but over which I have no control. Our president seems to view his
position as a giant video game. His personality shortcomings (lack of
empathy, for one) keep him from any action that benefits the greater
populace. Having never lived paycheck to paycheck, he cannot fathom
how shutting down the government for “months, years, even” will ruin
a great many people.
If he did understand, perhaps he would view his actions differently.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Keeping in Touch
A program on NPR this last week featured a teacher who talked about writing being taught in schools again. Not creative writing, but penmanship - as it was known back in the day. It seems that writing, be it cursive or manuscript (which I think means printing) is essential as the action of moving a writing instrument across the page and knowing the shape and sound of a letter helps make some connections in the brain that just using a keyboard does not. The teacher did make the point that if students do not know cursive, they will not be able to read some important things....like letters from grandparents!
I am a fan of Facebook and the use of email to keep in touch with family. This is especially important to me as we are spread from coast to coast across all the time zones. It beats the "round robin" arrangement that involved me writing a letter, sending it to someone, say Ginger, she adds her letter and sends the whole thing to say, Mom, who adds her letter and sends it to Sissy...you get the picture. When it comes back to me, I remove my letter, read the others, and write another missive to add to the package. This kept the family connections firmly in place, but it sure took a long time...especially if someone was in the middle of harvest, or soccer season, or any other busyness that intrudes with life! Electronic communication makes all this happen quickly and we get to see pictures of happy events almost as they occur.
Having said all that, I know that if your computer crashes, you lose the history of those communications. Roy Alan lost many, many pictures of his older two sons when his computer crashed and that was the only place they were stored. (This was probably 15 or so years ago and now he is more conscious about backing up files, I am sure!) Also, even if you print out a message, it is just that, a printed message.
I have kept many letters and inherited many more from Mom's cache. When I read those letters, I hear the voices of the writers.
Ginger's left handed slant, some of the letters she wrote when she worked at the filling station (on the back of advertisements) a letter she wrote to Mom during the last year of her illness..these bring me memories that just a printed message would not.
Mom had a very distinctive handwriting. In fact, I learned about the Santa myth when I recognized her hand on the "thank you for the milk and cookies" note that Santa left. Mom wrote as though she was sitting with you. Her letters always began with a weather report..."I am sitting here watching it rain" then on to current events. I suppose she honed her letter writing skills when we were traveling as she always kept up with Grandma and Grandpa Kruse as well as Aunt Ruth, Ruth West and the folks in Liberal.
I have one letter from Daddy,the only one that I ever received. Mom had left Michigan with Becky and Jan to come to my graduation and I expect he was lonely. It is ironic that this was within a month of his fatal heart attack.
I have kept a few of the letters from my children. Well, from David, it is a note saying "Can you fix these pants? I don't need them until Friday." He did sign it "Love, Dave!" Lauren has been more prolific as she left home when "long distance phone calls" could be a budget item.
One of my favorite books (successfully made into a movie) is 84 Charing Cross Road. It consists of correspondence between a woman in New York with a bookseller in London. Another book, one that David bought for me from a school book sale is Shades of Gray. It is a story set during and after the civil war and addresses how important letters were when part of the family lived in the North and some lived in the South.
I don't suppose that written correspondence will ever be what it was in my early years, and I think that is a loss. I don't have a remedy, except to write letters now and then to supplement our electronic correspondence. I hope our next generation will be able to decipher what I have written!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Air Fare
There is much conversation these days about how "air travel just isn't fun anymore!"
These conversations lead me to remember how it was when Ginger and I were flying! VERY different!
A notable physical difference at airports is the presence of jetways. In 1963, I believe that the only jetways were in Chicago-ORD and New York-IDL. ( New York was Idlewild until after Kennedy was assassinated.) Other places still rolled out the stairs and you hoped that they were not wet or icy. When it was hot, the tarmac was like walking on soft tar...and of course, we wore heels (minimum 2".)
There was "no smoking" only until the pilot turned off the sign. Then, everyone could light up. I wore contact lenses then, and the smoke would hover at about eye level...so they got pretty uncomfortable! When we took meal trays out, there was a little pack of about 5 cigarettes on each one. We were to remove the pack from any tray that went to a child. Of course, a lot of the cigarettes came back after the meal unopened, and we (flight attendants) would gather them in a bag and divvy them up later. The cigarettes that TWA provided were Winstons. Another airline provided Salems and we would trade for our preferred brand.
Shortly before I quit flying, a "non-smoking area" was designated...the first three rows of coach! Brings to mind the comparison of a "No-Pee" area in a swimming pool!
The overhead storage was just a shelf...no doors..and the only things that were to be put there were coats. Any carry-on had to go under the seat in front of you.
Before take-off, we would offer magazines and pass candy or gum to help with ear discomfort. Once, I was doing the gum thing and did not realize we were on a short runway in LAX. The plane took off and I was thrown into the bulkhead near the galley. I sported a black eye for the rest of the four day trip. I wore sunglasses as much as possible..that was certainly non-reg, and I was caught by a supervisor. When I took off the glasses, she said it was ok to keep them on.
There was a cigarette commercial at that time for Tareytons "I'd rather fight than switch!" and the person had an obviously fake black eye. I cannot tell you how many times I heard that .
More later!
These conversations lead me to remember how it was when Ginger and I were flying! VERY different!
A notable physical difference at airports is the presence of jetways. In 1963, I believe that the only jetways were in Chicago-ORD and New York-IDL. ( New York was Idlewild until after Kennedy was assassinated.) Other places still rolled out the stairs and you hoped that they were not wet or icy. When it was hot, the tarmac was like walking on soft tar...and of course, we wore heels (minimum 2".)
There was "no smoking" only until the pilot turned off the sign. Then, everyone could light up. I wore contact lenses then, and the smoke would hover at about eye level...so they got pretty uncomfortable! When we took meal trays out, there was a little pack of about 5 cigarettes on each one. We were to remove the pack from any tray that went to a child. Of course, a lot of the cigarettes came back after the meal unopened, and we (flight attendants) would gather them in a bag and divvy them up later. The cigarettes that TWA provided were Winstons. Another airline provided Salems and we would trade for our preferred brand.
Shortly before I quit flying, a "non-smoking area" was designated...the first three rows of coach! Brings to mind the comparison of a "No-Pee" area in a swimming pool!
The overhead storage was just a shelf...no doors..and the only things that were to be put there were coats. Any carry-on had to go under the seat in front of you.
Before take-off, we would offer magazines and pass candy or gum to help with ear discomfort. Once, I was doing the gum thing and did not realize we were on a short runway in LAX. The plane took off and I was thrown into the bulkhead near the galley. I sported a black eye for the rest of the four day trip. I wore sunglasses as much as possible..that was certainly non-reg, and I was caught by a supervisor. When I took off the glasses, she said it was ok to keep them on.
There was a cigarette commercial at that time for Tareytons "I'd rather fight than switch!" and the person had an obviously fake black eye. I cannot tell you how many times I heard that .
More later!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Where do we go from here?
Since the family by this time is "decentralized," I will progress with the story of me and mine! Jim and I married in 1963. Roy and Jann married in 1965. They moved to California right away. Ginger and Paul married in 1967 (I think). Paul had a house in Prairie Village that had a pool. They moved to California, but I cannot say when it was. I know they were in California when Roy Alan was born in 1969.
Shortly after Lauren was born in March, 1966, Mom and Becky and Jan came to Kansas City. I think I convinced Mom that the schools here were better, but in reality, I wanted her here to help me with Lauren. I went to work for Southwestern Bell when Lauren was six weeks old. No, she was NOT sleeping through the night! There were times when I spent my coffee break napping!The job with Bell was Service Representative. At the time, I thought that the training for that position would never do me any good. I wanted a "real" job like nurse, or accountant-a job where the title said what the job was. It turned out that "customer service" in various iterations was what I did for most of the next 35 or so years!
I started to work for The Lynn Insurance Group (Universal Underwriters) in 1974. I was there until I retired in 1999. David was born in 1980, and believe me, it was much different than when Lauren was born. I was paid my salary during the time I was off, about 2 months, I think, and the medical bills were paid by insurance. Of course, the medical bills were about 10 times what they were in 1966!
Shortly after Lauren was born in March, 1966, Mom and Becky and Jan came to Kansas City. I think I convinced Mom that the schools here were better, but in reality, I wanted her here to help me with Lauren. I went to work for Southwestern Bell when Lauren was six weeks old. No, she was NOT sleeping through the night! There were times when I spent my coffee break napping!The job with Bell was Service Representative. At the time, I thought that the training for that position would never do me any good. I wanted a "real" job like nurse, or accountant-a job where the title said what the job was. It turned out that "customer service" in various iterations was what I did for most of the next 35 or so years!
I started to work for The Lynn Insurance Group (Universal Underwriters) in 1974. I was there until I retired in 1999. David was born in 1980, and believe me, it was much different than when Lauren was born. I was paid my salary during the time I was off, about 2 months, I think, and the medical bills were paid by insurance. Of course, the medical bills were about 10 times what they were in 1966!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Shared memories!
By this time, Becky and Jan probably have their own version of what went on...as they were about six and eight. However, my version is...In October, 1963, Jim Fulton and I married at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Kansas. Ginger was my maid of honor,and Becky and Jan were ring bearer and flower girl.
The dresses that Becky and Jan wore had long sashes and after we got dressed before the ceremony, we asked them to please not sit down. They didn't and later, w-a-a-a-y after the ceremony, one of them came to me and asked if they could please sit down now? They were so good and so eager to make everything come out right!
Jim and I lived at Roe Village (now known as the Boulevard Apartments) and I was still flying. Jim and Jere Lehman decided to go into business and opened Barnell Imports in downtown Overland Park. The address was 7945 Santa Fe Drive. Jere had connections in the clothing business and in addition to imported gifts in the front of the store, there were clothing samples for sale in the back part.
In addition, they opened a store in Sedalia in the NEW (then) Thompson Hills Shopping Center. The store was the Carriage House. Very classy, I must say! To make a long story short..it seems that Jere was taking things that did not belong to him and before long the operation was in deep doo-doo! After making a settlement agreement with the clothing manufacturers, we paid $100 a month to the Johnson County National Bank for a long, long time! (For perspective, when I went to work for Southwestern Bell when Lauren was 6 weeks old, I was making $78 weekly.)
Before all the stuff hit the fan, Jim and I bought a house at 6500 W 79th Street. We paid $17,250 for a 3 bedroom house on a corner lot with a detached garage. Actually, the garage was sort of attached as the covered patio connected it to the house. We used the savings bonds that his grandfather Fulton had given over the years and along with that, his folks co-signed. We lived there when Lauren was born in 1966.
The dresses that Becky and Jan wore had long sashes and after we got dressed before the ceremony, we asked them to please not sit down. They didn't and later, w-a-a-a-y after the ceremony, one of them came to me and asked if they could please sit down now? They were so good and so eager to make everything come out right!
Jim and I lived at Roe Village (now known as the Boulevard Apartments) and I was still flying. Jim and Jere Lehman decided to go into business and opened Barnell Imports in downtown Overland Park. The address was 7945 Santa Fe Drive. Jere had connections in the clothing business and in addition to imported gifts in the front of the store, there were clothing samples for sale in the back part.
In addition, they opened a store in Sedalia in the NEW (then) Thompson Hills Shopping Center. The store was the Carriage House. Very classy, I must say! To make a long story short..it seems that Jere was taking things that did not belong to him and before long the operation was in deep doo-doo! After making a settlement agreement with the clothing manufacturers, we paid $100 a month to the Johnson County National Bank for a long, long time! (For perspective, when I went to work for Southwestern Bell when Lauren was 6 weeks old, I was making $78 weekly.)
Before all the stuff hit the fan, Jim and I bought a house at 6500 W 79th Street. We paid $17,250 for a 3 bedroom house on a corner lot with a detached garage. Actually, the garage was sort of attached as the covered patio connected it to the house. We used the savings bonds that his grandfather Fulton had given over the years and along with that, his folks co-signed. We lived there when Lauren was born in 1966.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Moving again!
The next time we moved, we shared an apartment with Brenda's sister, Karen Ottley. She was a dental assistant with visions of being a model. Anyway, the house was at 36th & Campbell and we had the third floor. I believe that it had once been the home of a past mayor of Kansas City and the third floor was the nursery. We had two bedrooms, a BIG living room and a nice kitchen. The living room was so big that we had two couches and still had room.
Ginger and Paul were engaged by now and fixed me up on a blind date with Jim Fulton. We went to see Lawrence of Arabia. You all probably know how this turned out! (The date, not the movie!)
This is the apartment where Mom and Becky and Jan came for Christmas. It was probably 1962. The living room had lots of windows and window seats. There were doors under the window seats and that is where we told Becky and Jan that little elves lived and came out at night to clean our house!
At this time, I was working as a bookkeeper at Commerce Trust Co., now known as Commerce Bank. I processed the checks of individuals, one by one! Some of the employees were going to classes to learn how our jobs could be done by computers. Like that could happen! ( Reminds me of when I worked for Southwestern Bell when Lauren was a baby. They told us about plans in the future when an operator would answer a call and the caller's number would show on a screen. Like that could happen!) We were quite smug about the importance of what we did!
About this time, Ginger had broken her engagement with Paul and we learned that she was pregnant. This is also about the time that I learned I had been accepted by TWA for hostess training. All this led us to another move. This time, we had a smaller apartment on Roanoke road, about 41st street, I think. We were living there when I went through training. Even though I had to live in an apartment on the Plaza with other trainees, we kept that place.
Ginger's doctor knew an attorney who arranged private adoptions and I believe the adoptive parents paid some of her living expenses. The real creativity came keeping Mom in the dark about the pregnancy. Now to those of you to whom these machinations seem archaic, times do change. Remember that in the past, when women were pregnant, they did not even go out socially. Pregnancy was known as "her confinement." Well, in the late 50's and early 60's, "nice" girls waited until they were married, etc, etc. Nice as opposed to "loose."In fact, health insurance did not cover pregnancy until 9 months after the policy went into force. I was actually hoping Lauren would be "late" as we did not have a health insurance policy until 8 months before she was born. We had to pay for her delivery. $350 I think it was.
But I digress. Ginger delivered a baby girl on July 14, 1963. We did not get to see her. One really hard thing was that Ginger was kept on the labor and delivery floor. The only thing we knew was that the doctor's nurse said that she was the most beautiful baby she had seen. (Skipping ahead a few decades, we met the woman that baby girl grew up to be- Krista!)
The attorney arranged for an employment history for the time Ginger had been out of work. She applied to TWA and was accepted for hostess training.
Time for a pause for brain rest.
Ginger and Paul were engaged by now and fixed me up on a blind date with Jim Fulton. We went to see Lawrence of Arabia. You all probably know how this turned out! (The date, not the movie!)
This is the apartment where Mom and Becky and Jan came for Christmas. It was probably 1962. The living room had lots of windows and window seats. There were doors under the window seats and that is where we told Becky and Jan that little elves lived and came out at night to clean our house!
At this time, I was working as a bookkeeper at Commerce Trust Co., now known as Commerce Bank. I processed the checks of individuals, one by one! Some of the employees were going to classes to learn how our jobs could be done by computers. Like that could happen! ( Reminds me of when I worked for Southwestern Bell when Lauren was a baby. They told us about plans in the future when an operator would answer a call and the caller's number would show on a screen. Like that could happen!) We were quite smug about the importance of what we did!
About this time, Ginger had broken her engagement with Paul and we learned that she was pregnant. This is also about the time that I learned I had been accepted by TWA for hostess training. All this led us to another move. This time, we had a smaller apartment on Roanoke road, about 41st street, I think. We were living there when I went through training. Even though I had to live in an apartment on the Plaza with other trainees, we kept that place.
Ginger's doctor knew an attorney who arranged private adoptions and I believe the adoptive parents paid some of her living expenses. The real creativity came keeping Mom in the dark about the pregnancy. Now to those of you to whom these machinations seem archaic, times do change. Remember that in the past, when women were pregnant, they did not even go out socially. Pregnancy was known as "her confinement." Well, in the late 50's and early 60's, "nice" girls waited until they were married, etc, etc. Nice as opposed to "loose."In fact, health insurance did not cover pregnancy until 9 months after the policy went into force. I was actually hoping Lauren would be "late" as we did not have a health insurance policy until 8 months before she was born. We had to pay for her delivery. $350 I think it was.
But I digress. Ginger delivered a baby girl on July 14, 1963. We did not get to see her. One really hard thing was that Ginger was kept on the labor and delivery floor. The only thing we knew was that the doctor's nurse said that she was the most beautiful baby she had seen. (Skipping ahead a few decades, we met the woman that baby girl grew up to be- Krista!)
The attorney arranged for an employment history for the time Ginger had been out of work. She applied to TWA and was accepted for hostess training.
Time for a pause for brain rest.
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