a childhood scam...

 Writing about my ironing chore yesterday reminded me of another, much less pleasant chore that my oldest brother (two years younger than me) and I were expected to do during the summer months.

I should explain here that my mom was a loving, kind, wonderful mother, but she was also a teacher, and used to working with a schedule, so during our summer breaks she liked to keep us on something of a schedule.  The schedule did include delightful things like a 10am break to eat sugar glazed donuts on Wednesdays after the bakery truck came by, TV time while we all watched Captain Kangaroo with my baby brother, and, my favorite, a half hour, or longer, break after lunch to relax in our bedrooms and read or nap.  This was supposedly so my baby brother could nap.  I didn't appreciate, until I was a mom myself, that it was also my mother's chance to rest.  

The schedule also included her expectation that we would get up in "the cool of the morning" to weed the strawberry patch.  Usually this chore was only for 30 minutes after which we went in and had breakfast.  One particular morning my brother kept running inside and looking at the clock.  Finally he announced that it was 8:00am and time for breakfast.

Everything was fine until my father came home from work that evening  and didn't understand why his TV news show didn't come on until fifteen minutes past the hour.  Very mysterious.  He finally checked the clock on the wall in the kitchen against his pocket watch and realized that the kitchen clock was fifteen minutes fast.  

I honestly don't remember what my brother's punishment was but I think it involved more weeding for him and less for me and mom.  My parents were not spankers but they did believe in letting the punishment fit the crime.  They also, happily, were blessed with good senses of humor.

a childhood chore..

 As was true of many children of my generation, there were chores I was expected to do.  While the oldest of my two brothers mowed grass and did other outside chores, I washed and dried dishes and set the table for meals. My mother, meanwhile, was being kept pretty busy with my baby brother. 

The other chore I did regularly was to iron.  These days, thanks to synthetic fabrics, I seldom iron at all but I was reminded of the ironing of my childhood when my wonder spouse informed me today that he was going to iron the top edge of our top bed sheet.  The sheets had just come out of the dryer and I thought they were just fine but he wanted to do it, so who am I to argue?  I like things smooth.

The reason this situation reminded me of my youth was because ironing was one of my chores and the first things I learned to iron were pillow cases.  I don't think my mother ever ironed sheets, unless we had out of town company coming, but she did like smooth pillow cases.

I don't mean to brag but I must have been quite precocious, because I quickly 'graduated' to ironing my father's and brother's dress shirts.  As chores went, ironing was the best because I could watch TV as I ironed.  The better the show, the slower I ironed.

answers and a memory

 First the answers to yesterday's Valentines quiz:

1. most popular flower - rose

2. Cupid's father - Mars

3. Cupid's mother -Venus

4. amount spent on Valentine's day in 2023.  None of the choices given were actually correct so I decided to give an up to date answer.  27.5 billion dollars were spent on Valentines Day gifts, etc. in 2025.

5. most popular Valentines Day activity - going out to dinner

6. classic Valentine's Day gift - chocolate

7. the USA produces the most chocolate for Valentine's Day

8. the meaning of XOXO - hugs and kisses

9. Valentine's Day originated in Italy.

10.  Teachers receive the most Valentine gifts

And that is quite enough about Valentine's Day, except to share one of my most embarrassing moments.  When I was in 8th grade, already 5'9" tall and less than graceful, my teacher, at our little parochial school, brought a sheet cake pan of bright red anise candy to school as a special treat for all of us students in the class.  He had the candy sitting on the corner of his desk and had promised to share it with us after lunch.  During a study time, I walked up to his desk to ask a question and bumped that pan of candy which fell to the floor and shattered into at least a million little pieces.  I really don't know how it happened.  At that point my face was as red as the candy.  I was mortified (and obviously not very popular with my classmates).  My dear long-suffering teacher, who I did like very much, just sadly shook his head and said "Get a broom and sweep it up."

He did not act at all surprised.  He had, after all, been teaching 8th graders for a long, long time.  

hearts and flowers

 Happy Valentines Day everyone.  Just for fun, here's a trivia game to keep you occupied when you're trying to resist eating more candy.  Your children may score better than you on this.

Valentine's Day Trivia Game

1. What is the most popular flower to give on Valentine's Day?

        a. lily   b. daisy   c. rose   d. tulip

2. Who is Cupid's father?

        a. Jupiter    b. Mars     c. Neptune     d. Apollo

3. Who is Cupid's mother?

        a. Minerva    b. Ceres     c. Venus     d. Diana

4. How much did Americans spend on Valentine's Day in 2023?

        a. 30.2 million   b. 27.5 billion  c. 29.1 billion  d. 75.5 million

5. What is the most popular Valentine's Day activity?

        a. watching a movie    b. taking a walk    c. going out to dinner              d. taking a trip

6. What item is the classic Valentine's Day gift?

        a. cards    b. wine    c. jewelry    d. chocolate

7. Which country produces the most chocolate for Valentine's Day?

        a. USA    b. Germany     c. Switzerland     d. Belgium

8. What is the meaning of XOXO?

        a. joy and happiness   b. love and peace   c. hugs and kisses                 d. hope and faith

9. In which country did Valentine's Day originate?

        a. France    b. UK    c. Italy    d. Spain

10. Who receives the most Valentines gifts?

        a. children    b. mothers     c. teachers     d. girlfriends

Answers tomorrow.

the answers

 Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's quiz.  Here are the answers:

!. Turkey, dressing, potatoes and peas

2. William A. Mitchell also invented Pop Rocks and Cool Whip.

3. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins

4. Tom and Jerry

5. Gilligan, the Skipper, Ginger, the Professor, Mary Ann, Thurston         Howell III and Eunice "Lovey" Howell

6. "Let It Be" though "Abbey Road" was the last they recorded                 together.

7. The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964

8. The Hula Hoop

9. Bobby Riggs

10. Theodore Geisel

If that wasn't enough for you, here are three questions to pose to a family member or friend:

Would you rather be Abraham and told to sacrifice your son OR      be Isaac knowing that your father was willing to do it?

Would you rather face Goliath with only a slingshot and stone OR wander in the wilderness for 40 years?

Would you rather see Lot's wife turned to salt OR hear Balaam's donkey talk?

a quiz for you...

 Several of us who attend the same Sunday School class most Sundays decided to meet for lunch today just to socialize.  We gathered at Hall's Gas House, always a great place to eat. The friend who first suggested this get together really out-did herself in making it a fun pre-Valentines Day event.  The tables were decorated with red tinsel and heart shaped cups full of candy and she provided some paperwork to entertain us as we waited for our food, giving us plenty to talk about, around the tables.  I have decided to share one of the games with you. Enjoy:   

A BOOMER'S QUESTIONAIRE  (If this doesn't bring back some memories, I don't know what will.)

!. What was the first Swanson TV dinner?

2. What two other "junk food" favorites were created by the inventor of Tang?

3. Name all three astronauts who were part of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

4. What did Simon and Garfunkel  call themselves before adopting this name?

5. How many castaways can you name from the TV show "Gilligan's Island?"

6. What was the last Beatle's album to be released?

7. Who hosted the Beatle's first appearance on American TV?

8. What toy became a worldwide sensation when it was popularized by Wham-O in 1957?

9. Who was tennis player Billie Jean King's opponent in the "Battle of the Sexes?" 

10.  What was the real name of "Dr. Seuss?"

Answers tomorrow.

so much fun...

 I started wearing glasses when I was seven years old.  The first pair I had had brown squarish frames.  I never minded wearing glasses, and yes, in case you're wondering, boys do make passes at girls who wear glasses. 

Over the years I've worn wire rimmed, cat's eye and various other styles.  I also wore contact lenses for about 20 years.  But there came a time when I needed reading glasses with my contacts.  That's when I decided it would be easier to just go back to wearing glasses.  

I'm bringing all this up because today I had my eyes examined and my new glasses will be ready in a week.  My wonder spouse wondered if I could just have new lenses put in my current frames, but I explained to him that there is really no fun in getting new glasses if you don't get new frames.  Interestingly, the new frames I picked out are squarish and brown (really more copper). My wonder spouse went with me to the appointment because we were going to lunch with friends right after.  He told me up front that he would not assist me in selecting frames but when the time came and I had narrowed my choices down to three he picked the one I liked best.  So we're both happy.

What I find interesting is how much new technology is involved in eye exams these days.  This morning the tech, who looked like such a sweet young thing, put a 'football helmet' on my head, then clamped a pair of goggles that rivaled anything I've seen on Olympic skiers to the helmet.  It was heavy but I did manage to hold my head up and follow directions.  A voice in my ear told me to watch the bouncing ball, keep my eyes wide open, blink when instructed and watch the orange target.  That AI voice kept telling me that I was doing very well which was nice to hear.  I have done visual field screening exercises in my ophthalmologist's office but he doesn't make me wear a football helmet.  Interestingly though, today my optometrist still took me through the very familiar slide show with the same old questions that eye doctors have been asking me since I was a child - which looks clearer, this one or 'click' this one?  Which line of print can you read?  And on and on it went.  It felt like a long time but the actual exam only took 25 minutes.  Then I got to pick out my new frames, the final reward.  I will enjoy having new glasses, (and I will be able to read small print more easily) even though I realize that most of my friends will never notice the difference.