MUSH

I grew up in the days before Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Apple Jacks.

During my growing up days MUSH was the staple for breakfast almost 365 days of the year.

If it wasn't Quaker Oatmeal, it was Cream of Wheat, Ralston Purina, Wheatena or Malt~O~Meal.

My mom would make a big pot of MUSH every morning, especially during the winter months.  Since we had Daisy, we had our own cream to put on the MUSH and she would put out either granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses or honey to also put on the MUSH.

I checked with my brother (he's 8½ years younger than me) and he remembers a lot of MUSH also. But while we were discussing this subject we each remembered  an occasional bowl of Cheerios, Rice Krispies or Wheaties....but only during the summer months.  

Also on the weekends mom would make pancakes, french toast and eggs, bacon and toast.  But for the most part it was MUSH almost every morning.

The funny thing is, I can't remember if I did the same thing to my kids and quite frankly...I'm afraid to ask them. 

I do know that as an adult I do not eat MUSH.  I put Quaker oatmeal in cookies and in my meatloaf.....but I don't eat it for breakfast!

My Encounter With The Duke

I may have told this story before in a previous Blog post....if you've heard the story before....excuse my absent "mindness."   (Is that a word?) 

It was March 1955, I turned 13 years old in January that year and was so excited that we were going to take a family vacation.  However, I knew riding in the same car as my dad, mom, grandmother and 5 year old brother all the way to southern California and back was going to be a challenge.

This is really the only family vacation I remember, we lived on a small farm....had animals that needed to be cared for, so a day at the park or maybe an over night at the ocean was the most we ever did.

I was in the 7th grade and it was not Spring Break, so my mom talked with my teacher and it was decided that I would be excused from school as long as I wrote a page each day about our activities. Then turn the 'diary' in when we got home for a grade for the time I missed.

My dad's father and step mom, plus his brother and step brother and their families all lived in California.  It was very exciting as we headed out the first week of March...down Highway 99.  I remember at every stop there was the 'changing of the seats' routine between my mom, grandma and myself. Quite frankly I was super annoyed with my brother by the time we passed thru Olympia (30 miles south of our home). 

One day after we arrived at my uncle and aunt's home, my dad's step brother and his family came over and spent the day visiting.   My dad's step brother (Uncle Don) worked for the movie studios as a freelance photographer.  He took those pictures you used to see as you walked up to the ticket booth of a theater, and he took continuity pictures so the actors ended up in the correct spot and in the correct clothes when they came back from a break in shooting their film.

Anyway, during that day of visiting he asked me if I'd like to go to work with him one day while we were there.  I was thrilled and my folks agreed that it would be a fun adventure for me.  But, I didn't really have the appropiate clothes with me, so the next day they took me to the Robert Hall store in Hollywood.  They got me new shoes, new skirt, blouse and a pink  jacket.   I felt like a movie star myself.

The appointed day came and Uncle Don came and picked me up.  When we got to the movie studio he took me in with him and sat me over in the corner to watch the action.  The entire morning they shot the same scene over and over again and I remember that they finally got the scene right just at lunch time.  My uncle came over and said that he had talked to the two movie stars and they had agreed to pose for a picture with me.   I followed him over to another area and there on a high stool sat this beautiful lady named Lauren Bacall.  I had never heard of her before.....

She did sit while my uncle took the picture but then she got up and walked away. She didn't say one word to me. 

 From there, I followed my uncle over to another spot to a group of people standing around talking and laughing. In the middle of that group stood this larger than life man who stepped forward as we approached.  He looked over at my uncle and then at me and extended his hand...my uncle introduced me to John Wayne.  I had heard of John Wayne and needless to say I was dumbstruck.  Here I was, this 13 year old girl who lived on 10 acres and did farm chores meeting the one, the only John Wayne.

We (or should I say 'he') chatted with me and my uncle for awhile and then he asked me if I was hungry. I must have nodded yes, because before I knew it he was leading us to a big round table over in a corner and box lunches appeared for all.  I remember there was an apple in my box lunch but that's all I remember and I don't even remember if I was able to eat much.   I do remember he asked me about my school, where I lived, etc.  He was especially interested in the fact that we lived on a small farm and had animals. He wanted to know who was milking our cow.  His laugh was hearty and it helped me to relax a little. 

Sadly after the lunch break it was time for me to go.  My uncle had arranged for my grandfather to pick me up so I bid farewell and literally floated out of the building.

It was a day I will never forget.  My 8 x 10 glossy, autographed photos hang proudly in my hall, along with family photos.  I have treasured them all these years.

Oh and the movie they were shooting~ it was 'Blood Alley.'   A very good movie and several years ago a friend gave me a DVD of the movie so I can watch it whenever I want.

Remembering~

Mary Teresa Caulfield.......a daughter, sister, wife, mother and aunt was among those who lost their lives in the North Tower of the World Trade Center that sunny and clear morning, September 11, 2001.  She was an executive assistant working in her office at Marsh & McLennan, an insurance company. 

On September 11, 2002 one of my co-workers went by the YMCA before she came into the office.  As she entered the 'Y' there was a table set up, that held business size cards of tributes to the victims of 9-11-01.  Julia gathered up enough of them for those of us already at work and when she came in, she stopped at each desk to let us choose a card.  I chose Mary Teresa Caulfield because she was very close to my age. 

Mary Teresa, you would be 69 years old now, you would be retired and no doubt would have taken that dream vacation with your husband, James.  Maybe you would have even welcomed grandchildren by now...grandchildren that will never know you.  All those dreams were cut short in an instant by a senseless act of a few.  A senseless act of hatred, that most of the people in this world still can't understand. 

I carry that little green card with your name and the fact that you were confirmed dead in the World Trade Center that day~that horrible day,  September 11, 2001. I continue to pray for the loved ones and friends you left behind. 

May we never forget those who left us that day and may we never, ever  forget those few who brought about this horrible event. 

I Can't Believe It

I'm having trouble accepting the fact that it's September already....didn't we just celebrate Christmas?  No really I realize that for most of us summer has come and gone.  Although here in the Pacific Northwest, we are still having 75 degree plus days, however the nights absolutely feel like the start of fall.   My garden did pretty good this year and there's still many tomatoes out there that are in various stages of ripening.  I planted Sweet Peas last February and have enjoyed a bouquet on the kitchen window sill all summer. 

The rhododendrons in my side and front yard were amazing again this year.  I love them but they do make a mess after they're finished blooming. 

 I discovered last year that about the end of June both Lowe's and Home Depot have these racks of nearly dead plants at greatly reduced prices.  I've never spent more than $3 for a half dead perennial in a gallon size container.  I bring them home, cut off the dead part, water them, talk to them and I end up with a nice plant for very little money. I'm slowly switching over to perennials because they will come back year after year. Meanwhile, I've been filling in the nooks and crannies in my flower beds.   


 The week of June 25th, we packed up the truck and camper and headed south on I-5.  We went as far as Grants Pass, Oregon and then stopped in Winston at the Wildlife Animal Safari. It was an amazing, slow ride thru over 600 acres of exotic animals....many roaming free and some were not. 

Our ultimate goal on this road trip was to meet up with Pat Manning and her family.  They were visiting from England and were going to be in Smith River, California the end of June.  We left Winston and traveled west on Highway 199 ending up in Crescent City, California which is a little south of Smith River. This was new territory for us and we loved all of the beautiful scenery we traveled thru.  We found some new campgrounds and some new fun places to stop for a break. We found this beauty in Gasquet, CA....

Finally we arrived in Smith River and found a great campground right at sea level.   There was a small bay right in front of us and just past the sand spit that bordered the bay was the Pacific ocean. 

 It was a beautiful spot to camp and we loved every minute of our time there.   Saturday June 30th we meet Pat and her husband Peter.  We visited for a couple hours and made plans to meet up the next morning for the drive north to Gold Beach, Oregon.  We had booked a jet boat trip up the Rogue River.  This was my 3rd trip up the river, Bob's 2nd trip and their 1st.  We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny and warm morning as we boarded the boat and headed up the river.  

This last picture was our stop for dinner at Lucas Lodge along the river.  Served family style they had big platters of fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, veggies, home made rolls & jam and ice cream with Oregon blackberry sauce for dessert.   We got back into Gold Beach about 8pm and reluctantly said good bye to Pat and Peter.     The next day Bob and I began our journey home up Highway 101 along the coast.  No matter how often we take that route we are always blown away by the beautiful sights along the highway.    

 One of Oregon's many unique bridges.

We watched the 4th of July fireworks on the shore of Lincoln City, Oregon

 A stop at the Tillamook Cheese and Ice Cream Factory is a must. 

The bridge in the bottom picture crosses the Columbia River, at this location connecting Rainier, Oregon and Longview, Washington.  We camped here (on the Oregon side) our last night on the road. 

The rest of the summer has been pretty mundane....weeding, watering, harvesting and just enjoying being home.  Although Labor Day weekend we did go out to the coast to Westport, Washington to visit friends.   And I've picked enough blackberries at my brother and sister in law's woodsy place for many pies this winter.   I've re-stained my small wood deck so it's ready for another winter, the gutters are cleaned (a leaf blower works great for this task)....I am ready for whatever Mother Nature hands down in the next few months.    
          
    

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July to all of you.  
I'll be celebrating somewhere on the Oregon Coast. 

Daisy

How many of you remember the old song "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true.  I'm half crazy all for the love of you"  Actually that's the chorus to the song 'Bicycle Built For Two.'  I used to sing this to my kids and I taught it to my grand kids when they come along. (I wonder at ages 20 & 21 if they still remember it?)


Well, there was a reason this song was important to me as I grew up.  In June 1952 my folks moved from a 2 bedroom house in the city to a 10 acre 'farm' 3½ miles away. I was 10½ having just completed the 4th grade and my brother was 2 yrs old when this move took place. 


My dad was born in Idaho into a railroad family. They eventually moved into eastern Washington and when my dad was about 9 his parents divorced. He and his younger brother went with their father to southern California and his younger sister stayed with my grandmother and her family. My dad stayed with his father and step mother until he was 16 when he ran away and came back to Washington state to live with his mother.  He even went to Hollywood High School for a couple of years. 


My dad once told me he had always had a desire to 'live on the land' and not in the hustle bustle of southern California. So this 10 acres of land was always in the back of his mind. The property had a raggedy old house on it (heated only by an oil stove in the living room area) and my mom set about to make it a home.  And that she did.  I can remember ice on the inside of my two bedroom windows in the winter but my bedroom walls were painted pale pink with wallpaper border filled with roses. By the time I was a junior in high school a new, roomy house had been built by my dad and mom.....in front of the old one. 


My parents had some friends from church that owned a dairy farm not too far from us. I don't think it was that first summer but by the following year we had the first of many farm animals.  She was black and white with a sweet gentle spirit.....she was our Holstein ~ Daisy. 

Daisy was rather small for a Holstein, so she was in no way intimidating to any of us. We all fell in love with our Daisy. My mother was raised on a large hop farm in eastern Washington, so she was used to farm animals and the work that goes along with living on a farm. So once dad built a fenced in area next to the old chicken coop she filled it with chickens.  And soon a HUGE garden area was plowed and in the Spring of 1953 she planted the first of a yearly very large garden.  That's when I learned to weed. Oh , I hated that. 


My dad worked full time as a train dispatcher for the Milwaukee Railroad and for as long as I can remember he worked swing shift....which was 3:30pm to 11:30pm.  Now most cows are milked in the early morning and then 12 hours later in the early evening.  But because of dad's work schedule Daisy was milked at noon and midnight.  By the time I was 12, dad had taught me the procedure for milking a cow. There were times, especially in the summer when he wanted to take a day and go fishing so it became my job on those days to do the noon milking. I remember being so nervous the first time but when Daisy looked back at me and mooed softly I knew everything was going to be ok. But that's also when I started singing to her as I milked. I sang "Daisy, Daisy give me your answer true."  Having a cow is a huge job....there's the milking, then it has to run thru a separator and then bottled.  Then you have to wash  and dry the separator. Mom would skim the cream off our milk for butter (which she churned).  Back in the 1950's it was ok to sell raw milk to the neighbors. And we did.  I can remember neighbor kids coming down our long drive way pulling their wagon with bottles rattling.  Other's came by in their cars to get their milk all bottled and capped by my mom.   Our dear Daisy produced enough milk for our family and many others.  She was loved by many.   

Star Spangled Banner lyrics vocals and beautiful photos