There is no big story behind this picture. It just means a lot to me. Teri, who loves all animals, was talking to my parents’ dog who appeared to be listening to her. Teri was wearing a hand-knit sweater my mother made for her and a pony tail I made for her. She looked so sweet and trusting at that age as all children do.

Teri was my first child, and I was what you would call a little over protective. The first time out of the house, when she was 3 months old, we went to visit my former boss. It was May, and I had her wrapped in sweaters, hat, hooded blanket and more. My boss was horrified and began peeling everything off of her. When he was done, we found a red, sweaty little baby! I finally let up, but she continued to be red-faced and sweaty as she always played so hard outside. She isn’t red and sweaty anymore which is a really good thing.

Teri was very bright and spoke at a young age. I had sung to her as I rocked her from the time she was born, so we spent a lot of time singing and rocking! She learned the songs, and I have a recording we made when she was 22 months old singing several of them. There was “Bye Lo My Baby” – several verses, “Mary Had A Little Lamb” – several verses, “Go Tell Aunt Rodie” – several verses and “This Old Man.” I think she was getting tired in the last song as she sang only one verse. She was probably too hot and sweaty.

As she grew up, she was very active and inventive. Once when she was in high school, we went on a family vacation for a few days. Apparently, Teri gave our house key to her girlfriends who partied there in our absence. I didn’t find out until she told me a couple of years ago, and was I ever pissed! But she was too big and too old to spank – so what’s a mother to do?

I asked her recently if I had ever explained sex to her, thinking that if I hadn’t, it was probably high time I did. She said, “Sure you did – we went up the street to Dunkin Donuts and you did it there.” I have no idea what I said that day, but I think the Dunkin Donut experience prepared her for high school, college and whatever came after. I felt I had done my duty in preparing her for adulthood. I don’t know if we ever talked about managing money, finding a career, cooking and things of that nature. In retrospect, I may have short-changed her by concentrating on the sex issue. But I think she turned out very well anyway. She has always been very independent and has known how to go after what she wants. I admire her so much for the woman she has become.

Cindy worked hard learning to tie her shoes, but she always worked hard at anything she did. Like when she had to go poop, she’d take a basketball into the bathroom with her, sit on the toilet and bounce the ball against the wall in front of her, over and over and over again. The rest of the family waited in the other room for the pounding to stop when we would then hear, “I’m ready – come wipe me.” After that was done, our lives could return to normal.

After her tonsillectomy, she saved them in a baggie and took them to her elementary school for “show and tell.” She lost them on the path on the way home, and when she went back to look for them, she found the baggie all chewed up and the tonsils gone. I suppose a neighborhood dog had a real treat that day!

In middle school, she ran for student body president and won. She was the first girl ever elected president. This was all for a boy she liked whom she was trying to impress, but he didn’t respond. For years she bought him presents which she never gave him, had his pictures all over her room and bought jackets to wear like those he was wearing. I think she became the first female, teen-age stalker and, for all I know, she’s still at it.

In high school, she organized her rally squad, and they all appeared at a neighborhood 7-11 in their tiny, little short skirts. They proceeded to do a cheer for the clerk, twirling around and showing their panties. The clerk was so impressed he sold the under-age girls beer which was the whole idea in the first place.

Recently she had a tumor removed from her brain and the next year a hysterectomy where a 1.2 pound tumor was removed in the process. Each time she asked for the tumors, but both physicians refused and instead suggested counseling which she just blew off. I think she wanted to relive her elementary school experience with the tonsils.

Throughout all of this, Cindy never lost her energy or her crazy sense of humor. She’s still the beautiful, funny girl I love. I attribute some of this to the fact that she watches “Seinfeld” re-runs as do I.

I loved all the animals on our farm when I was young, but I knew that one day I would be eating some of them. That was not a happy thought, but it was the way things worked on a farm.

In this picture, I’m standing by one of our calves in my dress-up coat and hat. I didn’t dress like that on ordinary days . . . maybe the stockings. It seems I wore those brown, cotton, wrinkly stockings every damn day! I had a garter belt that was virtually impossible to assemble on my little body that enabled me to wear the hated stockings. Every day the same thing with the stockings and garter belt . . . trying to get my arms through the straps of the belt . . . trying to fasten the stockings to the belt . . . trying to get the wrinkles out . . . . I CAN’T GET MY ARM THROUGH THE STRAP – HELP ME!!! . . . . . . .
but I digress. I think I was looking sad in this picture because I knew that pretty soon I would be eating the calf, or maybe I was depressed over the wrinkly stockings.

I try not to let things get me down, but I do worry about important matters such as the thought of spiders taking over the world – or even my house – whereas my friends are concerned with global warming, environmental issues, erosion of our civil liberties, a cure for ADD and issues such as those. That would make anyone sad. I cry very easily and also laugh very easily, and I much prefer the latter. So I keep occupied with “Seinfeld” re-runs which make me very happy.

So if I’m looking unhappy because of the upcoming demise of the calf or the thought of wearing those stockings one more day, it’s because I had nothing to take away the hurt. That was long before the “Seinfeld” days.

Articles of interest:

“The Oregonian” – July 4, 2006

Word from Lhasa, China, states that the first train from Beijing to Tibet completed an arduous journey on the world’s highest railway. The “Sky Train” climbed the 16,640-foot Tanggula Pass, and as it climbed, pens spit ink, and packaged foods burst as a result of the low pressure. Laptop computers and digital music players failed. Some passengers threw up while others took Tibetan herbs or breathed oxygen from tubes. It didn’t mention anything about a luxury hotel at the top. Sure sounds like a fun vacation for someone who’s been everywhere . . . but probably not there. I’ll bet the travel agencies are busy now with all the bookings.


“Time” magazine – July 10, 2006

ViaGen, a small biogenetics company in Texas (where else), has been cloning animals. They recently cloned a pair of mules that made news when they lost a race against naturally bred mules. Since the mule idea turned out to be a big bust, ViaGen decided to try cloning beef cows in the attempt to produce more beef that could be stamped with USDA grade of prime. I’m sure they think they are doing a service for the general public, hoping to supply them with tasty, tender beef. But I think the general public would be more interested in ViaGen if they produced a new prescription drug that everyone could afford. Until then, I think they should stick with the mules.

When Teri and Cindy were young, we had a plastic pool on our front lawn in which they could splash around and cool off in the summer. The girls loved the pool and enjoyed it for years. By the time they were both in high school, their dad and I decided it was time to retire the pool. They were still having fun with it, but they were attracting a crowd every time they went out to play in it wearing their tiny bikini swim suits. Our neighbors were getting increasingly upset with us, as some afternoons they had no place to park in front of their own homes. People were driving from all over to see our pool. One neighbor even installed a parking meter in front of his home in the hopes he could make a little money. So we emptied the pool and the girls found their way to the community pool.

In this photo, Teri had just peed in the pool and is thinking of doing something else as long as her pants are down. I don’t remember what happened, but we probably dumped the water out and started all over again . . . or maybe not.

When Jim and I were kids, we had our own little Depression-style playhouse – no windows, no doors, no running water and no heat. But it was very special as not many families in those days had playhouses – they were lucky to have a house at all. Ours wasn’t very big, but it was good for us. We spent many happy hours there. Actually, I can’t remember much about it except for the fact we were continually complaining to our parents that we needed indoor plumbing and television. My dad would counter with the fact that we were lucky to have plumbing in the real house and he had no idea what television was! I find that hard to believe – probably just another excuse parents use when they don’t want to do something for you.

As we grew older, Jim started bringing dates home to the playhouse and I would be refused entry. That really pissed me off, and I’d try to look in the windows which by that time were covered with black plastic. What kind of games were they playing in there anyway? And why couldn’t I see? I’d complain to my folks who would tell me to shut up and quit whining . . . and then they’d tell me to go read a book. I had no homework, so why would I read anything? It made me wonder – did my parents enjoy reading and did other people spend time reading? Should I give it a try?

Jim finally went to college and I had the playhouse to myself for a few years until I was off to college. I guess I enjoyed myself in it although nothing stands out. I looked forward to college where I knew there was plumbing and television. When I came home to visit, I could bring a boyfriend to play with me in the playhouse, but we never lasted too long as there was still no plumbing and no television. And no one can go too long without those two crucial ingredients that make up our culture.

Newspaper articles of interest from “The Oregonian”

Scientists at Leiden University in the Netherlands state that birds called “great tits” sing
higher notes in noisy cities than they do in quieter locations. Hans Slabbekoorn and Margriet Peet state: “Great tits in the Netherlands sing songs with higher minimum frequencies if their territory is noisy.” I’m thinking that could account for the high registers singers such as Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey reach while performing. They aren’t great tits, but both are well endowed and sing concerts in noisy arenas.


A panel recently suggested that the Oregon House and Senate should prohibit staff and members from being intoxicated while performing official legislative duties. The article went on to state: “The Public Commission on the Oregon Legislature will consider adopting that recommendation at its meeting Monday.” Apparently there are no provisions about legislator and staff use of alcohol. I find it interesting that they need laws to keep legislators from being drunk on the job. Maybe that’s why it takes so long for things to happen down there.