Is it ever! A few weeks ago, the server where many of the websites I've designed and maintain suddenly crashed. Or something. It took most of 3 days for the server guru to get everything running again, but he did. (Bless you, Charlie!) At first glance everything was fine, but I soon received emails with comments of, "My new page is missing!" and "What happened to the photos?" Several days and emails later, not to mention a few hours along the way, everything was back to normal. But it did throw off the schedule I was trying to make a habit of. That's life, though, and peace (or something that slightly resembles it) has returned. I am sooooo grateful. *grin*
I hope everyone had a terrific 4th of July! Me? Well, I stayed home, sans fireworks, and to be honest, I didn't miss them all that much. There were plenty of pops and cracks going on in my neighborhood, so it wasn't like I completely missed the sounds of celebration. Although there was once in my life that I almost did miss it.
The summer before my senior year in high school, I joined a cousin who was in my class and 19 other Kansas high-schoolers for a church group trip to Mexico. We stayed on a garlic farm, about 200 miles from Mexico City, so it was no border trip for us! We worked for most of the two weeks, painting the inside and outside of the dormitories. During the winter, the farm hosted a school there, and many of the students lived on the farm while they studied.
As the 4th of July drew nearer, we realized that we would have no way to celebrate it in traditional American style. We were disappointed, to say the least. We'd been gone just long enough to have become the tiniest bit homesick, especially because the holiday was approaching quickly. We talked about it, and finally decided to do what we could with the little American-style resources we had and have a barbecue, of sorts. There was no refrigeration on the farm, so we had to go to the nearby village each day to purchase the food for our meals. If I remember, we had hamburgers and what would pass for buns on the 4th. We also had fireworks! Well, not the type we were accustomed to, but it happened to be a Feast Day in the village, so we were able to get Mexican fireworks. I still have the one "sparkler" that I brought home with me. It looks like a kitchen safety match, but when scratch on a rough surface, it sends out sparks, much like our own sparklers here. Just those small touches made everything right for us.
The 4th was also the birthday of one of two young Mennonite men who were doing their CO service in Mexico, driving around that country and helping teach farming methods. We all became friends with Wayne and Steve. They were great guys, and we were so pleased that we could share our little celebration with them and honor Wayne's birthday at the same time.
I'd do it all again, if I had the chance, but I do like being here in the States for this particular holiday.
My post yesterday got me thinking of the summers of my childhood. Add that to a recent comment on a local newspaper blog about what it was like when my generation were kids and Kristi Gold's aforementioned memory on her website, and today's topic was born.
The world has changed since we Baby Boomers were kids. We had pretty much the run of the neighborhood, my childhood friends and I. That neighborhood encompassed our block, including both sides of the street. As we grew a little older, it included the block behind, but we used that mostly for riding bicycles, because the street there ended in a circular deadend. We spent a lot of time on our bikes, racing, riding with no hands, sometimes pretending they were our loyal steeds.
I became proficient at hopscotch and could beat everybody on the block. It took me some time, but I mastered jacks and the multiple ways to play them. I had a pair of stilts and could walk up and down the porch steps on them. And I loved my roller skates! My favorite make-believe with them was to be a girl who lived in the frozen north, and they were my skis. I even had sticks, at times, for my ski poles and raced down the long driveway that sloped to the street. We played with cars and trucks in the dirt around a huge old tree and carved out towns and roads. And we learned to hang from our knees like circus performers, from the top bar of our swingless swingsets.
As long as our parents knew who we were with, they were happy. As long as we kept within the boundaries of the neighborhood, everything was okay. As long as we came home before dark, they weren't concerned. Our world was safe. We were happy. And at night, we fell into our beds, exhausted but smiling.
There were no Nintendos or X-Boxes. We'd never heard of a computer. We had board games, like Monopoly, Go To the Head of the Class, and Life, but they were saved for rainy, indoor days or winter. We watched old Shirley Temple movies on our black and white TVs when the afternoons were too hot to bear in our non-air conditioned homes. A few times each summer, we'd walk to the neighborhood pool, but it was crowded and noisy and filled with kids we didn't know. We read books and I wrote plays.
I hope some of my memories bring back happy memories for you.
I'm sure the majority of people don't know what day Flag Day falls on, and some may not even realize there is such a thing, but because I share my birthday with the flag, I remember it every year. I'll admit that, as I get older, I'd often like to forget about it. Once past that 40 mark (and that has been a while ago for me), birthdays are just another reminder that life isn't the carefree days of fun it was when we were kids, and responsibility is the key word.
Kristi Gold shared her memories of summer on her website, so I'll take a page from her book, so to speak, and share a memory of birthday and flags.
When I was about 7 or 8, I was hoping for a wading pool for my birthday. It was a quiet day, that particular June 14, and as our the custom, a flag was hanging near our porch, celebrating the holiday and our great country. I was standing just inside the doorway, watching the red, white, and blue wave in the summer breeze and wondering what glories the day would bring me. Hey, at that age, it's definitely all about ME, right? A big truck pulled up, with SEARS on the side. Oh, that had to be something for me! Sure enough, it was my wading pool, and it was a doozy! Rectangular in shape, it had triangle shaped metal seats in the four corners. It lasted through neighbor kids and me for several years, but what has lasted more is watching that flag, even though I wasn't aware of the true meaning of it and what it stood for. So enjoy this little holiday! I sure intend to. *grin*
Now that my oldest daughter's wedding is over, and I'm catching up on all the things that had to be put aside because of it and other important things, it's time to make some new (good) habits.
It's kind of funny that I post regularly on a local newspaper blog, but I don't seem to find the time to post here. That's a Shame-on-Me thing, for sure, and I'm going to try, try, again to do better. But if I should fail again, there's always a new blog I'll direct your attention to. I mean, after all, I have posted there a time or two in the past week. Give Kristi Gold's Kristi's Koffee Chat a visit and tell her HI. You won't be disappointed. :)
1. At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. If not for you, someone may not be living.
8. You are special and unique.
9. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
11. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.
12. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.
13. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
14. Always tell someone how you feel about them. You will fell much better when they know.
15. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.
I can't believe another month and a half has gone by since I've posted here, but life has been busy and the things I want to do take precedence to the things I have to do. I'll definitely try to do better, as the "have-to" list is growing shorter.
My #2 daughter and her hubby bought a new house last month, and we're all very happy and excited for them. Yesterday, they had a big surprise for their two kids--Jules, a part-Labrador 8-week-old puppy. The kids are ecstatic over the new edition. Their part-Siamese cat, Daisy, is not, and has taken to hissing and growling at my son-in-law. After all, he's the one who brought the intruder into the house, so he's the bad guy. I have a feeling Daisy will, eventually, begin to forgive him and begin to at least tolerate the new addition. We, on the other hand, have fallen in love with Jules.
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