Tattoos of Life

Lately every time I look at my hands, I don't like what I see. They look old. You can see my veins and they are becoming covered with sun/age spots. They look like the hands of a little grandma-- oh wait, I am a grandma. The age/sun/liver spots are taking over. I even bought some expensive serum for my face that is suppose to help even out my skin tone in four to six weeks! It's not been that long, but I don't think I am seeing much progress.

This was on my mind while I was listening to my Steve Wariner CD. (He's one of my favorites) One of his songs is called Tattoos of Life. Here's what he says:

Life paints a picture that time can't erase

And sometimes it cuts like a knife

Sooner or later one way or another

We all wear the tattoos of life

This made me think about the spots and the wrinkles and scars we all carry around. They are part of us, they tell our story. Instead of trying to erase them, we should just consider them to be our tattoos--badges of honor earned for all sorts of reasons. I can't change them because that would change my past and I would not want that.

I learned another lesson when I mentioned to my friend that I was trying the serum on my face and she said, "I didn't even notice it was there." It's a large spot, you can't help but see it, but she is my friend and I realized that when she looks at me, she doesn't see my imperfections. She just sees me.

So, I'm going to embrace my tattoos and not try to change them--with the exception of one-you will never see my true hair color, its a tattoo I'm still going to hide!!!

What's Blooming on the Ponderosa

This little purple crocus just popped through the leaves. I planted them several years ago and they are always the first flowers of spring. Stay tuned because we had a planting spree last fall with some bulbs and I can see them making their way up, so very soon there will be loads of blooms on the Ponderosa.

Guarding the Ponderosa

We share the Ponderosa with two dogs, Shrek and Piper. They are faithful pets who will alert the whole community when someone strange drives onto the property. Their barks along with their size keep people in their cars until one of us comes to the rescue! They get really worked up if someone tries to walk up the driveway.

But let a four legged trespasser come by and here’s what happens. . .

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday's Blast from the Past

I would like to begin this post by apologizing to mankind for my hair. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do, but looking back I can see that it was wrong on so many levels.
While I was trying to bring some organization to our clutter this week, I came across these Polaroid snapshots from long ago. You see once upon a time I was a fourth grade teacher. I taught fourth grade longer than any of the other 12 grades I have taught over the last 33 years!
In my class we took our monthly 4-H meeting very seriously. We prepared for the meeting and created a program. When it was time to start, the president called the meeting to order, the secretary called the roll and the program leader took over and acted as master of ceremonies for some sort of program that usually involved poem readings and songs and demonstrations of some type. Since we were always prepared we were often chosen as the banner club of the month. These two photos show our class holding the pennant that we were allowed to hang in our classroom. We probably had our photo in the newspaper as part of this honor. During our meeting we always recited the 4-H pledge--which I remember to this day from my our time spent in 4-H clubs. I'll leave you with the pledge--say it with me:

I pledge my head to clearer thinking

My heart to greater loyalty

My hands to larger service and

My health to better living

For my club, my community, my county and my world.

Today. . .

Today, the Ponderosa can't decide. . .

Is it winter?

Or is it spring?

Sunday's Blast from the Past Photo(s)

As a teacher I'm usually all about snow in the forecast, but today with the predication for as much as five inches and the fact that we have used all our snow days at school, I find myself thinking, enough with the snow already! These pictures are from snows in the past when we all lived in Rolling Acres and snow meant fun all day and into the night. I can see the sledding tracks behind the Simmons house in the second picture. There were some major snowball fights and everyone in the neighborhood gathered on the hillsides or sometimes on the roads to sled and "tube". Just lately we've all been playing like that again! And it was fun while it lasted, but I'm ready for spring!

Sunday Sledding

Parker has become a master sledder.

He learned some of his skills from P-pa who is a master sledder from way back!

He can sled backwards.


He can do tricks.

He can handle both kinds of sleds.

And if you will hold your tongue out just right, you can really go fast.

Parker and P-pa were having so much fun I decided to put the camera down and join in. After all-- these were the same hills I had spent my whole childhood playing on. Parker took the plastic sled and I had the wooden one. As I sped down the hill, I was ten again just having fun in the snow. Then, the sled came to a stop and I tried to get up. And I started back up the hill and the shortness of breath brought me right back to reality! Ten year olds run back up the hill, but not nanas!

Bring Shovels

In times past we have needed to chainsaw our way off the Ponderosa, and just last week end we had to ford a raging stream that had formed across the driveway, but today we are going to need a plow to find our driveway! What a difference a week makes. It's under there somewhere.

Confession

I made a little confession on the K-8 Moms blog. If you haven't read it click here!

Sunday's Blast from the Past Photo(s)

I love books. I've loved them as long as I can remember. My mom says that I refused to lie down and sleep in my crib if my little stack of Golden Books was not beside me! The book shown above is my all time favorite, really. I've had it since I was five! It's volume 1 of the Childcraft, called Poems of Early Childhood.

See, its been used a lot. Look, there is tape and crayon marks. My little brother is responsible for the crayon marks, I would never have abused a book in that way! The pages of this book have been turned hundreds of times, not just by me, but also by my children.

It begins with a section on nursery rhymes. Look at the illustrations, I think that is one reason I love this book so, because I don't think I could read when I first got it. They don't make books like they used to!

I liked this page, it's the story of the gingham dog and the calico cat!

Stephanie loved this page, she could recite this whole poem before she went to kindergarten. Look at it, what kid would not love a story about a tree full of candy!

Oh, and I loved this page too!

And this was also one of my favorites, isn't that exactly what Little Bo Beep should look like!

And this page too, it's about little fairy houses in the woods. Don't you remember thinking this stuff might be real!

This is the reason I looked for this book. This summer Parker loved to get in Pa Lyle's garden and hide under the green bean vines. I made photos of him peeking out and they reminded me of this poem and illustration. I wanted to scan this page and combine them with his photos for a scrapbook page. I didn't have to look far. The entire set of Childcraft is still in a bookcase in my parent's home. I am so glad they saved it.
So, once again I'm turning the pages and remembering what used to keep me busy, long ago, before the internet when there was only 3 TV channels and instead dvds and video games we had outside, where we made our own fun sometimes by reading a book in the backyard under a tree!

Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise!

The Ponderosa is flooded!
When we left for supplies today we had to "ford" the driveway!