Author: admin

My folks had a saying for everything. One that I continue to use is, “It could be worse.” A few months ago, we had one of those situations. A little before 11 a.m. I walked out of the house and slid into the car to attend a family bridal shower in the local bank’s community room. Ken was working in his garden. When I backed out of the garage, my husband was sprawled in the grass next to the driveway and his forehead was bleeding. I immediately stopped and rushed to his side. He griped, “I tripped on that down spout, fell and hit my forehead on the cement.” He got up and walked over to sit on the wooden steps in the garage. I got a towel for him to stanch the blood flow and phoned our son, who is an EMT. Kurt was here in less than ten minutes. I left for the shower. Soon, I received a text that they were on their way to a Monroe Clinic Urgent Care facility in Freeport to have the gash sewed up. After Ken received six stitches, they returned home. He showed no signs of a brain concussion or broken bones.

Whenever I’m dealing with a difficulty, I feel like I’m keeping company with Joe Btfspik, a character in Al Capp’s satirical comic strip, “Li’l Abner,” which ran in newspapers from 1934 to 1977. Joe, who dressed in black, and had a small dark rain cloud hovering above his head, was well-meaning but he was the world’s worst jinx who brought disastrous misfortune to those around him. When I’m trying to convince myself, “It could be worse,” I often wonder if there’s someone in the world beset with a catastrophe so terrible that it couldn’t be any worse.

How do you deal with the problems of your life?

Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Eighty-two years ago, December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Hawaii, thrusting the United States into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s War Address broadcast on the radio termed the action “a date which will live in infamy.” Men from every family enlisted or were drafted into the armed forces. Some ladies joined the auxiliaries. A total of 16 million served.

The women, children and older fellows left behind on the home front sacrificed. Similar to World War I, the females took the places of the males who went to fight. “Rosie, the Riveters” worked in the factories, which converted to making war materials instead of assembling cars.

Many items were rationed. A national speed limit of 35 miles per hour was enacted to reduce gas and rubber consumption.

Mom took our coupon books along to shop for meat and sugar at Hopkins’ Grocery, operated by a father and his two sons in the town of Rockton, near our farm. As a substitute, she bought small, wooden boxes filled with dried cod fish, creamed the seafood and served it over mashed potatoes for dinner. She also found recipes for cookies that used honey instead of sugar.

Cigarettes were a scarce commodity for civilians because 30 percent of the production was allotted for servicemen. Although, Dad wasn’t a smoker, he joined lines to buy the tobacco for Uncle Hookie.

Qualified educators were in short supply. Young ladies with little more than a high school education were granted emergency certificates to teach. Students began each day standing beside their desks, facing the flag and placing their right hands over their hearts while reciting the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

Instead of using their coins to buy candy and gum, kids purchased savings stamps and pasted them in a booklet. When it was full, they traded it at a bank for a war bond costing $18.75. In ten years, the certificate could be cashed in for $25.00.

The Allies victory in 1945 ended the conflict and people celebrated in the streets. Although my generation were children, the war instilled in us a deep love and loyal support of our country. In the words of former Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson, “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”

The U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs estimates there are about 119,000 veterans of the Big War still living–every day, an average of 131 die. When the Greatest Generation is gone, will the American people continue to “remember Pearl Harbor” so that it never happens again?

The first snowfall of the season was welcomed by kids when I was growing up. It opened up a brand new playland. If the temperature was above 20 degrees, it was warm enough to be outdoors, especially if the sun was shining. We were aware of frost bite and bundled up.

We slipped old, bread wrappers around our shoes before pulling on our rubber boots to protect our feet from the snow spilling in from over the tops of the overshoes. Sometimes, by the time we finished playing outside, the snow was packed so tightly into our boots, we needed an adult to drag them off.

Sleds were hauled out of sheds. As a farm kid, sliding down a hill in a large, shiny scoop shovel was a topsy-turvy adventure.

Snow angels were made by lying on our backs in the snow and moving our extended arms back and forth to form the wings.

If it was a wet snow, snowmen could be constructed by rolling three balls of varying sizes and piling them up. Coal briquets were added for buttons and a face.

At school, we tromped a Fox and Goose track, a giant spoked wheel. For the game similar to tag, a fox was chosen and the rest of us were geese. As the fox caught a goose, he or she was sequestered in the hub of the wheel. The last goose caught became the fox for a new game.

For a snowball fight, kids were divided into two sides and forts had to be built.

A few of us had skis and learned to balance on those pieces of wood while zooming downhill. Two poles helped keep us upright.

Shoe skates, which were bought a couple sizes too big so they would last several years, were dug out of closets. By the time we had snow, the temperature had been below freezing long enough to make thick ice on ponds and river backwaters. Some towns flooded an open area to provide a skating rink.

Did you enjoy the winter weather when you were growing up?

I am thankful for my old age. A lot of good things have happened since I became an octogenarian. Our small family all live in the same area, so we get together for holidays and special occasions. Instead of our usual festive meal there have been two memorable events.

To observe Christmas 2016, we all spent several days at Walt Disney World in Florida. Our granddaughter, Katelyn, was working there and couldn’t come home for the holiday so she arranged for the six of us to join her.

In the spring of 2019, nine of us celebrated our daughter Lisa’s birthday with an afternoon of zip-lining at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In case you’re wondering, zip-lining is done from a sitting position hanging from a small pulley and quickly sliding down a thick wire attached between two points, one higher than the other. We each did that in eight different spots and topped off the day with supper at a nearby restaurant.

It’s been gratifying to be part of Katelyn’s and Jacob’s lives as they grew from grandchildren to grandadults and took their place in the world.

After fifty years of writing newspaper and magazine articles as a freelance journalist, I’m a published author. Adelaide Books, an independent New York firm, offered me a contract for my memoir, “The View from a Midwest Ferris Wheel,” about our seven-year courtship in the 1950s. The royalties won’t make me rich, but hearing from people who have enjoyed reading it is priceless.

As a woman who grew up using a party-line telephone and a typewriter, our son, Kurt, solves my problems with a smart phone and a computer. Nearly three years ago, he helped me start this Wednesday blog, lolita-s-bigtoe.com. It’s aimed at older women, but I have men readers, too.

I’m also thankful that my problems haven’t been worse. Three years ago, an MRI revealed that I had suffered a small stroke. My ability to perceive sound was affected and forced me to get hearing aids.

Every morning, when Ken and I sit down to breakfast after a restful night’s sleep, we realize how blessed we are to be starting a new day together.

What are you thankful for?

A blank, white sheet glaring back at me in my computer is a writer’s bane as I sit waiting for a brilliant idea. At least when I used a typewriter, I could jerk the paper out and crease it into an airplane. That was fun when I was in country school.

Kids of my era were easily amused. Most homes received a daily newspaper. A colorful hat could be fashioned by folding a double sheet of the Sunday comics.

As an only child living on a farm, I played catch by throwing a small, green, hard-rubber ball against the wall of our brick home. If I missed grabbing it when it bounced back, my companion, Tony, our white, English bulldog, quickly retrieved it. Then, I had to pry it out of his large mouth because he didn’t want to give it up.

Carefully placing each one of a set of 28 dominoes on end and knocking them down with a slight push to the last in line was entertaining.

During my twelve years of school, some of us brought our lunch in a brown, paper sack instead of a metal box. After eating, we’d squeeze the top of the bag together, bring it to our lips, blow it full of air, hold it tight and punch it to make it explode with a bang. It was especially hilarious if someone wasn’t paying attention and jumped from the unexpected noise.

I enjoyed board games but rarely had an opponent. Sometimes, Mom played checkers and I never gave up hope that I would beat her, but that never happened. Even when I was disgusted and suggested playing ‘give away’ with the winner the one who lost their men first, she was more adept. As an adult, I understood her wisdom in not playing off so I could win.

I spent many hours shuffling cards for Solitaire but mesmerizing, electronic games have taken over. My husband enjoys it on his computer. During a recent power outage, he declined my suggestion to search in the closet for an old deck to play the game while waiting for our electricity to come back on.

What were some of your amusements while growing up?

Today is Ken’s 88th birthday–he has many reasons to celebrate. Our family will get together for supper at Fritz’s Wooden Nickel in Stillman Valley followed by eating Watergate Cake that I made by his request and will serve at our house.

His parents raised him to show love and be a gentleman. He kisses me good morning and good night. When we go out, he holds my coat, opens the doors and makes sure he walks on the outside when we’re strolling along a sidewalk. I’m an independent woman who gets along fine on my own but we both enjoy those little niceties.

After serving thirty-seven years in law enforcement, Ken is enjoying retirement. Since personalized license plates became available, the ones on his Ram truck read FSHALOT. Every April, he and our son, Kurt, take our boat and spend a week at a resort on Kentucky Lake. They hope to catch enough crappies for the family dinner he’ll cook on Mother’s Day. The rest of the summer, when the weather cooperates and a buddy can go with him, he likes to fish for catfish at Lake Koshkonong, about an hour away in Wisconsin.

Last spring, Ken planted his usual big garden. He shared his excess vegetables by putting them on our picnic table with a sign, FREE VEGGIES, for anyone to help themselves. He has cleared the plot and a friend with a small tractor did the fall plowing. He’s making plans for another growing season next year.

Ken takes care of many chores around the house including mowing the lawn during warm weather and using the snow-blower on our walks as needed during the winter. If I’m gone or not feeling well, he takes over as the househusband.

How do you celebrate your birthday?

Today is the beginning of November, which includes Veterans Day when we salute all men and women who have honorably served our country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 16.5 million of them who have helped preserve everyone’s right to publicly show patriotism and to protest.

The federal holiday continues to be November 11 in recognition of the ending of the Great War at 11 o’clock in the morning of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

My generation remembers the friends and relatives who fought in World War II. We stand with our hands over our hearts for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and when Old Glory passes by during a parade just like we were taught when we were students who began each school day with the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

Each person who joins a branch of the service recites the following oath: “I, ____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” The people in uniform are trained and ready to do whatever might become necessary.

Those who enter the military leave home and loved ones not knowing when or if they will return. Parents, husbands, wives and children learn to get along without them for long periods of time.

Some of those who have served wear a tee shirt or a cap proudly proclaiming they are veterans. Often, the only recognition these men and women ever receive is a “Thank you for your service,” from an appreciative citizen. Have you voiced your gratitude to a veteran for his or her contribution to your freedom?

Learning is something we do in many ways all of our lives. In the beginning, our parents are our first instructors. Attending school, we study text books and listen to our teachers. Since I met Dick and Jane in first grade primers, I’ve loved to read. As an adult, I balance our checkbook using the basic arithmetic I gained from elementary flash cards.

When formal education is finished, we have apprenticeships, a program or position in which someone learns a trade by working under a certified expert for several years. Also, there is on-the-job training.

Another way is questioning a wiser person. In the early 2000s, my eight-year-old grandson and I were watching the TV sitcom, “Becker,” starring Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice in New York City. He is constantly annoyed by everybody and everything, but he is well-liked because he genuinely cares about others. The physician was listening to a friend venting because his son had just come out as gay.

Jacob asked, “Grandma, what does gay mean?”

I wasn’t prepared for his question. It took me a moment to reply, “Guys date guys instead of girls.” Both of us were satisfied with my explanation and finished watching the show in companionable silence.

Osmosis can teach us about things in which we have no interest. I don’t like professional football. During its season, I’m irked when my favorite, Sunday night TV programs are delayed because an afternoon game lasts overly long. Still, I know a lot more about the sport than I want to because my husband and our daughter are Minnesota Vikings’ fans. I hear them talk about the latest match-ups and some of their knowledge seeps into my brain. Each fall, Lisa buys season tickets. One year, I joined the two of them attending a contest in Minneapolis because I think it’s fun to do about anything once.

How have you acquired your knowledge?

Since the COVID 19 pandemic ended, most social events are continuing. Recently, I attended a club meeting where one of the others had the residue of a cold. She was wearing a mask and dipping into a bag of lozenges sitting on the table, but she still did a lot of coughing. Each time she gave a vigorous hack, it was difficult to hear the person speaking.

I can understand people going to work when they’re not up to par because some don’t get paid unless they’re on the job; others have a project that is on deadline and must be finished.

Social events are a different story. I think it’s selfish to answer, “Here,” when a person has any of the outward symptoms of a cold. I know that when anyone has been cooped up for a week or more, it’s tempting to take advantage of an opportunity to be with people. Perhaps, she assumed she was no longer contagious but I’m sure no one else in that group of senior citizens wanted even the possibility of sharing her germs.

A part of our church service is passing the peace. It’s a time when everyone shakes hands with those next to them and says, “Peace be with you.” During the winter, I keep my hands folded together because I don’t want the contact.

Everyone wants to avoid a cold, but for some of us it’s more threatening than it is for others. A person doesn’t have to be old to have a health condition that isn’t obvious. I was forty-two when my left lung collapsed and was surgically removed because I had histoplasmosis often caused by a fungus found in bird droppings. Since then, a simple respiratory infection could cause me serious problems needing to treated in a hospital.

When you have the remnants of a cold, do you join a social gathering of people if you feel well enough to attend?

Growing older is a privilege that’s denied to many. We should never feel bad about aging but enter this chapter of our lives with humility, grace and pride over everything we’ve been through and accomplished. We are survivors who have raised families, run households, paid bills, dealt with diseases, sadness and everything else life has assigned us providing wisdom and experience. Some of our skills such as driving a shift car may be obsolete. Many things remain the same such as a need for money.

Growing old takes gold, isn’t just an easy rhyme–it’s true. Articles on saving for retirement, show gray-haired people doing fun things such as traveling, playing golf and boating. There’s another side–the necessities to continue enjoying life. Doctor visits increase and so do bottles of pills on the shelf. Not everyone needs the same things. The above takeoff on the three wise monkeys, which originated in Japan centuries ago, shows a few of the items aging requires. Supplies for incontinence may also become a must

The handicapped laws make public places more accessible. However, a person’s mobility may include assistance such as a cane, a walker or wheels.

For those of us who came of age using a party-line telephone and a typewriter, a smart phone and a computer can make us feel stupid. If we’re lucky, we have a younger member of the family or a friend who can help with problems. Otherwise, needing a member of the geek squad is another expense.

Many of us choose to remain in our own homes. We may need to hire help such as someone to clean the house, mow the lawn or remove snow. Eating out or ordering meals delivered may also become more frequent.

When you’re budgeting for retirement, have you thought about these needs?