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Worlds End Every Day

As I lay in bed in the early hours of the morning, my thoughts drifted to my childhood and school lunches. At our grade school; that's what we called it in those day, grade school, lunch was awesome. Served in our cafeteria, on melmac trays with real tableware, cooked by smiling ladies who knew their way around a kitchen, and presented with a half pint of milk. There was always a main dish, a vegetable, a fruit and a dessert. Of course, you could bring a lunch from home and many did, but gettingn the hot lunch was a treat.

Everything was prepared from scratch. I know this because I washed dishes in the cafeteria. This was a sought after boon for the older children. If you were lucky you might take a turn at rinsing the trays, placing them in the dishwasher, pushing the start button, and stacking the clean trays when the washing was complete. You gave up a portion of the after lunch recess, but were rewarded with a new set of skills and a sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing that a job is well done.

The idea of a dishwasher was a revelation to me. They were certainly not in evidence in any homes I knew. The sounds! The steam! The aroma of clean trays and silverware.

As I recalled those days, I felt sorry for today's children who will never know that simple world, now gone into history.

We walked to school every day with all the other children in our neighborhood, greeted and watched by every mother along the way. We spoke politely to all adults and collected our friends with joy as we headed to school. We and our parents thought nothing of this normal process. Children in past versions of our world traveled much farther in harder conditions. Education is important. It was your job and privilege as a child to go to school and become educated. Each of us would know members of our family who had not had the opportunity to finish sixth grade, let alone high school or college.

When it rained, we walked in our slickers and rain boots. Joy! When the mood took us, we ran or raced a block. There was not very much traffic in our neighborhood. Most people had already gone to work by the time we were walking to school.

Today's children do not know the power and freedom we had. They are not trusted to be responsible and smart. When did we stop teaching our children self reliance and common sense?

The halcyon days of youth always seem golden in memory. In truth, there was poverty, and loss, and plenty of struggle for families then too. We feared the atom bomb and anticipated World War Three, which thankfully hasn't yet happened. Floods and fires occurred. Parents lost their jobs and homes. Many of our neighbors worked in agriculture. As now, people soldiered on believing that you can make it if you work hard and keep at it.

The world of my grandparent has faded into the mists of time and fable. The world of my parents is history and ancient history to youth. The world of my childhood is equally ended. The world of my youth has become the tired, terrified world of today. 

Worlds end every day and become new worlds little by little. Some place or custom you've known all you life is suddenly gone. Where did it go? When did it go? 

A new year, a new outlook

Happy 2015, Blogosphere!

In this new year I am taking a new approach to my blog. It has always been about sharing my thought and experiences, This year I share my musings on topics big and small. I do not ask readers to agree with me; nor do I expect to become, in the words of Gallinda the good, "POPULAR". All I ask is that our discourse be polite as befits people of character and good will.

Thanks, Chris Rock

I am grateful to Chris Rock for his clearly stated comments on the recent events in Ferguson and New York in the recent Rolling Stone interview. His vision is clear and he spoke to my heart and the hearts of many saddened, confused and frightened people.

Hats off, Chris.
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/chris-rock-the-rolling-stone-interview-20141203?page=4

Crafty people

I've been meeting the most interesting people through crafts. In the last several months, each visit to a local yarn shop (JoAnn Fabrics, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Knitique, Anna's, etc.) has led to fabulous conversations and shared tips.

Just today I got a great tip about using my Black and Decker Workmate (available at Sears, Home Depot, Amazon, etc.) with my Addi Express knitting machine. What an awesome idea!


What awesome tip have you learned lately?

My thanks to all the crafters who've shared their time and passion with me.

Now, here's a yarn

I haven't been blogging much, I am very busy with knitting and crochet projects. I've met a wonderful bunch of women at the Martin Luther King, Jr. library that knit, crochet and pursue any manner of wonderful crafts.

I'll be posting about our projects and experiences.

Now that I'm semi-retired, I can put a little more time into my blogs. If you are checking them out you will hear a lot about some of the following:

• Crafts (I knit, crochet, quilt, embroider, etc.)
• Things made of wood ( I'd love to sculpt, and want to learn to use a lathe.)
• Books (Those I'm reading and authors I like. I'll make recommendations.)
• Food (What can I say? I love food.)
• Topics that engaged me (This could be anything from politics, to human interest, to cryptids)

I hope you'll drop by now and then to read what I've been up to.