The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings ta ever one in western Illinois and all readers of "The Quill".
With the official Thanksgiving holiday past now, it can be a time fer pause and reflection. Fer any one travel'n November 22 (official Thanksgiving declared holiday), they would soon notice many retail stores, restaurants, etc. were closed on that day. It no doubt indicates the importance of the holiday.
Thanksgiving vs. Sabbath
One can not help but notice that another important day, Sunday, hardly merits the same closure of business'. It's almost as if the Thanksgiving holiday of feeding ones belly and watch'n a football game takes precedent somehow over the worship of our Lord.
I suppose the boys will have ta "jaw" on this fer a spell ta see what they come up with. Somehow, the original intent of the holiday seems to be slipp'n away.
Awesome Old-Tymers
If'n ya were born betwixt 1925-1955, here is some enterest'n information a reader sent in. It is an old one but worth reveiw'n again:
No matter what our kids And the new generation think about us, WE ARE AWESOME!!! OUR Lives are LIVING PROOF!!!
To Those of Us Born 1925-1955. At the end of this dialogue is a quote of the month by Jay Leno fer ya ta reflect on.
TO KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930s, "40s, and "50s!
Mothers took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
After that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets. When we rode our bikes or ponies, we had baseball caps, not protective helmets, on our heads.
Infants and children would ride in cars with no car seats, nor booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires, sometimes, no heaters or brakes.
Vacuum windshield wipers left much to be desired when the engine was accelerated. They slowed or stopped when ya needed them the most!
Ridin' in the back of a Model A Ford seat or a rare pick-up truck on a warm day was a special treat. (pick-up themselves were a rarity)
We drank water from the garden hose or in a tin can from the spout of a hand pump jack and not from a bottle.
Our one room school had no running water and we drank from a common dipper from a single pail of water brought in from an outside dug well.
On the very rare occasion we were fortunate to have one, we shared one soft drink with four friends from one bottle and no one actually died form this. (a bottle of soda pop cost a whopp'n 5 cents.)
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And we weren't overweight. WHY?
Because we were always outside playing and/or working...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play or work all day, as long as we were back when the kerosene lights came on.
No one was able ta reach us all day by phone--and, we were OKAY.
We would spend hours building, our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only ta find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
Our ponie carts were often hand made out of a "Red Rider" four wheel wagons.
We did not have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were no video games. No 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no internet and no chat rooms. No quick trips to town everyday for those on the farm.
We had friends and we went outside and found them! We swam together in creeks, rivers, and farm ponds along with other livestock.
We fell out of trees and off ponies, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from those accidents.
We would get spankings with wooden spoons, peach switches, leather belts, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, and no one would call child services ta report abuse.
We ate worms, mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and-although we were told it would happen-we did not put out very many eyes.
We legally shot off firecrackers with our incident. Cherry bombs, M-80 and 1/2 sticks were loads of fun! We rode bikes or walked ta a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked ta them. Whilst there the mother of the household would always offer us a treat of something homemade and not bought in a store. Chocolate treats were a rarity, but homemade ice cream, or home grown melons were on course.
Little league had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had ta learn ta deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever.
The past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how ta deal with it all. If you are one of those born between 1925-1955......
Congratulations!
You might want ta share this with others who have had the luck ta grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.
While you are at it, pass it on ta your kids, so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
The quote of the month by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
Well there ya have it then, just as it was forwarded by a reader who knew something of farm life. Fer those that was raised on the farm during that time frame, ya can make substitutions ta match your experiences. Fer example, a lot of farm children were not exposed ta soft drinks, but did drink water from a tin can that was drawn from a dug well or cistern at a one room school. Pony rides were a common experience with out helmets fer many farm children even ride'n them ta the one room school.
Play'n outdoors was a common experience, but work'n hard bale'n hay, walk'n beans tend'n ta the family garden, family butcher'n, help'n the family can garden produce, tend'n to the family orchard and mend'n livestock fences were also energy consume'n activities.
Fer farm children that helped them not ta be overweight. Girl folk actually help'd their mothers prepare the family meal. There were no McDonalds or fast food places.
Farm children did not have street lights ta come home to but in fact dure'n that time frame many farms had yet not received electricity. Consequently carryin' in firewood, cobs fer the cook stove, milk'n cows by hand as well as scoop'n feed fer the livestock also used up excess energy.
Play'n included ice skate'n in the winter on a crick, make'n hay forts in the hay mound, hunt'n, and of course snowball fights, ta name a few.
I'm sure ya can think of other examples. The change in "Thanksgiving Remembrance" and "Sunday" observation resembles the changes this reader observed in differences betwixt grow'n up in earlier days of childhood and the stark differences of how young'ns grow up these days.
Any ways, the boys will have a lot ta chew on dure'n these snowy days. So fer me, I'm anxious ta see how the discussion turns out.
I sure hope no one got caught in a snow drift dure'n last Sunday's snow storm. Isn't winter wonderful!
That's all fer this weeks column. See ya in the church of yer choice this week with a "Thankful" heart.
Remember, wherever ya are, whatever ya be do'n "BE A GOOD ONE!'
Keep on Smile'n
Catch ya later
Barnyard Bruke