It doesn’t seem possible that Easter is next Sunday. It seems like that we just started Lent. Times have changed on how people used to celebrate Easter. Years ago, for some, it meant a new dress, hat and shoes. There were family dinners with some being at noon or supper time. There was a shortage of eggs at the store as kids dyed them. Some of the eggs were put outside for an egg hunt. Kids also looked for an Easter basket with goodies in it. People don’t dress up anymore just because it is Easter. Nor do they cook and invite people over. A good many of them go out to eat and that way they don’t have to clean the house, get food ready to cook, and then have all the clean-up after everyone leaves. Don’t forget what Easter is about. (I have an article on Easter Parades if there is room.)
Bethany and I were on the soup list for Lenten services last Wednesday. She had bought a Creamy Potato soup at Jeff’s that had to have 2 quarts of milk added and then heated to 180 degrees and then reduced to 160 degrees to serve.
I came downstairs at 3 a.m. that Wednesday and took the roast out of the crock pot. Then I pealed 8 cups of potatoes and 6 coups of celery. I left the celery until later that morning. Meanwhile there was a load of wash that I did. At 5 a.m., I went upstairs. I had taken Bethany’s blue jeans out of the dryer and found one pair was certainly not wearable. She had just strings holding on to a previous back patch. A little, tiny bikini bottom wouldn’t have covered the area! In other words, there was more ventilation than material!
I decided I had better try and fix it as she would be needing this pair to go to work that afternoon. First I had to try and find some blue jean patch that would try and blend in with the rest of the jeans. Then I left the strings there so there was a little support when I put a patch on the under side and another on the outside. I had 8 inches left to sew when I broke the needle. I had no more denim needles and only a package with Ball Point needles in it. They were used for knit fabrics but I needed to get the 8 inches sewed so used one needle. I hadn’t gone 2 inches when that needle broke. I put another one in and did get 4 more inches in. I wasn’t going to chance the last needle so I finished the last 2 inches by hand (at least until I get a denim needle.) I finished at 7:30 a.m. and felt I had done more than a half days work.
After lunch time, I cut the potatoes and carrots up and got them done. The roast was cut up and celery done. I put some tomatoes in and the soups were ready to go to church at 4 o’clock. I had asked Zachary if he would be available to take the soups to church. I heard, “What more do I have to do today?” (He hadn’t helped with anything.) When it came time to take them to church, of course, he was no where around. I located him and he did take them just before 5 p.m. (The soup supper was at 5:30 p.m!)
Wasn’t that a surprise on Thursday afternoon when snow began to fall?! Of course, there was ice, also. Just because it is April doesn’t mean that we are free from snow. Jean Marie was a Psalm Sunday baby (April 8, 1962) and we just got to the hospital when a blizzard came. It was said that there were cars in ditches. We left the hospital five days later and just got home before another snowstorm came. Many years ago, there was a snowstorm on Memorial Day. There were no lilacs or any flowers alive to decorate graves with. Maybe climate change was already happening back then
I received a newspaper article from 1963 where Marcus was getting a $758,000 new high school. They had already started in 1960 to plan to get information out to the public in preparation for the bond election October 27.
1960 was the year that Remsen announced that the next year they would be sending 30 students from tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades to Marcus. If they send the Freshmen class over, that would mean 10 more students. The reason for this was that the public high school enrollment fell short of what the State deemed a satisfactory number. Remsen St. Mary’s had gotten their new School. The students that were going to Remsen Public School, left for their own new school. This left a shortage of students for the Public School according to the State.
For Remsen and Marcus, school meant they were concerned about the education for their students. Both these schools still put their students first.
We went to J.C. Penny’s on Friday night. They are celebrating a “birthday” and most of everything was off 30% or even more. I wanted Bethany to have a pair of new jeans as I didn’t know how much longer the pair I worked on would be wearable. She got 3 pair for a total of $67! They were a brand name, too. I used my Penny card and got another 30% off! At least she has three pair to wear and made me feel better!
Saturday Zachary “smoked” and grilled supper outside. I don’t know how many times I have informed him that all the “rubs” shouldn’t be exactly as the recipe calls for. It doesn’t take much to leave the meat salty to the taste. Even he agreed that not much salt rub was necessary as the meat was saltier than what it should have been. I was glad that I didn’t have to cook, so the meat was good even if it had a little too much salt.
After eating supper, I went back upstairs to see “Ten Commandments” that started at 6 p.m. and ended at 11 p.m. It probably wouldn’t have been that long if the commercials weren’t most of the time! I went back downstairs before midnight and found a mess! He had used one of my dish towels to wipe the “soot” off his cooker. That towel was black with not much white showing. I used Dawn dish soap and got it to looking better. It went to the washing machine and came out almost like new! Both of them didn’t come home until 1 a.m. They hadn’t put anything away that hadn’t been eaten, so there went a hour of cleanup!
Saturday was Bensen’s birthday. April 12 is Gracelyn’s birthday. At least the weather is cooperating this year. Remember when the Marcus Firemen came to the door of a kid celebrating a birthday and made them Jr. Fireman? For Gracelyn’s birthday at that time, there was a snow blizzard, but the Firemen came anyway. They had two stops that time as another little girl was celebrating her birthday on the blizzard day. Thank you, Firemen for giving birthday kids a memory they will never forget!
Steve and I went to Heartland Care Center Sunday to see the Easter Egg Hunters in action! Heartland had hidden plastic eggs (with contents being assorted candies) all over. When the Easter Bunny announced the “hunt” could begin off went the kids in search!
It was a nice day to be outside and some of the residents did sit outside and take in the “hunt”! I got to see Shirley S. who I hadn’t seen since last June when I was a resident for a month. Some of her grandchildren were participating in the Easter Egg Hunt. We went inside to see Joann J. but she wasn’t in her room. I did get to see Joan Moritz. Shirley, Joan and I used to eat together when I was at Heartland.
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost friends and relatives to death, be with those whose lives have been changed because of a death, are experiencing health problems, some of which are terminal, are trying to make ends meet even though they have a job, encourage those who are not working to find a job, since weekly government checks will begin being reduced, be with those in Ukraine who are having to leave their country and those who have lost lives of family or friends because of the pursuit of another country, and encourage those who have distanced themselves from friends and family to build a bridge rather than a wall. Count your blessings.