Post for Thursday July 12, 2012

12 July 2012

A question from the pre-writing exercise made me think about another experience in my life that re-affirmed my decision to write about my VW bus as my favorite place.

Do you know where the first members of your family to come to this town slept
the first night they got here?

I do know where my family slept when we first moved to Kimberling City form Manson, IA. We slept in the family BUS! Our bus, back then, was actually a camper converted school bus, but it couldn't have felt more like home. For awhile my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and myself all lived in the bus. I was 3, and my mom was pregnant with my younger brother. There was not a lot of room, and we did not have the money to stay in a campground. We parked in the lot behind Buttonwood Center because my dad knew the owner of the carpet store that was there. I think that this experience contributed greatly to my own ability to make a home anywhere I am out of what I have. This bus was my home, I had a bed and my family with me, I think that it takes little more than that to describe a place. I was worried when I began to write my current paper about a place and I chose my own bus, but until I saw this question on the writing exercises I had forgotten about living in that bus when I was a child. I think that the diverse experiences that I have been blessed with have left me with a slightly different opinion about the meanings of the things around us.

Post for Wednesday July 11th 2012

11 July 2012

I have read a lot of stories lately about teenagers choosing to end their own lives because of bullying, or embarrassment, or social problems. I ask myself, "Are kids these days really facing difficulties that I do not remember as a child?" I really do not think so. I do not know if the numbers of teens who choose to end it all are really increasing, or if it is just making the news in greater concentration. I,however, think that there is an element to this persecution that is being overlooked, PHONE COURAGE. What I mean by this is that you can and do say things on the phone, or text them, or e-mail them, that you would never say to a person's face. Though there are a few really mean kids out there, most kids would never say most of the hurtful things that are sent by social network options.
When I was a kid there were no social networks aside from the groups that you hung out with in front of your locker, we did not have our own phones (if you wanted to talk to your friend you had to ask their parents to talk to them first), and e-mail was in it's earliest of stages. If you wanted to say something hurtful to someone you ran the very real risk of getting punched in the face! Though some teens still gambled with the risk, you had to respect their courage.
I think that all this business about kids bullying other kids and the problems that have arisen is fatally connected to our addiction to technology. If our children are going to be connected on the social networks they need to be prepared for the hurtful events that can occur and develop a thicker skin about what people say.

Place prewriting..Tuesday July 10 2012

10 July 2012

In My Car

I always maintain that there are no bad days when you're driving your Volkswagen, this has always been true for me. From the first time I drove my bus it has been a place of refuge and happy memories. The classic "old car" smell is an experience all it's own, while the lack of suspension keeps you on your toes. A few months after I bought my bus, and about half way through the paint job my family decided to take a camping trip to Arkansas. What an adventure it would be to drive my new bus on the family camping trip, I thought to my self. So I gathered my guitar and a friend, some snacks and blankets, and headed for Arkansas. Little did I know that this trip would prove to be more of an adventure than I had bargained for. Just a drive across town can prove a harrowing brush with insanity in my old square rust-wagon, so to go 100 miles or more is sure to leave you with a story or two to tell. The place that I will write about in my "WHAT IS A PLACE" paper will be in my bus. If you are in my writing group, stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Pre-Writing Exercise July 9 2012

9 July 2012

Places to go..Pre-Writing Exercise

Grandma's House Manson IA

Dad's Farm

The Fair

The VW Show, Car Show

Wilson's Creek

Renaissance Festival

Swimming @ the Creek

The Zoo

George's 

The Movies

The Hospital

Camping

Post for July 8 2012

8 July 2012

I wish I had the energy of my dog. I wish I had her excitement, her playful nature, her loving spirit; we are not better than our pets, we have so much to learn. My life would not be complete if I didn't have her jumping up nipping at me when I come in the door. Who would be so happy to see me, if it were not for her? She licks my tears when I am sad, and sleeps on my lap when I am lonely. Dogs, cats, birds, whatever makes you happy; they make your life complete. As humans we tend to believe that we are better than all of the other beings with which we share the earth, how sad this is. Next time you are walking your dog and you bend over to pick up the mess, ask yourself who is in charge. Next time you are having a bad day and your dog is there to lick your face and make you smile, ask yourself who is more stable.

Post for July 7th 2012

7 July 2012

Today I played in the rain. It had not rained in so very long that the drops felt blissful as they fell. I was at an auction and it was incredibly hot, we stood in the yard and wiped sweat from our heads. Then, from the heavens it fell, and fell, and the heat of summer turned to cold shivers. I stood under the drops until I was soaked clear through my clothes and my fingers began to shrivel. We dashed through the puddles and huddled under the awning as the wind began to blow harder. It did not stop, the items for sale were blowing down the street and no one was willing to chase after them. Lamp shades and pillow cases scattered about while we laughed at how wet each other had gotten. I looked about for my husband, and I spotted him from the other side of the line of people, I waited for a lull in the storm and I ran for it. He was not there. I kept running for the car, thinking that he may have been there, but not there either. Meanwhile I noticed that my purse had filled with water and my checkbook was floating about; so I seized the opportunity to deposit the contents in the backseat. I found him on the front porch of the house, how could I have not noticed the porch before? We both took refuge here just as it began to hail!

Post for July 6th 2012

12 July 2012

Johnson's Farm ABC's

A is for Awake, so early each day
B is for barn where we keep all the hay
C is for cats, in the barn fast asleep
D is for dog, watching over the sheep
E is for eggs that we collect from the hens
F is for fence to keep the animals in
G is for goats who give milk for cheese
H is for honey we collect from the bees
I is for ice cream on a hot summer’s night
J is for jelly grandma makes it just right
K is for kettle we use to cook on the fire
L is for the ladder we use to climb higher
M is for mice, in the cupboards they creep.
N is for night when the farm goes to sleep
O is for the oxen out chewing his cud
P is for pigs who dig holes in the mud
Q is for quail hiding under the brush
R is for running  when you’re in a rush
S is for sheep who are covered in wool
T is for tractor, we use it to pull.
U is for underwear hanging out on the line
V is for  the vegetables that we share with the swine.
W is for wagon  hauling hay into town
X is the mark to dig a hole in the ground
Y is for yard work and cutting the grass
Zzzzzz…is the sound grandpa makes when he naps

It isn’t easy, this farm life of ours’
Working outside  doing so many chores
The work is hard and the hours are long
But you grow up right, and you grow up strong.
You can’t replace it with diamonds or gold
I hope to be farming ‘till I’m very…..very….very…old!