A Lesson in Dignity

In his post on "Keeping warm by hibachi," Abraham Lincoln describes the way some Japanese people recycled cigarettes shortly after the war's end. It reminded me of an occurrence while we were living in Okinawa.

My mother and I were shopping for fabric (see I come by it honestly!) in one of the small shops "in town." When we were there, "town" consisted of some tin-roofed shanties set up just outside the gates of Kadena AFB. They seemed to specialize in various things and I loved to wander through them. As my mother bargained with the shop keeper, I watched. Another customer entered the store while extracting a cigarette from her purse. The cigarette fell to the ground. She carefully picked it up, placed it on a stack of nearby stones, and announced to no one in general, "I am sure the shop owner will throw this away for me."

The shop keeper was silent, but the look in his eyes still haunts me. I believe he was hurt and offended by the woman's condescension. His cultural training would never have allowed him to say anything to her......a foreign woman....victorious from a war only 10 years ago.....publicly offering him a dirty cigarette.....but I wonder what he would like to have said. I wonder what he would say if he knew how much the episode has affected me over all these years. I wonder and I wonder.....

Snail Steals Show

DD#2, Em, a neighbor child, and I, went to the dress rehearsal of "A Year with Frog and Toad" tonight. The little theater in Killeen, Vive Les Arts Community Theatre, offers the final dress rehearsal free to military families, so we take advantage of it as often as possible. Tonight's performance was quite good and certainly fast moving. I loved the birds' costumes. The cast was well prepared and enthusiastic, so we had a nice evening.

Probably the most memorable acting was by the snail. He didn't have the largest part, but did such a good job of the part he had, that he stole the show. The main attraction was his "walk," emphasized by his costume. He had knee pants, long socks, and a shirt. A small bedroll attached to his back by suspenders, and a cap with protruding antennae completed the costume. His walk was intriguing - a repetitive clockwork movement of his legs as if in slow motion, while his arms moved in rapid circles. All the kids were attempting to emulate his walk as they left the theater. I heard one child remark that it was the "Snail Walk Symptom."

I wonder if the "Snail Walk" could overtake the "Freddy."

A hit on Broadway, A Year With Frog and Toad was nominated for 3 Tony
Awards® - including Best Musical. Now, for the first time, an all-new production
will tour across North America. Arnold Lobel's beloved characters hop from the
page to the stage in Robert and Willie Reale's musical A Year With Frog and
Toad. Developed by Mr. Lobel's daughter, Adrianne Lobel, the stage musical
remains true to the spirit of the original stories as it follows two great
friends, the cheerful and popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad through four
fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation in the spring, they proceed to plant
gardens, swim, rake leaves and go sledding, learning life lessons along the way,
including a most important one about friendship and rejoicing in the attributes
that make each of us different and special.

When the moon hits your eye....."

The world's first moonbeam collector stands in the desert some 15 miles west of Tucson, Arizona. It consists of a large frame sunk into a 45-foot-deep crater, on private land a few miles from the Kitt Peak National Observatory. This sparse desert area is known for its dark skies. The device is five stories tall, weighs 25 tons, and is covered with 84 mirrored panels set on a hydraulic mount that, supposedly, can focus the light of the moon with "the precision of a Swiss watch." There is no charge to use the facility, although the owners defray some of the operating costs by, suggested, $10.00 donations. This "Interstellar Light Collector," has, so far, cost the private owners, Richard and Monica Chapin, $2 million.

Since people who are "allergic to sunlight" can go out in the moonlight, I have to assume moonbeams do not have UV rays. Thus, the "moonbeams" are just reflected sunlight without harmful ultra-violet rays. Does this give "moonbeams" any special qualities? Well, there is the magic of the moon on romance. Did the astronauts feel any difference from concentrated "moonbeams," or did their spacesuits filter everything? I would be curious to know what effect enhanced "moonbeams" would have on me. Would I spend $10.00 to find out? I am not that curious. I can stand and contemplate under a beautiful full moon for less. Hmmmm, I wonder when the next full moon occurs.

Raising Women

When things start adding up, they are begging for blogging!

Many moons ago I loaned a new, unread book to a friend. The Women's West by Susan H. Armitage and Elizabeth Jameson was purchased on one of our Triumph trips. I always wonder how the pioneers made it to their destinations without the conveniences we enjoy now. Driving and riding in a vintage Triumph makes me wonder even more. Wondering, I seek answers by reading and exploring.

My friend recently returned my book and sent along with it a 1935 non-fiction book called "Old Jules" by Mari Sandoz. It is the story of her pioneer father and the settlement of the upper Niobrara country in western Nebraska. It does NOT read like Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie" books. Sandoz is an excellent writer, but she is also brutally honest. The result is a realistic picture of what life was really like for many of our pioneers, maybe not all of them, but far more than it is pleasant to consider. Fortunately, I read "Old Jules" first. Surprisingly, it was referenced in "The Women's West."

I had just finished "Old Jules" and had started "The Women's West" when I read "Word Quilts'" blog about "Are You a Zero?" These three sources were united as if by an industrial magnet. These stories of women from three different centuries, point out how little progress has been made in this patriarchal society's acceptance and treatment of women. I don't agree with all the Women's Lib hoopla. I won't vote or not vote for Hilary Clinton just because she is a woman. When I married, the men in my husband's office informed him that they "didn't allow their wives to work." When I did work outside the home, there were times when I was faced with being a "Zero." I believe our children's generation is finally getting the message. I know my daughters certainly speak up for themselves and my son is sensitive to women's issues, behind his macho front. A young man on the Dr. Phil Show was upset because his wife did not get a job nor keep the house clean enough for him.
"She has been living off me for five years!" he announced to the world.
Never mind that this 24 year-old woman had borne 3-4 children in those five years, and was bringing them up in their home.

There is still much to be done for women and, hopefully, it will not take another century.We don't have to burn our bras and we don't have to march in the streets. There are ways to increase our effectiveness with dignity and integrity. I have thought of some. I wonder how many you can contribute.

• Stand your ground until you are heard.
• When you see a colleague being taken advantage of, quietly gather behind her as a show of silent support. This works in many situations. Sarge and DD#2 quietly started a gathering behind a man who was debating an anti-war protester on the street in D.C. No one else needed to say anything; their presence was enough.
• Teach our young women to speak up for themselves. Start at home by listening to what they have to say and validating their right to say it.
• Teach our young men to respect women's voices as readily as they do men's.
• Vote! Vote! Vote!
• Educate yourself and impress the importance of education on your children. Not just formal education, but life's lessons as well.
• Teach children early in life to accept the responsibility / consequences of their actions.
• Love your spouse and children and treat them with dignity.
• Women, perhaps of necessity, are amazingly able to multi-task. Use it to your advantage, but don't let it keep you from delegating.

I did not start out to preach. Guess I got carried away. There are many more ideas, I am sure. You probably have a few to add. I have always felt as if I missed out on a part of life because I was not a pioneer, but I am truly glad I was not married to Old Jules. The old West doesn't sound too enticing for women either. I wonder what I might have been like back then.

Wordless Wednesday - Turtle Time

See more Wordless Wednesday posts

A Flurry of Activity

November is Birthday Month. In my extended family there are 16 birthdays, two of them are my children's, and one is a grandchild's. December is only slightly better. Add Thanksgiving, Christmas, and anniversaries into the mix and we have a very active two months.

We celebrated DD#3's birthday at my home since she was in town for a visit. All seven grandchildren and 5 adults made for a chaotic celebration around the table. DD#3 was a good sport about it, even when her birthday cake was decorated in "fall colors," aka the orange left from Halloween, on a chocolate cake. I made small cakes for each of the grandchildren to decorate themselves.

We make it a point to get all the cousins together as much as possible when they are in town at the same time. Family bonding is difficult in this day and age when families no longer live down the street from each other, or even in the same town. My four children were born on 3 different continents. The grandchildren were born in 4 different states and one foreign country. Times have changed from the days our ancestors lived and died in the same town, sometimes even the same house. There are distinct advantages to both ways of life.

Most of us will be together for Christmas again this year. We plan to make memories to hold on to in the future.

"The Girl With the Watering Can"

The Girl With the Watering Can is a book I bought at the thrift store several months ago. It was an impulse buy. I did not think the children would find it interesting, then I decided they might look at the pictures in it - several nice ones by the old masters. Since the book only cost 25 cents, I thought it might be worth a try. Never did I believe it would have the long-lasting impact that it has.

The title of the book is also the title of a painting by Renoir. Abs, age 6, took a real shine to the book, poring over the story and pictures. She was the one who suggested we visit the National Museum of Art while we were planning atrip to D.C. Check out ABW's post.

This past Saturday, we were returning from DS's big BD bash in Houston and visiting thrift shops on the way home. Sarge's "find" made Abs' eyes widen surprise and pleasure - a framed gallery poster of "The Girl With the Watering Can"! The purchased picture made the trip home in the back of the car.

Abs called this morning and relayed the morning's news with so much excitement that it took several tries before I could decipher her message.

"The girl with the watering can was still in her picture and had not ruined any of the other pictures in the house!"

Now, if this statement means nothing to you, you must read the book. It is a rather charming story and points out a surprise object in one of the later paintings..