this is a page for
Category: The Erstwhile Acorn
Ok Millenials… this one comes from Granny’s wisdom and life experience. If you were a kid in the 50’s and 60’s, the world came alive when Color TV was introduced around 1960. Bonanza began in color. The NBC Peacock made the best of it. As did my favorite creator of all time….Walt Disney. If you’re my age, you can still sing the song: The world is a wonderland of color…wonderful…wonderful…color! Then Tinkerbelle would do her magic all over the screen. I knew that I was to be a creator from the time…
During the summer festivals I often work a table display for prevention. Since I am employed through the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services, during the school year, this creates a bit of summer mad-money .I go into schools in Madison and Union Counties as a Pax Partner. During the London Strawberry Festival, I hooked with a Mennonite friend, Loretta. She used to substitute in Jonathan Alder Schools, and often subbed for me. She now sells Tupperware. A few weeks later, as I was pulling out of the garage, a man with a huge smile pulled in with…
STORYTELLER 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, courage, and a sound mind. Your life changes, once you become a grandparent. When Tom and I became Gramma and Grampa Farm, our lives took on an entire new adventure! It’s funny, because with grandkids, you can give them your wisdoms. Then you can make up for the mistakes you made with your own kids. We are like 5 year olds sometimes…..and it’s awesome! When our twin grandsons come to the farm, they come on an adventure! That’s…
Book of Sirach(Catholic Bible)6:2-4 Do not fall into the grip of your passion, lest like fire it consume your strength. It will eat your leaves and destroy your fruits, and you will be left a dry tree. For fierce passion destroys its owner, and makes him the sport of his enemies. Trees are a huge symbol in my life. To me they represent the following: life, strength, courage, becoming, and a living creature that produces much fruit. All living creatures need sustenance: food, water, light, rest, and nurturing. The thought of a Dry Tree is pitiful…
The other night, I was looking through some of my mail order catalogs. I like to order clothing from a certain company. Therefore, I am flooded with catalogs from everywhere! I always like looking through them, prior to their obliteration. However, while looking through a very fluffy, puffy, decorating catalog, I became hysterical with laughter. My funny bone was on overload! Here I was, sitting in my 1890’s remodeled farmhouse. Which by the way took us 40 years to complete. It is a beautiful home now. However, as every farmer knows, your money is in your land and machinery…
The other day I was doing my consulting job at school and my phone started buzzing! I knew immediately it was my eldest sister. It was a special day. Our mother has been with the Lord for 23 years. However, Aug. 22 she would have been 101 years old! For the two of us, it was a day to celebrate. “Why,” you ask? It’s due to the fact that our mother’s spirit has never left us! Immediately, I texted my sister. It read the following: Happy 101 BD MAM! We are 2 strong, spiritual, amazing, loving, educators…all…
Angels are among us……everywhere……and when we least expect them. My Tech Wizard, Jenn had an angel experience, not too long ago. Before I begin her little, miracle story, I need to give you some background. Four years ago, she gave birth to twin girls. I’ll identify them as Jan and Jill. Unfortunately, they were premature, and spent a great deal of time in the ICU. Jan was small, but came home with few problems. However, Jill had a great deal to overcome. She was sent home with trachea/feeding tubes. The feeding tube was removed, causing her…
Introduction: Every home has its problems. Being raised with an absent father in the 50’s -60’s era, had a negative effect on each family member. I was also dealing with the Nuns of Catholicism, which was a religion of rules. Before Vatican II, it was all about what the priests and nuns commanded. When comedians joked about Catholic Guilt, they weren’t kidding. It was very real to all of us little ones. So, you place the Catholic guilt together with fear of “Father,” and you get an overwhelmed, fearful child! However, from my father came many good…
As winter settled in, the pups grew…and grew….and grew! If it wasn’t for the patience of my sweet Farmer, I wouldn’t have been able to handle them. It got to the point where he was the one that took them out for their daily business. Oh! Believe me, I tried to let them run. Thinking that they would train easily, as did Polli (Apollo) was a huge mistake on my part. Let me describe Polli. Almost 10 years old. Spends most of his day in the following manner: *In the truck with dad *On dad’s…
The following is a passage from my book..THE ERSTWHILE ACORN… in progress. I am one who profoundly admires trees. In my opinion, every tree has it’s own personal story, spirit, and soul. Being an artist, when I encounter tree branches, I admire the lines, curves, curls, and twisting limbs. I engage the setting behind the tree, and admire the framed picture it creates. As I sit on our big country porch, I view the huge, succulent, Burr Oak that resides in our barn lot. It has stood on our farm for 350 years, as a monument to…
Recently, I spent a few days with my sister at her summer home on Lake Cumberland. We are the only two left in our family. She is the eldest. I am the baby. The two siblings in between us are both gone. Our parents passed in’94 and ’97. When I meet some of her friends I laughingly gibe, ”I’m the baby, and she’s still my protector and bossy sister. How blessed I am to have someone love me that much. LOL!” Often, we reminisce about both the good times, and the struggles in our lives. Our life…
I continued to raise my family and teach Kindergarten. Every chance that I got, I would share my testimony. In doing so, God led me to speak at 2 Nazarene Churches, and a local Woman Aglow Council. I knew that I was on the right path; however, God was not yet ready for me. In 2011, Cousin Diana was going to be rebaptized by emersion, in her nondenominational church. “Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away!” I exclaimed. Diana poured her heart out, as she requested. “I want you to go into the prayer room with me prior to my…
My dear friend Nan and I were both teachers of young children. I taught Kindergarten for 30 years. Plus seven years of preschool. She was a speech therapist and taught special needs preschool for 37 years as well. We have written 14 children’s books. Two are self- published. We are trying to get recognized in order to get an audience, and a publisher that will pick us up. When we are in our creative, rhyming mode….WATCH OUT! Our five, year, old brains take over. We laugh so heard that we need to keep a box of tissues…
As previously revealed, My Granny and mother both had “The Gift of God’s Wisdom.” Oh, you bet they were human, and had their faults; however, they were wise in the spirit. For years, as I rebuilt my life, I prayed for the Gift of Wisdom. The summer of 2000, I began boldly to digest Psalms and Proverbs. I’d sit on my big country porch and read, study, write, and respond. A rather comical incident occurred, once I began my inhalation of The Word. In my dreams, I kept hearing and seeing the words, ”tree of life.” This same…
I came into full awareness of myself, and what true love was all about, when I was 30 years old. I knew in my youth that I was smart, attractive, and fun-loving. However there was still a lot of baggage that I had to work through. In the same vein of truth, my husband had his own issues to work through, and baggage to be rid of. We married at 22 and 23. We each had a parent that had a negative effect upon our personalities. However….life begins when we make choices. The two of us made positive…