Our Camp

We'll be going to our Toledo Bend camp this weekend. I so love to go there.

Now that we've completed the repairs, we can now sit back and enjoy the facilities as well as the scenery.

Our children and older grandchildren enjoy going to the nearby community launch and putting in their boats to go fishing or riding innertubes pulled behind the boats. The younger grandchildren enjoy walking the road that loops around. Opa and I enjoy sitting on the front porch or back patio and watching the birds or fishermen in their boats.

Once while visiting there, our son went fishing early in the morning. As I glanced out of my front picture window, I saw a huge white mass following my son's boat on the water. At first, I couldn't understand what it was and then I was shocked when I realized what it was. I called out to Opa and one of my son's daughters to come see the sight. As my son fished and moved slowly along the shoreline of our cove, hundreds of white swans had landed behind his boat and was following him. As he turned the boat and drifted zigzaging along the water's edge, so went the trail of white swans. Then suddenly more and more swans began landing in the water behind the swans already following his boat. It was as if my son was pulling a huge white banner across the beautiful water in our cove. How great the artwork of the Lord!

Another visit, my son came in from a fishing trip and was really anxious to tell us what he'd seen that morning. Of course, my first thought was that the fog was so thick...how in the world did he see anything at all. He proceeded to say that as the fog was thick that morning, he was allowing himself to drift in his boat to allow time for the fog to burn off, so that he could get to his fishing. He heard something and looking up saw two eagles with claws locked together and tumbling up and down in the air as they performed their love dance. He said he'd read and heard about eagles doing this, but never expected to see this in his lifetime.

In April, I go to the camp with my daughter and the older granddaughters. We take in Hodges Garden, then we go to Natchitoches and shop. We try to make this an annual event. Then at Easter and Thanksgiving time we travel to the camp as we spend a week or so at North Toledo Bend Park. Opa and I commute between our camp and North Toledo Bend Park, while the children and grandchildren stay in their RV and Pop-Up Camper in the park. We meet with family and friends each day and play cards, play dominos, take walks, gather around the fire ring, and share laughter, recipes, and a community meal. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Cotton Fields of Home

I recall as a young child, going to spend summer months at my godmother's house in the country. My cousin and I would get up early in the morning to get started doing some of the "chores" that my godmother would let us do for her. Memories of going with my uncle out in the cotton field behind their house comes back so clear. Once he let us go out to the fields and "pick" cotton. Of course, my cousin had already done that before, so she knew the "ropes". We picked for about an hour or so, and then we were ready to quit...but, catch was, you had to weigh in your cotton sacks to be paid. Being young and not having picked very much cotton in only an hour or so...my cousin showed me how to add the not-so-ready to pick cotton in my sack. Wow! that made the sack really heavy. When we arrived for my uncle to weigh our sacks, he was surprised we had gotten so much picked in so little time. He weighed the sacks and OPENED them. We were not prepared for that! He poured out the sacks in front of us and saw the unopened cotton bolls mixed in with the cotton. THAT was one of my first lessons on how cheating never works out...only a good hard honest day's work pays off.


I remember having to bring in the water from the outside pump to fill the water jug on the kitchen counter, reaching under the soft warm bodies of chickens to gather eggs, using the outhouse behind the house when nature called, helping pluck feather off the chicken for supper on the outside porch, riding on horse saddles hung in the barn pretending we were cowgirls, bathing in a large washtub (no bathtubs) set in one of the smaller rooms of the house, chasing each other...the rooms all connected by doors...and having to jump over the couch that was placed in one doorway, sitting on the front porch (screens were all busted out) and feeling the cool breeze, picking pecans in the orchard, and so many other things we did on that farm.


Yes, those were the days of my youth. Looking back I realize how all that shaped my life. I lived in town away from the farm. I was blessed to have experienced both country and city life. My wish would be for all people to be able to witness some of the experiences I was fortunate to enjoy.

Country living taught me many things. One was patience, listening, and to work for what you get. I learned that you got out of life what you put into it. Henry Longfellow once wrote in a poem: A Psalm of Life
Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Abou Ben Adhem

A poem by James Henry Hunt:

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An Angel writing in a book of gold:

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the Presence in the room he said,

"What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"

Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow-men."

The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,

And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

It's Howdy Doody Time!

The first network kids show to air five days a week, first show on air each day, first television show ever broadcast in color, first show ever to air more than 1,000 continuous episodes was the Howdy Doody Show. Buffalo Bob and Howdy and friends entertained us (American children) back in the 40's & 50's.

I recall my parents getting us our first television. We use to go next door and use the neighbor's television before we were able to afford one of our own. My brother and I would sit on the floor directly in front of our television set and wait for Buffalo Bob's greeting - "Say, kids. What time is it?" We would join in from our living room with the aprroximately 40 kids that squeezed each day into the studio's "peanut gallery" and shout out: "It's Howdy Doody Time."

That little puppet dressed up in a cowboy shirt, blue jeans, gloves and bandana would grin at us and we would laugh out loud and rock back and forth on our folded legs. His blue eyes, red hair, big ears, and freckles kept you focused the whole time he was talking. Of course, as I look back, Buffalo Bob (ventriloquist) was not bad looking either.

Today, while shopping, I came across a DVD of 20 original episodes of the Howdy Doody Show. I was so happy to be able to buy this collection intended to reintroduce America's most beloved children's show to kids young and old. And I only paid $5.00 for it. I couldn't help but feel very proud of this part of my childhood, when I saw on the DVD case "IT'S YOUR DODDY" on top of Howdy's picture and underneath his picture "VOTE". Probably back then, we weren't too interested in voting, but they planted the seeds whenever and however they could.

I want to share with you, words of a poem by Henry Holcomb Bennett:
Sign of a nation, great and strong
To ward her people from foreign wrong:
Pride and glory and honor,---all
Live in the colors to stand or fall.

Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums;
And loyal hearts are beating high:
Hats off!
The flag is passing by!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog...I'm still in the process of learning about blogging. As Winter is still upon us and Spring not approaching until March 20, I find myself still hibernating. I retired in 2007 after many years working for my church. The year of 2008 brought many relaxed, happy moments for me. Of course, along with happy memories come not so happy ones, but they are what we make of them. I choose to accept them and add them to the many memories of my life. I hope that I will be able to share some of my memories as well as what's going on in my world with you as I find my way through the blogging process.