Quips from Kay

Some years ago I started writing a book about a woman whose life had become difficult but her memories sustained her. It is a good story but I know I will never finish it so I am going to take bits from it and share them with you. Most of the following is true. The timeline is the 1940s. I grew up on a little 2 1/2 acre place just enough outside of town to be called "in the country". No neighbors and not much traffic on the highway in front of the house; just those going out to the Naval Base which was some few miles down the road. We had a windmill and water tank, an orchard with orange trees, a chicken yard and a back lot where I kept my few head of cattle. (I'll tell you more about them later) There was also an old grape vine which was lovely to look at or sit under but which yielded really sour grapes. I was an only child (which by the way, helps during this stay- at -home time), and thus learned how to entertain myself, mostly with the nature surrounding us. I cr...

All this to-do about toilet paper has brought to mind various experiences pertaining to that life essential. Right now I am sitting two rooms away from an open package of lavender scented toilet paper, the only kind my son could find, with a scent that is so strong I will not have to spray for as long as this stuff lasts. Anyone who thinks they can cause the smell of our body function to disappear is operating under a delusion. Ain't nothin' that really covers it up. Back to the subject at hand; the first thought that came to my mind in the midst of the tp frenzy was my husband telling me one thing they instructed him to do when he was in the Air Force. He was told that they could use only three squares of toilet paper per visit. Evidently there was someone outside the stall handing it out. Which memory then connects to our drive up the autobahn through Germany many years ago. They have handy rest stops on the way and we pulled in to one to use the facilities. Right outside th...

As Thomas Paine said, "These are the times that try men's souls." Surely this corona virus episode qualifies as one of those times. The Great Depression began in this country in 1929 with the stock market crash and was virtually over in 1933. If it had not been for a true leader in our President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the U.S. would have suffered much more than it did. He set up a series of programs aimed at helping all those affected by that great economic downturn and the elected people cooperated. He created the New Deal which was a series of programs enabling many Americans to at least survive during that time. There was the Civilian Conservation Corps, which built many lovely buildings in our state parks, among other things; the Civil Works Administration and the Farm Security Administration, as well as the Social Security Administration.  Of course, you can look all this up online but I just felt I should point it out now because we have a national emergency ...

Today was the day called "Super Tuesday", an important prequel to the November elections. I remembered my past voting experiences so I thought I would share them.  I was 21 and in college when I first voted and I cast my vote for the winner then; Dwight David Eisenhower. Of course, that was obviously a long time ago and I have gone to the polls a lot since then, but a few visits stand out. I remember going to the Court House in Fredericksburg, Texas, to vote where there were no booths, just a long waist-high table against the wall with little 8 inch divisions all along it. We were given paper ballots and a pen and told to pick a slot. The lack of privacy was astounding, especially since if your neighbor was over 5'6" or so he could see who you voted for. The other memorable election day was in New Orleans in the '70s where the voting sites were often moved just a few hours before they opened. One time I went to two different addresses before I found where the...

These pics are from the story College Daze,  I wrote on May 4th, 2019,  about our weekend at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas. I didn't know how to insert the pics then but with the aid of my clever daughter, here they are.  Need I say more?