The Meandering Mind of a Happy Farmwife

My Wish for a   Black Grandma Growing up as a Blonde hair, blue/green eyed, caucasian girl, I was the fairest of caucasian a girl could be. My hair was so light you could see my pink scalp through it and in the summer often my head would get sunburnt. I grew up with two Grandmas.  The "Fat Grandma" and the "Skinny Grandma". Not the nicest way to describe them, but as a child I didn't see how cruel these terms were. The "Fat Grandma" was my Mom's mom, Grandma Gintzer, the "Skinny Grandma" was my Dad's mom, Grandma Mohler. My "Fat Grandma lived in Pennsylvania and I only got to see her a few times each year. My "Skinny Grandma" lived only minutes from us.....and I rarely saw her at all. Grandma Gintzer would come into town and would stay with us usually about a week, then she would go stay with one of my Aunts. It seemed she came into town just a couple times a year. Grandma Gintzer was a bigger woman, but as she aged to ...

Things that cross my mind. Why do we wish for time to ourselves, but then when we get it, we feel lost? Why do people treat others mean, but then want to follow them on social media? Why do people that never took the time to actually know others, gossip about others? Why does the world make us all feel like we need fixed in some way? Why do we go to college to learn from a person that only knows what they do from reading books? Who wrote the books and where did their knowledge come from? Why do we believe what others say, when everything in life is based on someones opinion? Why do we trust what a doctor says, but question our car mechanic? Aren't they both guessing at diagnosing a problem by looking at symptoms? Who educated the first educator? Why do we have laws that don't support the original laws, the ten commandments? Why do so many Christians judge others when the Bible says there is only one judge? What would the world be like if we all just thought the same of everyone...

WHAT A WILD RIDE!! February 18, 1993, Two young kids headed out on what they told their parents for a snowmobile trip to Northern Michigan. It was a winter with little snow, until that night. Our parents didn't understand why we were so adamant on taking the trip when it had finally started snowing that day, and we had quite a bit. They saw no reason for us to go North to play in the snow when it appeared there would be plenty here at home.  Only a few friends knew of our plans and had taken time off from their jobs to go on the "snowmobiling excursion" with us.    It wasn't a smooth trip. We left out late, due to the snow. I had already arrived at the farm, ready to go and found Jim hadn't arrived home yet from work. So to prevent any further delay, I told his Mom that I needed the suitcase that I would just pack his snow clothes for him. While she went about making supper, I was able to sneak in his dress boots, his black slacks, white dress shirt, and the teal ...

  Give me What I want and Give it to Me NOW! Recently in a Bible study I am doing, I am learning about prayer.  It is a very good study, and I am learning much. I think it is safe to say a large majority of people I know do pray. But I would also say that many only pray when they need something, I am included in this. Over the years, since losing my brother, my prayer life has changed. Prior to my loss, I prayed when others requested prayer. I prayed when I wanted something from God. And when my brother first passed away, I stopped praying completely.  In my book, I tell of how difficult it was even to do the daily devotions my husband and I have been doing every morning for many years. When I did pray, after his passing, it was more of yelling at him for what he "allowed to happen" rather than thanking him for my brother to begin with. He held on, even in my ranting. He saved me in those dark days after losing my brother and because of his steadfastness, I found myself w...

Our Children Really Did Follow in Our Footsteps. You have all probably heard the old saying, "I don't want my children to follow in my footsteps, I want them to take their own path and blaze a trail!" or something like that. Well, Jim and I were not that different than whomever said that quote first. We encouraged our children in everything. We cheered them on from the stands or concert seats, no matter what!  We were the LOUD Parents....ok, let me be honest, I was the loud parent, Jim just clapped loud, I screamed, hooped and hollered. I even one time jumped. up at an event screaming "That's my boy!!" only to find out, the tackle wasn't a legal tackle and he cost his team a penalty. But I was still proud to let the crowd know that that was MY BOY!!!  We supported and loved our children even in the mess ups, like the bad tackle or the choices that they made breaking their own hearts and ours.   We would have supported them even if they had decided on any...

Are you wishing to Vent or Asking for Advice? I read once that men often struggle when their wives tell them about something that is upsetting her, be it at her work place, church, with a friend or with a family member. Men are by nature "fixers". They take on the role of protector. You know like the old story of the Daddy that goes to the school to confront the bully picking on his child. (*Hopefully we have all learned this is not the solution, but its just an example) My Husband and I have become good at communicating to one another.  He knows when I am looking for advice or just need that bob of the head and the "I understand" look. Although I do often see in his eyes pain when I am venting and my hurt hurts him. He know when I am asking for advice or just venting. But this is after nearly 39 years of being in our relationship. Miscommunication is the leading issue in most every situation that causes the failure of friendships, marriages and even work relationsh...

Are You Living? Like really living?! Recently my son in-law posted a video on his instagram of him on his lawnmower tractor, a rope attached with the old sledding saucer attached to that, and there on the saucer was my daughter smiling the widest smile that even at dusk of an already gray day you could see the glow of her teeth. These two are adults, they are ages 25 and 26 years. They live in a neighborhood, not a subdivision necessarily, but a small little, "no outlet" neighborhood. After viewing this short little clip, we laughed and talked about what their neighbors might have been thinking as these two were out playing in the snow. (*You can take the girl out of the country, but ya can't take the country out of the girl) As the Parent of these two adult children, I have to say this short video got me thinking.  We all know when I start thinking, you never know where we might end up. This time it wandered to "when does it end?" Not our life, but our LIVING!!...