A few teeny tiny thoughts from Henny Penny Lane

 

We mowed and mowed and mowed today! Poppy on the riding mower and me, walking my legs off with the push mower. Wouldn't have it any other way...I like walking behind the mower.

But HOT! My goodness, and HUMID! I do a lot of thinking while pushing the lawn mower and today I thought of Mama and the funny things she used to say. Tell you what I was thinking in a minute, but first...

The chickens, enjoying a big clump of grass. Funny how this ball of grass grew. It was in the half barrel where last year the Bee Balm grew. The Bee Balm was looking awful so I pulled all the plants then dumped the whole thing and found a big nest of black ants living in the bottom.

hated to break up the ant's home but left the ball of dirt and ants in the edge of the woods up at the garden where it sprouted nice green grass. Had to get Poppy to help me lift the big heavy thing. The chickens sure enjoyed it.

Oh, look who hung around with me at the garden...

Anyhow, guess it was because of being so hot and sweaty today that I was remembering a time back in the 1950s...Do you remember the glass water jugs folks used to keep in their refrigerators?

Ours looked something like this, but I was thinking ours had the metal cap in the center...that was a long time ago!

Anyhow, it would make Mama so mad to come in hot and thirsty and go to the refrigerator for a cold drink of water and the jug be empty. I remember Mama saying one time, "if the durn house would catch on fire, that water jug would be the first thing to burn"! 

Dear sweet Mama. I miss her every day.

Was thinking too about the early 1960s, two men, named Henry and Bishop...they both were bulldozer operators. In fact, they built the ponds on our farm....but they used to stop by the house after a hard day's work to see Daddy and have a drink with him. You can probably imagine how dirty they would be after running a bulldozer all day. Anyhow, one day after they had stopped by, Mama said to me, "Lord Melba, they were both so dusty and dirty, you couldn't see anything but the whites of their eyes".

Good grief! I started this post on Saturday and here it is Monday afternoon. Why didn't I go ahead and publish it?

Anyhow, here's Eli and Ellie, rushing Poppy to get his shoes on and out the door for our early morning walk...

Sometimes it's hard to see your feet. I will leave you with a very short little video of Eli walking. Wish it had been longer...He has always had the cutest little twist...

Ellie girl and I were walking behind. Sure sppreciate your visiting. 

Love,

Henny

Not gardening, but school days

A couple of things this morning...

I meant to say thank you to Richard Piper for following my blog. Thank you Richard!

and...yesterday after a few folks had read my post, I noticed that I had spelled heel, hill, when talking about Madison's wedge heel shoes. It was funny because of the memories that brought back.

It was 1960 and my friends, Mary, Audrey, Loretta, Hilda, and I were bumping along in the school bus on those back country roads, headed home after school. None of us lived really close to each other.

Audrey, Hilda

Mary, Audrey, Loretta

We were all seniors and excited over our upcoming trip to Washington DC. The long ride home gave us a chance to make a list of things to pack for the trip. As we each finished our list we passed it to the the others to read. Well, the girls started laughing at my list! Why? Because I had written down "hills". I meant heels. So, after all these years, I've done it again. :)

That's me on the right with a pretty dumb look. If I remember correctly, I was trying to look sexy. I wanted to be a movie star, you know. :) Mary and I were climbing the stairs in the Washington monument.

I just read on line that there are 897 steps to the Washington monument and that the steps were closed for walking up in 1971. Humm, guess I was lucky.

This was going to be a gardening post but it can wait until tomorrow. I've been in the garden this morning and it is hot and humid. We may get thunderstorms later...

Love,
Henny

Senior Trip - 1960

It does not seem that long ago that I was riding the school bus home...seated in the back of the bus with Mary, Loretta, Audrey, and Hilda.  We had lots to talk about.   Our senior trip was coming up soon.  Our class was going to Washington, DC.  Yep, and I was going too.  Shelby had already said that she would let me borrow her camera, if I brought it back in one piece.. 

Mary, Loretta, Audrey, Hilda, and I were making lists of things we needed to pack, and deciding how much money we needed to beg from our parents.  We were seriously busy, lots to discuss on that bumpy ride home.  We were comparing our lists, talking, showing each other what we had written down, the clothes we planned to pack.  Suddenly, silly, giggling, laughter broke out amongst the girls...they were reading my list...what was so funny?   Mary said, "so you're taking hills"?  I meant heels, not hills!  I had written "hills" on my list!  Glad we were getting close to home!  Maybe all would be forgotten tomorrow morning!  I was bashful, and easily embarrassed (even at that age)! 

As I said, it doesn't seem that long ago...but it has been 53 years .  Take a look at that nice streamline Trailways bus we rode to Washington, and the cute driver.  Actually, it was Mary who thought the driver was sooo cute!  Not me!...Not my type!

Mary and me, climbing the Washington monument...

Mary, Loretta, and Audrey all buddy buddy! :)  The three of them lived close together.  They had grown up together.  By 1960 Daddy had bought the farm and moved our family to the country, away from my beloved Robbins and Elise High School.  Shelby graduated from Elise in 1957.  That meant I had to change schools and spend my last two years at West End High School...

And again, Mary, Audrey, and Loretta.  These girls were very sweet....

Audrey and Hilda...

Mary and Audrey with one of our teachers...

Is this not just like the boys...gathered around a "no smoking" sign with their cigarettes...

Now this boy was cute!  Notice the picture was cut to fit into my billfold. :)  Ronald...

West End School was fine and the people were fine.  It's just that Robbins was home, and would always be home. 

Moving to the country meant having lots of land, ponds to fish in, a garden, fields of corn, farm animals, a tractor, a big house, a country dirt road, and country folks as neighbors.  It meant riding a school bus to school and back home instead of walking with friends or having mama or daddy drive us.  For me, life was never as good after we moved from Robbins.

Thank you for stopping by.

Love,
Henny Penny