Does it seem to
you like time itself is moving faster, or is it just that I am moving
slower? Each year passes like it is in overdrive. I remember back when we
looked forward to the next season that came much slower.
Early fall as the
weather started to get a chill in the air, I was always excited when my dad
first opened the grate fireplace that had been covered for a long time during
the summer. That was the only heat in
our house except for the coal stove in the kitchen. It was my job to go out to
the wood chopping block and pick up chips to use to start that first fire. As
the weather became colder the fire seldom went out, it was kept burning
using coal to keep it going. At night
when it was bedtime my dad used what was called "slack" coal on the
fire that kinda smothered it, that kept it slow burning during the night
than in the morning all you had to do was use a poker to stir it up and get it
going again. After that larger
chunks of coal kept it going. We
never used wood except to get it started.
Remember the big boxes of "strike anywhere" matches?
This was a time
to start wearing shoes after the long summer days of going barefoot it
seemed strange to have them on, except for going to Sunday School. As soon as I would get home off they would
come, felt so good.
Soon
after Labor Day, school started, to begin another long stretch in time. Until 4th grade I went to a little one room
school that was in sight of our house. After
that I had to walk quite a way and cross the creek, if there was a bridge, to
catch the bus to Pratt Jr. High. Sometimes the creek would rise and wash the
bridge away. At those times I had to
miss school. The time seemed so slow, it seemed forever before late May when
school would be out for the summer.
In the early
years I remember we had no electric. The
only lights we had were kerosene lamps, that didn't seem so bad because
that was all we knew until later years.
Even from early
Fall, it seemed that Christmas would never come and from one Christmas to
another was like forever. It seemed like birthdays would never come, back when
we looked forward to being another year older, what a change now.
I still smile
when I remember May 1st was the first day we could go without shoes and
other changes could take place, like changing from long underwear, no
matter what the weather this was the magic date.
The spring and
summer work had already begun as people used the Farmer’s Almanac watching
the "signs" for planting crops, except for planting potatoes, that
had to be March 17, St. Patrick's Day, maybe because they were Irish
potatoes??
The summers
seemed long and enjoyed when we could wade the creek and puddles after a rain.
Playing games using sticks for bats, pictures from catalogues as paper dolls, running,
playing tag, hopscotch using a piece of broken glass, all sorts of fun things
to do.
Time was so much
slower back then, we took advantage of every minute. When night came we were ready to rest. Always patiently waiting for the next season.
Now things move so fast that it seems that seasons are almost gone before they
get here so we have to grab every minute use it and make the best of it before
it is gone forever. There is nothing sweeter than showing love and
understanding for each other.
I am so Blessed
to have the chance to be able to say HAPPY NEW YEAR one more time.
