It is wonderful to get sweet stories every day, even when I least expect them. Little sparkles of gifts. Here are three tiny stories told in a few moments. All three women, as they shared themselves with me, helped me remember places I visited and gave me refreshing perspectives. I caught these stories while traveling from AZ to CO through Utah. Enjoy and appreciate the … [Read more...]
Wonderfully Simple – Simply Wonderful
On our Spyder trip through Utah, we decided to stay one more day in Salt Lake City to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Sunday morning. To insure a seat, we arrived at 8:45 and were greeted by several men and women available to answer questions and make our visit comfortable and easy. We were surprise the choir was singing, the orchestra was playing, and camera crews were … [Read more...]
Serendipitous meeting with gracious and candid woman
Waiting for our room to be cleaned at the Ellerbeck Bed and Breakfast in Salt Lake City, a woman came from an adjoining room and greeted us with a big smile and high energy. We returned niceties, and she sat down to visit. Enthusiastically, she said, “I retired yesterday from twenty years of teaching, and after my retirement party, I said to myself, 'I am retired, and can do … [Read more...]
Happy start to my day
On a Spyder (three wheel motorcycle) from Arizona to Colorado through Utah, I tried to 'catch' rural women's stories. I met the women spontaneously and serendipitously. The stories are short because our conversations were quick and happened in passing. Interesting and accomplished rural women are across our country. The pictures correlate with the town or area. Enjoy! I … [Read more...]
Sad hummingbird story
I know little about this blog topic, hummingbirds. I admit though I know more now than a year ago because I have seen their little nests and eggs. We also went to a hummingbird banding and presentation by the San Pedro River in Southern Arizona. The speaker told us twelve different species of hummingbirds migrate through their area, and most are Black Chinned. They usually lay … [Read more...]
Memories of my mother
My mother, Mildred Zora Goble, passed Dec. 21, 2007. She was 86. It has been nine years. My younger sister said, “We miss them (both parents) more, because we had them for so long.” I so agreed. My new project of rural women’s stories makes me yearn for my mom’s story. Hearing what she remembered would have been a true gift. I wonder what events would have been laced with … [Read more...]
Glad I’m not a cow
Being a new farm/ranch wife, with no experience in rural life, I connected, and felt sympathetic for cows. I liked them; they had big brown eyes, were great mommas, and lived by rigid rules or died. They looked at me when I jogged, and came to me when I called, “Here Bossy.” They have a hard life, and they are not dumb. When a heifer calf is born, the rancher is initially … [Read more...]
Guilt…not our friend
Dear Abby, who died at the age of 94, once wrote: “If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we’d all be millionaires.” I believe she was referring to guilt; one of the nastiest emotions we have. It is right up there with jealousy. The cost of guilt to our mental health is enormous. The thoughts that run around in our heads, that affect our stomachs, can keep … [Read more...]
Small town vs city
I walked into a local thrift store in a small mountain town and heard a female voice say, “Ya, he walked in and said, ‘I'm gonna divorce you!’ and I said 'HALLELUJAH!'” I chuckled to myself and continued my scavenger hunt. I never saw the woman, but I did figure out she was on the phone to someone she hadn’t talked to in a while. She had the phone on speaker, and I could hear … [Read more...]
Sisterly Love…
January 22, 2016 My second sister Zella told me this story when she was seventy-five. She is a real story teller. This story started with, “What I loved most….” She started talking and then she stopped. She was finished. She sat quietly looking into the distance, and then she laughed. “What I loved most was truthfulness, which was hard to learn. I have trouble telling the … [Read more...]
Write YOUR Stories – while you can
For my 2016 (and beyond) project, I need your help. Let me start with some background. In the last few years, several deaths have hit me hard, especially the passing of women who influenced me and whom I admired. I wondered if they had told their stories, or better yet, written them. Stories about who loved them, what made them laugh and/or cry, where they most enjoyed … [Read more...]
Mrs. Cooper – continued
One of the stories in my book My Clients…My Teachers is a story about Mrs. Cooper. I recently passed through a town where Mrs. Cooper lives, and stopped to visit. It was a treat for me and hopefully for her. She told me she so enjoyed getting my book. She lost her husband three years ago, and said, "I just wanted to go and be with him." We visited about her family and her … [Read more...]
Have you written YOUR life story?
You can think your life is boring or insignificant, but it is YOUR story in the making. Nothing happens that does not contribute to the story line, setting, and plot. Like any good novel, there are ebbs and flows, but always connections to history, past and present characters, and dreams. Fred Allen, American radio comedian, said, "A human being is nothing but a story with a … [Read more...]
Rural Women Are a Class Act
Rural Women Are a Class Act. This week I had the privilege of attending a conference of farm and construction equipment dealers. These rural businesses deal with individuals, families, and companies who buy tractors, tilling, and planting machines as well as large dozers, etc. for the construction of roads and buildings. (Sorry for the minimal description of what they sell and … [Read more...]
Sister’s strength and faith – TWO
My sister Patty is now in day sixteen of leukemia treatment. Seven days of chemo started on Friday the 2nd. Then there was seven days of waiting. On day fourteen bone marrow was taken, and today she received the dreaded results. She needs zero cancer cells in her body, or she gets no bone marrow transplant. Day fourteen was tough. That was the day we shaved her head. Her long … [Read more...]