Nine Month's Waiting

I have been asked to provide some ideas for using the time during the 9 months of waiting for the birth of a child. I would certainly welcome anyone else's ideas!

It is sometimes difficult to tell women all the things they need to do, because, if they are sick during this time, or they just don't have any energy, they will have to rest. Women who are used to getting things accomplished will find this very hard to do! No one likes to lay around while the dishes and laundry pile up and the house deteriorates. I understand this very well, because I got so sick each time I was expecting, that I just had to go to bed. I was too sick to lift my head from my pillow. However, just resting and waiting out those first three months when you feel "icky" is an important thing and no one should put pressure on you or make you feel lazy.

The last three months of the pregnancy seem to bring on a furious nesting instinct. These are the days when women are likely to get more organized, and get the baby's things ready. When my daughter was last expecting, she spent the time that she felt well, getting ready for the baby, and also preparing for the actual birth day, by storing up special things for the other children to do on that day, in the form of new books and crafts projects, or things that would be special for them and keep them occupied. Some women try to have a few meals prepared that can be brought out on that day. Depending on when the baby comes, families can sometimes miss meals, so prepared meals are welcome. The mother herself will need comfort foods and to be able to eat often of richer foods that will help keep her blood-sugar high and prevent depression after the birth.

If you are well, it is a great time to get your home in order so that you won't be constantly picking up things or cleaning. Make your house safer by putting safety plugs in your outlets, or taking care of sharp corners of the inside of the house and being aware of cleaning chemicals that a child could get into. Clean the fridge and the cupboards and keep the laundry caught up so that you can last a few days without working.

This is also a good time to inform your husband and your family on what to expect when the baby is born, so that they can be extra helpful. You might make a book with notes in it for them.

I am sure there are a lot of creative ideas out there from people about how best to use the 9 month waiting period.

Don't Bail Out the International Bankers

Go here for an informative video on the subject of the Intenational Bankers http://www.kickthemallout.com/article.php/Video-Zeitgeist_Part3

The Miser*

Since, in an election, you can vote only once, at the prescribed time, I will show here how you can vote as much as you like, daily, by calling your senators and representatives, whom you elected to represent your interestes.

When you hear about something like this so-called bail out of the Big Bankers (a private corporation that makes money by writing it themselves, and then charges interest on the worthless figures, and taxes people with their own real money, earned, to pay it back), you can simply call all your senators and representatives and talk on the phone for half a minute, urging them NOT to give the bankers ONE cent of America's hard earned money. Every phone call is a vote, and the senators do pay attention to it.

This lady has a good quote about the lenders here http://neverfadingwood.blogspot.com/2008/10/former-president-andrew-jackson-speaks.html

The list of senators should be in the white pages, under "Government" in your telephone book. If you are too shy to call, please urge your husband to do it! If you can, get every voting-age person in your family to call each senator, no matter what party and say "No" to the bail out. They ran up the debt themselves, by creating money out of thin air, that has no backing, and now they want Congress to tax us all harder to pay it back, but it is also all about control.

Our Constitution forbids anyone to create money except for Congress. It is unconstitutional to allow the International Bankers to control the money. The Federal Reserve act gave this private company, called "The Federal Reserve" the power to control America's money, and it is an unconstitutional act, as well as an unconstitutional and illegal organization. When a president is inaugurated, he promises to uphold the Constitution. Make the president obey the Constitution, by calling your senator and urging him to say "no" to the President and "no" to the big bankers.

If they can create money out of nothing, why can't they write themselves a check or print off more money off their printing presses at the so called "federal" (it isn't federal at all. They use that word to make it sound governmental and official) reserve (nope, folks, there is no reserve). Let them pay themselves back! They don't actually need the money. They are greedy people who aren't going to starve or lose their houses if they don't get someone to pay them. Where I live, there are whole neighborhoods of reposessed homes, which the banks were anxious to have vacated when people could not pay their mounting interest on the loans, and which the banks now are unable to sell. What are bankers going to do with all these empty houses? I keep waiting for a tent-city to emerge, to accommodate the new middle-class homeless in our country.

Read this hilarious response from Senator Nancy Pelosi., who was in the meeting. (Although I don't like all her policies, I am glad that even the most leftist politicians are seeing through the ruse of the International Bankers).

Check here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEWvegDAtkQ

One of these videos is called "You Broke It: You Buy It," and features the salaries and incomes of all the bankers and congressmen who want the bailout.

and watch this also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68JUWYEc0Fg&feature=user

and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b1djeKTpB8&feature=related

Now let me see if I can tell the story in a simple way: After a secret meeting of top bankers, the so-called "Federal Reserve," which is neither federal, nor reserve, controls our money through an illegal act, which was voted on when Congress was on vacation back in the early 1900's, to allow a private banking corporation to control all of the money issued in America. By getting ahold of the money system, they were able to lend it out and charge exorbitant usuary (interest). When they want to, they can "call" the loans and people, who are used to paying small, manageable payments on their loans for houses or cars, cannot suddenly pay the whole sum, so the bank repossesses the properties.

These people say that we must have someone to take care of our money. They take our money and issue us pieces of papers that are called "I.O.U's" and then charge us for them. When we want more money, we have to borrow it from them. They do not base their lending on real money, since they lent that out long ago. They base it on nothing. They charge us for the rent of the paper.

A good way to understand this, is to watch Potter, the banker, on the film, "It's a Wonderful Life," starring Jimmy Stewart. By now, practically everyone in the world owns that DVD, but if you don't, it is probably on U-Tube somewhere. Listen carefully as George, the Building and Loan officer, says: "Don't you see? Potter isn't selling. He's buying!" The banker had created a financial panic by calling in the loan from the small lending bank that George managed. George was just helping people buy homes. Potter was greedy and jealous and wanted it all.

It is important to put a stop to these people, because they want to own America and own the world. They use the money they create (and make us pay them back) to finance wars on countries that refuse to bank with them. This forces the countries to borrow to finance their wars, and then they are in league with the bankers, who continue to control them forever. Any time you hear on the media (also owned by the bankers) of a squirmish or political problem in a country that is not with these national banks, you can bet the bankers are behind it.

Show your husband this film on U Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoJYnHyjhfo

and also here http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=8702

I have found that even 7 year old children can understand these films about the crooked way to bank.

Not all the film is shown there, but you can purchase the DVD set. One reason no one "votes" by calling their congressman, is that they are led to believe that these people are financial experts and that it is so complicated a system, that they cannot understand it. These films give you an idea of just how the International Bankers create poverty, inequality, strife between men and women, strife in religion, and strife in the world, by the things they finance.

I hope it is not too late to call your senators. Every phone call is a vote, and you can call more than once. When a few people call, the senators know something is going on, but when just 20 people call, they know there is a real "movement." They hold executive positions in this country, and like any other executive, they can be fired. Let them know their job is on the line and if they do not vote "no" they will not get your vote in the next election.

Does it bother anyone that a meeting on this matter with the President and the bankers took place "behind closed doors?" I thought this was America, in the 21st century, not Jekyl Island in the 19th century. It should have been televised.

Ladies I know I did not do a very good job of explaining this, and there are a lot of smart men out there who will correct me on some of the details, but I tried to write it simply, but the main point is that you should use your right to vote, to vote early, and vote often, by calling your senators.

If you live elsewhere, I know that even a phone call from someone overseas has a great impact (sometimes it impresses them even more to get a call from Africa, England, Australia, Bulgaria, or where-ever) on a senator's vote. If you live outside of the U.S., you should be concerned about this, because what the bankers do, can affect your country. Use your online resources to send a message, if you can.

Also, check out what one congressman has to say here:

(Regarding the paintings: The International Bankers Will Pinch a Penny, even if they already control everything)

Remember: Vote early and vote often!

My daughter and I each exercised another option this morning, after getting our mail. Each of us received an offer from a big bank (Chase Manhatten, Lehman, etc) for a loan. We receive these offers regularly. I am always turned down because I don't have credit, or something. This time, we took the business reply envelope, with the "postage paid" stamp on it, and we cut out a piece of the original envelop that the offer was sent in, and wrote on it: "Why don't you give yourselves a loan and bail yourselves out, instead of putting pressure on Congress and putting me in further debt? " I then wrote the website addresses of several sites and videos that explained this crooked banking system. It took less than 2 minutes and the postage was free. It also bothers me that these offers contain better and better paper, slick, fancy envelopes, and colorful ads, that must cost them something. I can't even buy that kind of paper myself. They are only adding to my trash problem and then I have to stay awake at night thinking of uses for this garbage so that it won't end up in the landfill. So I also told them to take me off their mailing list.

What does any of this have to do with home living? If I allowed this dishonesty to go on in my own home, we would certainly suffer the consequences, and be loathe to do it again. However, the big bankers never suffer the consequences of their greedy ways. When they get their way, our home gets poorer and poorer, as our taxes go higher and higher. Every homemaker should be active in putting a stop to this, even if all they do is make one phone call or send one email.

For those of you who do not want to worry about politics and just want to get on with having a wonderful home life, be sure to read my article here called "How To Stop Worrying About Politics"



Before this piece goes to archives, here is a summary:

1. The Constitution is the highest law of the land.

2. The President is legally obligated to uphold the constitution.

3. The Constitution states that no money should be issued by anyone but the U.S. Government.

4. The so called "Federal Reserve" , which is neither federal, nor reserve, a private banking company, owned by elitists who control many banks all over the world, illegally issue printed money to the US and charges the citizens interest for the use of the worthless paper.

5. This banking group lends "money" to smaller banks to help finance houses for citizens. The interest rate increases, like raising rent, until people cannot pay anymore. The smaller banks cannot pay the larger banks, and the big bankers now want Congress to use our taxes to pay them. They can easily eliminate usuary and lose nothing. They have enough income themselves to bail themselves out. They are illegally running the banking system and we do not need them. We need to retrieve all the things that belong to the US and kick the bankers out.

6. It will not be long before the atttention is taken off these high classed thieves, the illegal bankers at the "top" and put on the people at the bottem, who just wanted a nice house. You wait and see, if the press will not create the blame on everyone around them except the elitist bankers. You will find your friend's and family's minds changing on this issue, and when you express yourself, you will be told that the situation is just "not as black and white as you think it is." The media will make sure that the population develops a "nuetral" opionion on this.

7. If Congress does not agree to their plans, the bankers will threaten and intimidate them with depression, bankruptsy and other government woes. The news media is owned by these bankers and it won't be long before you, yourself, will be convinced that something has to be done to bail them out, or we will all face a depression and lose our homes. No one will consider getting rid of the international banker grip on our country. They will soon be convinced by the media that it is "everyone's fault," and that we all "share" the blame, and these rich people will continue to control the economy. Be sure to watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68JUWYEc0Fg&feature=user

and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEWvegDAtkQ

8. The bankers involved are not elected officials. They get themselves appointed in high places in government, on staff in offices of the elected officials, in order to influence and control them.

Apparently Sweden had a similar problem a few years ago and refused to bail out the bankers. I don't know much about that country, but I haven't heard that it collapsed as a result. Read more here http://tpa.typepad.com/waste/2008/09/the-simple-shop.html

It is considered a step toward socialism, here http://matadorpulse.com/10-resons-we-should-say-no-to-the-700-billion-dollar-bailout/

One reason I will not buy the idea that it is "everyone's fault" is that the big bankers have been writing money illegally for years, and pushing it on others. My sil worked for a mortgage company, that made cold calls all day long to people who were not looking for money or houses, to give them the big sell, and talk them into multiplying rate loans (which they did not know about until their payments increased). Getting rid of the bankers will get rid of this kind of lending.

They are now coming out with super-soft-voiced comments on National Public Radio, trying to soothe people by saying that throwing money at this problem is the only way to solve it. Let me ask something: if someone whose surname began with a "P" was paid millions of dollars a year to work in an industry that failed, would you keep hiring him?


If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks...will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.... The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
... The modern theory of the perpetuation of debt has drenched the earth with blood, and crushed its inhabitants under burdens ever accumulating. -Thomas Jefferson History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance. -James Madison

If congress has the right under the Constitution to issue paper money, it was given them to use themselves, not to be delegated to individuals or corporations. -Andrew Jackson

The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credits needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and the buying power of consumers. By the adoption of these principles, the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity. -Abraham Lincoln

Issue of currency should be lodged with the government and be protected from domination by Wall Street. We are opposed to...provisions [which] would place our currency and credit system in private hands. - Theodore Roosevelt
Despite these warnings, Woodrow Wilson signed the 1913 Federal Reserve Act. A few years later he wrote: I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men. -Woodrow Wilson

Years later, reflecting on the major banks' control in Washington, President Franklin Roosevelt paid this indirect praise to his distant predecessor President Andrew Jackson, who had "killed" the 2nd Bank of the US (an earlier type of the Federal Reserve System). After Jackson's administration the bankers' influence was gradually restored and increased, culminating in the passage of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. Roosevelt knew this history. The real truth of the matter is,as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government ever sincethe days of Andrew Jackson... -Franklin D. Roosevelt (in a letter to Colonel House, dated November 21, 1933)

Homestead Pictures, and Politics

I have been putting the homestead pictures on, a few at a time, on this blog http://homesteadrevisited.blogspot.com/

So please check back occasionally, as there are 3 discs of them and I only have a chance to put a few at a time. I really did not need another blog to manage but it will make it easier for the rellies and the residents to sort through. I'll also add it to the sidebar.

There will be an upcoming post that is burning on my mind, with all the talk that is being thrown around our house. Whether we like it or not, women at home have a great opportunity to change things that are not right. Each morning before the men leave for whereever, they rant a lot about what is going on concerning the bankers, and I now have enough material in my head to post something about the proposed bail out of the international bankers, and why this is so immoral, and what you can do at home, without missing a beat in your housekeeping (well almost) to put a stop to it. I know a lot of women don't like this blog to get controversial or political, but when I get throughwith the article, it won't seem controversial at all. It will just state some facts in a simple way that will make you want to call your senators, no matter what party. In the meantime, you might want to re-read my article about how to stop worrying about politics, here:http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/artman/publish/Lady_Lydia_Speaks_2/How_To_Stop_Fretting1002977.shtml

Staying Home is Not a Waste of Time if You Don't Waste It

I am sure that some women feel that staying home is taking the "easy" way in life, but like any job, it has its joyful times and its grunge times. When most women were homemakers, they learned what to do with the time they had. I can tell you just a few things that are important.

1. Meals and clean dishes are a priority.

2. Clean clothes are next, and in most cases, outer clothing can be worn more than once before washing, so that the laundry pile is limited and does not get really overwhelming.

3. A clean floor and a sanitary bathroom is necessary.

Things that are not necessary:

1. Gourmet meals are not important. Families can be happy with very simple food.

2. Entertainment is not a priority. A lot of time is wasting watching television.

3. Impressing other people is not something a homemaker needs to do.

There are no set ways to keep house, because every family has a slightly different way of life. As long as it suits you and your family's schedule and style of living, that is what is important.

As for what you should be doing to fill up the time, women usually had needlework and interesting hobbies like knitting or sewing, painting, writing, etc. that they do when they are not doing the main things of the home, such as meals and getting people ready for the next day. If you will visit antique stores, you will see that a lot of this crochet and embroidery is now surfacing from estate sales.

These are works of art that were most often done in the home, during a lull in family activity, while waiting for something, or inbetween jobs of the house. Most women liked to keep busy, and doing things with their hands created some results like doilies and runners and table cloths, curtains, and various items of clothing. You can still see some of these things in the antique stores. They are highly treasured by collectors and by people like me, who know they represent the time and patience of women who loved their homes and wanted to make them beautiful.

I find it fascinating that even though our mothers at home were very busy, they still did something like this. Some of these women still talk about the "slower life" when they made their own soap or baked a pie, and yet still managed to knit a hat or a pair of socks for every member of the family in winter. They were not in their cars all the time, and the family car was reserved for the breadwinner, so they learned to stock up on things they needed, in order to spend a lot of time at the home place. Catologs contained handicraft kits you could order, which would also include books that helped you learn to knit or crochet or some other thing.

Being at home did not mean complete confinement. There was plenty to do, and if women wanted to, they could always read a good book. Some of our mothers spent a lot of time reading. In those days, people would go through their books and magazines and load them up into a big box, and give them to someone else. After they finished reading them, they would pass them on to another family. Not all the books were good, but it was easy to find some valuable reading material that would absorb a woman at home.

The important thing about being home and having the responsibility of the family and the house, is not that others think it is okay, or that anyone approves, but that it is something that God gave us permission to do. By being able to be home, women are freed from the repetitive work and endless travelling to and fro, to get a paycheck. At home, they have the liberty to use their creativity to guard their husband's money and help him make a profit. They are home to guard the family posessions and see that everything is cared for.

Over the years, there has been an attitude that it doesn't matter how we treat our clothes, our sheets and blankets, our furniture, or our dishes, but if they are treated gently and cleaned properly, repaired, and stored adequately, they will last much longer and not require replacement, which will mean there will be less money going out. The purpose of women at home go far deeper than just being in the house. She is on guard. She is looking for ways to be effiencient with time and money. She is learning to be resourceful by using things she already has. She also preserves her marriage, because her time and her emotions are not divided between the outside world and home. She has more time to think about her husband and more time to take care of him. She will be better-rested and have more patience to listen to his troubles.

There have always been women who will waste their time at home, complaining of boredom. That does not mean it is a standard or a truth. It just means they haven't learned how to deal with the responsibilities of the home. The Bible says that they should keep house, lest the word of God be blasphemed. It is like saying that Christians are supposed to be "good," but if a woman has let her house go to ruin and decay, it is a shame, because it doesn't glorify God.

To the woman who posted on the previous thread: If you have no skills, do not be anxious. Just learn to get a meal on the table that tastes good, and you will go far. After you have mastered that, you can branch off into something else.

These are watermellon berries from the homestead. We used to eat them right off the bush. They taste just like watermellon. We were never successful in making jam out of them or any kind of preserve. Maybe someone else could and would tell me how.

Cottage Card Template

Here are the finished cottage cards, done with various scrap materials. The roofs are made with pieces of heavy brown paper bag.

Here are some of the supplies I used, but this card is designed to use what you have. White glue and glitter always works,

and so do crayons, as shown in the above photo. This card is made from construction paper,

and here is a sample of how tearing the construction paper gives a nice, feathery finish for the roof and the bushes. The brown paper tears nicely, too. Construction paper is soft enough to tear easily and has a nice fluffy finish for edges.

This is for the bushes. Here is something you might have around the house: clear cellophane windows from junk mail or reply envelopes.

They are used for windows, covering small clippings from magazines and catologs.

Here is a close up view of the cottage windows, and the torn edge of the brown paper bag for the roof.

This is the template, with extra pieces for tracing around different kinds of papers and fabrics. There might be a lot of things in your trash or your kitchen or your scrapbook materials that you can use. Try a small button for the door knob.

A Good Report is Good For the Home

Part of the old homestead road, later called the "home road."

It makes sense to put home life in a positive light. My belief is that it does no good to harbor resentment or to dwell on unhappy events. There were probably other women like me whose parents were careful to teach the value of creating something good to remember, out of circumstances that seem very dire at the time.

A view from where the windows of the house used to be. My father chose a place on a hill, to build a house, where it would get the most benefit from light, sun, and warmth. It turned out to be the very best spot.
I tried to capture the dew drop in the middle of the going-to-seed lupines. It glistened a lot more than this in "real life" than in the picture.

This is the place where Mama tied up her little canoe that Daddy built her when they first began their life in the wilderness. The metal post he put into the edge of the lake for her to tie up the boat, is still there. The tree roots created a natural stair-step path to the little cabin that they lived in temporarily while the "big house" was being built. This little cabin had a tent for a roof, and one day it caught fire while Mama was sleeping. She quickly got the children out onto the snow, on sleeping bags, and that is how our Dad found us when he came home that night. He wasted no time putting on a real roof, with a bucket for a chimney. I found pieces of the red tile in the ground, where this cabin had once stood.

In connection with this wonderful trip to remember the lives of my parents when they were in their early 20's, I got a sense that although they had hardship, they did not allow themselves to dwell on anything morbid or anything unhappy, for very long. Although I remember many things happening that were not pleasant, my parents insisted that we not speak negatively about any event in a way that would discredit the family, and my mother, in particular would answer people who asked how she was doing, by saying, "We are just fine! We are doing well."

There were a lot of people like that, in those days. We just assumed that most trials were normal to real-life, and did not waste time complaining. I think today, we as homemakers, have to remember that we are writing our own story, and that we contribute a lot to the negative view of being a guide and guard of the home, by complaining.

If we give a bad report, people will conclude that the role of a homemaker is not a lofty one, but a demeaning one. Of course, there will always be times when it seems you can be lost in a mountain of laundry, or an over-supply of tomatoes from the garden that need attention right now. There will be times when you are tired, sick, or discouraged, but there is no profession that will guarantee that there will be perfect rest, perfect health, perfect plans or perfect results.

There will always be those who wish break down the home, as there has been, from the beginning of time. In the book of Genesis, one reason that Eve lost her beautiful home, is that she wanted the one thing she could not have. In that beautiful garden there was nothing denied her except the fruit on one tree. She believed she was missing out on something. Because she took of that one fruit, she lost the whole garden!

Sometimes homemakers will think they are missing out on something, and start to complain, not realizing that they have so much that they will lose, if they go out into the working world. Many who have no choice but to work, will gladly tell you they are losing a lot of ground in their house keeping and with their children and other interests. The workplace takes up the major part of the day and the week, the month and the year. The homes that cost so much in monthly payments, can sometimes be barely lived in, when a woman gets a career.

I was just in an antique store, where I looked at some old school readers with very nice art in them. Some of them were dated in the 1920's. I like old books, so I thought there would be something of value in these. What a revelation I had when I read so many negative stories connected to home making and being a wife or mother. I thought to myself that the war on women at home began a long time ago, breaking down the image of the woman as the nuturer of the home, one decade at a time.

In one of the stories in this reader, a woman was shown in a very pretty gown sitting on a nice chair, looking out a window. It was a very peaceful scene in her home, and I thought maybe the story would reflect it, but instead, it was a story telling a woman that she didn't know what she wanted. It portrayed her as lacking contentment. The next chapter showed a drawing of a woman in what I would call a very stiff outfit, a suit of some kind, her hair shorn short, doing some kind of work away from her lovely home. The story put this woman in a good light, telling her that she knew what she wanted. Little elf-like creatures were sitting on the shelves speaking to her on every page.

Although it might have been hardly noticeable to a child, the seeds of discontent were sown in these stories that compared the woman in charge of the home to a woman away from home. Nothing was written in this reader about the many duties that a woman was responsible for at home. Nothing was shown about her responsibility and her achievements at home. She was shown in a negative light. She was shown as being discontent. If we are not careful, we can do the same. We can show home making in a good light, or show discontent, and perhaps lose that life at home. We probably need to give a good report to ourselves, our children or our husband, at the end of each day, about life at home. It re-enforces the belief that God created the home to meet the needs of mankind.

There is probably nothing we can do about those naysayers who do not want women to be able to stay home and see that it is run smoothly, but there is a lot that can be done about the way we portray our lives to others "from without." We can do a lot to give the home a good reputation. Everyone has a relative or a friend who seems to be just looking for a crack or a break in their lives to prove that marriage, or homemaking is just the worst choice a woman could make. We can not divulge our discouragement to people who are not on our side.

We can refrain from revealing problems with our children unless they are people who are going to really help us succeed. We can also refuse to reveal personal anxieties to our own children. The parents of the past tried to protect their children from their fears. They didn't think childhood should be disturbed by too much worry.

We can refuse to complain to anyone unless they are people who really believe in what we are doing. We can be careful about our appearance, which is an important part of giving a good reputation to our families. We can be sure to warn our children not to talk about their family problems to others, or to tell their family business abroad. We can at least have one room looking peaceful and tidy, so that when someone enters the house, it feels orderly and calm. There are many things we can do to protect the reputation of the home, ourselves.

In one of the stories in this reader, a woman was shown in a very pretty gown sitting on a nice chair, looking out a window. It was a very peaceful scene and I thought maybe the story would reflect it, but instead, it was a story telling a woman that she didn't know what she wanted. It portrayed her as lacking a steady purpose of life. The next chapter showed a drawing of a woman in what I would call a very stiff outfit, a suit of some kind, doing some kind of work at a desk. The story put this woman in a good light, telling her that she knew what she wanted.

It would be hard for a reader of a young age to see what was missing in this elementary reader. The woman who was not at home all the time, could also have been shown in a different light, going from job to job, and being told she just didn't know what she wanted. Instead, the homemaker was shown as discontent, aimless, and without purpose.

No matter what events occurred in our lives, many of our mothers made sure they ended on the up-side. The car may have gotten stuck at the end of the road, but the walk home could be pleasant. The plates might not have been washed, due to the fact there was no water, but we learned to turn them upside down and eat of the back of them. We may not have had money, but we learned how to use available things, to create what we needed. Many people in those days wanted to find a way to make a day end pleasantly, even if there had been troubles. Our night time prayers gave us great relief in troubles, and helped us begin the next day with a great deal of hope. The alternatives became future stories that were handed down to the grandchildren.

Of course, there are "giants in the land" in the form of government agencies, courts and judges, and various kinds of educational establishments, that seem always at work to divide the home rather than keep it intact, but like Caleb, I think it would do us more good to bring back a good report, particularly to those who seem ready to denounce the idea of guiding the home full time, and to insist that the members of the home only give a good report of their home life

I'm Back

I walked around the lake and had one last look. Picked a bouquet of the local flora: fireweed, wild geranium, dogwood, yarrow, reeds, and a freshwater clam shell makes a wonderful bouquet, which is good enough for a wedding, in my opinion.

There had always been a great supply of white gravel on the homestead, which my father made the home road from.

Looked at the Russian architecture in the old part of Kenai, which I saw often, as a child.

I'm going to list some Alaskan women's blogs on the side bar, separate from the US and overseas blogs, so if you want your blog there, please send it.

"I Thought We Might Visit...

to the Lake Country. Would you like to come?" (Lizzie's Aunt Gardner in P&P by Jane Austen)

I take my photographer, Beth, with me, wherever I go. My camera would not cooperate when I got here, so she takes these majestic photographs of the homestead.

This is the lily pad area of the lake where my mother used to row in the Lil Kathy, to pick a bouquet, in the morning, before "us kids" even woke up.

I just can't get enough of the reflection!

This is where we buried our cars. Was this a Nash, or a Packard?
Mother's strawberries were a special kind that grew in hanging clusters that stood well off the ground. In those days, people shared slips of strawberry plants or other plants and flowers, and I think these were a variety of strawberries that were grown in Michigan. The berry patch she had behind the house, has now grown across the road, and all over the acerage, down by the swamp, up the hill, and alongside the road. They have a delicious flavor and smell like cotton candy.

This is a pile of fishing net, still with the wooden floats, found in the forest, which was not a forest when we lived here. They were laying a-top a corrugated tin roof on the ground.

I just can't thank Beaver and Carol enough for bringing the canoe and waiting so patiently while I rowed down memory lane.

And I hope Beth hangs on to that camera!

Then and Now

Approximatey 1954. On the left: Joe, Lillian and two of "us kids", and my father's sister taking a picture of the picture-taker.

September 5, 2008, their oldest daughter in the same place.

This was a glorious moment for me, as I thought about how my parents felt, when they first stood on this spot--a girl of merely 22 and her handsome young husband of 25. Yesterday I visited my science teacher and he asked me if my mother still had the same "laugh."

"Yes, she does! "

He asked about my father. "Is he well?"

"Yes," I said. "He is 83."

"What is he doing now?" asked Mr. Bracht.

"He was fixing the roof, the other day, and my brother drove by his house. He said,

'Dad! You are 83 years old! Please, don't get so close to the edge of that roof! Get over closer to the middle!"

I was so surprised at how many people handed me a copy of my book to be autographed, and how everyone wanted to know about my parents. I took a large party of people with me to visit the Norman Lowell studios. Norman reminded me that my Dad had taken him across to Kachemak Bay many times to sketch the Ekron Cannery and the house the Ekrons lived in. Then he gave me a signed copy of a book of those sketches he made on those many trips on my Dad's fishing boat, and I gave him a picture of the boat. The Ekrons were interesting people. Mr. Ekron was from Norway and spoke another language. The family paid us to fish for them, and then paid us to work in their cannery to process the fish, and then let us spend the night in their cabin, and fixed us meals. I don't think they made much money but they sure helped us out.

I hope everyone is enjoying the pictures.

A Day On the Lake

Beaver and Carol's canoe is red-orange, so I tried to wear something to match ;-)

The water was glassy clear. Look at the reflection.

Then the wind came.

Then the sun shone on the ripples. These are the "diamonds" I wrote about in the story "A Thousand Sparkling Diamonds" in the book, "Just Breathing the Air."



This is the great Island Lake "Stonehenge" mystery: What was my Dad building? There were nine of these cement blocks, sticking out of the ground, level across the top, in a space 14' by 16'. Our names were written on these stones, in my father's handwriting, including his own name, with the date 1962. There were nine of us in the family. The blocks are facing the lake, in a different location than the original house. He admits he made them, and wrote our names on them, but he does not remember what he was going to do with them! Maybe he started a project and changed his mind. Maybe you will read about it in the next book.

More diamonds

There's Some Blue Sky...

Let us chase it!

(Sense and Sensibility)

What a surprise, when I found that my friend's youngest daughter, Miss Jillian, knew Jane Austen literature as well as I did. I pointed to the sky and quoted the sentence, which she finished for me. It has been so enjoyable to be with Jillian and Kendra, who can almost finish my sentences, especially when referring to some of their favorite stories. Miss Kendra played the piano wonderfully, with "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

Beautiful!

"Of all this, I might have been mistress."

(Elizabeth, in "Pride and Prejudice," by Jane Austen)

First view of the homestead lake, after 37 years.Packing Iron

That's what I call "protection." (Although, if I had to shoot a bear, I would leave it there. I am not going to skin it.)

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