Stumbling along

There are times when we seem to want to block out the world around us and try to get ourselves together again. 2 years ago I lost a sister and this year I lost my oldest brother. They were both a little older than I am yet it seems too soon for them to go to a heavenly home. I miss them tremendously and look back on some of the greatest times of my life with them. I've never been one to wallow in self pity and won't start now. I have mourned the loss and now I am going to step forward into trying to become a better person for having them in my life for the 60+ years I've lived.I was lucky to have children and grandchildren and enjoy the times I spend with them.
I do wish I knew how to make this a better blog and show you all how I've made some of the things I make. Perhaps there will be directions somewhere I can make a copy of to have handy to help me. Until then it will remain story time of my youth on the farm.
One Saturday when Mama and Daddy took the tractor and trailer to town to get supplies, we children were to shuck and shell corn for the animals. We had a big wooden box with a metal thing that an ear of corn went through as we turned the habdle to remove the kernals from the corncob. Everyone was doing the chore as directed to begin with but some soon lost interest in such a mundane task. We took a water break and went up to the house and drank from the spigot o. My older brother thought it would be fun to slide down the metal that made up our roof on the house. There was some conversation about what we were supposed to be doing out at the corn crib but he was already on teh roof and sliding down then landing on the ground. It seemed to be fun so everyone participated for awhile, then some went on to another form of playing. After my first attempt sliding down onto the ground landed me on my bottom and it didn't feel very pleasant at all. Little did we know the danger of our folly. At that point I dicided I would return to the job of selling corn again because I didn't want to get caught doing something other than what we were told to when our parents left. I tried to encourage everyone to return to our chor but no one would go with me. I continued shelling corn and soon heard the tractor from way off. I called for the rest of them to come on out to the corn crib and get to work because I heard the tractor. They all laughed at me and responded with you shell the corn if you want we've got plenty of time to play til they get back. As I continued shelling corn I soon saw the tractor pass on the road heading to the house. Eagle eye Daddy saw the horseplay and when the kids saw the tractor turn into the driveway they all ran to the corn crib pretending they were working as told to prior to our parents leaving on the shopping trip. I knew what was comming next. After our parents took everything into the house and Daddy put the tractor in its spot, we were all called to the house. I commented to my brothers and sisters that they should have listened to me and we wouldn't be going to get a whipping. Sure enough Daddy told us to line up to get our medicine and the whippings began. When it was my turn, I looked at him and said I was trying to shell the corn. He said: "I don't want you I want Joyce" I waited for my turn and it never came. He told me that it looked like I was the only one working when they drove by the corn crib so I wouldn't get a whipping. For once I wouldn't have the stripes on my back and all the way down my legs from a whipping. Those things were brutal and something to fear.
Until next time I leave you with Just This...Alice