Learning From the Impolite

While dusting the bookcase, I ran across this little book:

The inside front page calls it, "A manual of manners for polite infants inculcating (?)many juvenile virtues both by precept and example." My girls were introduced to the Goops through the Better Homes and Gardens Story Book about forty years ago. Later I ordered the book about the Goops from Dover Publications; I'm not sure too many of the grand kids ever read it. There are forty three subjects listed in the table of contents. These are a few of my favorites:

I think many adults fall into this category too:

Have we failed to teach our children proper manners?

"Let me introduce you to a Race

Void of Beauty and of Grace...

Yet you'll learn, if you are Bright,

Politeness from the Impolite..."

Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Matt. 19:19

Preparing for Winter -- 2

There was frost the next morning and the acrid smell of frozen grass filled the air. Smoke from the stovepipe curled only a little before being carried away to the holler by the strong north wind. By mid-morning the sun began warming things and Mama said, "Let's stomp peas today, Charlotte!" She took her feed sack full of dry peas out into the yard. Charlotte jumped onto the burlap bag. "This is one thing you can jump on to your heart's content," said Mama. "Pretend you're jumping on the bed!" She jumped and jumped. Mama turned the sack and they both stomped, and the dry pods broke into pieces, releasing the peas. Charlotte giggled and fell off. Mama set the sack upright and untied the end.
She picked up the sack and held the opened end high above her empty dishpan. The dry peas fell into the pan and the wind blew the broken pieces of hulls away. Then she poured the peas from the dishpan into an empty bucket. Zing! Zing, zing! The peas sounded like hailstones on a tin roof as they hit the metal bucket. She poured them back and forth, and each time bits of hulls and trash blew out until the peas were clean.

Now Mama took the clean peas to the kitchen. She filled a jar with some of them and added a few moth balls. "These peas are to plant next year," she said, "and the mothballs will keep weevils out of them." She poured boiling water over the rest of the peas and let them sit for a few minutes. "I scalded these peas to kill any weevils that might be in them now; they're the ones I'll cook this winter. The seed peas can't be scalded because the hot water would kill the little plant that is waiting inside the pea," explained Mama. She spread the scalded peas out on a clean cloth and let them dry in the sun and wind for a few days before storing them away for winter meals.

Charlotte

If you're fairly new to my blog you might enjoy reading more about our farm life in the 1940s.  The stories are under the label, Family.  If there are two parts to a story, the first part will be preceded by the second; keep this in mind to keep from knowing the end of the story first :)

Preparing for Winter (A repost)

The fall weather was dry. Dust rose behind cars and hung in the stillness. In the evenings it settled in the valleys and looked like fog. The leaves were changing colors, but they had a burnt-like crispness to them; their edges curled. The flowering weeds wilted in the warmth of the afternoon sun, and grass seeds were maturing quickly. At night the temperatures dropped, so Daddy put up the wood heater.

"There'll be a killing frost soon," he said, so Mama set about to gather in what was left in the garden: a few peas, turnip greens, and green tomatoes.

Honk! Honk! Honk! The sounds came from overhead. "Look, Mama! A black flying line!" said Charlotte and Mama explained to her, "Those are geese, flying south. They know cold air is coming. They're going where the weather is warmer."

Charlotte shaded her eyes from the sun and watched the geese flying in a v-shape; now and then a few birds strayed from the others and flew alone, but they always returned. By noon the sun had warmed the air enough that Charlotte wondered if they might turn back.....

(To be continued tomorrow.
I know some of you have read this before, but bear with me...)

 

Story Quilt

"Once Upon a Time"....The possibilities are endless for bedtime stories, poems, or maybe a song with this baby quilt.

How about a story of the little bear who became his team's most valuable player.

Maybe there's a poem about the giraffe siblings who live at 123 PSE street.

And surely someone knows why the cat sits in the window at night and washes his face before going to bed under a clear sky filled with stars.

The entire quilt is full of wonders, all made from scraps of novelty prints with paper pieced wonky houses.

The binding is even scrappy, and no need for fancy quilting either because it would get lost in the string pattern.  Lots of fun here for some little child who likes to pretend.

  I like to pretend, but when we were little we said, "play like, this or that" instead of, "let's pretend".

Charlotte

I know some of these pictures are blurred; shaking old hands do that sort of thing. "Play like" they're clear.

A Fall Birthday

Fifty years ago this morning, at 5:09, our second baby girl was born.   She was brought in "care of the dawn" so her name fits her well:  Cara Dawn.

Such a pretty little girl with lots of dark hair which grew to be naturally curly.  She was always the most serious of our three girls and could do just about anything she set her mind to do: sewing for the dolls, drawing and painting, collecting insects (led to a master's degree in entomology), and in recent years electrical and plumbing (learned well from her dad).  She gave us our first and second beautiful granddaughters.  She's a very kind, compassionate woman, just ask all the doggies and kitties she takes in.

So, Happy Birthday, dear one.  May you have many more happy and healthy years.

We love you much, Mama Charlotte and Popa Noel

Sunbonnet Redwork

Part of my summer was spent embroidering Sunbonnet Sue in redwork.  She's showing the things she does in each month of the year.

For example, here she is dressed for Halloween.

This is the third time I've done this pattern which came from the Sunbonnet Sue website.  I have another redwork project in mind for after supper work this winter.  I'll be showing it soon.  Redwork is my kind of embroidery; pick up the red floss, load up the needle, and go to work; no deciding what colors to use. lol

  This isn't quilted yet, but soon; it measures around 16 1/2" x 21 1/2".

Charlotte

October Apron

Well, I'm back with the tenth apron(s).  My how time flies!!

This is the pattern I used for this month,

and this was the first apron I made using the pattern.  I liked it a lot and it was "so easy"; however there were two things I wanted to change: I don't like ties at the neck, and the neck bands seemed too flimsy just using one thickness of fabric.  I had seen aprons like this on Pinterest where the neck band was one continuing piece and the apron was slipped on over the head.  So I tried both, doubling the neck band fabric and cutting it in one piece.  Liked it so much better!  Here are the results:

one for spring,

one for fall.

This pattern uses a lot of bias tape, but I have a bias tape maker gadget so I can make my own tape to match the neck bands.  I believe the tape maker will pay for itself after about two aprons.  The pattern is from Simplicity, number A1536, and I do believe it's my favorite to make, so far.  Only two more to go, then I must come up with something else for next year.  Ideas?

Charlotte