Monday, February 28, 2005
OCTOBER....1987
I feel better today than I have for a week. I’ve been a model patient and have followed all of the good advice I usually dish out to someone else. I’m not to the bragging stage yet……I would say more on the optimistic side of things…..so we’re going to pick up 1987.…in the month of October and try to finish up the year.
Like many, October is my favorite month. This particular year, October came in on a work day and I was en-route to Ellington with my crew. The drive over is full of craggy hills, sharp curves and sky-line drives that bring your heart up into your throat. In one particular place, you are running the highest ridge in the county and the drop-off on the sides of the road are literally frightening. Your view of the valley below is akin to looking from the window of a plane…….there are no shoulders and only the smallest of guardrails.
I never passed that specific area without butterflies in my stomach. This is on one of the roads less traveled but is arguably one of the most scenic in our area. Since we drove to the same towns every week we devised methods to break the monotony……taking different drives was one of them. In the Spring and Fall it was always prettier to go the “back way” because either the color of the leaves were calling….. or the redbuds and dogwoods when the season changed.
The first Sunday in the month I began teaching a class of older ladies. I inherited two small classes that were incorporated into one. It was evident some were not too happy about the change and with a new teacher to boot, it was a very quiet hour together. Understanding their discomfort about the Nominating Committee’s decision to merge the two classes I decided to let a little time pass before I handed them any more changes. As I explained to them, I was getting used to a different Sunday morning too……so together, we could build our class into whatever we wanted it to be. They relaxed and I relaxed and the class became very special to all of us.
By the end of the first week in October, we had a second roof put over mom’s mobile home to stop some leaking problems and it was a nice improvement. I began taking minutes at the Church business meetings which turned out to be more work than I expected but somehow it fit into an already busy schedule. Choir practice on Wednesday nights, each Monday night I still taught a bible study in our home…..I made time for mom, to visit several times a week and who continued to come to our house at least once a week. It was a chance to cook her favorite things that she didn’t get at WC. Her requests were taken a few days before and it was good to see how much she enjoyed her choices. She was my cooking teacher so most of what I fixed was like she would have made for herself.
Mid-month the woods were spectacular. The rides to and from work provided a panorama of the Ozarks best. The hills were alive with radiant color and the bright green fields in contrast looked like a calendar print. I was involved in the Finance Committee at Church so some of the evenings were spent with that. Other evenings we had friends in to enjoy meals with us and I constantly baked for things to take to work everyday for the guys. They had become quite spoiled to the treats I would bring but it gave me great pleasure to do so. I think there is nothing more binding in a friendship, camaraderie at work or family than to sit and enjoy food together. I know at work, it was very nice to come in out of the rain, snow….heat, whatever, and have coffee and sweets together. It’s a throw-back to the way I was raised. When anyone came to call, dad would say, “Dort, put some coffee on and lets have some cake”…..or whatever. Of course, mom always had something to offer for a snack.
I began making some cross-stitched sweat shirts for Christmas and had so much fun deciding which pattern to make for who. I enjoyed making them and thinking of the person’s reaction when they saw theirs….when we didn’t have applicants at work I could work on them, study for my Sunday School Class or write letters. I was able to redeem a lot of lost time at work by having personal things to work on.
The third week of the month I came home from work and aunt Sally and her friend, Dorothy were here. Aunt Sally lived in Hastings, NE. She and her friend took a drive to see some of the fall colors and ended up in Missouri……..I fixed supper for all of us and then we went to visit mom. This was a Friday evening and mom was happily surprised to see her sister. They stayed over the week-end and mom came here each day….it was a nice time for all of us.
October, having lavished her beauty upon us, left with whirling leaves and a blaze of glory. She vanished during the night and November came to call………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Like many, October is my favorite month. This particular year, October came in on a work day and I was en-route to Ellington with my crew. The drive over is full of craggy hills, sharp curves and sky-line drives that bring your heart up into your throat. In one particular place, you are running the highest ridge in the county and the drop-off on the sides of the road are literally frightening. Your view of the valley below is akin to looking from the window of a plane…….there are no shoulders and only the smallest of guardrails.
I never passed that specific area without butterflies in my stomach. This is on one of the roads less traveled but is arguably one of the most scenic in our area. Since we drove to the same towns every week we devised methods to break the monotony……taking different drives was one of them. In the Spring and Fall it was always prettier to go the “back way” because either the color of the leaves were calling….. or the redbuds and dogwoods when the season changed.
The first Sunday in the month I began teaching a class of older ladies. I inherited two small classes that were incorporated into one. It was evident some were not too happy about the change and with a new teacher to boot, it was a very quiet hour together. Understanding their discomfort about the Nominating Committee’s decision to merge the two classes I decided to let a little time pass before I handed them any more changes. As I explained to them, I was getting used to a different Sunday morning too……so together, we could build our class into whatever we wanted it to be. They relaxed and I relaxed and the class became very special to all of us.
By the end of the first week in October, we had a second roof put over mom’s mobile home to stop some leaking problems and it was a nice improvement. I began taking minutes at the Church business meetings which turned out to be more work than I expected but somehow it fit into an already busy schedule. Choir practice on Wednesday nights, each Monday night I still taught a bible study in our home…..I made time for mom, to visit several times a week and who continued to come to our house at least once a week. It was a chance to cook her favorite things that she didn’t get at WC. Her requests were taken a few days before and it was good to see how much she enjoyed her choices. She was my cooking teacher so most of what I fixed was like she would have made for herself.
Mid-month the woods were spectacular. The rides to and from work provided a panorama of the Ozarks best. The hills were alive with radiant color and the bright green fields in contrast looked like a calendar print. I was involved in the Finance Committee at Church so some of the evenings were spent with that. Other evenings we had friends in to enjoy meals with us and I constantly baked for things to take to work everyday for the guys. They had become quite spoiled to the treats I would bring but it gave me great pleasure to do so. I think there is nothing more binding in a friendship, camaraderie at work or family than to sit and enjoy food together. I know at work, it was very nice to come in out of the rain, snow….heat, whatever, and have coffee and sweets together. It’s a throw-back to the way I was raised. When anyone came to call, dad would say, “Dort, put some coffee on and lets have some cake”…..or whatever. Of course, mom always had something to offer for a snack.
I began making some cross-stitched sweat shirts for Christmas and had so much fun deciding which pattern to make for who. I enjoyed making them and thinking of the person’s reaction when they saw theirs….when we didn’t have applicants at work I could work on them, study for my Sunday School Class or write letters. I was able to redeem a lot of lost time at work by having personal things to work on.
The third week of the month I came home from work and aunt Sally and her friend, Dorothy were here. Aunt Sally lived in Hastings, NE. She and her friend took a drive to see some of the fall colors and ended up in Missouri……..I fixed supper for all of us and then we went to visit mom. This was a Friday evening and mom was happily surprised to see her sister. They stayed over the week-end and mom came here each day….it was a nice time for all of us.
October, having lavished her beauty upon us, left with whirling leaves and a blaze of glory. She vanished during the night and November came to call………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
