THINGS AND THANKSGIVING

The pole I'm leaning on is what I fondly call our

Thanksgiving Maypole (See Ebenezer and Ninety-Eight Friends in just a few weeks)

Hopefully if you click on the picture, it will enlarge. This pole used to be just utilitarian--to helped hold up the house. But then we added the sun porch. We had to do something to that unsightly skinny post. David wanted the room to look nautical, so we wrapped the pole with this rope. The timely process is revealed in the book.

The next picture--Mother next to our old International Harvester refrigerator. This is the first refrigerator I remember. It still works like a charm. It's in better shape than I am. I don't hum as quietly as it does. It kept food cool for many weary travelers and drop-in guests for over 55 years. Mother and I will probably cry a few tears as we load it up. We're trying to size down to be ready to move next spring. The refrigerator has a new home in Albuquerque with my niece, Charlotte. We have to keep it in the family.

Another story in my book, "Mr. Mulrooney's Auction" talks about more "things." We walk through my Uncle Jack's several-acre almond orchard and then through their old farm house. They had to get rid of everything so Uncle Jack and Aunt Alma could go into a rest home.

Things are just thing. But sometimes they are symbols. That old refrigerator reminds me of the mobile stability of my parents. We circled Albuquerque, but the family and the International Harvester stayed intact.

The Thanksgiving Maypole reminds me of a faithful husband of 40 years (nearly) with whom I still have fun wrapping a cord around a pole. One of us wrapped. The other made sure it was tight.

The auction reminds me of a time that was mostly good, but sometimes hard.

I want to enjoy the friend more than the thing. How good does a cup of coffee taste that we drink alone? How fun is it to laugh at a joke by ourselves? It certainly wouldn't be any fun to cover a pole by myself.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child;

friends on earth and friends above; For all gentle thoughts and mild.

For the Beauty of the Earth, FolliettS. Pierpoint

Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor...and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing

I Corinthians 13:3.

THE TUNDO KID

A few days ago Mother mailed one of my published articles to my nephew, Clay and Emily and their bright son, Evan. I thought a seven-year-old might be too busy to take note. Here's part of the reply I received:

"Evan and I just had a delightful little surprise. I had had the eveloped Abuelita sent packed away in my purse. I opened it tonight and to my delight it was the Tundo story. Evan and I finished dinner and I've read it to him at his insistence no fewer than 6 times. He's over at the table now reading it to himself. He came in just now and said 'Mom, I can't believe I'm in a magazine. Next thing you know I'll be on T.V. telling people to 'listen to the tundo!'"

By the way, you can click on the picture to enlarge it--if we trust a seven-year-old being enlarged!

Granted, Evan was the object of this true story about when he told his mom and other committee ladies, "Llisten to the tundo!"

However, this got me to thinking. Most of my writing is probably fifth-grade level at best (or highest). I think many of the stories in Ebenezer and Ninety-Eight Friends could be read by grandmothers to grandchildren, or children to grandmothers who no longer have the sight to read.

Some of the kid-appropriate titles in Ebenezer:

Find Your Separator and Start Turning; Chocolate Chips, Raisins and the Word of God'; Cracker Box Decisions; Sweet Disneyland; Chicken Feathers; To Sweep or To Vacuum; Pizza on the Sea of Galilee; Pretzels; Three Writers and a Roomful of Librarians; Don't Jump off the Teeter-Totter.

Ebenezer is for sure a G-rated book. It's Great for Grandma and Grand for Goofy kids. Order a copy--or six! (I'm sure we could work out a deal for that many.) I'm hoping they'll be available the week after Thanksgiving.

I see the stars, I hear the rollilng thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed. Carl Boberg, 1886.

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand his power?” Job 26:14

I think sometimes a child can understand this power more readily than we who have had our minds cluttered with busyness and committee meetings.