WIND BENEATH MY WINGS

Spunkier than a teen hyped up on a six pack of  Red Bull and friendlier than a wet Labrador pup this wonderful woman housed more energy in her tiny body than eight cups of coffee.  I once had a principal ask me in an interview who my hero was.  I have to tell ya that this Ozark Farm Chick didn't skip a beat when I answered my Grandma Dow.  What a role model this remarkable woman was in my life.  Born in 1905 she found herself widowed at a young age in an era when a woman's career was bein' a good housewife and raisin' youngens.  'Just the way it was!

Inez Lola Dow, who I simply called 'Ma', buckled down and did what she did best.  She loved. She loved with all her might.  Mom to four left with two bottomless hungry teenagers to feed and a home to finance she began takin' 'welfare' children into her heart and home.  She cared for many babies found in alley trash cans who officials thought didn't have a chance to pull through the night.  Those little souls who were too disfigured or mentally challenged to place anywhere else were brought into her care.  All in all she housed over three hundred of these most precious children.  

Her big heart became known far an wide.  The Albuquerque radio station sang her praises and gifted her with a certificate of appreciation from the city and a record album honoring the love and care this grandma of mine bestowed on these special little lambs.  Her love of children continued to shine through the years.  Connie Chung even did a wonderful tribute for 60 Minutes on my most positive hero.

Ma gently held my hand and guided my steps throughout my life.  From her first visit to the old farmhouse in Stockton, Missouri back when I was knee~high to nothin' to present day, she's been my guidin' light. There's not a day goes by that I don't think of somethin' she said or did.  I found two handwritten notes from her as I was goin' through pictures.  One was written to me on the day I was born, the other was written to me shortly before her death lettin' me know how proud she was to be my grandma.  I do declare, I was the one blessed to the moon and back to have had  her in my life.  In all the time we spent together, this remarkable lady always found the good in everyone and I never, ever  heard her say a bad word about another bein'...'just wouldn't be prudent. Besides, that wasn't her style.

Here's Ma surround by her most valuable  treasures.  She was blessed with two more grandsons and another granddaughter after this was photo was taken.  Pictured  is my older cousin Judy, little Connie, Tommy who passed at the age of 14, my baby sis Donna and yep...I'm the one singin'  OOOoooklahoma showin' off my tonsil~less throat along with my uvula .  Did I tell ya'll my grandma had a ongoin' zest for life that wouldn't quit and was more fun than a barrel full of magic wands?  A true kid at heart this magnificent gal was.

Wherever ya found Ma you'd find fun.  It was on this trip to my childhood farm that my grandma and I decided to bake some peanut butter cookies while Mom did her outside chores.  Now, Ma and I loved peanut butter cookie dough more that a chubby cop loves warm glazed doughnuts.  We had a grand time mixin', bakin' and tastin' when my Mama came in and said, "I thought ya'll were gonna bake cookies".  In the midst of our giggles we handed her the cookie platter adorned with seven very small morsels and answered, "We did!!!"

This was also the visit we gals went to Emporia, Kansas to see Ma's sis.  My grandmother, mom, mom's best friend, my little sis and this thirteen year old Farm Chicklett  piled in the car to make the journey. It was this very excursion these fine ladies sent me into the local Emporia drug store to buy 'em some Ex~Lax and Kaopectate.  Yep folks,  some were constipated and some were sufferin' the runs and they weren't goin' in so they sent me...the gullible obedient one!  The two clerks behind the counter could barely contain themselves when one just had to burst out with..."Ya know young lady, these products treat opposite ailments!"  Meltin' into the floor and turnin' beet red I said, " I know, those women in the car don't know whether there comin' or goin'" and got outta there faster than a jackrabbit on a date!!!

 

Ma was never too busy to play, I loved that 'bout her.  Here she is playin' in the sand with her toddler great~ grandson (Geek Son)  and my cousin Robert.  Ma's very last visit to the Ponderosa I found her in my family room  turnin'  somersaults to make Geek Son laugh.  She was just that kinda gal.  It was so fittin' that Ma's church's  Kid's Choir sang at her funeral service.  I could truly feel her there......dancin'!
This wonderful song was sang by the likes of Perry Como, Sheena Easton and even Gladys Knight and the Pips but it's best known version is sang by Bette Midler  in the 1988 soundtrack for the movie Beaches. My HERO left this world many years ago but will always live in my heart and remain to be "The Wind Beneath My Wings!!!"

'Miss ya Ma, my hero!

THANKS TO YOU

Ya'll have made this young woman so happy she doesn't know whether she's a-washin' or a-hangin'!  Doesn't she look like she's just won the lottery and then some?  It all began over at Marydon's 'Blushing Rose' when she heard our darlin' Angel Dawn was havin' some problems.  I tell ya that Marydon has a heart that is bigger than Heaven and all of Texas!  This most generous woman posted that she wanted to bless Angel this Easter season and the prayers, boxes, cards and letters came floodin' in faster than the risin' water in the clogged commode.

After the initial shock of a completely loaded table subsided, Miss Angel got busier than a farmer with one hoe and two rattlesnakes tearin' into all the love gifts that were sent from Marydon's wonderfully considerate blogmates.  It was so very overwhelmin' for her,  I had a friend help Miss Angel with all her goodies!

Faster than a knife fight in a phone booth the elated girl began to open the love boxes one by one.  Even with a helper it took a full hour to open all the gifts presented that day.  There were more gifts and days that I had younger kiddos in Kid's Church that would not understand why Angel had presents and they didn't.  Those days the gifts were simply sent home with her.  I've received three more love packages just this week.

I have to tell ya'll that each and every package and card thrilled this thirteen year old's heart.  Items came from all over the United States.  Gifts were shipped from sunny California to the tropics of Florida.  Boxes were sent from New York to Texas and everywhere in-between.  Shoot, there were a couple things from Canada and yesterday a package arrived all the way from England!!! Not only have ya'll touched Angel in a most special way,  if this Ozark Farm Chick was any happier~ I'd be twins!!!!  I know...scarey thought but your outpourin' has truly blessed my heart and moved my very soul.  Ya'll rock!

 

Angel received beautiful hats of all shapes and forms Heaps of art supplies and jewelry kits  that'll keep her busy for days to come.  Beautiful handmade journals and pretty delicate  handmade boxes stuffed with delicious candies.  There were stunnin' handmade quilts, scarves, wraps, jewelry, afghans, pillows and purses.  She opened word searches, notepads, books,CD's, devotionals, stickers, cut out dolls, bears and angels.  Heck, one card even held cash in the form of two dollar bills.  Miss Happy can glee over new clothes, bubble baths, sweet lotions, perfumes and nail treatments.  The list goes on...I have filled four legal pad size pages with the gifts received.  'Blows me away!

Doesn't this smile melt your heart?  Angel has undergone two brain stem surgeries and months of chemotherapy that was completed last September to obviate brain stem cancer . I gotta tell ya I've observed some symptoms in Miss Angel that have truly burdened my heart. They've left a bad feelin' that is hangin' on me like a booger ya can't thump off even though her Mama tells me all Angel's test have come back on a positive note.   Please pray for her.

 

On top of this several weeks before Easter Angel blacked out at school.  When she came to she couldn't tell the responder her name, birthday or where she was.  She was transported to St. Johns Hospital where she's been treated. A blood test was ran and they sent her home.  A couple weeks later, a MRI was ran and Mom was told everything was OK.  Now, if that don't put the pepper in the Gumbo!!!  

 

 Just between you me and the fencepost, Miss Angel has recently complained of headaches. Bless her heart, she began droppin' weight. I see trouble with balance and short term memory on top of some other issues I won't mention.  I pray I'm wrong but my heart is heavy.

 

Last time ya'll blessed Angel I wrote the thank you notes in Angel's words, addressed the envelopes for her and let her sign 'em.  This round I've enclosed a blank thank you notes in each box or package for her to write her own. 

 

If for some reason she doesn't carry through, I want to personally thank ya'll for each prayer, card, letter and package that was sent.  I'm blown away with the response and know this young woman feels the love that has surrounded her through your gifts.  Can't ya tell her heart is meltin' in the picture below?  There are simply not enough 'THANK YOUS!

 

 To top everything off, Mailman Larry handed me yet another box which I assumed was for Angel.  Imagine my surprise when I noticed it was simply addressed to Nezzy.  Yep, I'd won a giveaway over at Miss Marydon's place, Blushing Rose ,that I didn't even realized I'd won.  What a wonderfully amazin' surprise it was too!!!  This beautiful charmin' box contained a vintage doorknob filled with a teeny tiny flower bouquet created by Celestina Marie Design for Marydon's giveaway but wait...that's not all!  Celeste added a beautiful angel topped heart ornament just for bein' me. Can you imagine?  What precious sweethearts these ladies are.  Please pop over and pay 'em a visit, I'd be much obliged!

 

 Tyler Collins is a singer~songwriter who's name ya might not recognize.  She's sang with Prince and played Cinderella on an episode of  "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."   She began singin' as a lead with an R&B group called 'The Boys Next Door". She recorded "Never Alone" (Eeyore's Lullaby) for Winnie the Pooh tribute album.  This talent has sang R&B, pop and adult contemporary music from 1987 to present day. Miss Tyler has also written song for Celine Dion, Shanice and Jeffrey Osborne.

Today I want to present this song to you.  God has used your hearts and your hands to touch a young stranger miles away.  God has overwhelmingly blessed me by touchin' our lives,  for this I want to say "Thanks to You"!!!  Please listen won't ya?

God bless ya'll!!!

PAPER ROSES

This Ozark Farm chick was shakin' like a fifty cent ladder on gutter cleanin' day when I listened to the weather and heard the frost warnins. When I turned in late last night it was thirty seven degrees and droppin'. My heart sank like a mobsters victim. Oh, my beautiful roses had buds, all my lovely perennials had pushed their heads through the earth. I'm a tad high strung and wound tighter that a three day clock but late last night....I would'a made a pressure cooker look calm.

At thirty one degrees the Ponderosa's frost holler is was colder than a tick on a Mississippi coon hound on a Montana morning. The daylilies foliage blackened bowin' their heads to the earth, my spirit plummeted lower than a snake full of buckshot. Checkin' the curly leaves on my roses. my mind was transported to a science project in our Special Ed. classroom. 'Loved those kiddos and I'd fight tigers in the dark with a switch for 'em unlike their classmates, Middle Schoolers are empathy challenged. 'Just sayin'.........

Each year we would help our very special students participate in the Middle School Science Fair. We had many projects over the years. Little Miss Feisty kept eatin' her atom molecules constructed with Skittles. Mr. I Believe I Can Fly grew colorful salt crystals but the one that really touched my heart was a little sweetheart I'll call Lilly Pie.

Lilly Pie was a 'special' student in the fifth grade. She lived with her mother, little sister and her Mom's boyfriend. Lilly lived in a dysfunctional home at best and had been showin' definite signs of sexual abuse. When Social Services confirmed the situation Lilly's mother was told that she could not have the girls in the house if the boyfriend stayed. Miss Pie's mother told this tender~hearted ten year old girl, "well somebody's gotta leave and it's not gonna be 'him'." 'Broke my heart into a thousand pieces. She was moved into her single grandfathers house. Doesn't that just frost your ankles?

Sweeter than a meal of biscuits and chocolate gravy served with southern sweet tea, this little lady approached us with her Science Fair idea. Roses!!! Woohoo, bestow my heart. Lilly Pie wanted to make a presentation on plantin' and growin' roses. She expressed the desire to present her project in book form. She chose plain old pink copy paper for the pages. Lilly then used the computer to find information and pictures that she would use for her book simply titled 'Roses'.

We helped Lilly glue the information on the pages along with the pictures she'd chosen with good old rubber cement. After everything had dried we used a binder to bind her project together. Simple supplies, nothin' special. Just a little copy paper, printer ink and some rubber cement. We left the project in Lilly Pies cubby in the classroom and locked the door behind us.

I've experienced several supernatural unexplainable remarkable acts of God in my lifetime but this one was for Lilly Pie. The next mornin' as we were thumbin' though Miss Pie's project the scent of roses arose from the pages. We passed the book around to our coworkers and the more the book was handled the stronger the scent became. I went back and sniffed the copy paper which smelled like plain old paper. I checked the rubber cement and it reeked of...well...rubber cement. Heck, I even checked the printer ink. The only explanation I could come up with it that God wanted to make Lilly's project as special as her.

Isn't that just like our Heavenly Father? He takes our brokenness and turns it into something whole and special. He raises us up from that bottomless pit just when we think there is no hope into life abundantly. He guides us to the light when lost in darkness. He takes a young girl's simple project and makes it stand out from the others. That rose scent lasted through the Science Fair and was still strong when we sent it home.

In 1993, Olive Marie Osmond sang the popular song written by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre that was originally Anita Bryant's hit in 1960. Marie's version topped the country charts then crossed over to pop and easy listenin'. I know that Miss Lilly Pie or I will never ever forget the science project that was simply made of 'Paper Roses!!!

'Just thinkin' 'bout it makes me happier than a monkey with a peanut machine!



(These pictures are from my rose garden last summer)

THE BEST

As sure as this Ozark Farm Chick knows a 'possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road, it's clear that this man was one remarkable fella. Ya'll might say he was "Simply the Best!" That fact is always confirmed by the glimmer in my Mama's eyes and the joy in her voice as she speaks of him.

Born in 1904, Fred Augustus Dow grew up in Iowa where this industrious young lad ran a paper route. He later moved to Emporia, Kansas before settlin' in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He loved to gather his family for Sunday drives which consistently included a melody of his favorite songs like "My Blue Heaven." Seemed he always had a great tune to belt out, imagine that!!! Fred delivered groceries, was a railroad fireman, ran yet another paper route and was for a very short time, my Grandfather.

'Pa' was feelin' higher than an Ozark pine holdin' a six week old Nezzy Chicklett. Would ya'll look at those toothpick squirrel legs? Dang, I was so skinny it looked like I swapped legs with a wasp and got cheated a stinger!!! This was my first trip to see my maternal grandparents who lived in Albuquerque and the last time they both would both be there. My grandpa had suffered with heart problems as did two of his four children. Booger, I'd love to of known this man.

He did get the chance to visit the Stockton farm and was nuttier over me than a port~a~potty at a Peanut Festival. It was durin' this visit I called him 'Pa'. Me?? Well, accordin' to my daddy I was born a farmer skilled at milkin' and spreadin' manure from the get~go but ya can tell my 'Pa' was a true city slicker. Who wears penny loafers and white socks 'round cow patties???

'Pa' didn't come to visit me empty handed. No, he brought me a beautiful gold locket~bracelet set which I still cherish today and a skillfully hand made potty chair.

Upon arriving' 'Pa' brought the potty chair into the house where I was nappin'. A gals gotta get her beauty rest ya know? Mom woke me and was gonna put a clean hippen on me when she noticed my diaper wasn't wet. (Even then I was kinda a control freak) She sat me on my new princess commode and slicker than grease off a BBQ biscuit I tinkled! Knowin' I was the most intelligent exceptional ten month old on Earth , 'Pa' bowed up like a Banty Rooster with pride! He had a gifted prodigy tot on his hands but ya'll know even a blind hog finds and acorn every now and again! Or....maybe... just maybe, my grandpa hit the nail on the head and I am a true genius!!! A girl can dream can't she?

That was the last time I would see my grandfather. He passed shortly after makin' his one and only trip to these Ozark hills. After runnin' an early dawn paper route Pa sat down on the sofa to count his mornin' collections as my Grandmother (Ma) rustled up some breakfast. Ma heard a thump and discovered that my grandfather had collapsed from a heart attack. He could not be revived. All I have today are the pictures, a beautiful gold locket set, an old potty chair and the assurance of a grandpa's love. I'm saddened that he never got the chance to visit the Ponderosa, he would'a loved it! I know these things.

In 1974 I discovered I had my own little bun brewin' in the oven. Well, I got busier than a kitty tryin' to cover it's business on a marble floor to prepare the little loo for my own brood. I sanded my little heart out and refinished the beautiful wood grain in that old potty chair. I burnt lines in it for a distressed look and painted a Winnie the Pooh theme on the 'wee' john. Only the best for my youngens!

Over the past 59 years this potty chair has traveled almost as much as this old gal. I'm almost ashamed of how long I used this marvelous privy. Raised without indoor plumbin', it was a welcomed warm friend to my tush when it was cold enough outside to freeze the balls off a pool table. My tiny throne traveled from New Mexico to Missouri. It's visited the Gulf of Mexico in Brownsville, Texas and returned back to the Ozarks. Pooh Chair has caressed the bottoms of my kiddos (Geek Son and Social Butterfly), nieces, nephews and grandkiddos alike.

These days the galvanized pot is rustier than an old sheriff's badge and so ugly maggots would have to be blindfolded to use it. Yep, your eyes aren't deceivin' ya folks, that sure enough is Pooh Bear waitin' for incomin' poo. I'm twisted like that!!!

This positive rare gem of a song confirms the way my 'Pa' thought of me, "Your simply the best, better than all the rest, better than anyone, anyone I've ever met." Miss Tina Turner sang this encouragin' anthem from 1966 to present day. Knowin' how very blessed I am, I too can sing... "I'm stuck on your heart", 'cause I know my 'Pa' had the biggest heart of hearts and that he was " (Simply)The Best !!!"

The old potty chair is goin' into storage but not so far that it can't be pulled out to be used another day or another generation.

FALLING

Here on the Ponderosa I've fallen when it's been colder than a nuns toes on a ice packed ski slope and slicker than wet okra in a soapy sink. When my friends worry 'bout me fallin' out here in the middle of nowhere I just laugh 'cause in the cold months I'm padded better then the Michelin Man and simply bounce back up. Warm weather is a whole different story.

I did fall hard several summers ago when Farm Boy was outta state. It was hotter that a tire fire when I was haulin' mulch for my flower beds as I hung my Croc flippy on a rock and went down. I laid there rollin' in the dirt sweatin' like Richard Simmons to the oldies thinkin' I could lay there for days roast bakin' 'till tender in the sun and nobody would ever know. My kiddos have often joked about gettin' Mom one of those "I've fallen and can't get up thingies"....gee, 'could'a used one. I finally sucked it up and literally crawled to the house lickin' my wounds.

'Seems if there are grandkiddos involved, I'll fall to the floor faster than a speedin' ticket. Yep, give this Ozark Farm Chick a kid and I'll go down faster than a pregnant pole vaulter in lead tennis shoes. I'm usually the photographer but I've noticed most of the pictures taken of this chick, I'm crashed on the floor. It's just the way I fly!!!

When I'm with the grandkiddos I want to be present, right there in the middle where the action is and I'll fall harder than my sister's first attempt at Triple Chocolate Souffle' to get there. Bein' Grandma Muzzie makes my heart sing and my spirit soar. See me grinnin' like a mule eatin' cockeburs???

I'm well aware how abundantly blessed I am. Shoot, if I were any luckier I could sit on a fence and the birds could feed me. Isn't it wonderful to know as humans we don't have to be perfect. In life there are times we're gonna fall like a giant boulder off an overpass where the Father is immediately present with outstretched arms 'just waitin' to catch us with His unconditional amazin' love! Without Him in my life I'd be so helpless I couldn't pour the rain outta my camouflaged manure stompin' boots with a hole in the toe and directions stamped on the heel! I'm sayin'....

Well shut my mouth, God has blessed this rockin' Grandma with eight perfect grandkiddos and a heart to love each and every one like the first. I've fallen and fallen hard~ again and again. In 1977 LeBlanc and Carr sang these lyrics in their hit single, "I'm falling, woah, I'm falling , I'm falling in love with you." Just when I thought my heart was stuffed full as it could get, I found myself singin' these lyrics as each grandkiddo was added to the brood. Heck, there's even room in this overflowin' heart of mine to love God more and more each day. The heart's a miraculous organ that way.

It wasn't 'till 1980 when LeBlanc came to know Jesus that he realized the real power of love. It was then he began recordin' Christian themed music like "Say a Prayer" and "Person to Person." It's glorious when the love of grandkiddos washes over me like a warm shower and even better to feel the Heavenly Father's love saturate my very soul. This chick feels fine as creamed country gravy to know I'm loved so intensely that He will always be there for me when I'm "Falling!!!"


God bless ya'll!!!

ENEMY'S CAMP (Guest Post)

Uglier than an August outhouse struck by lightin' and meaner than a sizzlin' skillet full of rattlesnakes, the demonic monster can rear it's satanic head when ya least expect it. The joy of a new life and the hope of a perfect family is every gal's dream . At least it was for this precious new mama 'till the wicked beast rocked her world like Teen Town on a Saturday night. This courageous woman geared up for battle armin' herself to fight the diabolical cancer of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Folks, I'd like to introduce ya'll to my guest poster. She's fought Satan himself and is here to tell her remarkable story. I'm pleased as punch for ya'll to meet Heather Von St. James, Mesothelioma survivor. Welcome sweetie...............


I've always viewed the world through rose colored glasses. This became an important aspect of my personality when I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 36. Nothing in my life had prepared me for that moment and I had an important decision to make: to choose between despair or to choose life.

I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma 3 1/2 months after giving birth to my first and only child. It was November 21, 2005. I was unprepared to hear the words "you got cancer" during such a joyous time. Instead of wallowing in self pity and blaming the stars for my fate, I decided to keep my head up and continue viewing the world through rose colored glasses. I couldn't let down my baby. She had the right to be raised by her mother.
One thing that may surprise many people is the positive aspect of cancer. Naturally, it is one of the worst diagnoses you can receive but it really helped to change my life for the better. I wasn't going to allow myself to be a victim so I tried to treat the situation lightly. This would help to remove a lot of the fear of the diagnosis and give me a chance to help others by giving them hope. The world's best mesothelioma doctor was also there to give me the hope I needed to go on.

I actually gave my tumor a nickname: Punxsutawney Phil. My surgery was to occur on Groundhogs Day, 2006. Groundhogs Day became "Lungleavin Day" as this was the day I lost my lung. We still celebrate "Lungleavin Day" on the first weekend of every February. This is not a celebration of the loss of my lung but a celebration of my survival and a celebration of life and of defeating fear. It is a hopeful celebration and I look forward to it every year.

Another great positive of my cancer diagnosis is all the wonderful people I have met after my diagnosis and during my treatment. These people are some of the strongest, most hopeful and passion filled people in my life. They inspire me daily and keep me happy and hopeful. I have met other survivors of mesothelioma, people going through their treatments, people trying to inform the public of the dangers of this disease and many others. These people who I hadn't known before are now my friends.

As incredible as it may seem, my cancer diagnosis and survival has enriched my life by introducing me to these amazing people and giving my life more purpose. I hope to continue inspiring others and giving hope to other mesothelioma patients for years to come.

I have to confess, This Ozark Farm Chick is cookin' on the front burner today after readin' the the positive attitude of this beautiful strong woman. The odds were not in her favor and I know that Heather had to be scared as a sinner in a Ozark twister but this little lady has earned alotta stars in her crown. She's turned her bowl of lemons 'round and put Satan under her feet by dedicatin' her life to helpin' others with this horrific cancer. Please take time to visit this extraordinary gal at "The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog. "



Thank you Heather for sharin' your miraculous story which has tugged at the heartstrings of others as it has mine. Just like Praise Workout who sang this amazin' worship song from the 1995 Brownsville Revival era, she knows ya don't have to be in Pensacola, Florida to stomp out the old devil. Heather can now truly sing that she's been to the "Enemy's Camp!!!"

God bless and keep you Heather and never let go of those 'rose colored glasses'!!!