Another cold spell is headed our way with temperatures around 10 below zero tonight and tomorrow. We’re also told to expect up to a foot of snow. Besides higher heating bills, I like the cold. We really have had a warm winter up until a week or so ago. Time to get the kids snow gear ready again as they seem to be immune to weather and will bolt outside at the first sign of snow. Even though I like the cold and snow, as soon as the calendar turns the page to a new year, we kind of get in the Spring mode. Warm weather will be here before we know it.
My wife’s interview was yesterday and seemed to go pretty well. I guess there’s a number of people that applied for one opening so we’ll just have to wait and see. Lots of people out of work these days, I hope things turn around but don’t see any quick fixes for the economy.
Our youngest has a 4 hour birthday party this afternoon. There ought to be a law (just a figure of speech as I think there’s too much regulation in our lives as it is), that kids can only have so much cake and ice cream at one sitting. He’ll come home all amped up with enough energy to run a marathon! But no worries, we’ll be at dinner with friends and the babysitter will have all the fun. By the way, when did babysitters start making $10 per hour? When I was a kid I remember the going rate was .50 cents! My how things have changed. They say a dollar today has the buying power of about a nickel compared to 1920. Somethings gotta give sooner or later, hold on to your hats!
Sooner or later there’s going to be some sort of correction. I only pray it’s not too severe such as the depression in the 1920’s. Most people have been raised too soft these days, relying on everything being readily available right down the street at the local store. It won’t take much to disrupt the system and send a lot of people into panic mode. It’s amazing how many people can’t even change a flat tire or make a fire. I remember my grandfather in Wisconsin who did just about everything himself. He kept a huge garden, fixed his own car, sharpened his own tools, and tended to everything else around the house that needed attention. My grandmother did everything to keep the home running, (will have to get more details from my Mom), and best of all, baked all of her own bread and pie crusts from scratch (that’s what I remember most), while still finding time to play baseball with us grandkids. Nobody watched much TV, if any, (they didn’t have one until later in life), and everyone ate dinner together. Oh well, everything changes, but some things it seems would have been better left as they were.
Keep your family together and traditions alive. I regret I didn’t sit down with my Dad before he passed and learn more about his experiences as a child. We can learn a lot from the experiences of our parents and grandparents. So when you have a chance, before it’s too late, ask your Mom or Dad to tell you what it was like when they were a kid. I promise it’ll be fascinating and enjoyable and someday you’ll be glad you did.
God Bless,