I read something fascinating in our local paper.  Fascinating because Mother Nature never fails to amaze us all and because I never knew these things, and they say if you learn One New Thing every day, you will live a very long life.

Pine trees were the subject, and here are the amazing facts:

Pine tree needles grow in clusters called fascicles.
Loblolly has 3 syllables & 3 needles in its fascicle.
There are 5 letters in the word White, and the White Pine has 5 needles.
The Virginia Pine has 2 needles, and these form the letter V.

Well okay, these are the ways in which the writer, an expert on the subject, uses to identify the pine she is looking at.  But isn't it FUN to learn new stuff!

Oh yes, Mary Page -  I remember the days before seat belts, when the kids stood up almost all the way to wherever you were going . . . one behind the driver, and one behind the passenger seat.  They would ask a million questions, or sing along with whatever was playing on the car radio.  On some of the longer trips, they'd finally get tired, and sit down on the back seat and begin teasing each other.  "He hit me!" "She touched me!" Then you knew it was time to find a Rest Stop, and let them run around a bit and work off the pent up energy!  The long trips from here in Northern Cal, down to visit my parents in Southern Cal, could be exhausting for everyone.  Close to 400 miles!

Sandy - Those flimsy car seats and car beds!  That's all we had, and it never occurred to us that they were dangerous.  Looking back now, we cringe, but we thought nothing of it then.  When I was driving and  one of the kids was sitting next to me in the passengers seat, I was always on alert,  in case I had to suddenly or even slowly step on the brake at a signal.  Then my  right arm would automatically fly out in front of the sitting child, as protection from them being thrown against the dashboard!  It never happened that they were thrown from their seat, but always on my mind, and of course it wouldn't have helped anyway.  When they were older and we had seatbelts, I still continued that arm routine!    Old habits are hard to break. 

Oh Marilyne, that's a hoot, because I did that, as well, and I STILL DO IT, as well!  Goodness me, but we're a mess of mamas from back in the day!

I used to throw a pajamaed Chip in the back seat at four in the morning with a pillow.  I hoped he would go on sleeping, but he would be scrambling to his knees and looking out the window and all excited.  Debi was the next older, and she was easy.  The thing that is so funny in our family lore is the FACT that Debi, when she was quite small, thought we were going to the same place for lunch that we had eaten breakfast in!  What WAS the name of those interstate places going north from Maryland or Virginia to far, far upper state New York?  Hey Marilyne, I can beat you!  The trip up to Au Sable Forks, where my mother lived, was over 500 miles, as I remember.  Was it Howard Johnson's?  I believe it was!

HoJo's   

at the memories of throwing an arm out to "catch" the child.  I remember doing that automatically while taking the "over-size" son somewhere and his commenting,  "Mom, you know if we had to stop suddenly I'd break your arm."

Did anyone else use an Infantseat?  (I think that was what it was called).  It was a carrier to strap an infant into (sitting up) and had a brace on the back that could be folded out to put the Infantseat on a table or ?
I remember putting son's on the front seat beside me and dumping him on the floor when I slowed down.  He wasn't hurt at all but I was panicked!

I used to put a piece of tape down the middle of the back seat to "divide territories".  Then, of course, the game was to see how close you could get your fingers/ elbow/etc.  to the tape before the brother complained.

Ah - those were the days.

And we had fun, right??
After all, those were
"The Good Ole Days" !!
   

Long trips were especially "fun".  Two girls in the back seat, very young, but older than toddlers.  One was an inveterate "vomiter".  We learned to put old blankets, towels etc over the seat... stop at the nearest rest stop, if there were any in those days, and clean up the linen, and the girl, and move on.  Awful taking trips back to my hubby's home place.  Pediatrician never mentioned anything to give them so they wouldn't suffer from motion sickness.
I grew in to having to take Dramamine myself (at a much older age).

Callie - Yes, I used an Infantseat, and really liked it.  They were light weight, and easy to carry around and set up wherever you went.  I used the same one for the two oldest kids, who were three years apart.  Many years later when our youngest was born, we had to start over from scratch, and  buy all the necessary baby items again.  A new yellow Infantseat was a must! 

One of the things I remember  was going to a local pizza restaurant that featured a huge pipe organ, and a man who knew how to play any song requested.  A fun family place.  We would set the Infantseat on the table, facing the pipe organ, and Sandy would sit there, wide awake and loving the music.  I hoped she might grow up to become a musician, but she was more interested in singing and dancing, than in playing an instrument.  She was quite active in musical theater productions throughout her teen years.

Joanne - We were fortunate that none of our kids suffered from car sickness.  Not so lucky when it came to falling asleep in the car.  None of the three were good car sleepers - even at night when it was dark.

I was the one who got car sick! Back then the fumes from the exhaust and bumpy, curvy roads didn't help much. My mother always carried saltine crackers to help the nausea and several stops were necessary. Sometimes they didn't stop in time!

When my children were young we had a station wagon so on long trips we'd put the back seats down and make up a bed for our three oldest children. Chape always preferred starting trips at night.  Saved a lot of "Are we there yet?" One of the most memorable experiences we had was crossing that  nearly 5 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1963. The kids were fascinated seeing the "endless" water. I wasn't that impressed! I still hate bridges but mostly the very high ones.

Remember the first car seats for babies where they were strapped in? Lisa could manage to squirm out of it in record time.

You would not believe all the fancy equipment my great-grandchildren have! The twins have a playpen arrangement that is room size with a padded bottom and screened sides. They have a lot of freedom of movement. Very good for learning to crawl, sit, etc.

Beverly, we would make good friends...I hate bridges too, or the highway "flyovers" like we have dozens here in Dallas. When we finally got a station wagon, we would do the "bed" thing
for the girls.  We just didn't know then how unsafe that was.

I have been back & forth across that bridge so many times it just barely bothers me any more.  When you went over, Beverly, in 1963, they only had the one bridge, the two lane one built in 1952.  They put a 3-laner right next to it in 1972.  Now, they have decided to put in a third bridge.  That is how bad traffic has become.  If there is an accident on a bridge you are on, you can be up there for hours.  I always carried plastic pee pots in my car just in case they might be needed.  I've been up there for hours more times than I like to think on.

By the way, one reason for the height: the main shipping channel runs right down the middle of the bay waters.  It has to be very deep for all the laden cargo ships and ocean liners coming in and going up to Baltimore, one of our nation's largest ports.  I am not very knowledgeable about sea going stuff, but you pick up a lot over years of living in these here parts.

Tomereader, I had not previously picked up on the fact that you are in Dallas.  My 2nd husband (married 34 years until he died of cancer) was raised in Highland Park, went to St. Mark's and finally SMU, then came up here, and the rest is family history.  First time David took me home to his parents was the weekend after John Kennedy was shot.

I don't do high places well --- . Some of the bridges I see I feel that I would just freeze up on them if I had to be on one.  We have a couple of short ones a distance away but when and if I have to drive over them I have to just stare at the road in front of me and that white line down the middle.  Just looking at some of those railroad bridges is scary.
One bridge I remember, but is now replaced was the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, S.C..  It was a suspension bridge that was just two lanes wide. It also had to be above the River Channel, so was up hill then down hill. Scary was when a big tractor trailer came at you from the other direction. As they passed you your car would shake. It seemed so close, but I suppose there was plenty of space.

That's funny, Rammel; I think you are remembering what we used to call the "Grandfather" Bridge.  My Dad retired from the Army and went to Charleston to live the rest of his life out teaching at The Citadel. When we would drive down to visit, that bridge was a dozzie, all right.  Wowzer!

By the way, standing on my back balcony porch/deck you look out at the vast waters of the largest estuary in these United States, the Chesapeake Bay.  Your lookout is from the Western Shore of this bay, and near one of it's least wide spots, which is a major reason why the Bay Bridges were built where they are.  Those span four & a half miles, and, again standing on my balcony, appear in the Northernmost section of my gorgeous view.  Across the waters to the direct East, you can see the far shores of Kent Island on the "Eastern Shore" of Maryland.  Go over the bridge and drive over the vast and flat Eastern Shore (pronounced "Show") and you arrive in Ocean City, the destination of thousands headed over the bay on Fridays (mostly) to escape the unbearable heat of summertime.  To the South, the bay goes a long way before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean off Virginia shores.  Beverly, when you approached this end of the bridge, you were in Annapolis.  On its fringes, but still Annapolis.  Pity you could not have stayed a while, as we have an Amazing history and the greatest seafood you could ask for. 

I forget the name of the suspension bridge that feels like it moves in the wind. It might be in Delaware. (MaryPage, do you know which one I'm talking about?) On my last trip north, to keep myself from panicking, I kept busy taking photos of the bridge till it ended!

There was "Galloping Gertie", - but it didn't last too long.

Mercifully, I do not know the one in Delaware, Beverly, but the one in Charleston was unique (to me) because it went Up in the air so extremely steeply and then, of course, wouldn't you know, came down as steeply.  I was certain my car would not stay ON the bridge.

I seem to remember a similar situation when we were driving back home to Virginia from Louisiana in 1945.  Vicksburg, Mississippi that was.  But I cannot remember the details.  I was not driving; I was hiding my head in sheer terror.

I found "my" bridge. It's the Delaware Memorial Bridge connecting Delaware and New Jersey.

After two days of heavy rain, today was sunny and hot.

Tomereader - When I look back I sometimes wonder how our kids survived! In chilly weather (as small infants) I tended to bundle them up too much. I had a car-bed for infants in the back seat and one day after arriving home, I got as far as the porch before realizing I was carrying her upside down!

Beverly, about as bad as finding I was burping the baby backwards as I went up to his head! My oldest son had lots of problems when born & got a bottle every hour or so around the clock. He was in an Isolette the first 10 days because the cord was around his neck &  his lungs didn't inflate. The doc said he could be mentally retarded, blind or deaf OR all of those things, so when he had constant "wheezing" the doc called it, I didn't get any sleep for months. He didn't jump at noises & nothing like the first (she walked around the furniture at 5 months), but turned out he was just a placid little boy & not at all like his older sister. That 3rd kid was the one that got car sick.

We would start when Cas got off work on a Friday, from western Kansas to Kingsport, Tennessee, put a platform across to make the back seat & floor level, so the 3 kids could play or sleep, and daytime one would sit between us in the front seat, but most of the years we had stationwagons. By the time we got there my ribs were sore from leaning over the seat to keep peace or feeding coffee to Cas & putting ice in a washcloth to keep him awake. Some nights he would let me drive a few hours (while the kids were asleep). Nightmare trips!

Anybody take bologna & cheese sandwiches & peanut butter & jelly? The treat was Tupperware glasses with lids that were full of Kix (not sticky), one for each! Girl had a Barbie doll & boys the Ken dolls, enough years between them that the boys allowed her to be boss.

I'm another that hates bridges, so many to cross when we get into Missouri. The Missouri River was the worst to me, fast flowing & so many lanes I held my breath until we got  across.

Shirley -  We traveled in a VW Beetle, when we only had two kids. AJ took out the back seat, and it was the perfect size for a crib mattress. So the two kids could play, or fight or sleep! (rarely!)   After our youngest was born, we got  a Pontiac station wagon which I dearly loved!  It was a three seater, so easier to separate the two older kids, and room for a baby car bed. 

I still laugh when I recall one particular trip long trip in the VW, to visit my parents.   Brad was only about three, and had a,  Casper the Friendly Ghost doll.  You pulled a string on the back of his neck, and Casper spoke in his sweet little voice . . .  "I'm a friendly Ghost" . . . "Will you be my friend"?  etc.etc.   As you can imagine this became extremely annoying after a few hours!   Shelley was a bossy six year old, and was usually in control . . . but she was helpless when it came to controlling sweet little Casper.   
of course we told Brad to stop, but he hovered in the corner and continued to pull the string . . . finally in control after all these years!      I remember Shelley crying and saying, "Make him stop, make him stop", and AJ and I were trying our best not to laugh.    Finally I reached around and was able to grab Casper, and he rode the rest of the journey, up front with us.

I bet you pulled the string.

Some things in life, we just can't resist!     

Mary Page -  I think today is your birthday?!?
It's hard to tell from the forum listings, because it says, "upcoming birthdays", but I'm pretty sure this is it?  If not, consider this an early greeting!

Hoping you have had a nice day today, and heard from many of your children and grandchildren?  Enjoy a nice dinner tonight, complete with birthday cake and candles!

And if it's not, ----- Party anyway

Happy Birthday MaryPage!

Thank you, Marilyne, Rammel, Beverly.

Yes, I am 93 today.  Time to stop counting, don't you think?

A lovely party was planned.  Becky flew in from Missouri for that and to stay with me for the coming week and a day to take care of me.  She was to go to Debi for supper and a bed each night.

But then she came down with Covid!

Fortunately, she'd had her 4 shots, so it was like a cold, and went away sooner.  But I have too much going on medically, especially with my lungs (I am on oxygen now) to take a chance.  Four of my children, two spouses (of theirs) and I were to party today.  No way.

So I had a great day anyway, what with about a bazillion calls and gifts arriving.  All in all, most satisfactory.

Chip is off tomorrow to a Blue Grass Festival in Cumberland.  His sweetheart flies in from Seattle to accompany him.  Since I cannot take a chance on Becky being here, Debi and Anne and my next door neighbor and the neighbor underneath have all volunteered to fill in for her.  I LOVE time alone, so it suits me down to the ground, all except the worry about Becky.  And the missing her.

She is staying until the night of the 1st, so we are going to party at a luncheon at Debi's that day.  All of the original guests.  We will play Mexican Train and eat and eat and eat.  I am more than content.

Thank you for your greetings.

MARY PAGE...

A belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Mary Page. Sorry Covid managed to mess up the grand party, maybe Becky can come when she's better and you can celebrate an UN-Birthday party. I am really getting fed up with Covid changing the whole world, is it 2 years that we've lost since Covid became the monster in every corner? Wishing you a happy year ahead. Shirley

Happy Birthday, MaryPage!

Happy Birthday MaryPage ! 

So sorry to hear that covid has again
interfered with your plans for the day

I, like you,  enjoy my time alone,  but also
know that sometimes I need company to
accomplish my deeds for the day..

Damn covid for winning again.   But you are wise
not to take any chances with it.   
lI am glad that you have some help
available if/when you need it. 

Have a good da,  and try not to listen
to the deadly news out of Texas ... 

The biggest enemies that  we have here
in our Great Country,  are from with in ...

Our democracy is slip sliding away
while our children are being murdered
while they try to get educated. 

Murdered by other children of people
who refuse to take responsibility  for
their lives.   

Again,  Happy Birthday and
I love you,  MaryPage. 

Sandy