Happy Birthday “Darlene!”

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“Happy Birthday Darlene”  – Happy Birthday “Rainbow” one year old today! Today is a wonderful day to be alive! One of the best things in life is to be able to have what you like and to be able to work at what is really “FUN” when you are “WORKING!” Or should I say  – hardly working?

Everyone knows that working a farm  – is round the clock work – up early to take care of the animals – but the joy you receive from the animals  – makes all the hard work  – worth it and more! I feel that “HEAVEN” will have lots of animals – for all those who love their animals here on earth – to continue loving them – for all eternity!


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“Style – Plus – Gardeners!”

img021 Tom  and Rose McClarren – members of the master-gardening program of  Missouri Bontanical  Garden – they have the backyard in bloom – and tours of visitors to view  with ohs’ and ahs’.


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“Farmers” in their “Work-attire!”

img020Did you ever see a better picture of “Hard-workers” having fun on the “FARM?” This picture was sent to me sometime ago and was in a glass -case —  no extra protection to protect the glass from cracking as it went through the U.S. Postal system. So if you look closely you can see where the glass must have been hit with a stamp cancelling machine or by a hard-hit by someone wanting to be  for sure that  the stamps on this envelope were cancelled!

Looks like a beautiful smile on Darleen’s face even though this picture took a rough trip in the postal system? When you work with horses and love what you are doing – you  are in the clean fresh air on the “FARM” and all those animals give you so mach “LOVE” that you just have to pass it on! No wonder our “FARMERS” –  all of them look so good – credit that to getting up with the chickens  – and  after a hard day’s work – turn in “early to bed”  – makes the man healthy, wealthy, and wise!


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Lucky Boy Drive-In

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This is the restaurant that we spent alot of our time. We sold the three piece chicken dinners and the bucket of chicken before the KFC  ever moved in town. This was on Sunshine Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and was the place to be.  Since my husband was retired “POLICE”  – we  did welcome all Police Officers  to  “free”  dinners. The presence was always good for the public and just good business!

During Easter break – we often fed 20 to 30 students from the northern schools – seems the kids enjoyed a good meal and a friendly atmostphere! We also had the Easter Egg Hunt on the side lot to the DRIVE-In and for CHRISTMAS we would have a party in the enclosed eat-in section of the building to the left. Refreshments  and gifts, my husband would also feed  so many people –  who would just  came in and gave him a “HARD-LUCK’ story. I often told him that I think I should hang out a sign  -“Lee Feeds those who are hungry – here!”  He just could not turn anyone away  – if they could not pay!


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Lee in the “SWIM” of it!

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LeeAldrich, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – we lived across the street from Lake Melba, which was 60 foot deep  and you see him in his swim trunks – Lee and his friend Arthur,  would sneak across the street and play in one of the neighbor’s boats.  One afternoon the boat got loose and the boys were out in the middle of Lake Melba – the boat was rocking and they were scared and yelling for help! My husband had to swim out and bring the boat and the boys in to safety!

The next week, my husband took little Lee to the  YMCA – to have someone teach him to swim – the Instructor reported back to us that “LEE” was part “FISH” – he was able to do everything so easy and not afraid of the water at all. In no time at all – Lee was jumpiing off the “HIGH DRVE” and the Instructor told us  – he would be glad to continue instructing Lee with the swimming lessons – but Lee was a “NATURAL” born swimmer!


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Lee in Action!

Little Lee” not quite two 2 years old and pulling the lawn mower – looks like he  has lots of strength? Everything from the “Lawn & Tool Shed” that was possible for Little Lee to haul to his friend’s house one block away, he brought there! We were the first house on this block on N.E. 18th Avenue and Lee’s friend, Arthur’s house was the first house one block north. Our house was on the block next to the Bennett School, and most of the kids in the neighborhood would pass by our house if they walked to school. In the 1960’s, I do not remember any school buses picking up kids – but maybe some of the parents might drive the children.

Little Lee is a very friendly child, and with his two step-brothers, who were older, there were quite a few boys in and around our house. I was also “DEN-Mother” for Donald’s Cub-scout group and we would have weekly meetings and  the “PACK” meetings once a month at the school. In my Cub-scout group – Little Lee was included in lots of the activities we did in our home as I would take my group of boys on trips which included Little Lee  – as he was having lots of fun seeing and meeting boys and learning lots with the boys in my “DEN” group.

With each of the “DEN” weekly meetings, there were supplies that I needed for each boy to work with, as I did not think that each of the boys could afford to be buying the necessary materials that were required,  I would go to different stores and ask for donations of things they might be throwing out – but items that we could make do for the scout projects. A great place to get lots of items – were the local wall-paper stores. They would have expired sample books of wall paper swatches and other items that the “CUB  SCOUTS” really enjoyed looking through for papers that blended in that which they had in their own homes – and one popular item the boys would make was a “WASTE BASKET” – and other fancy papered boxes to use in their homes! “Kentucky Fried Chicken” provided the buckets that my group of boys would decorate.

Little Lee would participate in making waste baskets as well as lots of the other things they were doing –  somewhere in the “past” stories you will see Little Lee in a “CUB SCOUT” uniform and just as soon as Lee was old enough – he joined the “CUB SCOUTS!”

 


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