Bless Your Heart's

Christmas 1949 By Madelyn Shields      I was five so my sister Karen was seven.  We lived in a little white box shaped house in a community call Vandercook Lake, just outside of Jackson, Michigan. Daddy called our house a "cracker box" and at five years old I could not quite get the picture...you know...I would go outside and study the house trying to see the "Saltine" cracker box. It just wasn't there.      Vandercook Lake was a beautiful lake great for its fishing, both summer and winter. In the summer there would be people out along the shores fishing with cane poles and a bobbin and sinker. We loved the Blue Gill and Bass. We would fish and fight the mosquitoes that were as big as elephants, flying in formation, bombing us as they went. Talk about mosquito bites!!!! In the winter there would be ice fishing shanty's set up out on the ice that also provided a fun sport but we were not allowed to go out on the ic...

The Tub by Madelyn Shields      I was probably seven which would have made my sister Karen nine years old. Karen and I was all excited because we were going on a shopping trip with Mother.This didn't happen often so we were relishing the importance of getting to go shopping downtown. It was warm summer day in Jackson, Michigan making it the perfect day for such an adventure.      We were so proud of mother because she had taken her driver test, passed with flying colors, and could now go on her own, if necessary. Our Mother could drive...WOW! This was more than a status symbol...our mother was a lady of the future, considered extremely progressive. We had bragging rights!      We dressed in our prettiest dresses and Mother french braided our hair, turning the long braids in loops held up with rubber bands. Then she tied ribbons into big bows around each braid. We put on our good socks t...

The Corn Chips by Madelyn Shields          The year was 1949. I must have been about six years old, so Karen would have been eight. Daddy was an adventurer and always was ready for a new conquest. He made so many ordinary things pure fun and that is where my story begins.       It was a cold night in Jackson, Michigan, and we were on our way home from church. Mother was on a diet; Mother was always on a diet of some kind. At this particular time it was the amazing Special K diet...understand that Special K was a brand new cereal just out on the market. But Mother kept up with all the new diet plans and this was THE ONE! Kellogg's was also offering beautiful initialed silverware in a fabulous wooden chest for so many boxtops and a small remittance (the cost was probably more than if she would have just bought the silverware).  Anyway, this cereal was good for you t...

     Old St Louis        My Mother, Helen Ruth Keen Anderson, was a beautiful lady that lived every minute of her life out loud. Mother's only sibling and a very handsome one at that, may I add, James Edward Keen was born when Mother was 10 years old so he was always her baby brother. Mother loved her baby brother so much and was so proud of him. Jay, as we lovingly call him, adored his big sister Helen. So it was a mutual admiration society.      It was around 1987 when they got together and decided to go on an adventure together and what a quest it was! They thought that it would be great fun to go back to their home town of St. Louis,  MO. for an "Old Times Sake Journey."     Now, St. Louis is a stately ancient city that boast of the great Arch. It is filled with many different ethnic neighborhoods, foods, languages, styles, and designs; oh, and...

The Fishing Trip by Madelyn Shields The year was c.1947. My Mother loved to fish and we lived in Jackson, Michigan, a city surrounded by lakes. She would go everyday if possible and said it was good, that fishing relaxed her. Mother's brother loved to fish as well. It was just the kind of day that was right for fishing...warm and balmy.  Uncle Jay, who was 10 years younger than Mother, decided that it was just one of those days to go fishing. Now he was rigged out with a row boat and fishing pole, line, bobbin and sinkers. And sure as shootin', Mother found out that Uncle Jay was going out in the boat and she thought that she would like to go along...it was the perfect idea to calm her nerves. Mother got her fishing pole, line, bobbin, sinkers, and what ever else she needed to go along. So, putting all their fishing gear in the car, they drove out to the Michigan Center Lake.  Getting out of the car, they were excited about ...

Karen was about ten so that would have made me eight year old when Daddy decide to take us to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We lived in Jackson, Michigan, so that was quite a trek for us in those days. There were no interstate highways as we know them; only State Highways...two lane...narrow two lane highways. As we traveled we would read all the signs painted on barns, like "Get right with God," or "Jesus is coming ARE YOU READY?" and then there were the Burma Shave signs along the way that would  say,                                                          If your peach Stays out of reach Better practice What you preach  Burma Shave We loved watching for these signs tha...

    Prayer Meetings by Madelyn Shields  Daddy was a preacher and a pray-er. Daddy could preach the fear of God into you, but his praying was thunderous. One would think that God was going to strike with lightening if you even moved wrong.      When that praying spirit hit Daddy, it hit the whole house. ! Like I said, the whole house prayed . Daddy would call us all to the living room and say, "We  NEED to pray !" So, pray, we did.  "Here, let's all kneel,"  and we would all find a spot to pray. Mother at an easy chair, Daddy at the couch, and Karen and I right beside him. Keep in mind, there was no time limit. No five minutes, 30 minutes, no , we did  not pray by the clock! We prayed until Daddy felt like he had moved heaven and earth! Karen and I were very small; didn't matter. We stayed on our knees...We would start praying and calling on God with fervency. But a minute into the "prayer meeting," I wa...

Cream Puffs by Madelyn Anderson Shields I must have been about four years old, with blue eyes and blond french braids looped and tied with a bow, that Mother made so tight that they wouldn't think of coming loose. Now, I was a very active child skipping, bouncing,  hopping on one foot, showing off all my talents; I mean who could actually hop on one foot as good as I could!? My Grandmother Grace work downtown at a place called " The Homemade Bakery. " Grandmaw made all the fancy, delectable pastries like napoleons, eclairs, danish rolls and cream puffs. So, if you don't know what these pastries are you are simply missing out on the finer things of life! Mother got all dress up in her pretty dress, nylons with seams up the back of the leg, beautiful hair do,  a hat and  purse that matched. She was so beautiful... and dressed me up in my little print dress, Baby Doll shoes and white cotton socks folded down around my ankles just so. Kare...

The Tin Foil by Madelyn Anderson Shields My sister, Karen and I got the bright ideas to play Dentist. We must have been the ripe old age of  9 (Karen) and me 7. We formed us a committee to decide what we must use for teeth tools. After discussing various options, it dawned on us, Mother's nut cracking set! Sure enough, we had the  equipment right at our  fingertips.  Now, Mother always had nuts, in the shells, in a hand carved, walnut wood, equipped with all the tools standing like soldiers in a circle in the middle, bowl. So we snuck up on the bowl to make sure that Mother wasn't watching, reaching out like we were already caught taking the tools. We quickly gathered up Mother's nut cracker...the old metal one's that you squeezed on the nut to break the shell, and the nut picks that you used to dig the nuts out with. We had one of those small hand mirrors, like they put in purses...they were wraped in a little wax paper like envelope, for ou...