Twelve Girls: 1937

This obviously looks like country, doesn't it?  I love the bike on the porch.  Wonder if it's the teacher's or maybe the photographer's?

The kids in this one look clean and well dressed.  No one without shoes, at least in the front row!  

The twelve girls here wear dresses.  I have several where the girls wear overalls.  Maybe this place or time is a bit more modern and/or upscale than some I have. In fact I am sure it is.   

The brunette in the middle is surrounded by boys, stepping forward even from the closest girl in the picture.  She is beautiful, the one you want to be friends with.  She will always be treated well, don't you think?  

The little one kneeling on the right is a cutie.  Lots of curls and a big smile.  Why is she crossing her arms?  Shy?  There are a lot of average girls here, though to their families I am sure they aren't average.  I wonder who is the brainiac.  I am guessing that would be the one to the left of the teacher.  

Of these 12 girls, I wonder which will be mothers, which will have careers?  Few with careers is my guess though some may be teachers or nurses.  Most will be farm wives, housewives, and the like.  Sewing, cooking, keeping chickens, raising kids, but at least these girls will be able to read, keep the books and write notes to their children's teachers.  

The boys are always so fascinating to me.  We have here one young man who is dreaming of flying to the moon, can't keep his eyes off the sky.  He loves being outdoors or he loves clouds -- not sure which!  In the front row is a set of twins near the left with their little high button boots.  Their hair parts naturally on the left but one is required to part on the right to keep them from being confused for one another.  It doesn't sit very well.  His hair is all whacky!

I have an idea who is the most devilish boy but no idea who is the most popular.  In some pictures you can tell, but in this one most of the boys are really not much into the idea of interaction with the camera.  Let me know who you think the trouble maker is in this class.  

And now the teacher.  Women in those days seem to look older than they were.  This one looks middle aged but my guess is that she is only 30 or so.  She must have some organization skills if she can keep these kids in line.  That is one batch of kids, all at different levels.  Do you think any teacher you know today could deal with this class/schoolhouse full of kids???  Without help?  

Time On Our Hands

Time On Our Hands: Thoughts of Another Time


I collect group pictures of children from the past.  Whether in school, at a club meeting or some other event, I love to study them, their faces so full of promise, lined up haphazardly and looking hopefully into the camera's lens.  They seem to be throwing nets out to the future to see what they might glean.  I wonder what they would say to me if they knew I was watching them in the schoolyard so many many years later.  I would like to share these photos and what they bring to my mind.


Dedication


My site is dedicated to my father, Roy, who taught me the meaning of the word "craft".  He was a man always interested, always full of questions and always willing to try to fix or build or maintain.  He grew up amidst the tall trees of a national forest, in a time when keeping your hands busy wasn't a choice but a necessity.  If your hands weren't busy, you would starve, freeze or both!  Most people my age say of their fathers, "He could fix anything!"  That was a special thing about many boys who grew up in the 1920s and 30s.  They had to chop and haul wood to stay warm, they had to fix their toys and, later, their tools or do without.  They grew up able.  My own father grew up to be an engineer.  He really could fix anything.  I'm sure of it.

In the fall of 2003, the year I moved to the Northwest to be nearer my aging parents, I wrote this poem about my Father.

My Dad

My dad was around when I was born. 

He was around as long as I can remember.

He was tall as a tree and stronger.

He could lift me up over his head.

He taught me things like how to hammer,

How to mow, change a tire, clean a fish,

And how to be brave.

He taught me a lot by example:

A good work ethic, kindness, 

That it isn't nerdy to be polite,

And that love is patient.

He keeps teaching me even today.

He is 82.

He teaches me that I am nice, that I have

Goodness in me and that I really can be patient

By letting me practice on him.

He believes he will be with us after death.

He told me.  I know it must be true. 

My dad believes in the goodness of craft,

The wisdom of using one’s own hands,

The importance of making each day count, 

And being accountable for each day. 

My dad has soft hands and a sweet smile.

His hair has been white for a very long time.

I love my dad very much.  

I hope he knows.  

I hope he knows that his strength has helped me

Through a lot of valleys and hard climbs.  

I knew he would always be there.

My dad.  

What a guy.

Then later, when he passed away,  I wrote this poem for his funeral program.  

I took a walk with an angel

Last night, under a silvery moon.

I said to the angel, “Please tell my father

That I will be seeing him soon.

"Please tell my Dad that I love him;

His soft hand I feel in my own,

His heart still beats in my heart,

And I’ll never again feel alone.

"Please thank my father for loving me,

For teaching me so many things—

For patience, his guidance and example

And the shower of joy sharing brings.

"I remember he taught me to whittle and fish

And the importance of being polite.

He said I had goodness by nature,

That inside each of us glows a light.

"This light will shine on forever.

He told me, that’s how I know.  

On dark days his star shines upon me,

A twinkle is his sweet hello."

And then the angel left me

In the light of that shimmery moon.

I trust that he found my father

And starlight will comfort me soon.

I miss Dad every day.  Here he is, saying Hello, or maybe Goodbye.  Either way, he is surely watching over me.  I hope you enjoy my site.  


I would love to have you visit my other blog.  It's a special spot where I post things I have written including stories, poems and essays.  Come on by if you have time!
http://mrsgslifeinparadise.blogspot.com


Thanks for visiting today!