Opening the garage

A friend recently had her garage door opener repaired. They had been opening it manually for some time.

That took me back to my childhood. The chore I most hated was opening the garage door. More than doing dishes, which I also hated. Lifting that heavy door was a challenge for a little girl, although I could do it.

I could fall asleep almost instantly in the car. I soon learned that my parents would not wake me up to open the door. If I were asleep, I'd wake up in the garage!

So what's a clever little girl to do? Fall asleep nearly every time, even if I had to fake it! I made sure not to snooze every time to avoid triggering suspicion.

I wonder if my parents noticed that I stayed awake a lot more once they finally bought a garage door opener.

Nebraska state capitol

My husband and I went to Lincoln with my dad for medical tests. We had just enough time to visit the state capitol's south side. This view is from the southeast.

For me, a native Nebraskan, Lincoln is a piece of home even though I've never lived there. The heart of every Cornhusker probably turns to Memorial Stadium, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Mine does, too, but this time I wanted to see the capitol again.

I wish I could have walked all the way around it and photographed it from all angles, but time was short. Maybe someday I'll be able to give this building the time and attention I'd like to give it.

I intended to add more pictures, but for whatever reason, Blogger won't let me do it today. So we'll have to try again later!

It Ain't Gonna Rain No More

My grandparents (at the right of this family photo from the period) lived on the outskirts of the Dust Bowl, but they still experienced the drought and dust.

One night during a prolonged dry spell, my grandmother sat down at the piano and began to play, "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More, No More".

This is the chorus:

It ain't gonna rain no more, no more
It ain't gonna rain no more
How in the heck can I wash my neck
If it ain't gonna rain no more?

As she was playing and singing, the sky suddenly darkened and lightning struck the house. All the nails were blackened on that side.

My grandparents' hired men lived with them. One had been napping in the upstairs bedroom on that side. He came down the stairs so fast that he didn't seem to have touched the stairs at all.

"Don't play that song again!" he said. "That song called down the lightning on my head!"

She never again played "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More."

During dry spells, I often teased Grandma that she should break the drought by playing that song. She pursed her lips and shook her head each time.

Several versions of this song exist, and I have no idea which verses she was singing. She would never say.

Dust Bowl house

The light Wednesday morning was just perfect for picture taking. Unfortunately, we had miles to go before we slept. But I still couldn't resist this stop. This house had attracted my attention for years and the light was too good to miss.

I turned the color photos into sepia toned ones using the built-in actions from Photoshop CS3. The sepia tones remind me of the Dust Bowl years.



My grandparents, who lived through those years, would probably prefer not to be reminded.


I also photographed this house in 1991 or 1992. If I find those photos, I'll be interested to see the changes in the house.

Hey, look me over!

What does a girl write for her first blog post?

I just keep thinking of a song my 4-H Club sang in a contest years and years ago:

"Hey, look me over, lend me an ear
Fresh out of clover, mortgaged up to here
Don't pass the plate, folks
Don't pass the cup
Remember whenever you're down and out
The only way is up and over
And I'll be up like a rosebud
High on the vine
Don't thumb your nose, bud
Take a tip from mine
I'm a little bit short of the elbow room
So let me get me some
So look out, world,
HERE I COME!"