My Heart's Already Home

                                                      I can see it in the distance

                                                      sitting so humble there
                                                      an old childhood home
                                                      with springtime in the air

                                                      Children are laughing and playing
                                                      over the hills they roam
                                                      enjoying those simple pleasures
                                                      the best they've ever known

                                                      Oh it must be laundry day
                                                      the clotheslines are hanging full
                                                      quilts are blowing in the wind
                                                      there's sure to be an armful

                                                      The gardens have been plowed
                                                       there's potatoes in every row
                                                       soon everyone will gather
                                                       and each will have a hoe

                                                       The bounty will be plentiful
                                                        like that little, green onion bed
                                                        my goodness those onions are good
                                                        with a big piece of cornbread

                                                        Those chickens sure are happy
                                                        I bet there's nests everywhere
                                                        there'll be so many little ones
                                                        the hens will flog for sure

                                                        That old barn looks inviting
                                                         in that hayloft I'd love to play
                                                         while the cow's in the pasture
                                                         this pretty springtime day

                                                         I can see those old grapevines
                                                         they're still hanging over the creek
                                                         it'll soon be the first of May
                                                         time to go barefoot at the retreat

                                                         Maybe it'll help with the chiggers
                                                         come blackberry picking time
                                                         of course there'll always be plenty
                                                         and scratching if so inclined

                                                         It'll soon be time for supper
                                                         I can smell it in the air
                                                         cooked on that old wood stove
                                                         the best eating anywhere

                                                         There's so many things to enjoy
                                                         I could never get my fill
                                                         my heart's already home
                                                         like that old, rusted wagon wheel

                                                         The cherry trees are blooming
                                                         dogwoods are white as snow
                                                         oh what a blessing
                                                         to go back where I did grow

                                                               © Susie Swanson, 2016

Jack Of All Trades

There’s two old fellers in the neighborhood and you gotta love em although they’re so often misunderstood.

Slim and Slick is not their given name but I’ll call em that if it’s all the same.

They’re a jack of all trades and they can do anything. They raise hogs, calves, chickens, grow gardens, the best you’ve ever seen, collect junk metal and haul wood, the list could go on and that’s just the upswing.

Anything that comes along, these fellers can do. They never back down, they always see it through.

They’ve cleaned up the community and the country side too. There’s no scrap metal or junk to be found and we all feel pride when we pass through.

 They cut and haul wood in their spare time, deliver and unload, no better service will you find.

If you need anything done, just give them a call. They’ll come running  even if they’re so tired they have to crawl.

You might find em at the barn bottle feeding a calf or running after a cow and it’s hard not to laugh.

One old cow named Oprah thought she had em pegged one day as she run. She was gonna show em it was her way or the highway before she was done.

They put her in the pasture to dry up some, hoping for a calf when the cooler weather come.

She got out of the pasture and was on the other side of the fence. It was early morning when it all commence. 

They run her all day on the other side of that fence. Their tongues were hanging out, it was a good thing they both had stopping sense.

She wore em plum out, they were tuckered don’t you know. That old cow thought that grass was greener on the other side and after it she did go.

Now old Oprah is usually a really good,ole cow. She’s produced a lot of milk, butter and buttermilk, done more than any other cow.

This time she wanted to be wild and free and who could blame her. She should have won the mother of the year award for feeding so many calves loyally.

 When they finally caught her and put her back in the stall. She was mad as a hornet and what happened next takes the cake and beats it all.

They keep an old box fan in the barn on when it’s hot. She flew mad and did her business at the back of the fan and it became windblown in every corner and spot.

I’m telling you the truth, yes-siree. That stuff blew all over the place and oh what misery.

You’ve heard the old sayin, the crap hit the fan. Well if you knew these fellers like I do, you’d understand.

Old Slim is lanky and quite tall and Slick is shorter and built kinda small.

If you ever see em you’ll know em and they’ll be easy to recall.

Slim was the one that discovered what she did and he hollered come quick Slick and lookiee here, and while you’re at it bring me another beer.

Slick said, what’s that on your face Slim, and why you got that big, ole  grin. Slim said, will you open your eyes and look around, where you been?

Apparently, Slick had been tending to a calf in the back of the barn. About that time something hit him in the eye and all he could say was I’ll be darn.

Not to many people know about this little incident but word has ways of getting around, and as long as they live they’ll never live this one down.

It’s things like this that happen all the time. These old boys are like two peas in a pod and two of a kind.

It seems if it wasn’t for bad luck they’d have no luck at all.

 They sure can get themselves in a mess and that’s their downfall.

It‘s even harder on em come winter time when the cold, north wind blows in. They build a big fire in the wood heater and all the chickens, dogs and cats gather in.

I call that barn their headquarters, so many things going on every day. Headquarters are very important to all working men when it’s the place they purt nigh stay.

Before ye walk in ye can smell a pot of beans, etc on the wood, burning stove or whatever suits their fancy, two old working fellers cooking up a tasty, treasure trove.

It doesn’t matter what the season is, they’ve always got work to do. You might even pass em on the road, hauling in feed. It keeps em really hopping too.

What time they’re not in the gardens, sweating to beat the band.

But it all pays off and harvest time is so grand.

They can grow the prettiest and biggest gardens you’ve ever seen. They do all this while raising calves and hogs and everything else in between.

And they believe in sharing their bounty with the neighborhood. They ain’t a bit stingy, they give more than they should.

I get my fair share every year. That kraut sure will taste good when cold

weather gets here.

 And those squash, beans, corn and maters are oh so fine. Nothing like

em anywhere, store bought ain’t worth a dime.

These fellers provide more services in one day then you’ll find in the phone book. If they can’t do it they’ll find a way, if you don’t believe me then come and take a look.

They should have won The Nobel Prize Award for being the most generous around. I’m gonna make sure their name’s in the pot the next go around.

 So every morning when they wake and their feet hit the floor, they grab a dip of Copenhagen and run out the door.

 Taking care of business like the day before, so much to do as they tend to each chore.

They go from one thing to another the live, long day, working hard with plenty of satisfaction and blessings as their pay.

So if you pass through my neighborhood and see it so clean, or two old fellers running after a cow and tending a garden in between, hauling wood or junk metal, they’re living the good life the best you’ve ever seen.

And be sure and watch for em next on the evening news. They’re real popular in these parts and the old cow too. She’ll be the one that moos and they’ll be the ones with manure on their shoes.

This is an older post but still remains true today some what. Please keep Slick, Aka my cousin in your prayers. He had a heart attack over the weekend and had to have stints put in. But he's on the road to recovery and should be home soon. I know Slim sure is missing him along with everyone else and their aunt and uncle too.  Many Thanks in Advance. ~Susie

P.S. Slim is Aka, my brother .

Our Best Childhood Friend

I know everyone remembers a favorite pet or two while growing up. We were blessed to have several dogs and cats but there’s one dog that stands out the most. His name was Ole Mack and he was a full bloodied collie and smart as a whip. He was like a human in a dog’s body and instantly became part of our family.

He’d obey every command. If we told him to sit he’d be sitting there into next week if we didn’t notice but we never did do him like that on purpose. It’s just the way he was and so kind hearted. Every step we made he was there beside us. We used to pull the blossoms off of clover after it’d bloomed and tie them together and make a necklace to wear around our neck. We’d even make one for Ole Mack and he’d just sit there and let us put it around his neck. When mama called us in to eat we’d go running and he’d run beside us with his clover necklace around his neck. The first time mama saw it she said, “what in the world have ye put around that dog’s neck.” He was our best buddy and did whatever we did.

 There was only one thing that scared him and that was thunder or the sound of a gun. Every time it’d thunder he’d run in the house and crawl under the bed. We’d leave him alone till it’d pass and coax him out. When we first got him we noticed that when my brothers or daddy grabbed the gun to go squirrel hunting we noticed the fear in him. We never did find out for sure but we always figured he’d been shot at before. We felt so sorry for him and he never did get over it.

 Back then we walked everywhere we went and every time we’d start down the road he’d be right at our heels waging that pretty tail.

Daddy worked away from home a lot and didn’t get to come home till weekends if he was lucky. Sometimes it’d be two or three weeks before he came home. I reckon mama got lonesome even with all of us youn’uns round her legs cause just about every evening in the summer she’d say let’s go see pa and ma. That was her mama and daddy and they lived upon the hill as we called it. I later realized mama got lonesome for some adult conversation.

About sundown we’d take off to see pa and ma and Ole Mack would tag along till we got to the footlog where we had to cross the little creek and we’d tell him to wait and he’d lie down at the end of the footlog till we returned later that evening. We were scared to take him with us for fear he’d tangle with other dogs. After all, he was getting older and we feared he couldn’t take up for himself as good. When we returned, he’d see us coming and run across that footlog to meet us like we’d been gone forever just wagging his tail. We’d all bend down and hug his neck and tell him he was a good boy till I think he got the big head. We always tried to get back home before dark for fear of stepping on a snake, of course Ole Mack would’ve killed it right there on the spot. He was very protective of us in a good way and always watched out for us.

Back then times were lean and not to many folks could find work and some just didn’t wanna work, they’d rather steal their way through.

Mama always had chickens that run loose and they had their favorite roosts every night. Most of em roosted in the little apple tree that hung over the branch of water that run down by the side of the house. Mama’s bedroom was on that side of the house as well and she never had to sleep alone. One or more of us always piled in the bed with her when bedtime came. She was always a light sleeper and could hear a pin drop. Ole Mack knew where her bedroom was and he slept right beside her bedroom under the porch and it was cooler on him there in hot weather. If anything moved or someone came around he’d always growl or bark to let mama know. We always called him our guard dog .

It all started one summer night when a bunch decided they wanted to steal the chickens off the roost. Mama was halfway asleep when Ole Mack started growling and then barking. They grabbed a couple of hens  and run after they heard Ole Mack growling and barking. Mama heard em too, but was afraid to go outside but she hollered at Ole Mack out the window to keep him from following em. She always said her being a woman she hated to go out on someone but if she had to she would. My oldest brother was big enough by then to use the gun but she wouldn’t let him for fear he’d shoot or get shot. But she didn’t have to worry about it cause the next night they came back.

Ole Mack first started growling and the next thing he did was tackle em. Mama and my oldest brother ran out at the same time and saw the shadows of em running fast as their legs could carry em and Ole Mack was right on their heels. They dropped the chickens in the middle of the road. On the way out the door my brother grabbed the gun and fired it straight up in the air. They run even faster and Ole Mack came running back towards the house so proud of himself. Mama said to my brother, “what’d ye do that for, they were already out of sight.” My brother said he did it more so for Ole Mack, cause he knew he was scared of guns and didn’t want him to get hurt by the chicken thieves.

Needless to say, the chicken thieves didn’t come back anymore. Mama figured it was a bunch that knew daddy was gone and could carry off what they wanted to. We really rewarded Ole Mack by trying to keep him in the house and feeding him anything he wanted as if he wasn’t fed enough. But he wouldn’t have any part of sleeping in the house at night.

Then one morning my brother went outside for something and he noticed Ole Mack wasn’t around. He called out his name and kept calling. We all went running out the door and joined in the search but no such luck.

We finally found him in the cow pasture later in the day and carried him back to the house and had the nicest memorial for him.

We buried a part of the family and our hero that day. Our hearts were broken and it was never the same anymore. He lived to the ripe ole age of fifteen and deserved his heavenly reward but there’s a place still void in our hearts today and we think about him often. I’m sure he’s up there where all good dogs go and having the best time of his life without any fears or worries about the thunder or loud noises anymore and running through the meadows with his clover necklace around his neck. Rest in peace Ole Mack, you’ll always be our Best Childhood Friend.

                                        © Susie Swanson, 2016

The Most Aged

                                    They are a timeless treasure
                                    sitting in an old rocking chair
                                    no amount of time can measure
                                    the silver, gray in their hair

                                    Much knowledge fills their soul
                                    and flows from the most wise
                                    worth more than mountains of gold
                                    shining through crystal, clear eyes

                                    With a face that's wrinkled and worn
                                     joy still finds room to abide
                                     for lost years they've never mourned
                                     and happiness still sits by their side

                                     Their thoughts are never at end
                                      to a time long since past
                                      time has become their friend
                                      with much prayer it will surely last

                                      Burdens they have carried long
                                      in life they continue to steer
                                      embracing the world with a song
                                      refusing to make room for fear

                                     They've known hardships in life
                                     and worked their hands to the bone
                                     no stranger to struggles and strife
                                     just thankful for the light of dawn

                                     Advice may be to much for some
                                     and floats like the weight of a feather
                                     it should be taken as fast as it comes
                                     and hand and hand walk together

                                     Twice a child and once a man
                                      that's how the saying goes
                                      the most aged are priceless and grand
                                      the heart of a child surely grows

                                      When the curtain of time does fall
                                      as the body grows weary and tired
                                      the empty chair will be left for all
                                      and the path to follow will be hard

                                       © Susie Swanson, 2016

Update

I figured it's about time I gave ya'll a little update since so many have been praying for me  and asking about me and my health issues. As ya'll know, my Thyroid Gland was removed Nov. 2014 and I haven't had a well day since. My last three Labs are showing the Thyroid Panel is finally stabilizing but I sure can't feel it even though that tells the doctors I'm on the right amount of meds. Since last October I've been pretty much laid up, can only get on the computer for a little bit at a time. I haven't cooked or washed a dish , etc. since then all due to this Tormenting disease called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I was diagnosed with it several mos. before my Thyroid was removed and the flares come and went till last October and I have been in sheer torment. I don't have much use for my body,especially my arms and legs. If I get up and exert my body for five minutes I have to lay back down hoping it'll wear off. The only place I go is to doctors, etc. My husband has to push me in a wheelchair. I tell you God has surely blessed me with a lifetime soulmate and I don't know what I did to deserve it.
 They have checked me for other Autoimunine Diseases and have found none. 

Once one gets Hashimoto's even if the thyroid is gone it stays with ye. It only finds another place to attack in your body. The main thing in controlling it is to  heal the Gut since 80% of our Immunine system lies in our gut and believe me I'm trying in every way. I went Gluten-Free, no Sugar, Dairy, Soy since last summer and it has brought my Thyroid Antibodies way down but no such luck except to lose 40 lbs. of which I could afford at the time but now I'm hunting for ways to gain a few lbs. (never thought I'd be saying that ) ..I take Probiotics 2 to 3 times a day. My primary Care doctor said I was doing all I can do and the Endocrinoligist basically said the same. 

My latest Labs were showing my Iron and Ferritin is falling and when the Ferritin starts falling (which binds the iron to your body) it causes you to lose your hair. It hasn't happened yet for me and I'm trying to prevent it by eating as much foods with iron as possible but there are so many I can't eat because of Digestive issues, IBS, etc. 

I could go on and on with this post but I didn't mean to make it to boring for ya'll. I just wanted to let you know why I've slacked up Blogging and visiting your awesome posts. I'm praying everyday to see a brighter tomorrow and I know without a doubt God is still in control and he'll work things out in his time. Everything is for a reason. Many thanks for your prayers. I am so grateful for each one. God is good, all the time God is good.

P.S.

The stories and poems I have been posting are some I wrote before I got so sick and some have never been published yet, here or anywhere. I had planned on doing another book and saving them till then but that all depends on what tomorrow brings, God's Willing. I miss you all and will be back and forth as I can. I hope all of you are well and I know you're looking forward to hearing the spring birds sing like me. 

Many Blessings, ~Susie

Let Us Not Forget

                                                   Let us not forget the ancient wisdom

                                                   With which our ancestors walked their days

                                                   Let us carry on with great determination

                                                   With a grateful heart, to God we give the praise

                                                   Let us not forget the mountains they climbed

                                                   In the darkest valleys where they found light

                                                   Footprints are abundant down every path

                                                   All of their yesterdays can be found in plain sight

                                                   Let us not forget the sound of their voice

                                                   In the distance they are still calling us home

                                                   The place where many a prayer was heard

                                                   Shaping our tomorrows until we were grown

                                                   Let us not forget the love that was given

                                                   All under the same roof, each night at bed

                                                   The teachings of God's word, the Bible

                                                   Food for our body and soul, we were always fed

                                                   Let us not forget the many sacrifices made

                                                   Working from sun up until sun down

                                                   The love of family, there's no boundaries

                                                   How proud we must be of them, so profound

                                                   Let us not forget the place from which we came

                                                   May our hearts stay humble and proud

                                                   And listen to the wisdom of all the ages

                                                   Can you hear....... the echoes are calling so loud

                                                               © Susie Swanson,2016

Grateful For Shoes

It seems we all take for granted the little things in life never once thinkin about what it’d be like to do without.                                   

Hard times were a way of life back when I grew up and my parents had it even worse. Folks made do the best they could with what little they had. Just having food on the table, a bed to lay our head or somethin that we don’t even think twice about today, a pair of shoes on our feet was worth so much more. God’s blessings are poured down on us every day and we don’t know how fortunate we really are. If folks had to live like that today they’d never make it.

My parents grew up in a different time and learned to appreciate even more so, the little things in life. They raised us six young’uns the same way. My mama always said, “be happy with what ye got, there’s lots of folks got less.”And she also said, “all the finery in the world won’t bring ye happiness.” I came to find that out over time and sittin down to milk and bread for supper was a feast compared to some, or getting a new pair of shoes when school started in the fall. I’m a simple person and it doesn’t take much to please me.

We went barefoot through the warm months so much that we had trouble gettin used to shoes when school started. Our feet were as tough as a pine knot and rusty as could be at the end of day. But we knew to scrub em clean before we crawled under mama’s clean bed clothes or she‘d skin our hides good. When we got a pair of new shoes we wore em plum out or handed em down to the next one when we outgrew em. That seldom ever happened.

My mama told how she went barefoot not only in the summer but even after the frost. Her daddy worked hard to keep em fed and put clothes on their backs. She came from a family of ten young’uns. Back then they had big families and lots of mouths to feed.

She talked about walkin to catch the school bus on cold, frosty mornings and how cold her feet would get. When the bus finally came she’d jump up the steps fast as she could and sit in the seat with one foot propped on top of the other just to get em warm. She’d rotate em back and forth till she got to school.

When her daddy finally worked out enough money to get shoes, he’d buy for the ones that needed em the most and the others had to wear what they had till he earned enough at the sawmill. He’d cut a slim, straight stick and measure their feet with it and carry it with him to buy the shoes. All the others that had to wait their turn, he’d take a hammer and tacs and put the soles back together the best he could. He’d try to fix em so the tacs wouldn’t come through to their feet and keep the soles from flappin. He’d even put cardboard in between the shoe and the sole. She said, sometimes the tacs would work their way through to their feet but they weren’t about to tell their daddy or mama cause they had enough to worry about.

Back then shoes were a luxury and they were tickled to death to get a new pair even if they were brogans as my mama used to call em.

 She said some of the other young’uns that were always blessed with new clothes and shoes made fun of em. It really hurt her bad and one evening when she got on the bus to come home, this one boy that had been makin fun of her for a while with his sniggerin and laughin met his match. She’d just got a new pair of brogans and she pulled one off and almost hammered his head through the floor of that bus. The bus driver had to pull over to get it stopped. She said what she was scared of the most was that she’d ruined her new shoes. When she got off the bus she looked em over good and decided that it only helped to wear em in. Needless to say, he never did speak to her anymore . She said he dodged her every chance he got.

It broke my heart when she told that story and now when I look back I realize that was one of the reasons she and daddy both worked so hard to give us more than they ever had. Along the way they taught us to appreciate it too, and never make fun of the less fortunate.

We may not have had the best of shoes or clothes and sometimes my brothers wore their britches with holes in the knees to school but one thing’s for certain, they were clean. My mama always said, “rags are honorable but there’s to much soap and water to go dirty.”

She sure learned early on in life how to patch a pair of britches to last. Of course, having so many brothers and then four boys, she didn’t have a choice. Even in later years folks brought their britches to her to patch em. She couldn’t turn anyone down. Mama had a soft heart for people cause she remembered her raisin. And she always said, “be proud of your raisin.”

 She always got the Sears and Roebuck or Spiegel catalogs in the mail and every year and they had big back to school sales. She called em the wish books cause we’d look holes in em. She ordered a lot of our school clothes on time and made a small payment every month. She couldn’t afford to order much. We mostly wore hand me downs and since I was the oldest my hand me downs came from girls close to my age that lived in the neighborhood. That was after they found out it wouldn’t hurt our feelings none. Most people worried about that back then. When I grew out of em I passed em on down to my one and only sister.

One year I found a pair of the most beautiful, yellow sandals I’d ever seen in my life in the Spiegel catalog I wanted those sandals so bad that I could taste it. Mama didn’t mind ordering them but wanted me to have something that would keep my feet warm with frost fast approachin. All of my old shoes were worn out and there’d be none to fall back too. I kept on till she ordered em and I’ll never forget the day they came. I put those sandals on and pranced around like I was Cinderella.

 Sure enough when cold weather came, I was in a mess. We had to dig out a pair of my best, old shoes and take em to the shoe store in town to see if the well known shoe repairman could do anything with the soles. That man was the best at making shoes look like new of anybody I’ve ever seen. He put the soles back together like new. I wore em till mama got her bill paid down some. She ordered me some warm shoes to do me the rest of the school year. I certainly learned my lesson. Pretty is as pretty does.

Needless to say, that shoe repairman was a God send. There’s no tellin how many shoes that man has fixed over the years.

He also had big racks of new and like new shoes. Daddy bought all of his from that little store. He claimed that was the only place he could find any that fit. Daddy liked his shoes a size longer. We all called them Clod Hoppers. I’ll never forget one summer after he’d grown older and was showin his age, we talked him into getting some men’s sandals. We told him they’d keep his feet cooler. We never dreamed he’d love em so much. He was comin in the front door one day and there was a step up ye had to make to get in the door and he stumped his toe and almost fell flat on his face. We tried not to laugh till mama said, “them Jerusalem Cruisers are gonna be the death of ye yet.”

Of course he and mama wore theirs till the soles fell off tryin to keep us in shoes.

 When I look back on the many times I ran barefoot and stumped my toes nearly off, it brings joy to my heart and makes me wanna do it all again. There’s nothing that can compare to bustin a big mud hole wide open, even if we knew we’d get the toe itch. But as my mama used to say, “there’s nothing like being grateful for shoes when ye got none at all and ye feet feels like a block of ice.” 

                                                © Susie Swanson, 2016