Short Stories

Murdo Girl…A gift for Lav

Mary Francis McNinch6 Comments

Lav sent me a really special Christmas gift, but I’m not going to write about it tonight. I have to wait until I can do it justice, so I’m going to write about my gift to Lav. Here is the build-up…

Her royal dress is satin 
It’s shabby and it’s torn 
The royal jewels are rhinestones 
The shoes are scuffed and worn 
Of the many roads she’s been down, 
And the places that she’s seen 
Well, they all look at her and say, “God save the queen!”

Lav is part of the royal family, for sure. We’re blood related. Self proclaimed royal blood runs through our veins…It’s just that I was first to proclaim it.

She arrives in all her splendor 
The same place she took off 
Her chariot is no longer red 
And it moves more like a sloth 
The old transistor radio plays her tune as she walks in 
And the Queen E imitator is home again

 

20181219_202912-15491760093158966829.jpgShe’s really not from Murdo, but her roots are…

I just couldn’t bring myself to give Lav a real tinfoil crown, so I did the next best thing…

She’s the Queen E imitator  
She rules the roads of Murdo 
 A Scepter is her gift, and the sloth car is her throne 
She’s doing lots of zumba 
Cause she really wants to go 
To the next All School Reunion
And ride the streets of Murdo…

And without further ado………The gift! (Only you can’t have it until after Christmas, Lav. I might need to use the tinfoil to wrap leftovers.

It comes with a cool scepter holder, and in between reunions, you can use it as a toilet brush.

 

 

 

Murdo Girl…It’s going to be alright, maybe

Mary Francis McNinch5 Comments

I do this every year. I think I have all kinds of time and all kinds of money to to prepare for Christmas, and every year, the same thing happens. December 15th, which is the cutoff for time and money, passes and I am way short of both and there is nowhere to get more of either. I am the Christmas version of a dangling participle and I’m not even sure what that means except it sounds a lot like how I feel. On top of that, I wrenched my back again.

This year I had a great idea for gifts for the kids and grand-kids. I was so proud of myself, I took a break and now it’s the 28th, and I still have a list of people to remember. (That’s what I call people who mean a lot to me, but come after the kids and grand-kids, of which we have twenty-four.)

Tonight, I started to put a photo album together of our fall RV trip to give to Kip for Christmas. It’s a project that will take about a month. I got the cover done, so I will probably give him the usual, IOU. Don’t feel too badly for him. He learned a long time ago to buy whatever his heart desires and call it his Christmas present from all those who intended to give him a gift, but didn’t have the time or the money to shop for it.

This year was so bad, I didn’t even get to do the one for you and one for me kind of shopping. I hate to shop retail anyway.

I came home today after taking care of two of our grandsons for three days. I expected a little slack because I’m almost sixty-seven and believe or not, I’m slowing down some. Kip reminded me that Sarah was ninety when she had a baby and Abraham was ten years older. I told him Isaac probably didn’t have to be driven to school, Karate class, and go to a three hour birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. She probably didn’t have pizza on Friday, leftover pizza on Saturday, and Chuck. E Cheese pizza on Sunday. Thankfully, the boys wanted chicken nuggets on Monday.

Well, sitting here isn’t going to get me any closer to getting ready for Christmas. I have to get Kip up early so he can go stand in line at the post office.

My favorite part of Christmas is Christmas Eve and the day itself, when we can all enjoy each other, and remember what Christmas means to all believers. I’m never ready for the music to end and the decorations to come down. I don’t want to quit getting more pumpkin pie because we still have more whipped cream to use up or visa versa. It never seems to come out even.

Sunday, we will go pick my second dad, Gus, up at the airport. We’ll go to our daughter’s to spend Christmas Eve with family, and help serve at a restaurant that offers free Christmas dinner with all the fixings on Christmas Day.

I know I won’t see everyone I love this Christmas, but they will surely be on my mind and in my heart…

Peace on earth, Good will toward everyone… It’s almost Christmas!

 

Murdo Girl…Who’s going to fill their shoes?

Mary Francis McNinch

Mary Francis McNinch's avatarThose 70ish Girls

This is a reminiscing rerun. They’re different from the other kind.

All those years ago when the south of 16 kids and I fashioned that first crown out of tinfoil, we had no idea what it would lead to. A crown by definition should be made out of precious metals and adorned with jewels. I doubt many would consider tinfoil a precious metal..not even the heavy-duty kind. We didn’t think about gluing jewels onto the adornment.

Crowns symbolize victory, immortality, or the highest part of something. That’s pretty heavy stuff for a 7 yr old, even if she does have a red Kitty Reynold’s gown. It’s hard to believe there was a 10 yr crown drought between the queen of the neighborhood queen, and the Murdo homecoming parade queen…And..let’s see 64 minus 17 is…47. Yikes! I waited 47 years to wear another tinfoil crown minus jewels.

 My mother was Miss…

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Murdo Girl…Creativity, etiquette and manners

Mary Francis McNinch10 Comments

I had a request from a fellow Murdo girl, Judy, to peruse my Uncle Chucks book containing words of wisdom, and see what quotes he came up with relating to etiquette, manners and creativity.

On creativity”’

There are only three pure colors – red, yellow, and blue – but look at what Michelangelo (1475- 1564) did with those three colors.

There are only seven musical notes, but look at what Chopin (1810 – 1849), Beethoven (1770 – 1827), and Vivaldi (1678 – 1741), did with those seven notes.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contained only 262 words, and 202 of them had one syllable. Think of the impact those simple, direct words have had on our society.

On etiquette and manners…

At ceremonies commemorating the hundredth anniversary of President Harry Truman’s birth, the White House counsel during the Truman Administration was reminiscing. He recalled being at a White House banquet one night when one of the guests turned to the woman seated next to him. 

“Did I get your name correctly?” he asked. “Is your name Post?”

“Yes, it is.” the woman answered.

“Is it Emily Post?”

“Yes,” she replied. 

“Are you the world-renowned authority on manners?” the man asked.

“Yes,” Mrs. Post said. “Why do you ask?”

“Because,” said the man, “you have just eaten my salad.”

Emily Post “I can never remember if my salad is to the right of my plate, or to the right…bad luck!!”

There are words of wisdom in the book Charles Francis wrote, but there is also a list of the most beautiful words in the English language…

I love you., You are wonderful., It’s benign – not malignant., The war is over., It’s a boy! It’s a girl!, No cavities., Thank you., All is forgiven., God bless you., Welcome home., Good morning!, Merry Christmas!, Your car is ready., You passed the examination., Your child is beautiful., You were right., I’m ready to sign.,

Murdo Girl…Angels at her wedding

Mary Francis McNinch

Oh, I believe there are angels among us,

Sent down from up above

To guide us with the light of love.

*********

After Carrie and Steve were married, there was one more thing to do.

Stop by the little church where her grandparents had said, “I do.”

Seventy-one years had passed since they were joined in matrimony.

Today, she hoped they’d watched over her wedding ceremony.

She was standing there with Steve, the true love of her life,

On the church steps where they’d stood. The moment felt so right.

Her grandparent’s wedding photo captured their love for eternity.

Would her love and Steve’s show through, for all the world to see?

They had not married where her grandparent’s vows were spoken.

And all who knew them also knew, those vows had not been broken.

Recreating the wedding picture taken all those years in the past

Carrie and Steve just knew their happiness would last.

Carrie’s grandparents, Ted and Arlyne Brown, (below), were married at the First United Methodist Church in Pierre, SD. You can see the church steps in the background. After the wedding, they took a train to Wyoming for their honeymoon. They settled in Presho, SD.

Below…

Carrie and Steve, seventy-one years later. (Look closely at the photograph.)

Was there another angel watching? It was just a month since he had passed.

He was the father of the bride. His time with her had gone so fast.

The orbs of light shined on Steve (a message?) “One day, please take my daughter’s hand.”

And dance the Father’s dance for me. Oh, that would be so grand.”

Tell her that I love her and wish I could have given her away.

And if she ever needs me, I’ll be one bright light away.

*********

How would she ever know for sure if it was them who came

To share those bonds of love she felt, the day she took Steve’s name.

Little did she know… it would quickly be revealed

They were all nearby. They could not have been concealed.

She looked at the photographs, taken on that day

And knew they shared her joy, and would never be far away.

You can clearly see the colorful orbs in both of the photographs of Carrie and Steve. It could have been the sun, but all who were there, felt it was more…this poem was inspired by Nancy Authier’s accounting of her niece’s wedding. Ted and Arlyne Brown were Nancy’s parents.

Murdo Girl…Words of Wisdom on..Friendship

Mary Francis McNinch

Everyone seemed to love the angel stories and I have been given three more examples so heartwarming, that I must share them. I will intermingle them with other stories. I have also received several requests to write about topics in My Uncle Charles Francis’ book, Words of Wisdom.

The first topic is Friendship…

Aristotle, (384 – 322 B.C.), a pupil of Plato, viewed friendship among the highest virtues, It was an essential element in a full, virtuous, and worthwhile life. For Aristotle, there were three kinds of friendship:

*Friendship of pleasure: two people are wonderfully happy in one another’s company.

**Friendship of utility: two people assist one another in everyday aspects of life.

***Friendship of virtue: two people mutually admire one another and will be on their best behavior in order not to jeopardize their relationship. 

Victor Hugo, distinguished French writer and novelist, composed this analogy.

“My coat and I live comfortably together. It has assumed all my wrinkles, does not hurt me anywhere, has moulded itself on my deformities, and is complacent to all my movements, and I only feel it’s presence because it keeps me warm. Old coats and old friends are the same thing.”

Oscar Wilde on Friendship…

Oscar Wilde (1854 -1900), the Irish poet, wit and dramatist, was a major literary talent in every way.

“If a friend of mine gave a feast, and did not invite me to it, I should not mind a bit, But if a friend had a sorrow and refused to allow me to share it, I should feel it most bitterly.”

George Washington gave this advice to his nephew, Bushrod Washington in 1783…

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. Friendship is a plant of slow growth.”

I will add one simple thing I am trying harder to put into action.

In order to have a friend, you have to be a friend. 

This topic was suggested by Valerie Halla, aka Lav…Here are a few photos of Val with her good friends. I’m not sure who she’s with in that third picture…

Murdo Girl…The why of Connie’s Story

Mary Francis McNinch

The third angel story…

Mary Francis McNinch's avatarThose 70ish Girls

There is something I have been wanting to share with you and tonight, I feel like writing about it.

I have been thinking about Connie’s Story and how it evolved. I started to recall the times I had admired someone else and/or their things hi, and wanted to emulate them. You might think I’m psychoanalyzing myself and you could be right, but I doubt I’m the only person who has struggled with finding their own identity. My first memory of admiring someone else’s style was when I was five years old.

I wanted Lois Lillibridge’s shoes.

I borrowed them and I loved them so much I couldn’t bring myself to give them back. I asked her if she wanted the pink canvas shoes I had and she said, “No.” Then an awful thing happened. Her dad died and Lois and her mom and sister were moving away from Murdo.

I’m…

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Murdo Girl…Only time will tell

Mary Francis McNinch

Mr Swinson lived to celebrate his 100th birthday. Today is his heavenly birthday. This is a wonderful story his daughter, Sherri, told me.

Mary Francis McNinch's avatarThose 70ish Girls

Do you believe in Angels? There is a saying, “To those who believe, no explanation is necessary. To those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.”

Please know that I’m not trying to persuade anybody to believe one way or the other, but today, Tuesday and Thursday, I would like to share three very heartwarming stories..and they’re all true.

THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK

Back in the 70’s Sherri Miller’s Mom and Dad bought a grandfather clock at an auction in Presho, SD where they lived. As it turned out, the clock belonged to someone who lived just a couple of blocks from them, so they ended up hand carrying it down the street to their house, where it still resides.

1-Grandfather clock

The clock soon became Mr. Swinson’s pride and joy and he seldom let anyone else touch it. His beautiful clock had to be wound each week before the weights were…

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Murdo Girl…Lessons from animals

Mary Francis McNinch10 Comments

I picked another topic from Uncle Chuck’s book, Wisdom well said. I ran across …lessons we learn from animals. But first, a little more background.

When he retired, Charles Francis decided to make good use of his library of stories and quotes. He started an Internet business he called ‘The Idea Bank.’ People purchased a membership and could go into the site, pick a subject, and get stories and quotes to add interest to their speech or article. Many speech writers enjoyed the convenience of Uncle Chuck’s well organized, unique, and large volume of information. To say he was well-read is a vast understatement.

The three Francis brothers…from left, Bill, John, and Chuck. Their father died when his sons were 10 (John), 7 (Bill), and 2 (Chuck).

I like this poem about accomplishment, author unknown.

There once was an oyster whose story I’ll tell, Who found that sand got under his shell;

Just one little grain, but it gave him much pain, For oysters have feelings although they’re so plain.

Now, did he berate the working of fate, Which had led him to such a deplorable state?

Did he curse out the government, call for an election? No. As he lay on the shelf, he said to himself,

“If I cannot remove it, I’ll improve it.” So the years rolled by as the years always do,

And he came to the ultimate destiny – stew. But this small grain of sand which had bothered him so,

Was a beautiful pearl, all richly aglow. Now this poem has a moral – for isn’t it grand

What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand. What couldn’t we do if we’d only begin With all of the things that get under our skin.

Teamwork and ego…

The sin (and danger) of excessive pride (or an excessive ego) is admirably demonstrated in this simple fable:

A frog asked two geese to take him south with them. At first they resisted; they couldn’t see how it could be done. Finally, the frog suggested that the two geese hold a stick in their beaks and he would hold onto it with his mouth.

So off the unlikely threesome went, flying southward over the countryside. It was really quite a sight. People looked up and expressed great admiration at this demonstration of creative teamwork.

Someone said, “It’s wonderful! Who was so clever to discover such a fine way to travel?”

Whereupon the frog opened his mouth and said, “It was I,” as he plummeted to the earth.

I’m adding these pictures of two pages of topics. The first one of you to mention a topic in their comment will get some suggestions from the book in the next blog. You can make the photos larger by tapping with your finger.