H FootPrints

ABANDONED SCHOOL HOUSE

There once was a little white School house

Out on the western plain

That keeps returning to my memory

Time and time again.

Just a little white cracker box

Thirty by thirty square

And many folks are still alive

That were “edicated" there.

When the Pioneers came to Kansas,

A determined stubborn breed,

They decided that a school house

Was the first important need.

Without much learning of their own

The most of them would say,

"To educate our children

We are going to find a way."

Old timers will tell you

Of that first school house so bare

Just a small dug‑out

With logs for a chair.

Then next they built a Soddy

With windows, stove and desk.

And the children came from all around

To do their very best.

Then with the Homestead Law

We found improvements close at hand

With a little white board school house

On every section of land.

To get teachers was a problem

They came from far away

And had to exist on

One dollar per day.

The school houses have disappeared,

All moved or else torn down,

And all the rural children,

Are taken by bus to town.

We are glad to see the improvements

That Kansas has today*

And I am sure those determined pioneers

Were the ones who paved the way.

*****

She waited for his goodnight kiss

it seemed almost an hour

Then she finally decided,

He had lost his "Pucker Power”.

*****

Every little bit helps

And if you help yourself

You aren't very likely

To be laid upon the shelf.

OLD MAID SCHOOL MA’ARM

The old maid school Ma’arm,

You must have known a few,

Without the old maid school Ma’arm

What would the world do?

in the early days the teacher "ruled the roost"

From morn until night

With a watchful eye on every one

To see they did just right.

She traveled to the schoolhouse

Sometimes a mile or so

At, eight o'clock each morning

To make that old stove glow.

The children, then began to come

All cold and shivering, too.

She unbuckled over‑shoes

and wiped their noses, too*

She must have had a guidance

And strength from above

To give so many children

Education, pride, and love.

She had no children of her own

But her love poured out to all

And every one was happy

As she came again each fall.

It wasn't Just the A B C’s

They learned from her each day

She taught them love and courage

And even how to pray,

And tho the most of them are grown

I'm sure you will hear them say

We will never forget our teacher

Tho, they buried her today.

*****

“Blow ye winds over the ocean

And blow ye winds over the sea".

But don't blow that fried hamburger odor

Across from the restaurant to me.

*****

The rooster awakens early

He awakens you early, too

You would sometimes like to thank him

By making a rooster stew.

HOMESTEADER

He didn’t want adventure

And he had no greed for gold

He wanted a home for his family

And land he could have and hold.

So he built a Prairie Schooner

The bows the very best.

Then loaded his family and household

And boldly started west.

Few were the towns to enter

Along this lonesome trail.

At night they listened in terror

To the lonesome coyote wail.

Sometimes the campfires were smothered

For fear of Indian attacks.

They knew there were many dangers

But they did not dare turn back

So they reached the Land of Promise

And began to turn the Sod,

No money in his pocket

But a lot of faith in God.

The covered bows were a hause at first

Then they started diggin‑in

And soon they had a dug‑out

To shield from storm and wind.

There were no trees nor lumber

In this desert prairie land.

They plowed the sod and shaped it

To build a house by hand

And soon they had a Soddy

standing firm upon the land,

They planted crops and garden

On which the grasshoppers seemed to thrive,

But by sheer determination

He kept his family alive.

And to these old Sod‑busters

Who paid the price in sweat,

We owe them love and honor

And may we never forget.

*****

The roses of summer have faded

Their petals have fallen away

And the reds and pinks of their life blood

Will moulder and turn to clay,

*****

The absent minded golfer

When his coffee break began

Thought he would finish with a doughnut

So he ordered a "Hole in one".

*****

Unkind words can pierce the heart

Deeper than an arrows dart.

SHEEP HERDER

On a lonely hilltop meadow

The sheep herder guards his sheep

Lonely, watchful, patient,

His vigil he must keep.

For danger is ever present,

A vicious sneaking thief,

A wolf, a wary predator,

Can make a lamb's life brief.

The nights are wild and stormy

And sometimes very cold.

So the sheep must be gathered together,

And, sheltered in the fold.

Tonight a storm is brewing

And he hurriedly brings them in.

He counts as, he drives them into the fold.

Oh! That little black sheep is gone

Well, he wasn’t worth much anyway.

The storm is gathering near,

He will just have to get along

Till morning light is clear.

The herd is quietly resting now,

So he lies himself down to sleep,

But troubled dreams keep coming.

As he thinks of that little black sheep.

Baa, Baa, he keeps hearing the echo,

That poor little jamb is lost.

Then he rises from his pallet.

He must find it at any cost

Stumbling thru rocks and caverns,

Brambles and briers tear his feet.

There in the muddy cavern

He finds the little black sheep,

Gathering him close in his arms

With joy he returns to the fold,

As if the little black lamb

Were a precious piece of gold.

And so it is with the Savior

Tho His lambs be black or white

He wants them brought into the fold

To shield and keep them right.

*****

If you count the blessings the Lord has sent

You won't have time for discontent.

*****

It's good to let the sunshine in

Whenever you go about

But while you are letting the sunshine in

Why not pass some sunshine out?

*****

A little song of gladness

Can banish a lot of sadnesst

PEACE AND WAR

In the stillness of the morning

When the air is soft and cool,

We enjoy the peaceful quiet

Here beside this rippling pool.

And we think how mother nature

Planned each leaf and tree and flower

That can bring us peace and happiness

To enj oy every hour.

Do not take your blessings lightly

They can all be swept away

And joy and peace and happiness

Be shattered in a day.

In the stillness of the morning

In a land so far away,

You can hear the cannons rumble

At the breaking of the day.

And the war and, devastation

Flows like rivers o’er the land.

And the little children tremble

For they cannot understand.

May the power on high bring mercy

That would make the slaughter cease

With the hopes and prayers of millions

For an everlasting peace.

SONNET ‑ WILD ROSE

Wild rose, wild rose,

Growing free,

There beside the heather

Giving joy to all who see

In all kinds of weather,

Cast your perfume on the air.

All, your friends abound

Smiling at your face so fair

Many gather around.

Feeding butterfly and bee

From your bounteous store,

Where will all your beauty be

When the, summer is o’er?

Say good-bye to summer, then

But promise to come back agan.

*****

If you are killing yourself to get riches

I am sure we have all heard it said,

If you kill yourself to get richs,

What good will they do when your dead.

*****

If the tree is crooked to begin

It will have many a crooked limb

If a man is crooked in what he has done

We may have many a crooked son.

WILD LIFE

There once was a “Home

Where the buffalo roam

And the deer and the antelope play.”

But dure to man’s greed

And a bullet’s swift speed

There is not much wild life left today.

Bears, beavers and buffalos

Once people knew.

But not they can only

Be found in a zoo.

The little jack rabbit

That hopped o’er the plains

To present day children

Is only a name.

"Destroy the coyotes"

The ranchers all cry,

"Or much of our livestock,

Must perish and die."

These all, are God's creatures,

He meant them to roam

So please don’t destroy them

Preserve them a home,

HOME REMEDIES

Back in the days long gone

When Doctors calls were few,

To drive to the nearest town

It took a day or two,

So each housewife would replenish

Her cupboard more and more.

She filled it up with remedies

She bought at the nearest store,

She also had a doctor book

That told you what to do,

From snake bite to child birth

And chills and ague, too.

We all had to gather around her

In the early Spring,

For a dose of Sulfur and Molasses,

Kept your blood from, getting thin,

Coal oil and turpentine

You rubbed it on your chest

With a flannel rag to cover

For the croup it was the best.

The sassafras tea was for chills it is true

And a hot mustard plaster

Was best for the "flu",

Onion syrup made for coughs

Brought much relief from pain.

Then rub the chest with skunk oil

To keep the warmth within.

And then there was another cure

If you really want to brag

To keep off all diseases,

You wore an assofetida bag.

Tho we couldn't go to a Doctor

All of us seemed to thrive

And mother's home remedies

Must have kept us alive.

HIAKU

Aspens shivering in the moonlight

Light criminals waiting

For the ax.

Dew on pink rosebuds

Sparkling like a bride's tears

Of happiness.

TEMPTATION

Stay away from temptation

And the worldly things that please

For many a mouse has lost his head

Because he smelled the cheese,

In these days of high cost living

The guy who raves and rants

Had better tighten up his belt

Or he may loose his pants,

BLACK BIRD

Black bird, Black bird

Flying free,

above my big old cherry tree,

Whether saint or whether sinner

You want to get a cherry dinner,

I can share some if I try

But I’d like to make a cherry pie

I am, not selfish, I declare

But your shouting fills the air

And I think you, are there to stay

Till all the fruit is gone away.

I will tell you what I will do,

There's enough for one or two

So take a few, or may bedozens,

But please don't invite

All your black bird cousins,

*****

Some people grab at the things of life

As though they really need it

But they should learn if you milk the cow

You also have to feed it.

SNOW

The harsh cold winds of winter

Leave everything bleak and bare.

The world is covered with dullness

No beauty any where.

The flower and vegetable garden

Are an ugly compost mound

The golden leaves of autumn

Lie mouldering on the ground.

Wherever old man winter breathes

He leaves a blackened trail.

And brown and drab are the colors

You see on woodland vale.

The grass on lawns and meadows

Have never a blade of green

And the climbing rose on the trellis

Is only a summer dream.

But at last the snow came softly

In the middle of the night

And the world was covered with beauty

For God painted everything white.

MEMORIES

Memories are a closet

Where you store the things you knew,

All the days of happiness

That happened as you grew.

Thanksgiving and Christmas

You stored away to keep.

But in your closet you never would put

The things that made you weep.

A busy day at the sea shore,

A shopping spree in town

Friends with gifts on birthdays

You stored thank all around.

And when you are feeling lonely

And want, to enjoy them more

There’s a closet full of memories

So just open your closet door.

TOO OLD TO CRY

A little boy of just six years

Broke a toy and burst into tears.

"Hush" Mother can fix it bye and bye,

And you are much too old to cry."

They huddled on the football field,

The hard fought game they had to yield.

Tears of defeat dimmed every eye.

How old is too old to cry?

I saw a hunter in, the grove,

He shot and killed a mourning dove.

I stood a while to watch it die.

How old is too old to cry?

*****

If you eat plenty, of square meals

I have recently found

If you eat too many square meals

You will find yourself getting round.

STYLES

1870 First came the corset, made of bone and steel

When someone laced it for you

It almost made you squeal

Then camisole and bloomers

Made of cambric fine

Then three starched petticoats,

One at a time.

Ten yards of calico or a little more I guess

To make mutton‑leg sleeves

And a fancy ruffled dress.

High top button shoes and

gloves of leather brown.

And my Lady Fair was ready

To saunter down town.

1970

A Bee‑hive hair do

And a Mini shift dress

Is about all that's needed

In present day dress.

A yard or so of material

will do for any height

And a pair of nylon panty hose

And you are dressed just right

Freedom of movement

She may swagger a bit

And doesn't have to worry

If her clothes don't fit,

THE SIMPLE LIFE

I never had lands a plenty

Nor sailed on a distant coast

But the things the Lord has given

Were the things I wanted most.

There are castles in Spain to dream of

And land that is fair to see,

But a quiet home in the valley

Is good enough for me.

I never cared for music

That runs in a Classical strain

They play for bards and barons.

My tastes are very plain.

I love the simple melodies

with rhythm soft and free

And the simple strains of home Sweet Home"

Are good enough for me.

I never cared for fancy clothes

They show in the window case

That fit the ladies of fashion

That stroll from place to place.

But the clothes I like are simple and fine

For any one to see

And a calico dress and an apron

Are good enough for me.

I never cared for fancy food

Prepared by chefs so fine

For caviar and lobster

Prepared in rich red wine,

Just give me the food the farmer raised

And a simple pot of tea

And a good old bowl, of ham and beans

Are good enough for me.

LIBERATED PERSON

Don't call her, miss nor mrs.

But simply say MS.

For the way we all pronounce it

It sounds like she is a “mess”.

CHILDHOOD

There is a grassy meadow

On a hill not far away

And the dewdrops sparkle on it

At each early break of day.

And the wild flowers blooming on it

Oft bring memories to me

Of the happy days of childhood

When I wandered there so free.

Just a little band of barefoots

Brothers, sisters, one and all

Tromping barefoot thru the grasses

From the early spring till fall.

Gathering strawberries from the hill top

And the huckleberries too

Always seeking an adventure

Finding something ever new.

We could see the robins building

Nests high in the apple tree

But we knew we must not tamper

For the frightened birds would flee.

Soon the blue eggs would be hatching

As we watched them day by day

And our hearts would flutter with them

As they hatched and flew away*

Oh, the summer time of childhood

Kept us happy as could be

As we watched the many wonders

In each flower and bird and tree.

But the childhood days pass swiftly

And the cares of life begin

And the memories that linger

Cannot take us back again.

For the road that leads from yesterday

Is just a one way street

And once you travel over

You can never more retreat.

HUSH‑PUPPIES

The kitchen stove was burning

And the skillet very hot.

When mom called us for breakfast

We were "Johnny on the spot".

From the aroma from the kitchen

Of hot grease in the air,

We knew that Hush‑puppies

Was on the bill of fare.

Mom had mixed the dough the night before

And let, it raise an night

To have it ready for breakfast

It had to be done just right,

Then from the Pan of dough

She would Pinch a little bit.

It had to be a certain size,

To in the skillet fit.

She had to watch them very close

So none of them would burn

Then passed them out to us

As each one waits his turn.

Served with black‑strap molasses

They really were a treat

And for just simple eating

Hush‑Puppies can’t be beat.

With those Hush‑puppies being passed

You knew just what to do

And when old Rover gave a bark

We Just tossed, him one too.

NURSE

The tall white structure

stood silently silhouetted against

The moonlit sky.

Light blinked from every window

But even tho the building looked so firm inside

Inside was activity and turmoil.

Pain and sorrow, grief and tears,

and there were smiles and laughter, too.

White uniformed nurses pushing here and there

carrying hot water‑bottles

fever thermometer; hipo needles;

anything to ease the pain, given

with smiles and encouragement.

"Your baby will be all right dear."

"Yes, you may have a drink of water."

"You must get some rest tonight."

"Your husband will see you tomorrow."

How can they carry the burden of so many ills?

Rushing, ever rushing, her head swims,

she feels herself fall over a 50 ft. cliff,

and reels to the floor, unconscious.

The nurse is ill, who will nurse the nurse?

NEGLECTED CEMETERY

On the outskirts of the city

Alone and covered with grass

Is a lonely unkempt grave yard

All unnoticed as you pass.

A few of the graves have markers

But most are flat and bare.

Long gone are the friends and relations

Who with sorrow placed them there.

No kith nor kin remaining

To tend or remember now.

Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters

Alone in their sepulcher.

And the sights and sounds around them

Are silent, as death at dawn

And their secret rest is guarded

By the moon and stars alone,

The sun shines down on their silence

Above are the bright blue skies,

But when Gabriel blows his trumpet

“They, too, shall arise.”

DAY DREAMS

What are day dreams made of?

Little boys and little girls

Happy faces and golden curls

White clouds sailing in the sky

Wild geese flying swift and high

Purple sunset at e’ens; glow

Wild flowers growing row on row

A birthday cake and a new blue dress

A letter filled with happiness

Fathers and mothers to love and care

Brothers and sisters with all to share

The growing up of happy youth

The thrill of seeing a babes first tooth

Companionship when your hair turns gray

And a happy golden wedding day,

Time to sit and rest in the shade

And you have a dream that will never fade.

PICTURE POEM

Tree

Is old as

Noahs Ark, with

I’s leaves and limbs

And roots and bark It

Swings and sways and rustles

Its leaves and whispers love songs

To the breeze. The birds may, nest in its

Branches high, that always point up to the

Sky. And little children play around, in

The shade that falls upon the ground.

Go down into fertil ground

A tree has many things to give

If, only man will let it live.

*****

If the job is too hard

And you think you can't do it

Just roll up your sleeves

And hop right to it.

*****

To raise a child correctly

Is quite a task t’is true

But a child will learn his lessons

From what his parents do.

HOPE

I fought with my grief and I conquered

Through sorrow as bitter as gall.

It wasn't a trial of disaster

Nor a case of winner take all.

Out in the fields and meadows

As I: watched the winds at play

I found a sweet, contentment

That chased the fears away.

For life is too short for moping

And holding a grief to your breast.

For the God given things we cherish

Are the things we should love the best.

If the billows, of sorrow roll o’er you

Look up to the hills and see,

That hope makes you better and wiser

For a life that is true and free.

*****

Its easy to form a habit

Without a bit of fuss

But soon we find the habit

Has over taken us.

CHARITY

Did you help the weary traveler

As he stumbled down the road?

Did, you say, a word of courage,

or help him lift his load?

The weary ones that pass this way

May not return again.

Did you give him a smile and a hand clasp?

If you did, you did it for Him.

Did you help a fallen sister

Who had strayed and drifted afar?

Did you offer love and kindness

To help a fallen star?

Did you make an offer to help her

To turn from the paths of sin

With only a smile and hand clasp?

If you did, you did it for Him.

Did you visit a lonely widow

So weary bent and alone

As she sits in an institution

That some people call a home?

Forgotten by those who loved her

When life was full of vim

Did you give her a smile and hand clasp?

If you did, you did it for Him.

AUTUMN

When the wild geese fly southward

And the leaves turn brown

And they bid good‑by to summer

As they flutter to the ground

And the sun dried cornstalks rustle

As the winds cane sweeping by

And the pumpkins all turn yellow

In the corn field where they lie

The gardens and the orchards

Have their harvests gathered in

And there is jelly in the cupboard

And ripe apples in the bin.

The bob‑white whistles gaily

At the early break of day

Then you know that old man winter

Is not very far away*

*****

Of the things that’s hard to take

It’s to open your mouth by Mistake.

ASHES OF ROSS

Sing me a glad song

Never a sad song

Life is too short to spend in retreat.

Life can be cheery and Merry

Ashes of, Roses still may smell sweet.

Was it, a highway

Passed by a by way

Maybe you missed with the boat sailed ,away

Look, to a new day

Never a blue day

Ashes of Roses still smell sweet.

Yesterday's kisses

Nobody misses.

Still the world turns

As the afterglows meet.

Love lasts forever

Nothing can Sever

Ashes of Roses still smell sweet.

SOME FOLKS DO

Some folks like to own a car

And speed down the highway by the hour

Whiskey and beer on the side

It’s not safe for others to be outside.

If they kill someone without intent

Some say it I was just an accident.

Some folks do.

Some folks like to live in style

Go to cocktail parties all the while

Fancy clothes and beer and wine

Seeking pleasure all the time

Spending money left and right

Turning daytime into night

Some folks do.

Some folks go to church and pray

And live the Gospel every day.

They help the weak and cheer the strong

And try to live right all day long.

And while they work and till the sod

They take time out to worship God

Some folks do.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD

"It's a beautiful world" sang little Nell,

as she fashioned a small mud pie,

"With it's flowers and birds and rivers

And a beautiful bright blue sky.

I can run barefoot in the meadow

Where the violets heads are curled

And gather the wild strawberries,

It's a beautiful, beautiful world."

"It's a beautiful world" said the farmer

As he arose at the break of dawn.

"I must feed the pigs and milk the cow

And hurry to plow the corn."

Then he gazed at the morning sunrise

With all it's colors unfurled,

"With the sun and rain for the crops". he said

'It's a beautiful, beautiful world,"

'It's a beautiful world", said the convict

As he looked through the prison bars.

"There's a beautiful world out there

With it's sun and moon and stars.

But I chose a life of vice and crime

Nor stopped to consider the cost

It's a beautiful world", he whispered,

"What a beautiful world I have lost."

BLANK VERSE

What is a poem?

Wings beating against the brain

A thousand word birds clamoring for release

Bursting from their prison

Soaring to the height of

Immaculate Conception

Suckled on love and hope

Reverberating like thunder in the mountains

Sweeping across the stratosphere

As a prairie fire consumes dried grass.

Spent out,

Descending to be chewed up

By a type‑writer then spewed

Out on a sheet of white paper

In an agony of Labor Pains.

FIRST LOVE

My first love was a handsome man

With blond and curly hair.

With manners rather fancy

Some called it debonair.

My first love sent me Valentines

All decked with hearts and flowers

And vowed a true devotion

Through sunshine and through showers.

My first love took me dancing

Upon the village green

With his strong arms about me,

I felt just like a queen.

I've had a happy marriage

With blessings from above

And my husband here beside me

My first and only love.

BIRDS

Oh, the skies are full of music

And the world is full of cheer,

When you hear the happy warblings

Of the birds both far and near,

The dove is cooing softly,

And the robins song is gay,

The mocking bird sings many songs

Throughout the live‑long day.

The red bird whistles bold and loud

For everyone to hear.

And the blue‑bird sings of happiness

In the springtime of the year.

And now, the clearest song of all,

If you will listen, Hark!

It is the joyous music

of our own gay meadow‑lark.

We find that as we look around

There seems to be so few.

The chemicals that kill the weeds

Are killing wild life too.

We must save these little creatures

And all the joy they bring

Or we may awake some morning

to just a "Silent Spring".

ARMISTICE 1918

Nineteen hundred and Eighteen

Many remember that date I ween.

A war of “blood and tears and sweat”.

How can anyone ever forget

The sacrifices and the lives that were lost,

Brought many countries a terrible cost.

On the eleventh hour and, month and day

The news came ringing o’er the wey.

The war had ended, the peace complete.

The crows all gathered in the street

Singing, dancinq, "Hurrah" Hurrah!”

This was the end to that bloody war.

Up and down the streets they roam

With welcome, when Johnny came marching home.

And yet there were tears on that happy day

For those who were buried so far away.

You can change the time and date; but yet,

'Those who were there will never forget

And the eleventh month and hour and day

Will live in the History of the U.S.A.

Last trip to the moon, 1972

There they go into the unknown yonder

Up through the bright blue sky.

It was a beautiful "cast off”

Watched by many an eye.

Was it for science or was it for greed?

Explored by seventeen,

As spectacular an excursion

As any one ever had seen.

"God created the heaven and earth"

And they provide our light

And the sun still shines by day

And the moon gives light at night.

If there is another purpose

It's secret may never be known

And the foot‑prints they made upon the moon

Will soon be dust alone.

"Shine on Silvery moon. Shine

Along Lovers Lane". And perhaps

Curious men won't molest you again.

PICTURE POEM

Time

The clock on the

mantle was clicking

away, as I awoke at the

break of day. There were

many things that I planned

to do before the hours of the

day were through. So I

swept and baked and

scrubbed the floor

and cleaned my

house of many

a chore,

through. There

are deeds of kindness

that I must do. There’s

a friend in town I plan to

meet and a little sick boy

down the street, a letter to

write to dear Aunt May, and

a lonely widow to cheer today.

But time passes swiftly

and before I knew

Time ran out

and the day

was through.

*****

If you could see yourself as others see you

A thing thats hard to be

If you see yourself as others see you

You wouldn’t believe what you see!

FOOT PRINTS

Foot prints here, foot prints there

Little boy's foot prints everywhere

Mother watches to see where they go

Little boy's foot prints in the snow.

How they grow and how they play

Running growing every day.

In and out the kitchen door

Leaving muddy foot prints on the floor

Chide them not for you can know

Little boys grow and grow

May leave childhood all too soon

Making foot prints on the moon.

*****

I tried to keep up with the Joneses

I tried as hard as could be

Then I finally heart that the Joneses

Were trying to keep up with me.

SUNSET

The dear Lord gave me a calendar

Filled with the days of life

I knew that the days of my calendar

Would be filled with both joy and strife,

The childhood days flew swiftly

With no knowledge of care or woe,

No responsibilities, just to

Run and play and grow.

The grownup days brought duties

And tasks that need to be done

Worries and undertakings

Arid victories to be won.

As I mark the days on my calendar

Each one brings faith anew

And a feeling of sweet contentment

That will see me safely through.

The calendar days are passing

The sunset glow I see

And I pray the dear Lord will be waiting

With a "Welcome Home" for me.

SODDY

Now a soddy was a mansion

If you lived in days of old.

It sheltered you from blizzards

And kept out the winters cold.

It didn't take much lumber

And it didn't have much class

But they built it strong and sturdy

From mud and buffalo grass.

They plowed the grass in rows

Then cut it up, brick size.

Then plastered the bricks together

And soon your house would rise.

The walls were thick and heavy

And the windows kept out gloom

And when the family increased

You would add another room.

But there was one drawback

The varmints liked it too,

And when they wished to enter

They would burrow right through.

You found snakes beneath your pillow,

And rats nests in your drawer

Not to mention all the centipedes

That crawled across the floor.

They told about a woman

That used to live out there

She awoke one morning

With young mice in her hair.

Living in a Soddy

On the Western Plain

Listening to the wind blow

Hoping it will rain,

Almost like a desert

Even at its best,

Makes you often wonder

Why you ever came west.

TELL TAIL

A duck is a female

A drake is a male

You can tell which is which

By the curl on his tail.

RURAL SCHOOLS

The name is almost forgotten

And the little school‑house, too.

They don't educate the children

In the way they used to do.

There were schools through out the country

Where everyone could go

And sometimes children had to walk

A couple of miles or so.

Inside the building was a stove

You fed it night and morn

You had to get it very hot

To keep the children warm.

The drinking water was a chore

As everyone agrees

They carried it in buckets

from the nearest family.

The outdoor toilets, very old

Where oft we had to go

Were pretty ragged looking

And often filled with snow.

We had things rugged then

But, it's plain to see today

That progress changed a lot of things

In an educational way,

But I would hate to lose the memory

And the learning that I gained

From that little white school‑house

On the Western Kansas Plain.

THE HORSE AND BUGGY DAYS

They didn't have the highways

And they didn't have the cars

And they didn't talk of visits

To Jupiter and Mars.

But if you had a buggy

And a horse with quiet ways

A young man was very lucky

In the horse and buggy days.

He would call upon his sweetheart

His heart was swelled with pride

And hunt a pretty shady lane

And slowly take a ride.

He would slip one arm around her

And a well trained horse sure pays

When you'd like to do some courting

In the horse and buggy days.

But now the way they rush around

You wonder when there's time

To do a little courting

And say, "Will you be mine?"

Oh, you wouldn't like the dancing

Or all the modern ways

If you'd ever been a courting

In the horse and buggy days.

WHEAT

"Give us this day our daily bread"

A prayer we say each day

But there is more to a loaf of bread

Than just a prayer to say

In ancient times the sickle was used

To cut the wheat by hand

And only small fields then

Could be seen across the land.

But progress came to help them

With harvesters quite new

And wheat was cut more easily

And the fields grew larger. too.

Then next we bad the header

And barges all horse power

Five men at least were needed

And worked for many an hour*

Elmer manned the header

Bert and Brownie worked the barge

Will, and Claude drove the second barge

To make a five, men crew,

And the women in the kitchen

Had a lot of work to do.

Uncle William was the stacker

He built stacks wide and high,

He knew just how to build them

To shed both wind and rain

And we never lost a bushel

When William stacked the grain.

Well, now the fields are larger

Custom cutting can be done.

Three combines cut a lot of wheat

That work from sun to sun

And when the storm clouds gather

And just rush a little more

Soon the precious wheat is cut

And safely in the store.

So cut with custom cutting

Or any way you can.

That daily bread causes a lot of work

Before it is in the pan.

A GRAND‑DAUGHTER'S QUESTIONS

"How many beaus did you have, grandma?

I'd really like to know,"

I tried to summon up the past,

"Well, maybe there was Joe."

"How many lovers kissed you, grandma?

I bet there were a dozen or so."

"Well", I answered, "I don't remember

But probably there was Joe."

Visitors come, suitors go,

An old flame dies away,

And memories grow very dim

Of things of yesterday.

But thru all the years of happiness

I'd like to have you know

The one thing I've remembered

That, there was always Joe."

COW CHIPS

Dad would harness up the horses

To the wagon large and strong

Then call to all of us children

Who had to go a long,

We always seemed quite ready

And never tried to shirk

For Father said it did kids good

To do a little work.

Now to find the pasture

Where 'the chips by millions lay

We would toss them in the wagon

To save for winters day.

"Look Out, Elsie, that's a wet one,

Better leave it lay

And we will come and get it

On another sunny day.”

Well, soon we took our trophies home,

And stacked them firm and neat

Assured that this would be enough

To supply our winters heat.

We used them in the cook stove

And they made 'the heater glow

0h, those cowchips did a lot of good

When cash and fuel were low.

WILD BILL

He wasn’t Wild Bill Hickok

But he acted like the same,

And no one ever knew him

By any Other name.

He worked for all the neighbors

And arose at early dawn

But. his favorite Occupation

Was, in winter, husking corn.

He heard about a fellow

Who shucked eighty bushel a day

He vowed he would beat that record

Or lose a whole month's pay.

So he loaded up his wagon

Bill Brainard was his boss

He hoped the measurement was true

He didn't want a loss.

They had Joe come and measure it

His measurements were square

Joe said, “It's eighty bushel,

And a couple of ears to spare."

Well, you'd think with all that labor

To sleep he would take a chance.

But No! He slicked himself up fine

And rushed off to the dance.

Well, he entered in quite boldly

But everybody knew

By the way he seemed to stagger

That he’d had a drink or two.

"May I have this dance, Miss Eileen?"

"You may not, sir," she said,

"There is whiskey odor on your breath

And your face is flushed and red."

So he went outside the building

Unknown to his pals,

And ate a big old garlic bulb

Say's he, "I'll fool those gals."

So back he came to dance some more

As happy as a clown

But to his consternation

All the ladies turned him down.

"What is the matter, Joe?", he said

"I seem to have a curse."

"Well," said Joe, "That whiskey smell was bad enough,

But the garlic is even worse!"

50 YEARS

Fifty years together

Down the path of life

He. my handsome husband

I, his sassy wife.

We got along quite nicely

Till election spoiled all that

For I was a strong Republican

And he was a Democrat,

Our daughter shrank, in terror

When the arguments began

But somehow stayed quite neutral

And never entered in.

But it must have been a 'hardship

I will agree to that

With a mother,, a Republican

And father a Democrat.

"Why don't you read the papers?

You know that guy is a crook!”

"Well, if he gets elected

How funny you will look."

He thought that he could change me

With kindness and caress

But I was born to be

A Republican, I guess

If I could live life over

And change in nothing flat

I would probably go marry

That same old Democrat!

AUNT LIB

Her name was Elizabeth Baker

We all called her Aunt Lib.

And you would have been surprised

At the things she said and did.

She knew all the Irish superstitions

From Donegal to Cork,

For her parents came from there

And settled in New York.

She was 3 times married

And had children of her own

But with her nieces Laura and Daisy

She often made her home.

All the younger generation

Had to watch what they were about

For she told some dire prediction

If they didn't watch out.

If a dog howled at midnight

No matter how far away

She said someone was sure to die

Before the break of day.

Don't cut your baby's fingernails

Was her strong belief

For if you do, your baby

Will surely be a thief.

When you young girls

Wash the dishes,

Don't spill water from the pan

For that's a sure sign you'll wed

A whisky drinking man.

If you want a complexion very gay

Wash your face in the dew on lst of May

If your hair pins fall out

As they often do

That's a sign your sweet‑heart

Is thinking of you.

Don't walk under ladders

Or throw wish‑bones away

And black cats bring bad luck

Any time of day.

All of these and many more

She told us seriously

But somehow tho she frightened us

She taught us bravery

And tho we can't forget her

And the things she said and did,

I'm sure we were better children

From knowing Auntie Lib.

TRIBUTE TO MOTHER

The days of homemade bread are o'er

But still a memory stays

Of a mother working for her brood

Back in olden days.

Mother working, planning,

After we had gone to bed

We could hear the table squeaking

When mother kneaded the bread.

Six dinner pails she had to fill

And men folks two or three,

Milk, bread and butter are a must

With those you will agree.

She mixed yeast in the morning

And let it rise all day

Then worked the batter into it

In a very special way.

But it never was quite ready

Until the rest were all in bed

And we heard the table squeaking

When mother kneaded the bread.

Well, homemade bread days are over

And mother is laid to rest

She always tried in every way

To give us all the best.

In memory still I hear her

After all had gone to bed

And I hear the table squeaking

As mother1kneaded the bread.

STITCHES OF LOVE

Oh, silly woman, there you sit

You knit and knit and where do you get?

"Where do I get? I'll tell you this

For my first great‑grand child I am knitting a kiss,

There's caps, and bootees and sweater and shawl

And love and kisses knit into them all

There's dreams and ambitions in every row

And someday his mother will tell him so.

So I'll knit for my loved ones

And I hope they know

There is love and best wishes in every row."

A SHORT‑GRASS PIONEER

Way back in 1896

The fact is now well known

There came a bright‑eyed baby boy

To the Will & Daisy Brainard home.

They said he is a handsome baby

As over the crib they bent

"Why he might even someday

Be a president."

Of course all parents think that way

But it seldom ever comes true

But there were many other things

This handsome lad could do,

Claude knew he’d be a farmer

As the other Brainards had

And they all knew how to till the soil

Especially his Dad,

Claude may have sown a few wild oats

When he was young and proud

But after he married Rista

Such things were not allowed

He met, and married Rista

In the year nineteen one nine.

And everyone was happy

And thot the match was fine.

Six children came to bless their home

I'll name them all to you,

Dorothy and Kenneth were the first

Then Clarice and Marjory, too,

David and Larry came later

They, thot them quite a treat

And smiled with satisfaction

Their family now complete

There are 10 grand children

And someday may be more,

And at present great‑grandchildren

Number all of four,

Well, 50 years have rolled around

Since they were joined together

And many hardships they have known

And fared all kinds of weather.

But still their steps are lively

And still their hearts are gay

And all of us will wish them well

On this anniversary day.

And tho Claude is retired from work

And lives the golden rule,

You cannot blame an old man much

If he just plays pool.

MIRACLES

I have planted a garden

And felt the thrill

Of dropping the seed in each little hill

I have seen the tall trees bend in a storm

But they always straightened by early morn.

I have heard the birds sing high above

And I know their songs are songs of love

I have seen the rainbows shining bright

And I know God's promise keeps us right

I have seen a Babe in a crip so small

And I know that is the greatest miracle of all.

DREAMING

I dream of the snow capped mountains

I dream of the lofty hills

I dream of the beautiful rivers

And the rippling stream of rills.

I dream of the streets of Paris

And all the castles of Spain

And Egypt and Italy becon me

They are lovely in sunshine and rain.

I dream of the mighty Pyramids

And the seven hills of Rome

But they are only dreams, for I am very glad

To be right here at home.

RIDING O'ER THE PRAIRIE

Riding o'er the prairie

with an oxen team

Hitched to a Prairie Schooner

Seems just like a dream.

Slow they seemed to travel

Almost like a snail

Roads were rough and bumpy

Just an Indian Trail.

Many a hill we climbed

Many a river crossed

Hardships were endured

And even lives were lost.

Still the faithful oxen

Dragged our heavy load

Pushing ever onward

To find a smoother road.

The bumps and all we suffered

As over the fields we roam

Was worth the price we had to pay

To find our prairie home.

Riding O'er the prairie

If I had my choice

I'd rather cross the prairie

In a Rolls Royce.

LOST LULLABY

“Oh, I have a song in my heart,” she said

They asked her to sing,

But she shook her head

But late that night in the darkened room

They heard her hum a low sweet tune

A baby’s lullaby.

The years sped by and the maiden wed,

"Oh, I have a song in my heart,” she said,

"There is a dear little heart beeting close to mine,

And soon I can hold him all of the time

And I’ll sing him a lullaby.”

The months passed by

And at last there came

A night of agony, fear and pain.

When morning came there only lay

A little body of lifeless clay

No need for a lullaby.

KEYS TO KANSAS BEAUTY

(2nd place award in Garden Club Contest)

If the door was locked on beauty

And you couldn't find the key

And only ugliness prevailed

What a sad world this would be.

So take a swing through Kansas

I am sure you will confess

That the Key to Kansas Beauty

Is the Key to Happiness.

THE UNCLES

They were just three bachelor brothers

Who lived a tranquil life

They all could cook and clean and sew

And didn't need a wife.

There were many things they worked at

That are not done anymore

Such as homemade bread and hominy

And sauerkraut galore.

Their gardens were the finest

With never a flaw or weed

They canned and worked together

To supply their winter's need.

But they had a special talent

Of cooking Navy Beans,

That none of us could equal

Nor imitate, it seems.

When the family gets together

And reminiscence means

We always end up talking

About the Uncles' home‑cooked beans.

A GREAT‑GRANDMOTHER

Oh. many months I waited

It seemed just ages long

To hold my baby within my arms

And sing a lullaby song.

The time of waiting ended

Within my arms she lay

My darling, brown‑eyed babe,

I thot, "This is my greatest day."

My daughter grew and married

The years just seemed to fly

We gave her away in marriage

To a young man, true and fine.

Her time of waiting also came

A baby girl was given.

So sweet, she really seemed to be

A precious gift from Heaven

I looked upon her fondly

Her face so sweet and gay

And whispered softly to myself,

"This is my greatest day."

Well, time rolled by as all things do

And little grand‑daughter grew up, too.

She chose her husband when quite young

And they have a family now begun,

They brought the news one early morn

A little boy had been born.

I bowed my head a prayer to say,

I knew this was my greatest day.

STAY YOUNG

All work and no play,

Makes you old before your day.

THE FLAG

I gazed upon the lovely flag,

Our flag for many years,

And many things it brought to mind

Of wars and blood and tears.

The white was like a lovely dove,

The blue was like the sky

But in the red I saw the blood

Of those who had to die.

Oh, may the land it stands for

Be true and strong and brave,

And wave forever o'er the land

So many died to save.

SAPPA VALLEY

"The Great American Desert"

At one time it was known,

The Indians, deer and buffalo

Were all who dared to call it home.

Then Fremont, 1847; Bryan and others

Came in 1858

And many a traveler tried his luck

And many met their fate.

But soon the lines were established

And settlers came to roam

And soon the rugged pioneers

Began to build a home.

If we in Sappa Valley knew

The perils they met galore,

The Indian Raid in 1878,

Makes us love it more and more.

We see the plains and rivers,

And the fields of waving grain,

But do we ever realize

It was won through strife and pain?

So here is to our forefathers

Who came to pave the way

And gave us Sappa Valley

Where we will always want to stay.

PIONEERS

They rolled across the prairie

They crossed the burning sand

And that's how our fore‑fathers came

To reach the Promised Land.

They drove the heavy oxen

That oft their patience tried

And the women walked beside them,

And the little children cried.

"Go back! Go back!", the women cried,

'We will never reach our goal."

But onward, ever onward,

They made those wagons roll,

At night they crouched in terror,

When they saw the Indian signal fires

And they knew the Indians watched them

From the lofty mountain spires,

There were days they had no water

There were nights they had no rest

But like haunted soul so they wandered on

To seek the fabled West,

And many died along the trail,

Their deeds of valor done,

But thank God, some of them made it,

And that’s how the West was, won.

SUNFLOWERS

On January 29th, this land became a state,

That's why when every year rolls ‘round,

We try to celebrate.

We've had a lot of battles,

And we've had a lot of woes

But we love our land and country

Where the sunflower grows,

We love the Kansas sunshine,

And we love the Kansas rain.

We like the way the farms reach out

With fields of golden qrain.

There are many other places

Where they claim there is more room

But there is no place like Kansas

When the sunflowers bloom.

When the, sunflowers smile upon you

And the whole world seems just great

Then you are glad to know you are living,

In the sunflower state,

JUST CAUSE

When the world is torn and bitter

No one knows just what to do

And all eyes are lifted upward

To our own red, white, and blue.

Can we promise peace and comfort,

To a ravaged country's prayer?

All the world turns to old glory,

They must find the answer there.

Let us carry high the banner,

Let us lead in freedom's race.

And we hope that war and conflict

Never more can find a place.

That our flag protects our freedom

And our hearts and all our land,

Then the world will know our purpose,

When all patriots take a stand.

KANSAS

(Parody on "Home on the Range")

In this great nation's heart, there's a place that's apart,

From the seasides of noise and glare,

On the Great Western Plains, with its ripe, waving grains,

There is plenty for all and to spare.

Home, home on the prairie.

Where the land and the air are so fine.

Where seldom is heard a disturbance or cry

And the earth under my feet is mine.

You can see the clear streams where the bright sunlight beams,

And the meadow‑lark sings his sweet call.

For this great western land with its bright gleaming sand,

Has life, love and freedom for all.

When the stars gleam at night, and the wheat fields are ripe,

And its gold waving color you see.

Then you breathe a soft prayer, on the cool evening air,

“Please, God, may she always be free."

ASTRONAUTS

On Christmas 'Day I heard a prayer

come floating down from Heavents air

And as I listened I knew those three

Were very near eternity.

We clasped our 'hands and prayed below

Their safety, only God could know.

But God had surely heard their cry,

And brought them safely from the sky.

REQUIEM FOP, A SOLDIER

Just a soldier dying,

On the cold hard sod

Where is the red‑cross wagon?

where is the mercy squad?

Comrads all, around him,

Dead and dying too,

Fight until they get you

That was all they knew.

Blood flows down the mountain

Like an ocean wave.

No one reads a sermon;

No one digs a grave,

Breathe a prayer to Heaven

For his soul’s release.

Breathe a prayer to Heaven

may he, rest in peace,

Just a soldier dying

On the cold hard sod,

Where is the mercy wagon?

Where, oh where, is God?

SEVEN-LEAGUE SHOES

Sometimes there's a game to play,

When the sun sinks low at the end of day,

I sit on the porch and gaze to the west

And think of the places I like the best.

I pretend I have league shoes to wear

They will take me traveling without paying fare.

Well, I’m on my way, se here I go

To Lorado, the gate-way to old Mexico.

There's a donkey cart, and an adobe wall

And Papaya trees that grow so tall,

So I'll eat tortillas and dig in the sand

And look at the cactus

And say "How grand!"

But my seven‑league shoes soon take me away,

To another land lore the break of day.

From a dugout canoe in Central Brazil

I watch them pack coffee down from the hill

The mountains and rivers I would see

In the Andean countries

To interest me.

And I'd gaze on the beauty of hill and plain

And wish I need never go back again.

Then away to the Island of Hawaii,

My seven‑league shoes would carry me

Where sugar cane grows and the maidens fair

Weave leis, with blossoms in their hair

And I'll lie on the beach at Waikiki

And watch the ships sail out to sea

Then after wandering and after I roam

My seven-league shoes will carry me home.

When I get there I will open my eyes,

And look at the prairie,

And look at the skies

Then I’ll wonder why I should roam

When there’s so much beauty right here at home.

GOOD EGG

When you go fishing

And tumble from a boat,

Be sure and have your life vest on,

Because only bad eggs float.

NOSTALGIA

(by permission of Jean’s Journal)

I stood on the blanks of a beautiful stream

And watched the waves roll by,

Though but a child, it was plain to see

The beauty of sea and sky,

The little brook, said in a babbling,voice

"Come hurry along with me,

There are flowers and birds wherever I go

And beautiful, things to see.”

So I hurried along through my childhood days

Only hoping to grow

And see the things that grown‑ups see

And know the things they know.

But after my childhood days were gone

And grown‑up days were here

I knew that the happiest days of all

Were those of my childhood years,

For the days slip by and the years are gone

No matter how much you yearn,

And the happiest days of all are lost,

"Down the river of no return."

JUST SNOW

Beautiful snow they call it

Three foot deep on the flat

You plow thru the stuff

And if that isn't enough

It even gets "under your hat."

HOW FAR IS GOD

Living in the valley

Tilling of the sod,

Sometimes I wonder

How far I am from God.

There are stars to guide you

Listen while they say,

"Faith will bring you closer,

Heaven's not far away.”

Man is only human,

Heaven is broad and blue

And there is always someplace

With joy shining through.

If I could climb that mountain,

Away up to the peak

I'd be so close to Heaven

I could almost hear God speak.

TWILIGHT

"Twilight and evening star,"

So the poem goes

Life and its brevity

Nobody knows

But a wise master

Governs it all

Sending sweet slumber

When the dews fall

Now comes the starlight

The evening is late,

Each little love bird,

Sings to its mate.

Reach for God's blessings

As the dews fall

God in his mercy

Sends rest to all.

PROFILE IN BLACK AND WHITE

A little black boy sat under a tree

And he was as sad as sad could be.

His little white playmate, who lived next door

Could not come to play with him any more.

He had heard the boy's mother say quite clear

"I don't want that nigger boy hanging around here."

So he tried to play in another lot

But nasty looks was all he got.

Shunned and neglected all the time

At last he decided to turn to crime.

So he robbed a bank in a very small town

And a big policeman shot him down.

His mother and father stood by the bier

Their eyes red and swollen from many a tear

His mother sobbed, "He would of been all right,

If the poor little fellow had been born white."

REEL FUN

Oh, I like to go a fishing

When the air is soft and cool

Take my rod and reel along

When there isn't any school.

I'll set upon the grassy bank

And dream the hours away

And though the fish refuse to bite,

I've had a perfect day.

ALL WET

A little blue cloud

Sailed high in the sky

I didn't care, it passed me by.

I sat and dreamed

'Neath a big oak tree

Then the cloud came back

And spilled water on me.

DEAR SANTA LETTER

I hate to write this letter

But I was bad today

I scattered all my toys around

And then I left them lay.

And I played marbles with a boy

You should have heard him bawl

Could I help it when we played for keeps,

Because I won them all?

And then our little pussy cat

With fur so nice and soft,

She looked so hot and bothered,

I went and cut if off.

And when I found a wooly worm

Beside the wagon wheel

I gave it to my mother,

You should have heard her squeal!

Now, Santa, when I am very bad

And wish to be forgiven

I kneel right down beside my bed

And pray to God in Heaven.

So when I see you, Santa

If you'll forgive me please,

I'll walk right up and give you

A great big kiss and squeeze,

P.S. I love you. Susie

WISH I KNEW

Wooly worm, wooly worm,

Wish I knew what makes you squirm.

Happy frog, happy frog,

Why do you jump onto a log?

Robin gay, robin gay,

Wish I knew just what you say.

Wise old owl up in a tree,

When you say "Whoo Whoo”, do you mean me?

Katy‑did, I know you, too,

But I don't know what it is you do.

Where do flowers go when they die,

Does God take them to the sky?

People say don't break the rule,

You'll learn all that when you go to school.

ORPHAN LAMB

"Baa” is the cry from the little sheep,

Is it from hunger or fright?

But that is the music the sheep-herder hears,

From early morn ‘til night.

Now this little lamb is an orphan,

His mother is cold and dead,

We will have to take him indoors

And feed him and make him a bed,

All night long we will tend him

And never consider the cost

For we would be unhappy about it

If one little lamb were lost.

So sleep little woolly baby,

Your master watches high

He will feed and care for you, always,

And listen for your cry.

They are all so dumb and helpless,

You never can tell them apart,

But there is something about an orphan lamb

That touches the strings of your heart.

A NAUGHTY STAR

Dear little stars way up yonder,

Winking and blinking so gay,

God must have told you we need you,

For candles to light our way.

At eve I sit and wink at you

And you wink right back at me,

Thanks for your light so very bright

It keeps me company.

I saw a little star fall last night

It made me feel so sad,

I guess God pushed it out of Heaven,

Because it was very bad.

TOO TOUGH

Well, I got me a gal in Alaska

She was sweet, but I thot what's the use,

So I just walked away and left her

That pesky gal wouldn't eat moose!

DARWIN'S THEORY

I got me a gal in Hawaii,

Her manner I thot rather rough

She said she thot man sprang from monkeys,

And that I hadn't sprung far enough.

NO LAUGH

“’Tis easy enough to be pleasant,

When life flows along like a song."

But the one worth a fig,

Is the one who can jig

When the Income Tax bill gets too long!

MODERN WOMAN

A woman is pretty, a woman is fair

And a woman is proud of her lovely hair.

But time respects none, and some bright day

She will find that her hair has turned to gray.

The shock is often hard to bear,

For her crowning glory has been her hair.

In front of the mirror, she will stand and pout

And savagely pull the gray hairs out.

"My fair young lady". I said one day,

"Across your temple is a hair quite gray."

"It doesn't matter at all," she said,

"I will get me some dye and color it red."

ABOUT THE WHISTLE

When the whistle blows at seven,

It’s time to rise and shine.

You yawn a bit and stretch a bit

And know you're feeling fine.

So what's the use of laying

Like an errant sleepy head

When the whistle blows at seven

Who wants to lie in bed?

When the whistle blows at 12 o'clock

You know it's time to eat

And all the hungry people go

Rushing down the street.

The aroma from the kitchen

Seems to drive away the gloom

And it's time to ask the blessing

When the whistle blows at noon.

When the whistle blows at 1 o’clock

You hurry back to work

It doesn't do a bit of good

To sit and try to shirk.

So gather up your burden

Pretend you're having fun

For you know the day's half over

When the whistle blows at one.

When the whistle blows at 6 o'clock

You hurry home to rest

And you get a pleasant feeling

As the sun sinks in the West.

You just sit in your easy chair,

And never care to roam

For that 6 o'clock whistle

Always brings you back home.

When the whistle blows at 10 o'clock

It's curfew and alarm

You gather all the children in

To save them from all harm.

We couldn’t do without it

For the, children know it's best

Wben the whistle blows at 10 o'clock

It's time to go to rest,

So let us keep our whistles

There's comfort in each sound,

And the man that blows the whistle

Is the guardian of the town,,

SAD OUTLOOK

The table was groaning with goodies,,

And everyone smiling and gay

But I just couldn’t help thinking

Of the hash to be eaten next day.

NO U‑TURN

Over and over again,

No matter which way, I turn

A policeman gives me a ticket

He must think I've money to burn,

TO DIET OR NOT TO DIET

I use a “crash diet".

I: follow the text

I diet on one day,

Arid crash the next.

WHAT PRICE WILD LIFE?

When God created animals

He expected them to roam,

But when he gave us children

He hoped they'd have a home.

He said, "Send the little one to me."

He meant both large and small.

How can we refuse them

If there is no room for all.

If you weigh them in the balance,

Which ones should it be,

God's helpless little children

Or the deer that runs so free?

So please, Mr. Commissioner,

Let us have our orphan's home,

I am sure those children need it more

Than the animals that roam.

KEY TO BEAUTY

A key can open many doors,

To walk through with delight;

And we can learn to love and live,

with every lovely sight.

The flowers in the meadow,,

The little birds that sing;

Ohl Aren't you glad God gave the key,

That gives us everything?

GRANDMAOS GARDEN

I always found a place to dream,

In grandma’s garden,

I loved the flowers and trees so green

In grandma’s garden.

The. hollyhocks so stately tall

I scarcely could see above them all

They stood like guards against the wall

In grandma's garden,

Oh, many times I lingered there

In grandma's garden,

The evening breezes breathed a, prayer

In grandma's garden.

When that sweet lady passed away,

The flowers all seemed to nod and say,

"She placed us here, please let us stay,

In grandma's garden,"

RENDEZIVOUS WITH SPRING

Watching the snow thru the window

Wondering what it will bring

Waiting, only waiting for

My rendezvous with spring.

I'll hear the. birds In the tree tops

I'll know the songs they sing,

For they, too, are always waiting

For a rendezvous with spring.

Bird calls, love calls

Sunshine. every where

All the flowers will blossom out,

Arid perfume fill the air.

Mother nature calls me

Give your troubles a fling,

Come and join the happy throng

In a rendezvous with spring,

GARDEN GOSSIP

Oh, the tulip told the lily,

And the lily told the rose;

Now the rose can't keep a secret,

As everybody knows.

So she went and told the pansy,

And the pansy knew quite well

She could tell it to the daisy,

'Cause daisies won't tell.

DANDELIONS

Oh the dandelion! The dandelion!

It makes the shivers go up your spine.

Now if I seed you and you seed me,

Would that be reciprocity?

But listen, neighbor, to what I say,

For sure we can find a better way;

Just use your spray and hoe and digger,

And those dandelions won't get any bigger.

And if all us work like a jolly fellow,

We can keep our town from "getting yellow".

And when people pass through and look around,

You'll hear them say, "What a lovely town".

NEW MEXICO

Have you ever felt the briskness

Of the air at early dawn?

Have you ever seen the dewdrops

Shine like diamonds on your lawn?

Have you ever stood knee‑deep in flowers,

That f ill your heart with pride

And seen the misty clouds roll by

Like a veil around a bride?

Then you gaze up at the mountains

That seem to reach the sky

And listen in the evening

To the lonesome coyotes cry.

There is beauty in the rivers

That run so clear and deep;

And the angler will be waiting

Where the gray trout lies asleep.

If you ask God for a blessing,

Full of beauty that will grow,

Then you know the only answer

Would be New Mexico*

GOD’S GOOD EARTH

Dear Father, give us grace to see

Beauty in every flower and tree;

Help us to make our homes abound

With love and beauty all around.

We will plant our gardens row on row

But only you can make them grow.

Beauty for all, our plan will be

For friends and who may come to see.

And when God gives us rain and sun,

What joy, to hear Thy words, "Well done",

NO SNITCHING

Don't snitch in the kitchen

Don't snitch in the hall;

Or you'll never be able

To loose weight at all.

HOW DO I KNOW

How do I know that you love me,,

How do I know You’ll be true?

How do I know there’s a, Heaven,

With the beautiful stars peekin' thru?

How do I know that the love‑light

I see in your eyes doesn’t lie?

How do I know that the tomorrow

Will bring up the sun in the sky?

How do I know that the robin

Will find him a mate in the spring?

How do I know that the eggs in his nest

Are what makes his little heart sing?

How do I know that the roses

Lift up their heads for the dew?

I only know where ever I go

I shall find heaven with you.

BLUE VELVET SKY

They measure love by depth of sea

And the height of sky above.

I wonder just how far it is to you, way up above?

When I see your velvet blue, I dream of many things

Blue diamonds and candle‑light, and bells and wedding rings.

Blue velvet sky, here am I. Sitting by the river

Waiting for my love.

The world is full of happiness

And you're so blue above,

Wonder why your little stars

All blink and seem to say,

"Do not be discouraged

For love is on the way."

Blue velvet sky,

You helped me find my lady love

And soon she will be mine.

So light your little candles

And tell the moon to shine;

Blue diamonds in the window

And wedding bells to ring,

You helped to make our dreams come true

Your praises we will sing

Blue velvet sky.

ANSWER TO "CRY OF THE WILD GOOSE"

I awoke this morning and raised my head

And found this feather beside my bed.

I had heard the wild goose honk at dawn

And I knew e’er morning you would be gone.

I had clung to your arms the whole night long

I thought I could hold you, for my love was strong.

But whether it blows or whether it snows

I knew you'd go when the wild goose goes.

For a man must be free and a man must roam,

And not tied down by the chains of home.

A woman doesn't gaze at the skies above

But must fill a home with things of love.

A gander will love and fly away,

But a goose loves one 'till her dying day.

So when you return, if you ever do,

I'll feed and clothe you and love you, too.

And I'll not be sorry that I turned you lose

For I'll be the mother of a

Young -- Wild -- Goose.

COYOTE ROUND UP

Well, hurry and get ready

And bring along your gun.

Today is the coyote round up,

And we are going to have some fun.

Yes, fun for everybody

But the coyote, I guess;

For he will have a merry chase

Or a death race, more or less.

They plan to cover four sections

And man each section line;

The coyotes have to move into center,

If everything works just fine.

Four captains then are chosen

To keep things in control,

They herd the coyotes inward

To the center of the goal.

Joe took the muzzle‑loader

It was the only gun he had;

It wasn't very up‑to‑date,

And had belonged to his grand‑dad.

The powder and shot were in it,

Enough to kill a bear;

So Joe just waited there in line,

He knew he would get his share.

Five coyotes in the circle,

Now everyone on his toes;

One headed for the right

And they knew that one was Joe’s.

"Wham!” went the muzzle‑loader,

Joe knew just what to do;

But Joe went rolling backward

And the coyote tumbled, too.

The whole gang stared in horror

And not a word was said;

They really thot it was the end

And Joe and the coyote both were dead.

Well, Joe got up and shook himself

And the, coyote did the same,

Then the coyote started running,

They saw that he was lame.

They, couldn't let him get away

So Lawrence took a chance,

He put another shot into him

That really made him dance,

Well, Lawrence got the coyote

And Joe got only pain,

.But he vowed the next coyote hunt

He would try his luck again,

But he surely learned a lesson,

And learned it very well;

When you fire that old muzzle‑loader,

It can blow you clear to ‑‑‑ Nebraska.

DESERT SUNSET

Have you ever seen the sunset,

Sink behind the desert hill?

Shed the glory of its colors

Over every mountain rill?

The rainbow, red, and purple,

Bring a joy to your heart

And the green and yellow blended

Shows a precious work of art.

Oh! You roam over many countries,

For a sight that is great to see,

But the colors of the desert

Seem more beautiful to me.