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Summertime


Despite the current state of our world and the fruit flies in the backyard, I am enjoying the summer with the Husband, Molly the Cat, and Friends.  Yes, that is a bureau in front of the house. It was Mama's, one of the first pieces of furniture Daddy bought her in the late 1940s. I brought it outside earlier this year but only got around to painting it in June. I like to think Mama's Spirit is okay with that.

On Saturday, my high school graduating class held its annual Class of 1971 Scholarship fundraiser. For the past 10 years or so we have awarded a $2,000 scholarship to a graduating senior. We're the first, and still only, class to have established a scholarship at our high school. Pretty good for us, slackers. Yes, we were when compared to the achievers in the class on either side of us. That's okay, look at us now. Go '71 HayBalers!

For the fundraiser's silent auction, I donated this one-of-a-kind, perfectly imperfectly handcrafted coffee cup cozy.  It took me two hours to complete. Not kidding.


The local high school starts this week, while the elementary and middle schools will begin next week. In my (olden) day, our first day of school was usually the third week in September. Back then, this was a rich valley of various farms, orchards, and ranches, and we, children were also part of the labor force to harvest and process the crops. My first job was cutting apricots and placing the halves on a long tray that was placed in the sun for the fruit to dry. I was ten years old.  I think I was paid 25 cents for every bucket I cut and about three buckets of cut apricots filled a tray that was set in the sun to dry.

At the end of my third day, I was so exhausted that Daddy and Mama said that I didn't have to go to work the next day. Or, the next day. Or, the next. Or, even the following year and the years after that. I eventually babysat and found other ways to earn money.

My parents spoiled me. Thankfully, I didn't know that while they were.


Yesterday morning, Missy Molly by Golly guarded me, just like these photos show, while I deadheaded the daisies in the front yard. Will I ever learn not to wait until the plant is almost about to dry up because of the spent flowers? Maybe it's time to consider perennial flowers that don't require deadheading. Is there such a thing?

Both Molly and I enjoyed the visiting wildlife as well as the stationary ones in the yard.
Today's memes to check out: All Seasons, hosted by Jesh of The Jesh Studio, and Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.  Thank you, lovely hosts!

Hippie Hugs to one and all!

Comments

  1. Cute little cozy, and I think a guard cat must be wonderful!

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  2. Such a great variety of photos and info about you! Thanks so much for sharing. You have every reason to be proud of your graduating class; that's a great way to pay it forward.

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    1. Thanks, Betty! I think we're starting to realize how big of a thing it is sponsoring a scholarship.

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  3. ...a colorful world surrounds you!

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  4. Keep enjoying your colourful summer days!
    Hugs to Molly.

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  5. Your friendship serenade is beautiful & I'm glad Missy Molly keeps you company. As a young child I picked berries in my parent's garden - dull job and got poorly paid. When I grew a bit older I went elsewhere - to sell icecream. Maybe not brighter at all and not even the pay was much :) Wishing you a lovely eek.

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  6. how pleasant... a day in the life. Good girl Molly! Nothing like real labor to make a kid want to do well in school! I had lots of menial jobs and they helped form me. California sounded so exotic to a girl growing up in Florida about the same time period. Congrats on giving a scholarship to a student, paying forward, LeeAnna

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    1. Everything looks exotic on the other side of the fence. :-) I didn't make a connection about doing well in school and physical labor until I was 19 or 20 when my options were to re-enroll in college or work in a windowless building sorting garlic on an assembly belt.

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  7. Sounds pretty tough labor for someone who was just ten.

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    1. Back then, there were kids younger than me cutting apricots or picking fruit.

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  8. Sounds like hard work. Babysitting... Also hard work.

    1971. I know the year well. It was the year I was born.

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  9. Hello! Thanks for visiting my blog! I loved reading yours with my morning coffee today! Have a great week. 😊 Kit

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  10. That is a cool cup cozy. Molly is a beautiful girl.

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  11. Su-sieeemac - I am still battling the deer in my garden, and sometimes I think it is my way of taking out my frustration with other events in the world. I often feel helpless on both counts! Good for the class of '71 to establish a scholarship - with the cost of college these days, kids need all the support they can get. That's a lot of apricots … Hippie hugs back at you, and thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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    1. Deer or fruit flies, fruit flies or deer? Not sure which I would prefer to battle. Molly votes for deer, of course she doesn't plan to do anything but maybe nap nearby them.

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  12. Love the things you made for the fundraiser! Cute and bright - totally you:) Am glad you had wise parents in letting you off the hook drying those apricots! You turned the desk into something that fits in nature! Awesome job and thank you much for sharing thee experiences with All Seasons ! Nice details in your collage/mosaic! Have a fun week, Susie !

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    1. Thanks, Jesh. The parents were very good about me trying out things, as long as it wasn't dangerous and within reason.

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  13. I really like the dresser and I’m sure The Mama is smiling at how you’ve repurposed it.... Our kids (who are only a few years younger than you) worked some in the summer.... they picked beans when they were in their early teens...but I don’t think it was spoiling to let a ten year old off the hook for that apricot job! That’s too much like assembly line work. I can’t believe school starts so early these days,....August is the best summer month! ....that’s a lovely thing your no-longer-slacker class is doing!

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    1. The brother picked apricots, which was what I wanted to do. Climb a tall ladder and fill a bucket with the fruit. I think that job was for the teenage boys. He was the one who actually got me the job. I wonder if he ever resented that our parents didn't make me go back to work.

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  14. Your mom would prove of the dresser that looks like it was made for your ga4den. I love the painting you did on it. I love the coffee cozy and I love that you set up a scholarship...pretty cool. Molly rules!

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    1. Thank you, thank you, and thank you, Birgit. Molly totally agrees with you. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

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  15. I often like to think of furniture around my place and the stories it could tell. I reckon your Daddy and Mama are smiling down at your recreation of a much loved piece - oh the stories it could tell! Well done to the class of 71 for the scholarship - great initiative! Give Miss Molly a cuddle from me!
    Wren x

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    1. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr, says Molly. The bureau has an accompanying vanity that I want to paint when the weather finally gets cool.

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  16. Congrats to the Class of 71 for stepping up ... and snake-eyes to the rest of 'em.
    Guard cat, is guarding! :)

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  17. I really enjoy reading your blog, I'm sorry I haven't visited more lately. I remember kids being exhausted working on a farm detasseling corn but that was in high school. A ten-year-old cutting fruit, you're lucky you came out of that without being pitted and put out to dry in the sun yourself.
    Hi Molly, Dexter used to sit up in the loft looking out over everybody but I'm pretty sure he'd never make the news for defending me from an intruder and if he was on guard duty he was making sure I didn't heat up the tuna casserole without putting out a plate for him.
    Love your coffee cozy, I'm still trying to find a ribbon or something to put through a paw print medallion, it's been several weeks.
    Looking at your bureau reminded me of a TV and VCR I let friends paint, don't those happy colors make everything seem better? It looks quite at home in your garden.
    I feel like your Zetabetical snake, currently with an expanded bottom from all the corn I've eaten. I've gone all Johnny Depp in "Secret Window" again.
    Still smiling at your butterfly comment.

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    1. No need to apologize, Jeanna. I haven't been consistent with posting, responding to comments, and visiting blogs. Lots of distractions!
      One summer I worked as a pollinator for my mom and towards the end of summer, she had me go through a field of corn and pull out males, or was it females. I got so sick, I was out for a couple of days.
      We had corn on the cob last night. It was like candy.. A good thing we only got two.

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  18. You should start a coffee cozy business.

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    1. If I ever make a cozy in 30 minutes or less, I shall consider it. :-)

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  19. Good for your class. I don't think there are any such scholarships at my high school. Something to consider, maybe. I never thought about it before but there should be something like that.

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    1. Thanks! There are plenty of scholarships given out by local families and nonprofits, but not alumni classes so we're pretty proud about our achievement.

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  20. I am glad Molly cat is still around. I have been a bit lax in blogging and commenting on blogs I follow, and I hope to get back into it soon.

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Thanks for the good cheer. :-)

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