Peanuts and Crackerjacks

 

We took a little road trip this week and went to see our grandson play baseball. They live too far away for us to see too many of the games, but this was fun. His team is the eight- to ten-year-old age slot, so they are at the point where you start to see a lot of improvement. I've been to a lot of Little League games over the years, but I have never been what anyone could call a sports fan.

With five children growing up, there were years when practices, and games took a lot of time. My two boys played ball. My youngest daughter also played baseball, not softball. That was kind of unusual for the time. There weren't too many girls on the teams.

Two of my girls were gymnasts, so for years we had three practices a week, and meets all over the state for what seemed like every weekend. I enjoyed watching gymnastics. The worst part of it was that they expected nearly absolute quiet. So the moms would always sit on the bleachers barely talking. I brought a lot of craft and sewing projects to work on during those years. This was way before the time of cell phones. We wouldn't have been able to have them in the gym anyway. It was a sacred and silent place!

The ball fields were a lot more casual and laid back. All the younger kids would run around and have a great time playing and the moms would catch up on everything going on in their lives and neighborhoods. A lot of this is still the same over 40 years later. And a lot is different. Parenting styles have changed a bit over the years. Sportsmanship is still important, even though sometimes things can get a little heated. This was a good game, and I thought our team was going to win up until the last inning. It was exciting. 

Most of our trips now are short ones. Neither of my husbands really liked to travel. I'm pretty sure that Jim had a 23-hour time limit. He never wanted to be gone longer than that. Once he even woke us all up at three a.m. to leave a weekend family reunion after the first evening. John's family all seemed surprised that we were spending the night away from home. I don't think he's that predictable. We have been on several one- or two-day trips around the Midwest. And who could ever forget our debacle of a honeymoon!

Lucky for me, nobody cared if I wanted to travel, so I have been on  quite a few longer trips over the years. But even my love for adventure is starting to slow down. I am always, always happy to return home, no matter where I go!

WHAT I AM READING:  Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

A Retelling of the Cinderella Story. Was her stepmother really that wicked or was she just misunderstood? We will find out and let you know.

I've always been a bit political. When I was a senior in high school, I was a Senate page in our Iowa legislature. It was a wonderful experience, and I happily missed my last school semester to be able to work at our state capitol. Our session (1967!!) was the longest one and didn't adjourn until July.  We sat on a bench and answered a bell when a senator wanted something. This ranged from taking messages to the governor and other offices, to picking up bills from the library, to getting a candy bar from the lunch room. We each had a shift in the phone room, and took phone messages to them. There was a row of phone booths where they answered their calls. This room was also where all the lobbyists hung out. There was a lot of "wheelin' and dealin' " back then, I think. We also learned a lot about the way the government worked and had weekly sessions where we went over the bills and discussed them.

Of course, there was a lot of fun too. I probably knew about all the nooks and crannies, attics, and secret tunnels in the Capitol building. It was a very innocent time, with no scandals going on that I ever knew about.

In the photo above, I am the shortest one, and I still have the same hairstyle today!

In 2010 I worked at the Legislature again. This time I was one of the telephone operators for the House. Our main job was to transfer phone calls to each of their phones. I think most of the calls went to voice mail and then it was their job to return them. We were in a separate room so I didn't get to see most of the proceedings. We did get to listen to some of the meeting though. I learned a lot about how state governments work. There is so much pressure put on the representatives and senators to vote with the party. There is much more pressure in Congress. They need to be reminded that they are the voice of the people who elected them.

I saved all the daily calendars and papers and put them into a junk journal with photos. It was an interesting way to remember moments of the session. This one was one of the shortest ones and ended after three months.

Over the years I have gone to a few political rallies and protests, but probably not as many as I should. I have so much admiration for the citizens in Minnesota right now. And even more fear. I am afraid for them, and for the immigrants, and for our country. I am afraid for the relationships and friendships that may be damaged beyond repair. I urge everyone to call their legislators and let them know what you think. They document those calls even if you don't speak to them directly.

You are allowed to say, at any point, I can't support this. Even if you did. Even if you were unsure. You can at any point say "this has gone too far." And while the best time to say that was earlier, second best time is now.

(I don't know who said this first. I have seen it several times on the internet. If you know, tell me and I will credit it.)