Hi,
I've been thinking about the high prices today. I can remember years go when I could go to the grocery store and spend $5 and have a big bag of groceries.
But now a days $5 doesn't go very far. And eating out costs a lot, too. I can remember some of the prices of 1933. A first class postage stamp was 3 cents. Bananas were 15 cents for one pound. Eggs were 15 cents a dozen. Coffee was 19 cents a pound. Kellogg's Bran Flakes (25 oz.) were 10 cents a box. A man's haircut cost 25 cents, and a few other items, like bread, were 10 cents a load.

Hi,
Tis the season coming up. I want to wish you all a very Happy and Merry Christmas, and a new year of good health and happiness.
I remember years ago when my family always got together. We'd draw names for Christmas presents. There were seven girls and three boys, and we'd all gather at Mom and Dad's home, where we all lived while we were growing up. We always had a bountiful, delicious, dinner, exchanged gifts, and had a wonderful time.

Hi,
We held our Christmas Party at the Senior Citizen Center on Dec. 5. After a delicious pot-luck dinner we played Bunco. We want to thank Kroger for the delicious cake they provided for us.
Our winners in Bunco were Ann Moniger (most games won), Betty Jackson (second for most games won, and most Buncos), and the booby prize went to Joan Butz. Each member was given a candle (a symbol of the Christmas season).

Hi,
I hope you all a happy Thanksgiving. I know I did.
I had a houseful on Thursday and Friday, and we all enjoyed the days with each other. Most of them were from out of town, including my three daughters and their husbands, great grandchildren, grand daughters, one grandson, and nieces. We had turkey and dressing, and the rest of the works on Thursday. On Friday, we had ham, vegetables, and more desserts. The girls and I went out of town on Saturday and enjoyed a visit with my son.

Hi,
I was thinking of things that happened years ago during my lifetime.
I grew up in a large family. My mom and dad had 10 children, seven girls and three boys (there are only three of us left). We were a happy bunch. I graduated from St. Andrew's School in 1932, which was during Herbert Hoover's days and during the depression. I went to work at Brown Shoe Factory at 14 years old. They didn't ask for a birth certificate at that time. I worked for 11 years, and married Ernest Boyer, who was in the U.S. Navy,  in 1944.

Hi,
Hooray! The Cardinals won!
And wasn't that last game of the World Series a thriller! I've been a Cardinal fan all of my life, and I'd like to congratulate each and every player on that team!

News from Nettie (by my daughter Frances) Mystery Plant Revealed!
A couple of columns ago, I wrote about a "mysterious" vine growing in my flower bed. I can now reveal that it is a "pumpkin plant!"
So far, I have one pumpkin growing and several more ready to bloom. I guess time will tell how many more pumpkins the plant will yield.
Now, while we now know what the plant is, we'll never know how the seed was transported to the flower bed. My guess is a bird dropped it there, or it "rode" along with the begonia my daughter planted.

A few columns ago I wrote about my top 10 favorite sports movies, lines from sports movies, etc... This time around I thought I'd do something similar.

Hi,
You know sometimes we just think of all the bad things happening in our life. But how about the good things, like your good health, your family and friends, getting around as good as you're able to, and being able to go places and see things?
I know I get happy thinking about having four children and numerous grandchildren and being around them once in a while. I have a great grandson, and a great grand daughter who live here. Most of my family live out of town, but they come to see me pretty often or we get together at different times and enjoy our visits. So look at the good side of your life, and it will help you a lot.

Hi,
I've been reading about Dr. George Gallop's years of researching the typical American.
So, according to the Gallop Poll, the following are some of his findings" 96 percent of the American people believe in God; 76 percent believe in life after death; half go to church; one-third say grace before meals; 38 percent are very happy; 4 percent unhappy; and one percent haven't been able to decide if they are happy or not.

Hi,
How many of you out there remember the guy who used to come around in the evenings with his wagon shouting, "Hot Tamales - Red Hot Tamales For Sale!!!"
I know we always looked forward to buying hot tamales from him. They were 10 cents each, and so delicious! My mother used to make them once in a while, and they were also very good.

Hi,
I was sitting here this morning and thinking of days gone by, when as small children we used to play with simple things like paper dolls that we cut out of Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogues, hop scotch, and marbles that you could buy at a small price.
We went to the shows for 10 cents, and we'd look forward to going each week to watch the serials that went on for weeks.
These days, kids have their own computers and telephones at an early age and learn to use them. They also have their own bikes, watches, radios, etc...

Hi,
June 6, 1944 - D Day. How well I remember that day!
I was in New York at the time, where my first late husband, Ernie Boyer, was in the Navy. He was assigned to a transportation ship that took servicemen to Europe during the war, and he'd be gone 3-4 weeks at a time, and then he'd be back in port for one to two weeks. We lived in an apartment at the time, and there were three other ladies that had husbands on the same ship and we used to get together while the ship was gone to see interesting sites in New York.

Hi,
I enjoyed spending the last weekend with two of my daughters. We did a lot of running around and visiting with some of our folks.
My kids were all born, and grew up, in Murphysboro, so they still have a lot of friends here and know a lot of people. We have a lot of good memories of the times they had, and the things they did.

Hi,
In today's busy world, where we are always on the go and always in a rush, we sometimes overlook the importance of showing our appreciation. It might be that we forgot to take the time to thank a cashier who goes out of her way to help us find a certain item, or an employee may fail to recognize the employer or co-worker who comes in early or stays late to get a job done.

Hi,
A large crowd attended the Memorial Day Service for all veterans who are serving now and who have served throughout the years.
It was a very impressive service. Pat Cook was Master of Ceremonies, and Father Gary Gummerscheimer, Pastor of St. Andrew Church, gave a most inspiring prayer and speech. Taps was played by Andrew Mikulay, a very talented musician. A lunch was provided, and a beautiful quilt in the Red, White and Blue colors was raffled off. The lucky winner was Ronald Milton. The Geritol Posse provided the entertainment, and their music was enjoyed. The program was a great tribute to all of our veterans. Thanks to our American Legion Club.

By Sunday, March 20, I had been in Haiti for about a week, working at the Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH) clinic in Cyvadier, Haiti.  I had worked four days of ten hours and one day of five hours.    I had cared for about 250 patients.  Like the rest of the staff, I needed a break.
FOTCOH has had a clinic building in Cyvadier since the late 1990’s, and groups of medical personnel have come for two weeks at a time since then.  The clinics follow a set routine, optimized over years of experience.  Part of the routine involves a day off on the Sunday of the clinic.  Generally, the groups drive to a beautiful sandy beach, taken directly off a postcard, and have a lunch of fresh fish prepared by local fishermen and cooks.  The beach lies ten miles or so from the FOTCOH building.

Hi,
I went to watch a vintage base ball match on Saturday between the Murhysboro Clarkes and the Springfield Long Nine at Riverside Park. They wound up playing a doubleheader, and the Murphysboro team won both games, 11-5, and 12-11. The second game went into extra innings.
During the warm ups before the games, J.J. the Clarkes mascot dog, chased down the ball when it got away from the players and returned it to them.

As I spent two weeks in Cyvadier, Haiti working at the Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH) medical clinic, the place that Vodou (otherwise known as “voodoo”) holds in Haitian culture became readily apparent. Talk of Vodou ceremonies, Vodou priests, and, yes, Vodou curses flows through conversations much as the topics of a church social, service, or fish fry would flow through American conversation. My own knowledge of Vodou prior to traveling to Haiti for the first time five years ago consisted of a fear that someone would stick a pin into a doll that looked like me. In practice, Vodou and its place in Haiti are more complicated.

Hi, I can remember back to when people used to make their own soap. One of my mother-in-laws was one of them. I watched her one day while she was making soap, and she only used three ingredients: 1 can of lye, 5 pounds of lard, and 21 ounces of distilled water. It always turned out good. She always let the mixture set for six hours to let it set and get ready to cut. Another thing that people made was their own clothes.