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Growing up “country bumkin” style, Part 3

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My older brothers are six and four years older than me, and I am five years older than my next brother, and then a fourth brother is 11 years younger than me. We love him and decided to keep him, even though he was an “oops.” I did have another brother two years younger than me who died when he was four years old, the evening before my seventh birthday. So many friends and relatives came to our house the evening my little brother died. I had two birthday cakes that night and got a shiny red tricycle that Mom and Dad gave to me as there were so many kids there. So as we are, there are five of us—two brothers older, two younger, and me smack-dab in the middle. (Think of an Oreo Cookie; then think of that sweet frosting in the center. That’s me.)
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Growing up “country bumkin” style, Part 2

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Growing up “country bumkin” style, Part 2 When we moved out to the farm, 3-1/2 miles east of Goessel—I was one-year old—our house had running water at the kitchen sink and a big clawfoot bathtub on the second floor, but no other plumbing. There was a cistern just a few feet away from the kitchen door, and a pump to draw up the water.
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Growing up “country bumkin” style

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Some people were gifted with an amazing capacity of a memory bank. My dad has an incredible memory. He can tell stories of his childhood, and he’s about to turn 96. A number of years ago, I helped him publish his memories in a book for our family, and I was amazed at the details he remembers. Perhaps he kept all those memory genes to himself because really, none of us kids in my family can remember childhood to the extent and as clearly as he does.
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Ukraine: It drops me to my knees

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Watching the evening news and the latest reports on the war in Ukraine is both heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching. Such overwhelming evil has taken over that country, where civilians are being targeted, whether they are young or old, men, women or children. It’s one of those things that is hard to watch, but also hard NOT to watch. We need to be aware of such atrocities happening in our world so we are not uninformed or lied to as are the Russian people. We do not live in a bubble, and we cannot put blinders on or be detached in any way from the horrors of this war.
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Animal capers

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We sure do love our animals. They become members of our family, especially if they are indoor pets that are used to getting a lot of attention. At least that’s how Charley has us trained. She’s been on a kick lately that she wants to play fetch with her spikey ball everytime one of us is around. But for her, part of the fun is not wanting to give the ball back. I will tell her that we can’t play if she doesn’t drop the ball, and then finally she drops it, but likes to grab it right back before I can get it. Her latest thing is to use her nose or her tongue to roll spikey ball towards me. She will do anything to get attention. I love this little mini-lab, even though she has made me “cat-less” for the first time in my life, as we have decided to be a one-pet family. For now.
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No matter how you slice it

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I didn’t think I would ever meet a slice of pie that I didn’t like. But I did, just recently, at the Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale in Hutchinson. Actually, I need to amend that statement to say: I didn’t think I would ever meet a slice of pie at the Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale that I didn’t like. I mean, we Mennonites are known for awesome pies and zwieback and dinner rolls and bread, etc. But on Friday night of the two-day event, the luck of the pie slice was not on my side, and I got a bad piece. The real trouble here is that at least five other people also got a bad slice of that same pie. But before the tale of the pie, let me set the stage.
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Grace Notes

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Grace Notes The Kansas Jayhawks sure made us The Kansas Jayhawks sure made us proud as they put up a fight to the finish, bringing home the National Championship for the sixth time, second for Coach Bill Self. This was no “ordinary” ballgame.
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Nancy's Notes

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Speaking of genetics... Last week I shared the story of identical twin sisters who married identical twin brothers and have now each had baby boys that are so genetically similar, the cousins are more like brothers.