A cold for the holidays

Columns, Family

In past readings, I told about having the kids down with chickenpox for Christmas. Today it is an ordinary cold, but for little Russell.

Even if I didn’t catch any of the colds our children had, I continued to suffer. I had to take care of everyone and of course, I worried that the cold would turn into something worse.

This column retells the wrestling matches I had trying to get cold medicine down Russell’s throat. Let me say, it wasn’t easy.

Copyright 2020 © by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

Cat bath

Car-E, cats, fun

I set aside a pail of water to take outside for the chickens. Car-E discovered it and soon it looked like he wanted to take a bath.

Car-E is a big cat with kitten mischief.

Though it looked like he was ready to get into the water, he only got his feet wet.

Copyright 2020 © by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

Too many questions

Christmas, Columns, Family

With three children in 1981, Christmas was a production. But the big question was, When’s Santa coming?

An impossible question for this mother to answer. Back then the children had no sense of time.

Listen what happened when it started to snow in early December.

May you have good memories of your Christmases past and share them with family, too.

Copyright 2020 © by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

Christmas gifts were hidden

Columns

One gift went into my closet in the summer–when I was on my game, I shopped early for Christmas. That one gift was soon joined by another and another.

Too soon my closet had no room for my clothes.

This recounting of closet problems came from a 1981 column.

These days my closet only holds clothes. There’s no one to hide gifts from. All you have to do is look in my dining room to see all my secrets.

I look forward to days when I have to hide gifts for Christmas.

Copyright 2020 © by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

Gift for Bob

Christmas, Columns

Early in our marriage, Bob and I tried to find gifts for each other.

Bob never had a clue what to get me.

Eventually, we gave up trying.

Mostly, if I found a book for Bob, he got it as a gift. I didn’t always wait for Christmas.

Bob’s gifts for me came during the farming season. He’d bring me ditch daisies or even found turkey feathers. It was always something from nature, even a neat looking rock.

Copyright 2020 © by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved