Old Stuff

Well, Sarah found my old journals that were in the attic. A few highlights from this past week, ten years ago, when Sarah was 12 years old...

Friday, July 8, 1994 Tara's 15th birthday. [Tara is the daughter of my older brother, Doug]. Babysat Stacie & Andrew today--right up until the minute we left for the rodeo, when Jo Ann came, at 6:30. [Stacie & Andrew are children of my younger brother, Melvin]. John Endres hauled Honey to town, and Prairie & Emelia rode double from their Grandparent's house to our house. Left Honey tied, then we all went to Paul & Marie's to get the trailer, then out to the farm to get Mollie. It was me, Andrew, Stacie and Emmy in the front, and Prairie & Sarah in the back (of the pickup). At the farm, I drove out into the pasture to clean out the trailer, while Sarah hosed the dirt & mud off her horse, since it had rained. When we got back to town...Sarah got dressed in her red shirt, new red boots, & bluejeans. Meanwhile, I had Prairie & Emmy make themselves a sandwich. I was so hot & sweaty, even after a bath, that I couldn't wait to leave, just so I could cool off in my air-conditioned pickup! Sarah, Prairie, Emmy & I went to the rodeo at Forestburg. Nancy met us there later. It was a big Grand Entry. After the rodeo we stayed for all the slack roping and barrel racing, then they had exhibition barrel racing, and Sarah & Prairie both did that. Left the horses and tack and trailer all at Prairie's house, where Sarah spent the night.

Oh, those rodeo days! On to the next day...

Saturday, July 9, 1994 The girls had planned on finally getting to ride from Prairie's house to Muenster, but it was raining with thunder & lightning all morning. So I made other plans! First, I cleaned house...Nancy brought the girls to town, as she had to settle a car deal anyway (she bought Ed Cler's car from the Estate sale). Sarah, Prairie & I went to Gainesville. First we went to the 4:00 p.m. Mass at Saint Mary's. Then we went to eat at Long John Silver's. Then we went to K-Mart, then to the movies to watch The Flintstones. After the movie we went to Tom Thumb... Prairie now spent the night with us.

Huh! I can barely remember there ever being a K-Mart in Gainesville! There's a Sack-N-Save there, now. On to the next day...

Sunday, July 10, 1994 We got up at 5:30 to eat breakfast, but is was raining AGAIN, so after I washed the breakfast dishes, I went back to bed. Sarah woke me at 10:00 a.m. asking if we could go now; it wasn't raining. But it was still threatening to! Such strange weather. One minute clear, the next rainy--like being in the Tropics. Well, we did go to Prairie's house, where the horses already were. They saddled up and took off for Muenster, with their rain ponchos in Prairie's saddlebags. I stayed at Nancy's awhile...when I caught up with the girls they were already 4 miles away, in Myra! I stopped at the Myra store and waited a minute for them to get there. They were going to buy a snack at the store but it was closed. Endres's old dog, "Gravy", had followed the girls to Myra. When I was sitting on the tailgate as they rode up, Gravy jumped right in and layed down--tired dog! So I drove her back home [the girls were going to be riding along Highway 82, no place for a loose dog]. When I got back, the girls were now between Myra and Highway 82. I stopped so Sarah could go to the bathroom behind the pickup. Then I went home and fixed sandwiches for lunch, went back to the girls, and we ate along the highway. It was around 1:00 or 2:00, and we had eaten breakfast so early! It showered a little, but it didn't REALLY rain until later--then it POURED! I went to see where the girls were, and they had just arrived in town, and were sitting on their horses under the shelter of Bayer's Kolonialwaren's gas pumps. They were still mostly dry, and from there I should have gone for Don's trailer and hauled them the rest of the way! But they wanted to finish...they rode all the way to the farm, in on-again, off-again pouring rain. They were DRENCHED, and so was the tack. Fifteen miles! What a grand ride! What horsewomen! Well, time was running out! At the farm, we stripped the tack off the horses, and zoomed back to town, where Nancy & Emmy were waiting at our house. The Wet Ones changed--Sarah took a quick bath--they were waiting for John to come with some dry shorts for Prairie. But Prairie said she was too cold for shorts, so she put on a pair of Sarah's bluejeans. When John came, they all left and went to the 5:30 showing of "The Lion King" at Gainesville. They ate at Taco Casa after the movie.

Wow. Prairie was only 11, Sarah was 12. That was probably the first time ever that they were allowed to ride along Highway 82 like that. That was their first Big Ride; to go so far...15 miles! Well, on to the next day...

Monday, July 11, 1994 Sarah had swim lessons at 9:00 a.m.--she is in Level 6. She couldn't stay afterwards to help teach the other two hours, because we needed to pack for 4-H Camp. We arrived at the meeting place early, which was the south parking lot of the Civic Center in Gainesville. They were supposed to leave there at 12:30 for Lake Texhoma, but of course it was later than that. Sarah rode with Nancy, Prairie & Emmy in their new, blue car. I went to Wal-Mart, then to Piza Hut for take-out.

Not much on that day, or the next one...

Tuesday, July 12, 1994 Sarah still at camp.

I don't know what I did that day...guess I didn't have much of a life that wasn't centered on my daughter--HA! And finally, on this day, ten years ago...

Wednesday, July 13, 1994 Sarah was dead tired when I picked her up at Gainesville this afternoon! She went right to sleep when we got home, but I had to wake her for softball practice. She didn't want to get up! They kept them busy at camp! She told me all about it--sounded like she had a good time.

Well, that's all for now. Hope you enjoy this, and that Sarah doesn't get TOO embarrassed!