Thursday's "The Little Things that make me Smile" and it's "Poem in Your Pocket Day"

Here's a photo of my mom and me...

When she died last February, the remainder of her precious possessions

 were moved here, to our storage area.

And among those items are photos...

Many of you know that my parents were farmers...

poor farmers.

And, I am a only child.

So, I spent countless hours with my mom,

while my dad was out working in the fields.

Playing with my dishes...

Cutting out my favorite fashions from the Catalog.

I was Mommy's little helper.

Here, I am rolling and cutting donuts.

And, here I am using the meat grinder to make sandwich spread.

(Is this border-line a child labor law violation?)

But, to tell the truth I have good memories of growing up on the farm.

My mother had a wealth of poems in her memory.

She graduated HS in 1938 and went to Mayville State Teachers College.

After earning her teaching certificate,

she taught in several country schools in North Dakota.

The State Department of Education required the memorization and recitation of poetry.

My mother could entertain me for hours by reciting poetry.

Poem...after poem.

I especially remember Laundry Day.

Mom washed clothes with the wringer washer.

We hung the clothes outside on the line.

When they were dry, we brought them inside...

and I sprinkled them with water.

Then she would iron...for hours!

I would sit on that silver stool, listening to her recite poetry.

Which brings me to today.

It is "Poem in my Pocket Day".

Our school librarian encouraged us to all select a poem to share with each other and with our students.

And this was one of my favorites.

oil painting by Winslow Homer

The Swing

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Happy Spring...

Happy Poem in your Pocket Day!

Take care,

~Natalie