"By the time the average Christian gets their spiritual temperature up to normal, everybody thinks it's a fever!"
Watchman Nee
Norm's Daily Ramblins
BE THOUGHTFUL HOW YOU LIVE THEM
Maude Parfitt Plunkett on her 100th birthday
Nancy Henning Plukett just before she had to leave.
After 50 years of silence, Mary Osgood is no my wife.
Written the afternoon of May 14, 2006
I was going through an old file and found these two writings that prompted this nearly 72 year old to issue a caution to those who tend to move so fast they hardly know what's going by.
Loved ones, friends and any visitors ... relish the moments you're given because things change so rapidly. The "moment" must be honored by your rapt attention and deep gratitude. There are so many of these special moments and so many have nurtured us into being who we are.
"Sweet Nancy Henning Plunkett" left us about a month after this Ramblins article that is printed below, but before leaving gave her approval and helped me in meeting an old school friend who is a gifted, talented, capable woman and had been single for 27 years. Mary Osgood was a Learning Disabilities program supervisor in the Denver Public Schools where she lived since 1968. Mary is now my precious new wife of two years, and I have been gained three daughters and seven grandchildren.
The entire situation of Nancy's leaving early was God's permissive will that allowed her to realize what she had lived for... but it caused much grief, stress, and events that were of the Lord. All of us were devastated and emptied. But our oldest son was thrust into a life style with responsibilities and expeiences he would not have seen otherwise. Nancy would be so proud of our oldest son, who now has become so much more independent and self reliant. Something we were afraid would never happen... but it has!
And my Mom that I write about? Well she has been in the hospital one more time with a broken hip -- on December 10, 2003 it snapped as she was sitting down at a table getting ready to listen to Rush. But come back? YOU BET! What
a tough pioneer lady. Last February she CELEBRATED her 100th birthday. He days are more painful because of her arthritus but in control and aware of every aspect of life? It's Maude as usual. And my sister Judy has devoted her life to caring for Mom. Though Judy does not have children, her honor from the Lord and all us who love her is as her role as a nurturing, caring Mother. Her gift of self to Mom and the Lord is an inspiration to us all.
So.... appreciate your day today -- and the one you will be given tomorrow and the day after. I call this "Carping the Diem." And as Harvey Nowland got me putting in writing... "God is Good..... always!"
np.
MOTHER’S DAY 2002 - STRICTLY PERSONAL
Trust that you are had a wonderful time with family on this special day. And deepest appreciation to those who expressed appreciation for the tribute I wrote honoring my wife, my Mom, and all women – whether Moms or not. Yup, there was more than the one email from sister Judy this time.
My brother Robert retired Social Service State of Washington, pastors a small Baptist church in Othello – out in the eastern desert of the state. Yesterday he hooked up his computer with his RCA wireless and interviewed Mom using the house sound so everyone could hear his conversation with her. The congregation loved hearing the voice and comments of 96-year-old Maude Elsie. One response brought the house down. “Mom, did you do any work today?” “What’s the matter with you? Of course not! This is Sunday!” That is a service Robert’s congregation will remember for a long time.
The young men at our house prepared a sumptuous meal for their Mom. They bought a mess of three-inch thick Australian Lamb Chops and grilled them with Rosemary, basil, hickory and a secret rub. Oh, my goodness! What a meal. Nancy had been preparing to be “up and atom” for the meal, and almost made it. An unexpected setback sent her to bed for a while. In the middle of the meal I took a chop up to her and she got a taste of it. In about an hour she was asking for Balsamic vinegar and Apple Jelly. Before we knew it, there was nothing but bone. Then she had a small piece of Chris’ scratch apple pie. About 7 pm she had come down to the kitchen and was looking for her baked potato and a couple of fresh beans.
So we, too, had a great day – one to thank the Lord for. Nancy and I finished the day by watching the Food Channel’s presentation of the workings of the dining car kitchen on the American Orient Express. What a great show – we were fed all over again.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY – MOTHER MAUDE AND
PRECIOUS WIFE NANCY!
Written May 10, 2001
It’s my column so I’ll say anything I want and praise anyone I choose. And you have the ability to stop reading right here.
We are honoring all our mothers this week – not for having the most children, the youngest child, the mother who traveled the furthest, or the mother who rinsed the most cloth diapers in the toilet. Yup, that’s what it’s called. We are going to give roses to all of them.
Thank you, Nancy, for being my wife of 44 years. It has been a winding road of joy and fulfillment. And as you raised our three boys, you remained a true and loving wife to a guy that couldn’t have done it without your spiritual depth, many skills, wisdom, endurance, humor, trust, and love for us all. You a perfect partner, a loving Mom and a model for any traditional family. I look forward to seizing a lot more days with you.
Nancy’s Mom graduated to glory several years ago, but Irma Jarchow Henning built into Nancy the old world values and the love and care of a devoted mother. Four children and a loving husband made a tightly knit nuclear family that enjoys life and friends.
My mother, Maude Elsie Plunkett, celebrated her 96th birthday a couple of months ago. And celebrated it with full control of her life. Up to a year ago she lived alone, took care of her own affairs, and kept the house up in her inimitable German Pennsylvania Dutch way – and that goes for cabinet drawers too. In 1981, when I invited her to live in the home we had just vacated in 1981, I felt it would be a good way to give her some temporary help while she decided what she wanted to do. With six children she was thinking about spending a couple of months with each and doing a round robin every year.
Mom was 75 at the time and that was 21 years ago. Incredibly, she has now lived in Atlanta, Georgia almost as long as she lived in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin where she raised six Plunkett children on Cedar Street. My sister Judy is now living with Mom and giving assistance as her sight has failed some. But you still better not whisper in her presence unless you want her in the conversation.
She wouldn’t miss listening to Paul Harvey or Rush Limbaugh and is a regular viewer of C-Span 1 & 2 – especially when something hot is going on – and would NEVER miss seeing Brit Hume’s news hour on FOX, but Tony Snow is high on her list too. Don’t call her at 8:00 pm because you’ll be interrupting Bill O’Riley. If you want to know what’s going on, call me and I’ll give you her number. “And by the way, Norman, when are you going to return the Crescent wrench you borrowed last month?” I’ve given Mother information about carrying out my wishes when I graduate to glory. I really think she will still be here when I am not.
Maude Plunkett still wakes up in the middle of the night and breaks into song – singing the old hymns that gave her strength and comfort and praying with intercession for others she knows are being tested and tried in the cauldron of life. She has been what we used to call a “Prayer Warrior!” And she has not stopped at 96. All those Bible study classes for the neighborhood children on Cedar Street built in us a love and respect for God. Don’t know about the Shaws and the Grants, and the – can’t remember them now, but I can testify to what it did for me having a godly mother.
Mom has been in a hospital four times in her life – to give birth to four of her six children! Can you believe that! Yea, I was born at home in Chicago just off Clark Street and not too far from Moody Bible Institute. These days, she visits Dr. Peeler twice a year. “Her strength has been as her years.”
What better way to think about the "mothering" you received as a youngster that listen to good old "Ma Perkins" brought to you by Oxodol (That's laundry soap to you young'uns and the reason for naming the dramas Soap Opera.) There are four "Click Here's" in our above audio file. Each will take you to a different Soap Opera.
Ma Perkins radio “soap opera,” broadcast August 1933 – November 1960 on NBC, CBS, and the Blue Network.
In her day, Ma Perkins was touted as “America’s mother of the air,” and her program made its mark as one of radio’s best-known soap operas with a broadcast history that spanned almost the entire lifetime of radio drama itself. At its peak it was the top-rated daytime drama, carried on two networks simultaneously, and heard throughout the U.S. (the "Hawaiian territory"), Canada, and even Europe (over radio Luxembourg).
The show was a production of daytime drama-writing giants, Frank and Ann Hummert, who’d penned such tortuous, contrived, and melodramatic “gems” as Backstage Wife, Stella Dallas, and The Romance of Helen Trent .
Typical of Hummert productions, Ma Perkins had her share of tears, crises, and drama, but with a plotline much slower paced than the average soap opera. In a typical year, no more than three or four major complications were covered -interspersed by long “quiet spells,” filled with (brutally) protracted discussions on the meaning of life amid the ever-changing tapestry of family, friends, and the small town around them.
The show centered on the elderly matriarch, “Ma Perkins,” owner of a lumberyard in the town of “Rushville Center” (population 4000). Other major characters included Ma’s three adult children, “Evey,” “John,” and “Fay Perkins,” their various spouses and children, as well as Ma’s best friend and partner in the lumber business, “Shuffle Shober.”
Early in the drama’s run “Ma” was portrayed as quite combative and spiteful, but her character soon developed (and softened) into the kindhearted sage and conscience of the entire community. There were various dramas that unfolded over the years, some more far-fetched than others. Two of the more memorable plot stretches involve “Ma” exposing a black market baby-napping ring, and “Ma” harboring Soviet political dissidents inside her home.
“Ma Perkins” was portrayed by Virginia Payne, a talented actress who was just 23 during program’s 1933 premiere. Unlike the rustic character she played on radio, Payne was well-educated with a master’s degree and, at ,000 a year, enjoyed the highest salary in daytime drama. Because of her youth, her identity was a closely guarded secret for years. Later she made appearances in costume (as seen in the promotional photo above). In 27 years on the air, Payne never missed a single performance.
True to Soap Opera’s roots, Ma Perkins was sponsored by Proctor and Gamble’s “Oxydol Detergent” for the bulk of its broadcast life (with a short period in 1957 when the show was lent to the Lever soap company to promote a product called “Spry”). The program finally ceased operations in 1960, years after most radio dramas had either converted or yielded to the medium of television.
On February 10th 1977, Virginia Payne passed away at the age of 68. She had stated that in over 7000 portrayals as Ma Perkins, “I’ve never played her short.”
Let's see.... during the morning worship service, the oldest mother gets a rose. The youngest mother gets a rose. The mother with the most children gets a rose. The mother with the youngest baby gets a rose. The mother who had traveled the farthers gets a rose. The mother in a blue dress gets a rose. The mother with the most children in diapers gets a rose... and on and on it used to go, didn't it? I know. I used to have to get the roses ready for the Sunday morning presentation. Seems like we may have been honoring the wrong thing in our attempt to honor mothers who were Godly, loving, kind, wise, caring, serving, patient, and -- again -- on we could go ad infinitum.
Has there always been a Mother's Day? For most of us, there has. But where did it begin? If you do a "search" for Mother's Day you get the following historical line on hundreds of pages. Don't know who wrote it first but it sounds the same on every page. It's very interesting information. Here's what I found written about Mother's Day:
Some historians say that the Romans had a spring festival that was committed to female, mother type goddesses. But I like what happened in England and what they called it -- MOTHERING DAY! I have an incredible mother who beautifully cared for six children and raised them in love and an awareness of the Lord. I also know some non-mothers who have loved and mothered children as if they were their own.
I love the idea of a MOTHERING DAY.
ENGLAND'S MOTHERING SUNDAY
The modern celebration of Mother's Day in England is called "Mothering Sunday", but also called Mid-Lent Sunday and observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent. People attended the mother church of their parish, laden with offerings. Also in England in the 1600's, young men and women who were apprentices or servants returned home on Mothering Sunday, bringing to their mothers small gifts like trinkets or a "mothering cake". Sometimes furmety was served - wheat grains boiled in sweet milk, sugared and spiced.
In northern England and in Scotland, the preferred refreshments were carlings - pancakes made of steeped pease fried in butter, with pepper and salt. In fact, in some locations this day was called Carling Sunday. Another kind of mothering cake was the simnel cake, a very rich fruit cake. The Lenten fast dictated that the simnel cake had to keep until Easter. It was boiled in water, then baked, and was often finished with an almond icing. Sometimes the crust was of flour and water, colored with saffron.
HONORING MOTHERS IN AMERICA
Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) is credited with originating our Mother's Day holiday. She never married and was extremely attached to her mother, Mrs. Anna Reese Jarvis. Mrs. Jarvis was a minister's daughter who for 20 years taught Sunday School in the Andrews Methodist Church of Grafton, West Virginia. Miss Jarvis graduated from the Female Seminary in Wheeling, West Virginia, and taught in Grafton before moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the rest of her family.
Anna Reese Jarvis died in Philadelphia in May of 1905. Still unmarried and left alone with her blind sister Elsinore, Anna missed her mother greatly. Two years after her mother's death (1907) Anna Jarvis and her friends began a letter-writing campaign to gain the support of influential ministers, businessmen and congressmen in declaring a national Mother's Day holiday. She felt children often neglected to appreciate their mother enough while the mother was still alive. She hoped Mother's Day would increase respect for parents and strengthen family bonds.
Julia Ward Howe also tried to establish a Mother's Day in America. Howe became known as the author of the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," but was horrified by the carnage of the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War
in 1870, she tried to issue a manifesto for peace at international peace conferences in London and Paris. In 1872, she began promoting the idea of a "Mother's Day for Peace" to be celebrated on June 2, honoring peace, motherhood and womanhood in 1873. Boston celebrated the Mother's Day for Peace for at least 10 years the celebrations died out when Howe was no longer paying most of the cost for them, although some celebrations continued for 30 years
THE FIRST MOTHER'S DAY
The first Mother's Day observance was a church service honoring Mrs. Anna Reese Jarvis, held at Anna Jarvis's request in Grafton, West Virginia, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1908. Carnations, her mother's favorite flowers, were supplied at that first service by Miss Jarvis. White carnations were chosen because they represented the sweetness, purity and endurance of mother love. Red carnations, in time, became the symbol of a living mother. White ones now signify that one's mother has died.
FIRST OFFICIAL MOTHER'S DAY
THe first Mother's Day proclamation was issued by the governor of West Virginia in 1910. Oklahoma celebrated Mother's Day that year as well. By 1911 every state had its own observances. By then other areas celebrating Mother's Day included Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, South America and Africa. The Mother's Day International Association was incorporated on December 12, 1912, with the purpose of furthering meaningful observations of Mother's Day.
The House of Representatives in May, 1913, unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the President, his Cabinet, members of Congress, and all officials of the federal government to wear a white carnation on Mother's Day. Congress passed another Joint Resolution May 8, 1914, designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. The U.S. flag is to be displayed on government buildings and at people's homes "as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country." President Woodrow Wilson issued the first proclamation making Mother's Day an official national holiday.
Eternal God, on this day we lift up mothers to you. You, O Lord, are the one “who, from our mothers’ arms, hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.” Scripture has prepared us to recognize that by your grace, mothering takes many forms. We pray for mothers around us . . .
. . . For those who, like Jesus’ mother Mary, have been surprised by the unexpected responsibility of parenting. Remind us not so much of the circumstance through which children come into the world, but that they are always a gift from you. Help us to always see your image in them.
. . . We pray for those who, like Naomi, find themselves parenting someone outside the predictable patterns of mothering. Bless this day all grandparents, aunts, foster parents, adoptive parents, and kindly people who care for children.
. . . And we give thanks for those like Ruth who become caregivers for their elders. Because the generations that need to be mothered and the seasons of our lives can change, we sometimes find ourselves mothering those who have even forgotten who we are. We take strength in knowing that you remember their identity when they no longer do. Grant courage and strength to all those who provide care in your name.
. . . We pray for those who, like Hannah, have struggled with the task of letting go of a child. Teach us to support our children, even when the calling of their hearts does not meet our greatest hope for them.
. . . We pray for those like Mary or Rachel who have known the deepest agony of a child’s death. Remind them again that nothing can separate their child from your certain love. Give strength and peace to those who mourn and those who cannot stop mourning.
. . . Despite our best efforts, families are breeched and broken by death, disaster, or disagreement. Help us, like Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, to regroup our families in confident hope that in due season wounds shall be healed and oneness restored.
. . . On this day we set aside to remember mothering, we also call to mind those men who are called to the vocation of mothering, those who, in the absence of another, seek the heart of a Mary or a Rachel. Let us renew our commitment to uphold them this day.
Loving God, the bond between parent and child can be the most intimate and nurturing of our lives. When this is our experience it is indeed a foretaste of your realm. To remember mothers on one day is not enough. So, fashion in us a people who pray, work, laugh, and weep with mothers and children in whatever circumstance is most faithful. For this we seek your grace and presence. Through Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
[Taken from the web site for the Presbyterian Church of America]
I found this suggestion as I was working on various genealogy pages. It's absolutely
great advice. NP
ADVICE: When any financial institution or any other entity asks you for your mother's maiden name for identification purposes, give them a ficticious name. These companies really don't care if you give them a false name or not. All they want is an easy-to-remember code phrase to identify you. Mother's maiden names are too easy to come by these days to use for identification purposes.
Mary Osgood Plunkett thought "Rambln Readers might like to know more about WD-40 that has been as much a part of our lives as silver duct tape. We've listed a phethora of ways this so-called miracle product can be use, misused, and probably abused. I posted this last year and think it's about time for a recycle.
Read the "shower door" part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. It works just as well as glass or tile cleaner -- but have a mat on the floor cause it get's mighty slippery. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stovetop...Voila! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed. And then it suffers the jokes of the competition when they spread the news that it's great for Arthritus.
This miracle product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.
WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corsair Company bought it in bulk to protect their Atlas missile parts.
Workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling (also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home. The executives decided there might be a consumer market for it and put it in aerosol cans. The rest, as they say, is history.
The formula for WD-40 is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master." There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year. It gets its distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.
Here are some of the reported successful uses of WD-40:
Protects silver from tarnishing
Cleans and lubricates guitar strings
Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery
Keeps flies off cows
Restores and cleans chalkboards
Removes lipstick stains
Loosens stubborn zippers
Untangles jewelry chains
Removes stains from stainless steel sinks
Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill
Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing
Removes tomato stains from clothing
Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots
Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors
Keeps scissors working smoothly
Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes
Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide
Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers
Rids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises
Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open
Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close
Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers
Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles
Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans
Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons and bicycles for easy handling
Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly
Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools
Removes splattered grease on stove
Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging
Lubricates prosthetic limbs
Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell)
Removes all traces of duct tape
All if us smile courteously when we hear people say they spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
Florida's favorite use was "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers".
The favorite use in the State of New York--WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical-laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately, and stops the itch.
WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap (if you still have an old car). It displaces the moisture (Remember the reason for its formulation in the first place?)and allows the car to start.
WD-40, long known for its ability to remove left-over tape mung (sticky label tape), is also a lovely perfume and air freshener! Sprayed liberally on every hinge in the house, it leaves that distinctive clean fresh scent for up to two days! Seriously though, it removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor!
Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device. The trade named has been established as "BOOK."
BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no
electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on.
It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it.
Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere -- even sitting in an
armchair by the fire -- yet it is powerful enough to hold as much
information as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works.
BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper
(recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information.
The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder,
which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence.
Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of
the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts
are divided on the prospects for further increases in information
density; for now, BOOKs with more information simply use more pages.
Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into
your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may
be taken up at any time and used merely by opening it.
Unlike other display devices, BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting,
and it can even be dropped on the floor or stepped on without damage.
However, it can become unusable if immersed in water for a significant
period of time. The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any
sheet and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an
"index" feature, which pinpoints the exact location of selected
information for instant retrieval.
An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact
place you left it in a previous session -- even if the BOOK has been
closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single
BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely,
numerous BOOKmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to
store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number
of pages in the BOOK.
You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an
optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic
Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).
Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor
of a new entertainment wave. Also, BOOK's appeal seems so certain that
thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and
investors are reportedly flocking. Look for a flood of new titles soon.
=========
Carolyn Wuthrich, a friend of May's passed this on. Dick Schaaf, Vernacular Engineering from Apple Valley, CA in on the piece. Don't know if he is the author
or a "passer on."
The old and semi-retired Internet Flyer, Harvard No Land discovered an excellent Web site that might help you some day. Here's want Harvey wrote to his friends and to me:
"If you aren't familiar with this site, check it out. It's pretty amazing. Try to find a hymn they don't have listed." Put it on your favorites for that time when there is a questions about "words."
We're always honored by visitors. We do our best to provide new information on this "Ramblin" page ... and leave some of the stuff we think is extra good a little longer than the others. Please visit again.
We'd enjoy hearing from you. Drop us a note. We'd enjoy knowing you're visitin.' To do so, click the "Drop Us A Note" link right below.
We extend to you an old Southern salutation you don't hear much any more down here.... "Ya'll come back now, ya'hear?"
Norman Plunkett
God is good -- ALWAYS!
And especially as He floods you with all the grace you need no matter what the situation. As you trust Him, God's grace is always just enough and always on time.
