Coffee cups and old things

Beth T blogged about how coffee cups trigger her memories and she included an image. It made me want to do something similar. She used the title "Memories" which I agree is better but I decided to keep our family tradition of using simple names but that's a different story.

The plastic cup on the far left is Dad's old cup from his office. I think he was given the cup by someone but I don't recall exactly. It has to be 50 or more years old. He still will sometimes drink his hot chocolate from that cup. It always makes me think of the old office and the coffee bar where we would gather in the mornings. All those people are gone now. But the cup does make me recall them and how much I loved all of them.

The "John Deere" cup next to it I bought for him in honor of his "new" John Deere mower. Once the fellows that farm for us were out in the field bailing hay. They use John Deere equipment. Dad got out on his John Deere mower and mowed the lawn at the same time. I was trying to work then and ever so often I would jump up and check on Dad to make sure he was alright. Sometimes I would sit on the porch and we would wave at each other on each lap around the north yard. Later when he couldn't mow anymore then he sat on the porch and I mowed and we waved at each other on each lap.

The next cup is one my children bought me once for my birthday. It was soon after I came to live with Mom and Dad. It is printed with "Dammed if I do! Dammed if I don't!" which was pretty much the way it was. That cup always makes me think of my children and their gift on that birthday. I love my kids.

And the far right is a cup I bought in Australia in 1992 for my mother but she never really liked it. She preferred little thin China cups. So I adopted the Australia one and it does make me think of that trip when I use it.

While I am doing images this is one looking south at the pasture. I am older than that old Elm tree in the foreground. Left of it and in the background is an old Hackberry and it is older than I am. It was here when I came and I was only 3. It has not changed much since then.

Once during a storm a few years ago a limb from the elm fell and broke the railroad tie fence. A photography student from the University of Oklahoma came by and wanted to take a photograph because she thought it kind of captured a broken down look she told me. I thought it captured a right after storm before I could clean it up look but I let her take photos anyway. She was oblivious to the fact that she had said something insulting. City people are like that though.

There is something interesting about coming back to a place and realizing that you are one of the oldest living things there. I think it would have been difficult to appreciate that feeling before I was 50.

The railroad tie fence dates from the late 1960's as I remember. This place was a great place to live a childhood. Dad and Mom built something of great value here. My brother came out not too long ago and just walked across the pasture for a long while. I knew what he was doing because I've done it myself. Living on a farm connects you to the land somehow.

Yesterday dad was able to get up and go down for breakfast. He ate lunch in his room. He wouldn't eat supper. He stayed in bed all day until night. After I went to bed I heard him get up by himself. Later I checked him and covered him up. I think we may make it to the porch today.