prairiemom

Once Upon a Town

.......is the name of a heartwarming book I read recently. Author Bob Greene interviewed residents of a small Nebraska town who worked together during World War II to provide food and refreshments for thousands of soldiers who passed through on trains.  Inspite of rationing and shortages of many kinds, someone was available to meet the many trains passing through their town each day  from 5 a.m. till after midnight during the entire war.

     It was fascinating to read about the lives of small town and farm people who had weathered the Depression and were plunged into the further uncertainty of the second world war.

     One subject in particular caught my attention. It was the ways they found to entertain themselves during those years. Gas and tires were in short supply, so travel of all kinds was kept to a minimum. Radio had delightful programs and movies were decent in those days.

     One farm couple entertained themselves by learning the names and locations of constellations and observing the stars.

     Another family would gather in their car on an occasional Saturday night and drive to town, remaining in their car to "people watch".  I'm sure many people stopped by and visited on evenings like that. 

     Neighbors would gather and visit on regular occasions. Women had church gatherings to provide aid for anyone in need.

     How different our times are now. Entertainment has become a priority in many lives and the ways to find it are endless.  Some are good, others aren't.

     Entertainment isn't a very important items in our lives. Honestly, we don't have the time or money for it.  I don't mean to criticize those who enjoy it more than we do, I'm just thinking out loud a bit about the types of things our family enjoys doing.

     The price of gas keeps us home more often, which proves to be a blessing. Being at home strengthens our family relationships and adds to the sense of order in our home. It also makes us more available for anyone who needs some assistance.

     We are all readers, so we prayerfully scour the library, looking for good reading material. We enjoy walking and biking when the weather permits. Last fall David finished a new deck on the front of our house. When it gets warmer, we will be able to sit on it during the evenings, allowing us more opportunity to visit with each other and our neighbors. It gives me a chance to sit and crochet, which I enjoy.

     Especially when our children are younger, they accompany us in our chores and errands, which they find to be quite entertaining. It is a way of "teaching while doing" that builds relationships.

     What about your family? What do you enjoy doing?

As Always...We're on the Same Page

{ 11:09 , Monday, April 16, 2007 } { Posted by Patti }

As is quite often the case with you and me, we are on the same page. Quite frequently, I lament the fact that we are an entertainment-driven society. It is so sad to me. As a nation, we have progressed by leaps and bounds...but at what cost? Children with little imagination who live for the TV and video games. Broken relationships between family members?

I read a book recently called We Had Everything But Money. I got it from my library; it is put out by Reiman Publications, the Taste of Home company. It was about people during the Great Depression. No, I am not hoping for a return to those times. But I do say that I think we were better off as a people then. Just like the book you read.

Our family likes to have other families to dinner and to play games with them. Like the "telephone drawing game." All you need is scratch paper and some pencils...no expense there! We also like to read quality literature aloud together or listen to Gabrielle play the piano. Or we will take walks on the Boise Greenbelt and maybe stop for an ice cream along the way.

Thanks for sharing.

Love,
Patti

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{ 11:19 , Monday, April 16, 2007 } { Posted by Kitty }

I have to say we are very simple folks. We actually love sitting on our front porch swinging and just watching the neighbors going about their business lol. We spend many hours out there. We don't watch much tv so when inside we love to play games at the kitchen table while nibbling on something right out of the oven. There is always too much to be done for me to ever hear the two words, "I'm bored". I can always find something for them to do, LOL
Have a great week.
Kitty

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{ 12:49 , Monday, April 16, 2007 } { Posted by YPAmy5 }

What a lovely name for a book!
We don't have cable TV- in fact our reg. ol' TV antenna broke last May and we've never replaced it. We rent family videos for special family movie nites during the winter and find in the warmer months we are spending all our time outside tending to the homestead or just plain having fun together.
We alos love to listen to audio CDs together as a family. We're big on playing board and card games here too and try to make time to schedule a game night every other week or so.

entertainment

{ 09:04 , Wednesday, April 18, 2007 } { Posted by mccrjill }

we've always liked to hike in the woods - parks around here. We also like to play ping pong & other games, but I have to say the computer supplies most of our entertainment.
I really enjoyed watching 2 cardinals flitting around apparently putting a nest together today. A neighbor down the street put a whole bunch of stuff out on the street for big stuff pick-up. There were lots of plastic planters, so later today I went back & got them. I've been wanting more containers for gardening so was really glad for them! Jill

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{ 08:36 , Friday, April 20, 2007 } { Posted by Roberta }

Well, we really do alot for entertainment when I stop to think about it. We all love to read, the boys like to read series especially. Alex just finished the Left Behind series and Zach is reading Eragon. Jonathan re-reading the Chronicals of Narnia. I love the library.
We play tons of games. My husband grew up playing board games and so my kids have picked it up. We do lots of projects and crafts. we also walk and swim. we go fishing when we can. We also started doing scrap-books together. The kids can be really creative.
Roberta