Ice storms and the Windmill

Excerpts from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman", 

"While the windmill was always a machine of supreme concern to us in summer when cattle need such quantities of cool, refreshing water, it was a double care in winter when water is a necessity and freezing is a certainty in very cold weather.

 

During a prolonged storm when the legs, steps, mill and all were sheathed in ice, or hanging in icicles, we almost held our breath for fear the sucker rod would break in the high wind or a bolt would need to be replaced in the uppermost spot and someone must needs climb it to make the repairs. On such night, the last chore was to make sure that the windmill was turned off and safe.

 

 

 

What a Baby Does

Excepts taken from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman" January 6, 1949

"What a Baby Does . . . .

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bank roll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."

Notes added by Dr. Kathleen Morrow, grand-daughter:  As I write this blog notation, I am in celebration of  the birth of my first grandchild, Clark Anderson Scott, son of Alisson-Leigh Morrow Anderson and Luke Anton Scott.  How delighted I was to see my child and her husband carry on the tradition of naming their child with old family names.  While it is certainly true that my nights have grown longer and my days and bank roll shorter, this young man has certainly made the future worth living.  I can hardly wait to see this boy take his place in our family heritage as he grows into his own as a loving, honest, compassionate and thinking and competent individual with much to contribute to society.  I wish him love and success and always a happy home.  God Speed and Welcome Clark!

Indian Summer - That Magical Time of the Year

Excerpts from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman"  November 7, 1946.

"There comes a times in every autumn when the nights are chill and clear, the days still, crisp, and golden with purple mists and all nature seems to be resting or waiting. These are signs of "Indian Summer,"  not a season, but definitely a pause in nature called by

the American pioneers, "Indian Summer," because they thought the peculiar purple haze was caused by the Indians burning prairies.

Scientists scorn the lovely traditions and superstitions surrounding

Indian Summer both here and in England and France where it is called St. Martin's Summer; in Germany, where these serene days are known as Old Wives' Summer and in South America where it is named St. John's Summer.

These cold scholars who presented such explanations as "stagnated

high-pressure areas," "collected and suspended smoke" or "minute

floating particles of dead vegetation" are the same ones who say Jack Frost has nothing to do with leaves changing color, or set about scientifically telling how, when frost bites the leaves, it actually kills them instead of painting them. They tell what makes the aspens, hickory, birch, locust, pawpaw, and poplar turn to gold

while other chemicals, sugar, light and drought produce the gorgeous flags of summer. 

 

Nevertheless, "when all the homesick Injuns come back to play and their spirits march

along and dance in the sunlight, that's what makes that kind o' haze. That smoky smell is the campfires a-burnin' and their pipes a-goin'.

"Jever notice how the leaves turn red 'bout this time o' year? That's

.when an old Injun spirit gits tired dancin' an' goes up an' squats on a leaf to rest. An' ever once in a while a leaf gives way under some old fat Injun ghost an' comes floatin' down to the ground. 

 

See, here's one now.  See how red it is? That's war paint rubbed off'n Injun ghost sure's you're born!"  .

"Purty soon all the Injuns'll go marchin' away again, back to the

'happy huntin' ground, but next year you'll see 'em troopin' back -- the sky jest hazy with 'em and their campfires smolderin' away jest like they are now." "

 

Notes added by Dr. Kathleen Morrow - When I was very small and walked or drove with my grandmother the leaves fell and she would say, "See! Did you see that ol' Injun just fall down?"  I would rush to pick up particularly large leaf and examine it carefully for any signs of "an o' Injun".  Then she would say, "Well, he was too quick for you.  You'll have to catch the leaf next time before he gets away." 

 

I can only find one source for the piece quoted.  Published in the Enderby Press and Walker's Weekly, November 2, 1916  located in British Columbia, Canada.  I am assuming that she used the piece in literature classes with her students during her early teaching years following her graduation from The University of Chicago in 1917. 

The many moods of Indian Summer

Excerpts from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman"  October 6, 1949

Indian summer is one of Nature's soft and changing moods that seemingly comes over night after a day of oppressive heat, followed by a sudden shifting of the wind to the north and a violent storm.
Nature seems to be trying to rid itself of the final, clinging

day of heat and direct sunlight to rejoice in the cool briskness of the

morning, relax in the brilliance and warmth of the noonday sun and snuggle into the comfort of warmer clothes and a small fire to dull the chill of the shortening days and crisp autumn sunset. 

. . . . Indian summer and Autumn, too, are a time of maturity,  fulfillment, and understanding. I have learned the meaning of those words of a man named St. Paul: "Having done all, stand," which means simply do the best you can. Give a situation all the energy both physical and mental of which you are capable. Leave no stone unturned, then there is no use fretting, worrying about, it, therefore "stand"; it will work out in due time.

 

 

 

"Let's not try to cross all the bridges tonight"

Taken from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman" 

December 29, 1946          
On the passing of her beloved husband Joe Fagan Morrow

"Far into the night we talked, until exhausted, and heart-broken I said, "Let's not try to cross all the bridges tonight; let's go to bed."
 
Gradually we answered those questions, or they worked themselves out. . . . we have been led to see that by faith and by patience, or whatever you call it, we have lived through the immediate days of pressing emergency and seemingly unbearable grief. 

We had done the best we could and then "yielded and still" we put our great need in God's hands and have been wonderfully comforted.  Our needs have been supplied, both spiritual and physical, and we are facing the new year determined to look up, not down, thus avoiding the dizziness of defeat. . . "
 
When times are tough and grief strikes, sometimes it is best to put faith in God and be "yielded and still."  He hears our needs and will help us safely cross each bridge as the need arises.  Be patient and be still and listen. 

Thomas Hastings and Troop 93 begin fencing at The Morrow Home Place

Thomas Hastings is now leading scouts from Troop 93 from Collinsville, Ok, through another Eagle Scout project as they begin replacing The Morrow Home Place fencing, re-creating the fence as it was in the 1940's and 1950's. 

Hastings is the fourth member of Troop 93 to take on a project of service at the national historic site. 

Cannon Vogel lead the troop in the complicated project of refurbishing and restoring the smokehouse joined by Logan Patterson who rebuilt the porch and added finishing touches.  Tyler Cox reclaimed and fenced the original family "lady's" garden so it is ready for planting and Corey Bolger prepared the site for the national monument to be positioned. 

Hastings and his team began the work of removing the old fencing and placing posts for new fencing today. 

Hastings is working with Dr. Kathleen Morrow, granddaughter of the Morrow family who resided in the home from 1912 to present to select fencing that would be representative of the fencing used throughout the years.  The fences changed during the years and Hastings will make a selection that is similar to the type, materials and application used at The Home Place during those years.

Pictures show various types of fencing.  Accuracy of dating is determined by documentation, vehicle identification and family stories and identification  Pictured is Dr. Morrow in 1951 at her parent's home located on the east side of The Home Place in 1951.  She was approximately 3 years of age. In the background is a 1949 Chevrolet.   

Hastings and the troop will  be completing the project this fall. 

There are two days of the week about which I never worry. . . .

Taken from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman"  December 29, 1946. 

 

"There are two days of the week about which I never worry.

 One of these is yesterday; with all its pains and aches, all its faults

and blunders, it has passed forever beyond my recall. .1 cannot
undo an act I wrought; I cannot unsay a word that I said on
yesterday. All that it holds of my life, of the wrongs, regrets and
sorrow, is in the hands of the Mighty Love that can bring honey
out of the rock and sweet waters out of the bitterest desert. Save
for the beautiful memories, sweet and tender, that linger like the
perfume of roses in the heart,  the day is gone, I have nothing to do with yesterday.
 
It was mine; It is God's.
 
And the other day I do not worry about is tomorrow with all its possibilities, its burdens, its perils, its large promise and poor performances, failures and mistakes.  It is as far beyond the reach of my mastery as its dear sister, yesterday.
 
Tomorrow --  it is God's day. It will be mine.
 
There is left for myself, then, but one day of the week  -  today.
Any man can fight the battles of today. Any woman can carry
the burdens of just one day.
 
It is the remorse for something that happened yesterday, the dread of what is tomorrow will disclose that drives men mad. These are God's days.  Leave them with Him."

Moving Ahead or Falling Back - You can't stand still.

From "Just Thoughts Of A Plain Country Woman"   December 29, 1946

"Another year comes.  Another year goes.  The day of the one that passed will seem exactly like the days of the one that is to come except that it is our man-made way of giving ourselves a new start, another chance.

And it is well, for all life and nature run in cycles-a beginning, a maturity, and a close; the mistakes and failures of yesterday are off-set by the opportunities of today and the hopes of tomorrow.

Again it is well, for there is no middle ground except today: you go ahead or you fall back."

Don't fret about yesterday and don't worry about tomorrow.  Just do your very best with today - the day you were given.  It is a gift, don't waste it. 

 

 

 

 

A Little Discipline Is Good For Us

Taken from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman"   
 April 14, 1949
 
"Maybe I am a little old-fashioned. . . but we weren't permitted to gad about on school nights unless there was something super-super to do. . . . all our privileges and "treats" depended on whether we had behaved ourselves and had our school work ready. 
If we didn't we couldn't take part in anything.
Maybe I'm wrong, but we brought up "The Boy" the same way and were gratified to hear him say when he was home on furlough once during the war, "I didn't mind the discipline as many did.  I've been disciplined all my life.  What I missed was home." 

Make your home a place of love and discipline.  Your children will grow to love you for both. 

Success Comes from "Cans"

Taken from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman"  May 30, 1946 

Writing about graduation times, Lucile Ellingwood Morrow reflects on the values of "schooling":

"Whether viewed through the happy tears of parents, the congratulations of friends, or the eager eyes of the young men and woman, commencement is the climax of years of toil and sacrifice for all.  These children have formed a binding link in binding habit of success.   

When I taught school, I often wrote mottoes on the blackboard and the one that was most often commented on was this:

              'Success comes in "cans"; failures in "can'ts. "  

These graduates have formed a working philosophy for life;  they have fought a good fight;  they have finished the course; they have kept the faith and now await a life more abundant." 

  

As we begin a new school year, be encouraged and encourage others to reach out for the "cans" so we and they can look forward to a life full of riches, success and self-fulfillment.

The Little Town That Became Lubbock. . .

Excepts from "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman" by Lucile Ellingwood Morrow, Published in The Collinsville News, January 9, 1958.

(Background)  With a child that suffered terribly from asthma, the Ellingwood family left their home in Rocky Ford, CO, and moved - as the doctor ordered -  to a dry climate with a lower elevation.  Grandfather Ellingwood settled the family in Fort Worth and traveled west to locate good grass land for cattle.  He ended up with a ranch out of Midland and pastureland in Yoakum, Terry and Gaines counties in far West Texas. 

"The cowboys stayed in West Texas and Grandfather came back and forth to Fort Worth to see the family and make arrangements to move, buy and sell the cattle. 
She writes, "When we first had a ranch about 100 miles from Midland, we had to walk our cattle to town to market. " (The cowboys used the various established trails, the Goodnight, the Chisholm, etc. to get the cattle to Fort Worth and on the Kansas City to sell. These trail rides were hard on the cattle and harder on the cowboys.) "Cattlemen around the vicinity of what is now Lubbock finally persuaded railroad men to set up a stockyards there (in the Lubbock area) during shipping season. 
They would send out a crew that laid a track, set up pens, load the cattle as long as there were cattle to load, then tear down the pens, take down the track and go back to Midland 'til next shipping season. 
Gradually the little town of Lubbock sprang up and, of course, the shipping pens and tracks became permanent. With the coming of oil, Lubbock became an oil town as well as a cow town."

Taken from:  http://www.forttumbleweed.net/cattledrives.html

"The Chisholm Trail, which went through Oklahoma, had become so crowed that cattle had great difficulty in finding forage along the way. To avoid this, ranchers scouted and laid out a new trail, the Western Trail, which has also been referred to in the past as the Longhorn Chisholm Trail, the Trail to Kansas and the Fort Griffin and Dodge City Trail.

During the peak of the season many herds where on the trail at the same time, sometimes only a few miles apart. A herd of 2500 to 3000 was considered the most favorable size for long drives. Smaller herd required about the same crew and overhead expense; larger herds faced problems of watering facilities, grass along the trail and general unwieldiness in handling. Daily travel distances were gauged by grass and water, the object being to fatten cattle en route.  A cattle drive typically covered about 10 to 15 miles a day with a drive to western Kansas taking between 25 and a 100 days.

Trail drivers were cowboys who moved cattle from a home range to a distant market or another range. A typical trail driving outfit consisted of a boss, who might or might not be the owner; 10 to 15 hands, each of whom had a string of from 5 to 10 horses; a horse wrangler (remudero), who drove and herded the cow horses and a cook, who drove the chuck wagon. A "hoodlum" wagon carried the bedrolls. During the day, the men drove and grazed the cattle and at night herded them by relays. Ten or 12 miles was considered a good day's drive. Typical meals consisted of bread, meat, beans with bacon and coffee. The wage was around $40.00 a month.

"The peak year on the Chisholm Trail was 1871. After interstate railroads came to Texas in the mid-1870s, trailing cattle to the Midwest became unnecessary. The Chisholm Trail was virtually shut down by the 1884 season. . . .

Why Women Are Like Newspapers?

From “Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman”  June 29, 1950

“Why are women like newspapers?  They are healthier and stronger than they used to be.  They have many type faces. They are worth looking over. Back numbers (editions) aren’t in demand. They aren’t afraid to speak their mind. They can make or break a man. They have influence.  They carry news wherever they go. If they know anything they tell it.  Every guy should have one and leave his neighbor’s alone. 

And, now, that we have kidded the gals, let’s read it again and see how valuable they are. “ 

Summer Fruit Cobblers - So Good!

From "Just Thoughts of a Plain Country Woman"  June 26, 1958

"With the very few first days of summer, we have blackberries, both tame and wild, to make into cobblers.  . . . I was reminded of a cobbler recipe that I used. . .  It is so easy because it does not need to be rolled out like biscuit dough and is so good it would make rabbit fight a dog -- you can use cherries instead of berries if you want to.

Heat one pint of fruit, one cup water, three fourths cup of sugar to boiling point.  Sift together one cup flour, one cup sugar, one teaspoon baking power and one half teaspoon salt.

Cut into this mixture two tablespoons shortening.  Add one half cup milk stirring as little as possible.

Pour batter into pan.  Pour boiling fruit mixture over it; bake in oven that is hot to start with, then decrease the heat.

The dough rises through the fruit till it is a crusty, golden fruity dessert."

 

Additional notes:  Shortening was used because it made products very "crisp" or "short" but nowadays, most people would not use Crisco but rather use butter.  Will produce the same product but just a little less "crisp".  

You will notice there are no directions for baking nor are there oven temperatures provided.  That is because this was a cobbler that was cooked over a wood stove, or placed in a hot oven when the rest of the meal came out.  The cobbler was then placed in the hot oven and continued to bake until it was time to serve -- nice and warm.  If you want to try it, heat your over to about 400 degrees, put the cobbler in and bake for about 10 minutes.  Turn the oven off and let it cool down as the cobbler continues to bake. 

Or you can bake it in a more modern fashion - Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, place cobbler in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until dough is brown and crispy. 

 

Either way it is best when served with a big dollop of homemade vanilla ice cream and a nice cold glass of milk.