She asked, “When was the first bible published?”

Julie usually says asks me once a day or more, "Today I had a thought" and she blurts out something funny, poignant or ridiculous. I sometimes cringe because I don't know what will come out of her mouth! But the other day she came up with a question that was very interesting. "Mom the other day I had a thought. Do you know the answer to it? When was the first bible published?" I couldn’t remember the answer so I started doing research (I love the Internet. In the “olden days” I used to look things up in the World Book Encyclopedia). That’s a plus for the cyber-culture of the present.

So I began to Google that question for Julie. I knew about when the King James Bible was printed, and that is the one most bible scholars and theologians prefer, but I knew there was a time line of Bible translation history. And everyone know I love history! I got so engrossed in reading about the bibles and the men who had a part in their history, time went by so fast and the morning just flew by!

This is just bits and pieces of what I learned. This is my story. I may be wrong about some things I found – if it was true or false – that is any written word these days.

1,400 BC: The first written Word of God was The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.

500 BC: Completion of all original Hebrew manuscripts, which make up the 39 Books of the Old Testament.

200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek manuscripts, which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.

Then after Christ was born there was:

1^st Century AD: Completion of All Original Greek manuscripts, which make up the 27 Books of the New Testament.

382 AD: Jerome’s Latin Vulgate manuscripts produced, which contain all 80 Books (39 Old Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Testament)

600 AD: LATIN was the only language allowed for Scripture. (This was called the Dark Ages, because the Bible as we know it was only allowed to be written in Latin. No one could read it except the theologians who knew Latin)

1384 AD: Wycliffe is the first person to produce a (hand-written) manuscript copy of the complete bible; All 80 Books. (When I think of Wycliffe sitting at a table writing the whole bible in longhand that just astounds me. What dedication! I wonder how long it took him?)

1455 AD: Gutenberg invents the printing press; books may now be mass-produced instead of individually hand-written. The first book ever printed is Gutenberg’s Bible in Latin.

According to the Gutenberg Museum, 48 known copies of the Gutenberg Bible exist today, out of a possible 180 copies originally printed. There are countless rare books in the world, but by most expert’s standards the rarest of them all is the Gutenberg Bible. It was the first book ever printed back in 1456, and a complete first edition would net you $25-$35 million. In today’s market single pages alone go for $25,000 each, and several years ago just one volume (it’s a 2 volume set) sold for $5.5 million.

For approximately 4,500 years before Gutenberg invented the printing press, books were produced by hand. They were written on surfaces of clay, papyrus, wax, and parchment. Law books, cookbooks, works of philosophy and science, great comedies and tragedies were all painstakingly copied and all too often lost through war and neglect. I cannot imagine what we lost in the written word all those thousands of years. So much history was lost. I always tell people to save your letters and diaries and journals because they are history lessons in the making.

1611 AD: The King James Bible printed; Originally with all 80 Books. The Apocrypha was officially removed in 1885 leaving only 66 Books.

As to why the King James Bible came about I found this to be interesting.

As the reign of Elizabeth (1558-1603) was coming to a close, we find a draft for an act of Parliament for a new version of the Bible: “An act for the reducing of diversities of bibles now extant in the English tongue to one settled vulgar translated from the original.” The Bishop’s Bible of 1568, although it may have eclipsed the Great Bible, was still rivaled by the Geneva Bible. Nothing ever became of this draft during the reign of Elizabeth, who died in 1603, but when James was king. The king rejoined that he:

“Could never yet see a Bible well translated in English; but I think that, of all, that of Geneva is the worst. I wish some special pains were taken for an uniform translation, which should be done by the best learned men in both Universities, then reviewed by the Bishops, presented to the Privy Council, lastly ratified by the Royal authority, to be read in the whole Church, and none other.”

Forty-seven scholars were known to have taken part in the work of translation. The translation was finished in 1611. Thus we have the King James Bible.

So now I have the answer to Julie’s question. When was the first bible? It depends on what you call The Bible…which one to you mean? I wish I had one of the Gutenberg Bibles. I read this to Julie just now, and she said, "Do you want me to give you one for your birthday if you can find it" When I reminded her what one would be worth these days, $5.5 million, she laughed and said she couldn't afford that. But then asked if I thought they would accept a payment plan! That girl is so funny!

She asked, “When was the first bible published?”

The other day my daughter Julie asked me a question that I couldn’t remember the answer to. I started doing research (I love the Internet. In the “olden days” I used to look things up in the World Book Encyclopedia). That’s a plus for the cyber-culture of the present.

I knew about when the King James Bible was printed, and that is the one most bible scholars and theologians prefer, but I knew there was a time line of Bible translation history. And you know I love history! I got so engrossed in reading about the bibles and the men who had a part in their history, time went by so fast and the morning just flew by!

This is just bits and pieces of what I learned. This is my story. I may be wrong about some things I found – if it was true or false – that is any written word these days.

1,400 BC: The first written Word of God was The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.

500 BC: Completion of all original Hebrew manuscripts, which make up the 39 Books of the Old Testament.

200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek manuscripts, which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.

Then after Christ was born there was:

1^st Century AD: Completion of All Original Greek manuscripts, which make up the 27 Books of the New Testament.

382 AD: Jerome’s Latin Vulgate manuscripts produced, which contain all 80 Books (39 Old Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Testament)

600 AD: LATIN was the only language allowed for Scripture. (This was called the Dark Ages, because the Bible as we know it was only allowed to be written in Latin. No one could read it except the theologians who knew Latin)

1384 AD: Wycliffe is the first person to produce a (hand-written) manuscript copy of the complete bible; All 80 Books. (When I think of Wycliffe sitting at a table writing the whole bible in longhand that just astounds me. What dedication! I wonder how long it took him?)

1455 AD: Gutenberg invents the printing press; books may now be mass-produced instead of individually hand-written. The first book ever printed is Gutenberg’s Bible in Latin.

According to the Gutenberg Museum, 48 known copies of the Gutenberg Bible exist today, out of a possible 180 copies originally printed. There are countless rare books in the world, but by most expert’s standards the rarest of them all is the Gutenberg Bible. It was the first book ever printed back in 1456, and a complete first edition would net you $25-$35 million. In today’s market single pages alone go for $25,000 each, and several years ago just one volume (it’s a 2 volume set) sold for $5.5 million.

For approximately 4,500 years before Gutenberg invented the printing press, books were produced by hand. They were written on surfaces of clay, papyrus, wax, and parchment. Law books, cookbooks, works of philosophy and science, great comedies and tragedies were all painstakingly copied and all too often lost through war and neglect. I cannot imagine what we lost in the written word all those thousands of years. So much history was lost. I always tell people to save your letters and diaries and journals because they are history lessons in the making.

1611 AD: The King James Bible printed; Originally with all 80 Books. The Apocrypha was officially removed in 1885 leaving only 66 Books.

As to why the King James Bible came about I found this to be interesting.

As the reign of Elizabeth (1558-1603) was coming to a close, we find a draft for an act of Parliament for a new version of the Bible: “An act for the reducing of diversities of bibles now extant in the English tongue to one settled vulgar translated from the original.” The Bishop’s Bible of 1568, although it may have eclipsed the Great Bible, was still rivaled by the Geneva Bible. Nothing ever became of this draft during the reign of Elizabeth, who died in 1603, but when James was king. The king rejoined that he:

“Could never yet see a Bible well translated in English; but I think that, of all, that of Geneva is the worst. I wish some special pains were taken for an uniform translation, which should be done by the best learned men in both Universities, then reviewed by the Bishops, presented to the Privy Council, lastly ratified by the Royal authority, to be read in the whole Church, and none other.”

Forty-seven scholars were known to have taken part in the work of translation. The translation was finished in 1611. Thus we have the King James Bible.

So now I have the answer to Julie’s question. When was the first bible? It depends on what you call The Bible…which one to you mean? I wish I had one of the Gutenberg Bibles.

I love a small town

I will be so glad when August is over! It's boring! Hot weather is boring. Especially when we are in a terrible drought like now. Boring! This month has been dragging by! I wake up expecting good things, like rain, cool weather, and all kind of things to happen, but we have 8 more days to go..and it is September. These last almost 30 years ...something bad has been happening in August. I think August has been a cursed month since the early 80's. I won't focus on that now. Too many bad memories. But i still always pray it will be a month filled with blessings from the Lord. I never give up. I am persistent!
You don't make your self happy by dwelling on the negative. So I will dwell on the positive. If I can find something positive to think about....and if I think about it...I always find something to be grateful for..
#1. I have an air conditioned house and car. I am cool.
#2. I am healthy! My kids and grandkids are healthy!
#3. God is my friend and I can trust him and depend on Him.
#4. I can still drive a car.
#5. I went to Poth to Wiatrek's Meat Market Monday. I love that place, an old fashioned meat market. I was talking to Erna Kroll.She always greets me with a smile. She knows me. She reads my column!! ha. She has worked for Wiatrek's for 33 years!!! She is a familiar face to all people. I want to write her story. I met E. B. Ray who is the owner that day, and he is so interesting. (and when I introduced my self and told him my name, he said "Oh are you the one that writes for the paper?" Who would have thunk it?
His family is the one who has owned Ray's Dairy in Fairview forever.- they have been in Wilson County over 100 years....but they don't have a dairy any more. The drought caused them to sell out. He said Erna has a good story or stories to tell. He encouraged me to talk to her. It was a nice morning and I got some good things like round steaks, chuck roasts for pot roast, bacon, and fresh home made link sausage, and smoked dried sausage! yum. yum.

#6. I drove to Poth last night for the Poth girls volley ball game with Alamo Heights. It was such a good time. My brothers Bob and Don were saving me a seat between them. The gym was full of people! I couldn't believe it was such a crowd. People wanted to see the games..freshman, junior varsity and varsity games...because Poth was undefeated ..they were 10-0. (#1 in State) And Alamo Heights is a 4-A team, and Poth is just a 2-A...Alamo Heights has almost 1,000 students and Poth has about 200. Alamo Heights played great, and beat Poth 3 games to 1 for Poth. The games were fantastic. All those girls play so well. I really loved being there, though I sat there for 2 1/2 hours to watch them. My butt was sore! ha.
I didn't get home till 9:30! Liz and Julie just got in from the ladies bible study. They said they had such a good time too - it was at Pastor Jeanette's house. So we really had a good night. And I drove home from Poth the Floresville in the dark. I had not driven after dark since my cataract surgery 7 months ago.
Well it had been for over a year, because I couldn't see in the dark before my surgery!!! I can see now!!
#7. I am reading and writing so much lately. I have started reading books all over again. I ran out of books. I don't know what I want to get at the library. I wonder if there is a new John Grisham book out? I ordered a few books from Amazon.com. They should be here any day. I watched a show on the PBS station last week about Abe Lincoln and his wife...mostly about his wife...she was a very interesting woman. I wanted to know more about her, and I found there have so many books written about her. Since she was from the South, I think Kentucky, lots of people accused her of being a traitor to the North...and she endured tragedies like losing her children in death so young...
#8. I am looking forward to my second cousin Pam Goode coming tomorrow afternoon. She is going to spend the night with us. She is on her way to Alaska where she and her husband have bought some land and live in a little cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. She is my Uncle William Goode's granddaughter, and Robert Goode's daughter. She is an awesome woman and I am so glad we have gotten close to her these last few years, while she and James were on a sailboat called Rainbow Chaser, sailing on the high seas for 7 years. Mostly in the South Pacific. She is such an interesting lady and loves the Lord so much. I love talking with her.
Okay, time to read another chapter in the Bible. I decided to read the Book of Acts again. I love that Book.

I will focus on good things today. Like the sound of thunder and raindrops on the window pane, and the feel of my gr-grandbabies arms around my neck, and the hugs of my kids and sisters and brothers. I was so blessed to sit between my brothers at the game last night, and when I arrived, have them give me a big kiss right in front of all those people!!! Yep I am very blessed!!!

Rocia’s story, 3 generations of women in a Mexican family

Elodia was Rocia’s grandmother. Many years ago in Mexico, Elodia was a beautiful little girl, 13 years old, with black curly hair and brown eyes. Her father worked on a ranch and his wife and children lived on the ranch too. Alberto father owned the ranch and was in his 20’s, and one day he saw Elodia and he thought she was very grownup and beautiful, and went to her father and told him he wanted to marry Elodia. Elodia was scared. She was just a little girl. She didn’t want to marry this man. But, her father said yes to the man, so she had to marry Alberto. Perhaps it was because the man's father was a wealthy landowner? She had marry the man and had to move in the big house with the Alberto and his family.

Elodia didn’t love Alberto. People said she never forgave her father for forcing her to marry Alberto. She was always angry with her father. She had six boys and two girls by Alberto. Eight children. They all lived at Alberto’s hacienda. I asked Rocia if her grandmother Elodia, ever learned to love Alberto. She said, she didn’t know, but assumed she didn’t.

One of Elodia’s two sons was named Vicente, and when he got older, he had his eye on a young girl on their ranch named Teresa who was only 14 years old. Her father worked on the ranch. She was very beautiful. They fell in love so he went to her father and told him he wanted to marry Teresa.

Her father gave his permission, so they did marry and during the next 11 years they lived in the hacienda with Vicente and his parents, Alberto and Elodia. Teresa did all the work in the house and Vicente worked on the ranch. She helped and served her in-laws and her husband and took care of the three boys who came two years apart. Then she had a baby girl finally. She named her Rocia. She was very happy with that baby girl.

But when the baby Rocia was 4 months old, her father was murdered. A cousin shot and killed Vicente. No one talks about what happened. The cousin didn’t go to jail. Rocia didn’t know her father at all.

But what Rocia has been told by relatives, aunts and uncles, was that Vicente was a very angry man. Also he drank heavily and also he was abusive to his wife, Teresa especially when he was drinking. So who knows, maybe he was killed in a fight. Her mother does not talk about him or tell anyone what happened. She refuses to say anything bad about her first husband.

Teresa continued to live in her in-laws house after her husband was killed. The story relatives tell Rocia, is that Teresa did not like him and was scared of her father-in-law. When his wife Elodia, was away on trips to Mexico City, he would approach Teresa to go to bed with him. He bothered her many times, and one time she told that one night when Rocia was a tiny baby, Teresa was sleeping in her bed along with her children and she woke to find Alberto, her father-in-law, in bed beside her! She yelled at him to get out.

As soon as she could, Teresa married another man on the ranch, named Conception. She gladly moved out of the hacienda to Conception’s house. She never ever went back to the big house again when the children wanted to visit their grandfather and grandmother, they went alone. Teresa obviously never wanted to have anything to do with Alberto, her ex-father in law!

Teresa had three more boys with Conception. Therefore, Rocia grew up with 7 brothers and she was right in the middle. One would think she was spoiled. But she had to work very hard and it was only Rocia and her mother that did all the work for her brothers and stepfather. The boys worked in the fields with their father, and she was the one that washed all their clothes and helped her mother cook for the men and wait on them. Even when they were not working in the fields, they just hung around the house and Rocia still had to serve them and wait on them. They didn’t have running water and electricity. Rocia took the clothes down to the river and washed them in the river, using rub-boards to scrub the dirty work clothes. She did that all of her life.

Rocia says that because didn’t have a real father, she was glad, maybe, because even though some men wanted to marry her, she didn’t want to, and she didn’t have a real father for them to ask! She is very fortunate she says. They couldn’t ask her stepfather.

When she was 22 years old she met Pablo and they fell in love. He wanted to marry her and she wanted to marry him, but she didn’t have to ask anyone! She was glad.

Pablo had gone to Texas years before and had a good job in Houston. He had his green card. He had come here legally. He went home to visit his family in Mexico sometimes. That was when he met Rocia.

They got married in Mexico, and then Pablo brought his bride to Texas - to Houston - to live.

And that is Rocia’s story. Three generations after Elodia was forced to marry Alberto, the women were beginning to get free. No wonder Rocia is so happy, because she is a shining example of a woman who is free.

A free woman

Liz, Rocia, Julie and Damariz

Rocia had been in the U.S. for nearly 14 years, but she barely spoke English. That's probably because she was from Mexico, where the man in the family is king. He makes all the decisions and says what the wife can do and can't do, and the kids honor and respect him..and I guess the wife does too....for the most part anyway..after all he is the daddy and husband. So her husband was the boss. She never went anywhere without him. She didn't know how to drive a car, and she was not on his bank account and didn't have a purse. What should she? She didn't have any money or drivers license. When I wrote the check when she cleaned our house, I had to make the check to her husband. One day I gave her a tip in cash, and she was very excited because told me (her son, 13, had to interpret in English what she said) she was glad so now she can buy makeup and things for herself. She never had any money to do that.
I encouraged her to learn English, and she did, she began learning because Julie and I made her speak in English so she had to learn!
Since then she has become very bi-lingual! And also she has become more independent. She seems more free. She learned to drive a car, got her license and told her husband she wanted her own car. She now has a car to drive. He still has his truck. Also I told her she needed to have her husband put her on his bank account. So that night she told him what I said. And she insisted. She said, "Miss Lois said you need to put me on your bank account!" Ooops. wonder what he thought about me!!! But he did the next day, and I write the checks out to her now!!!
We have taken her out to movies and to eat. She said that's the first time she ever went anywhere ..she doesn't have any friends.... without Pablo..except to church. She is Jehovah Witness and he is not. He doesn't go to church anywhere.
She seems so happy in this life of freedom.
She and Pablo are both from Mexico. They want to become citizens. But the government makes it very hard for that to happen. They have to study a long time, and memorize American history and law. But the main thing is it cost a lot of money. Over $1,000 for each one. So they are saving their money to get their citizenship. They love America and are hopeful they can soon be citizens of the USA.
Rocia and Pablo have become our friends and helpers. He keeps our lawn looking good, fixes things around the house for us, builds shelves in the garage, plants shrubs and trees for us and puts up our Christmas lights in December. They watch over our house when we are out of town, even though they live in the country about 5 miles w. of Floresville. Rocia is the best house cleaner I have ever seen. Cleaning the blinds or windows or ceiling fans when they need it. I don't even have to ask her. Now she has been helping Julie when Liz can't come, and spends a lot of time at our house. When she is here to help Julie, she always asks me if I have anything for her to do, and offers to wash my clothes and change the linens on the bed...wash them. She makes homemade corn tortillas for us and said she loves to help Julie. She always thanks me, "Thank you for giving a job!". Hugs and kisses us when she leaves.
What more can we ask. It is all God. Tomorrow she is coming to help Julie get ready for church and then come with us to church and out to eat after wards. She took Julie last week. I don't think our church is anything like Jehovah Witness church! Maybe if we take her with us enough, she will fall in the river of God.
This morning I asked her about her mom in Mexico and what her life was like down there. She told me a story that would blow your mind. I told her I was going to write about it..but change the names..Her grandmother married at 13, because her daddy told her to, because this man wanted her for his wife. And her mother married at 14...And the story even gets more interesting!
More about that story another time.

A MORNING SURPRISE VIST

I found a jewel yesterday and today too! Treasures from God.
Yesterday began with someone ringing the doorbell at 8:00 AM. It was Kathie Garcia from church - a young woman who had never been to our house. I was surprised to see her. She said I had a look of surprise on my face when I opened the door. Things were going through my mind like 'What is she doing here?" and "Is something wrong in the church?" "Is she bringing bad news?".

We seldom have company at our house. No one just stops by to visit! I don't know. I think Julie and I are friendly people. It has been hard to make friends here...good friends who just drop by.

I invited Kathie in and she explained her visit. She said she wanted to photograph Julie for a class. God gave her three names of people, and the first two didn't pan out, so she trusted God to lead her to us. She only had two days to prepare for the class. She didn't know our telephone number and even where we lived. But she started driving and she just followed God's directions. When I answered the door she was as surprised as I was! It was me! God had directed her here!

She is doing a project for school. She is studying photography at the Art Institute of America in San Antonio. She is working on a major project where she has to photograph some one interesting that has a story to tell, taking pictures of her doing the things she likes to do, and has to do. Taking about 3 or 4 hours. So I took her into Julie's room to talk to her ...Julie was sitting at the computer playing solitaire. The thing she loves to do...plus watching TV...and sleeping! Julie and I gave our testimony of what has happened during the 29 years since that fateful night in 1982. She was amazed at how Julie has recovered from the stroke...coming from what she was to what she is now.

She took seems like hundreds of pictures..then Liz came to work and fixed breakfast and we all sat at the dining table and talked some more..she photographed Liz in the kitchen fixing breakfast with Julie hovering over her telling her what to! ha. While we ate breakfast Kathie shared her story of how she met Jhonathan down in San Luis Patosi Mexico one summer when she was helping at an orphanage, fell in love with him, (he was a keyboard player and singer with a Christian Band), from another town down there. He could not speak English and she could not speak Spanish. Her story was so interesting and funny and God ordained. How they got together and what happened in those several months before he asked her to marry him. God had told him that she was the one he was to marry, but he didn't talk to her for weeks after that...for reasons she found out later. Hearing the story was so interesting. They live in Floresville now, soon to be moving to San Antonio, and he is the worship leader and keyboard player for our church.

She is here today to finish taking the photographs of Julie and Liz helping her. She had to rush home because her husband had to go to work...but Liz told her to go home and bring them back here, and she will help her watch them while she takes pictures. What fun to have people in the house, young people, and children! Wow we are so blessed! Thank you Jesus!!!

My prayer today is for this August not to have bad things happen for us. Only good things. God to be in Control. I keep praying for rain too!

Things are changing

Things are changing.

I feel it in my spirit. In the midst of chaos and strife and drought and fear of the future, there is a sense of peace, calmness, rain and faith in the air. God is giving us something to be grateful for and give us hope.

I went to the local Farmers Market this morning in Floresville. I got some fresh yellow home grown squash, tomatoes, zucchini, and sweet potatoes. The thing I like about going there is talking with my friends Chester Laskowski and the Spencers. I love it when the first thing people say when they see me, is something about my latest column in the paper.

Fred Spencer said, “I didn’t know you were from Dellview!”

In my last column I wrote about our first house in 1954, in Dellview and what it was like living there in the 50s and 60s. It turns out Fred moved there in 1961 and lived there for many years, on Saxon Dr. But what was even more amazing there was another couple there who was buying vegetables. And I found out they were the Liestras from near Lavernia. Mrs. Liestra (I forget her first name) grew up on Latch Dr. in Dellview during the 50’s and 60’s. We had a grand old time talking about the old days in Dellview. What a small world! But I was disappointed no one knew any of our friends in Dellview. And one of them lived on Latch Dr. where our good friends Katherine and Paul West lived..she still does to this day! And she never knew them.

Fred remembered going hunting across Loop 13 in the woods and fields over there! There were no houses or businesses. Just farms and ranches. And there were not any “no trespassing” signs in those days…kids could go hunting and fishing anywhere. And your kids could be gone all day and you wouldn’t worry about them. You knew they would come home when they got hungry!

So we all had a good time talking about the olden days. Then I found out that Bobby Liestra’s mom was a Blum and he grew up in the big house that is part of Bleu Casa Village up on 10^th St. which is across from the Dairy Queen. His grandfather Blum had about 40 acres with that house back in the 40’s…there were just farms and fields then on that Street, which later became Hwy 181. The old 181 is now called Business Loop 181, going through town, near our house. He has many memories of growing up in Floresville back in the 40s. I want to interview him some more. I got his telephone number.

I love Floresville. Not much going on here…but it is a great place to live. Not much drama and excitement, but I can deal with that at this time of my life.

Rocia and her daughter Damariz are here to help Julie today, so I think we are going to Jalisco’s for a late lunch. Julie hasn’t been out of the house since last Sunday. I hope their air conditioner is working!!! It’s already 100 degrees outside!

Remembering other Augusts

I am remembering other Augusts in my life today. I have always hated August. Especially when we didn't have air-conditioning or even fans because we didn't have electricity. I remember days when I would look out on the heat shimmering on the sidewalks and streets – those days past - years ago, when I would look out and see the corn stalks and peanut bushes wilting and turning yellow in the heat – when the buzzards and chicken hawks would fly around searching for something dead that was in the fields wafting up their awful stench!

August, where are those night that were so hot I could not bear to move on the hot sticky sheets, and the sweat would run down my face and body, and then I would lie still hoping for a cool breeze to blow in through an open window or the screen door – finally drifting off to sleep, dreaming of cool days and thunderstorms?

Augusts, those years when with people getting air conditioners installed in windows, as a happy stay-at-home mother, I had the luxury of NOT going outside if I didn’t have to, or want to, and August became a month of isolation, when I hid from the sun and the steaming humid summers of San Antonio?

I remember the Augusts when the kids were small, back in the ‘50s and when I stayed inside with the blinds pulled relishing the cool air of the room air-conditioner which cooled about half the house...and it was like a dark cave, and I retreated with a pile of books stacked on the bedside table and read a book a day, wishing I could find a Book-of-the-Week Club instead of the Book-of-the-Month Club. In those years I also belonged to the Literary Book Club, The Reader’s Digest Book Club and the Doubleday Book Club and in August I ran out of books. Then I sat in front of the television set watching soap operas for hours, which numbed my mind. I kept my eyes glued to the set, letting myself drift into that world of love, infidelity, and families torn apart, and when I clicked off the set, looked around and was glad I was me, and not them, and I thought “No one lives like that! Thank Goodness!” Yes I was very naive back then!

August, when I stayed inside and my children would stay outdoors, chasing each other for hours in the sprinkler, or riding bicycles with training wheels and tricycles up and down the sidewalk and driveway, not minding the heat and the sun, running in and out of the house, voices calling, “Mommy, I’m hungry, Mommy, I’m thirsty! Can we have a Popsicle? Can we have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Can I go to Ryan’s house? Can we have a lemonade stand? Can I go over to Shelley’s? Can I have some Kool Aid?”

August, when I stayed inside and not hearing any sounds, I stepped out the door, with the heat blasting my face coming from the hot sidewalk, to make sure the kids were still around, and heard scuffling and whispering and giggling, so I knew they were beside the house where I couldn’t see them. I saw toys, and bicycles and tricycles and blocks and wagons and dolls and buggies, strewn all over the driveway, and I was too hot to tell them to pick things up., and I turned and went back in, knowing they were at least alive although into some kind of mischief. But it was too hot to yell at them.

August, when you heard kids outside fighting, yelling, screaming, laughing boisterously, and you retreated to the bedroom, closing the door, and hoping they could not find you for a while, and they at least would not kill each other! And prayed for school to start soon!

August, when I would lay on the bed and wonder what to fix for supper that would not heat up the house. I decided Eddie could cook hamburgers on the barbecue pit by the patio, where it was shady. I lay there thinking I needed to go make a big pitcher of iced tea to have ready for him when he got in.

August, the days when I wished September would come in a hurry, with it’s promise of cooler days and nights and maybe some rain, and wonderful school days. During the '30s and 40’s, I knew it meant going to school instead of working all day in the boiling hot sun in the fields. I was in school all day. As I remember, I can almost smell the aroma of chalk and Big Chief tablets. After we started going to Poth High School, what with the long bus ride into town and back home again late in the afternoon, what with pep squad and football practice, and on Friday nights, the football games, there was not much chance we had to work in the fields. Oh September, a month of new beginnings. I hated August. I loved September.

August in the city is a month of deserted streets, hot sidewalks, burning hot pavements, too hot for kids to be out, too hot to go walking, too hot to visit with the neighbors, and lonely days of being holed up in a house with the shades drawn, shutting out the heat. August hangs over the city like a boiling hot sauna. August is when I am the most grateful for air-conditioning above any other new invention. Will September never come? Oh dear, it is only August 1. Maybe this year August will turn out to be cool and rainy. I can dream can't I?