A few days ago, as Em was here, she was saying that she remembered the old health food store we all went to. Ya know, that one I had written about. I thought it had been torn down earlier but Em said, no, that she remembered going there with her Mom when she was about 5 years old. Emily says, "The new Pioneer stores weren't as good. I didn't like them, as they were too clean." Ya know, Dixie always said that if a house was too clean, then something crazy was goin' on there. If there was no dishes out, or children's toys on the floor, it wasn't right. Showed that the family was only watchin' TV and not doing any work.
Dixie used to come my house with Emily, late afternoon, just before they were to head back to the farm after grocery shopping. Well, you know my kids were artists and writers and musicians and I had papers everywhere and art projects goin' on. I had 2 pianos and a chord organ in the living room. Then, of course, I was always cookin' and had stuff on the stove and in the oven all the time. And when Dixie and Em would come, I would try to clean everything up all at once. Oh, I was a sorry sight, runnin' like crazy to pick stuff up and at least clear the table to have coffee. I would apologize and say, "I am sorry my house is such a mess, etc. etc."
Dixie would say, "Of course your house is a mess. You have 6 children." Well, too, I had a dog and various other creatures running about that I didn't even know I had until it was quiet. One time, a chipmunk jumped through the broken screen door. I tried to catch it, but then decided I needed some gloves, as I didn't want to get bit? And I got in my drawer quickly to find gloves and all I could find was my old prom gloves from 1965. So I wore them and somehow caught the chipmunk. If anyone was here with a camera, I know I would be published in Mad Magazine. God knows, I am glad I ain't. But, yes, the kids tried to help me catch the chipmunk but you know kids. They think its all funny and wanted to keep him.
I was always serious about getting crazy things back out of my house, not my kids. But whatever creatures the cat helped in, Jim, when he would get home from work, would want to rest? And to stop the parade just short of his return home was never easy. But I always thought of Dixie saying, "Of course your house is a mess. You have 6 children."
Well, I also had a fruitful dog that had a litter of 14 pups about every 6 months. Also, I had 25 rabbits in the backyard. Jimmy, our oldest, was given a pregnant rabbit for his birthday. Her name was Aunt Jessica. I grew comfrey in my garden and fed them this with rabbit pellets? Well, comfrey is what they used to feed race horses in the old days? Well, our rabbits were as strong as miniature bulls. And big? Oh, my gosh! I finally sold them to this old Indian squaw I met at the grocery store. Those rabbits were as big as Thanksgiving turkeys and I bet those 25 rabbits lasted her all winter, and well into the spring.
I remember when the kids were all home and I got out of bed, my feet hit the floor running and I went all day until I collapsed in bed. I was tryin' all the time to sell rabbits and puppies, sometimes kittens. This is all just after Jim got saved? The poor guy -- it's a wonder he didn't run the other way. He would actually come home to all of us and seemed to be ok. But, anyway, all of this to say, don't worry about messing your house up to live happily with your brood. But just clean it up just before your husband comes home from work. Make sure the evening is quiet for him and teach the children to respect Papa. He needs to come home to a quiet home and be able to unwind and watch TV for a bit before bed.
Our men have their own trials and tribulations. They need the stillness of a home where they are honored. And by 8:00, I put my children to bed. They could read books in their beds until they were tired. But the home was closed for business.
