Not Good At Normal Archives ~ Not Good At Normal

March 17, 2021July 1, 2021

Hysteria: What the Diagnosis really meant.

While doing research for the last blog, Women in St.Louis, I learned about The Social Evil and the hospital for women and all the implications thereof. So much info, I had to write a blog about it. Women were diagnosed with ‘hysteria’ up until 1980, when it was removed from the medical terminology as a disorder. It was really a general diagnosis when no other would suffice. Mostly anxiety or nervousness would be happening, but no one knew why.

A woman who was irritable, fainted, or had a loss of appetite. Hysteria. A woman who was sexually forward or enjoyed it, or who didn’t. Hysteria. Any woman who did not act like a proper woman, made a scene or was out of line and different were all thought to have hysteria.

Truth and History Behind Hysteria

The real reason so many women were diagnosed with hysteria was because her husband or father could not control her. She would ‘have a mind of her own’ ‘wasn’t thinking straight’ or ‘proper women don’t behave like that’ or even possessed. Men were scared of a strong woman and didn’t want to be thought of as not being able to control or keep quiet, his woman. Sometimes, if a woman caught her husband having an affair, he would say she was hysterical and have her committed.

Close to home, I pass the second oldest mental institution in Missouri, almost daily.

For hundreds of years this catch all diagnosis was used and a wide range of ‘treatments’ were given as a ‘cure’. It was thought that this woman’s disease was due to the uterus. It was thought the uterus moved around in the body. In ancient Greece, the uterus was described as “an animal within an animal” and was “sad and unfortunate when not joined with a male or bears child”. It was chronic and common. Mostly it was synonymous with normal functioning female sexuality. Often times the woman diagnosed was placed into an insane asylum.

The St. Louis Lunatic Asylum was built in 1869 and was an architectural dream built on the highest point of land in the city(at the time it was considered the county). The Dome was fashioned after the White house and only one other remains in the area, atop the Old Courthouse in downtown. I often drive by and wonder how many women were sent here because their husband’s couldn’t, or wouldn’t, deal with them.

The Cure

Several horrific and gruesome things have been done in the name of science and medicine to women as a ‘treatment or cure’. The simplest was scent therapy whereby good smells were placed under the genitals and bad odors at the nose. (who went to school for this?!) Rubbing ointments, sexual intercourse, and fulfilment of natural desire. The fact that these doctors thought nothing of virtually rapeing women in the name medicine! Some treatments also included electroshock therapy, water massage, manual stimulation and lobotomy. A transorbital lobotomy was like an ice pick going through the eye cavity to cut certain nerves in the brain. Some patients were tied to beds, and given medication.

Behind Closed Doors

What went on behind the locked doors of insane asylums? There has been much written about and sensationalized into dramatic movies, one that comes to mind is the movie Frances Farmer, based loosely on books about and by Frances. She was an actress in the 1940’s and was institutionalized several times. She was different, and did not conform to the gentile way a woman should behave. The book is a good read. Did it all happen? Only those there know for sure.

Actress Frances Farmer wrote a book about her experiences called Will There Really be a Morning

In 1887 a female journalist went undercover for 10 days in an asylum and wrote about her experiences. Nellie Bly used an assumed name and began the saga. She saw women beaten and without covering when cold. Tied down if they were thought to be violent. Given only tea and bread to eat and hit if they didn’t eat. Cold communal baths, threats of sexual violence and crowded conditions of 1,600 patients in a hospital meant to hold only 1,000.

Sadly there are other ways women are kept ‘in line’ today. Not given promotions when of childbearing years, real illnesses not take seriously, thought of as too emotional. Some say not pretty enough or too manly, women shouldn’t have muscles and women tear down other women. Where does it end? History should be our guide. Learn from it and move forward better for knowing what not to do. Drop a comment what ways you still find this happening or what you want to read about next. Share the love.

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March 16, 2021March 20, 2021

Extraordinary Women: A Brief History of St. Louis Women

St. Louis: The Gateway to the West

St. Louis may be known as the gateway to the west or the beer capital of America, but the history of the area is much richer and more interesting. While there are extraordinary women all throughout history, when looking at the whole picture, some amazing women stand out. Doing research for this blog, gathering information from various sources and my own knowledge, it became clear: There really is no written history of the contributions of women to our great city.

First Mayor

Via City of St. Louis~ Honorable Mayor Lyda Krewson.

It was not until 2017 that St. Louis elected its first mayor, Lyda Krewson. Who is not running for reelection. It was 2020 before the first woman was elected for United States Congress to represent St. Louis for the state, Rep. Cori Bush. In 2021 a new mayor will be elected and she too will be a woman.

Sure there are a handful of well known women who were born in or call St. Louis home, even if for a little while. The dancer Josephine Baker, singer Tina Turner, Maya Angelou and Betty Grable to name a few. But a deep dive was needed to uncover those who helped shape the city. Even the state of Missouri, as there isn’t enough info on women of St. Louis alone. So we will discuss those that we found that had a lasting impact.

A Most Extraordinary Woman

As far back as the 1700’s we have three women who owned property. Not just any women either. Free women of color in French colonial times in the area while under the French and Spanish laws. This was at a time when most women could not own property unless they were married. Not much else is know about Ester, Franiose and Jeannette, but its important to add them. They couldn’t vote or have many other rights, but owning land was not common.

Early suffragette, Virginia Minor, while living in St. Louis, was an officer in the National Woman’s Suffrage Association. During the presidential election of 1872, Minor went to register to vote and was refused by a ward registar. She and her husband sued him( Minor v. Happersett) Virginia started the movement in St. Louis and helped found the Women’s Suffrage Association of Missouri. Thus a full two years before Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony started the National Woman’s Suffrage Association.

Virginia Louisa Minor, an extraordinary woman.

Virginia Minor’s case was based on the 14th amendment. The amendment that stated “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. ~this meaning All persons born in the United states, were not to be denied the rights given to them as citizens. ALL Persons and that is where she hung her hat. She was a person, She was born in the United States and She was being denied the right to register to vote. In Missouri, as in many other states at the time, women could not own property in their name, nor could they file a lawsuit, or be counted as a person or vote.. Legally, women were treated as property or as children. One lawmaker even said Women were dead to the law. SIDEBAR(see end for Evil Hospital)

As luck would have it…

Virginia was married to a lawyer. It was both Virginia and her husband Francis that took the suit to the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawsuit was thrown out as having no merit based on the assumption that the 14th amendment did not state voting as a right of citizenship. This did not stop Virginia. She would later not pay her taxes because, being a woman, she was counted as a ‘femme covert’ legal doctrine, meaning she could not own money, so legally, she did not have to pay taxes. The MO legislature, being held by all men, did not rule in her favor. Curiously because, it was by law her husband’s money, but she was held liable for it! Nothing like hypocrisy of men and politicians. Virginia Minor did not live to see Missouri become the 11th state to ratify the 19th amendment.

Other well known women

Susan Blow opened and ran the first public kindergarten in 1873. As a child, her home on the Mississippi riverfront was burned in the great fire and she lived through the cholera epidemic.

“If we can make children love intellectual effort, we shall prolong habits of study beyond school years”.

Harriet Woods became the first Lt. Governor in 1984, after getting her start in local politics. Jean Carnahan was elected the first female U.S Senator. Phoebe Couzins was the first US Marshal and the second female lawyer in the country, her mother, Adeline was an early suffragette. Margaret Bush Wilson was a lawyer and civil rights activist and the second person of color to practice law in Missouri. Virginia Masters, Sheryl Crow, Sara Evans, Rose O’Neal(illustrator of Kewpie dolls + suffragette), Jean Harlow, Phyllis Diller, Joyce Meyer and many more from the great state and everyday extraordinary women.

The Social Evil

When I first learned about this hospital, I thought it a joke. It was on a map I was researching for breweries in STL. In 1870, the boards of Health and St. Louis Police Commissioners initiated the Social Evil ordinance in an effort control and regulate prostitution. Taxing the brothels and women. Police were to visit brothels with a doctor to test and identify those infected with diseases and were then sent to the city hospital. When that proved to much, they established a separate hospital for prostitutes and a house of industry where they could be trained in vocational skills. This was called the Social Evil Hospital which opened in 1872. It soon became the Female Hospital for women and the training part closed. Evil women…how about curing the men from straying from their wives? In 1864 in England a similar experiment took place where women were tested for STD and locked away in ‘The Lock’ hospitals. Thus being why this experiment failed. The site of the hospital is now a park.

All through history, women are the ones expected to change, to get along. Not to speak out or not to walk alone at night, change our behaviour and men will not need to change theirs. We need More extraordinary women to keep up the right for equality. Remember, the Equal Rights Amendment has still not been ratified by all states needed to make it into law!?! Crazy right, 2021 and women do not have, by law, equal protection.(MO not one of the states to ratify). What are your thoughts? Who is a woman in MO history or history in general that you find extraordinary? Leave a comment.Video coming soon.

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December 19, 2020January 4, 2021

Ghost Signs (mostly of St.Louis)

And the connections to the Past.

Ghost Signs: “Old hand painted advertising sign that has been preserved on a building for an extended period of time”. Old and fading signs or ads on exterior walls. They are all around in every city, even on old barns along the highway in rural america. Every downtown in every city has them. You just have to be open to see them.

A happy find. Multiple layers of signs visible in the
historic Cherokee/Lemp district.

This image has multiple layers of advertising. It is located in the Lemp/ Cherokee historic district (on The Mud House).On the top is an advert for a chewing tobacco. Only the word ‘Chew’ is still available. The largest part of the sign says ‘Buettner’s’. It was a home and furnishings store in downtown in the old garment district. There is another large word toward the top that isn’t legible and a sign at the bottom looks like it says ‘cold’ and maybe ‘broadway’. That is part of the fun of these signs. Trying to read what it says and researching the products to see if it’s still in production or where it originated. The entire Washington Ave. garment district, several blocks, was nominated for the National Historic registry in 1986.

One of my favorite recent finds. This building is downtown in the old garment
district on Washington Ave, where the Buettner’s store was (a few blocks down).

The ghost signs above advertise: ‘King Bee Hats, King Brinsmade Merc. Co.’ ‘Wrigley’s Spearmint Pepsin Gum~ Trademark’ ‘Buettner’s Home Furnishing Seventh and Washington~Arrow Stamps’. Upper corner is part of the Gum ad. It says ‘Buy it by the Box~The Flavor Lasts’ and the last sign on the right is for ‘Antikamnia Tablets ~Ask for A-K Tablets’. Looks like there was a newer sign over the gum sign.

The fun part was learning about the products I’ve never heard of before. The Antikamnia Chemical Company manufactured the tablets in St. Louis from 1890 to 1930. They produced “cures” for pains using at various times heroin and quinine (now used to treat Malaria).

Beer Capital

Hyde Park beer ghost sign found in The Hill neighborhood of South St. Louis, MO.

At one time, St. Louis was known as the beer capital because of the many breweries around the area. Hyde Park Beer was one of many. This sign says “Hyde Park Bottled Beer” This Brewery was started in 1889 and closed during prohibition in 1919. The Hyde Park neighborhood was home to mostly German immigrants. The brewery was at Florissant and Salsbury in North St. Louis. They were sold and after prohibition ended opened again in 1933, they also once produced Stagg beer. The routing of the interstate through the middle of the area has left the once thriving area impoverished.

Another Hyde Park Bottled beer sign
at the corner of Salisbury and N. 20.

Ghost Sign visible under the Mural for Hyde Park. Both of these signs border the Park by the same name. Salisbury and Blair Ave.

Green Tree Beer one of the larger brewery in the late 1880’s in St. Louis.

More Beer Ghost Signs

This whole article isn’t about beer, but what history of STL can one tell without the illustrious past. The Lemp Beer Factory is without a doubt on of the most well known, besides Budweiser, but Bud is still going strong, so I don’t have ghost signs of that advertising.

Originally the Lemp smoke stack, the tile coated bricks
were arranged to spell ISCO when the factory was
bought by the International Shoe Co. Yes, this is a ghost sign.

The Falstaff beer logo, (part of the Lemp products) still visible, on the south side of the city.

The Lemp family came to St. Louis in 1864, when William J. Lemp built the brewery near the Mississippi River, which had several caves in the area in which to keep the beer cold. The Lemp family has had many tragedies, early deaths and suicides are the legacy that is left of the once great beer baron.

You can tour the Lemp Mansion and book an overnight stay if you are brave enough. It’s said to be haunted. Or you can go for lunch or a four course dinner. After the family lost interest in the business and prohibition began, the complex was sold to the International Shoe Company and was for a time, the largest shoe manufacture in the world.

Other beverages

This sign is now in an alley behind an ice cream
shop in the Tower Grove area.

Least you think beer is the only advertising in the area, we see many signs for Coca Cola, the refreshing drink once made with cocaine from the coca leaf, where the Coca part of the name is from. Ghost signs are found everywhere. Some are ‘hidden’ behind other buildings or in alleys that over time have obstructed what was once visible street.

This next sign is completely hidden in an alley in the Bevo neighborhood. The alley was 18 inches wide, just enough for me to use the wide angle on the camera.

The word ‘Cream’ is visible and above it, a ‘W’ and ‘H’?

Some signs advertise local businesses and some nationally known brand products. The paints used in these early signs were mixed by the sign painters, usually with a mix of white pigment made with lead. The men that hand painted these signs were called Wall Dogs. The paint used was made to last a lifetime, sometimes longer! Its no wonder why there are so many that are faded or painted over. Someone buys a business and wants to put their own stamp on it, freshen up the outside. That is how we get some signs with more than three layers visible.

This sign was lost for over 100 years behind a building that crumbled and fell leaving this beauty behind. The Pattison Whisky Co. was only in production for a few years. The Star Saloon and Cafe opened during that time.

The works of art were visible from high above and ground level, easy to see by those on foot and horse and carriage. Then later the early automobiles.

Enjoy the rest of the photos. More will be added as I come across more!

Two old signs left on the
renovated Sun Theater in the
Grand Center Arts District.

Panda Paints ghost sign is on every
corner of the ole St. Louis Paint
Manufacturing Co.

1903 B+R Dry Goods, Close outs of Nationally Advertised Brands

Can’t find any info on this one found in the Cherokee/Lemp area.

Sign left on the building now known as the Knickerbocker lofts.

Not all ghost signs are painted. The business is
long gone, but the sign remains.

Gold Medal Flour and May and Sons Groceries and Meats advert.

Where are some of your favorite old ghost signs? Like and share, subscribe for more fun and historic content.

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October 11, 2020October 11, 2020

You’ve Always Had the Power

The Power of Positive Thinking

Long before the book and movie The Secret (Rhonda Byrne) came out in 1997, Wallace D. Wattles and James Allen wrote, at the turn of the 20th century, books that told of the power of the mind and how to use it.

As A Man Thinketh by Allen and The Science of Getting Rich by Wattles tell of how, by using your mind, you can create or change your life.

New teachers

Today, there are all sorts of thought teachers and leaders. Some are straight forward and some may be a bit more “out there”, but if you keep an open mind, you are sure to find someone to whom you connect and resonate with. So many speakers, authors, teachers, preachers. Some of my favorites have been Les Brown, Dr. Catherine Ponder, Florence Scovel Shinn(The Game Of Life and How To Play It), Bob Proctor and Louise Hayes. The books and teachings of these and many more live on to reach generations to change their thoughts.

Motivation

Some motivational speakers try to get you to realize only you can motivate yourself. If you want to change, you are the only one who will do it, and only when you are ready. People like Mel Robbins, Lisa Nichols and Tony Robbins are paid handsomely to try to get you out of your comfort level. All are really saying the same thing, maybe in different ways. You have to hear the same thing or study the same thing over and over, many many times before it become a habit or true for you. Sometimes, hearing the same thing, but said by someone else will trigger you to remember or change. Lisa said when she was working toward her goal as a speaker, she was working a job, but called it funding the dream.

Power to Change

Just as you have the power to decide if you want to get out of bed in the morning, you also have the power to change the trajectory of your life. Why is it that we can tell ourselves once or twice we can’t do something or are not good enough and believe it, yet it takes many, many times telling ourselves yes, we can do it before we believe? Yes, it’s nice to have someone in your corner, someone who has confidence in you, but it’s your choices that ultimately move you into action.

Feelings

Think back over your own history of the “wins” in your life. The times that you have gotten what you wanted. In order to help speed the process of knowing you can do and create and be anything you want is to feel it. Remember the feeling of getting that new bike or job you wanted. Your wedding day. The feeling is what makes it real. You knew the color you wanted, the style. That feeling of knowing what you want and getting it is what is real. The power of believing in yourself is the most important and powerful in the world.

Confidence

Confidence grows when you do something you put off, or that you don’t think you can do, but do it anyway. Each time building yourself up. When I feel like I failed, I tell myself that I can do it, I have in the past and will again. Like Lisa Nichols, I am funding my dream by currently working for someone else until I am ready to make it happen.

LOA

The Law of Attraction may seem to you like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, voodoo, crazy new age stuff. But when you think about it, God gave us free will, that we may think for ourselves. You can think your way to changing your life. As Napoleon Hill says, what you think about most, you bring about. If you think about lack and poverty, that is what you will see. What dream are you working on? Or what is it that you think you need an extra push on? Who is your favorite speaker or author you enjoy listening to?

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October 1, 2020October 14, 2020

Every Scar Tells A Story

What does your story say?

Do you have a physical or emotional scar? Imagine you are at your sink washing dishes. You face a window overlooking the sprawling backyard. Glancing out seeing a flash of red, think nothing of it. Continuing washing you realize your three young children are playing in the backyard, and your husband is showing his visiting uncle how the new industrial size riding lawn mower works. As the dish drops and shatters as it hits the floor, you run outside to the mower as fast as you can. The next few days a blur as you are in and out of the hospital room with your youngest daughter, a 2 year old. At least this is what my mother recalls. This is not my story. It is my scar, but not my story.

Cold and dark

It was dark under that heavy piece of cold steel. I was scared. I heard screaming. This would be my story, if I remembered it. Thank God for not remembering ANY of it. I do sometimes think I recall the sound of my bones hitting the under blade. Maybe that is part of the emotional scar. I don’t have a story to tell, I have my mother’s story and hers alone. My father refuses to speak about it. I haven’t spoke to him at all in years. He is a coward, and no not because he feels bad about it. He still has that mower and displayed it as a trophy recently. Another part of the emotional scar? Maybe.

Physical

Let’s fast forward to today. My lasting impressions of this summer day so long ago:

Left hip long, thick scar, notice the dent where the chunk of skin is missing.

From just past the middle of my back at the spine, going along the left side of the hip and down toward the other side of my thigh. All along the left side of my body there are scars. One and two inch lengths along my arm, on the back of my head, and a thick one halfway across my knee. It truly is a miracle I was not cut in half or lost my leg in two places.

Miraculous

The true miracle is that I am even alive. I can walk and even had a natural childbirth! God is Good! I do now some 40 plus years later, have days where my hip hurts so bad I can’t stand for long or sit for long, but that is so minor to what could have been. At first I was surprised that this long after an old injury, one could have issues, but upon researching (something I love doing), I learned old scar tissue can continue to grow into bone and tighten and thus arthritis is also starting.

There are different types of scars. We all have them. Some are larger and more visible then others. Some you can’t even see, but there are still there. Hidden, ready to come back at you when you least expect it. Like a song or memory you thought you left in the past, it shows up to remind you it’s still there.

Dealing with the pain

The way each one of us deals with the emotional aspect is as similar as the physical scars on our body. Each one unique as we are. Is The act of what happened to me emotionally painful? Not as much as a bad relationship with a controlling, narcissistic person I am still trying to recover from and get back in touch with my free spirit. If you were in an abusive relationship, the emotional scars usually last longer then the physical ones.

Testimony

I think I have an amazing testimony. I am so blessed. Look at all the people God has used to share their stories with us. Our scars make us who we are. What we choose to do with our story is our choice. I used to hide them. I didn’t like wearing shorts. Bathing suits would be the long skirt kind. Now part of my healing journey was a tattoo cover up. I designed it to still show just a bit at one end (just over an inch). To me, it represents “I may have been ripped apart, but underneath, I am pure stone-strength. You will not break me”. As the flesh is pulled away, you see a vibrant slab of turquoise stone. Turquoise gems represent strength. Plus I have always loved the color!

Trauma

Do I deal with this like its a past trauma? I don’t think so. Some might say anger toward a man whom I have zero relationship with. I don’t know him, so I feel like you don’t miss what you don’t know. My journey has led me to being a lifelong seeker of truth. I knew from a young age I was here for something greater. I can walk and breath and am alive for a reason. God is my father and I will tell my story to all who will listen. What story do your scars tell?

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July 27, 2020July 28, 2020

Crime and Punishment

Or The Lack thereof in America today.

In other words, cause and effect

Dateline America 2020. If you lived 100 years ago and time traveled or were transported into the future, into 2020, your mind would be blown and you would think you were on a different planet. It would feel like the Twilight Zone. You might even question where you were and what is this lawless nation. 100 years ago people who commited a crime were arrested and would receive swift justice. No waiting for your court sentencing and certainly no waiting to go to prison. Prison.

It is not always through the perfect goodness of virtue that one obeys the law, but sometimes it is through fear of punishment~Saint Thomas Aquinas

You see, there was a time, not too long ago, that laws in this country were upheld. Crime and punishment went together. That if someone commited a crime, they would be arrested. People were scared to get caught and thrown in jail and that would be a big deterrent not to do a crime. Kill someone meant the death penalty, not waiting forever being taken care of with free meals and television, activities and college courses.

Soft on Crime

Very early this year I heard a true, but scary piece of news. There was a woman, lets call her Janelle. Janelle was single mother and worked at a bank in town. Each morning she would get the kids to school and head to work at the bank. One day she was getting her station ready when she looked up and saw a man shoving a note at her with one hand and a gun in the other. The armed robber demanded she give him $1100. Shaken, she gave him all she could gather.

Apprehended

About 2 blocks away, he was found counting the money as he said he was going to give back the overage. He said he was in his 70’s, his wife had died, his dog was sick, he was homeless living in his car and it was about to be repossessed. That is why he needed the money and only wanted that amount. Because of his sob story, he was let go with a small probationary period and a promise not to do it again.

Meanwhile, Janelle the single mother, was so upset and shaken, she cannot go back to working at the bank and is traumatized with PTSD and has a hard time taking care of her kids. Her life is turned upside down but this guy who freely chose to break the law walks free. There is no further thought about the victims!

It takes time to persuade men to do even what is for their own good~Thomas Jefferson

Changing times

When did the change start? Why did we stop holding people accountable for their actions? Part of it comes because we no longer teach our children right and wrong. Winning and losing. Give everyone who shows up an award. No longer having a first place winner. When my daughter was in first grade, the principle of the (private)school said a boy would not be punished for hitting another child because he was having a bad home life.. what?!

Law cannot persuade where it cannot punish~Alexander Hamilton

This is exactly how society is today, “well he was…oh they had a bad upbringing”. It is a choice to break the law and do wrong. Not everyone with a bad childhood chooses to go down the wrong path. Everyone has things they go through but don’t choose to do illegal activities. Choices create consequences.

Being so soft is not working out. I was working at a radio event and had the opportunity to speak at length to two police officers. They spoke of how crime is growing in juveniles and they are much more violent at a younger age. If there is no fear of punishment, why would they not do whatever they want? Who or what is to stop them?

Repeat offenders

Recidivism rates are on the rise. In the US, it is as high as 76.6%!! In Missouri it is 44% according to the MO Department of Corrections. 2 out of 3 are repeating crimes within 3 years of release. Recently I heard about a horrific killing in FL by three men who between them had 230 Felony arrests. yes, 230 FELONY ARRESTS!

Lately, prisoners and those in jail have been set free do to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some areas are not even taking to jail those that are caught. In CA, in one day, the same man was arrested 4 times and let go. 4 times! Why, because he knew nothing would be done so why not!

Ways to change

Crime and Punishment. Is it even a thing anymore? Do we even teach that choices come with consequences? Would in prison programs help? Community support? As most everything, I think it starts at home. Teaching our children right and wrong. After all, we are their first teachers. If not us, then whom?

Have you ever been a victim of a crime or have you been in jail or prison? Have you read Crime and Punishment? Leave a comment or thought. How would you go about change? Like and share to continue the conversation.

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July 5, 2020July 27, 2020

Why Being Creative is Important

Use of creativity with resin for plant charms

Creativity stimulates brain function.

Creativity sets the mind free. Think about all the times your mind wondered. You thought about a new car or how you would want to change or update your bedroom. That is being creative. Anytime you use your imagination even to write a report for work, you are being creative.

Some of the items I created with resin, for sale on my esty shop, notgoodatnormal1.

“You can’t use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have”~Maya Angelou

Being creative gives you an outlet

If you are feeling stuck or are board, you just have to use your imagination and change your thought patterns. When was the last time you colored or drew a sketch? Had a hobby? Don’t say you don’t have time because we all make time for what we want. Television and now surfing the net and scrolling mindlessly wastes time you could use being creative.

“Creativity is inventing, experienting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun”~Marylou Cook

Started a new hobby!

Being creative makes you happier. When you are thinking of how to do something, which color or way to start, you are not stressing or letting negativity in.

“The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent and therefore to foster civilization”~L. Frank Baum creator of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz book series

Creativity with resin — The Tin Woodsman from the Oz books. Use as a charm or plant decoration or for a rearview mirror.

If you think you are not the creative type, how did you get the house you wanted or the mate you have? You had to think about it and see it in your mind. Use of imagination is what drives us. Stop and think of planning a fun day. Where would you go, how much money would you spend, who would go with you? That is the creative process at work!

Mixing several of my favorite things together, creating with resin, Halloween and skulls.

Look at this blog. I wanted to get back to my creative side, a side that I pushed away for a few years thinking I didn’t have time for and wanting to fit in with someone I was seeing. Taking my own advice, Never change for anyone. I needed my creativity back. Back big time! Photography, writing, podcasting, building with wood, now arts with resin (I dabbled in stained glass but that was a one time thing).

“You’ll never be bored when you try something new, there’s really no limit to what you can do”~Dr Seuss

Using a journal, write out what you would want your day to look like tomorrow, or how you would rewrite today if you could. That is one way to get back into the creative spirit. By using our brain in a way that is either new to us, or a way that we haven’t used in a long time, you allow the creativity to flow. Sometimes, you need to give yourself permission to do it. Give yourself a few minutes in the evening or morning if that works better for you. Do this for a week and see how you feel.

Resin charms for decorating your plants and flowers. The creative process! I am always looking for new places for charms as I ran out of room on both of my charm bracelets!

Planting a garden takes planning. Imagination starts and action makes it happen. It’s all part of the creative process at work. I am doing custom items and taking orders for Halloween and Christmas.

Visit my new etsy shop at :https://www.etsy.com/shop/notgoodatnormal1?fbclid=IwAR1VAd0Nje8ASI8j_E9SVLMH2UDMZ_zJb5oz1MLB0ewFP9PsHu01zzVwt_g

I will be adding items to the shop and posting some on the blog, check back for more. Let me know in the comments what ways you are being creative or have started to do different. Have a new hobby or started a website or new business? Add that! Like and share. And go get creative!

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June 11, 2020June 13, 2020

What We Learn From History

How History Can Shape the Future

“The history of the past is but one long struggle upward to equality”~Elizabeth Cady Stanton

I am a self confessed history geek. I love history. All kinds. I don’t believe in past lives, but I am drawn to certain decades more than others. Early American history 1770-1800, women’s history and the suffragettes, the gilded age, the 1920’s and 30’s( mostly for the style and movies). As with everything I do, learning about these and other time periods brings me great joy. We must not forget the past, nor the people who lived through it.

The Buildings

What did this look like back in the day? St. Louis, MO.

Seeing older, abandoned buildings, I want to know more about what it was like when it was first built. What was it used for, who lived or worked there? What happened to cause it to be no longer in use. I want to know what kind of people lived in an old house. Where they worked, were they happy there, what circumstance caused them to leave the home, sometimes leaving their belongs, where did they go and why is it no one bought or restored it.

“History, despite it’s wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again”~Maya Angelou

Ghost Signs

Passing some buildings, mostly brick, I search for old signs. Some are barely visible and some have layers of advertising through the years. These give us a glimpse of the past. How people lived, what and how they purchased. Fashions and lifestyles. An anthropologist’s dream. Or perhaps, an archaeologist. Both study history and how people lived to an extent.

MzHyde in front of a ghost sign with several layers/years of advertising! Columbia, TN Living history!

Through learning about the past, we gain understanding of what worked and what doesn’t. How not to make the same mistakes.

This building, in Benton Park, STL had a ghost sign on each side.

“History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies.”~Alexis de Tocqueville

Older buildings have charm and character not found in today’s build it fast world. Historic places are being demolished in the name of progress and modernization. New is not always better.

Grand Blvd and Chouteau, What was left of the Pevely Dairy complex. Saint Louis University (SLU)purchased land to continue their expansion, despite this building being on the National Registry of Historic Places! Dated to 1915. This was a four story brick building with white glazed brick walls just on the inside.

Heritage of a City

Preserving our heritage is also practical. Materials can be recycled and reused, thereby continuing the aesthetic look of the city. This is what gives a unique, rich character. Having roots also makes us feel like we have ties to the community.

“History isn’t about dates and places and wars, it’s about the people who fill the spaces between them”~Jodi Picoult

Biographies and Documentaries

Biographies and documentaries are great sources of learning. Almost like a living history where you are in the shoes of another seeing life through their eyes. Reading a biography is my favorite, as I am also a book worm. Rich and detailed information on a past generation. A documentary can take you visually into another time. My favorites are books about inventors, movie stars and people who have changed the world.

“Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it”~Edmond Burke

Of course not all of history is good and therefore we must learn from the mistakes of our forefathers and make sure not to repeat it. Removing stories from books and monuments and not teaching certain lessons in classrooms does not remove what happened. We must not forget the pain, but teach our children the wrong and what makes it wrong and to not let it happen again.

“We cannot escape History”~Abraham Lincoln

A television show I love is Finding Your Roots with Dr. Henry L. Gates, Jr. , about genealogy. Knowing your personal history and where you come from is very important.

Part of the defunct Lemp Brewery complex,St. Louis, MO

I will leave you with a quote from another American President. Leave a comment about your favorite part of history. Like and share.

“The More You Know About The Past, The Better Prepared You Are for the Future.”~Theodore Roosevelt

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April 8, 2020July 5, 2020

Ecclesiastes 3 A time for everything

A time for every purpose unto heaven

There is a time for everything. A season or reason. In the Bible verse, Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time for everything to happen. A time to reap, a time to sow. A time to be born and a time to die. God has it determined what will happen. These are extraordinary times we are living through. No one knows what will happen or what to do. At this point it is a waiting game.

The best of times or the worst

Spring is a perfect time to get out and enjoy God’s wonder.

This could bring out the best in us or the worst. We have already seen how some people fought over toilet paper trying to hoard it. Others not following guidelines set out by public health officials and doing what they want. On the flip side, more people are meeting their neighbors and making sure medical personal have supplies. People can sit and watch television and eat all day and come out of this having gained weight, or go outside and walk, run, bike and play with the kids and be more fit. It’s a mind set. You get to choose what you use this time at home for. It could be a blessing or a curse.

Home School

So many people are complaining about having to homeschool their children. If you are a parent, you are your child’s first teacher. This one really gets me angry. It is not the school’s place nor a teacher’s to show your child basics of living or right and wrong. It’s not that hard to teach counting and reading. When my daughter was two I placed printed words around the house. DOOR on the door. TELEVISION on the TV, ect. She learned how to read, also helped that I read to her often and we didn’t spend hours in front of a screen each day.

Easy and fun way to teach basic math. Yum!

Simple math was made fun by using candy. M&M’s work best, but this is what I had when writing and taking pictures. If Jr. has three pieces of candy, and mom eats one, how many will Jr. have left? Fun and rewarding way to add or subtract. I home schooled from 4th grade through 8th, with the munchkin going to public school a few hours a week for the gifted program. It seems it would be much easier now with a lesson plan from the school online.

The Byrds

By now, you may have noticed a few themes run through my blogs. Music and Movies (Oz mostly) how they relate to life, positivity and God. How you can change your mindset and change your life. The folk rock band The Byrds had a number one song in 1966 titled, “Turn, Turn, Turn” based on the bible chapter and verse, Ecclesiastes 3: A time to kill, and time to heal, a time to laugh a time to weep. A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. See, now is not the time to embrace.

Useful

No, it wasn’t a Sunday. Feels like the Twilight Zone. Not a soul in sight!

What will you use this time for? It is a gift, for the most part. Yes, it can be difficult. I worked at a radio station, in promotions. All of the events were canceled, leaving me out of a job. The positive side is I get to see family, to read and write and do research. Drive with the top down and take photos. The things I love to do, but hadn’t had much time to devote to. Will you learn a new craft, or finish a book? Do a DYI project around the house. Plant flowers. Learn a new language. Start a journal so your kids can remember this time. Read the Bible and the rest of Ecclesiastes 3.

Maybe just spend more time with the kids and those you love. From a distance. Be safe and use common sense. Let me know what you are doing or plan to do. There is a time for everything.

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March 23, 2020April 6, 2020

The Wisdom of Country Music

What we can learn from Country Music

“For These Times -in which we live the sound of someone’s heartbreak is the soundbite at the news break” Martina McBride

The Wisdom of Country Music — Martina McBride and the author, Tee. Not only one of the best singers of our time, but a great humanitarian.

Country music, the real, older style, tells stories in melody. Each song is like a pearl of wisdom. I’m not talking about the current state of what is found on radio now, or for the last several years, with few exceptions.

The Real Wisdom

The kind of songs that tell stories about life and love and are filled with lessons. There are no shortage of these. One only has to go back a few years to listen and learn. Let’s start with Faith Hill. She sings about how The Secret of Life is the simple things, getting up early, a good cup of coffee, “the secret of life is, there ain’t no secret and you don’t get your money back!” Live a life filled with what you want and you already know the secret.

Pay Attention

Words and music by Casey Breathard and Chris Wallin

“You’re Gonna Miss This” and “Don’t Blink” by Trace Atkins and Kenny Chesney respectively, tell us to live in the moment, not to take for granted or miss out and complain too much, because one day you will look back and think where did that time go? “You’re going to wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast, you may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this.” “You just might miss your babies growing up, like mine did. When your hourglass runs out of sand, you can’t flip it over and start again” We can also add Tim Mcgraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” to this group. Why wait, for anything? You may not get a second chance!

Songs that make you think

There are songs that make us think, cry, smile and remember a moment. Songs stay with us, mostly for a lifetime. Some of the earlier country songs I started listening to, in the late 80’s, are some of the most memorable ones for me. Shenandoah singing sad, but thought provoking lyrics with haunting melodies. Spending hours playing the what if game. “The Road Not Taken”, ” I Wanna Be Loved Like That”, and “Mama Knows” all about a simpler time. These songs craft the question, do we live in regret, or choose the life you have made.

The Big Guy

Garth Brooks even sang about the wisdom of not getting what you want. “Unanswered Prayers” reminds us, as he sees an old flame he once prayed would be the one, realizing she wasn’t and that God had someone better for him. “The Dance-I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end, the way it all would go, our lives are better left to chance,I could have missed the pain, but I’d of had to miss the dance”.

The Preacher Won’t Have To Lie

Some of my favorite singers also wrote a few books.

The idea for this blog came one day late last year when I was on a long drive in my convertible, and saw a billboard sign something about God is watching. I immediately thought of the Lee Ann Womack songs “The Preacher Won’t Have to Lie~I had a dream and I got a good look at myself. I stood face to face with the ghost of my past and I saw what was to come. They made it clear that on day I’d have to answer for what I had done. I saw what I’d become. The choices you make, the chances you take, they’ll follow you all of your life” and “Something Worth Leaving Behind”. Who could forget her monster crossover hit, “I Hope You Dance-never settle for the path of least resistance, when you come close to selling out, reconsider”

So many great songs, so little space. Here is a short list of some great songs to listen to again, or for the first time: Lynn Anderson “Rose Garden” The Judds “Grandpa” Suzy Bogguss “Letting Go” Kasey Musgraves “Mind Your Biscuits” Loretta Lynn, just about any of her older stuff. Grab your klennex for when Patty Loveless signs with a tear in her throat, “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye”

Martina McBride

I could write an entire blog on just Martina songs. She certainly can pick them, and she wrote some of them as well. Her songs inspire and give hope in trying times. “Love’s The Only House big enough for all the pain”. “Anyway sing, love, dream, do it anyway””In My Daughter’s Eyes”, which I wrote about here.

“All The Things We’ve Never Done” and “Whatever You Say” sometimes it’s not what you say or do that speaks volumes. Who could forget not only the soaring vocals but the message of “Independence Day”? Let freedom Ring, Let the whole world know that today is the day of reckoning. A song I use almost daily for inspiration, “Ride” Life is a roller coaster ride, time turns a wheel and love collides, faith is believing you can close your eyes and touch the sky. Hold on tight to what you feel inside and ride.

Back to the beginning

Especially now, “For These Times-where the worst of what we live is laid out for all the world on the front page. Give me a heart full of love and kindness and arms ready to open wide”. The wisdom of country music. What are some of your picks for songs on the list? leave a comment.

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