Author: lbeth1950

lbeth1950https://nutsrok.wordpress.comNow that I'm done with the bothersome business of workday world, I am free to pursue my passion, capturing the stories I've loved all my life. The ones you'll read on my blog are good old Southern stories, a real pleasure to relay. Here in the South, we are proud of our wacky folks. I've preyed shamelessly on my family, living and dead, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, often changing the names to protect the innocent and not so innocent. My mother illustrates my blog. I come from a rollicking family of nuts, hence the name of the blog Nutsrok Enjoy.
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How Did I Get From There to Here?

If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?

Warning: use of the N word is used in context in this story.

I often wonder how I became the person I am.  I was born in 1950, a Baby Boomer, in the Deep South.  I was raised Southern Baptist by a very devout mother and a father who attended as often as his conscience prompted him.  The influence in our home was definitely ultra-conservative and racist. Everything was segregated.  Water fountains and business entrances were marked white and colored.  Should a black person come to our house, they knocked on the back door, 

I never knew a single black person by name till I met Rosie, a black lady who occasionally cleaned for Mother.  One day Rosie told me she had a little girl just my age, three years old,  I was enchanted, desperate to know more and perhaps play with her little girl.

Innocently, I blurted out, “Is she a nigger?” As young as I was, the hurt look on Rosie’s face showed me I’d said something horrible.

Kindly but firmly, she corrected me. “She’s the same color as me but it’s wrong to say nigger. Say colored.” Rosie was as kind as ever afterward. I was so glad she didn’t stay mad.

Not too long afterward, Rosie had no one to keep Cynthia, so she had to bring her along. I was ecstatic to get to play with her all day. I couldn’t wait to share news of my new friend the second Daddy walked in the door. Rosie had crossed the line. I never saw her or sweet little Cynthia again.

I pray we never go back to that hate-filled time.

Valentine Failure

Bud and I are not the best at commemorating special days. Despite this, we are coming up on fifty-five years so I guess things have somehow worked out.

One year, I was feeling appreciative of our relationship and bought Bud a really beautiful card. I left the card with a box of chocolates, the memento he’d really appreciate, on his bedside table where he’d see it as he came home from his nightshift.

It happened to be my day off, so I waited for his reaction. He came in carrying a bag of Valentine treats a co-worker had gifted the staff. His cheeks were puffed out with candy, so he was obviously enjoying the holiday.

In a few minutes he came back up front with his box of chocolates under his arm and settled in his recliner to enjoy the news. When I went back to check, I noticed he’d never even opened his card. I was infuriated.

“Where’s my valentine?” I demanded.

With his mouth full of candy, he replied. “I didn’t know it was Valentine’s Day.”

Amazingly, he survived.

At My Age

What were your parents doing at your age?

My dad died at fifty-seven so he never attained my age. My mother was healthy and happy living on her own.

Thou shalt not thong!

imageThe pastor’s vocabulary could have used a little updating before he addressed his concerns that the young people were taking casual dress at morning services just a bit too far. “I’ll bet half of the young ladies out there are wearing thongs this morning.” Though he was thinking of the ” flip flop” shoes of his youth, not sexy underwear, he certainly had everyone’s attention.

One Law

If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?

I don’t know where

To start. That’s like being granted one wish.

Reminiscing

I thought you might like to hear a story from Kathleen Swain my 96 year-old mother.

Dream Home

Write about your dream home.

When I was a young child, my parents rented a an old cabin on a lake for a few days. It was a dream time. We all basked in the sun, fishing, picnicking, and playing on the beach. Most wondrous of all, the whole family slept in beds on the screened-in front porch with a view of the reflection of the full moon on the lake. I drifted in and out of slumber to the music of my parents in contented conversation. Those were precious times. I’d love to have that again.

Melodica man

https://youtu.be/zSLEZU3o9jI?si=4b8AUHkRc693L9im

Click this link for a great laugh!

Aid and Attendance Benefit

I am sitting in VA office waiting to see an agent. Because of my father’s military service during World War II, Mother is eligible for Aid and Attendance Benefit. This is a benefit to help pay for care for veterans and their dependents who served during war time. It is a godsend

Aid and Attendance Benefit

Wartime veterans and their surviving spouses, 65 years and older, may be entitled to a tax-free benefit called Aid and Attendance provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

The Benefit is designed to provide financial aid to help offset the cost of long-term care for those who need assistance with the daily activities of living such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring.

American Veterans Aid, a private company, is dedicated to helping war era veterans and their surviving spouses receive this Benefit which they so deserve.

See if you qualify

Enter your info to get pre-qualified for the Aid & Attendance Benefit. Get up to $3,740 per month!Name of Inquirer*Email*Phone Number*State of Residence*    Alabama  Alaska  Arizona  Arkansas  California  Colorado  Connecticut  Delaware  District Of Columbia  Florida  Georgia  Hawaii  Idaho  Illinois  Indiana  Iowa  Kansas  Kentucky  Louisiana  Maine  Maryland  Massachusetts  Michigan  Minnesota  Mississippi  Missouri  Montana  Nebraska  Nevada  New Hampshire  New Jersey  New Mexico  New York  North Carolina  North Dakota  Ohio  Oklahoma  Oregon  Pennsylvania  Puerto Rico      Rhode Island  South Carolina  South Dakota  Tennessee  Texas  Utah  Vermont  Virginia  Washington  West Virginia  Wisconsin  Wyoming  Veteran Name*Surviving Spouse (if applicable)

  • Is the veteran 65 or older? If you are a surviving spouse, answer “Yes” to this question as there is no age requirement.Yes No
  • Did the veteran serve during a period of war?Yes No
  • Is the veteran or spouse, now or in the very near future, in need of assistance with one or more of the daily activities of living such as bathing, dressing,eating,transferring/mobility, and toileting?Yes No
  • Is the veteran or spouse currently receiving a VA benefit for service connected injury or illness that is more than $2,000 per month?Yes No

SUBMIT

Receive up to $3,740 monthly withthe Aid and Attendance Benefit

The Aid & Attendance Benefit provides benefits for war era veterans and their surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in at least two of the daily activities of living such as eating, bathing, dressing and undressing, transferring and the needs of nature.Call (877) 427-8065now to see if you qualify!