Childhood Memories

 Yesterday morning during my prayer time, I was reminded how blessed I was to grow up in a Christian home, in the middle of the United States, in a rural community and small country school, in a good Biblical church with extended family and in the era that I did.

I remember the Radley School that I attended from 1^st grade to 7^th grade.  It was just across the field from our house.  We had the best bus driver, Shorty.  Even though we lived close enough to walk to and from school, we were allowed to ride that small yellow bus.  Shorty would even let us ride the whole route home in the afternoon, so we could be with our friends.  He would drive one of those backcountry roads that had a “hill” so we could roll off the seats like a roller coaster.  The seats were around the edge with the open area in the middle.  So we put our coats on the floor and fell on them and thought it was so fun🤣!  There were even times, when he would let some of us girls off to walk those pretty tree covered country roads in the Spring and then come back and pick us up when he had finished the route and take us home.  Goodness, there is no way a bus driver could do that today.  The world was so much safer back in those days (50’s-60’s).  The school was small…..Little Room (Grades 1-4) and Big Room (Grades 5-8).  One teacher for each room (so two teachers total for the whole school).  I remember very well that I was playing on the playground when we got the news JFK had been assassinated.  We did have a cafeteria and the food was always so good!  

I had Co-Pilot create an image of how I remember the bus and Shorty. 

Such a nice man!

A picture of the school years after it closed.  I believe someone bought it to store hay in.

The school closed after my 7^th grade year, and thus we started going to Girard to school.  Our farm was halfway between Girard and Pittsburg and was actually in Frontenac’s school district, but Dad wanted us to go to Girard (which was also a “God” thing since that is where I met Jeff).  The Girard bus didn’t come all the way to our house, so we walked 1/2 mile for a year or two until they came further down, then it was 1/4th of a mile.  Dad built us a bus stop at the corner to protect us from the weather and the wild dogs that roamed that area (I got attacked by one and had to have a tetanus shot as I tore my leg open jumping a barbed wire fence ☹). By the time, Kaye was in High School, a bus came all the way to the house.

I didn’t really like living in the country (was never an “outdoor loving” person).  I hated the chickens as they would jump on my back and peck me☹!  To this day, I rarely ever go without shoes/slippers, even in my own house, from those darn chickens and the mess they made in our yard.  Yes, my Mom wrung many a chicken's neck, plucked it, and we had it for "supper." 😊

Even though the chickens aren't part of my favorite memories, I do love many other memories of that farm.  When I was just a toddler, Dad bought the farm.  It was just a two-bedroom, one bath house for several years, until the third child was born.  I do "vaguely" remember that front porch.

I was probably around 2 here

Then they had two rooms added on the front (so no more front porch).  Mom and Dad took the bigger of the two rooms and the other room was Mom's sewing room.  Bev and Kaye shared a room and I had my own room.  However, I was a scaredy cat and ended up in their bed more than once.  But, of course, when I became a teenager, I was sure glad I had my own room.  After Jeff and I married, Dad had had a second bath added using part of the bedroom that was theirs.  It had a shower (prior to that, we only had a bathtub).  So that was a blessing. Eventually, they had a double car garage added on the back.  There were several outbuildings.  Holly used this picture in a Boore photo book she created several years ago.

I guess Dad and Mom liked yellow.....

Pictures down thru the years inside the house (which was only 1,352 sq. ft. but it sure seemed much bigger).

My children have wonderful memories of Grandpa and Grandma Boore's farm.  We always gathered with Bev and Kaye and their families for Christmas and many times for the 4th.  The kids will always cherish those times where they all slept in the living room (7 grandchildren) on the pull-out couch, recliners and floor.

Josh and Andy -- little farm boys💙💙 

 It was common back in those days that Kansas would have snow at Christmastime, which all the grandchildren loved, especially the Texas grandkids.  Grandpa would pull them on our road, on sleds behind his pick-up and also took them to the pond to skate on the ice.  The building in the picture below was at one time, Bev, Kaye and I's playhouse.  We sure had a lot of fun in that building and had it fixed up really cute.  

My parents hosted all the Boore family every Fourth of July and it was always such a fun night. 

A few years later and now all these kids have kids!!

Even in his later years, Dad would ride his bike😊 There was a tire swing hanging from a beautiful old tree just to the left of him that was also much fun for the grandkids.  Wish I had a picture of it.

  Andy used the farm lessons in his tribute at his Grandma’s funeral.  

Rachel made cookies for her Grandma’s 90^th birthday, with the stories to go with them centered around her memories of the farm💗.

The year after Dad passed away (2001), Mom sold the farm and moved into Girard where we made more memories but will always remember the Farm in Radley, KS.💓

Mt. Olive Baptist Church was approx. 2-3 miles from our house.  It too holds many precious memories.  Dad was a faithful Deacon at Mt. Olive.  We would pick up Miss Bessie every Sunday on our way to church.  I believe there were others too that Dad gave rides to, but sweet Miss Bessie is who I remember best.

Mom is holding me in this picture.

I was Aunt Freda's flower girl, whose wedding was at Mt. Olive.

I accepted Jesus as my Savior in August of 1964 at the altar at Mt. Olive (Pastor Carl George) and then baptized in this nearby creek a couple of weeks later.💗

.  It was also where Jeff and I married❤️ (as well as my Mom and Dad).

The building was sold in the 1990's and was a personal home for many years.  I think now it's a storage building.

The Pittsburg Facebook page posted this picture of the church below.  It must have been in the early days, because there weren't all those trees around it when I was growing up.

The congregation moved into their new building in 1993.  It was a couple of miles from the old one.  A very nice facility.  This picture was Mom's last Sunday as a member (before she moved closer to Jeff and I in Galena in 2016).

Girard Homecoming Parade....where Mt. Olive's float was a mini replica of the old church

Our last time in the church was Jan. 2024 for Mom's funeral

Jeff has thousands of memories (and over 6,000 written pages) of his childhood.  I really don’t have a lot.  But all the memories I have are very precious to me.  My parents loved each other, loved each of us girls, and loved the Lord and had us in church every time the doors were opened! There was always food on the table and clothes to wear.  Dad took us on two weeks’ vacations every summer.  

A couple of my very favorite vacations were when Mom and Dad took only me (my sisters stayed with Aunt Jo) to New York for the World's Fair (1964).  So much fun!!  We also went to Niagara Falls.

The other memorable vacation was to California in 1970.  Our cousin, Jan Boore, went with us.  The picture below is the only one I could find but it doesn't include Jan (she must have taken the picture).  But she made the trip so much fun.  We went to relatives' homes and to Disneyland! 😎

There was no abuse, no alcohol, no drugs, and Jesus was the center of our home👏.  Were we perfect? Absolutely not—far, far from it!  But it was a happy childhood🥰.

Indeed, I was so very blessed and I will forever be grateful!💜