Category: JoAnn – Current Year
The Spring Calf…by JoAnn
Spring has sprung and I could not be happier. Today I took a drive through my rural community and soaked in, not only the warmth of the sun, but the beauty of the farms that surround my little corner of the world. I passed field after field, dotted with Spring wildflowers, blooming trees and shrubs, and birds enjoying their busy day. But my favorite vision of all had to be the fields that held the newest births of Spring: the baby calves. Nothing makes me happier than to see a newborn animal of any kind. But there is something about a newborn calf that really pulls at my heartstrings.
I passed one field that was a bounty of rolling green acres. The grass was thick and lush. The long fence line was bordered with hundreds of bright yellow Daffodils. It was the perfect picture post card for Spring. I slowed down to take a closer look. Inside that fence, there must have been thirty Mama cows. Each one with their new offspring.
Today I saw a calf for every color known to cows. Lots of rusty red ones, solid black, brown, brown and white, even a pure white one. But my favorite of all was a little guy that I nicknamed Dalmatian. It was a beautiful snow white with black spots all over. I would have loved to have gotten a closer look at that one.
I enjoy guessing the age of the new calf. It’s pretty obvious the ones that are under 48 hours old. They cling closely to their mother, and I often catch them nursing. The ones that are a week or two old still stay close by their mama but are more alert and will turn to look at my car as I slow down. I see older calves playing together away from their mamas and often they will come to the fence line to see what’s going on. Their big dark brown eyes and long eyelashes are adorable. Some of the sweetest faces of nature. This always puts a big smile on my face. They are SO cute!
You would think with my enthusiasm over cows and their offspring, that I was a farm girl. But I am not. My love of baby farm animals is a love from afar. I have never been a part of the type of farming that surrounds my home. My neighbors are farmers through and through. I have the utmost respect for their way of living and their careers. When they have a successful year of farming, I am happy for them. And when they have a poor year, I pray for them and the families for which they provide. It is a hardworking life, and I for one appreciate them.
I hope that wherever you live; you can enjoy all the wonderful new things that come with Spring. Just taking a few moments to stop and listen to the bird’s sing can relieve stress and help brighten and lighten your day. If you are as blessed as I am and live near a rural area, take a drive, and notice the pastures and all the new birth and blooms they hold.
Happy Spring!
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Soap Opera Fan!
May 28, 2021
Family - JoAnn, Guest WoW, JoAnn - Current Year
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JoAnn
When I was a little girl, my mama would tell me to either play outside or sit quietly, while she watched her “stories” on TV. Those stories were, of course, daytime soap operas. Mama only watched the CBS soaps. To my best recollection they were: As the World Turns, Guiding Light, The Edge of Night, and Search for Tomorrow. I know, very dramatic titles, right? They usually ran 30 minutes each.
Mama was a very early riser and worked hard as a stay-at-home mother and wife. So, by mid-day, when the soap operas came on, she needed a pleasant break. She would sit in her favorite chair, often with her lunch and a cold drink, and enjoy her stories. It didn’t take long for me to realize these stories, as she called them, were pretty interesting. I took after my mama and learned to appreciate the entertainment soap operas offered.
By the time I was a teenager in the early 70s, I added a new soap opera to the CBS lineup: The Young & The Restless. They took a more modern approach to their characters and storylines. I was hooked! So was my mama and my older sister, Jeanie. We all three watched the new soap whenever we had the chance. If my sister and I had to miss it, our mama would fill us in later. Jeannie even bought the soap opera magazines that were published just for the people who couldn’t watch the episodes daily but wanted to keep up.
Later on, when my sister and I were both married and raising families, we would talk on the phone often to each other and our mother. It never failed that the topic of our favorite soap opera would come up somewhere in the conversation; what character was doing what with whom, and where and why! I was even a pen pal to my favorite aunt who also loved the soap, and we would often write about the latest goings on in our letters! We were all loyal fans. Heck, I still am.
We may sound a little crazy, or rather misguided with our love for Y&R, as fans refer to it, but the statistics don’t lie. Young & Restless has been successful for over 53 years! It has held the spot as the #1 watched daytime soap opera for many of those years.
I’m not sure if my sister Jeanie still watches Y&R, as it has been a very long time since the topic came up in one of our conversations. She works full time still, and I doubt she is home to watch, but with the wonderful technology we have today, if you miss an episode of any television show when it’s broadcast, you can be sure to catch it online. I often catch up with my favorite characters of Y&R just that way.
The show’s original theme song “Nadia’s Theme” still plays at the end of every episode, and with every note I am reminded of the enjoyment I shared all those years ago with my mother, sister, and aunt. Lots of times we would be busy somewhere in the house and hear that theme song start to play. We would drop what we were doing and run to the television set before we missed something important. There was no rewinding a scene or recording an episode as televisions can do today.
My mother has been gone for 20 years, and my aunt for ten. I truly miss the little things with both of them, even something as silly as watching a “story”. I’m happy Y&R is still on after all these years. It’s a sweet reminder of two women I love.
As The World TurnsCBSEdge of NightGuiding LightSearch For TomorrowSoap OperaThe Young & Restless