A Little Bit of Everything

O.k. boys and girls, today's post is a little bit of this and that, why you ask?.......um, because it is my blog ya know and the fact that it has gotten a little to serious for my taste here at the Purrrfect Kitty.

So I was watching some telly the other day and they had a documentary on Coal Miners in the State of Virginia. 1st, I have to say that Coal Miners are probably the bravest M.F.'s I know. I could never go down so deep-miles into the earth with nothing but a little flash lite on my hat to see with, in pitch darkness, H.E. double hockey sticks NO! As I have mentioned before that I'm deathly afraid of the dark and that is one thing I know will never grow out of or change.

So, back to the Coal Miners. Did you know back in the early 1900's when they found this black wondrous stuff (Sidebar: not when IT was FOUND, FOUND. Just found in the Virginia area. So don't write me....FINGERS with the actual dates and names or chemist diagram of the sort....no, no. No need) these men would dynamite these huge mountains and dig down into the earth to find this black gold to sustain transportation for trains and heat for our homes and many, many other wonderful things.

Chances are, all of us have had family members who sacrificed their life and health to make our life, back then, a little more comfortable. I know my great-grandfather (and probably great-great) was a coal miner and so was my grandfathers on both sides of my family and the same for my hubby's family in Alabama.

When Hubby's grandfather passed away, we were in Alabama at his home, sorting through his belongings, we found a black book, it was small like the size of a small address book. He had all these numbers listed with dates beside them. "This was his Payroll Booklet" my Hubby's grandmother said. I about freaked out over what these men made for a living.....PENNIES a day!

I seen in 1932 in May he made $90 in one month and that was considered substantial amount of money for a family.....a family of 5 kids and 2 adults.

I have true admiration for these men who risked their life's to make our ancestors life more comfortable.

Back to the show, my OCD is in high gear today.......as the show went on, giving out all kinds of information, there was one part I found the most interesting. Back in the 30's the men were given Red Bandanna's to wear while working to help with keeping the sweat out of their eyes and cool off during breaks by dipping the bandanna into cool water and tying around their necks.

This bandanna (only given to Coal Miners) became a sign of stature. If a gentleman was seen with a bandanna tied around his neck then it was assumed that he was higher up on the income pole.

As time went on, the name "Redneck" was given to these men and with that name came a symbol of affluence. So, to be called a "Redneck" was compliment.

So, there you go boys and girls you have learnt sumting here taday ;)

Now for your entertainment or mine, not really sure. Here is a FYI.

I love watches, all kinds. Mostly large men watches. I not really sure why I have such a obsession with them so, I am normally late to work every morning or anywhere for that matter. (not really everyday, but sometimes, cause I get away with it).

I have had this obsession for years, probably since I could tell time. I remember the first watch my mother had given me, it was a Snoopy watch for girls. Now, I loved me some snoopy, but it was a girls watch. I wanted the G.I. Joe Army watch with all the bells and whistles and army green band. My mother insisted that I keep the "girls" snoopy watch and give my brother back his G.I. Joe watch.

My mother proclaimed that I had too little of wrist and hands and couldn't keep it on without it falling off and losing it in time. Well I gave it back to my brother but still had it in my mind that he would eventually get tired of his watch and take it off for sometime and forget about it, making it mine to take when he forgets about it and moves on to play his Robot Commando or if he had a friend over they would play Rock'em Sock'em Robots (I hated it when he wouldn't let me play this game when his friends were over, cause I would kick his ass every time).

So, back to the watches. I have always loved big, men's watches. I'm still cursed with the small wrist, but I make due and now days you can find women's larger watches that look like men's and when I do I buy them up in every metal, color or band style they have.

When I graduated from High School, most of my friends wanted money or cars (I already had a car) I wanted a Rolex ( I had never heard of Tag Heuer .....YET) and I thought since I had graduated with honors that I was really going easy on them regarding the cost.......hell, some of my friends had received Trust Funds and Exotic trips before college. All I wanted was a Rolex, a good Rolex, a men's Rolex.

Well, my mother wouldn't have it. She bought me a Rolex.......a Rolex with a dainty little black velvet band with a small tiny face with diamonds around the face and in place the 12, 3, 6 and 9. I hated IT! Hate IT!

Granted, I hear all of you moaning......well, you ungrateful little bitch, you should have your ass beat for even asking for such a gift at 18 years of age. your probably right, but my mother was quite comfortable in her finances and could afford pretty much what she could or would ever want in life and I don't want any of that "Oh you were a rich bitch with wealthy parents" Well, you got the "wealthy parents" right, but in no way was I ever rich and was reminded of such my entire youth. This is my mothers statement: Your stepfather and I work hard for what we have and the point is, I will take care of you and take you through college, but after that, what is mine is mine and yours is yours. Capche'? Me: Capche' mother.

Well needless to say she took the watch back I received my 1st Rolex, a Men's Rolex when I graduated College...............I paid for half.

My stepfather and mother never really spoiled me and my 2 brothers. They gave what we needed and somethings we wanted, but mostly just what was needed and not much more. We went on nice vacations and had one of the nicer homes in our neighborhood, but none of this really came until after my Father and Mother were divorced and we stayed poor for a few years just getting by on mothers Therapist income (as a single mother) and only her income. My father never paid her support and my brothers father paid very little for the 2 boys.

When mother met my stepfather is when we became very comfortable or I should say she became VERY comfortable. Granted my father was wealthy and my stepfather was wealthy, but my mother never was independently wealthy, she made sure the men in her life made her that way..........smart some say, very un-happy and sacrificed a lot for men I say.

In my house growing up, everything was a chart. Her chart consisted of several things, but the most common one was the "WANTS, NEEDS, MUST HAVES and DREAMS" if you wanted a pair of jeans that costs over her allotted amount of $19.99 Levi's then those were considered WANTS and you would list it under the WANTS column. If they went above and beyond her acceptable amount of "no more then $30.00 for a pair of Calvin Klein's" well then, those could be considered "DREAMS" cause you were DREAMING if you thought she was gonna pay over $30.00 for you a pair of jeans and she really didn't care if they were Calvin Klein's or if the Pope made and blessed them, cause she wasn't about to pay that much for a pair of jeans.
$25.00 was the limit.

I could say my mother taught me a lot about needs, wants and such, but I still pay way too much for purses, shoes and yes, even jeans. I've had to pinch myself many times when my daughter was growing up. She would ask for something and I knew she really (1. didn't need it or 2. was hustling me to get it). The chart would bounce up in my head and I would find myself starting to analyzing everything, to point where I would just give in and buy whatever she wanted just so I wouldn't be like my mother.

Funny, how we say we will never "do this" or "say that" when we were kids, but once we grow up and are confronted with the same situations as our parents and before you know it, we've become them.