"The Good Old Days"
When we were living in those good old days,
They didn’t seem so good.
We read by the light of kerosene lamp,
And heated our homes with wood.
We carried water up the hill,
To wash with, cook and scrub;
And we took our baths behind the stove,
In a galvanized laundry tub.
I still can smell the old lye soap,
And feel the stung and hurt
When some of it got in my eyes,
But it really got the dirt.
We slept on cornhusk mattresses,
Sometimes three in a bed.
If you were late you got the foot;
The early ones took the head.
We waded snow, and ice and mud,
To get to the seat of learning
With a pot-bellied stove that froze our backs,
While our fronts were nearly burning.
We drank from a cup from a water pail,
On a bench where the teacher put it;
And whatever ailment one kid had,
The rest were sure to get it.
In the winter you milked in a drafty barn,
While the wind whistled through the cracks;
And the swirling snow while you were inside,
Filled up your fresh-made tracks.
A little house at the end of the path,
Half hidden with brush and weeds,
In summer’s heat and winter’s cold
Served other family needs.
Now you may look with envious eyes
On these old times if you are twenty;
But I’ve been through those good old days,
And once, my friend is plenty!
Let Us Fly the American Flag Proudly
It has given heart and hope and strength to Americans ever since this nation was born. It has flown in times of trouble and in times of triumph as a symbol of American’s unquenchable ideals, ever since those ideals were first proclaimed.
It flies today as a sign that Americans, proud of their country’s stirring heritage, are determined to carry the American dream forward. When we fly the flag each day, we salute the blessings we enjoy in this great country. We affirm our belief that only as each one of us gives strength to America can America give strength to us.
We express our support of the American credo: one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Let us fly this flag proudly, to show that we know what a privilege it is to be an American.