My mother was five feet, eight inches tall, my daddy five feet and 10 inches, my brother nearly six feet and my sister a little taller than me at my almost five feet. My mother used to joke and tell me she placed a book on my head so I would not grow taller. I was the shortest person in our graduating class. I was the one who was always placed on the front row. I guess I missed my elevating gene.
Only one of our children inherited short stature, our oldest, Michael. He’s not a whole lot taller than me. His brother is over six feet and his sister, at the least, five foot eight.
I have a small white stool I carry around with me, all the time, just to help me climb onto and into things I need. I also have one of the “grabbers” to get things from cabinets or high shelves. My housekeeper is somewhat taller than me, and she always places the dishes I need just out of reach, so I am constantly asking for help or using my stool or my grabber. All my husband’s vehicles are high off the ground, and I always need my stool to climb in.
In my younger years, it was easier to scramble and clamber to higher places I needed to get to, but as I get older, I find that my “scrambler” is somewhat lacking in mobility.
When we rebuilt our log house, I told the contractor I needed two ovens, as I cooked a lot during the visits from our children. I have a microwave, an oven over an oven, a wall of ovens, and I can in no way reach the top. I suppose the contractor didn’t take a good look at me. So, yep, I need my stool.
I remember once I had to go to the grocery store and all that was here to drive was my husband’s jeep, Ruby. Ruby is really high off the ground, and I had to have my stool to climb in. Only one problem, how to get my stool inside once I climbed in to use for the next “out and in.”
Never to be deterred, I straightened out a coat hanger and left the hook at the end. After climbing in, I just reached down with the wire hanger and hooked the stool and pulled it inside.
There were two nice gentlemen who came over to see if I needed assistance, but I was completely independent, with my wire hanger.
Orange Crush Cake
One box of orange cake mix,
1 package of vanilla pudding mix,
4 eggs,
1/3 cup of oil,
1 cup of Orange Crush.
Mix all and beat on medium until smooth. Pour into a tube pan and bake 55 minutes at 350 degrees.
Icing
2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons Orange Crush. Mix well and drizzle over cake.
