Three generations today had a delightful time shopping—at Tony Bernal’s Art Studio, Appaloosa Gallery (I knew it as Walt’s Corner) and then on to Trinidad to shop and then see the movie, How to Train a Dragon. I’m exhausted, so this will be short!
My brother, his son and his two granddaughters and I had a marvelous time today enjoying southeastern Colorado. We started with a stop at Tony Bernal’s Art Studio. What an amazing collection of local and international artwork and jewelry.
From there we went on to Trinidad and had Mexican food at Tequilas’s Family Restaurant. The place was hopping! We all enjoyed our different dishes and we ended with mouth-watering sopapillas.
Then we headed downtown where the three of us ladies shopped until I dropped. Several of the stores were closed because of being Sunday, but we had fun. Our most outrageous fun was an old style photo booth. We crammed the three of us in and took our first pictures which cut two of our heads off. We tried a second time and concentrated on where the camera was! Such a memory maker!
Originally we planned to go the movie at the 3:45 PM showing, but our extended shopping downtown messed that up, so we had to move it up to the 6:30 PM time slot. To cool down, we stopped for ice cream at a local shop. Then we went to Big R to see the wares there. I ended up sitting down for most of our time there.
From there we decided to go to the Dollar Tree and enjoyed walking almost the whole store.
Three Generations See a Movie
We arrived at the theater about an hour ahead of time, so I snuck in a short nap before the movie. With a bucket of popcorn and Fanta Orange drink, I enjoyed the magic of seeing Toothless and Hiccup and their adventures. We sat in a row—three generations enjoying this fun-filled, adventurous movie!
Because of the later showing, we had to drive home in the dark. My nephew spotted a herd of six elk in the road before anyone else—thank God he saw them because that could have been a serious accident.
Finally,
I’m exhausted but so satisfied with a great time connecting three generations for a lovely day together. The guys waited around for us downtown as we shopped, parked on a bench, but I saw them having fun laughing at crazy videos on my nephew’s phone. All in all, a memorable day! These days are special—make sure you take the time to get a 71 year old aunt and two young great nieces together for fun—and a dad and his son!
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Growing up, our Labor Day tradition consisted of a family time together at the Las Animas County 4-H Fair and Rodeo in Trinidad, Colorado. This is what we did!
Wednesday Before Labor Day
We started back to school before Labor Day but got the Thursday and Friday before Labor Day off to go to the Las County 4-H Fair and Rodeo. So, Wednesday was a half-day of school—what a long morning that was! Anticipation coursed through my veins and all my classmates! In the afternoon, we loaded up our horses and off to Trinidad we went.
The first year my brother showed his horse, when they arrived in Trinidad, his horse looked like someone had beat him up. So, Dad learned, and the next year when I became old enough to join 4-H and show, we loaded both colts and their mothers in the trailer and drove them around a few times before the fair to get them accustomed to the trip.
When we arrived in Trinidad, we stabled our horses at the fairgrounds with all the other horses from across the county. A carnival resided in the parking lot near the horse barn, and our country horses weren’t used to its noise!
My family stayed at a motel for the full five days—this was our annual vacation. To start off the holiday, we went bowling as a family until the year Dad broke his hip in a horse accident and that ended this part of our tradition.
Thursday & Friday
Halter Class with PrinceReining Class with Prince
Thursday morning, my brother and I showed our horses. Most years, I showed Prince in the halter class. One year, I rode him in the reining class. We had worked all summer for this moment as witnessed in the poem below. Some years we won; some we lost. I showed my knitting and sewing. My knitting won many awards.
Thursday night, our Livestock Club went to the movie together—yes, this was a special event for us! Friday was the livestock showing which many of our friends and cousins participated in.
3 Days of Dancing: Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Each evening we danced—my favorite part—at varies dance halls in Trinidad: Eagles Hall, American Legion, and Sebastiani Gym. Good old country and western dances with friends from the county and cowboys from the rodeos. They always held the Sunday night the dance in a garage at the fairgrounds. I really like that because we could run over to the carnival and go on the rides at night.
Saturday, Sunday & Monday
During the weekend, we enjoyed the Livestock sale, Cowbelle’s barbecues and the main attraction in the afternoon: daily amateur rodeos! Cowboys and cowgirls came from far and wide to this annual event. As teenagers, we liked to go over to the chutes and sit near the chutes to see the animals and cowboys up close!
During the day, Mom and Dad turned us loose to do whatever we wanted. My brother and I joined friends from the county and roamed the fairgrounds, spending as much time as possible at the carnival—and as long as our money lasted!
Monday, Labor Day
This holiday ended on Labor Day with a parade and the final rodeo. Then we loaded up our horses and clothes and headed home, smiling ear-to-ear, remembering all the fun of this year and anticipating next year’s Labor Day adventure.
Here’s a poem I wrote about this adventure!
4-H Projects and the County Fair
A frequent question for me has been “What did you do to entertain yourself out in the country, especially during the summer?” And the most often used word to describe my possible plight was boring. That word never entered my mind.
Our summer days were filled with 4-H. Meetings, dances, roller skating parties— but mostly projects: knitting, sewing, and horses.
Uncle Tanky and his brother Billy led the Livestock Club; Margaret Lewis led the Home Economics Club.
I waited and waited, eager and excited to finally be nine and old enough to be in 4-H.
For my first-year livestock project I selected my horse, a colt at Chet Rose’s. I chose the white colt with no other coloring, but he grew up a buckskin, a beautiful golden color with a dark brown mane and stockings.
Bub chose the black one.
I named mine Prince, Bub named his Yogi Berra.
What an adventure to halter break a colt! First we chased them in from the horse pasture, using the pickup to herd them. We brought in all of our horses. The colts hung close to their mothers for protection—Chet lent us the colt’s mother for a while, until they were weaned! We ran them into the smaller corral, next to the saddle room, then the work started. The horses circled the small corral— all of us were nervous.
Initially, Dad did the haltering because it was a war—that colt wanted no part of this. He wanted his mama and freedom!
Carefully, Dad edged up and slipped the rope around Prince’s neck, gaining some control over this little spitfire.
After several jumps and twists, the halter went over his ears and around his nose. The buckle was hooked, and I was in business. Cautiously, Dad turned him over to me. Now I had to grab the lead rope and hold on for dear life.
But Bub was still waiting! After a repeat performance by Dad, we were both holding onto our horses—what an experience.
Once the colts settled down, we brushed and curry-combed them get the dirt and stickers o#. We ran our hands over their bodies, raised their feet, and made them feel comfortable with us.
Each day, this episode repeated itself until it became routine. Then it was our turn to halter our horses, and it became old hat.
Many hours were spent just walking around and around, and around, and around in the corral— teaching Prince to follow.
My only respite in this—singing to Prince. The laps were long, so I sang, and sang, and sang.
The finale came in September over Labor Day weekend, what we had worked so hard for— the Las Animas County Fair in Trinidad! This was our family vacation every year— Five days of fun.
Friends from all over the county came together for this annual event.
We 4-H’d— showed our horses had my knitting and sewing judged.
As a family, we went bowling, and we danced.
We went to movies, we attended barbecues and rodeos, and we danced!
Our Labor Day holiday was my favorite part of the summer and marked the end of summer every year. The five days ended too soon, but there was always next year!
Larada Horner-Miller, This Tumbleweed Landed (Horner Publishing Company, 2014), 113-117.
Finally,
I cherish my childhood memories of Labor Day! What are your Labor Day traditions? Do you have any? I’d love to hear about them
Podcasts & My Interviews
Listen to an interview released Wednesday, August 7, 2024 on Hump Days Calls podcast
We will celebrate Memorial Day, 2024 tomorrow. This year I plan to send time with my brother, but as a child, we had a tradition.
However today, some Americans seem confused about Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Difference Between Memorial Day & Veterans Day
“Memorial Day and Veterans Day are both patriotic holidays honoring the military, but there is a significant difference between the two aside from when they land on the calendar.
Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday in May, honors the men and women who died while serving in the military. This solemn occasion is a time to reflect on these American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and defending the country they deeply loved. Veterans Day, observed every November 11, recognizes all who have served in the Armed Forces.”
Many Americans see Memorial Day as the first holiday of the summer—a barbecue and maybe some family time and a day off from work but not a thought about the men and women who have died serving in the military. How about you? Did you know that?
My Childhood & Memorial Day
During my childhood, I knew “the dead” played a role in this holiday because we often we met my maternal grandparents who lived in Amarillo, Texas, at the cemetery in Des Moines, New Mexico and “decorated” the graves of our family members. But I didn’t know the military aspect of it.
It was a community time with many local people assembling with friends who had moved away. Yes, there was reverence for “decorating” the graves, and the grown-ups enjoyed seeing friends and visiting. As children, we met up with friends and ran around, not really understanding the importance of the day.
Afterwards, Mom, my brother and I would go back to Amarillo with my grandparents as the beginning to our summer fun.
My mom and dad religiously “decorated” the graves of their deceased relatives on Memorial Day. They went to Trinidad where my dad’s side of the family were buried. Then they went to Des Moines, New Mexico to honor Mom’s side of the family. When my dad died, I joined Mom in keeping up these traditions.
After Mom died, I continued the tradition of “decorating” the graves in Trinidad for many years, but I didn’t go on Memorial Day because I live 280 miles away. My cousin agreed to honor our family buried in the Des Moines cemetery.
Today & Memorial Day—”Decorating” Graves
This afternoon, my brother and I returned from a two-day trip to Cripple Creek, Colorado for his birthday celebration. We gambled and enjoyed each other—a precious relationship I have with my brother!
As we neared Trinidad this afternoon, he asked if I wanted to go by the cemetery, and I answered enthusiastically, “Yes!” This year he “decorated” the graves a week or so ago. I so appreciate him taking on this task.
Mom & Dad’s gravestone
When we arrived, I thought, “Here we are again, honoring our deceased relatives like our parents and grandparents taught us.” I took pictures of Mom and Dad’s grave and my brother and I enjoyed simple conversation, silence and reverence.
My Grandparent’s gravestoneMy Aunt Helen’s gravestone
Then we walked to my Aunt Helen’s grave and my paternal grandparents, commenting on the state of each—Aunt Helen’s stone has tilted over the years and is supposed to get fixed. A small tree has grown besides Granddad Horner’s side of the gravestone and my brother commented about bringing shears to cut it down.
“Decorating” graves, graveyards and Memorial Day—that has been my tradition. We have lost no one in our family in military service, so this day became a day to honor the dead in our family.
Hopefully, if you have lost a family member or friend to military service, today you will take the time to honor them with flowers on their grave, a silent prayer of thanks or whatever ritual you think of for their service. Yes, enjoy your barbecue, your day off, the beginning of summer, but—”lest we forget!”
As a nation, we need to remember these days for what they are—forgetting the meaning of a holiday renders it less than what it is.
~ Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir available in audiobook format at the following places:
Wise advice to a receptive spirit can make all the difference! The bad news—teenagers think they know everything and rarely listen. My teenager, Larada, has a receptive spirit today and agrees to listen to the wisdom of the crone Larada. For the first time, I’m using the prompt suggested by the Ultimate Blog Challenge and feel it has lots of possibility.
First, my top advice
Be yourself! As a teenager, I got so consumed by the popular view of my friends. Our jeans had to be long enough to touch the ground in the back, and we had to wear Wranglers. Once Dad bought me Levis, and I hated them. I had to have long straight hair and wore it parted on the side. I had a little curl on one side, so mine never hung straight.
By being quiet and not being authentic, people never really knew the real me because I didn’t share her. It took years to find her, but the “me” I found is delightful, energetic and a strong leader. Trust yourself!
Second piece of advice
My social life isn’t everything! Almost every Saturday night found the Horner family at a local dance, so my normal was an active social life. Then, when a snowstorm hit and we had to stay home, I mourned the loss of not being out and about.
I continued this mindset for most of my adult life, but the coronavirus pandemic forced me to learn balance in that area. Balance provides time with others, then time alone to become acquainted with the most important person in the world, me!
Third nugget of advice
Not having a boyfriend is okay! AS a teenager, I obsessed about boys, boyfriends, not having one, having one but thought he was the wrong one!
After periods of being single, I realized the importance of being okay as a solo. Then when I remarried, I had lots to offer to the relationship. You are enough!
Fourth snippet of advice
Be proud of your heritage. I remember being ridiculed when we went to Trinidad, Colorado, to shop. The “towny” kids called us “Sh*t kickers” which embarrassed me. Over the last seven years, I have written six books and five of them celebrate my heritage and family. Embrace your history!
Fifth morsel of advice
Don’t sweat the small stuff! Younger Larada worried about everything, spending too much time focussing on the “what ifs?”
“Let go and let God” had become a mantra of mine today, a slogan from recovery.
Last bit of advice
Focus on your spiritual life! As a teenager, I believed in Jesus, but my faith took a backseat. Popularity and peer pressure ruled my life, causing me to make life choices not centered in my faith.
Today, I have a strong faith, seasoned over the years with lots of pain, disappointments, and struggles. As I processed all of this, I leaned in closer and closer to my God.
Finally,
The teenage Larada did as well as she could with her limited knowledge. As a crone, I offer my advice, Larada, for your best!
Do you talk to the younger you? If so, what do you say?
Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com
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