SNIPPETS - THE DAY I ALMOST...

 The year was around 1965. My family lived on a farm just outside of Myers Montana.  My dad was the hired hand on the farm. We lived in a house that was sided with tar paper that looked like brick siding. I remember a lot of things about this time in my life but the most vivid is the day I almost died. 

Being a farm kid meant that you had pretty much the whole place for a playground. As farm kids we played in the haystacks and small irrigation ditches. We ran in the pastures and rode our bikes down dirt roads. We played hide and seek in the barns and outbuildings. We pretty much stayed out of my mom's hair for the day. She had her hands full with house chores and taking care of my younger siblings. 

I remember the day was hot. And I remember my mom telling us to go play but stay away from the big ditch that was close to our house. We played hide and seek, rode pretend horses and played cops and robbers.

 But kids being kids we eventually forgot my mom's warning and ended up standing on the bank of the ditch. We were all hot and sweating and I remember we stood looking down into that cool water. I don't exactly know how it began but I do remember we started teasing each other about being pushed in and how we were giggling and playing around.

 Suddenly I felt a push and I remember falling into the water and sinking. I could see the bubbles surrounding me as I was floating under the water and I tried to come up for air, but the water kept me cocooned. I was in a dark place, and I felt like I was being sucked through something and then it was light again, and I felt hands pulling me up out of the water and onto the ditch bank. I took a deep breath of fresh air and started coughing and gagging. I remember my mom yelling and my sisters and brothers crying. 

Apparently and I say apparently my brother had pushed me in to see if I could float and if I could fit through the culvert that was farther on down the ditch. The good news was that I did fit through that culvert, but the bad news was that I and my siblings got the spanking of our lives from my mom and were banished to the fenced yard for a week. To kids a week meant forever!

Years later I asked my brother why he pushed me in the ditch, and he said, "I just wanted to see if you would fit through the culvert."

 Hmm! Guess I did! And I lived to tell the story!

SK Virtue

A Life Well Loved - Stories of my Parents - Elvis

   ****Back story. My mom and dad were married in 1957 at the very young ages of 15 years old and 17 years old. Mom was pregnant at the time and Dad wanted to marry her. My dad is Hispanic, and my mom is Irish. Mom's sisters and brothers were very much against my parents getting married. But my grandparents weren't. Both my grandmothers went to the courthouse with my parents and signed the consent for them to get married.  My parents were married for 66 years and had seven children. Mom passed away on April 2, 2023, and Dad is still alive at the time of this article writing which is March 2025. These are the stories of their life according to them. ******

Elvis Comes to Town - by Dad

Dorie and I had been going out for some time, when she told me one afternoon after school that Elvis was coming to town. All the girls in school were so excited to go. They couldn't believe that Elvis was coming to Montana. I asked Dorie if she wanted to go. She said no. She didn't much like Elvis. So, we didn't go. A few days later she climbed in the car after school, and she was laughing. I asked her what was so funny. She said all the girls had dressed up and went to see Elvis. They came to school the next day madder than hornets. They saw Elvis alright. Elvis the monkey. All the hype was for Elvis the monkey. I am sure glad we didn't go. 

By SK Virtue as told by Gonsalo Victoria Morales Jr.

The Stories I will Tell

 When I am old and gray

 And my time to go is near.

The stories I will tell those that lend an ear.

When my days are getting numbered

 And my eyes are getting weak

 The stories I will tell those who hear me speak.

When time is not what matters

 and I wander from room to room,

 The stories I will tell who or what or whom.

I will tell of memories of yesteryears

And of time gone by

I will reminisce of days of old

And ponder at the sky.

I might not know a name or what I ate that day.

But I can tell you about old memories that don't go away.

So, if you have a chance to sit with me today.

Listen to my memories and what I have to say.

And somewhere down the road of life if you feel you want to share

Pass on the stories of my life to those that lend an ear. 

 by SK VIRTUE

 copyright

4/8/2025

SNIPPETS - RIGHT PLACE WRONG CAR

 I was so excited to get a new SUV.  It was a 2000 Hyundai Santa Fe. It was one of the first to come off the assembly line. And I loved it. it was sleek. It was silver and it had curves in all the right places. My Santa Fe was special to me. 

I lived in Wyoming at the time. My husband worked at the coal mine and both my kids were in junior high, and I was a stay-at-home mom who worked out of my home doing alterations. 

We had new cars before, but this one had all the bells and whistles that I wanted. Power heated leather seats, Awd, silver, lift gate, roomy and even looked good.  This was my beauty that I had picked myself. 

I loved to drive my SUV to deliver my alterations and get groceries and I knew I would recognize in any parking lot. It was a beauty to behold. People noticed it. One day I came out of the grocery store and saw a man running his hands along its curves. I stopped in surprise. He looked up and saw me watching. He laughed and said, "She sure has curves where you don't expect them."  It felt a little weird that a man was running a hand along my SUV's curves, but I put that thought aside.  I grinned and said, "Sure does!"

I knew my Hyundai from inside out and I could pick her out of a dozen cars in the parking lot. Or so I thought I could. I went grocery shopping one day. I parked in my usual row. I locked my little beauty. I went in and did my usual shopping and visiting. The bag person bagged my groceries and asked if I needed help taking the groceries to my car. I said thank you, but no, I could handle it. I proudly pushed the cart of groceries out to my silver, 2000 Hyundai Santa Fe. I pushed the key to unlock the back lift door. I lifted the door. I then preceded to put my groceries in the back, all the while humming to myself. I got a whiff of cigarette smoke and wondered where it came from. I didn't smoke and my husband hadn't used the car yet. Hmm...that was strange. I looked around to see if anyone was smoking as they walked by me. No one there. Then a I heard a strange sound come from the car. A baby's coo. I bent and looked into the car. There was a lady, looking at me in the mirror of my SUV, smoking a cigarette. Behind her sat a baby in a car seat.  I stood up and looked around. Just two cars down, the row was another sleek silver Hyundai. I pushed the button on my key fob and the lights of the one, two cars down flashed. That one was my Hyundai. 

I looked at the lady in the front of the car and spoke. "I'm sorry. I thought this was my SUV." I grinned embarrassingly. I started taking my groceries back out and putting them in my cart.

"I thought you were the bag lady, and just bringing my groceries out to me." she replied.

We both laughed. Well so much for me knowing my SUV. I put my groceries in my SUV and went home. Later I bought black pin stripes and put then on the side of my Hyundai, so I could recognize her in a parking lot. And I made dang sure I checked to see that it was my SUV each time, I came out of the grocery store!

SK VIRTUE 

SNIPPETS-APRIL FOOLS

 Today is All Fool's Day. I haven't fooled anyone today, but a memory comes back to me that makes me smile and cry at the same time. When we were living in Wyoming and planning on moving back to Montana, I decided to fool my mom. I called her on that April first, and we talked for a while about little things that moms and daughters talk about, and it eventually came around to our move. She asked if I was starting to pack. I was quiet for a moment wondering if I should do this or not. I sighed.

"Mom. . . Umm we aren't moving to Montana; we are moving to Maine." I spoke.

There was silence on the other end.

"Mom." I asked.

Click. Mom hung up on me. I didn't expect that. I called again. No answer. I called again. And this time she picked up.

"APRIL FOOL'S " I said before she could hang up again.

"Sandra Kay" she yelled.

She hung up again.

I called one more time. She answered.

"Sorry Mom!"

Mom laughed and laughed. I laughed. She didn't hang up on me again, but I sure learned my lesson. Don't April fool your mom.

SK VIRTUE

April 1,2025

A Life Well Loved - the Stories of my parents - 1948 Chevy

   ****Back story. My mom and dad were married in 1957 at the very young ages of 15 years old and 17 years old. Mom was pregnant at the time and Dad wanted to marry her. My dad is Hispanic, and my mom is Irish. Mom's sisters and brothers were very much against my parents getting married. But my grandparents weren't. Both my grandmothers went to the courthouse with my parents and signed the consent for them to get married.  My parents were married for 66 years and had seven children. Mom passed away on April 2, 2023, and Dad is still alive at the time of this article writing which is March 2025. These are the stories of their life according to them. ******

1948 Chevy - by Dad

My first car was a 1948 Chevy. My brother Stany bought it for me for $150.00 when he worked at Whittier Buick in Billings.  It was a nice car. And I had it for a long time. I had it when I first met your mom, and we had it when we were married. When your mom and I were dating we drove around a lot in it. One night we drove to Tom's Bar. I can't remember if we were looking for her folks or I was just going to get something to drink. Well, the brakes weren't working on the old 48 and I drove into the side of the bar.  It hit the side of the bar with a bang. Good thing those old buildings were sturdy then. No one saw us so I backed up and we sped off. We never told anyone. 

One night I was in Tom's Bar with my brother Lupe and Old Tom started telling this story about how something hit the side of his bar. He was dozing on his stool waiting for customers and there was a big bang, and the bottles rattled on the wall, and he fell off his stool.  He didn't know what it was but it sure scared the heck out of him. I didn't say a word. Even my brother Lupe didn't know. It was pretty much a secret between your mom and me until now. You know that old car never had any dents in it.

My brother Lupe and I drove around a lot in the car when your mom was in school. One day we picked up a hitchhiker. He wanted a ride as far as he could go.  While we were driving Lupe took his knife out and cleaned his fingernails and then laid it on the dash.  That hitchhiker couldn't get out of the car fast enough. We hadn't even driven a mile before he was ready to get out. We weren't going to hurt him, just scare him. 

Another time we decided to let all the air out of the tires of the old Chevy and drive down the railroad tracks. It was a pretty rough ride, but we did get to the other side of town faster. 

It was a good car.

SK Virtue as told by Gonsalo Morales Jr.

My mom sitting on the Chevy

A Life Well Loved - the Stories of my parents - Missing Cat

 

   ****Back story. My mom and dad were married in 1957 at the very young ages of 15 years old and 17 years old. Mom was pregnant at the time and Dad wanted to marry her. My dad is Hispanic, and my mom is Irish. Mom's sisters and brothers were very much against my parents getting married. But my grandparents weren't. Both my grandmothers went to the courthouse with my parents and signed the consent for them to get married.  My parents were married for 66 years and had seven children. Mom passed away on April 2, 2023, and Dad is still alive at the time of this article writing which is March 2025. These are the stories of their life according to them. ******

Missing Cat by Dad. (Some of the words may be offensive but I can't really tell the story without them)

I found a black kitten one day as I was out feeding cows. I took it to Dorie in the house. She decided to keep it and feed it. Later on, I asked her what she had decided to name it.

 Dorie said. "Asshole."

 I laughed and asked her why she named it asshole, and she said that is what he acted like. A little asshole.  Asshole hung around the place that summer. Dorie was right. He was an ornery cat. He followed me everywhere too. One day as I was out feeding the cows in the corral, I heard the strangest commotion and looked up and an eagle had somehow caught Asshole and was flying away with him. I watched as they faded into the distance and then walked into the house and told Dorie that she had just lost her asshole. I shouldn't have grinned. She gave me the strangest look and asked me what in hell I was talking about. I told her an eagle had just taken her cat, Asshole. 

She said, "That's not funny, Gons."

I tried not to laugh and told her, "Of course it's not funny when you lose your asshole."

She didn't talk to me the rest of the day.

SK VIRTUE as told by Gonsalo Morales Jr.