Category: Grandma Ruddell

My Connection to the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, KS

This past week, Linda Brown, of Topeka, KS passed away, at age 75. Linda was a primary figure in the desegregation of schools, in the USA. She was one of 5 or 6 African American children who wanted to go to a white school with their friends. Linda wanted to go to Sumner School in Topeka. Her father tried to take her to school, and she was refused. Eventually, there was a big court case involving the 6 children around the US. Since it was a national case, and Mr. Brown’s name was at the beginning of the alphabet, it became the Brown vs the Board of Education of Topeka, KS. Linda eventually went to Sumner school.

In 1984, my family was living in Wichita. Our son would be starting Kindergarten. In Wichita, they drew names to see which children would be bussed to another school. That was their solution to desegregation.

My husband got the job of General Manager of the Topeka Transit System. We moved and wondered what school our son would go to. It turned out that Topeka didn’t have bussing. They found another solution.

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Oh, That Evil Sister of Mine!

 

This year is an unusual year, in the fact that Ash Wednesday was on Valentine’s Day, and Easter is on April Fool’s Day. We plan to celebrate Easter AND April Fool’s Day. When I was a child, we lived on a farm. Before breakfast, Daddy would be down by the pasture, feeding the cows. Every single year, we would call for him, and tell him that there was a phone call for him. He would come all the way in from the pasture, and answer the phone as we giggled and giggled. What a patient man he was!

My sister, Toni Wood, seemed to take April Fool’s Day a step or two farther. After we were grown, mind you, she played bad tricks on me. Yes, I fell for it, every time. I’m so gullible! One of her milder tricks happened when we were visiting the farm. I received a phone call from the local florist that I had a bouquet to pick up. Wow! Neat. Well…it was a bunch of dead flowers. Thank you, sweet sister!!!

Another time, we had kept two gentlemen from Japan for a two week stay. On the day they were returning to Japan, I was teaching. I was called out of class to answer the phone. There was a very official sounding man who told me the information had reached him that we were harboring an illegal alien. WHAT? They were going to have to take him to jail, and we might be called in for a trial. Oh. My. Gosh. Then I was told that it was an April Fool’s joke, and it was my sister’s co=worker that she had told to call me. GRRRR.

Once when I was in KC visiting my sister, she told me that they were looking at new houses. She had a pager with her. The real estate person was going to page her when the house was ready for us for viewing. Yes, her husband had had a really good few months, so they wanted a bigger place. As we drove out to the country, she casually said, “Did I mention they have a pool?” No…as I grew green with envy. “Um…there’s also a barn, with horses, and lots of land.” I’m trying not to show how envious I am. Then we approached the house…a very BIG, beautiful house. The realtor’s car was already there, and she was getting out with her briefcase. We went inside and it was beautiful. Spacious and beautifully decorated! As the realtor showed us around, it suddenly clicked to me that the realtor was one of Toni’s good friends that I had seen in her photo album, the night before. I called them out on it, and it was the friend’s house. They had planned this to the hilt!!! They were highly amused. I was highly relieved.

So…it will be April Fool’s this Sunday. What will my sister do to me this year?
What shall I do to her????

What are some of the April Fool’s jokes that you have played on someone? What jokes have been pulled on you?

“Virtue is its own revenge”……E.Y.Harburg (1898-1981)

 

Things I love right now

  • Signs of Spring
  • Doing fun things with my Grandkids
  • Enjoying my new dog, Bill
  • Planning which flowers to put in my Garden
  • Playing bunco, poker and Euchre with my friends and family
  • Blasting golden oldies through my house as I’m cleaning.
  • Enjoying a four day trip to Washington DC with my husband.

 

About Grandma Ruddell

Minion Grandma

Grandma Ruddell….aka Sherry Ruddell, lives in Ft. Worth, TX.  She loves to play with her Grandkids and do craft projects with them.  Grandma loves to cook and create new recipes, do gardening, travel, organize and redo her house, and TRY to exercise.  She’s hoping that she will exercise more, since she is walking her new dog, Bill.  Grandma tries to find moments of joy in her everyday life.

It All Started With Riding the Bus and Wearing Mini Skirts!

It all started with riding the bus and wearing those mini skirts!

Growing up, I lived in the country, near a small town, Cherryvale, in southeast Kansas. I spent a lot of time in town, because my grandma lived there. My mom taught fourth grade in the same classroom for many years. Between Church, 4H and school, we knew most people in town.

Yes, I was simultaneously a Happy Hustler 4-Her and a Fighting Cherry. That was our school mascot. (Yes it’s true… Now stop laughing….Ok, Ok..I did used to tell people that it was an all girls school.)

Cherryvale was small, and basically you could walk everywhere. There was no Transit service of any kind.  Because of several things I never learned to drive.

Fast forward a few years. I had married someone and moved to Dodge City and then to Wichita. That marriage was not a good fit. We divorced remaining friends. In fact, he started dating and later married my best friend.( I babysit for her three kids while they dated. I know it’s weird.)

In Wichita, there was a good transit system. I took the bus downtown to work and back. I found a good group of people riding the same route and we had a pretty good time.

Downtown was the lineup.. Where all the buses line up for transfers. This was before two-way radios. Standing in the middle of the street, every morning at rush hour, was this gorgeous hunk of a man. OH STOP MY FLUTTERING HEART!! When all of the passengers had made their transfers, the hunk would waive his newspaper and that was the signal to go.

I was about 22, had good legs and wore a lot of mini skirts. For three days, I crossed the street, smiled at him, and walked on. Finally, he walked me on across the street and asked me out for lunch. SIGH. 7 months later, we were married. Now we’ve been married for 42 years. I have followed him as he’s become a manager of the Topeka Transit System, the Toledo system and the Fort Worth system. Now he’s retired. He’s still the great love of my life. And I still ride those buses occasionally but alas, my legs have gone to pot!

It all started with riding the bus and wearing those mini skirts!

How did you meet your love? Are you a Transit Rider? What attracted you to your significant other?