- HOME
- WOMANKIND LINKS
- WOMANKIND MANIFESTO
- Manifesto 1
- Manifesto 2
- Manifesto 3
- Manifesto 4
- Manifesto 5
- Manifesto 6
- Manifesto 7
- Manifesto 8
- Manifesto 9
- Manifesto 10>
- WOMANKIND POLITICS>
- NEW YORK>
- WEB WANDERINGS>
- CONTRIBUTORS
- 5_16_2012
- 5_15_2012
- 5_14_2012
- 5_13_2012
- 5_12_2012
- 5_11_2012
- 5_10_2012
- 5_9_2012
- 5_8_2012
- 5_7_2012
- 5_6_2012
- 5_5_2012
- 5_4_2012
- 5_3_2012
- 5_2_2012
- 5_1_2012
- WOMANKIND WEB WANDERINGS ARCHIVES>
- 4_30_2012
- 4_27_2012
- 4_26_2012
- 4_25_2012
- 4_24_2012
- 4_23_2012
- 4_22_2012
- 4_21_2012
- 4_20_2012
- 4_19_2012
- 4_18_2012
- 4_17_2012
- 4_15_2012
- 4_14_2012
- 4_13_2012
- 4_12_2012
- 4_11_2012
- 4_10_2012
- 4_9_2012
- 4_8_2012
- 4_7_2012
- 4_6_2012
- 4_5_2012
- 4_1_2012
- 3_31_2012
- 3_30_2012
- 3_29_2012
- 3_28_2012
- 3_27_2012
- 3_26_2012
- 3_25_2012
- 3_24_2012
- 3_23_2012
- 3_22_2012
- 3_21_2012
- 3_20_2012
- 3_19_2012
- 3_18_2012
- 3_17_2012
- 3_16_2012
- 3_15_2012
- 3_14_2012
- 3_13_2012
- 3_12_2012
- 3_11_2012
- 3_10_2012
- 3_9_2012
- 3_8_2012
- 3_7_2012
- 3_6_2012
- 3_5_2012
- 3_3_2012
- 3_2_2012
- 3_1_2012
- 2_29_12
- 2_28_12
- 2_27_12
- 2_26_12
- 2_25_12
- 4_30_2012
- CONTRIBUTORS
- WEB WANDERINGS>
- NEW YORK>
- Manifesto 1
- OKIES, TACOS AND NUNS
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- Prologue
- Just Mama and Me
- Just Me
- BOOK 1
- BOOK 1 TOC>
- BOOK 2
- BOOK 2 TOC>
- On Donax Street with Mama
- The Day of the Birds
- The Little House
- The Little House picture
- Neighbors
- Oklahoma Grandma
- Leo and Annabelle
- Picture Day with the Bird Man
- To Woody Woodpecker, With Love
- The Piano Day
- My Daddy
- Picture of Grandma
- The Bad Rooster
- Hero's
- Mouse In The Closet
- First Spanking
- Sex Education - Okie Style
- Uncle Leo's Big Mouth
- Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pops, Etc., Etc.
- The Last Rooster Crow
- A Fight With Mama
- On Donax Street with Mama
- BOOK 3
- BOOK 3 TOC>
- BOOK 4
- BOOK 4 TOC>
- Book 5
- Book 5 TOC>
- New Neighbors
- Kid Stuff
- Black Bees
- Pomegranates And Brooms
- The Goldfish Scandal
- I Win A Bet
- The Rooster And The Mailman
- Picture 75
- Tuesday Afternoon At The Cove
- The Power Of Prayer
- Picture 78
- The Sewing Box From Switzerland
- Big, Bad Richard
- Big Kid's Bike
- Picture 82
- The Blue Jeans That Were Black
- Christine Jorgensen - First Heroine
- Ray Schwinn
- Vacuum Cleaner Attack
- First Love
- Fruit Cocktail
- Lois Allen
- The Day Mama Cried
- Visiting Days
- Picture 185
- Best Friend Ever
- New Neighbors
- Book 6
- Book 6 TOC
- Full Moon in February
- POLITICAL WEB SITES
- FACEBOOK PAGES
- YOUTUBE>
- WOMANKIND EVENTS>
- Dedication
SINS
Before I started to school at St. Charles I went to church every Sunday with Grandma and Daddy, and Leo and Annabelle while they were home. It was a little white church up on the next block of Donax, across the street from Sandy Bourbon's and I always wondered how come she didn't have to go seeing as how she lived right across the street. But she went to some other church, I guess. Anyhow, going to church with Grandma and Daddy was pretty nice even though I did have to get dressed up. But it was okay 'cause Grandma got dressed up too and even put her teeth in and spit out all her snuff, and Daddy had to get dressed up too, and spit out his tobacco, and he was just as uncomfortable as me.
Sunday mornings back then were special, with me and Grandma and Daddy walking in the early morning sunlight to church, and sometimes Daddy would carry me. And he'd hold me all through church 'cause for a long time they didn't make me go to Sunday School, just regular church with them. Then we'd walk home afterwards kind of in a hurry 'cause Grandma would start dinner right away. We always had a big Sunday dinner, and for years all the kids came home for dinner. Sometimes there'd be dozens of people there, all family. But that was a little while later after Leo and Annabelle were married and had kids, and after Homer was living close enough to come home, too. Then when Aunt Mac moved out from Oklahoma with her four kids, there was always lots of people there for dinner. Sunday's were really special on Donax Street.
But then after I lost my hearing and started going to St. Charles to learn to read lips, I had to go to church twice on Sunday. Mama said I had to go to Mass on Sunday's if I was going to be a good Catholic, and Grandma said I had to go to her church if I wanted to go to Heaven 'cause everybody knew Catholics couldn't get into Heaven on account of they prayed to statues like heathens, who I think were some kind of wild Indians except they lived on islands or in Africa, but I wasn't exactly for sure; I just knew for sure heathens couldn't go to heaven. So I went to church twice on Sunday.
Grandma would get me up early so I could go to 8:00 o'clock Mass, then I'd hurry home so I could walk to church with her and Daddy. It seemed then like I was spending way too much time in churches, but it was kind of okay. At least, until I had First Holy Communion. Then I found out I was a sinner because I went to Grandma's church.
I don't know if Mama told the Nun's about how Grandma felt about Catholics or if they were like God and just knew everything all on their own, but for sure they kept a good eye on me. Every Sunday one of the Sister's would be waiting at the church door when I came in and she'd ask me if I'd gone to Confession the night before. After I'd said I had, 'cause Grandma made sure I did so Mama wouldn't get mad, then the Sister would ask if I'd eaten anything for breakfast before I came to church. I never did 'cause I knew you couldn't have Communion if you'd eat anything, but they always asked. And sometimes they looked as if they didn't believe me when I said I'd been to Confession and hadn't eaten anything. So I started feeling guilty even though I knew I'd done everything right.
Then one Sunday the Sister at the door asked me what I did after I went home. I told her the truth, that I went with Grandma and Daddy to their church. She got real upset and told me that was a sin, that I couldn't go to another church 'cause Catholics weren't allowed to do that. I didn't know what to tell her, though. I sure wasn't going to go home and tell Grandma I couldn't go to church with her anymore 'cause that would make me a sinner; she already thought I was going to hell 'cause I was a Catholic. Besides, I liked going to church with Grandma and Daddy. It made me feel really a part of their family.
I think the Sister talked to Mama about it though and Mama must have talked to Grandma 'cause right after the Sister told me I was being a sinner, Grandma started really muttering about what was going to happen to my soul while she'd get me dressed for Mass. But she never told me not to go, and she never let me stop going to her church even though that made Mama mad. So every Sunday I'd go to St. Charles and have Communion, after being interrograted by one of the Sister's, then I'd hurry home and walk to the little white church up the street with Grandma and Daddy. But I knew then I was a sinner and some of the sunlight went out of the Sunday mornings after that, no matter how hard the sun was shining.
Before I started to school at St. Charles I went to church every Sunday with Grandma and Daddy, and Leo and Annabelle while they were home. It was a little white church up on the next block of Donax, across the street from Sandy Bourbon's and I always wondered how come she didn't have to go seeing as how she lived right across the street. But she went to some other church, I guess. Anyhow, going to church with Grandma and Daddy was pretty nice even though I did have to get dressed up. But it was okay 'cause Grandma got dressed up too and even put her teeth in and spit out all her snuff, and Daddy had to get dressed up too, and spit out his tobacco, and he was just as uncomfortable as me.
Sunday mornings back then were special, with me and Grandma and Daddy walking in the early morning sunlight to church, and sometimes Daddy would carry me. And he'd hold me all through church 'cause for a long time they didn't make me go to Sunday School, just regular church with them. Then we'd walk home afterwards kind of in a hurry 'cause Grandma would start dinner right away. We always had a big Sunday dinner, and for years all the kids came home for dinner. Sometimes there'd be dozens of people there, all family. But that was a little while later after Leo and Annabelle were married and had kids, and after Homer was living close enough to come home, too. Then when Aunt Mac moved out from Oklahoma with her four kids, there was always lots of people there for dinner. Sunday's were really special on Donax Street.
But then after I lost my hearing and started going to St. Charles to learn to read lips, I had to go to church twice on Sunday. Mama said I had to go to Mass on Sunday's if I was going to be a good Catholic, and Grandma said I had to go to her church if I wanted to go to Heaven 'cause everybody knew Catholics couldn't get into Heaven on account of they prayed to statues like heathens, who I think were some kind of wild Indians except they lived on islands or in Africa, but I wasn't exactly for sure; I just knew for sure heathens couldn't go to heaven. So I went to church twice on Sunday.
Grandma would get me up early so I could go to 8:00 o'clock Mass, then I'd hurry home so I could walk to church with her and Daddy. It seemed then like I was spending way too much time in churches, but it was kind of okay. At least, until I had First Holy Communion. Then I found out I was a sinner because I went to Grandma's church.
I don't know if Mama told the Nun's about how Grandma felt about Catholics or if they were like God and just knew everything all on their own, but for sure they kept a good eye on me. Every Sunday one of the Sister's would be waiting at the church door when I came in and she'd ask me if I'd gone to Confession the night before. After I'd said I had, 'cause Grandma made sure I did so Mama wouldn't get mad, then the Sister would ask if I'd eaten anything for breakfast before I came to church. I never did 'cause I knew you couldn't have Communion if you'd eat anything, but they always asked. And sometimes they looked as if they didn't believe me when I said I'd been to Confession and hadn't eaten anything. So I started feeling guilty even though I knew I'd done everything right.
Then one Sunday the Sister at the door asked me what I did after I went home. I told her the truth, that I went with Grandma and Daddy to their church. She got real upset and told me that was a sin, that I couldn't go to another church 'cause Catholics weren't allowed to do that. I didn't know what to tell her, though. I sure wasn't going to go home and tell Grandma I couldn't go to church with her anymore 'cause that would make me a sinner; she already thought I was going to hell 'cause I was a Catholic. Besides, I liked going to church with Grandma and Daddy. It made me feel really a part of their family.
I think the Sister talked to Mama about it though and Mama must have talked to Grandma 'cause right after the Sister told me I was being a sinner, Grandma started really muttering about what was going to happen to my soul while she'd get me dressed for Mass. But she never told me not to go, and she never let me stop going to her church even though that made Mama mad. So every Sunday I'd go to St. Charles and have Communion, after being interrograted by one of the Sister's, then I'd hurry home and walk to the little white church up the street with Grandma and Daddy. But I knew then I was a sinner and some of the sunlight went out of the Sunday mornings after that, no matter how hard the sun was shining.