Very Verla ♫ joie de vivre: presidential race

10.9.12

I Should Run for President

While watching the political conventions during the past two weeks, I decided I might be qualified to run for president. It seems that the more deprived one was during childhood and young adulthood, the more qualified is that person to be president.

So, in light of the apparent new requirements for being an eligible candidate, I put forth my credentials for consideration.

Childhood:

Born at home in a little Nebraska town
Outhouse at the end of a path
No running water except when someone ran to the pump to bring it to the house
Potbelly stove in the living room for heating
Wood-burning cook stove that doubled as the hot water heater
Galvanized wash tub for taking a bath
Hand-me-down clothes
Grade school wardrobe: one Sunday dress, one school dress, one play dress (a too short school dress from previous year), one pair of shoes, long brown stockings
Walked to school in the snow (in the interest of integrity - less than a block)
Dad grew vegetables in the back yard – Mom canned the veggies for the winter
Protein in diet was mostly venison – thanks to Dad’s deer hunting ability

Young Adulthood

Student loans non-existent – worked for college tuition
Diet during early married years included countless tuna croquettes – consisting of more rice than tuna
Having friends over meant serving popcorn and Kool-Aid^®
First car a pre-owned 1948 rusty Buick (with a hole in the floor board for viewing the pavement below)
Food stamps not yet envisioned by lawmakers
Going to the doctor meant handing over cash for care – including pre-natal visits
Well baby care required taking good care of the children and saving to pay for vaccinations
Meals were cooked at home (including such things as fried bologna sandwiches and mix-n-match leftovers soup)
Clothes were stitched together on an off-brand portable sewing machine
Winter coats purchased at resale shops
Used furniture found in newspaper want ads