Pamy’s  Place

Welcome To My Website!

The music you are now hearing is the title song on our CD:
"I'll Walk You Home"

Click Title for the story behind the song 

   Writings By Pamy:

A Good Kind Of Late	Just Say It
A Lick And A Promise	Land Of Faraway
A Man's Best Friend	Left Behind
A Place At The Table	Little House Out Back
A Quote By Johnny Carson	Marks In The Snow
Are You A Croaker Or A Leaper?	Missouri, Where The Trail Began
Big Idea	Nobody Else Can Make the Sound
Big Jake	Party Line
Blue Elephant Sippie Cup	Pledge Of Allegiance
Bufflehead	Porch Sittin'
Code of The West	Preparing For The Deer Hunt
Cornfest	Say It With Your Hat
Country	Shrooms
Dear Daddy	Sunday Drivers
Diana's Christmas	The Day I Evaded The Shot Thing
Diet Dilemma	The First Day Of School
Fast Food	The Good Soldier
Flight Of the Mysterious Intruders	The Little Girl Who Had Everything
Getting Ready For The Harvest	The Old Woman Who Never Dies
Goose Sense	The Pretty Blue Bottle
Happy Mother's Day, Mom	The Silver Dollar
Have Books Will Travel	The View From My Kitchen Window
He Was Just An Old Cowboy	The Waiting Room
High School Reunion	The Wren Still Sings
Home Place	Those Last Twelve Hours
I Hope She's Okay	Welcome Home
In Search of Spring	Whites Only
Indian Summer	Why Vote?
Jennie's Hope	Windmills And Sunsets
	You Aren't Really Here

Midge Stories   

Little Miss Nurse	Teddy Came For Christmas
Dr. Sir And The Icy Cream	Midge And The Pot Of Gold

Songs by Pamy

Girl Of My Girl	Stay The Time
Saddle Up Lady

Poetry by Pamy

City Of Stones	Song Of My Heart
I Hold Your Soul With Mine	The Magic Place
In The Light Of His Presence	The Midnight Call
Montelius	The Sunset

Tributes And Memorial Pages

A Quote By Johnny Carson	Mr. Epperson
Captain Kangaroo	Rev. Terry Fairbanks
Farewell, President Reagan	Robert Calderon

Writings Authored by Friends & Relatives:

Tarp Straps by Myron D. Blaine	Grandpa's Farm by Paul Porterfield
The Man I Wish To Be by Don Scarbrough

Links to other websites with Pamy's writings:

Inspiring Quotations

See index for more writings

Many of you have asked for a CD of some of the songs that I have written 
and I am pleased to announce that we now have them available.
If you would like one, all you have to do is send us your name and address 
by e-mail or regular mail, and we will mail one to you right away. 

pamyblaine@blaines.us     

or

pamyrose88@yahoo.com

Our mailing address is:
Mike and Pam Blaine
Route 1  Box 75
Baring, Missouri  63531

The CD is available free of charge. 
We do accept donations toward our music ministry

 if you desire to contribute in that way. 

“Porch Sittin’ ”  

Featured Story

By

Pamela Perry Blaine

© June 2005

“What are you doing?”  I asked Willie as I passed 

by his house on my way home.

“Awwww I’m just doin’ some porch sittin” he replied as 

he swung back and forth ever so slightly on his porch swing. 

As a child, I would often see Willie out on his porch.  

He was an older man who still worked hard around his place but he 

often took time off for some “porch sittin’”.

“I got the radio on and the Cardinals will be playing ball here

 in a minute if you want to sit a spell,” Willie said as he scooted 

over on the swing and patted the seat next to him 

as he adjusted the volume on the radio.

It was summertime and many other scenes such as the one

 I mention above took place everyday where I grew up.  

“Porch sittin” was a common activity.  Nearly everyone had 

a porch with a wooden swing that hung down from chains that 

were held by hooks on the porch ceiling.  Most swings 

held two or three people and if neighbors showed up to 

sit a spell then more chairs would be brought out from 

inside the house.  The younger folks might sit on the porch steps

 while children played in the yard or found a tree to climb.

The porch was like an extension of the living room because 

it was cooler out on the porch when the summer’s heat became 

uncomfortable.  There wasn’t air conditioning so houses were 

often built so that they were situated where the breeze would 

waft across the porch and there was a roof that protected 

porch sitters from the sun and rain.  Essentially, all the work 

that could possibly be done outdoors was transported to 

the porch where it was cooler and it seemed to make the job more 

enjoyable just by being outside in nature’s living room. 

It seems like a lot of living took place on porches in times past.  

At least it was that way where I grew up.  Seeing a person sitting on 

their front porch was pretty much the same as an invitation for neighbors 

to stop by and pass the time of day.

Many people did part of their garden work on their porches. 

  It didn’t matter if it was snapping beans, hulling peas, or 

peeling apples someone was apt to sit down beside you 

and give you a hand with the chore.

I remember a lot of visiting, discussions, and even problems solved 

while snapping green beans.  Women learned from one another 

and often offered help for whatever need that was mentioned.  

“Try using a little corn starch on that baby’s diaper rash,” 

a young mother might learn from an older neighbor lady, 

“And next time you need to work out in the garden, just bring 

that little one over here and I’ll watch him, I kind of miss 

having a baby around,” the neighbor might say. 

Those were good times when porches were used for many things.  

Women did needle work or rocked babies, men whittled or fixed things,

 and children played “pretend”.   

Sometimes the porch was used to just get off alone for a time and read,

 meditate, or just do some thinking…“woolgathering” Momma used to call it.

Even if the sun wasn’t shining, there was nothing quite like the sound of 

rain on the porch roof.  It was such a secure feeling and a perfect time 

to curl up on the porch swing with a quilt and a good book and 

listen to the soft pattering of the raindrops.

The summer nights were also very good for “porch sittin”.  

We made friends with the night sky as we enjoyed God’s creation.   

As a child I learned about stars and constellations from my parents.  

I learned how to identify the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, 

and then identify the North Star and the Milky Way. 

There were all the different night sounds that were a little 

frightening at first until Momma explained the howling of the coyotes, 

the loud noise of the bullfrog, and the calls of hoot owls 

and whippoorwills.  We also watched the mysterious twinkling 

lightning bugs flit around in the dark.  A permanent picture is 

engraved in my mind of my mother standing in a long white

 nightgown, arms outstretched above her, as she caught 

lightning bugs in a jar for me one hot summer’s night.

Occasionally, when summer nights didn’t cool off enough to be 

comfortable for sleeping, some folks would sleep outside on their 

porches.  My girlfriends and I thought that sleeping on the porch 

was a great adventure, except for that one time when 

the cat decided to bring us a gift

 and we woke up to find half of a mouse upon our quilt!

In later years, my parents enclosed our front porch for an extra room.  

I hated to see the porch closed in but I was glad when my parents 

simply moved the old porch swing and hung it from the huge old 

maple tree where the family still gathered.  Daddy and my brother 

would often sit out there under that tree and play their guitars, 

usually with a dog or two stretched out beneath their feet as 

they played one more chorus of “Just A Closer Walk With Thee.” 

I have always loved porch swings.  After I was grown and married,

 the one thing that sold me on the house that we bought was 

the swing on the back porch that overlooked a pond.

I’m glad to see that some houses being built today are going back 

to adding porches.  Yet, it isn’t the porches, it’s the people 

that make the difference.  As I drive through neighborhoods 

these days I sometimes wonder, “Where are all the people?  

Are they all at Wal-Mart or inside watching television?”  

If so, they are missing out on a lot.

Why not shoo the kids outside and take a little time out for 

some “porch sittin”?  Take something along to read or work on 

if you like but there’s nothing wrong with just sitting and doing 

nothing because it really isn’t doing nothing, it’s “porch sittin”. 

  If practiced enough, you can become an expert at it. 

It seems like “porch sittin” is nearly a lost art.  Perhaps we can 

still revive it. If you don’t have a porch, don’t worry, a chair 

out under a shade tree will do.  I don’t have a porch like I 

once had either but I have a great imagination 

and all of God’s creation is still right there to enjoy. 

Well, it’s been a long day so I think I’ll go outside for a spell

 because it’s just about “porch sittin” time.

By

Pamela Perry Blaine

© June 2005

“Welcome Home”

Featured Story

by

Pamela Perry Blaine

©January, 2006

(Story as told to me by a Viet Nam Veteran

who prefers to remain anonymous)

The other day I was walking into the local Wal-Mart store when 

I noticed an older man walking beside a younger man.  

The younger man was wearing army fatigues.  

I was curious so I stopped and asked, “Excuse me young man, but 

I was just wondering if you were in the service or

 are you just wearing fatigues?" 

The young man stated that he was really in the army and then his 

Dad added in a strong voice that was filled with pride, “This is 

my son and he has just returned from his second tour in Iraq."

I told him how glad I was that he had returned home safely 

and then I said, “Young man, I would like to do something 

for you that no one outside of my family did for me when 

I returned home from serving in Viet Nam.”

“What is that?” he asked. 

“I’d be proud to welcome you home by shaking your hand 

if I might and say thank you for your service to our 

country,” I said as I held out my hand. 

The young soldier and his Dad both stood a little taller as the young man 

stuck out his hand which I readily grasped and we just stood there, 

the three of us, with our right hands joined.  We were three strangers 

drawn together by a common bond, we all understood, 

not needing to say anything more. 

After nodding to each other, I started to break the grasp and walk away 

but the young soldier seemed to have something on his mind as 

he hesitated, and then he stopped me before I could move. 

 He was quiet for a moment and then he looked me 

straight in the eye and then he ever so clearly 

uttered the words, "Thank you . . . and . . . Welcome Home”.

We then parted company as we went our separate ways. 

 I finished buying the supplies I needed, walked on home, 

and oh yeah … I cried.

(Anonymous Viet Nam veteran)

We often forget to be thankful to those who serve our country, 

protect us from terrorism, and preserve our freedom.  We have veterans 

living today that have served us in WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, and 

The Persian Gulf.  We have those on active duty who are serving

our country right now in Iraq as well as other places around the world. 

Today the average age of a WWII Veteran is 81; we are quickly losing 

them from the battlefield of life.  They are now leaving us at

 the rate of 1500 per day.  I see many of them carrying our flag

 in parades and participating in military funerals.  They tell me 

the veteran’s organizations need more veterans to help 

them with these duties now.  This is due to the failing health and

 the deaths of most of the WWII veterans who have kept these organizations 

alive with their unswerving dedication and patriotism.  Perhaps it’s time 

we expressed appreciation with a card or a phone call to someone we 

know personally while there’s still time.  It shouldn’t have to be Memorial Day 

or Veteran’s Day for us to be appreciative toward all of our veterans no 

matter where they served.  The point is that they served and gave 

of themselves that we might live in freedom.

We can also show our appreciation to those serving us right now by 

writing letters, sending e-mails, or sending packages to our soldiers. *   

Today is a good day to be grateful, there’s no time like the present 

and it’s the only time that we have for certain.  When we see or hear

 of a soldier coming home from war, most important of all, let’s remember

 to give them a heartfelt, “Thank you . . . and . . . Welcome Home!”

Pamela Perry Blaine

©January, 2006

"If you love your freedom, thank a vet"

*Internet Link to a site for more information on ways to support our troops:

www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx

Internet Link to a tribute to WWII Vets

http://www.managedmusic.com/beforeyougo.html

America
Home of the Free
Because of the Brave

Click on the link below and take a look 
at "Flowers that Never Fade"
Go and touch the rose.
Flowers That Never Fade
 

Click on index for more writings

If you are suffering at the hands of a bad person, 
forgive him, least there be 2 bad people.
 
 

Sticks and stones may break my bones
but words may break my heart.
 
 

If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only.  Do not say
I love her for her smile--her look--her way
Of speaking gently,--for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of ease on such a day--
For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may
Be changed, or change for thee,--and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so.  Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheek dry,--
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou may'st love on, through love's eternity
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnet XIV.

Remember when you talk

you only repeat what you already know

but if you listen you may learn something.

Love is like a dance.
No one leads, no one follows.
Each responds to the other and it is improvised,
and the music is always changing
and plays forever.

Alas for those who never sing
but die with all their music in them.
--Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Those who love deeply never grow old;
they may die of old age but they die young."
- Arthur Wing Pinero