good topic!

I have two. an English teacher and a home ec teacher. I moved south as a young teenager to a very small town. The bookmobile stopped at the English teacher's home and she invited me to come and help choose books. The home economics teacher was a warm, attractive woman with a great sense of humor. She took us (her class) to pick water cress from a spring in the hills behind the school. We used it to make little sandwiches with the crusts cut off that we served with tea from a silver service to the faculty. These women were the first examples of southern womanhood that I encountered. Knowing them gave me an idea of who I wanted to be.

oh my...~laughing~~ if we ever get to talk, I will try to remember that the object of conversation is "winning"

Happy New Year, jessie....In the event we were ever to talk
you would find that it's not a matter of "winning" anything....everyone has a different opinion on religion and politics....I have seen the best of friends walk away from each other thinking "wow, I never saw that side of him/her before" when those two touchy subjects are brought up.....people tend to get overly passionate about their beliefs and damned the consequences....that's why I learned long ago that certain conversations are best left alone

I know. ~smile~ I am just picking on you.

Happy New Year to you!

Picking on me???....you mean I had to type out that last paragraph just because you were givin' me crap???....LOL...ok....anyone else want to get a shot in on the Tinman before the new year is over??...Last Chance!!..come on people!!!

The person most influential in my life, after much thought, was my father. I had a couple of teachers who inspired me to learn as much as possible in the academic world, but my dad taught me the love of the outdoors, to be kind to my fellow man and all animals. He taught me that the worst day, outdoors in the elements, is better than the best day inside watching television.

He wasn't perfect and taught his children that it was ok to have imperfections. My dad always had time to take his kids walking in the woods or exploring in nature, to teach us to recognize the small things most people would miss, such as identifying bird calls or animal tracks.

My dad was 1/4 American Indian, and what he learned from his dad, he taught his children, and his children taught their children. I am proud to say that I am my father's daughter!