Me, Myself and Memories

Updates from June, 2017 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Noreen 3:30 am on June 3, 2017 Permalink  

  The Heat of The Day 

  They weren’t kidding when they said it was going to be a warm day.  This morning, trying to walk in a fair amount of shade, I headed down one of the side streets that is lined with many trees.  The problem being the traffic with many detours around and about is horrific.  Not all lots have sidewalks.  Those that have sidewalks may not have them in good repair.  Getting the toe of my walking shoe caught on an unexpected tip of a sidewalk block could cause me much recovery time and pain.  I’ll get this figured out.  There may be a need for me getting out my handy dandy straw hat and wearing a long sleeve shirt to protect from the sun as I do my walk on the county road.  That route is so peaceful and enjoyable.  Not so much having to stop at all the intersections of the streets here in town.

  

  These knit items are so characteristic of what little boys wear: colorful and wild.

  Having more than one basket full of eggs is something I can advise for any retired person.  Too hot outside? Down to the sewing studio I can go.  The amount of items needed for this project is 67.  Today I finished putting stabilizer onto those 67 items.  The time has come to cut fabric that will have these toddler t-shirt squares sewn onto.  First things first.  The sewing machine needed a grease job and oil change job after finishing the peachy colored quilts.  Talk about fuzz that was caught every which way under the stitch plate.  That is a testament of the quality of fabric that I used in those four quilts.  Oh, the quilts will last.  My goodness if the feed sack quilts that Mom made are still around, these too will last.  The fabrics purchased in big box stores are printed on a “grunge base” that is less quality and so therefore less expensive than what is sold in a “Quilt Shop.”  You never have to worry about pre-washing fabric that is purchased in a quilt shop.  The colors will not bleed.  Walmart and JoAnn’s . . . it’s a gamble if you don’t rewash . . . and who doesn’t need to wash a quilted project now and again. Bottom line, you get what you pay for.

  Back to Oliver’s quilt: Dennis is going to be on call to help cut the fabric for the base of the t-shirts and he is so appreciated.  My hands and arms can’t thank him enough.  All in all it’s time to call it a day and get those Beans and Weenies ready for supper.

   
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  Noreen 9:54 pm on May 21, 2017 Permalink  

  Penny Wise and Pound Foolish 

  Oh ya . . . let’s buy a camera for $89.00 and run with that.  This ole Grammie needs a bit of a tweak upside the head.  I went to our Radio Shack, aka: hardware store, to purchase a USB cord for the Nikon camera.  Nope.  “We do have this pack that has a multiple of sizes and yes, one of them is small enough for the camera.”  Thirty one dollars and I am at my home.  I followed all the directions for my HP notebook to like my new camera.  All I got was a “malfunction” message.  I trundled on down to the sewing studio and tried my Dell laptop.  Same message.

  At supper on Friday night, visiting with Dennis, I ticked off all the things that frustrate me.  The top of the list was the bra straps that don’t stay on my shoulders.  New shoulders have limited wiggle abilities. To get the bra on, I cannot tighten the straps enough to allow for them to stay in place . . . unless I am sweating so much they are stuck in place.  The next item of frustration was learning to do more things with my left hand as the right wrist is busy working with an abundance of arthritis.  Last on the list of frustrations was the ever changing techie things.  Dennis being the wonderful ole cowboy that he is, listened.  I am sure the rant did not help the digestion of his supper.

  The end result was making an appointment with the Geek Squad in Mankato for Saturday noon.  Saturday morning had me returning the thirty one plus dollar product to Radio Shack and we headed for a road date to Mankato.

  I was early for the appointment and I found a fellow in Best Buy, where the Geek Squad is located, to direct me to the USB area so I would have a power cord for the Geek fellow to help me.  “Sorry, we have not carried a size like that in a long time.  Have you had this camera for a long time?”  I know my eyes were the size of ping pong balls.  This was Saturday and I had purchased my new camera three days before, how old could it be?  Yup, minimal Grammie had been sold a product that was no longer viable.  Maybe the fact that it took two AAA batteries should have told me so.

  

  My new camera is up and running . . . on both computers. I am one happy Grammie. No! I did not buy a selfie stick.

  Before I let this helpful clerk go, I had picked out a Canon Power Shot SX620 camera.  Still the same small size . . . but it had a battery that would need charging . . . not batteries to toss when used up.  No USB cable needed.  For $9.98 a thing-a-ma-jig with the product name of “Insignia,” that in essence is a flash-drive that the memory card is plugged into, is used for downloading photos.  WHO KNEW!  By that time the Geek Squad fellow was ready for me.  All I would need to do would be take photos and to get them downloaded was to put the memory card into the flash drive and plug it into a computer.  It would recognize whatever was needed for whatever computer I used to import the photos.  I had come prepared with both the Dell and the HP laptops with me for the appointment.  Zack, the Geek, did demo the Insignia product into both of my computers to allow me to feel confident.  With a pre-paid plan for service, I paid for the camera and the flash drive.  I would have floated out of that store like a cloud if not for the heavy bag of computer equipment.

  This entire time, Dennis was patiently waiting in the parking lot as the driving rain lulled him.  As I have mentioned, my arms don’t do “up.”  The fellow bidding shoppers goodbye was nice enough to put my hood up on my jacket to give me some protection from the rain before I left the store.  I was on the move.  I kept hearing a horn blow but I had the red pickup in view and I was moving as fast as I could to get out of the rain.  The honking of the horn continued and it was Dennis.  We had driven to Mankato in THE car and I was hell bent on getting to someone’s red pickup for a ride home.  Now that would have been the cat’s meow to have a theft alarm go off as a senior citizen was trying to break in complete with enough computer equipment to take over Mankato.  Hang  around old people, they are entertaining.

  Before we left Mankato the Nikon camera had been returned for a full refund.  My oh my, what a lesson this ole Grammie had.  On the positive side, I am determined to get through whatever comes my way and learn from it.  Dang it, it is true.  You get what you pay for.  It is a good thing it is not very often I need to make informed purchases.

   
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  Noreen 3:52 am on April 28, 2017 Permalink  

  We Are The Lucky Ones 

  We are so lucky that we did not get the snow that my cousin Mark did in the far north portion of the state.  It may not have been a huge amount, just enough to be an aggravation.

  After I had sat down for a bit in the early part of the evening, I got my second wind. With the right ingredients brought home from the market, I began making a batch of Crab Salad.  It is one of our favorites for a noon snack.  With an equal amount of celery, onions, imitation crab meat and a bit less of the green peppers, I was a dicing and chopping fanatic.  With shredded cheese added before the mayo I had a pretty good sized bowl going with a fair amount of pepper to top it off.  Dennis did sample some and he gave it the thumbs up.

  As I was making such good use of the new groceries, I have no idea where from the far reaches of my memories I began reminiscing to myself.  We had settled into Watonwan County with a job transfer for Orlin with the Moorman’s Feed Company.  The transfer had not meant a parallel move for the family income as we now had a home mortgage that far exceeded what we had gained from the Renville County home.  Nothing to do but dig deep and apply for food stamps.  Carrie and Kevin realized the circumstances.  We made it a family trip to Mankato to one of the large grocery stores.  Coming home with groceries abound it was fun packing the groceries away and making plans for the fresh produce that could be carefully stretched into the weeks ahead. 

  We remained on food stamps for some time always shopping carefully.  As we had moved from the initial house in Madelia to a second one and then to a farm site, we did then have a garden and we were raising chickens for the freezer.  When I applied and received a part-time job at the Watonwan County Assessor’s Office, I was thrilled to talk with Barb Bloom and our Human Service case worked to allow her to know we no longer needed the help with food stamps.  Happy days!

  Coming back into the present day and time: I put the crab salad into the refrigerator.  I felt like the most fortunate person in the world.  Yes, this morning we were lucky to have missed the late season snow, but back in time Orlin and I were determined to not want to settle and we changed the course for our family.  We are the lucky ones.  We did what many families may not be able to do. 

  I have no idea what may trigger my memories.  I am very thankful they come to me.  It cements into me that there is never a time when I can sit back and stay static.  Perhaps that is why now I am bucking northwest winds for my walks in this cold spring weather to prove to myself that while I am fortunate to have a good life, I can work to make that good life just a bit better and perhaps have it last a bit longer.  I really enjoy my life and loving family . . . there is no more to say.

   
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  Noreen 4:42 am on March 10, 2017 Permalink  

  A Phone Call 

  A phone call today at three in the afternoon would have been oh so nice.  There are things I think of that I need to ask Elvera in regard to “do you remember . . . do you still have the recipe.”  I  am sitting in my sewing studio having just finished a fairly large project. Threads and snips of fabric need to be tidied up for the next project, whatever that may be.

  While I am sitting at my computer desk I have a 180 degree view of our basement and that that is how much of our basement area the sewing studio encompasses.  I was fair. We still needed the rest of the area for the furnace, softener, 1/2 bath, etc.  When I have a first time visitor here in the studio I hide a smirk as I can see their glances going up and down and to the right and to the left.  Yup, there is a lot down here and I know just where everything is when I need it or I am asked if I have such and such to share.

  When I look over the top of my laptop, I see the one and only thing that I have from Elvera.  I am sure it was from a Target or Gordmans store.  It is a 4″ x 6″ standalone plaque with the saying “I smile because you’re my sister and I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it.”  It has her signature smilie face and her own signature.  I know she enjoyed receiving my latest when I would crank out something specifically for her, either crafting, crocheting, needlepoint, greeting cards or quilting as evident of the placement in her home.  When I would go to Stewart and actually sit across from her for coffee there would be a show and tell of what she had been sewing and quilting.   Today it just struck me . . . HUH!  I had best take care of that plaque.

  Elvera did give me our Grandma Laura Wendlandt’s rocker.  My Mom and Dad had been the recipient of it years ago.  Dennis and I enjoyed putting life into it.  It needed springs, putty and love.  Now it is a very favorite rocker of mine to read in.  Grandma Laura was really short and thus the rocker is low, but by golly I can do it.  I am quite sure by the looks of the rockers that are from different wood it was customized to just her size.  

  For me, myself and I . . . there is much sentiment within me and I have room for more.  The treasures that I have from family members gone get peeked at, unfolded, admired and then lovingly they get to remain safe.  I have many of them labeled just in case they go to a new home someday.

  Today, right now, I need to get in gear and wrestle up some supper.  Thank goodness for leftovers that can be given a re-make, just like Laura’s rocking chair.  In the freezer there is some pork roast that was chunked right along with some of the roast’s dripping.  It is going to become meat and gravy over instant mashed potatoes with a vegetable on the side and some raw sliced English cucumbers.  It’ll work.

   
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  Noreen 3:37 am on February 23, 2017 Permalink  

  Changing Needs 

  Hello on another great sunny day.  I have no idea what the temps are but the sun is out and the wind chimes are not ringing off the trees.  I am not one to shun changes.  It just takes me awhile to acknowledge that a change is needed.  I have been using our basement for my sewing room for over 20 years.  My projects don’t have to be put away when we want to set the table for a meal.  Fuzz and threads get Swiffered up from a smooth painted concrete floor regularly.  It would surprise you how many threads can catch on the bottom of shoes and show up on the main floor of our home.  About a year ago Dennis and I traveled to Bird Island and I purchased a new sewing machine.  First big purchase of a machine since 1967.  It is so wonderful not to have to raise the pressure foot manually or cut thread manually.  It is amazing how much those two items save on fingers, wrists and shoulder movements.

  It has been in the last six months that I sat back down here among my goodies that I knew I had to make some changes.  My cutting tables are no longer at the factory 29 inch height.  They are now at 35 inches via bricks under the legs.  My arms are now at 90 degrees as I sit up to the sewing machine via my 1960s sewing table that Orlin bought for me when we were farming.  My ironing board is now 36 inches in height thanks to Dennis working with me to put a 26″ x 56″ topper on it for handling the quilting projects.  So why all the changes now?

  In today’s currant world, I like my life and I like it a lot.  Comfort for me goes beyond a pot of coffee each day and plenty of food for nourishment.  I enjoy feeling good physically.  Taking a large amount of pills for me is not where I need to be at my age, which soon the number “72” will no longer hit the mark.  I will never beat the disease of arthritis.  I can keep it at bay.  If I don’t keep moving and doing, it will take over much like water as it travels over the top of a flat surface when I knock over my water glass at the dining room table.  I just had a great checkup with my family doctor.  It was so good that this time my weight was not mentioned.  Oh . . . I am not done with that little item yet, it just no longer defines who and what I am.

  I do believe that arthritis is in my DNA.  With both sets of my grandparents it was evident of that in their day to day living that their mobility was hampered by arthritis.  I am so fortunate that with medical advancements to be taken advantage of, the arthritis is my burden to carry but not a burden in my day to day activity.  It was not enjoyable to have both feet surgically altered so I could walk, carrying myself correctly.  Oh my gosh, that was in the early 1980s.  I could do crutches up and down our basement steps at our home at South Branch.  The attention that I needed from Carrie and Kevin could also be gotten with a tap on the head of the crutch tip.   June of 2005 I decided to have my knees replaced.  The bone on bone was very painful. Surprisingly the memories of the physical work that aided in the need of that surgery that I did as a farm girl and farm wife are not painful to remember.  I cherish those memories.  Both of the knees done at one time was a slick way of getting through the recovery and the therapy.  Either you moved, or you didn’t.  Using the push lawnmower that summer was the ticket for mobility.  The two shoulders that needed to be replaced in the recent past . . . that was not a choice that I made.  Within a year of each other, it was of necessity at the time.  The arthritis was so severe, it didn’t take much of a mishap to put it on the schedule.  I now, so appreciate my mobility.  The lack there of with certain activity doesn’t really hinder me.  I have learned to find different ways of achieving the same end.  

  As I said, I like my life.  I like the comfort that each day brings.  Dennis and I take care of our home as it needs it.  It sure is a pain when we need to ask for help.  The pain of swallowing our pride is less than having our home become less than it should be.  By all accounts our home is handicap accessible via the hard-work of making it so.  Dennis and I are very appreciative of the hours that it took to make it so.  Hats off to carpenters whether biological or store bought fellows.

  Many of the do-it-yourself projects to bring my sewing room into what I now deem as a “sewing studio” has been sitting back and taking stock of what could be moved or changed with very little effort or cost.  Not so yesterday!  I now have a brand new iron to put upon my improved ironing board.  I knew that the Oliso irons have been around for a long time.  Friend Linda has had one for at least eight years, perhaps shortly after they were first out.  The sewing machine saves on my hands, the height of the work surfaces has been a huge help on the back and shoulders.  The darn iron has been killing my right wrist which is a bit deformed with arthritis.  Using the iron and having to tip it up or down does . . . in plain English . . . hurt.  The Oliso is also a steam iron, so I don’t have to use the laundry sink that is close by to wet a pressing cloth and wringing it out.  Now when I am finished pressing a seam, I move the iron off to the side and it raises itself, taking its own hot plate off of the surface,  patiently waiting until the next time I need it.  As soon as I touch the handle, it lowers itself ready for service.  I’ve gotten one square of a t-shirt quilt done and I already appreciate it.  I take that back . . . my right wrist loves it.  

  This was the last of the changes I knew I needed to continue loving my sewing studio and working in it as comfortably as possible.  Why do I wait so long to make a change for the better?  I have no idea.  I am sure it is a deep seated feeling of making do with what is at hand.  It’s a good thing at the age of 72 I am very aware of what brings me happiness and feeling good while doing it.  

   
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  Noreen 4:41 am on February 12, 2017 Permalink  

  What a Gift 

  I am fortunate to have the gift of perseverance.  There is a huge difference between one who is a perfectionist and then . . . there is me.  I give it my all regardless of what I am doing.  With patience and an equal amount of perseverance, I like where I am today and what I am doing in “today.”  I have a sweet life.  With any given day, with any given task, I do have expectations as to the outcome.   

  This is a weekend that finds me home alone.  That does not happen as often as it has in the past when Dennis was on an active circuit of taking in trade shows.  Dennis knows his limitations in energy and physical endurance as to how often he runs away from home.  This show, in South Dakota, Dennis has taken in every year for 22 years.  He is grooming a friend of his who has shown an interest in taking over Dennis’ rental spot in a year or two.  Dennis would continue taking in the event, but not the setting up, tending it non-stop for the weekend, and taking it down and coming home a bit weary. 

  I have no set plans for a weekend such as this, it just evolves.  I am on livestock duty with the garage kittens.  Some of those kittens are getting a bit of age on them, not to mention the weight that they carry.  Yesterday while I was waiting for the shop to come and pick up the car that needed a new battery, I found myself giving the garage porch some TLC.  As we put down new carpeting last summer, we do have some carpet rag rugs taking a hit where the doors to the outside are.  Hmm.  I can still produce a pretty good snap when shaking the rugs.  My Mom would not approve as that puts a lot of strain on the warp of the rug.

  Some of the livestock chose to leave the porch and others just moved as I moved around with the vacuum.  Somehow dirt from two potted plants found its way to the carpeting.  That Snuggles just has to crawl in and around the plants.  I did leave the dusting for Dennis to take care of when he gets home.  It is surprising how much dust a television screen can hold.  Butter Ball kept an eye on me as I emptied the water dish and gave it a clean.  Of course, as I was putting new water in, his paw just happened to catch the water stream.  Butter Ball loves to play in water.  In the end the litter box was totally tidied, food bowls were cleaned and refilled and I left the porch for the cats to check out all that had been moved or cleaned.  A good work out on the perseverance.  When the fellows returned the car into the garage, they took a peek at the garage porch and were amazed as to how it was tricked out.  A perfect quiet place to put off cabin fever.

  I slept until nine this morning.  Amazingly the train two blocks away and the semi trucks that pass within 50 feet of our home do not interfere with my rest.  When my feet do hit the floor, I am ON.  One trip to the bathroom and when I came out the washing machine was filling with water.  By the time I had come in from letting the cats out for a run, the coffee pot had brewed some awesome smelling coffee.  I treated myself to an apple fritter to enjoy with the coffee.

  The sun did not stay out for the entire day, but believe me I had windows open on the east end of the house as well as the west end.  As I am typing, I am enjoying the last of the cold breakfast coffee.  I have had a rewarding kitchen type of day.  Chocolate cookies are filling the cookie container, cold crab salad is co-mingling in the refrigerator, pork steak is marinating in the blue speckled roaster in the refrigerator right beside the baking dish that is ready to pop into the oven.  That baking dish is comprised of our favorite carrot casserole.  Par cooked carrots layered with sautéed onions, Velveeta cheese and ready to have crumbled club crackers on it before going in the oven.  I am pretty sure the pork and carrots will be fixed for Monday’s supper.  I had the kitchen going and it just kept on going and going until I was tuckered out.  Man, there were a lot of dirtied dishes.   

  Good grief, I have had several great days.  I did not even go into the sewing studio since Dennis has been gone.  It is hard to explain, but going solo for a couple of days is good for my soul.  I can persevere and I do persevere at my own speed . . . at my own time.  Dennis will be home tomorrow, Sunday, sometime between five and six in the late afternoon.  I will be rested without anything left on my tick list . . . taking in all of the tales that Dennis will share about his weekend at the trade show.  Priceless!

   
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  Noreen 4:39 am on February 10, 2017 Permalink  

  Predictions Come True 

  

  A younger Megan who needed pillows to be able to use my laptop. When we chat via texting, her smile is right there for my mind’s eye . . . as it always has been. Even then, Megan was no stranger to my basement sewing studio.

  Some time back when I was reminiscing with Kevin about the visits that we have enjoyed with the grandkids, Megan and Nicholas,  I spoke of a time when the visits would become far and few in between just to the fact that Dennis and I couldn’t keep the kids small forever.  The prediction of the visits becoming fewer has come true.  The prediction that Kevin made has also come true. Kevin predicted that as Megan got older she would know how to call me and we could still visit.  Megan turned thirteen in December of 2016.  Megan now has a cell phone. Yippee!!  My heart absolutely bursts when I hear the ding-a-ling on my cell phone that I have a text message . . . and it’s from Megan!  It takes me a while to punch out a text on my TracFone, but I am getting faster and better with it. We have a back and forth conversation and I love it.

  Today our conversation was about the message Dennis and I had sent in her Valentine.  We kidded her that if we had one wish, it would be that she wouldn’t grow up quite so fast.  Her text told me that having one or two of her vertebra removed to allow for that wish would be quite painful.  There was an emoji attached.  I had in previous texts allowed her to know that my old time TracFone didn’t have emojis.   I then assured her to keep growing as every family needs tall, strong women.   After several back and forth, we signed off until the next time.  I really am thankful for cell phones.     

   
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  Noreen 5:23 am on January 31, 2017 Permalink  

  In the Olden Days 

  In the olden days there was nothing to do but find the right person to give you the best answer for your question or your quandary.  Generally that person was Mom.  I knew that there was a rather large library in the town 12 miles to the northeast of us.  I also knew that taking two small children into a new environment that had a lot of things to take, touch and pick up was not a good thing.  I won’t even go into all of the places the kids could have and would have found to hide in. If it was about wall papering, baking, canning, butchering, dressmaking or quilting, the best was to wait until it was afternoon nap time for Carrie and Kevin and then call Mom.  It was a good thing we were both on the same telephone line.  The long distance charges would have broken the piggy banks.  My adviser was with me through the time that my children were adults.  My quest for Mom’s information may have wavered a bit, but I knew she still had more to give when asked.  

  How much I knew, came to light these last two winters when helping someone get started in quilting.  Their impatience came to the surface, but I reminded them I had cut my teeth on sewing from the time my feet could pump the treadle on the sewing machine that sat in our family kitchen.  Even when my legs were a bit short, Michael would be on the floor and wait until I gave the wheel, which was strung with the leather belt which was in turn linked to the treadle near the base of the sewing machine inches from the floor, a turn.  He would give the treadle a pump back and forth.  As the pump would go back and forth, I was able to hit the treadle with the tip of my toes and off I went . . . until I had to stop for alignment of the carpet rags we were sewing.  

  Today the quilting trend is very much alive and well.  I am working with fabrics and sewing accessories that were not around when I was a young mother.  I still like to learn new techniques.  I only live three blocks from a huge new library.  I get my reading literature there every several weeks.  When I want an answer to a question and I want it “now,” I turn to YouTube on my computer.  Any and all questions that could possibly need an answer are there.  I can watch a video, slow the video down or take it back to the beginning as often as needed.  It is similar to having someone right at your elbow.  

  

  A bit of a rocking motion of the iron to follow the curve, plus rotating the project, made for a good flat lying snowflake. I wonder if the Weaver Pres-Kloth Co. in Omaha, Nebraska, is still manufacturing these useful tools.

  As much as my sewing studio sports new equipment to quilt with, to embroider with or to patch jeans, I have many of my old staples just within an arms reach.  Today it happened that I needed the pressing ham.  It is a pillow type of pressing aid that allows items to lay over the curve. Mine happens to be filled with sawdust.  Hmm, in all of Kevin’s curiosity as a tike, I am amazed he didn’t have to find out how much sawdust was in it. It has just the right about of give to be effective when pressing.  The tip of a hot iron doesn’t always do justice when pushed into specific small areas.  Today I was able to get the hot tip of the iron into areas of a snowflake that had no thread stitching.  The fabric was pressed just as if it were lying flat on the ironing board as all the stitching around the snowflake did raise the edges a bit.  

  I am not in any hurry with this latest project, and I will admit the 15 snowflakes the pattern has called for was . . . to say the least, time consuming. Satin stitching around them, and then cutting them out, took a bit out of the old arthritic wrist.  The best part of this, no matter how long it may take me . . . I love the challenges that are within my sewing studio square footage.  I wonder what the concrete company owner, Brett, would say if I asked him for a quote to push out the north wall of the basement.  I don’t need any more square footage on the main level, just here in the basement.  As Kevin would say: tee-hee!  

   
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  Noreen 2:21 am on January 25, 2017 Permalink  

  The Glider Rocker is Home 

  

  Bob estimated that the rocker was from the early 1900s. It will now be able to go forward being able to not only look at but to be enjoyed as a rocker.

  The glider rocking chair is back home after several weeks of being in the repair shop. For as long as I can remember there had been veneer missing on the back side of the very top of the back rest to the rocker. In its place was a huge smear of putty to bridge the gap of the original veneer to the rougher wood used to create the curved top of the backrest.  I can only imagine how hard it was for Bob to get the aged putty cleaned out for a new piece of veneer to be placed and then carry the same curvature and detailed knobs at the very top. The seat has been reinforced from the bottom for many more bottoms to enjoy rocking away. One of the spindles on the backrest had been cracked. The only thing keeping it in place was the tension the remaining spindles recreated. Bob, my SOB, Sweet Ole Bob, made a slice in the narrow spindle and inserted a narrow steel rood for support with glue as the final touch. In the glider portion itself, one of the dowels going across the width had been replaced with a piece of broom handle that had then been painted black. Now, a new stained wooden dowel matching the rest of the dowels is in place. This beauty has had much TLC under Bob’s capable repair. The repair ticket taped to the back for the cost was for $30. I realize that Bob had been my boss for many years when he was one of the county commissioners, and we had a good relationship when I retired. He argued . . . but in the end a $50 bill stayed with him in his shop. There are not very many people who will take the time to honor older pieces of furniture that have a lifetime of sentiment attached to them. I feel so blessed to be able to not only look at this rocker and recall decades of memories, but it now has full utility to be sat in, and perhaps someday, a new baby will be rocked in it, just as I rocked my brother Michael when he was an infant 66 years ago.  The dusting of it . . . after all these years, still a challenge.

   
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  Noreen 3:12 am on January 21, 2017 Permalink  

  Ever Wonder? 

  If anyone ever wonders how the older ones on Stauffer Avenue get ready for Christmas . . . I will let the cat out of the bag.  More to the point, how the ole cowboy on Stauffer Avenue gets ready for Christmas.  Many moons ago, we realized that there was nothing that we could buy for family that would hit the mark, or what family wanted or needed we couldn’t afford.  Dennis happened upon the idea of giving $2.00 bills to each family member.  

  Not a single Christmas goes by that Dennis does not relay the story of Carrie’s reaction the first Christmas we did this. There had been a  Christmas party planned at her church, and somehow she would have to find something in the closet to wear to the party.  Not much came forward out of the closet and less in spendable resources.  Along came Dennis’ $2.00 bill gift and she called Dennis with thanks, I think with tears, that she could now go out and purchase a new dress that would be appropriate.  If memory serves me, that little black dress was in her closet for may events to come.  Since that time the families have grown.  Dennis still continues his tradition.  

  This is such a part of his Christmas “good feelings.” With seven children, 10 grandchildren and six greatgrands, the savings towards Christmas on our part starts early in the year.  Once a year, we call ahead to the bank for them to order the $2.00 bills for us.  Not many banks mess with having them on hand.  It takes just about $1,000 for Dennis to play Santa Clause – and who has more fun?  This year he took it upon himself to use some of my crafting papers to make the envelopes for the stashes.  He did a great job of making it special.  While I was working on granddaughter Cheyenne’s t-shirt quilt, Dennis set up shop to do his elfing.  I so enjoyed watching him being so diligent with the counting. 

  Monday of this week, grandson Ryan and his daughter Addison, stopped in after Addison was out of school for the day with a big “Thank you.”  Yesterday, son-in-law Tom was out for a walk and noticed Dennis in his rocking chair in the garage porch.  Tom wanted Dennis to know he and Denise were very appreciative of the Christmas gift.  As late as today, we received a thank you from one of the granddaughters in an email to send out a thanks and allowing us to know that her son, three year Oliver,  put his bills in his Mickey Mouse bank that we had given him when he all but O.D. on Mickey Mouse cartoons.  

  There may be a few more that get added to the families over time, but I know Dennis will just get on the horn to the bank and put his order in.  Being able to do something for everyone is all the Christmas gift that is needed by us.