A Letter From a Friend

Laura says February is letter-writing month so I'm writing y'all a letter.  

Hello Dear Friend,

     Just thought I'd drop a line and say Hi.  You said your weather was not so much to your liking.  Well now, you should see what Old Man Winter has in store for us.  I am actually fond of the snow.  I would prefer to stay home and drink tea and bake cookies, but alas I must venture out to what is necessary.  We are encroaching on St. Valentine's Day.  Do you have a sweetheart?  I hung the pendant I made across the bookshelves.  I need to do something different with it, because I can't see the clock.  I only know what time it is by the chimes, or I have to go in and look at the clock on the coffee pot.  Some folks still have their Christmas trees up and have them decorated for Valentine's.  I put our tree out of the house 2 days after Christmas.  It's in the burn pile now.  I certainly wouldn't want to try to dust a tree.

Do you decorate for St. Valentine's Day?  I was thinking about the little cards we used to exchange when we were kids.  They were sure cuter than what was available last time I saw any.  We were careful about which card we gave to which person.  Friends received the "best" ones and those we were only obligated to give to got the ones with a nice wish but no indication of liking them - Egads!  We wouldn't have wanted that.  That sounds so mean now looking back, but as kids, we only felt what we felt.  

     Well, as I said above, we are supposed to be in for some real winter weather.  It's snowing now, and the ground is white.  We were supposed to have some friends over for Valentine's dinner but the weather is keeping them afar.  It's difficult being away from friends and family but good to know they are warm and safe rather than stranded on the edge of a road somewhere between here and nowhere.  The weather will break and the mud will soon be with us.  That's the part I don't care so much for is "mud season."  At least I'm not trying to pack water out to the critters in 5 gallon buckets in it.  That was always the worst. Now we just have Rip's heated water dish to keep full and Hucklebunny's water to defrost and refill morning and night.  She's so funny.  She gets grumpy when her water freezes.  I don't blame her, but it's still funny.

     I stepped aways from this to get supper going and here it is Presidents Day.  We have a couple feet of snow on the ground.  This is the most snow I've seen since we've moved here.  The past two nights in particular were very cold.  We brought Hucklebunny and Rip in the house for the night.  They each have heat lamps and their own houses, but we were concerned it wouldn't be enough.  They didn't seem to mind.  Bunny was ready to go out to her hutch in the morning.  She doesn't like to potty in her carrier.  I've also filled the bird feeder each morning since the snow has fallen.  The little birds are flocked around the house.  The lilac bush has little feathered globes on nearly every branch :-)  Today was slightly warmer but more snow is expected tonight.  Then tomorrow is back to work and is supposed to be 5-10 degrees warmer yet.  Hopefully it will be enough to thaw the roads.  I saw the plow go by earlier so it shouldn't be too bad.  The rigs going by are still driving pretty slow.  

Yesterday, we went skiing for St. Valentine's Day.  I didn't seem to have my "ski legs" on.  They felt like lead so I was sticking to the calm runs and not going crazy.  I don't know the mountain very well so generally just do the couple of runs I'm familiar with.  Well, late in the day, I thought I was going down one of the easier runs and ended up on a run called "ego" because you have to have quite the ego to go down it.  It is narrow and was mogulled out.  Suffice it to say, I should not have been on that run!  I eventually made it down but was wiped out by the time I reached the bottom.  It took me longer to get down that section of the run than it did for me to do a whole run that matches my level (my level being not that great.)  It was still a good day.  It snowed all day and the trees were simply gorgeous.

I could have tried to go into work this morning but not sure how much I would have been able to do with most other businesses closed.  So I stayed home.  I've been trying to work on making a slipper pattern.  I tried 3 different styles and didn't like any of them so am fashioning my own.  I think I've come up with one that will work.  When I get it all worked out, I'll share more about it.  I deep cleaned the kitchen which was very much needed.  I think after supper, I will turn the self-clean cycle on in the oven.  It needs it and produces quite a bit of heat over the course of several hours which might help keep the heater from kicking on quite as much.  Better now than in summer I'm thinking.  I need to go finish up a load of laundry so will try to get this in the mail before I start on the folding.

Hope you are keeping warm my friends.  Would love to hear from you.

Tootles,

Me 

   

Depression Era Folks & Tools

For some reason old things just seem to find me.

It doesn't really matter if it's things or folks actually.

My friend Shirley used to say we were both born in the wrong century.
I told her we weren't, because if all those who said that
were born in whichever century they desired,
there would be nobody to appreciate that era today.
She just laughed and said she hadn't thought of that.
She passed away last March, and I still miss her dearly.

Though she, having lived through the depression,
appreciated even older and usually more decorative items (which I do as well,)
I appreciate the resourcefulness of those who lived, worked, 
and even found moments of joy during the depression.
Shown above: at top is a potato peeler, middle a pear corer, and at bottom a cherry pitter. 
I am particularly anxious to see if the cherry pitter works.
That chore is such a pain.
Weather it was farm implements or kitchen gadgets,
items seemed to be made to last from a construction standpoint,
they were user friendly, and served a valid purpose.

The other half of the Bob and Shirley duo was Bob.
He was born in 1920 and is the friend who shared some 
Depression Era Sustainable Ways with us which to date
is still my most popular post.
Bob passed away this month.
I feel like there is a huge hole within me and about me where they once were.
I don't mourn for them.
They each had a long and mostly happy life together~
married 72+ years!
I know he was ready to go join her in heaven. 
He said many times he thought God put him on this earth
 to take care of Shirley.
I do mourn my own selfish heart - wanting to keep them here with me.
Yes, I recognize my foolishness.
I know there was so much more knowledge they each had to share
if only I knew the questions to ask.
That's how it's supposed to be right?  
One generation passing their smarts on to the next in line.
I used to tell Shirley she was my wealth of knowledge and my most valuable resource.  She would tell me I was in trouble.
In so many ways they always will be with me, and my hope is
that someday I am able to be to someone else all that they have been to me.
(I am looking at some big shoes to fill.)
I have been pretty quiet in bloggerville as of late and
felt you all deserved to know why.
They had no living heirs so another long time friend and I
are trying to take care of things.
If you are new to this blog or if you just happened to miss them,
both of the links above share some wonderful wisdom you might enjoy.

I am beginning to sleep nights again, getting my feet back under me
and my head attached at top so hopefully I'll be back 
to posting a bit more regularly.
After all spring is almost upon us and
with it comes rebirth.
Let us see, appreciate, and make the most of it.

The Importance of Friends

Good Morning Everybody.

I hope each of you had a blessed and beautiful Easter day.

You may have noticed I've been away for a little bit.

My friend Shirley died last week.  She was 91 years old.  

She and her husband had been married just shy of 73 years.

He will be 95 next month.

I am writing this because their's has probably been 

the most important friendship of my life.

I have learned from them, laughed with them, and still love them.

We met when I was 20 and living across the street from them.

I complemented her on their yard.

We started talking and haven't shut up since:)

She has taught me so much over the years such as:

the names of plants and flowers (most of which I still can't remember.)

How to use mace (the spice) and where it comes from.

This is the other part of the nutmeg and is the flavor

of your grandmother's cake donuts - yum.

So much about refinishing furniture, it's mind boggling.

How to use rice to clean bottles.

And so much more.

And then there were the stories from her youth.

Her father died when she was 6 years old.

At 8 years old, they moved and she had to ride in the rumble seat with her dog

and an umbrella from Michigan to Florida.

Her mother sold half of their house in Michigan.

They were somehow able to remove 1/2 the house.

Then they just had to add on a kitchen because that was in the 

half that was sold.

In Florida, she fished off the dock as often as she could.

One time, their house keeper used the water from boiling 

hotdogs to make her tea, then proceedings and laughter that followed.

When they were first married, she had a hot plate in the closet.

She would take to clothes out to cook.

It was just a one room "apartment,"

and they shared the bathroom with 3 other couples.

They lived in Seattle while he was in the service.

She had an hour bus ride at each end of the day 

to get to and from work.

She called their camper - the cramper.

And there are many more of these stories too.

But one of the most cherished lessons

I've learned from her is not to use names.

She would say, "Some friends in such-n-such town..."

I had met them, knew who they were, but she 

didn't say names - no gossiping.

I loved that about her.

The day I first realized that, we talked about it.

From that day forward, I too try not to mention names.

I'm not sure what it will be like with her gone.

But one thing I will certainly aspire to 

is to be the same kind of friend she has been to me.
She (they) have shown kindness always,
counsel when requested,
a shoulder to cry on at times,
as well as smiles, laughter, and all the little conversations
that make someone a friend.

I will miss her terribly
but know she is still 'with me'
and is keeping God good company.

Things are beginning to settle down a bit
(though I am hesitant to say that)
so I should be able to get back to the blog.


Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches