It is about time to make May Baskets.
I have the basket part made...working on the decorations....they will be an animal.
They can be as simple as a cup filled with candy...or flowers...whatever you like to surprise someone.
It is a tradition that I have been able to participate in for over 70 years.
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My Mom used to grow some really tall Delphiniums. She put a wire cage around them to keep them upright.
They were very pretty. My Dad used to drag the water hose over there and then rest in that chair.
Years ago there was an elderly lady that lived along the West Shell Lake Road that had a huge planting of Delphiniums in all colors...it was very impressive this time of year....now when you go by that place it is just a sandy parking spot. I never stopped there but always slowed down to see the flowers.
My cousin Geraldine had some really pretty plantings of Delphiniums along her deck at her old place.
Minnesota weather: High was 81F or 28C Low was 61F or 17C eh!
We had brats, sweetcorn and raspberries for supper.
Far Guy felt good enough to visit with a couple of former co workers.
Far Side
My Mother was a fabric hoarder quilter. After she died we gave away some of her fabric to people who sew. I do not sew, so I saved some for our daughter Trica and Jen picked out some pieces that she wanted. I have a friend that I grew up with that makes quilts and donates them and does a quilt raffle for Leukemia every year. I picked out pieces of material that I thought would look good together in a quilt and saved them for Janet.
I do not sew tiny pieces of material together to make quilts. My Mother was a quilter and many of my cousins are and my sister in law is.
We gathered on the weekend of my Mother's first birthday in heaven. Last year Mom quilted with the gals on her birthday weekend.
Cousin Wilma's quilt pieces.
Cousin Geraldine's quilt pieces.
My sister in law (my baby brothers bride) was putting together a quilt that she and my Mom started together.
Everyone made some progress on their projects...my cousin Art's wife Bonnie was cross stitching, cousin LeAnn was playing with watercolor on cards and cousin Cora was doing some embroidery.
We had more good food for lunch and supper and great conversations:)
I wonder how Mother's Day in heaven is?
We think of our Mother's on this day if they are alive or in heaven.
My Mother requested that a quilt be used under her urn. My sister and I thought about all the quilts that Mom had made...how do you pick one special one? I thought I knew which one or two were the most special. Mom carried around the embroidery on many travels she worked on the squares in the car and in the evenings. Turns out she lost track of the number of squares she made and she had too many...so she had to make two quilts. They were used on her bed and my Dad's bed at the apartment...before that they were used at their home. She was so excited when the quilts were completed!
The bluebird quilt. It became the inspiration for preparations to purchase a urn and flowers. My sister and I picked out two urns...both were very pretty. One would look lovely with the quilt. I am not sure who made the final call...one of us. My sister was in charge of the flowers, she made awesome choices.
I think that Mom would have liked it.
Far Side
We are back up North safe and sound before the big storm that is supposed to blanket us with a good amount of snow.
Saturday was the Celebration of Life for my Mother. The Pastor was a Sunday School student of my Mothers a very long time ago. There were 306 people at the church service. The luncheon went off without a hitch. There were plenty of leftovers. The inurnment took place later in the afternoon.
Sunday my siblings and I read cards out loud and wrote thank you notes.
It was a busy weekend, now we need to rest up a bit.
Jen took two awesome photos.
The florist was working overtime delivering all the flowers, my Mom would have loved it. Bouquets were sent home with relatives that were close to Mom. The big sprays were taken to the Nursing Home, there they divide up flowers putting them in bud vases for all the residents...Mom would have liked that too.
Far Side
Today we have visitation at the church back home. We are displaying quilts that my Mother made on the back of the pews. I have just a few to pack up and take. We have lots of helpers, so the project should move right along.
Here in Minnesota visitation can either be the evening before the funeral/celebration of life or an hour before the service. We decided to have both for my Mother as she was very active in many Volunteer organizations, she has many relatives, my Father has many relatives, my Mom was a very social person and knew a lot of people. My Dad was a stay at home read a book and putter in the garden kind of guy, and Mom was just the opposite...think social butterfly. So we are expecting lots of people at the visitation today. People who work on the weekend can come in the evening.
A visitation is where you pay your respects to the family, look at the video and the picture boards. No food is served. You can come and go quickly sign the guest book say hello and leave or you can spend some time sharing memories.
I am working on the Video for my Mother's funeral at the end of the week. I am waiting on a few photos and then maybe I can call it done. I have a limit of about 100 photos.
Had lunch yesterday with Far Guy and my other baby brother and she who sees robins first...they were on their way back from Western North Dakota.
Today I will work on the photo boards for the funeral, I picked up possibly the last batch of photos at Walmart yesterday.
I did some laundry and finished a book.
Far Side
Hospice Nurses and Aides are marvelous people. They are taking good care of my Mom as she transitions from this life to the next.
We had frosty foggy roads on our trip back to see my Mom. We were there for two visits with her. She is still in pain but the pain is better than it was last week. Mom sleeps much of the time and is very unsteady. Mom was 94 on her last birthday, she has had a long life.
One day at a time.
We stayed overnight at our own home, enjoyed the whirlpool and visits with my brothers and their wives.
There is little to no snow in our yard. We dropped off our taxes at the accountant. Yeah for crossing something off our winter list!
Sadie and Little Elvis were very happy to see us return.
Far Side
Saturday was a catch all day, I had a Hobby Lobby list, taxes to get together so they are ready to go to the accountant and being the chief cook and a painters assistant rounded out the day. I made a Gluten Free Apple Pancake that you put in the oven.
Sunday we plan to go visit my Mom in the Nursing Home. She is struggling with back pain.
Far Side
A Winter in the 1960's must have had a fair amount of snow. I recall that some times riding the school bus that the snow banks were almost as tall as the telephone poles in the ditch....the old fashioned T poles that were probably only about 12 maybe 15 feet tall, remember all the glass insulators lined up on top of the pole?
Snow removal equipment was not like it is today. Heck for that matter School Busses weren't either they were cold. You had to scrape the frost off the window to see out or get real close to the window and blow on it. No one ever took off their hats or coats on the bus.
I believe this photo was taken on the gravel road just North of the farm I grew up on. I will guess that the photo was taken in the Spring as there is some water on the road. My Mom is driving and that is my other baby brother standing up in the front seat. My Dad must have taken the photograph. The car is a 1962 or 1964 Chevy.
Far Side
My Mom tested positive for Covid yesterday. The day after I spent extended time with her in the emergency room. The Nursing Home has not done the boosters available this Fall....or the Flu shots or RSV. Uffda.
Yesterdays project was getting the Christmas ornaments ready to mail. Not sure when I will get to the Post Office.
I am almost done with a project I started last summer. I have my Mom's numerous photo albums and boxes of loose photos. I have gone through and scanned the really old photos and sorted through them. I have envelopes filled with photos for many relatives on both sides of the family. Mom had begun sorting at one point....and now it is almost done. One more day and I will have it completed!
My grandfather Albert and a three horse hitch. Three horses don't have to work as hard as two horses and they make a powerful team.
Far Side
My Mom took a tumble in the nursing home. She was scanned, x rayed and had lots of tests in the ER yesterday. She has a bump on her head and a cut on her elbow from the fall. She was very tired and dehydrated so they gave her some fluids and sent her back to the home. She could not remember where she was when she fell or why, or if she was inside or outside. I stayed with her while they ran all the tests, my other baby brother came by and sat with us for awhile. I got her back to the home safely.
I washed a load of sheets and Far Guy got them dried and put back on the bed. He also started supper for us. He is researching what the problem is with Ranger Blue...it won't start even with a new battery. Uffda ...it was a day.
A beaver had a good start.
Far Side
I made Apple Crisp. I should have followed a recipe, maybe next time I will. I just dumped some butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and flour together for the crisp part. It was still good...but it could have been better. Apparently measuring is important!
The apples are from niece Katie's apple trees in North Dakota.
Far Guy and I visited my Mom in the Nursing Home and Beth in the hospital yesterday and then we went out for lupper. Mom is doing okay, her memory fails her sometimes, Beth is out of ICU and is feeling better but not good enough to come home yet.
Far Side
I had a bunch of old photos to take to Mom for her to look at. We got them kinda sorted out.
If you were married 25 years "The Aunts" used to send out instructions for a cotton quilt square with embroidery on it that included your name. Then they would get together and sew the top together and have a quilting bee.
This was my parents quilt, Mom said they got it when they were married about 35 years...because they had lots of catching up to do when they started the project.
The "Quilting Bee" was held at my cousin Art and Kathy's home on the lake.
Mom still has her quilt, I packed it at her apartment and it went to storage.
You can see the squares were all different pastel colors of cotton material....each design unique.
Far Guy and I have two quilts...two double size quilts because by the time our anniversary rolled around I had many cousins participating!
It was a great family tradition. Many thanks to the Aunts that started the tradition!
Far Side
We had a gathering at my baby brothers lake home for our Mother's birthday. My sister and sister in law did most of the cooking, some of the cousins brought food to share. I made vegetable beef soup.
The women sewed and worked on crafts and the men talked. My baby brother and his wife have a perfect room to set up tables for sewing machines for everyone who wants to sew. They can sew and watch the birds out the windows.
It was a good gathering to celebrate Mom's 94th birthday on Friday and then again on Saturday.
Mom at her sewing machine. She still has a bad cough. She was sewing together quilts squares made from my Dad's shirts.
Here are some of the other projects the gals were working on.
Christmas ornaments out of buttons.
Another quilt.
Donation blanket for Gillette Children's Hospital....fleece blanket with crochet edge.
Potholders
I did not get a photo of one of the gals potholders or the gal who was working on a baby blanket.
It was a very nice gathering. My Mom enjoyed visiting with everyone.
I worked on some embroidery and helped a gal rediscover knitting.
Far Side
When my baby brother and I were little my Dad worked Road Construction and was only home on weekends. Our Mom got a job at the Osage Boat Works. Her clothing was spotted with white and green paint and pieces of fiberglass. My baby brother and I were too little to stay by ourselves so we went to "Arvilla Care" Arvilla was a much loved neighbor lady, we loved her and going to her house when our Mom went to work. Arvilla was a really good cook!
Boats loaded and ready to be sold ...photo taken about 1956.
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My Mom celebrates her 94th birthday today.
Happy Birthday Mom!
Far Side
