Cards and stuff

 I am working on the Christmas Cards.  I always say I should start earlier.  Perhaps I should not change ideas so many times.  The first design... I was just not feeling it.  So I spent an afternoon watching watercolor videos. 

Blank cards ready for the magic. 

They are a work in progress and hopefully they will be mailed before Christmas.

My baby brother and me...this photo is from 1954.  My baby brother was born in March of 1954...there is a pillow behind him propping him up.  Looks like I was sharing a doll with him.  I bet I made lots of miles on that tricycle.  Photo was taken in the living room of the farm house where I grew up. Note the Shiny Brite Ornaments, tinsel and garland. 

Minnesota weather; Snowy all day.  We are in a Winter Storm warning.  High was 26F or -3C Low was 13F or -11C.  The wind is supposed to come up and blow the white stuff around a bit. 

Far Guy and I made supper...scalloped potatoes and Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes. Yummy!

Far Side

Old Photos

 I went through one of my Mom flash drives.  None of the photos are marked and there is scenery and people I do not know.  I will pass it to my baby brother and he can pass it on to our other baby brother and  our sister. The littlest baby in the photo was born in August of 2016...so that was nine years ago. 

These little kids are coming to visit this week...the oldest is now twelve...it would be fun to re create this photo!  That is my baby brother in this photo and his bride with three of their Oregon Grands!

The New Jersey Grands and the Oregon/Washington Grand will probably show up too.  It is a bunch of little kids. 

I have more of my Mom's SD cards to go through it all takes time and I can only sit for so long. 

Far Side

A funeral book

 Many of the blog readers had never heard of a Funeral book.  Perhaps it is a Midwest thing?  Anyways when someone dies the Funeral Home gives the family a book.  It has room for all the pertinent information...name, birth, death, location of service and burial...etc...it also serves as a guest book for the mourners to sign. 

This is a look into my Great Grandmothers Funeral book from 1968.  The front is decorated with a golden door and Cala Lilies.

Grandma Hattie

The newspaper clipping and her funeral pamphlet.

A handwritten list of expenses and the people who attended. 

Not much of her information was filled in...so I did it...57 years later.

I do not recall Grandma Hattie.  I recall my Mother going to the nursing home to visit her, nor do I recall the funeral. 

A four generation photo taken in the spring of 1952.  Me and my Mother, my Grandfather Albert and my Great Grandmother Hadwig (Hattie) she was 74 years old in this photo almost the same age as I am now.

Far Side

 

Christmas 1978

All those old Christmas photos are treasures.  I do not recall what gifts were exchanged other than the gift of Family. 

My Mother wrote on this photo the year 1978.   My sister Julie (age 12), our daughters Trica (age 6) and Jennifer (age 3)  

Not sure what my sister was telling Jen ...probably say cheese.  Looks like Trica was in first grade as she has some missing front teeth.  Jen has a Raggedy Ann doll that I do not recall at all. 

The Nativity set in the background was ceramic and I made it one year as a gift for my Mother. The tree was in the corner of the living room in my parents home on Straight Lake.  I see tinsel and satin balls. 

I am still not sure what my Mother was thinking with the choice of carpeting! Uffda high low shag.

Christmas was always celebrated the same; church on Christmas Eve, after church my Mother would disappear and begin her last minute gift wrapping...there would be knocks at the door and neighbors would join in the festivities...my Mother invited everyone for Christmas Eve.  There was food and plenty to drink...it was always terribly cold outside...Minnesota ..freeze your butt off cold.  The next morning was church and the rest of the day was spent at my Grandparents home.

Far Side

  

So it goes

 We are only assured of the here and now...today...not tomorrow. 

Like I said so it goes.  

I have a cousin who has lived in Alaska for many years.  She died recently, she was 68 years old.  She had bypass surgery and was released from the hospital, was in the car ready to go home when she said "something was not right" her husband took her into the ER immediately and she died shortly after.   

I am happy that I mailed her two packets of old photos of her family...she sent me some very nice thank you cards.   She loved her life and family in Alaska.

Old photo taken about 1959...me, my baby brother and our cousin Diane.  ( Her mom and my mom were sisters)

Far Side

Tree in 1955

 This was our Christmas tree in 1955.  It stood in the corner of the old living room on the farm.  As I recall the room had one rocking chair, a plant table with some fancy leaved begonias and a couple of extra kitchen chairs...and the tree always found its place in the corner.  My Dad always went out and cut down a Christmas tree, I never went along....maybe my brothers went along when they were older.

Mom took the photo with her little Brownie Kodak Camera.  The film was developed in June of 1956.  The film probably had my baby brothers birthday on the same roll of film. He would have been 21 months old and I was 4 years and 3 months old the Christmas of 1955. 

You can almost see the doorway to my bedroom behind the rocking chair. It was a tiny room with a twin bed.  Cozy but very cold in the winter time. My brother slept in a crib in my parents room.  It was a huge old farmhouse with four bedrooms upstairs, but we were not supposed to play up there and it was not heated in the winter. 

Far Side

Visiting

 I lined up some deliveries to relatives.  Old Photographs that my Mom had saved over the years.   I started at one of my Dad's second cousins Hazel, then my Aunt Sharon, my cousin Danny (I met his dog Mick),  then lunch with my Aunt Judy, off to catch my cousin Holly's husband and son, and finally I ventured to my Uncle Al's.  It was a nice day to be out and about.  49 F or 10 C eh!  

When my Aunt Judy asked me to lunch, I asked her to "keep it simple"  Well...we had grilled ham and cheese on homemade sourdough bread, pickles, strawberries, grapes and then peach pie for dessert....with about the best pie crust I have ever tasted...musta been the lard:)  She is all alone now after my Uncle Dennis died a number of years ago so she gets a bit lonely. 

My Uncle Al was in fine form, he is feeling better after some Nuclear Chemo treatments.  He was seven years old when I was born...and the chief baby rocker for his  brother and sister and me....my Mom lived with her parents when my Dad went to Korea...and there were three babies in the house.  My Grandmother had twins two months after I was born and she was 40 years old. 

Lots of diapers on the cloths line with three babies in the house. 

Far Side

  

Change

 We all have to adapt to change.  Yesterday my baby brother and his bride and I moved our Mom from the hospital to the Nursing Home for some rehab after her illness.  We will see how she does and how motivated she is.   Olivia my Great Niece is working in Mom's area as a CNA...so Mom will get frequent hugs.   Mom needs to get much stronger and be able to do things for herself before she can go back to her apartment....it all depends on her attitude.

I am fine with either outcome. She would probably get better care in the Nursing Home...sooner or later she will probably end up in there.  Her apartment is connected to the Nursing Home by a connecting door so we were able to move some of her clothing and some familiar things quite easily.  Mom is still fairly depressed after the death of my Dad back in December.  The Doctor upped her anti depressant med...but I didn't see much difference....perhaps she is just sad when I am there! 

Mom during happier times...Oct 10 1950.

Far Side

Red and White and Black and White

 My newest start of a project.  A Nordic Mosaic pattern all done in red and white. 

It is not going very fast!  I stopped to do those Mosaic bags. 

Baxter thought one of the red yarn balls was a ball...no harm done...but he got my attention real fast! 

We had a quiet day Saturday.   Trying to figure out what day will be a baking day this week...most likely Wednesday...pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie in a pan without a crust ( we have a number of Gluten Free people)....mashed potatoes which can only be done just before we eat.  

I am still working on the old photo scanning project in my spare time. 

A dog on a farm truck at my Paternal Grandparents home.

Far Side