Hearing Louise

"I’m wearing pastels, now—my skin tones have changed."

"I’m feeling a little weak this morning."

"I hold on when going up and down the stairs."

"My mouth is just so dry."

"I watch what I eat, but I’m being tested for diabetes."

"If my knee didn’t hurt, I’d exercise more."

"I want to hear my granddaughters’ voices again."

"Your dad isn’t strong enough for her graduation."

"Your dad is sleeping a lot."

"Don’t worry about Mother’s Day—you’re a mother, too.."

Words meant to inform me that they were getting older, 

      but now remind me of my own aging.

Words spoken one on one,
     not at a family gathering

Words said in face to face conversation, 

     not in a text.

Words I thought were to re-assure me,

    but were they cries for help?

Happy Birthday Rachel

 For months, I've seen this card in my "card drawer", didn't open it, but kept thinking---"I'll save this for Rachel's birthday."  Rachel is a big Joan Walsh Anglund fan and was even sketched by her when Rachel was little.  So, with Rachel's 40th birthday approaching, I got out the card and was stunned that it was a used card.  When I read what it said, I knew that my mother has a way of guiding me although she has been gone almost 10 years.

 I love Dad's note---sounds so much like him.  So, I added a note to the card. .. .

 Stuck it in its original envelope and mailed it.

I hope Rachel saves it and sends it to Libby on her 40th birthday. Because I'm not sure that I will have the "reach" from Heaven.  I'm putting this on my blog, just in case that's my way to tell Libby, "Happy 40th birthday!"

Lamps

 I bought two matching lamps a few years ago from Target like the one above.  One has broken---no longer having an electrician in town, I was forced to give the broken one to Good Will and tried to find two new ones.
Moving the one good Target lamp to the sunroom, Rachel said she would take Grover's old lamp (which had been out there) for Kyle's study.

So I went to Pier One, World Market looking for new lamps---they were all made in China.  I decided to bite the bullet and go to a good furniture store where I just bought my Stickley (made in USA) sofa.  The only American made lamps they had ran $1500 EACH---a little over my budget.  The saleswoman suggested I try Craig's List. . .

Next, I went to a local lighting store.  When I told her I was looking for floor lamps not made in China, she said, "Then, I will have to show you the door."

My next stops were thrift stores---high and low end---nothing.

Finally, I looked on line and found two lamps which were not perfect, but. . .

They will do---solid, not terribly expensive and American-made.  But, it got me thinking of how few NEW lamps I have bought.

From Grover:

From Mom:

From yard sales:

Leah saw my new lamps and said, you aren't going to leave the cellophane  on them are you?  I laughed remembering how my mother kept it on for YEARS to save the shades.  But, then, that was a time when new furniture immediately got slip covers, too!

Would Grover Have Liked This?

 My daughter, Leah, got me interested in emeals.  (Read her blog here.)  They provide a week's worth of meals, recipes and shopping list.  Leah uses the organic menus which are for Whole Foods for 4 people. 

 Ours is Walmart Low Fat for two people.  Tonight we had the menu above with the recipes below.  It was delicious and under 200 calories.

 But, when I got the "kale chips" out of the oven, I had to think of my father-in-law Grover who used to eat dinner with us.  One night, he accused me of feeding him weeds out of my garden (mixed greens) and he really didn't go for stir-fried green beans.  Beans were supposed to cook all day on the stove with bacon!

I am sure he would have thought I'd lost my mind with these Kale chips---maybe accuse me of giving him toasted sea weed. . .or he would have told me how his mother stewed it on the stove for three days.  Really, Grover, they were delicious!  Yeah, I can imagine you shaking your head in Heaven! 

Cleaning Out

 We are trying to clean out some boxes and files---today's job was stuff which Grover left us.  Articles about Sportsmen's park (printed in 1990)

 Various cards featuring dogs looking like our Griffin (from us)

 Valentines from us and a card from Lucy Morgan with a clipping on a Tennis Tournament in Lowell Morgan's memory in Jacksonville, FL.

 There are also many photos out his patio door in various seasons.

 And photos of "his pets" (Christmas gifts?)

 Newpaper clippings about the criminal trial of various bosses of his at Transit Casualty.

 A few California mementos

 And some Xerox copies of my husband and his patent.

 These will all be going to that big Recycle Bin Feb. 3 unless someone rescues them.

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Big River Part II

Jane Long, Ron Long, Jaclyn Long

My cousin, Barbara's memories of the Big River Clubhouse:
I have very fond memories of the club house (better than a tent!). I loved sleeping in the upstairs in the club house where grandma and grandpa stayed and waking up in the morning smelling breakfast cooking on the stove (I think it was a wood burning stove). I know the club house was heated by a wood stove. I remember having to walk up the hill to well and pumping it until the water cleared for consumption. I had no problems with the outhouse since I was a girl scout and we camped all the time!!

Bill Wassmund

I remember my dad, grandpa and any other male around putting trout lines out to catch cat fish. If we (girls) were lucky we could go out in the john boat with the man folk to check the lines. When I went it was always grandpa who pulled up the lines; unfortunately if a snapping turtle got on the line grandpa would take his knife out and decapitate the turtle. Sometimes he would keep the turtle but most the time the body of the turtle just fell into the river because they didn't have time to make turtle soup.

Me and Jane

As a small child I thought the Big River was huge until we returned to the club houses many years later and it wasn't more than a small creek that you could walk from one side to the other and the water really didn't go past your waist if you were lucky. We (Wassmund's) continued to go down the club house long after everyone else quit going. It was so sad to see the property in such disarray and the quite empty club houses. The river was so quiet since it was only the five of us on the river.

Remembering. . .

Memorial Day 2003

Happy Mother's Day

Leah, Louise, Rebecca: Columbia, Mo 2004

Libby, Brett, Rachel, Roman, Davis Kansas City 2009

Long before we had the tradition of celebrating Mother's Day at a restaurant, I remember Mother-Daughter banquets at church with the singing of songs like:

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M Is for the Many things she gave me,
O Means only that she's growing Old.
T Is for the Tears she shed to save me,
H Is for her Heart of purest gold.
E Is for her Eyes with love light shining,
R Means Right and Right she'll always be.

Put them all together, They spell MOTHER.
A word that means the world to me.

I recall going with my mother and grandmother to banquets at Lafayette Park Methodist Church---in the basement with paper covered tables, flowers on the table and programs tied together with cords. We would get dressed up and the women would wear corsages---red or pink carnations if their mothers were living white if they weren't.
Our church continues with the tradition, but it's more inclusive---it's for all women whether or not they have daughters or mothers living.

We were asked to wear pearls and bring our favorite tea cup (mine is from my ESL students Iris Tsui and Cindy Lai). We had three kinds of scones, three kinds of sandwiches and three kinds of desserts.
All were served on pedestal plates by each table's designated hostess.
The theme was based on Proverbs 31:10-31 which begins with "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above pearls."
Leah and Anna accompanied me this year continuing the tradition begun with my sister and me, my mother, Louise Long and my grandmother, Vennie Wicker. Like pearls, we are linked together with our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers---linked with tradition and love. Happy Mother's Day Rebecca, Rachel and Leah!