Then I turned the tile over....where the sticker showed where it was made. Pretty sure it used to say China....hardly the Libertarian capitol of the world.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Irony
Deep in a drawer I cleaned out today I found this tile. I have no idea where it came from or how we came to have it. Obviously the tile was trying to convey a message.....
Then I turned the tile over....where the sticker showed where it was made. Pretty sure it used to say China....hardly the Libertarian capitol of the world.
Then I turned the tile over....where the sticker showed where it was made. Pretty sure it used to say China....hardly the Libertarian capitol of the world.
Time to rearrange a few things
Our family has changed during the time since we moved into this house. There were more of us. At that time the laundry room looked huge to me. It was so big that it became not only the laundry room, but also the place for the freezer, and my sewing room. Lately it has seemed like I can hardly do the laundry between the sewing stuff and freezer things. It was hard to clean the room because I couldn't figure out where else I could put things away.
Yesterday it suddenly dawned on me. Why was I stewing about it? Thus, I spent part of yesterday and today moving the sewing room. The laundry room looks so large without all the sewing things in it. In fact, the room almost echoes.
The sewing room now occupies a corner of a guest bedroom. It almost felt good to do laundry tonight.
Yesterday it suddenly dawned on me. Why was I stewing about it? Thus, I spent part of yesterday and today moving the sewing room. The laundry room looks so large without all the sewing things in it. In fact, the room almost echoes.
The sewing room now occupies a corner of a guest bedroom. It almost felt good to do laundry tonight.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Petrified Shark Teeth
When we were kids, our family traveled from Indiana to Utah every other year to visit extended family. Sometimes we got to stop along the way to see various tourist attractions and other times we hurried right on through. We always made a rest stop in the middle of Wyoming somewhere so we kids could get out and run off some energy.
It usually took us 2 1/2 days to make the trip which meant 2 stops at motels. This was before the freeways and before big chain motels and restaurants took over everywhere. Motels were more likely to be smaller family owned operations.
On one trip west we decided to be tourists for a while. We drove through the badlands of South Dakota but thought they were not all that great. We also visited Mount Rushmore, which seemed more impressive. On that trip we stopped for the night at a little motel in Rapid City, South Dakota. The owner was friendly and could see we had a car full of rambunctious kids, so offered some suggestions for our entertainment. He sent his daughter, who was maybe 12 years old or so, off to guide us to an adventure. She directed us to drive up a dirt road onto the bluffs near town. There, she hopped out and told us we were going to hunt for shark teeth. We thought she was pretty funny, because sharks live in the ocean and South Dakota was nowhere near any ocean that we knew of. Besides, if there WERE oceans there, they would be down below us, not up on those bluffs!
Soon after starting to poke around in the dirt, she ran back to us....and sure enough, she had a shark tooth in her hand! That was all it took to energize the rest of us. We started to paw madly through the sand and dirt up there and pretty soon, we all had found some shark teeth!
They were hardly museum quality, but they were special to us. She explained that the shark teeth were petrified...lost there long ago when oceans did cover what is now South Dakota. We ended up with a little pile of shark teeth...and some new found knowledge about ancient oceans!
We stopped briefly in Rapid City again just a few years ago. It had changed so much that I could no longer even guess where that bluff is today. It is probably covered with a Walmart or some such thing.
It usually took us 2 1/2 days to make the trip which meant 2 stops at motels. This was before the freeways and before big chain motels and restaurants took over everywhere. Motels were more likely to be smaller family owned operations.
On one trip west we decided to be tourists for a while. We drove through the badlands of South Dakota but thought they were not all that great. We also visited Mount Rushmore, which seemed more impressive. On that trip we stopped for the night at a little motel in Rapid City, South Dakota. The owner was friendly and could see we had a car full of rambunctious kids, so offered some suggestions for our entertainment. He sent his daughter, who was maybe 12 years old or so, off to guide us to an adventure. She directed us to drive up a dirt road onto the bluffs near town. There, she hopped out and told us we were going to hunt for shark teeth. We thought she was pretty funny, because sharks live in the ocean and South Dakota was nowhere near any ocean that we knew of. Besides, if there WERE oceans there, they would be down below us, not up on those bluffs!
Soon after starting to poke around in the dirt, she ran back to us....and sure enough, she had a shark tooth in her hand! That was all it took to energize the rest of us. We started to paw madly through the sand and dirt up there and pretty soon, we all had found some shark teeth!
They were hardly museum quality, but they were special to us. She explained that the shark teeth were petrified...lost there long ago when oceans did cover what is now South Dakota. We ended up with a little pile of shark teeth...and some new found knowledge about ancient oceans!
We stopped briefly in Rapid City again just a few years ago. It had changed so much that I could no longer even guess where that bluff is today. It is probably covered with a Walmart or some such thing.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Hardware Ranch 2
Today we decided to drive up the canyon to Hardware Ranch, since some of the grandkids and their parents wanted to see the elk. Because of the relatively mild winter we have had, there were not as many elk there as there were the last time we visited. We didn't really take pictures outside this year because the wind was really howling today, so even though it was around 30F, it felt pretty cold.
We met them at the visitors center where Garrett had a chance to see how big an elk really is! We were amused that prices were divided by age for adults, spikes and calves. He decided that spikes must be like teenage elk.
When it was time to go outside to see the elk in the meadow, baby Aubrey needed to get bundled up in her hated hat, but she did pretty good with it today.
Julia had been told she would be going on a sleigh ride to see the elk. As it turns out, it was not quite what she imagined. She was sure the sleigh would be pulled by reindeer...and flying reindeer at that! When it actually came time to go though, she seemed contented to ride behind some lovely horses. She was even willing to stand by them to get her picture taken....if her dad was nearby. Can you tell she was cold?
We met them at the visitors center where Garrett had a chance to see how big an elk really is! We were amused that prices were divided by age for adults, spikes and calves. He decided that spikes must be like teenage elk.
When it was time to go outside to see the elk in the meadow, baby Aubrey needed to get bundled up in her hated hat, but she did pretty good with it today.
Julia had been told she would be going on a sleigh ride to see the elk. As it turns out, it was not quite what she imagined. She was sure the sleigh would be pulled by reindeer...and flying reindeer at that! When it actually came time to go though, she seemed contented to ride behind some lovely horses. She was even willing to stand by them to get her picture taken....if her dad was nearby. Can you tell she was cold?
Eli Lilly
When Dad finished his PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry in 1951, he went to work for Eli Lilly, a large pharmaceutical company which was instrumental in providing insulin for diabetics. At some point Dad got a series of pictures depicting the early history of the company. I never saw the pictures before, so I don't know where or when he got them. They were tucked away waiting to be found I guess, and that happened on the day I worked on cleaning out his office.
Obviously the company grew MUCH larger.
Obviously the company grew MUCH larger.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Daddy Dear (Little Child)
Just a random memory today about my two youngest siblings, both of whom turned a year older earlier this month.
My sister Eileen was 6 years old at the time. At the end of her Kindergarten school year, her school was putting on a program for the parents. One of the songs to be performed was called "Daddy Dear", though they substituted and called it "Granddaddy Dear". It is a sweet song of a sort of conversation between a young child and her grandfather.
You can hear a professional version of the song here.
Child:
Daddy dear, tell me, please
Is the world really round
Tell me where is the
Bluebird of happiness bound
Tell me why is the sky
Up above so blue
And when you were a child
Did your daddy tell you
What becomes of the sun
When it falls in the sea
And who lights it again
Bright as bright can be
Tell me why can't I fly
Like a bird through the skies
Tell me why, daddy dear
Are there tears in your eyes
Daddy:
Little one, little one
Yes, the world's really round
And the bluebird you search for
Will surely be found
And the sky up above
Is so blue and clear
So that you see the bluebird
If it should come near
And the sun doesn't fall
When it slips out of sight
All it does is make way
For the moon's pretty light
And if children could fly
There'd be no need for birds
And I cry, little one
Cause I'm touched by your words
Child:
Don't be sad, daddy dear
If it's true the world's round
I will search round the world
Til the bluebird is found
Daddy:
Little one, there is no need
To wander too far
For what you really seek
Is right here where you are
Child:
Show me where, daddy dear
And here's what I'll do
I will take the dear bluebird
And give it to you
Daddy:
Dear, the bluebird's the love
In your heart, pure and true
And I found it the day
Heaven blessed me with you
An older boy in the school was chosen to sing the part of the grandfather, and Eileen was to sing the part of the little child. Mom helped her learn her part by playing a tape recording on our reel to reel recorder of the song over and over and having her sing along until she knew it perfectly. She did MANY hours of practice. By the time she knew her part, I think the entire family could have sung right along. As I recall, she did a great job in the program with no apparent stage fright and the audience was properly touched to hear her.
A few months after this we had a chance to go on a little vacation. Dad needed to go to some sort of convention regarding his work. It was to be held at Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, a resort town on the border of northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I was allowed to invite my friend Debra to come with us. Our car at that time was a station wagon with 3 seats. This really was before the time when seat belts and car seats were required....or even known about. Behind the 3rd seat of the car was a space maybe 2 feet wide, meant for carrying extra cargo, but I think our cargo must have been fastened into the luggage carrier on top of our car. In the cargo space in the car, Mom put soft quilts and blankets to make a comfy place for Duane to play and sleep as we traveled. I would guess he was about 17 months old at the time...certainly before he could talk! He enjoyed his little place in the car and napped there quite happily. Debra and I generally sat in the 3rd seat as we were older and more able to entertain ourselves, so we also had the responsibility of caring for the baby and entertaining him.
We had great fun visiting with each other there in the back seat. Duane was napping one day when we realized someone was singing that "Granddaddy Dear" song...or rather humming it...over and over and over again. We finally got tired of it and told Eileen to quit singing that, but she insisted that she had not been singing....and the song went on. At last we realized that the song was coming from behind us....no words...but hummed right in tune. It was Duane, of course. Even the baby had learned Eileen's song! This is probably when we first realized he had musical talents. He was right on pitch.
My sister Eileen was 6 years old at the time. At the end of her Kindergarten school year, her school was putting on a program for the parents. One of the songs to be performed was called "Daddy Dear", though they substituted and called it "Granddaddy Dear". It is a sweet song of a sort of conversation between a young child and her grandfather.
You can hear a professional version of the song here.
Child:
Daddy dear, tell me, please
Is the world really round
Tell me where is the
Bluebird of happiness bound
Tell me why is the sky
Up above so blue
And when you were a child
Did your daddy tell you
What becomes of the sun
When it falls in the sea
And who lights it again
Bright as bright can be
Tell me why can't I fly
Like a bird through the skies
Tell me why, daddy dear
Are there tears in your eyes
Daddy:
Little one, little one
Yes, the world's really round
And the bluebird you search for
Will surely be found
And the sky up above
Is so blue and clear
So that you see the bluebird
If it should come near
And the sun doesn't fall
When it slips out of sight
All it does is make way
For the moon's pretty light
And if children could fly
There'd be no need for birds
And I cry, little one
Cause I'm touched by your words
Child:
Don't be sad, daddy dear
If it's true the world's round
I will search round the world
Til the bluebird is found
Daddy:
Little one, there is no need
To wander too far
For what you really seek
Is right here where you are
Child:
Show me where, daddy dear
And here's what I'll do
I will take the dear bluebird
And give it to you
Daddy:
Dear, the bluebird's the love
In your heart, pure and true
And I found it the day
Heaven blessed me with you
An older boy in the school was chosen to sing the part of the grandfather, and Eileen was to sing the part of the little child. Mom helped her learn her part by playing a tape recording on our reel to reel recorder of the song over and over and having her sing along until she knew it perfectly. She did MANY hours of practice. By the time she knew her part, I think the entire family could have sung right along. As I recall, she did a great job in the program with no apparent stage fright and the audience was properly touched to hear her.
A few months after this we had a chance to go on a little vacation. Dad needed to go to some sort of convention regarding his work. It was to be held at Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, a resort town on the border of northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I was allowed to invite my friend Debra to come with us. Our car at that time was a station wagon with 3 seats. This really was before the time when seat belts and car seats were required....or even known about. Behind the 3rd seat of the car was a space maybe 2 feet wide, meant for carrying extra cargo, but I think our cargo must have been fastened into the luggage carrier on top of our car. In the cargo space in the car, Mom put soft quilts and blankets to make a comfy place for Duane to play and sleep as we traveled. I would guess he was about 17 months old at the time...certainly before he could talk! He enjoyed his little place in the car and napped there quite happily. Debra and I generally sat in the 3rd seat as we were older and more able to entertain ourselves, so we also had the responsibility of caring for the baby and entertaining him.
We had great fun visiting with each other there in the back seat. Duane was napping one day when we realized someone was singing that "Granddaddy Dear" song...or rather humming it...over and over and over again. We finally got tired of it and told Eileen to quit singing that, but she insisted that she had not been singing....and the song went on. At last we realized that the song was coming from behind us....no words...but hummed right in tune. It was Duane, of course. Even the baby had learned Eileen's song! This is probably when we first realized he had musical talents. He was right on pitch.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Corn husk dolls
On Tuesday we ate lunch with friends who live in a retirement home. There was a Mardi Gras celebration there, though I'm sure it was much more calm than the real thing. As we were leaving, I noticed a glass case with a little pioneer family in it. It was so intricately done that I just had to take a picture. Each of the people in the scene...and all their clothing...is made of corn husks!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
More Amelia
We had a chance to visit with Amelia for a couple of days again this week. Really, we were meant to help with a special project, but who could blame us for enjoying some time with the youngest grandchild!
She loves playing on her special play mat, although I don't know if the bird in the middle of it will survive her ministrations!
Even though she can sit up by herself now, when she helps her mother with the cooking, she prefers to sit in her Bumbo seat. She is full of smiles, giggles and squeals these days.
She loves to go shopping and has recently discovered the joy of riding around the store sitting up in the cart. Yesterday she kept trying to get to her dad's glass of water. It looked so grown up, shiny and enticing to her.
Later we found a little sippy cup and watched her figure out how to make it work.
Of course, in between playing with this little distraction, we also accomplished quite a few projects....shopping, pruning, mudding, cooking, etc.
She loves playing on her special play mat, although I don't know if the bird in the middle of it will survive her ministrations!
Even though she can sit up by herself now, when she helps her mother with the cooking, she prefers to sit in her Bumbo seat. She is full of smiles, giggles and squeals these days.
She loves to go shopping and has recently discovered the joy of riding around the store sitting up in the cart. Yesterday she kept trying to get to her dad's glass of water. It looked so grown up, shiny and enticing to her.
Later we found a little sippy cup and watched her figure out how to make it work.
Of course, in between playing with this little distraction, we also accomplished quite a few projects....shopping, pruning, mudding, cooking, etc.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Bread Knife
One problem with making your own bread is getting the slices even. Some folks have a special slicing guide to keep the slices uniform.
For Christmas we received this beautiful hand-made bread knife. The wooden part, we think is made of spalted maple. As you see in the picture, the sharp edge of the blade points down, so during use, the wooden part of the knife is held to the right and the blade on the left.
The inside wooden edge lines up against the end of the loaf, which means the blade cuts nice even slices of bread, so a separate slicing guide is no longer needed!
For Christmas we received this beautiful hand-made bread knife. The wooden part, we think is made of spalted maple. As you see in the picture, the sharp edge of the blade points down, so during use, the wooden part of the knife is held to the right and the blade on the left.
The inside wooden edge lines up against the end of the loaf, which means the blade cuts nice even slices of bread, so a separate slicing guide is no longer needed!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Amelia
We spent the last day or so visiting Amelia and her parents while working on a project. She really is about 5 months old, but since she was 4 months old or so, she has been quite wary of strangers. She is very much a mama's girl, so when we got there and said hello to her, her lower lip began to quiver and soon she was screaming.
By the next day, she decided we were on her list of approved people, and treated us accordingly!
I think we tired her out with all the playing though...
On our way out of town, we decided to go out and get some dinner. Maybe we weren't thinking clearly when we chose a place to eat. First we went to one place, but it was so full of people we decided not to stay and wait. Just outside the door a handicapped young man saw Amelia and started telling us in a very loud voice how much he like babies, etc. He grabbed her feet while talking to her....and she let him know she was displeased....loudly!
When we finally found a place to eat, it was one of those type of Japanese restaurants where you sit around a grill and watch the chef cook your food. She was fine with that...looking around at everything that was going on. The fish tank nearby had brightly colored fish that she enjoyed watching. All was well......until the chef squirted the grill with oil...and lit it...causing a sudden flash of fire. That was it. She had had it. It took some time for her mother to calm her down again. I think maybe such eating establishments shall be off limits for a while.
In any case, we enjoyed our visit with her.
By the next day, she decided we were on her list of approved people, and treated us accordingly!
I think we tired her out with all the playing though...
On our way out of town, we decided to go out and get some dinner. Maybe we weren't thinking clearly when we chose a place to eat. First we went to one place, but it was so full of people we decided not to stay and wait. Just outside the door a handicapped young man saw Amelia and started telling us in a very loud voice how much he like babies, etc. He grabbed her feet while talking to her....and she let him know she was displeased....loudly!
When we finally found a place to eat, it was one of those type of Japanese restaurants where you sit around a grill and watch the chef cook your food. She was fine with that...looking around at everything that was going on. The fish tank nearby had brightly colored fish that she enjoyed watching. All was well......until the chef squirted the grill with oil...and lit it...causing a sudden flash of fire. That was it. She had had it. It took some time for her mother to calm her down again. I think maybe such eating establishments shall be off limits for a while.
In any case, we enjoyed our visit with her.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
More chicken scratch embroidery
I told in a previous blog about my Grandma Freeman's love of needlecraft of various type. A few days ago I came across some of her patterns. I don't ever recall seeing her with any sort of commercial patterns for anything but maybe some of her fancy crocheted edgings.
These patterns were for some of her chicken scratch embroidery work. She would work a design on a piece of fabric and then use that to recreate the design on a larger scale. Sometimes she made some homemade graph paper to plot the design on or sometimes just a random scrap of paper.
Those designs were put on scraps of fabric that she could refer to when making the actual finished product, some of which were shown on a previous blog.
On the next picture you can see how careful placement of the stitches makes it look like a circles are formed by the crosses.
With large designs she would carefully calculate the number of squares each pattern took, then make sure the finished item would have the correct number of squares to have the pattern come out even.
I even found one pattern that didn't use gingham. If you look closely, you can see that one pattern is meant to be used for a pocket and another for a belt.
Whatever she made, you can be sure it was carefully crafted and made as beautiful as she could make it.
These patterns were for some of her chicken scratch embroidery work. She would work a design on a piece of fabric and then use that to recreate the design on a larger scale. Sometimes she made some homemade graph paper to plot the design on or sometimes just a random scrap of paper.
Those designs were put on scraps of fabric that she could refer to when making the actual finished product, some of which were shown on a previous blog.
On the next picture you can see how careful placement of the stitches makes it look like a circles are formed by the crosses.
With large designs she would carefully calculate the number of squares each pattern took, then make sure the finished item would have the correct number of squares to have the pattern come out even.
I even found one pattern that didn't use gingham. If you look closely, you can see that one pattern is meant to be used for a pocket and another for a belt.
Whatever she made, you can be sure it was carefully crafted and made as beautiful as she could make it.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Carving Studio
What every wood carver really needs is a dedicated place to do his carving...some place with good light, warmth and a place to leave tools out ready to use. A by-product of the kitchen counter project is the new 'studio'...in the furnace room. It is warmer than the garage, has light from the window, and makes good use of a large piece of the old kitchen counter.
Do you see the brightly colored green and yellow box? That is a very necessary part of any carver's kit...a box of bandaids! Toolboxes are on the shelf while gouges and sharpening stones are on the desk top. He's ready to carve!
Do you see the brightly colored green and yellow box? That is a very necessary part of any carver's kit...a box of bandaids! Toolboxes are on the shelf while gouges and sharpening stones are on the desk top. He's ready to carve!
The end of the project.....for now.
This afternoon at 1:30 the counter guys were supposed to come and bring the rest of the job, but at 8 this morning they called to say the job scheduled before ours was not ready for them. They wanted to come early! It sounded good to me, so shortly after 9 AM they were here to finish the project by installing the backsplash.
There were a few tiny fitting glitches, but some quick work with a saw soon took care of that. Once they had the pieces fit into place, they pulled them out again and put the glue on.
All of the electrical sockets and such had to have longer screws for the cover plates to account for the extra distance caused by the full backsplash.
Of course, it would not be a true project if you did not forget something, right? They forgot to bring along the 4 inch backsplash for the other side of the kitchen, so went back and got it after the rest of the job was finished and installed it on their way to their next job.
Even the window sill got a makeover.
I think we are ready for a rest now until the weather is nicer. Then we can think about painting.
There were a few tiny fitting glitches, but some quick work with a saw soon took care of that. Once they had the pieces fit into place, they pulled them out again and put the glue on.
All of the electrical sockets and such had to have longer screws for the cover plates to account for the extra distance caused by the full backsplash.
Of course, it would not be a true project if you did not forget something, right? They forgot to bring along the 4 inch backsplash for the other side of the kitchen, so went back and got it after the rest of the job was finished and installed it on their way to their next job.
Even the window sill got a makeover.
I think we are ready for a rest now until the weather is nicer. Then we can think about painting.
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