Moments That Make You Smile

Moments

Life has its moments. Sometimes they are nature made and sometimes they are man made. Can you tell which is which?



SUNSET (Origin - God)



DOG (Origin - Davey's peanut butter and jelly open face sandwich)

A Day To Remember Forty One Years Ago

It was June 26, 1965. My sister, Linda, and I were getting married. It was going to be a double wedding. In the year before the wedding, my parents had redone the main floor of our beautiful home at 210 Oak Street. And, a few months before the wedding, our town had one of the biggest floods in its history. We were two and a half blocks from the river. Everyone knew the dike would break from the pressure of the water. Some holes were made in the dike to let the river find its way into our town more slowly and with less force.

I remember sitting in the house and seeing the sheriff walk down the middle of the street with his megaphone saying, "Time to evacuate...everyone evacuate!" All the new redecorating was going to be ruined. But, then all my parent's friends swarmed into our house and before you knew it the new furniture had been moved upstairs and the new carpet had been pulled up and gotten as far up the stairs as it could. And, then, we all sat down and had donuts. There was nothing else left to do except wait for the water.

Our house was an older house. The baseboards were eight inches high. You had to go up four steps to the front door. When the Minnesota River had its way, it filled the entire basement with water and the entire first floor right up to the top of the baseboards. The new wallpaper was spared as was the new furniture and new carpet. Only a few weeks before the wedding, we rowed up to our front door and walked inside with our boots on. It was quite an experience. And, it smelled bad. You really don't want a river in your house.

I don't know how he did it, but when the river receded my father worked hard to restore the house to its original beauty. Floors had to be dried so they would hopefully lose some of the warping. It had to be disinfected I am sure. And, the new carpet had to be relaid, and perhaps the woodwork repainted.

With the flood making headlines, our little double wedding became a human interest story and the Minneapolis Star and Tribune paper came out to the house and did a human interest story. We made the headlines.

Below are two articles and a picture to mark the day.

A Story

Perhaps I am starting at the end. Maybe that is how all good stories start.....at the end.

As I was going through a cupboard yesterday I found a rolled up paper. I didn't know what it was and I thought to myself, "Judy, what have you saved and stored all these years." But, I know from experience that very valuable things can be disguised as meaningless, worthless things that have been taking up space. I will never forget the beginning of my story.

Many years ago, I helped my parents move out of the home we had lived in for thirty five years. It was always and continues to be known as 210 Oak Street....the house at 210 Oak..how many times I have said that. Well, I was working in the kitchen with my mom. I was standing on the kitchen counter so I could reach the very top shelf of a cupboard to see if there was anything up there. In the old houses the metal kitchen cabinets went up to the ceiling. What better place to store things. What better place to keep treasures safe.

I found what appeared to be broken pieces of glass. They were in a little baggy I think. I thought to myself, "Should I make an executive decision and throw this away?" I said, "No, don't do that. It will only take a minute to show my mom what I had found and see if it might be important." I remember the look on her face and the movement of her body when I said, "Mom, I just found these broken pieces of glass. Do you know what they are?" She said to me, "Oh, Judy, those are from the first set of dishes I had as a child."

It made me want to cry. Not only was I touching memories of my own childhood as I helped them pack, but I got to touch memories of my mom's childhood. The broken pieces of glass were packed with loving care and moved to the next home.

So, what was it I found in my own cupboard yesterday?











I'm keeping it!

I Better Keep My Day Job

Yesterday was the first day of the garage sale I participated in. There is good news and there is bad news. The good news is I earned $14.00. The bad news is I spent $16.00.

If Someone Has An Answer....

I am participating in a garage sale this week. Yesterday, Tom and I went through things in the garage. Tom climbed in the rafters and dug out things stacked on the floor. Here is my question. Why does "stuff" you didn't even remember you had all of a sudden take on value and become something you don't think you can part with? We kept saying to each other, "If we don't do this now, someday our kids will have to!"

I really do know the answer to my own question. Even if "stuff" is dusty, old, broken or out of date, it is also clothed in memories.

I get to keep the memories....but the white, hardsided Samsonite luggage that I got as a high school graduation gift now has a new home.

The Wise Woman's Stone

I have been cleaning out some cupboards the last few days. It is amazing the things you run into that you don't know you had. Some of those things are throwaways and some of those things are keepers. I want to share a keeper with you. It is called...

The Wise Woman's Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."

from The Best of Bits & Pieces

The picture is from our visit to St. Simon's Island off the coast of Georgia.

Smile Laugh Cry

Father's Day Sloppy Joe Taste Tester

I made sloppy joes on Father's Day. I asked Kallsen if he wanted to try some and be my taste tester. He ended up eating seven small plates of sloppy joe mix. I almost thought I would have to go out and get more hamburger to make more for the rest of the family.

Father's Day

Today was Father's Day 2006. We have had our family here..in parts..over the last couple of days. In this picture you will see a picture of my father from years gone by and Tom, the father of my children. Somehow, in this picture, there seems to be a slight resemblance.

Tomorrow, I will be posting a number of pictures that simply make my life seem very special.


Ok, I couldn't wait! All the grandkids have always measured themselves by how high they came to the line between the refrigerator and the freezer. This is Joseph's first picture by the refrigerator. Kallsen sat down before I could get his picture. It will happen though. Why? Because Adam's family lives only three hours away from us now!

I Know........Soon, I Promise

Hi Sarah and Esther! You guys are faithful readers and I will be doing a post soon. I promise!!

Hi Sprinkler

Talk about life being magical!

Oh, To Be A Child!

What About Me?

Looking at the truck filled to the gills with a whole life can be a daunting sight. It is as if Kallsen said, "What About Me? How can I help?" I think he had the right idea!

Shakers And Movers

Yesterday, June 3rd, was the move in day for Adam and family. Two U-hauls, one car and one Suburban were unloaded by Adam, Sara Beth, Joseph, Kallsen, Bobbie, (Sara Beth's mom), Tom, Judy, Kara, Sam, Christopher and Amelia. Sarah came down in the afternoon and put herself to good work helping where she could including clearing the front porch of roof shingles. I think we could all hire ourselves out as packers and movers. Or, I suppose we could hire ourselves out as shakers and movers. Ok ok ok...we need a little humor! Ok ok ok...Sarah wants me to tell you she also broke down boxes and that she is not just a shingle kicker.

I am sorry to say there is no news on Pumpkinhead yet.

Update On Pumpkinhead

There is no word on Pumpkinhead yet. These two pictures will be sent to two vets in Adam and Sara Beth's recent hometown in Georgia. Maybe they can be posted different places. Sara Beth called them today and this is one plan that can be put into effect from Iowa. I captured these pictures off Adam's blog. Now, I know one of the reasons I got my laptop. It is coming in very handy on this trip.

Pumpkinhead was just given his summer haircut. Anyone who sees Pumpkinhead now will see the close to hairless version. I surely hope this might help find him.

Curves

I talked with Adam for a few minutes tonight. They were in Springfield, Illinois. He sounded tired. It was late. Kallsen was not asleep. There has been so much chaos and irregularity with the packing and the trip. Adam said they didn't get a big enough truck. They had to leave some things behind. The saddest and worst thing I think, is that their cat Pumpkinhead, escaped the house while they were packing. They looked and looked for him and finally had to leave without finding Pumpkinhead. Now, maybe, Pumkinhead is hiding out somewhere in the truck. If not, it is a sad, sad loss for them. Sometimes, life throws us curves we don't want to navigate, and yet, we have to.

One Last Look

Well, they are on their way. They are on their way home. I know it isn't exactly true to say it like that. But, that is how it feels.

Adam and his family, Sara Beth, Joseph, Kallsen and Parker are on the road heading from Georgia to Iowa. Adam has lived on the east coast for ten years. He has become a home owner, a married man and a father in those ten years. He has gone from selling Christmas trees to being the General Manager of a radio station. He is a man. Why does it feel like my boy is coming home? I don't know. It just does.