Thursday, January 06, 2005
FEBRUARY 1985....
This was an exceptionally cold month with snow coverage for over 28-days during parts of January and February. That’s unusual for our section of the country. We were all beset with cabin fever and the public was complaining every time they came through the door. Bad weather brings bad tempers and bad breakdowns. The car, the pipes….anything that can freeze or break usually does. Bad weather is expensive for everyone.
Becky had a torn muscle in her abdomen so missed a few days work. I made a chocolate cake and a strawberry shortcake, then we drove down to have supper with her. I taught her how to crochet doilies as she had only worked with yarn before. She had some spare time to get the hang of it. I did a lot of soup making, baking and such the next couple of days and took some to mom to warm up for quick suppers. Lima beans and ham, chili and stew. The next day I fixed split pea soup, applesauce bread, pie crusts to put in the freezer and a buttermilk pie. I have to laugh as I type this. I have lentil and bean soup with ham simmering on the stove as I write.
On Valentine’s Day I finished the last block of the bedspread while at work. That evening I stitched it onto the rest and it was finished. It took me two years to make it but one block at a time completed the project. A beautiful “popcorn” stitch in hexagons with a pale peach color to go beautifully with the flowers in the drapes. I always feel a great satisfaction in finishing a large task.
On the 23rd we took mom and drove down to Arkansas to see aunt Beulah. I took meat and an apple cake that we decided upon during an earlier phone conversation. Mom really enjoyed being out as she had been stuck inside ever since a week after Christmas. We had a good visit and made the trip back by 5:00pm. Visiting aunt Beulah was always a joy. She would have some new craft she was making or some stitching….she could make something out of nothing and it would look good. She was not given to gossip or negative talk and neither was my mother. It was good medicine for all of us to see each other.
In March, John’s 28th birthday rang in on the 2nd. I tried to call them all day but didn’t have any luck. Mom and dad’s 60th wedding anniversary date rolled around on the 16th which made mom alone for 10 ½ years. We took dad’s place and invited mom out for a nice dinner….we always rehashed their wedding day and the crazy mix-up of it but missed dad’s rendition and his laughter.
Becky’s 31st birthday came on the 27th and we celebrated together with a nice dinner here. The end of the month it rained all day to herald in the month of April, I suppose. Everything was so saturated there were creeks overflowing everywhere and mass flooding. That always meant someone would get washed away and drowned trying to drive over a low water bridge in these parts. It’s very dangerous in our hilly area to be in the lowlands when it rains hard. People do not realize the power of moving water and it’s especially bad when the victims are children.
April is always a beautiful month in the Ozarks and this special year we would welcome a new little member to our family. John and Barbara were expecting their new arrival later in the month and they were so excited about it the rest of us caught their emotions. Spring would be welcome after such a long and cold winter……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Becky had a torn muscle in her abdomen so missed a few days work. I made a chocolate cake and a strawberry shortcake, then we drove down to have supper with her. I taught her how to crochet doilies as she had only worked with yarn before. She had some spare time to get the hang of it. I did a lot of soup making, baking and such the next couple of days and took some to mom to warm up for quick suppers. Lima beans and ham, chili and stew. The next day I fixed split pea soup, applesauce bread, pie crusts to put in the freezer and a buttermilk pie. I have to laugh as I type this. I have lentil and bean soup with ham simmering on the stove as I write.
On Valentine’s Day I finished the last block of the bedspread while at work. That evening I stitched it onto the rest and it was finished. It took me two years to make it but one block at a time completed the project. A beautiful “popcorn” stitch in hexagons with a pale peach color to go beautifully with the flowers in the drapes. I always feel a great satisfaction in finishing a large task.
On the 23rd we took mom and drove down to Arkansas to see aunt Beulah. I took meat and an apple cake that we decided upon during an earlier phone conversation. Mom really enjoyed being out as she had been stuck inside ever since a week after Christmas. We had a good visit and made the trip back by 5:00pm. Visiting aunt Beulah was always a joy. She would have some new craft she was making or some stitching….she could make something out of nothing and it would look good. She was not given to gossip or negative talk and neither was my mother. It was good medicine for all of us to see each other.
In March, John’s 28th birthday rang in on the 2nd. I tried to call them all day but didn’t have any luck. Mom and dad’s 60th wedding anniversary date rolled around on the 16th which made mom alone for 10 ½ years. We took dad’s place and invited mom out for a nice dinner….we always rehashed their wedding day and the crazy mix-up of it but missed dad’s rendition and his laughter.
Becky’s 31st birthday came on the 27th and we celebrated together with a nice dinner here. The end of the month it rained all day to herald in the month of April, I suppose. Everything was so saturated there were creeks overflowing everywhere and mass flooding. That always meant someone would get washed away and drowned trying to drive over a low water bridge in these parts. It’s very dangerous in our hilly area to be in the lowlands when it rains hard. People do not realize the power of moving water and it’s especially bad when the victims are children.
April is always a beautiful month in the Ozarks and this special year we would welcome a new little member to our family. John and Barbara were expecting their new arrival later in the month and they were so excited about it the rest of us caught their emotions. Spring would be welcome after such a long and cold winter……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
