Monday, April 01, 2013

Random



 “So much of life, it seems to me is determined by pure randomness”~ Sidney Poitier

Sometimes you have nothing to write about and then others you have so many random bits and pieces that you don’t know where to start.

Maybe I will prioritize them…

Number two grandchild is to be delivered in four days…unless he or she decides to come earlier.  I get to spend a week with Baby O and several days with Baby A or B.  As much as I can’t wait I am sure #1 daughter can’t either!  I started packing so I would remember to bring some mail that still gets sent here, some requested canned goods and the baby afghan along with some knitting projects to work on.
I have my dress for #1 son’s wedding!  I hate to shop but I found one I like, within price range, fits well and doesn’t look bad either.  Now to find shoes, jewels etc.

The other day I was outside stacking firewood when I heard an odd noise.  I looked up in the trees trying to find the source only to realize it was the frogs in my pond croaking away.  I walked down and saw four of them jump in the water to hide.  

I was over at my grandmother’s house looking through some books.  I found one she had given my grandfather for Christmas, 1927.  The name of the book was Troubled Waters.  She wrote notes on the envelope that holds her marriage certificate that leads me to believe this book was a cryptic message to him! Sad but funny at the same time.

Another book that caught my eye was  the 1907 edition of the 20th Century Family Physician’s Manual.  Opium was not to be given to babies under three months unless the doctor told you it was okay…that was the advice for an infant with diarrhea.  And they say doctors go overboard now with medication!!!

Stuck within the pages were old cigarette silks and railway tickets from 1912. 


In the age of waste not want not, I read they made quilts from these little bits of silk.   The tickets make me wonder who took that trip and why.


This is a picture of New England Kitchen from the 1885 edition of A Brief History of the United States.   



The department of child protective services obviously had not been started yet. 

After sitting in her home which had no indoor plumbing, where she cooked and heated the place with wood or coal stoves and only got electric sometime in the 60’s, I came home to find the current issue of Hobby Farm Home magazine  stating you can go to their site and down load an infographic on how to line dry your clothes because so many people don’t know how.  It was like traveling through a black hole in time.  

While at Gram’s, I found some cake plates.  Of course to do them justice one must make use of them….so for dessert that night we had cheesecake with some homemade cherry pie filling to be added to each slice.  Easter found one holding Italian Easter bread. I foresee them getting used often which will make the man and kids very happy.

#2 daughter went to a surgeon for removal of a pilonidal cyst.  As she is 18 I have been making her fill out paperwork.  This one shocked her as it asked if there was violence in the home, did we own a gun, 



has she had sex, was it with a man, woman or both, preferred method of birth control etc etc etc.  I would say 9/10’s of the questions were medically unnecessary.  

And I think that sums up the utter randomness in my life.  We had a great weekend/Easter.  The man worked Saturday, we got the garden burned off, a cord of wood split and stacked and yet it was one of the most relaxed weekends we have had in a while.  Hope to start seeds today so from now on most weekends will be spent in the garden….yes it is finally warming up!  Hope everyone is outside enjoying it.






2 comments:

Linda said...

Judy, love the memories of your grandma's home. Congrats and best wishes for your family and the new grandchild. We're still waiting for Spring...some warm days, some snow melting but the temps are not co-operating! Have a great week.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love seeing those things from the past, and it doesn't surprise me at all, that someone may have used the small bits of silk to make quilts. After all, my mother used lovely printed cotton sacks to make my school dresses with too. :)

Glad you enjoyed a quiet and relaxing weekend. :)