The Tomb-raider rides again…..pawing through my Mother-in-law’s jewelry… April 15, 2011

Lots of pretty things....

OK, you know I went to Birmingham several weekends ago, to help clear out my Poppa-in-law’s townhouse, to get it ready for sale. There was just soooooo much to go through, give away, throw away….and put in a possible keep pile. And my darling Mother-in-law Shirley, had(like many women do)…a jewelry box piled with old things that she kept for various reasons(unknown to me)…mostly costume.

Little basket pin....stones are the flowers...

And being the tomb-raider that I am(I must give credit to this term to co-workers of the lovely Jennifer that dubbed her exactly that, after she returned to NY from my Father-in-law’s funeral, with his latest set of golf clubs), I kept some of it, the rest went to a church jumble sale.

I believe some of these things must have belonged to her Mother or Grandmother…they look too old to have come from the 1950s or later…but maybe not? Perhaps some of you will know much better than me….

One on left is a pocket pin??

Like these pins…well, one is a pin and one is a clip really, with a hinge on back with little teeth to hold onto something….maybe for a coat  or a pocket? Or the neckline of a dress? But I love them both. And look at this really tiny oval pin at the far right of the top pic shaped like a fish…. a marcasite piece perhaps?

Seed pearl Kappa Alpha Theta pin....

And one of the most interesting things we found, that my daughter lept upon, was Shirley’s Kappa Alpha Theta sorority pledge pin, and badge. And this is sad to me….we never knew she was a sorority girl! She never talked about her days at Ohio Wesleyan…somehow the topic never came up, and I wish I knew all about it. A reminder to ask about things before it’s too late.

Muffy likes them in this old bowl, also from the house

But you will see me wearing these pieces from time to time, with her lovely memory in mind…such a gentle soul and a great Mom-in-law.

Remember these?? Such a pretty color...

In fact the earrings I wore a couple of days ago on 11 News at Five….some retro bright sky blue flower earrings that belonged to her, are now in the clutches of the  Tomb-raider! Sorry I haven’t gotten this published earlier this week, but the internet at work seems to be blocking Flickr where I keep my pics, and really a story about jewelry you can’t see is a little…poor. So I’ve finished it at home, and hopefully the problem is resolved soon. But it’s Friday, my son and the lovely Jennifer are in town for a good friend’s wedding Saturday, so we get them an extra weekend, and we will all get together with my wonderful daughter for dinner tonight(how lucky am I that she lives here?)!

All in shades of blue and purple....

The mulching is finished, which means I have some planting to do, though I have finished the front window boxes, as you can see. I hope you have a lovely weekend, plant a little something pretty, even if it’s just a pot…eat something delicious, and be extra kind to someone who needs it….and come home safe, cause we miss you! ♥

The last parent…. February 8, 2011

Dick and Shirley, in earlier healthier days...

We got the dreaded phone call in the wee hours of the morning(why is it always then?)…that my dear, delicate Father-in law had passed away. He had really struggled with his health in the past few years….copd, colon cancer, heart issues. He had been in the hospital for the past two weeks, and in the ICU since the weekend when he had emergency surgery…and he just wasn’t strong enough to make it in the end.

But we were all hoping that he perhaps had a few good years ahead…and he had found love a second time late in life…what a gift that is. After my wonderful, much missed Mom-in-law passed away years ago, we all worried about him being so lonely without her, and no doubt about it…he was. But the day he asked a tall redhead, just a few years his junior, to lunch(at my urging), his life brightened considerably. I’ll never forget when he told me, “I think I’m in love with her“…like he was 30, not 80. I wrote about that in a previous post-here. And Grace’s name was appropriate…she brought such light and grace to his life that no son or daughter could. They were inseparable. Until now.

And it is decidedly sad..and a moment of passage I suppose…when the last parent, whether biological or by marriage, is gone. All you can do is remember them fondly…my father-in law, who was a man who came to be openly affectionate later in life. I remember some years ago, I would say in leaving, “I love you“…and his response would sometimes be an awkward, “Uh, thank you“….hilarious, and true for many men raised in that era. But that changed as he got older…a man who never went to church as long as I knew him(the golf course was his church) started going to church, gave up drinking because he had to for his health, and started saying “I love you“…somtimes unprompted. He went into the navy at 17, because he didn’t want to miss out on WWII. And when he got out, the man who wanted to become a history teacher, got a job instead in retail, as the demands of family called, and he answered. He managed more than a couple of malls in the south….and I’m sure the people who worked for him loved him, because he was really very funny. Acerbic, with a dry wit…my son always said, “Grampa is the funniest man I know“. So Dick, we will all miss you…more than you know. You have been an important part of our lives…and we wish you well on the journey before you…Godspeed my friend.

Ironing linens and making Lowell’s Sweet Potato Soup December 22, 2008

Ok, or is just me, or did 11 News reporter Lowell Melser hit one out of the park this past weekend on the weekend morning news with his sweet potato soup?? Great recipe, great delivery, made it all understandable and made me want to make it. If you ever get tired of news Lowell, the Food Network could use you! It looked so good, I’m heading to Trader Joes today, to get some sweet potatoes(maybe organic), and I think I’ll do leeks instead of onions, they add a little different flavor, and I have to remember to pick up a can of creamed corn. That’s a surprising ingredient….but I’m in. Grab of loaf of bread from TJ’s, a little salad with some candied pecans I made(yes I made, with pecans my Mother sent me from Alabama from a place called Priester’s…they have the best pecans, and she should know, I grew up surrounded by big pecan trees)…the recipe I saw on Martha Stewart, and it’s dead easy….my favorite.  Throw in a little blue cheese…and dinner is served.

napkins begging to be ironed....

I’m also doing some ironing…I know, there are people who consider me insane to iron when you don’t have to. But there’s a also something oddly calming aboout ironing, plus you get a stack of beautiful, smooth linen napkins to use at dinner. My dear late Mom-in-law Shirley gave me some really beautiful ones that are my favorites…about 24 inches square…BIG ones she found in an antique store, and in a set of 12. A rare find, she was told. And I think of her each time we use them…she was such a lovely, gracious woman. I still miss her.

Ah, but I need to be off shopping when here I am getting all nostalgic. I guess the holidays bring that out in all of us. Check you later!

Hallelujah, my son is engaged….finally!!! October 16, 2008

At the risk of being one of those bloggers that I read about in the Baltimore Sun this week in an article by Andrew Ratner about the “blogosphere”, in which he says a certain percentage of bloggers report their personal relationships have suffered with friends and family because of their blogs(because they use them for blog-fodder…),  but I still just have to tell you this! My son and the lovely Jennifer, about whom I’ve written often (too often?) are…yes…engaged. At long last. Like many parents of 20-somethings, you watch their lives from a certain distance(judging, judging, always judging, my daughter would say)…but that’s not true. More like, observing.

And here’s what I have observed. My son has been in a wonderful relationship, with a wonderful girl, for a wonderfully long time. And in his Mother’s opinion, which was never asked by the way, it was time for a ring. No, I never said anything, never even hinted at it…I don’t think. The only time I ever brought it up was a couple of years ago, when he was home sans Jen, I asked very casually, I swear, “So, do you and Jen ever think about getting married ?” He clearly interpreted my casual question(I practiced it, serously), as inquiring into his private life(which I was), where he did not want to go(and we didn’t).

Yeah, enought of that subject. So I just let it go, and thought, what is meant to be, is meant to be. Good Mommy, yes? Yet as the months and years went on of this happy relationship, my family in ‘bama has nagged…yes, nagged me relentlessly about it. “When are they getting engaged?”….”I’d like to go to a wedding while I’m still young enough to dance.” “Do you think it will be this year?”  Leave me alone, leave me alone…..was what I wanted to scream, but just smiled wanly and said, “I really don’t know.”

So, last Friday night, when we got a call from the boy and he announced, “I just asked Jen to marry me…”, there was great happiness all around. Happiness for him, for her(oooh my future daughter-in-law I can say that now!!), for her family, for our family, which will soon be one family. And I can’t wait. And no, I don’t think there will be any big wedding…Jennifer just isn’t into that it seems, and really, with the economy being what it is, it might be too much anyway. A small wedding is such a kindness to the bride and groom’s respective families, don’t you think?

Anyway, I wanted to share the news with you….for those of you who have gone before me, keep me in your thoughts….that I don’t say or do the wrong thing (beyond writing about it), that everything stays on a somewhat even keel, that none of us go off the deep end….wow, any cliches I missed there? But you know what I mean. I just want it to be a happy time. Not a stressful time. None of us need any more of that right now. We need some good news…and I got some!