Trip Down Memory Lane

We were still at mom's yesterday.  We enjoyed our visit and we got somewhat caught up on laundry while we were there.  We took a few countryside pictures on the way home.  Most people think that Kansas is flat, but they are only half right.  The other half is not flat.  We see mostly cattle on the grassy hills.  While visiting with mom, we learned that Grandma Johnson's old house is for sale.  Grandma lived in the home most of her adult life.   We looked at the real estate pictures on line and it brought back so many memories, even though they remodeled the home.  I learned to sew, quilt, and crochet in that home.  I remember horses in the lot and a stack of hay bales.  Grandma had a tree stump she used to cut the head off of chickens with an ax to prepare the meat for us to eat.  My Great-Grandma Easterly lived there for a short time before she went to see Jesus.  There is an iris garden and iris' were grandma's favorite flower.  My sister and I have some of those iris' at our homes.   At one time a large apricot tree graced us with much fruit.  Two rows of lilacs were along the highway  however most of them have dwindled away.  Dad would shoe horses in the small garage and make shift barn.  This is were we tried to salt the tails of birds so we could catch them.  It kept us busy for some time utntil we realized that dad was teasing us.

I snook some pictures of my brother Patrick.  He is so much like my late father and dad went to see Jesus 42 years ago.  My other brother has a speech impediment due to a hearing loss he suffered as an infant.  My son says that he can not understand him and his words sound like they come out of a blender. Observations of an 18 year old boy.)

I like to read newsletters from Joyce Lucas at Make Mine Pink.  She just posted a newsletter on Creating Memories.  With her permission, I am attaching part of her newsletter.

I love to surround myself with treasures from the past. They often remind me of my favorite people and some of my favorite moments in time. I hope to pass these memories down to my own children and grandchildren one day.

Like so many others, I've kept a family album of old photographs, yellowed with age. Some of the faces I remember from long ago. There are weddings and births, laughing voices and forever romances recorded in these images. They are moments that live on because I remember.


One of my favorite things is Dad's old pocket watch. The hands of time are still moving, although a little slower than before. I remember him pulling the watch from his pocket so many times. Then there is Grandma's unfinished needlepoint. It’s wrapped in tissue and sitting at the bottom of an old wooden chest. Her fingers now lie still, but I remember the long chats we had while I watched as she stitched her beautiful designs. Having these treasures nearby makes me feel as if they are still near.


Even the heirlooms and antiques I find at the flea market have special meaning for me. The old French perfume bottles that line my bedroom shelf were perhaps a gift to an elegant lady from a doting admirer or loving husband. A collection of antique silver spoons that I use on special occasions, were perhaps a gift to a young bride. A cozy quilt stitched from well-loved clothing inspires me to imagine the garments the squares of fabric came from, and the people who once wore them.


When my daughters and children come to dinner, I set the table with my mother's favorite tablecloth and china, and always have something to tell them about my favorite childhood anecdotes and stories that were once told to me. It seems fitting to share my cherished memories while creating new ones of our own. Memories that will mingle together, both old and new, and continue to be passed down for generations to come.
Joyce Lucas, Founder


Make Mine Pink
http://www.makeminepink.com/