Closet adventures... or... "Oh, my aching neck!"

Here we are going into a weekend already. Is it possible that January is half over? We've been watching coverage of the amazing jet landing on the Hudson River in New York! Someone put it well on the radio yesterday when they said the "stars lined up" for the pilot in that deal. But, he also had the training, extreme intelligence, skill and cool head when the chips were down. I've never given a lot of thought to birds when we've flown (!), although I know flocks of starlings used to be a problem to aircraft in years past... and I do mean YEARS. So glad all of those folks made it out alive. I think I heard the worst injured was a woman who sustained two broken legs.

I had Colette and Edward here for a few hours this afternoon while Amber finished delivering papers. I get a kick out of them. He followed me around for much of the time. I managed to get dinner in the crockpot, but it took a lot longer with interruptions. Brings back memories, although with my own children, I had a house that was more baby-proofed. Colette said she liked carrots, so I had her pull up a chair and cut her a couple of small carrot sticks. Edward seemed interested as he watched me peeling them but I feared he'd choke on carrot at this point. He has incisors but I don't think any bicuspids have come in yet. I shaved a couple of small pieces off and offered them, so he could see if he was really missing anything. You should have seen his face when he spit them out! ;-)

We brought a high chair over to the table so he could sit nearby like everyone else and he was still fascinated with the carrots. Guess the previous experience hadn't put him off. They were yet to be washed and cut before adding to the stew, so I let him play with them while I finished up on the other vegetables. One by one, he would pick up a carrot and try to put the large end into his mouth (almost like those annoying song flutes). Pretty soon he was gnawing on each one like a little bunny rabbit. Colette thought this was the most amusing baby behavior and with each carrot munching she was snickering and smiling with delight. It was as much fun to watch her face as to see what he was doing. I finally spoiled his fun by retrieving the carrots and taking him down from the table... which caused a little fussing. Suffice to say, some of the carrots had to be trimmed a bit before being added to the pot.

When it was time to check the mail, I carried him with me so as to keep an eye on him. Colette wanted to go along. After she got her shoes on, I decided to use the wheelbarrow as a means of transport. They must have liked it okay... no one tried to climb out before it was all over. Not only to save my arms... it was a favorite "ride" for me as a child. We had a burn pile way in the back part of the property and I'd sometimes get to ride on a barrow load of leaves, or back in the emptied wheelbarrow. Riding in one has its own feel and as long as the person steering is strong enough to keep things upright (such as a parent and not a sibling nearly the same age!), it's all good. Simple pleasures. :-)

This week has been devoted to finishing up with cleaning and organizing our closet.... a job I initiated about 18 months ago! I'm happy to say, that job is as done as it's going to get! There are some old photos and movies I pulled out that will need to be reviewed and stashed with the other family history/genealogy related stuff. I don't even remember what is on some of the old movies taken after graduating high school. I know some date from before leaving for BYU (1971) and one reel was taken at college with my roommates, etc. Costco now has a service where they'll put those on DVD for you, but I've not priced it yet. I'd be a bit worried about letting them very far out of my sight, so maybe there are some other ways to get it done in-house. Will need to check that out. I do recall some of the last ones were when Michael was a toddler. The film was old and turned out really poor and grainy (at the time). We were showing him how to use this little manually operated wooden train. Our black kitty was lying in the middle of the oval track and would swipe at the train as it passed. I hope all the movies are still good enough to be transferred. One of my BYU roommates died at the tender age of 22 after contracting encephalitis while on a mission to Thailand. I have her on there doing her "fish" impersonation. We were all up in the wee hours being totally goofy... which is one of the joys of college.

Kris... (and Vanean... who should be on it too)... if I'm eventually able to get that done, I'll make you a copy. ... or maybe I'll blackmail you with it. ;-)

Some things unearthed in the closet (in no particular order):

Old yellowed newspapers from when Mt. Saint Helens erupted

A fleece jacket I'd sewn for Michael when he was about 12, that he practically lived in.

Old small dresses and a pair of toddler pants that I'd sewn for the kids... back before the sewing area was torn apart for remodeling in our now bedroom

A copy of a paper I'd typed up for a college boyfriend before going home on Christmas break in 1971 (he had notoriously terrible handwriting). I got to meet and retrieve it from his teacher after he'd left on his mission ... Cleon Skousen. He was a sweet man. Also are some typed letters I'd received from him toward the beginning of his mission (Navajo).

A manicure set of Ron's that has been missing for a few years

A big piece of white cardboard with "CHOCOLATE CRINKLES" written on the top in Karen's handwriting (I think)

A lovely carving set that was given to us by Aunt Joanne and Uncle Pete when we got married. It was very classy and somewhat sharp (dangerous to little folks), so was stashed in the closet where it wasn't getting used. I've moved it to the sideboard in the dining room.

The genealogical information and old photos my father's cousin, Lucile Knox, left to me in her will when I was in my thirties. I need to pick up the threads of research where she left off and archive those old photos.

A prize-winning Pinewood Derby car of Robert's with his blue ribbon tucked inside the box.

My old, now crusty "Treasures of Truth" book with items tucked inside like report cards, adjudication sheets from piano auditions, clippings from the Bremerton Sun from said auditions, a booklet from a worldwide LDS Laurel Conference I was privileged to attend in 1970 and the booklet from our ensuing stake Laurel conference. My responsibility in that venture was to lay out and arrange printing. The 7 girls from the stake that attended the conference at BYU, became the launching committee for the stake Laurel conference in Tacoma (where our stake meetings were held in 1970). We promoted it leading up to the event and were required to visit various wards to speak or perform musical numbers. I have a foggy recollection of playing a piano solo at one ward visit in Tacoma somewhere. I remember driving to planning meetings at the Stake Center on Pearl Street in the old Nash Metropolitan. In fact... it threw a rod coming off the freeway on the way to Criddle's in Bremerton for one of those meetings. I would later marry Carla Criddle's second cousin (Ron's mother is a Criddle). ;-) I don't think she really knew Ron, but I'd later find out they were related to him.

Getting back to the closet...

The kids' baby books (the first three that had them... I fell off the wagon when Diane came along and the house fire didn't help).

Old photos that my mother must have sent this direction that I have no memory of. One is a Navy photo of Dad that I don't recall seeing. And two are of my brother that I need to send to him... or to his daughter. One graduation and one as a toddler.

Robert's notebook from high school when he worked on the school paper... maybe junior year or senior? He was going to toss it I'm sure, but that thing is a time capsule!

The cake topper from our wedding reception.


Well... that's enough. Suffice to say, it was a time consuming but interesting experience cleaning out the upper shelf of the closet. :-) My guess is that I put in at least 24 hours (work) all toll to do that closet.

The new quilt came for the downstairs bedroom also... on Tuesday. So that room looks a little bit different. Here's a photo... I know it's laughable compared to so many of your beautiful homes... but progress is progress! ;-)

That little round machine embroidery thing on the shelf is a blast from the past also. Years ago I saw that at Marsha Terry's house and loved it so much, I asked her if I could take hers home to draw up a pattern. She got it at a craft show somewhere, I think. Then I made several. Mine has long since bit the dust, but this was the one my mother had at her house. The colors went really well with this quilt, so it will go downstairs.

Andy Lester came by for a visit on Wednesday and it was good to catch up with him. I unloaded one of the leftover bags of Christmas M&M's before he went, and some of the homemade rolls we'd not used at Christmas. I think all of the Christmas "goodies" are nearly gone now and I have the waistline to prove it. Where are kids when you need them? ;-) We still have a single pie crust in the fridge that should be used soon. Think that will be the last of the holiday foods.

The weather has dried out this week but is still pretty nippy. It almost felt like snow in the air a few days ago. Yesterday, I succumbed to the siren's song and took pruners outside for a bit of late winter trimming near the front porch. I only intended to cut back two fuchsia plants, but of course couldn't resist some tidying in the oak bed also. Those areas will soon be filled with bloom from hellebores... some of which are showing buds and color. Spring will be upon us before we know it. I hope this year I can get some momentum going and keep it up long enough to make a bigger dent. Last year medical events and weddings took precedence.

Next thing to get done is the passport for the possible trip this fall. Ron wanted to apply for one also, just to have it. He has an old one from a work trip to Scotland when I was pregnant with Michael. The applications are on the kitchen table and we can get the photos done at Costco to keep things simple. So... I hope we'll have those done by the end of this month... then the next project (fingers crossed) will be painting our master bathroom.

Well... this has been quite a mundane post when there are so many more weighty things happening in the world and in our country (such as the inauguration). Guess this is the time of year for clearing the decks. :-)

Have a great weekend!