What Treasures Does a 6yo Keep in His Desk?

His favorite things, of course! [Posted with his permission. The little ham loves to be on my blog!]

King Gidorrah
Pokemon game
Star Wars book
Jar of Dice
Little Duckie puzzle
Blue Brontosaurus (company for KG)
Lego Catalog

This comes under the things I don't want to forget. It may be something only a mother can appreciate--I know these won't be the contents of his desk when he's a teenager, or an adult.

Grappa Eddie

A few weeks ago, my Grappa reluctantly moved into a nursing home. From the time his parents set him under a tree with a cookie to keep him quiet in 1912, or so, while they set about building their house, he lived on that homestead his entire life--until now. He is 97 years old. He doesn't know any other home ... In recent years, age-related dementia has set in and his body is wearing out. I don't know any other 97-year-old who takes no regular medications. He's a tough old bird!

It's been a hard transition for him. When we visited him last week, he asked my mom, "How far from home do you think we are?" It's about 15 miles, but my brother has him believing it would be 5 days walk. "Well, maybe someone could give me a ride--just to look around."
Later he said, "I'll probably die here, huh?"
"Probably," my mom said. There were tears in his eyes.

He knows he's not home, but he doesn't know enough to know that he can't take care of himself anymore--and neither can Gramma Pickles.

Ma likes to say Gramma is "97 pounds soaking wet." She really doesn't have the strength anymore to tug and pull and struggle with Grappa to do basic caregiving tasks anymore (He's about 200 pounds.) This was something she never bargained on when they married so many years ago ... He was an older man, she was the young beauty.

I think if we bring some of Grappa's stuff to his room in the nursing home, it will give him something familiar to look at - a picture of the barn (that would be his backyard), the Willow Tree, the pine trees he planted many years ago for a windbreak ...

Since Oliver lost his first tooth a week ago, I asked Grappa about the jar of teeth he kept by the kitchen table. He seldom ever went to a dentist. He has one tooth left in his mouth these days. The rest of his teeth found their way to that jar ... That day, he said the teeth don't last forever. After a while they break down and turn to powder, too. Nothing left ... He has outlived all of his friends from the old days. And he wonders why he's still here.

A few years ago, I made a quilt for him. I expected to see that on his bed at the nursing home, looking cheery and fresh. But no--Gramma didn't want it subjected to the harsh laundry detergents at the nursing home. Fair enough. She wanted to give the quilt back to me, but I don't think he's through with it yet.

I'll try to post some of Grappa's old stories here soon. He was a great storyteller (here, we say "bull-shitter") and adventurer in his day. It's a wonder he made it to this age in one piece!

The Way to a Woman's Heart : Part 2

You may be wondering why I have links for New Scandinavian Cooking on this blog's sidebar ... I first discovered it a few years ago on PBS when a younger Andreas Viestad was cooking a traditional Norwegian Christmas Dinner. He was in a tiny, tiny kitchen. It just seemed so low-budget, yet artful (and certainly tasteful) that I had to keep watching. They have a portable kitchen that they set up anywhere--on a beach, on a mountintop, in the artic circle ... I love the travelogue nature of the show! It really makes me want to take a trip to see Scandanavia!

The most recent season has been hosted by a Danish Chef named Claus Meyer. He's just a normal-looking guy--nothing special to look at. But when he makes a meal and presents it to the tv camera, I always feel like he really made that dinner just for me. His episodes are informative, sensual, and romantic. It's the only cooking show that makes me blush! His episodes really are appealing ... It must be the way they film it : Just look at some of these stills from Claus Meyer's season. You never really see a sweetie present, so I get to feel like I'm the one!

My Dear Husband's theory is that Claus is the guy who can provide the protein (with a little "goose fat"), so he's the one who gets the girl.

At our house, my husband does most of the cooking : He provides the protein, and he got me ;-). He bought the cow, as Sandy used to say.

NSC is more than just a cooking show ... Claus Meyer cooks with his wedding ring in full view--and it's an attractive part of the show. This cook's fidelity to his own sweetie makes it all the more appealing ... (and I hope he is good to her!)

Ahhh--Dreaming's cheap! And Claus Meyer can cook for me anytime.

Don't get me wrong, I like Andreas, too, but he's more like a buddy--like someone who lived in the coop with me over the years.

The Way to a Woman's Heart : Part 1

I was watching the movie Phenomenon (with John Travolta). There are a number of reasons I like this movie. Here's one : "He bought her chairs!"

At one point, Robert Duvall's character (Doc) explains how George got the girl :

Banes: [speaking about George's transformation] He never really changed at all. Isn't that right Doc? I mean he never really got any smarter. Doc?
Doc: Banes... how's your lady love?
Banes: We... um... we broke up.
Doc: Really? That's too bad, yeah. Now George has a love at his side and she is sticking with him. You know why? Because he bought her chairs. That's pretty smart to me. You ever buy Lisa's chairs?'
Banes: Doc's real drunk tonight.
Doc: Every woman has her chair, something she needs to put herself into, Banes. You ever figure out what Lisa's chairs were and buy 'em?
[pause]
Doc: Nope. But, you're right about one thing, George never changed.

For Lace (George's Sweetie), it's the bent wood chairs she makes. George bought them, and appreciated her and her essence, and what was important to her. With persistence and patience, he got the girl.

It sounds so silly--so simple : He bought her chairs. Isn't that all any of us want? to be seen for who we really are, and loved for it?

I am fortunate to have a wonderful husband who is supportive of me and my hobbies and passtimes. I could not have asked for a better match for me!

Nickle and Dimed : What was my time worth?

I thought it might be amusing to list the various jobs I've had through the years along with the respective hourly wage :

$2/hour Bailing hay for Grappa in the early 1980s

$1.50-$2/hour Babysitting 1980s

$2.90/hour Clerk at a bookstore (student wage was much less than minimum wage)

$4.25/hour Dishwasher at Food Service in College

$2.10/hr +tips Waitress at summer resort (avg was more like $4.50/hr)

$4.25/hr Work study student in college library (Reference Assistant)

$4.25/hr Clerical help for Cancer Prevention Clinic in a university town

$4.50 Student runner for Inner Library Loan (This was a fun and interesting job!)

$5.50 Pharmacy Technician

$6/hr + benefits Clerical help for a trust fund dept at a bank

$8/hr Seamstress

$10/hr Library Assistant (temporary) for Inter-Library Loan

$11.25/hr + benefits Library Technician in a Hospital (also interesting work!); 20 hrs/wk

Salaried with benefits Librarian with Masters Degree

All I can say is that education and experience makes a difference, and there's nothing like a dead-end job to make you want to get a little more education and improve your situation.

Family Stories : Seth is Born

Photo from 1972 (or thereabouts). Seth, me, and Auntie Cindy with Toto(?) as a pup.

My brother Seth was born only 51 weeks after me. Yes--Irish Twins. On October 8, 1971 (Great Grappa Ingalls' Birthday), the family took Holly to the Antigo Memorial Hospital. Once there, the hospital staff told Gramma and Grappa Pickles to go down to the cafeteria to have supper, because it would be a while before the baby would be born. When they came back, Dad said, "A Seth! We have a Seth!"

Gramma Pickles ran down the hall yelling, "A set! A set! Twins!"

Dad had to explain, "No--just one--a boy. His name is Seth." My parents had not yet explained their choice of names. They originally wanted to call him Scott, but there were several other Scott babies in their apartment building in Stevens Point at the time. Seth was the next name after Scott in the name dictionary.

Family Stories : Holly Loves Garlic

My mom, Holly, spent a lot of time with her grandparents from Bohemia before she went to school. Even now, she speaks Bohemian in her sleep, though she says she can't remember it in her waking hours. Great Gramma Smitmajer, who never learned much English, would fill Ma up with lots of garlic and onions. Then when she went back to her own mother's house, Gramma Pickles (Violet) would send her back across the yard to Great Gramma's because Little Holly stank so badly of garlic, Gramma couldn't stand it.


Great Gramma Josephine Smitmajer also had these enormous chickens and roosters that would knock down a 3-year old Holly and peck at her. Ma hated those chickens. Great Gramma loved her chickens: