It's a sunny, beautiful Friday - not a bad day for Friday the 13th. I went to a church garage sale with a friend this morning, then did some cleaning. It's been a nice day. And the good news is that we're on a mini-vacation next week. I've started making somewhat of a packing list. But since we'll just be going to Older Daughter's house and will have easy access to shopping, it's not the end of the world if we forget anything.
Even though we don't have a lot actually planned for next week, it feels good to know we have some days to do fun things. We've gone through the "things to do in Kansas City web sites and have a list of some places we'd like to visit. When I was looking up addresses, I realized that the things we're interested in are actually grouped in clusters. That will make it handy. We're looking forward to seeing some new places.
When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to grow up and be able to see different places. The summers got so long out there on the farm. Sometimes I would retreat to that place in my mind that was much more entertaining than reality. I would get my suitcase out and pack it for my "trip". There were a few times that I kept the clothes in the suitcase and dressed from it for a few days - until I got tired of not really being anywhere except my own bedroom.
Last year when we stayed in Grain Valley and babysat the grandkids, I realized that Older Daughter and her hubby's bed was built for someone taller than this short Granny. The first night we were there, I had to get a bit creative to get into bed. The next day, I found a solution - a family heirloom lovingly referred to as "the stump".
It's called "the stump", because that's exactly what it is - a piece of a tree stump. This was brought into the house by my maternal grandfather when my mother was just two years old (her 89-year-old brother remembers the event). My grandmother was really short, and they were living in a house that must have been a challenge for her.
For years, wherever my grandparents moved, the stump went with them. One time when they were moving, Grandma sold the stump in their moving sale. I'm not sure how long it was gone from the family, but several years later the next owner was moving and selling off their belongings, and Grandma reclaimed the stump.
When Grandma had to leave her retirement apartment and go to the nursing home, the stump came to live with Mom. Then when mom moved from the farm to her apartment, it came to live with me. When the kids and I moved back to Carroll County in 1993, the stump came along. When Hubby and I first started dating, he enjoyed Easter lunch with Mom and me in my apartment. When he made the mistake of admiring the stump, he immediately had two short women tell him in unisom, "You can't have it!" The irony of that is that Hubby's 6'3". He hardly needed the stump for any reason.
When Older Daughter moved to her first house, the stump went to live with her. Her son used it when he was smaller - he's now well outgrown his Mom. And now the Whirlwind stands on it when she helps cook. I'm really glad Daughter has the stump. It's carrying on a long (almost 82 year) family tradition. And because that family tradition is carried on, I can move the stump to her bedroom next week so I have an easy way to climb into bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment