For All the Chairs I Loved Before

Hello dear readers! It's been a while since I routinely put words on laptop for this blog. Why? I've asked myself that for the past couple of years. I used to squeeze writing in between working, activities, and parenting. Now I'm gloriously retired! What's up with that? 

Writing (along with reading) is something I've always enjoyed. When I found my employment dream career at age 40, I parlayed writing into part of my job as Recycling Coordinator in three SW Iowa Counties. I approached the Creston News Advertiser about submitting a monthly 1,000-word column on waste reduction and recycling. It turned out to be one of my favorite things I did (I loved it much more than public speaking, haha). When I moved on to my job at the Department of Natural Resources at age 50 I no longer had that writing outlet. So I started blogging. I was prolific! I had a lot to say, mostly about nothing important. 

Fast forward ten-plus years. Changing technology enables me to "read" audiobooks and podcasts pretty much anywhere these days using earbuds. I rarely do a chore or walk without some audio input. It's hard to ponder blog topics and turn phrases while constantly filling my head with other people's words. 

2020 was my first year of retirement. What a strange year in the life (for almost everyone on the planet.) Thanks, Covid! 😒 Though I had plenty of alone time that year, it failed to translate into any kind of joy of writing. I was out of words. 

I miss writing and want to find the joy of writing again. I've decided to cut back on audiobooks and true crime blogs. I'll get back in touch with music to see what happens. Thanks to our friend Connie and others who have asked about my blog and have encouraged me to write again. Maybe it will help keep me sharp - like Wordle does (haha). 

Today's inspiration started with an early morning sleep house remodeling dream. In the dream, each room I entered in the house contained a recliner chair from my past. Paul and I just visited Homemakers Furniture on Sunday. We looked at rugs, not chairs, but that place is full of recliners!   

Sorry recliners, I've always been more of a chair with ottoman person, like my mom. I'm the only remaining Bullock living in our home state of Iowa. Through the years, when my parents and grandparents were living, I benefitted by being gifted furniture. Ethan Allen cabinets, couches, chairs, and more. I've recently learned my DNA says I'm 26% Scottish, so that thrifty side has appreciated free stuff!  

Betsy and Max in Dad's chair - home place Atlantic

One of the first chairs I inherited was Dad's chair - seen above. Dad traveled the state of Iowa Monday through Friday repping ladies' lingerie, so the chair was available on weekdays. On weekends, Dad had dibs. His beautiful leather briefcase could be found tucked beside it.  

As you can see above, the chair was gold before Mom had it reupholstered. Atlantic Upholstery was operated by the parents of my classmates, twins Steve and Judy Boots. The Boots did fine chair work. Mom went with a vertical stripes pattern - with blues, reds, gold, and white (below). That's the color it was when Paul and I got it. It must have been 20-plus years old by then!  

Paul and sleepy Judson

The wear and tear with two kids, a cat, and a dog took a toll on the chair. No amount of Woolite upholstery cleaner would perk it up.  I found an upholstery shop in nearby Mackburg, and the chair was reinvented yet another time with a darker red, blue color that covered spills better. It lasted another ten years until the springs were just shot. I hated to get rid of it. We put it downstairs with my grandparent's plaid fold-out couch. 😁 

I replaced Dad's chair with my first brand-new chair/ottoman combo selected carefully at Coen Furniture in Creston. They matched prices with all the big guys like Nebraska Furniture Mart and they delivered. 

Greenish oversized chair/ottoman. Room for Kitty and Odie, along with my Bullock-sized bottom

That large taupe green chair served me well. On my telework days (every Friday morning throughout my DNR career) I put in many hours crunching trash numbers and corresponding with program participants in that chair. It was sooo comfy with wide soft arms that supported plates and laptops. My chair made the move to West Des Moines in 2012 and served through the Odie years. She liked to dig the seat (snagging it) and sleep on the back like a cat. 

Odie passed in 2018, and I still miss her. But old Green was looking a bit ragged by then. I shopped for a long time to find a replacement - finally settling on one at Redekers in Boone. Thanks to high school classmate John Krengel for fixing me up with my chair - he worked at Redekers for years. 

This is where I rest my bones these days. I remind myself of Mom in her nice wingback chair at my parent's condo in Atlantic. I still have the matching ottoman in my room - that chair wore out! And my grandma - Zora Bullock (Momo to us) in her beautiful blue wingback chair. Or in the antique rocking chair she always sat in at our house. 

Momo - in the rocker (I think Susi has it now), Dad is on our oversized blue couch. Mom had it recovered more than once and Dad still had it at their condo in Atlantic when he passed. We had to toss it off of the deck to get it out. 

So that's my walk down furniture memory lane today. Don't even get me started on couches! 

I hope you have some beloved furniture pieces in your lives (or not). I know, it's just stuff. But for me, furniture memories are like certain songs - memories of a bygone era and people and pets I love. 

Forty Years!

Our 40th anniversary is coming up quickly. I mean quicker than 40 freaking years should take! 

Paul and I met for the first time at Aunt Maude's in 1978, while attending Iowa State University. It wasn't until that next spring that he knocked on our apartment door at 230 Campus - the building where all the cool kids lived. He and his roomies lived in the 200s door, while I lived 2 sections down in the 400s. He must have noticed that Sally, Jane, and I looked like awesome athletes - he asked us to join the co-ed softball team he was putting together. 

The rest is history - our somewhat regular girl meets boy at college. Friendship blooms and later love. 

Paul and I were married on 8/28/82 in my hometown - in front of friends and family. My favorite parts of the day were walking down the aisle after the ceremony with my new husband and the post-reception reception, held at my parent's house. Prime rib sandwiches - served by my parent's friends out of our garage. It was casual - with a keg and friends and family in our yard and driveway. 

We waited about a week to go on our honeymoon to the Northwest. I was working as an office manager at a grocery wholesaler in Omaha then and I had to be around to complete "Month End" - making sure all the bananas were accounted for! 

So it's a happy coincidence that 40 years later we're traveling to our niece Sarah Kohan's wedding just outside of Seattle. Sarah is sister Betsy (and husband Wayne's) only daughter (4 boys). She's marrying Kyle who grew up west of Seattle - across the water (I think it's a Sound). 

Seattle 1982

We found my headpiece last winter when we sorted the utility room

In 1982, when we got married, Paul was still recovering from knee surgery. So we weren't overly mobile. That's why we lined up a Grayline bus tour of the Northwest that was probably set up for older people. You know, the age we are now. 😏 The tour was perfect - transportation to all the places we needed to go. 

We stayed in Seattle, downtown for a couple of days - took a romantic dinner cruise in Seattle and a bus tour to Mt. Ranier. Then we took a ferry to Victoria, Canada (beautiful city with fab gardens) and went on to Vancouver (a modern city, mountains and waterfalls). It was a lovely, very memorable trip. 

We can't wait to go back! We'll celebrate the wedding, Betsy's birthday, and our anniversary with many of the people we love. Jud, Kara, and Nell won't make it - long flight for a toddler. 

Summer!

Sadly, I don't have a pic of Mom in swimsuit, holding a clipboard teaching kids to swim

After a very loooong cold spring, summer heat is finally upon us. I have so many fond memories of this time of year. As a child growing up in a small SW Iowa town, I feel so lucky. I grew up in the 1960s when families were big, and parents didn't pay super close attention to what we were up to - as long as we made it home for meals and bedtime. 

My hometown, Atlantic (population just under 7,000 in 1960 - to a peak of 7,700 in 1980) had everything a kid could want for childhood adventures. My family lived in a house at the top of a hill (I've heard people call it Bullock's Hill) that overlooked a neighborhood called Fairlawns. That area was full of many post-WWII ranch homes, and giant families - ready-made kids to hang out with. 

Next door a big family, the Reinertsons, moved in. We played with the Reinterson girls a lot - especially Katherine (a year younger than Cindy), Laurie (a year older than me), and Annie (a year younger than Betsy). Susi is the oldest in our family - sandwiched in between Reinertson's eldest, Bonnie, and the only boy, Donnie, a year or two younger. 

Backyard fun

I remember treating their backyard (in fact everyone's in the neighborhood) like it was an extension of ours. Reinertsons had a basketball hoop on a pole by the patio in the backyard. And a cool jungle gym-style swingset - monkey bars! Our yard featured a basic triangle-type swingset, and a fabulous playhouse built by my Grandfather Pop's contracting business. We also had a hill leading up to our back porch - fun for sledding and sliding down on giant cardboard pieces. 

There was a narrow forested property to the east of our house that was never developed while we lived there. Of course, we made that our own too - climbing the trees, making forts, and carving out a path to the north side of the block. The woods seemed so large like many things remembered, but adult Leslie saw how narrow it really was. 

Juddy dog with Mom and me

Our doggo, Jud, a full-sized dachshund who we got when I was 1 year old, was part of our posse - he followed us wherever we went. Sadly, he was hit by a car and broke his hip. Mom took him to a vet clinic in Red Oak to have a pin put in the break. He had a big cast on his rear end and we had to carry him outside to go potty. The pin stuck through the skin - a stainless steel rod. Later, he always had that scar, and his legs kicked off to the side when he ran. Jud lived to be 15 years old - I was a freshman in high school. I credit Jud - who slept with me each night - for my love of animals. We called him our brother and he was named after our dad David Judson. Our son Judson is named after Dad and our dog. 😀 

I got a new Western Flyer "spider" bike with a banana seat one year. It was aqua in step-through girl style and had a big white basket on the front. As a not so girlie-girl, I took the plastic flowers off of the basket right away! I did need the basket for my piano lessons at Mrs. Sandhorst's house a few blocks southwest of our place. Everyone had bikes (no helmets) and it wasn't uncommon to see a big mess of bikes parked at any house or play area on summer days. I rode it to school sometimes too. I got in trouble once because I turned into our driveway in front of Sheila Savory in her Karmann Ghia. She called Mom, who read me the riot act on bike safety. 

The best thing was when the "big kids" would include us in their outdoor activities - like Ghost Tag, Kick the Can, and Sardines. Look those games up - basically the are tag and hide n seek. Donnie Reinertson hid in the attic above his family's garage. That place was set up like a fort, but it sure was hot up there. Lucky, we had an app for that. Not really - just one of those twirling sprinklers we'd run through. 

Speaking of water, swimming is part of my family identity. Mom was a Red Cross water safety instructor those summers - along with her friend Betty Lou Pellett. Mom dragged us along for lessons held at the former Boy Scout camp near Griswold. Of course, we took all of the lessons - from beginner to Water Safety Instructor. Good memories of listening to "I'm Henry the 8th" in the car, and going to a root beer place after a whole morning of swimming and running around a park near a cave Jesse James hid in. 

As if we didn't get enough swimming those mornings, we'd go to the pool at the Golf and Country Club in the afternoons. There I'd play with friends I still hold dear. In between dips in the baby and big pool, we'd make forts by putting out towels over a tipped pool chair. Swimming games included swim tag, Nibbles (hiding a twig in the pool for others to find), Jump or Dive off of the diving board, handstands, reading each other's lips underwater, Cannonballs, and more. And that snack room was awesome - with frozen treats like Cap'n Crunch Bars and Drumstix. Plus the regular fare - candy bars, soda, and chips. There was a big table, perfect for card games like Spoons and War. 

Celebrating swim team

Atlantic had a great summer Swim Team, managed by who else - the Pellett family. Practice was at Sunnyside - the full-sized public pool with 3 different diving boards - low, medium, and the scary high board. We'd swim laps under the diving boards - 20 yards across. Parents drove us to SWISA (Southwest Iowa Swim Association) Swim Meets across SW Iowa - places like Council Bluffs (Town and Country Pool), Shenendoah, Clarinda, Creston, Missouri Valley, Manning, Villisca. A couple of times we even went to AAU meets - big time! We went to Fremont, NE, Omaha, and Jefferson, Iowa. I was a good breast stroke specialist and had great support in relays with my pals Sally, Robyn, Merricks and Hutchinsons, Sue, Jennifer, and more. 

I got to know people like the Allens - Mike, Pat, Sherri. Bill Thede was fun to hang with. So many more I can't think of. Swim Team members spent a lot of time together - riding to meets, reading Mad Magazine, and playing cards under the tent in between races. Sue Tyler always brought boxes of Jello - basically flavored sugar for energy. Today I think they use products made for that purpose - we were just ahead of the game! Sally and I spent many hours in her family pool practicing flip turns. 

When I was older, no longer participating on Swim Team, I became a Water Safety Instructor, and Life Guard at both Sunnyside and the Country Club. I even helped with swim meets by being a timer. It's no wonder my skin suffered lots of damage - before the age of sunscreen. We did have Zinc Oxide for burned noses and cheeks. And Baby Oil with iodine - huh? 

The outdoor pool at my gym just opened, so it's time for me to get back in the water. The sounds of kids swimming and playing and the smell of chlorine bring on nostalgia. Another reminder can be hearing songs played over and over on the only station we could get at the pool - was it WOW AM? 

Summer is my favorite season. I tried to believe it was Autumn like it is for many. But it isn't. Bring on the sun (with 50 sunscreen). 

I hope you have a good summer filled with past memories and future ones. 

Fab Holiday Gathering

You know how when you plan things - they don't usually go quite to plan. I dare to tempt fate even further by creating a spreadsheet with food, activity ideas. Don't be impressed - it didn't help. I ended up going to HyVee and other stores five times in four days. 😑

I didn't get any pictures with our guests - except this kitchen shot. And our annual group shot on the steps. 

Despite the Thanksgiving holiday food prep cluster, the long weekend lived up to pre-event anticipation. Our kids/Nell arrived Wednesday night - no drive/flight issues. Nell is 15 months old - an age I remember as being "busy, requires constant attention". She's all of that but was content getting into cupboards on the approved list. She totters about in an adorable singsong voice chattering. Her parents have trained her to use sign language to indicate hunger, and full - so helpful. Nell still sleeps around 12 hours at night - waking up cheery. She's a messy eater, and is experimenting with utensils. Green food is not her favorite. 

On Thursday, Paul rose early to put the 17-pound turkey in. I'd made 2 batches of fancy (sour cream, cream cheese) mashed potatoes for the Crock-Pot, and whipped up Mom's Scalloped Corn recipe. Paul baked 2 pies the day before - Key Lime and pumpkin. Paul's sis Carol, her daughter Barb and family - husband Mike, and kids Greyson and Mandy were our guests. Carol and Barb brought salad, stuffed mushrooms, and a chocolate dessert. With all of that and stuffing (thanks Carol for gravy duty). We had plenty to eat. It was so fun to hang with family, especially after spending 2020 Thanksgiving alone. 

Thursday night we switched to Christmas with our kids. We ate leftovers and opened presents. Then we played trivia-type games, always witty with this group. 

Nell's first tailgate!

On Friday our whole gang - Paul and I, kids, and Nell drove to Ames to tailgate at the last ISU home football game. We loved it that they got to visit with old and new family friends including Jeff McFee, Steve Crittenden, Conovers, and our tailgating buds, McKims, Ehreckes, and Chaneys. Jud, Kara, and Paul went to the game - big win over TCU. The rest of us enjoyed Nell time. We may not have followed Jud's explicit directions, but she thrived despite our rookie moves. 😉

We went to Booneville for a Waveland breakfast Saturday morning and Amy and Corey caught a flight out that afternoon. We were sad to see them go. We're not sure when we'll see them again as they begin a new adventure - moving to NYC at the end of December. They were anxious to pick up their dogs - Franklin their alpha weenie had suffered a dog bite at the dogsitters. It sounds like he's on the mend. Jud and Kara's dogs Archie and Henry were at our place. Henry has epilepsy, so he takes meds, but he wasn't feeling well the first day. I hope he's on the mend too - such a good boy. 

Thanks to great weather Nell got to visit a playground. She loves slides and climbing on things. We love to watch her enjoying things.  

Paul made a prime rib that night and we savored that treat along with twice-baked potatoes (thanks HyVee). Chatting over and after a meal with your adult kids is so gratifying. After supper we watched "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" - a funny/touching old holiday movie with Steve Martin and John Candy. I got to serve breakfast to smiley Nell before she and her parents/dogs packed up (babies and dogs require a lot of gear!). Paul headed south to sit in a treestand and I putzed around doing laundry, putting things away - while glowing from a special family time. I'm still glowing. 

On December 2 we celebrated Patrick George Goldsmith's 30th birthday. Grief hit me that morning and I got a bit weepie, thinking of what we lost by not having him physically in our family. Six days is all we had due to a congenital heart issue - hypoplastic left ventricle. I remember the love our family received during Patrick's brief life and funeral - from family, friends, and even strangers. Patrick continues to impact our lives - we try to turn our grief into gratitude. But sometimes the hurt breaks through. Thanks to all who help us remember him. His angel food cake is delicious. 

after C Section - breech baby. That hair! 

Patrick's tree

Thankful - Where to Start?

Hi out there in blog-reading land! It's been a long while. Adele took five years to put out an album...it's all about timing/feeling. It's been a few months for me. Oh, I've written some things - but never hit the publish button. I'm not sure why I've been more reluctant to write the blog and share it lately - it's a strange time in my (all of our) life, this pandemic. 

I like to take photos and share what I'm doing. I also like seeing your photos and hear about what you're doing. 

Covid knocked me off of my stride. It knocked the whole world off its stride. Today and the future are forever changed. Ah, Road of Life, you are not smooth. I've blogged before about how our parents - mostly our mom - prepared the Bullock girls for rough roads. Though supportive, she was no helicopter parent. From that, I learned to bounce back from adversity. It isn't painless - and can be quite tough. On December 2nd, Paul and I will celebrate our baby angel Patrick's 30th birthday. His short life taught me many lessons. 

I've learned as a parent of Amy and Jud how hard it is to watch your children struggle. Teaching them resilience (with support) is one of the best gifts ever. Life will continue to throw up obstacles - health, career, relationships, ISU Cyclone teams (can't leave that out!). This Thanksgiving I'm grateful for the support of friends and family who make resilience possible. 

What are your plans? We are so excited to host our family for Thanksgiving (and early Christmas). Jud and Kara with Baby Nell will be arriving Wednesday.  Amy and Corey fly in that day too. I can't wait to see them all again. 

I set up a calendar reminder to take the 17 lb. turkey out of the freezer - never leave important stuff up to my memory 😆. Last year Paul and I were on our own for Thanksgiving since it was before vaccines were available. We're so excited to host local family on Thursday. Paul's sis Carol and our niece Barb, husband Mike, and kids are coming. We'll miss Paul's sister Jean and husband Dave who can't make it this year. 

I'm not a natural entertainer like my sisters and some friends are (if they're not, they fake it well). I'm jealous, but not enough to change it! When I start to stress about food/activities, my mantra is "it will be fine". Covid helped open my eyes to the fact that it's the people, not the food or house. 

We're so happy that travel is back - even if it requires masks! Paul and I are all vaxxed too. We are thankful that we've been able to hit the trail/road/air in recent months.   

-I traveled on my bike all summer after installing a trailer hitch on Bleuy, my car. I purchased an easy on/off bike rack and Albie, my bike and I were off - traveling to and riding on trails all around DSM - 40 miles a week. Exploring the trails was so good for my mental and physical health. 

-We hosted the Goldsmith fam reunion in DSM in August. It's the first time to get three generations together in over a decade. It was so fun to catch up with our nieces/nephews and meet some of their kids for the first time. And we got to show off our granddaughter darling Nell. (who turned 1 in September!)

-In September we attended UNLV vs ISU football game in Vegas. Jud and Kara were there, sans baby, having a good time. Those trips are good for parental mental health. We traveled with our college pals, Vic/Fred, Moose/Kay. After the game we traveled to several State and Federal Parks for sightseeing and hiking. The beauty of America astounds me. And beer is good everywhere. ;>) Kay did a great job planning out our travels, Moose drove us safely. It's a good travel group. 

Right after we returned home from Vegas and Utah, I drove west to Omaha to "group up" with Atlantic friends - some of whom I've known since preschool. There's nothing like hanging with friends who knew your people, and have known you through many stages of your life - child, young adult, and now as a "senior". Life stages are not as scary when you're surrounded by friends.  

We joined our ISU friends in Ames for several football games this fall. Tailgating was fantastic - food, friends, and a few beverages. The Cyclones haven't had the season we were hoping for, but talk about resilience - team and fans are still "All In". And the ISU Varsity Marching Band is awesome! Especially the drum corps.  

In October, a family wedding (congrats Eric & Molly) took us to California - touristing a few days with sister Cindy in San Fransico and Napa (thanks David and Lisa Lamm for hosting us at a winery!), before going to Half Moon Bay, just south of SF for the wedding. Gathering with family for a special event is simply the best!  

Assignment this week? Enjoy, and be grateful. 

The Driveway

202 Crombie -Bullock home for 30 years

 

Our house is a very, very, very fine house! 

My childhood home in Atlantic, Iowa was designed by my grandfather, Herbert Leslie Morehead. It was built in the early 1950s, a walkout ranch-style home with a flat roof. The house had many special features - built-in drawers in each bedroom, hardwood floors, and lots of light from large windows on the north side. Thinking back, one of the best features was a fairly flat double-wide driveway for the 2-car garage. 

That driveway is central to many of my favorite memories of the first 18 years of my life. Yep, a big slab of concrete. I remember learning to ride my tricycle on the driveway. It was green with a white metal seat. I made the mistake of parking it behind my grandpa's car one day and he backed into it - bending it a bit, but it was still ride-able. Phew! Later it was a good place to practice riding my bike with training wheels. I'd turn around in the driveway and head up the sidewalk and back down again. 

The driveway was smooth - conducive to chalk. That was good because it was used often for Hopscotch - a game that is said to be over 1,000 years old. We played it by drawing rectangles on the driveway in chalk. 

Amazing - saw this on today's bikeride in Urbandale

  Hopscotch rules here

Another game we loved to play was 4-Square. This was a simple chalk square divided equally into four sections. Or you could play with two people, two sections. Players serve and bat a ball with their hands. I remember calling "banks or no-banks" rules. With banks you could bat the ball before it hit the pavement - then hit it again. Otherwise you had to jump aside to let the ball fly out of the square bounds. 

When I was older, I got into tennis (note - we were a golf family so I never had any formal training in this sport). I'd bat the ball at our wooden garage door. I often hit it onto the the flat roof! We had a long wood ladder that I just set up to the side, because roofballs were inevitable. I don't know how Mom could stand that constant thump of the ball! 

My best memories are of summer nights, playing with the neighbors - especially our next door buddies the Reinertsons. That meant we were playing with the big kids! I felt so special when they let us play. We'd play Sardines - a kind of reverse hide-and-seek, where there was one hider. All others had to look for that person and when they found him/her, they'd lay down next to them - making a row of sardines. The last person lost. Reinertson's tall bushes on the west side of their house were a great place to hide!  

We played Ghost in the Graveyard and Kick the Can. For those games we had to pick who would be "It" to start the game. Of course we used methds passed down through the years - usually the Bubble Gum Bubble Gum in a Dish chant, or Eeeny Meeny Miney Moe. 

Sister Susi is central to one of my fave memories. She's much older than me (haha - she's be 70 soon!), so I don't remember her playing with me nearly as much as Cindy and lil sis Betsy. That special evening, it was already dark. Susi's neighborhood friends were there - including Linda Buck and Jeff Grayson. There is a streetlight right over the driveway - a bright spot in the night. Jeff had his bike and they made plans to prank the cops. I'm not sure why they thought a cop would drive by. The plan was for Jeff to lay by his bike on the end of our driveway pretending that he crashed. The rest of us were supposed to flee the scene when the cop drove by - like we'd caused the wreck. Our cue to run was when someone would yell "Cheese It, the Cops!" We practiced the drill several times to make sure we all knew where to flee to. It was serious stuff to be included on this escapade! The cops didn't cooperate in the end, but fun was had!

Our driveway was perfect for jump-rope! I got a new jump rode for Easter one year. It was green rubber with white handles. No wonder we all stayed in shape with activities like that and Hoola-Hoop! Rope jumping also involved many memorized ditties. One of my faves was: 

Suzi Over the Ocean

Suzi Over the Sea

Suzi broke a milk bottle, blamed it on me

How many lickings did she get (yeah violence was involved)

1,2,3 - until you tripped up and stopped jumping

If we had enough people we could use a long rope with 2 twirlers and one to jump in between - or sometimes 2 people (double dutch!). We went International when we got Chinese Jump Ropes. I can't believe I didn't get shin splits! We never had a basketball hoop, but I didn't think twice about using the neighbor's patio hoop, stuck on a wooden pole. Thanks to the Reinertsons for being patient with a kid that probably bounced that ball when they didn't really wish to hear it. 

I look back fondly on these memories. I don't know when my love for driveway fun died out - to be replaced with enjoying the driveway as a place to park a car. We'd pull the extra car off to the side in the grass by the tiny fire hydrant. We drove my grandpa Bubba's 1971 light blue VW Beetle in the winters when my grandparents headed to St. Petersburg, Florida for the winter. Then Cindy got a Chevy Vega with racing stripes - that clutch was touchy! 

Now we live in a neighborhood across from a small city park. Hearing the kids playing still brings joy! I can't wait to play with our granddaughter as she grows up. She's just starting to pull herself up on furniture. The circle of life. 

The Bullock girls with my Morehead grandparents - Pops was the architect

                                                                                        We get to see Nell - and parents this weekend! 

 

Moms and My Last Best Trip With Mom

Mom and I on the Cassville Ferry 1996

Another Mother's Day has come and gone. We weren't able to be with our kids in person again this year - and settled for a Zoom video call with all five. Darling granddaughter Nell, already 8 months old, was yawning and went down for a nap soon after we started. That baby is a good sleeper! I know many people are tired of Zoom meetings, but we're still delighted that technology can put us all as close as we can without physically being together. 

Happy 1st Mother's Day to Kara - here at a wedding with Jud and Nell

As a Mom, I love my special day - and appreciate seeing social media posts - people giving it up for their Moms. I also appreciate the acknowledgment of other non-birth mom nurturers. I can think of several wonderful women who have been influences on younger generations. 

A "file photo" of Jeanie with her husband Bruce

Our Aunt Jeanie, Dad's sis, has been a special person in my life, from when I was a kid and she'd visit her parents, my grandparents in Atlantic. We'd hang out, driving around in my grandpa Bubba's VW Beetle. 

One of my sisters still talks about the time she spent in Denver with Jeanie and her husband Bruce, during a summer when she was a teen, struggling to figure out how she fits in. High School can be brutal and it's nice to get a different perspective and to know there are people like Jeanie on your side. Additionally, some of my besties have special relationships with nieces, nephews, friends' kids, and godchildren. I tip my hat to all of you! Keep up the good work and support.   

During Mother's Day week I think of my mom more often than usual. Now that I'm closing in on the age she was when lung cancer took her I identify with her more than ever. This year I dug into my photo bank for one of Mom and me to post on Facebook. I found one taken on our last trip together, our best trip. 

Mom at Beringer

Mom loved to travel. She planned and took overseas tours with each of her daughters. Betsy went to England, Cindy to Europe, Susi to Greece. I got to go with her to Scandanavia in 1983. Our tour included stops in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. It was fabulous! 

Mom at Chandon Champagne

In the early 1990s (1992?) we flew to Betsy's house in SE Washington and traveled Highway 101 down the coast all the way to San Francisco for my cousin David Lamm's wedding. Mom said she'd always wanted to take that trip. She planned memorable stops in Oregon and California. We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, stayed in a motel made from 1 redwood tree, and went to wine country to visit Beringer's winery, and Chandon Champagne. 

In San Francisco, Dad and Betsy flew in and we stayed near Fisherman's Wharf. We cruised out by Alcatraz, took a tour of the area including Chinatown and Golden Gate Bridge. Then we attended Lisa and David's lovely wedding - riding with the wedding party on a cable car open-air bus. It was a gorgeous day and a great way to finish up our trip. 

Mom and I had a memorable time together on those trips, but our last trip together was our best in August of 1996. We went to an exotic location - Northeast Iowa and places nearby. Wannabe Travel Agent Pat, pre-Internet mapped out a route that started in Galena, Illinois for a night. During the day we visited General Grant's home there. Galena is a beautiful town - fun to visit as it has many shops and restaurants to go with beautiful views. 

Next, we drove North from Illinois, barely into Wisconsin. There the photo above was taken at the Cassville Car Ferry, just a tiny spot on the map. You only need to push a button to notify the ferry you want a ride and await its arrival. A group of 50ish women from Dubuque was also waiting. They'd been on a quilting trip together. Or maybe they were gambling!  

We next drove up to the tip of Iowa - Marquette, close to the most NE point in Iowa. We stayed at a hotel with a Mississippi River view. The hill it was on was home to Pinky the Elephant. Mom and I ventured into my very first Riverboat Gambling experience. Casinos were new to Iowa and there were none near Creston at that time. I wasn't that impressed. I'm still not a fan. Loud, smoky, and a money pit. It didn't take long to lose my $20 stake in the slots. 

The next day of our adventure led us to Spillville to see the Bily Clock Museum a fascinating place filled with the Bily brother's hand-carved fabulous clocks. Then we headed to Montauk Historic Site in Clermont Iowa. It's the former home of Iowa's 12th Governor William Larrabee whose family lived there until 1965. The home and grounds can really give you an idea of life "back in the day".

On our last night, we had a room at a motel at Independence, Iowa. I found out that Mom spent summer weeks there as a child. She had fond memories of spending time with aunts, uncles, and cousins - the Griswolds and the Weepies. We stopped at the local library to find out to get information about the cemetery. No close family members lived in the area then. 

Then it was time to head home - me to Creston and Mom to Atlantic. Car time was special - it allowed us to really talk. Mom was a heavy smoker. She tried to stop smoking a few times through the years but could never get it done. Mom had a hoarse cough that summer that she couldn't shake. Little did I know that when she got to her beloved Florida that fall, she'd be diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. It's a deadly form of cancer and despite battling it with chemo and radiation, she was gone by the next July. 

Mom with niece Leslie and dolls she bought for several grandkids

The older I get, the more I love getting together with my sisters. We each have memories about our mother - some good, some not as good. She was a fabulous role model in many ways. I see how similar my sisters and I are - strong work ethic, caring for others, not afraid to lead. And fun! My sisters and I do laugh about some of the things she did. I only need to look in the mirror to see her legacy. Happy Mother's Day Mom. Never forgotten! 

Sisters!