Melting snow

"November 4, 1992:  Helen is still sick -- was worse over the weekend.
November 5, 1992:  Has been cloudy all week and cold.  Howard had the pickup "tuned up" -- oil changed, new filters and spark plugs, etc. -- all to the tune of $69.60.
November 8 & 9, 1992:  Warm enough to melt almost all the snow.  Ground is black again.  Have passed the halfway mark in piecing the Storm at Sea quilt."

Hmmm.  I just noticed something.  Grandma tends to note the costs of house repairs and mower repairs and now the tune up for the pickup, but I haven't seen her note the costs of quilting fabric and supplies.  Funny!

Aunt Helen had been having a rough patch there.  We know she pulled through, but she was such a little thing that her being sick seems doubly hard on her.

We've seen other photos from this same day with these same people in them, but I thought this was a particularly good one of everyone.  Except maybe Uncle Raymond who was caught in mid-chuckle it looks like.

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Election Day

"November 1, 1992:  Tom, Merilyn and Greta here for dinner.  Tom loaded up wood.  Merilyn picked out star quilt pattern.  She'll get material.  Started to snow in p.m. 
November 2, 1992:  Snowed most of night.  Not too cold.  Nearly three inches of snow.
November 3, 1992:  Voted today.  Clinton was elected president."

Grandma doesn't comment much on world events, but every now and then she does.  There is another coming up in 1993 that rather surprised me but you, dear reader(s), will have to wait to find out what that is.

Here's a photo of a very small woodpile, at least by Grandpa's standards.  I have to remember to ask Tom about Grandpa measuring logs to make them all the same length . . .

Halloween, twice

"October 29, 1992:  To Norfolk in evening with Greta -- visited Irene.  Workers brought their youngsters for Trick or Treat.
October 30, 1992:  Pinochle at Elsie J.'s.
October 31, 1992:  Light rain in p.m. and evening.  Only 17 here for Trick or Treat.

I hadn't heard about the nursing home employees bringing their kids for Trick or Treating.  What a nice gesture.  I'm sure a lot of the residents/patients enjoyed the little faces.  I like the word "youngsters", by the way.

I don't know that Grandpa ever wore this nose for Halloween, but he certainly could have.

I have plenty of childhood memories of Halloween.  One recently came to mind when the father of one of my Norfolk elementary school friends died.  I don't remember what I wore for clothing, but one year I had a mask of a lady with red hair.  Not real hair, but shaped on the mask like the face.  I remember the face was rather normal-looking, but serious, too.  I guess maybe it looked very funny on a little girl because this particular dad laughed and laughed when I came to the door and made me come in and show his wife.  Funny what you remember from when you were a kid.

Flu shots

"October 21, 1992:  Back to Pierce today and got our flu shots.  Played Scrabble with Helen.
October 22, 1992:  Finished marking all the pieces for the Storm at Sea quilt.
October 28, 1992:  [Unsure of Grandma's writing here] washed on a.m.  Busy Bees at Nell's -- meeting postponed from last week because Junith was visiting."

Hmmm.  I'm drawing a blank here.  Which is extra bad since I am about 12 hours later with this post than I meant to be.  And it's Nancy's birthday and I only got to leave a voice mail.  But it's the weekend and that's good enough for me!  And since she made a card for my birthday with this photo as part of it, I'll post it for her big day.  It's kinda like a card, right?

Busy, busy

"October 17, 1992:  Dane here in a.m.  Baked, etc. in p.m.  Went to German Dinner at auditorium in evening.
October 18, 1992:  Lois, Gaylord, Mark, Jeff, Nancy and Irene here for dinner.  Lois brought Irene.  Greta, Dane, Helen and John here in p.m.  Killing frost last night -- 20 degrees this morning.
October 20, 1992:  John and Helen took us to Pierce for flu shots -- no doctor there so couldn't get them.  Went on to Norfolk and visited Irene -- then to WalMart's and I bought a new Tappon microwave.  Charles J. plowed the garden."

A busy few days there between having guests and baking and going downtown and cooking a dinner and travelling and shopping.  No wonder Grandma didn't plow the garden herself -- too tired!

Since Aunt Irene got a couple of mentions, she gets to be featured in my Photo of the Day.  I have that wooden rack on my desk and it has a few birds on it.  One of the birds in the photo looks familiar -- I may have gotten it from her things or else I have one very similar.  I'm becoming a bit of a bird lover and bird collector myself as of late.

Some cookies for Aunt Helen

"October 10, 1992:  Baked cookies and took some to Helen.  She has a virus infection in the inner ear -- is very dizzy and tired.
October 14, 1992:  Guest day at WELCA.
October 16, 1992:  Bertha R. entertained the Pinochle Club.  I received high prize.  Nancy came in evening.  Dane stayed with Greta."

Speaking of baking cookies, I may just have to stir up a batch of Little Grandma's sugar cookies ( think the famous family recipe is hers anyway) to take to the county fair.  I mean, why not?  Just have to be organized enough to find the ingredients and get it done.  Much prefer staying inside and baking than working outside in the humidity, that's for sure.

I recently posted a photo of Grandpa and Aunt Irene, so now I will give equal time to Aunt Helen.

Roll what?

"October 4, 1992:  To church.  Cooked the Roll Pilce I started last Saturday a week ago.
October 6, 1992:  Colder, cloudy and rainy today after several weeks of Indian summer.  Defrosted the freezer.  Cut the patterns for Storm at Sea quilt.
October 7 & 8, 1992:  Started raining slow but steady Tuesday (the 7th) night -- rained all night, all day Wednesday and up to noon Thursday.  We had nearly 3.5 inches of rain.  Started cutting quilt blocks -- had to write to Nancy to buy more material."

I had to call and ask Mom what Roll Pilce was again.  I am in no way sure of the spelling, but I put it as Grandma had it.

Mom was kind enough to give me her Storm at Sea quilt.  I don't recall what colors Nancy's is, but I am guessing blues.  Mom's/mine is green -- my favorite color.

For no particular reason, here's a photo of Dale and I drinking milk and reading the paper.