Cools Temperatures Rely on Warm Memories
Yesterday was Mother’s Day 2015. The day was delightful and busy as only days can be with family getting together.
Just as Grandpa Dennis predicted, Megan and Nicholas loved getting to know the newest feline on Stauffer, Snuggles. They arrived from Eden Prairie and there was a dash out to the garage porch for them to take a quick peek to see which of the cats were awake and who was still sleeping in their beds.
There was no sun to be had, and with intermittent showers, we had an in-door picnic. I didn’t have a chance to take notice of the temperatures yesterday, as I was more in-tuned to the chatter and the antics of those around me. Dennis had turned the furnace up in the porch before the kids arrived, knowing full well where the action would be. Megan and Nicholas ate and postponed having desert until after they would come back in from the porch. From the bathroom window the view through the patio doors of the porch was priceless. Both kids were on the floor of the porch and a ping pong ball could be seen bouncing around as well as a black and while blur of Snuggles.
In time, Megan and Nicholas did come in and, I swear, they had played hard enough that when I brought the rhubarb dessert and the ice cream to the dining room table, they each indicated larger portions then I would have given them credit for. Without saying anything after they finished their dessert, each went in different directions and came back together with toys to play with. They must have hatched out a plan before they came in. It tugged at my heart. Both had brought their tablets with, but they were lying on the dining room table. The kids were still interested in playing with the toys that they have played with since the time when each of them were toddlers. Priceless.
From the time Megan had been a toddler, we would take her along as we ran errands, and at some point we had visited the Fleet and Farm Store. With her little nose hanging over a display she found the Schleich animal collection. As she picked each one up and looked it over, I told her she could pick out two animals. It was very hard for her to decide. At that time I told her the next time she came, she could pick out two more animals. It seemed to be a good plan. The next time Megan did come to stay with us, and we brought her toys our for play, the two animals from Fleet and Farm put a twinkle in her eye and she said, “Two more?” What can I say? It has become a tradition that was passed on to to Nicholas. Just too fun.
There is nothing as pleasing to Grandpa Dennis
and me as seeing Megan and Nicholas putting aside their
tablets and playing with toys from days gone by.
Yesterday, to top off the play, Megan had a request. The last time Megan was here she had followed me up to the attic and had spied something and had asked if it could come downstairs so she could play with it. I had brought it down and it was a winner. Yesterday, Megan was requesting the same red and green barn to play with as Nicholas had never seen it before. Out came the Schleich animals, which by now has come to be quite a collection. For the afternoon, some of us visited, some took naps and the two kids played on the floor creating all sorts of scenarios with the animals and the barn. There were even a few items pulled from a doll house to finish it all off.
I couldn’t resist pulling up a 2009 Mother’s Day
photo when Megan and Nicholas had Uncle Kevin pulling
them up and down the driveway.
I couldn’t resist pulling up a photo Mother’s Day 2009 when Megan and Nicholas had their Uncle Kevin pull them up and down the drive on the garden wagon.
I am going to back up a bit about how the red and green barn happened to be. When Kevin may have been in kindergarten, Orlin and I knew that the coming Christmas, Carrie was going to be getting one of the Barbie Doll items. I don’t remember if it was the camper or the plane. I contacted my Great Uncle Roy Grunwalt, who was very handy with his hands. The request was for a barn with a hay loft to be made for Kevin. We asked him what he would charge. We ended up doing a barter. I would paint Great Aunt Agnus a table cloth with my Tri-Chem oil paints in exchange for the barn. The deal was struck and all we needed to do was paint it without the kids catching on. Over the decades, the barn has quietly been waiting in the far southwest corner of my attic, most likely dreaming about all the play times it and Kevin had had.
Yesterday was a great Mother’s Day. We had put the day to rest as night fell, when we had one more surprise. Dennis had rummaged around and found a treasure he was bound and determined to send home with Nicholas. It’s hard doing for grandchildren and keeping it a bit fair. We had shared a sewing machine with Megan a time ago and today was Nicholas’ turn. The treasure was an old telephone that at one time was a promo advertisement for Pepsi. It was on a free standing unit and on the receiver was Pepsi – 10¢. Dennis had hooked it up and knew that any phone jack would result in an operational phone. Nicholas went home holding the phone on his lap.
Eight o’clock last night our phone rang and it was for Grandpa Dennis. Nicholas was on his Pepsi phone thanking Grandpa Dennis for his treasure. “—-oh, and if Megan wants to use my phone, she has to pay me 10¢.”
Just how many special memories will my mind be able to hold? I believe with all that is within me, my memories will keep me alive and vital for some time to come.