Jan 6, 2018 Into Winter
Already it is January 6, 2018 and I have received not one
seed catalog in the mail or thru email. The world is changing. In previous
years, the booklets came right after Christmas. And I was able to spend hours
looking at spring and planning my new gardens. If Mother was still with us,
that is what she would be doing on these cold days. It’s always good to order
at least one new Iris. And one weird vegetable. Perhaps the publishers realize
that my gardening days are slipping into retirement and don’t waste time on a ‘just
looking” subscriber.
I know it is unreasonable to think of gardens when northern
Ohio and much of the country is in an extended deep freeze of weather. But hope
is alive as we anxiously await next week’s temps in the 30s. We can put the
heavy coats and scarves away for a while.
Christmas at our house is back in the closet. Each year, I
plan to sort and discard ornaments and sit arounds, but by then, I just want it
out of sight so the stack of boxes continues to grow. We collect vintage
ornaments and often travel to Bronners in Frankenmuth, Mi. where we look for
out of the ordinary ornaments. In the first year of marriage, we visited
Bronners Christmas shops when they were in houses up town and had to stand in
line to go through the houses. Since then, they have moved to the southern
outskirts of town into a large building with decorations for all seasons. Its
funny to think that some of those ornaments from the honeymoon trip are now
vintage. When we visit Frankenmuth, we always have a chicken dinner at Zehnders
and sit in our special booth in one of the small rooms. The restaurant’s
specialty is fried chicken family style and includes noodle soup, slaw and
cranberry relishes, liver pate, and special fruit bread. We always enjoy a glass of Rhine style wine.
One year, with the girls along, we bribed Victoria with a sherbet to try the
pate. Her face indicated her intense dislike. We couldn’t even bribe Jennifer.
When she tried beef liver at age 4, she told me she thought her food had poison
in it. That is honest dislike.
Now that the rush of the season is over, I am trying to plan
things to avoid my annual bout of SAD depression. This story is one way to avoid
that desperate feeling. I also use my light to simulate some sunlight. The snow
cover with the harsh whiteness keeps the gray away. I have also started a
genealogy project. Each week will feature a different ancestor along with
photos and stories I have access to. I will share on family FB pages and print
a copy for myself. By the end of the year, I will have a nice book. My parents’
profiles are already completed and printed. Also, I use my Notes on my Iphone
to write quick memories that can evolve into short stories. One of my friends,
Cindy, remembers everything about Willard and its people and needs to do this
for a Willard history.
Over the years, I have scanned, saved, shared, and reprinted
thousands of old photos (the reason my computer is low on memory). This winter,
I plan to drag out photo boxes and albums full of photos of my daughters to
divide and scan. Maybe if they are online, the grandkids will enjoy seeing mom
as a youngster and hear childhood stories from me. When we visited my
grandmother, we always found her box of family photos to review. As we dug out
pictures, she shared the names and relationships and a story about the person.
My nonstop memory has stored that information and over the years, I have tried
to share it in my written stories and my family tree on Ancestry. Those people
who brought us to where we are today need to be remembered. Isn’t it a special
moment when someone tells you that you look like grandma or Aunt Lucy and you
know who they mean? They gave us our walk, our looks and mannerisms. As we age,
who doesn’t find themselves using those Mom or Dad warnings and sayings from
our youth? Our speech slowly recalls theirs.
In January, we have a trip planned to sunny Florida to visit
my sister. Another forward plan. By then, we will need some real sunshine. Plus,
it is good to get out of the comfort zone of home. In retirement, it is easy
for me to spend days in my pajamas. Come on, I know others do the same thing.
As I write this, I am on the last day of antibiotics for
upper respiratory infection and feeling ambitious after laying on the sofa for
2 weeks only going out to get the old “hags” hair (yeah looking rough) done and
to get a few groceries with a friend. Weird that I can function through MS and
RA, but a UPI knocks me out and seems to last forever. Have binge watched a few
Netflix shows -Grace and Frankie-and actually read several books by Conrad
Richter.
Not as many friends post on FB as in previous years. Please
consider those people who use this as a way to stay in touch. We do enjoy
hearing about your family. Your posting of activity and photos can bring
brightness to a slow day. Just a message
means a thought. Keep it going. Sometimes a dark day lasts forever. Remember friends
and family.
Karen Coffey Wilson
