Still Here

The ongoing task of emptying mom's house continues.

All the canning jars might actually be out now.

Here is a portion of the rummage sale.

Here are the special "collectible" canning jars.

 Here are the boxes & boxes of everyday, slightly newer

canning jars.

Looks like a lot doesn't it.

Most of these were probably grandma's jars.

If you sit down and do the math, it was grandma, grandpa, 6 kids, and grandpa's mom.  That's nine people.  If they made grilled cheese sandwiches for supper, with canned applesauce and green beans as side dishes, that would take a couple loaves of bread, a couple pounds of cheese, at least two quarts of applesauce, and probably another two quarts of beans.  That's just one meal.  There are 365 1/4 days in a year.  That would have taken 1460 quart jars if they had used home canned goods at least once a day.  It is true that in the summer, the food just would have been picked, washed, cooked and eaten, so maybe not quite as many jars would have been needed.  Families are a lot smaller now.  It makes a big difference in how big the pantry size needs to be.  Technically, grandma may not have been a hoarder, because out of financial necessity (at least when the kids were still at home) she had to use all that food.  And when company came, you had to have enough plates.

 Anybody need a very large set of Fire King gilt dishes?

It starts off with 19 dinner plates and goes from there -

three copy paper boxes full.

 How about some dessert bowls?

I sold 6, but still have 9 left.

And then there's the cookware, Prudential Ware or Saladmaster?

And it goes on and on.

The garden is coming along nicely in the background,

but needs some serious weeding - if it actually stops raining on a day when I'm not trying to sell stuff.

Tornado Season

We're fine but some folks up north aren't as fortunate.
http://www.wbay.com/content/news/Severe-Weather-hits-Western-Wisconsin-422656884.html

People make sick jokes about tornadoes always hitting trailer parks.  This is why houses in areas where tornadoes frequent should have basements.  Unfortunately, murphy's law strikes those who can afford it the least.  Please pray for those affected by this disaster and for the family of the man who died.

Two Bits

Well it's time to get our roof redone.  Considering the height and slope of the thing, it is not a DIY project.  The roofers are up there now with their nail guns.  Each shingle gets da-da-da-dat-dat.  Each time it is missing the final two taps.  This particular scene from the Who Framed Roger Rabbit has been running through my mind all afternoon.

About the only other thing quite as annoying as that knock is someone playing only 7 notes in an 8 note octave scale.

Wednesday

Ember ate a rubber doorstop; I have no idea why she suddenly decided it needed devouring.  Thursday her stomach decided it wasn't digestible, and she barfed up the big pieces.  She seems happier now.  Friday should be interesting; hopefully the smaller pieces go through alright.

Don't let that innocent look fool you.

Reading Were You?

"Oh how boring!"

 "Let's wrestle instead."

"Is it warm in here, or do I need a haircut?"
Yes, you needed a haircut, and you got one after
a WALK (to empty you out)
and
a B-A-T-H
(so the clippers didn't get dull on all the dirt that was in your hair).
Spring is in the air.
The robins are back,
and the motorcycles are rumbling.

Finally Found

my dining room table again.  Mom & stepfather's taxes are finally done and mailed, and the piles of receipts, records, and forms are no longer cluttering the table.

See.

So as promised here are a few pictures of some slightly cool relics from the past.

A few old comic books, probably mom & dad's.

My personal favorites were Hawkman and Dennis the Menace.

Some old Cessna owner's manuals from a neighbor of mom's who passed away a good 10-15 years ago.

Approx. 6oz. pre-prohibition beer glasses from Cream City Brewing Co. in Milwaukee.  Those are probably from mom's folks.  Serving sizes have definitely gotten larger over the years.

Not sure whose this was, but pocket cameras have come a long way.  The shutter doesn't move anymore, but that isn't all that surprising, because the newest patent date inside the back is Aug. 30, 1898.  Besides, nobody sells film for these anymore.  It is sad that Kodak didn't manage to transition to digital and went out of business.  The clips are probably from dad's adventures in photography and film developing in the 60's.  There are some glossy enlargement drying plates around here somewhere too.  Funny thing, after the divorce, mom used them mostly for drying her starched nurses caps.

This is what table clutter might have looked like around 1915.  (Speaking of cameras, mine really doesn't focus close enough to do that little silver snuff box justice.  And the spare camera battery no longer holds a decent charge.  It is only a matter of time before the good one dies too.  Any suggestions on a good replacement for an old Sony Mavica?)

Now for some girlie stuff.

In case you hadn't guessed, grandma liked "Evening in Paris" fragrances.  Another possibility is that grandpa liked it when grandma wore "Evening in Paris".  The musical powder box plays a 1920's pop song Speak to me of Love.  I think the White Shoulder's was mom's before she gave up on perfume.  And no the smelling salts do not smell anything like lavender - advertisers have been lying for a very long time.  I started taking flowers to mom at assisted living in other vases once I looked that one up in some books on depression glass. (She likes the inexpensive blue glass one that came from a florist better anyhow.)  The vase in the picture would appear to be a Paden City Glass Manufacturing Co., Black Forest Design, No. 210 Regina 6.5" vase.

And last but not least a Zenith Royal 760 Navigator Transistor Radio (AM) from the 1950's.  It takes 6 c-cells; it still works.

I sure hope some of these curiosities move in the spring & summer rummage sales.  So far with the economy in the crapper, the only things that have sold at previous rummage sales were basic daily essentials.  Although after having done the taxes, it might be best to donate the antiques and collectibles and get mom & stepfather a decent deduction, rather than having to pay additional capital gains tax.

To keep things in perspective it is time to remember

Matthew 6:19-21

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Funny, there is nothing in that verse about the things mice do.  Maybe they fall under the thieves category.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Sorry, I've been stuck doing mom & stepfather's taxes.  They are even more complicated than last year.

Things to note:
If someone designates you as their power of attorney without telling you about it, decline the honor unless you really care about him or her.

The IRS has a special power of attorney form that you have to complete in order for them to accept an existing power of attorney document.  Can you say VOGONS?

The mailing address for the IRS change of address form is different from the one for power of attorney documents, so you have to send copies of everything to a separate place.  Did someone at the IRS buy stock in companies that make photocopiers?  I detect a possible conflict of interest.

AARGH!