Posted tagged ‘church fairs’

“He had mittens, Minjekahwun, Magic mittens made of deer-skin; When upon his hands he wore them, He could smite the rocks asunder, He could grind them into powder”

November 30, 2015

Today is cloudy and in the 40’s which I still consider warm for this time of year. A sweatshirt is enough for me. I suppose if I were outside for a long time, I’d probably have to wear my winter jacket which sees little action most years. I do keep gloves in the car just in case, but I prefer mittens. They keep my fingers warmer. My pink ones are my favorites. They brighten even the darkest winter’s day.

When I was a kid and outside for a long stretch, the snow would stick to my wool mittens which would get so heavy with balls of snow the front would sag under the weight. It was time to go and trade. My mother kept pairs of mittens handy in case we wanted dry ones. She’d take our wet mittens, remove as much snow as she could and then put them on the radiators to dry. She also kept mittens without a mate just in case the mate appeared. If worse came to worse, we’d wear unmatched mittens. Fashion was never an issue.

Sometimes we got mittens in our stockings. My mother would buy them at church fairs where there was always a table of handmade goods. The women, always my grandmother’s age, sat behind the tables chit chatting. Every now and then one would get up to sell something or to rearrange the table. When I started buying stocking stuffers for my niece and nephews, that table was always my first stop. I swear the same old ladies were sitting behind it chatting.

Today is a day to get things done. I have a wash sitting in the hall, another load in the dryer where it’s been for a week and I have some errands to do. My larder is bare. Last night it was eggs and toast, a favorite dinner of mine, but not for two or three nights in a row. I am definitely thinking mashed potatoes and some kind of meat. Maybe I’ll go comfort food and cook meatloaf. Add peas, and that’s perfect dinner for me.

“Once the rain starts falling it’s hard to tell it to stop…”

December 7, 2013

This morning you needed a mirror to see if I was still breathing as I slept in until quite late. I must have needed it. When I woke up, I had the edge of the bed while Gracie had the rest of it. She seemed comfortable.

The yard lights didn’t go out last night. They are on a sensor keyed to Gracie and are supposed to turn off after 15 minutes. The heavy rain must have done something. The Christmas lights worked just fine but the yard was lit up all night long. I hoped the light of day would cause them to go out: I was right. It did. I hate having to call an electrician or a plumber.

The churches here still have Christmas fairs. I try to go to a couple every year. I love the white elephant tables as I usually find some kitchen item I can’t imagine I did without. The knitted mittens, slippers and scarfs are for stocking stuffers. Every table is manned by an old lady, which means older than I old lady. They sit behind the tables and chat and call you dear when you buy something. I always end up with an assortment of bags with lots of handmade stuff including jams and jellies and crocheted snowflakes. The old ladies always look the same and most wear an apron. I always wonder if they have old lady substitutes on deck waiting their turn at the tables. If this were a Twilight Zone episode, the ladies would all be robots, and at the end, Rod Serling would come out with some bit of wisdom.

It’s another one of those dreary, dark days. It poured last night and rain is expected today and the next few days. My sister in Colorado has snow and single digit temperatures. She played the glad game I mentioned yesterday and said how lovely the Christmas lights look in the snow. She can have the lovely lights and the snow. I’ll take wet and dreary.

Gracie dug the best hole in my vegetable garden this morning. The fence is down so she wandered in with a preserved body part in her mouth, a beef intestine I think, hard to know. She dug the hole then put her goody in the ground. She used her nose to move the dirt over it. She’ll go out later, dig it up and bring it inside. It was be disgusting looking.