From the Attic ~ Hummer

When I shared the postcards I found in the attic I highlighted two from a mother and daughter. The daughter was Hummer, my husband's maternal grandmother. The photo below was taken in 1912 , about 2 years after the postcards were written. It is a Sunday School class in Atwater,CA. Hummer is the third from the left in the middle row, I think the taller girl in the similar dress may be her sister. I'm not sure if her brother is pictured, I need to ask my MIL about that.

The postcards were to Hummer's father, Pop Smith. Hummer missed him and wanted to know when she could go visit. Pop Smith worked for the state highway department and must have spent a lot of time away from home judging by all the postcards to him at various locations. Hummer was born in 1902 so she would have been about 8 when she wrote the postcard and 10 in this photo.

The Sunday School teacher was Hummer's grandfather. He was appointed to Justice of the Peace in Atwater the year after this photo was taken. He retained the position in the election the following year and held the office until his death in 1943.

This 8x10 vintage artwork was in the same envelope with the photo.

The back was inscribed with Hummer's name, "From Grandpa Osborn, August 24, 1905" so it must have been a gift when Hummer was about 3 years old.

1912

early 1990's

Hummer saw most of the 20th century. We often talked about the enormous changes in technology and lifestyle that took place during her lifetime. Each time her eyes would sparkle and she would laugh and say "But we didn't know any better back then!"

Thanks for hanging out in the attic with me.

Dawn

Good News

Just a quick note to let you know my daughter had her surgery today and is doing well. She did much better today than at the blood draw or the last surgery but they still had to sedate her with a shot before even taking her back for anesthesia.

The good news is we may have solved the puzzle as to why she had been having so much trouble with being sick and having ear aches after years of doing well. The doctor was expecting to remove her adenoids but discovered the real problem was "mulberry turbinates". Funny name huh, sounds like something you'd find in the garden! It turns out there are these three turbinates in your nasal cavity and they are made of tissues that humidify the air you breathe in. Hers were extra long, extending past where they should, and very large and blue rather than small and pink. They were blocking her actual air flow, affecting her speech and blocking where the tubes from her ears drain. The doctor took care of them and in a few weeks she should be doing better! Yeah!

One last bit of good news, I found my battery charger in a tote I had used at Christmas time. Yeah! So in a few days, after my little sweetie is feeling better, I'll be able to get back to serious blogging!

Thank you for all your prayers and support for my daughter. It's been a tough week but we're on the way back to normal, for us at least, and I'm grateful for all your kind words.
Hugs,
Dawn

Rednesday ~ Winter Fashion Show

Like the lady says, today is REDnesday,or it soon will be, time follows different rules in blogland!Please visit our wonderful hostess Sue, at It's a Very Cherry World after the show!

~Penny ~

Let me in, my tail's freezing!

Does this jacket make my butt look long?

~Maisy ~

Can someone please help?

My coat's all wrinkled!

~Porsha~

This bolero is so last season!

~Sachi~

I'm so hot!

No, really, it's warm in here.

I thought this was going to be an outside shoot.

Shhh everyone, I think someone just said "dog park".

Ooooo, I love shooting on location!

A Birthday and Funny News Story

We're sticking with a family theme so far this week since I still don't have a working camera. It's a good thing my family has provided me with lots of topics and I already have tons of photos of them on my computer!

Happy Birthday to my brother!

He's a great guy. He has a wonderful family as you can see. He teaches 8th grade History. He is also involved in a lot of special projects relating to education and has been asked to speak at several conferences. His older son is already an accomplished competitive swimmer who has also done triathlons. His younger son took 2nd All-Around in a gymnastics meet last weekend and 1st All-Around the week before! My sister -in-law is also a teacher and makes the best cheesecake ever. She makes several varieties but of course chocolate is my favorite!

Since you met my sister yesterday and my other brother hosted Thanksgiving here, you've met all four of us now. I really love spending time with all of them but with two of us still in this area and one at each end of the state it's not often we can all get together. Love you guys!

Now for the news story. Here's a link to a story out of Mariposa county this morning. The subject isn't funny, it's serious, but this story falls into the category of stupid criminals. The moral: If you're conducting illegal activity on your property and are trying to convince the sheriff you're just having a bar-b-que, clue in your "guests" first! I can only imagine how funny it was to the sheriff as he listened to this man pretend to be innocent while more than 30 people were bailing out of a building behind him and running for the hills! I'm glad they caught them all!

Congratulations Sis!!!!!!!

Please join me with a big Woo! Woo! Woo! for my little sister!

This is her with her awesome hubby.

Here she is with my dad at a basketball game.

I got a call last night from this very giddy girl to let me know she is now officially a professional engineer. That's right, the girl has beauty and brains!

She received notice in yesterday's mail that she passed her PE exam. It has been a long process and several criteria must be met to claim this title. One must graduate from a specially accredited college, pass the FE exam, spend several years working under a PE and finally, pass the PE exam. She began this quest over 10 years ago when she attended Cal Poly, SLO (California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo) on a basketball scholarship. Oh yea, add athletic in addition to being beautiful and smart!

So what does this mean, besides being able to add the initials P.E. after her name? Well, she is a civil engineer and works for a private firm designing things like drainage systems for housing divisions. It means instead of doing all the footwork, calculations, plans etc. and having to turn them over to someone else for approval she can now sign off projects with her own official stamp. Who knew all those childhood years spent meticulously lining up her toys and playing in the dirt with our brothers in the back yard would lead to this?

How Many Lab Techs...

We had to get some pre-op lab work done today for my daughter. She's having minor surgery next Thursday for ear tubes and removing her adenoids. While she's under anesthesia the dentist will be in to do all the things she won't let him do in the office. When he's done the ENT will do his part. So how many lab techs does it take to draw blood from a 14 year old?

Well if it's my 14 year old the answer is 5. Actually, I think it was 3 lab techs, the receptionist and the office manager. Oh, and I was helping too. If you ever need to get through a waiting room fast just go in crying and screaming , "I'm scared" at the top of your lungs over and over and over. They get to you pretty quickly that way. Of course I wasn't too much help having just battled for 15 minutes to get her out of the van.

As soon as we walked in heads started popping up from all the cubicles and within seconds every staff member there was in the waiting area trying to calm her down while I did the paperwork. They were making progress but then one said, "Come with me, I'll show you something neat." Nice try. My sweetie yelled, "Oh, no! She's putting on the gloves". Lickety split she was past them, past me and out the door. I got her back in and eventually we got her squared away.

The funny thing, and it happens every time, is that once there are several of us holding her so she can't move she knows she can't get out of it and she gives in. The fit stops instantly, she sits still and she acts as if nothing out of the ordinary has been going. She chats inquisitively as the procedure is done then I thank them profusely for all their help and we leave a room full of medical professionals standing with their mouths open. Seriously though, they did a great job trying to make it as easy on her as possible.

We're all pretty wiped out here tonight but I'll try to be back tomorrow for a post From the Attic. I'll also find time to get caught up on emails and comments. Then there's still the issue of the misplaced battery charger! Looks like full weekend ahead. Hope you all have a good one.

Hugs,
Dawn

Rednesday and Radar

Just a bit of red today. It dawned on me this morning I could use my cell phone for a few pics until I find my battery charger for my camera.

This beautiful girl and her pups are on my fridge and help me keep track of the days. Her red scarf and dress are much brighter but I thought she turned out pretty good for being taken with a simple cell phone and emailed to my computer. Isn't technology amazing! I still can't comprehend how it works.

A small bit of red on the map here. We're supposed to get hit pretty good in about half an hour. It's been raining all morning and the wind is absolutely howling. We had a short thunderstorm last night and got three quarters of an inch of rain in 15 minutes, hail too is some parts of town. My daughter loves storms so we sat in a dark bedroom watching the lightening . She personifies everything so Thunder and Lightening are her friends and she loves when they come to visit!

Hope you all are having better weather outside of California today. Make sure you visit Sue at It's a Very Cherry World to see the rest of the Rednesday crowd.

Pet Follies

Got Milk?

If I did it wouldn't be there!

Knick knack paddy whack give the dog a bone.

Look, I'm a walrus.




Throw it, I'm open!

Kick it already!

You ok mom? You look a little dizzy.

Why cats win...

at hide and seek.

Now what?

Maybe if I go this way...

or through here...

Gravity to the rescue.

Th...th...that's all folks!

Hope you enjoyed the show. I have to go look for my missing battery charger so you won't have to look at more silly pet photos tomorrow!

From the Attic ~ Pop Smith and Family

I finally have the Christmas storage containers all back up in the attic. It took me a long time though because each trip up I took the opportunity to look through boxes of photos.

This one was taken in our front yard in the early to mid 40's. The man on the right is Pop Smith, Hubby's great-grandfather. I spoke of him a little when I shared the vintage Yosemite photos. He is standing with his children. The woman in the light dress is Hummer, Hubby's grandmother who our home was built for. She got the nickname of Hummer from her grandkids because she always hummed as she went about her chores. Do you ever hum? I catch myself doing it occasionally. Red River Valley is usually the tune that pops into my head because my mom and grandmother both sang it to me. Sorry, back to the photos.

This photo shows the whole group of of Pop Smiths children, their spouses, and grandchildren. The man next to Hummer in the white shirt is her husband. The grandkids nicknamed him too. After retirement he always wore overalls so they called him Hobo. That's right, Hubby's grandparents were Hobo and Hummer. I always thought those were the cutest names. Our home will forever be known as HoboandHummer's, one word. Or, HummerandHobo's, depending on who is saying it. I almost named my blog after them but couldn't decide who to give top billing! The cutie patootie standing in front of Hummer is my wonderful mother-in-law.

I just noticed if you look in the top photo you can see the front corner of the stair wall that leads up the porch. The architectural piece sitting on top is the same one I shared here. I would love to find out where the pair came from but that's going to take some detective work. I keep hoping I'll find a photo of old buildings downtown and recognize them but no luck yet.

Thanks for hanging out in the attic with me,

Dawn

How God Chooses Special Mothers

A special moment: In the Game!

A special moment: Running for the Diploma!

A few days ago my friend Mary, from Mary's Tea Cottage posted about her concerns as a mother of a daughter with special needs and a wife of a husband with failing sight. Her thoughts touched me deeply as they closely relate to my own feelings. You can read her post here.

I've met many wonderful women through blogging and several of them have children with special needs as I do. A few also have husbands with health issues making the stress of being a caretaker that much greater. I found their blogs to be places filled with inspiration, not from the "misery loves company" viewpoint, but from the "wow, look how positive she is" viewpoint. These are not blogs focused on the issues of special needs or care taking. They are just everyday blogs like yours and mine, a little home life, some decorating, crafting and shopping, the stuff we all enjoy reading.

Along with Mary, you might enjoy visiting these special mothers:

Betsy at My Five Men - Betsy has five men in her family, including triplets with autism.

Lucy at English Cottage in Georgia (and her new blog Life is Too Short) -Lucy has a daughter with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy and her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Sue at It's a Very Cherry World - Sue has two daughters with Asperger's Syndrome.

These are just a few of the special mothers I've come across while blogging. There are many more. I'd like to share the following story for all of you who have been "chosen" to be mother's of children with special needs. I received it many years ago as part of a email group, I wish it had an author's name to give credit. Many of you may have seen it before, but it never hurts to remind ourselves how we are blessed.

"Choosing Special Mothers"

Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen? I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger. "Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Forrest, Majorie, daughter, Patron Saint, Cecilia. Rudledge, Carrie, twins, Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

The next name he passes to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious, " Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly", God says, "could I hand a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have to much patience or she will drown in a sea of self pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so important in any mother but especially a mother of a handicapped child. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make him live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness, is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says "Momma" for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it. When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child she will see it as few people ever see my creations. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above these. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is by my side."

"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in midair.

God smiled. "A mirror will suffice."

REDnesday ~ Head in the Clouds?

My goals for 2010 are simple. I want to be less like this lady who hangs around in my bedroom.

I believe the title of this painting is The Day Dreamer but I've lost my info on it and can't find it anywhere online, including the site I bought if from. I also can't see the artist's name because of the way it was framed.

and more like this lady.

This is Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun and she lived from 1755 to 1842. She was a woman who got things done. She made a career traveling the world painting royalty and other famous people at a time when women were not supposed to have careers. She painted over 600 portraits including 37 of herself, and 200 landscapes.

Now, I don't mean that I plan on becoming a world renowned artist anytime soon. LOL! I just mean that I want to get more things done. I've never been one that had to be forced to stop and smell the roses, I regularly need a kick in the behind to get moving down the garden path. It's time to put the work clothes on...simple right, just do it, git'r done, make it work, nose to the grindstone!

Oh, look there's a RED flower on her hat and she's hanging on my RED dinning room wall! It must be REDnesday with Sue at It's a Very Cherry World.

Focus Dawn, focus!

Thrifty Thursday ~ Puppy Love

Yeah! It's Thursday, that means it's time to show off our thrifty finds or ideas. Leigh has a great thrifty idea today so make sure you stop over in Bloggeritaville to see what she's up to.

I couldn't pass up this adorable little country print at Goodwill and I'm sure you know why. It reminded me so much of Sunny when he was little. Personally, I think Labbie pups are the cutest pups in the world but I'm sure a few of you will disagree. This print with the double matting and frame was $5.00. Now don't laugh when you scroll down to the next photo. Sunny really did look just like these little pups,

but for about a month...

he looked like a pup on steroids!

He quickly grew into a nicely proportioned Lab and is the sweetest dog around. If anyone ever comes across some vintage looking Labrador Retriever art or classic style figurines, I'd love to hear about it. Most of what I find is from the 70's on and involves a lot of dead ducks or are very modern. Of course if you spot something with a thrifty price tag that would be even better!

Thanks for letting me indulge in a little puppy love!

Dawn

Rednesday ~ Christmas Remnants

Hello everyone, it's so nice to get back into the routine after the holidays. My kids have the rest of this week off so we're not quite back to normal but I managed to sneak in a little time for photos and blogging. I was afraid I was about out of red to share but came up with a few

remnants of Christmas.

I found this footed bowl at Strawberry Saturday just before Christmas. It has cute little cut outs that remind me of eyelet fabric and a floral transferware like printed pattern. It's actually a container from an FTD floral arrangement as indicated on the bottom. It's sitting in my hutch for safe keeping until I finish getting Christmas decor put away. After the kids get back to school I'll be able to clean up and do some rearranging for the new year.

We've really needed some new glasses for a while but I wanted something with a little personality. I finally came across these at Target. I couldn't decide which I liked best so I got a set of stripes and a set of...

polka dots!
Hubby thinks they're a little crazy. I think they're fun!

For Christmas my wonderful MIL gave me the Paula Dean non-stick skillet I've been wanting. I haven't had any non-stick cookware for a while and our pancakes have been suffering terribly. I wish I had thought to take photos of the great pancakes I've been making in it. They turned out much better than my last cooking experience I shared with you! :)


Our wonderful Rednesday hostess, Sue at It's a Very Cherry World, just celebrated her first anniversary blogging so please go by and congratulate her on a great first year! Now I've got to start digging for more red...seriously, I think I've shared it all! I'll have to start taking photos of stop signs or something... Wish me luck, I'm too fond of all my fellow Rednesday pals to give this up.