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“Blankets blowing on the line give me such a nice feeling as
the October sun and wind give their lovely freshness to them. The blankets have
their own stories.”
Gladys Taber in Ladies Home
Journal, October 1950
I always saw Labor Day Weekend as the end of summer, a bit
of a respite from work for three days. This year the three day weekend means
LABOR! Our #2 son is moving about 45 miles away from us instead of being four
hours away. This is the good news. But selling one house and buying another iin two locations far apart has
proven to be hassles beyond belief.
For one thing, the new community is a college town and the
housing is low grade and high priced. We looked and looked all summer. Nearly
bought two but one was in a flood plain and the other sat on house jacks from
termite damage. Back to the drawing board. We investigated a hundred houses,
were inside of at least 30, nearly bought two, and we all were most discouraged in the end.
The house we finally found had two plus markers: cheap and
clean. The rest of the flaws we could work with. We had ample time until
paperwork and such slowed down the process. While closing still isn’t until
next Tuesday, we did get permission to be on property to build a fence,
necessary for our aging grand dog. Then the weather decided to warm up to
boiling. It has been 91 with heat index of 100. It is killing to be building
fence and mowing the yard and such in this heat.
After two days, about half the yard is fenced and we are wearing
down. Going back tomorrow but we are so tired. Hopefully we can finish another
side. Meanwhile the son is closing up his house in Wichita, and readying for
two trips in one week back towards home: one for closing papers, one following
the movers.
Yesterday the Gladys Taber Newsletter arrived in the mail.
It was a great solace to sit with sore muscles and visit her world. Her writing is getting so dated. Someday
researchers will read her columns and books to view culture of the 1950’s and
1960’s. Her folksy chat appeared in Family Circle and Ladies Home Journal
magazines. She wrote of seasons, rearing dogs, planting gardens, rearing kids, and cooking
hearty meals with butter and cream!
The quote above was on the front page of the newsletter, and
it evokes such a relaxed feeling in me. I could see and smell those blankets on
the line! I love the idea that blankets have stories. In this house, we have an
itchy wool blanket made of wool grown on the backs of sheep at DH’s family
farm. His grandmother spun and dyed and wove the fleeces herself. I think that
is a story.
What stories would YOUR blankets tell?
8 comments:
So glad your son found a place and you are making progress with the fence. In the winter we cocoon between two ultra soft fuzzy blankets, not sheets, and we don't even want to get out of bed.
I hope all your labour is soon over.
I do love the smell of line-dried anything. It seems fresher some how. Once, many years ago I stayed in a B&B which dried its bed linen over lavender bushes in the sun. Bliss.
It's great news that your son is moving close to home, and I'm glad he will have a nice home and fenced-in yard for your granddog.
I love the good old days. Blankets stories: Let's see. Brings to mind my sisters and brothers and I making "tents" on Saturday mornings in the front room of our four-family flat in North St. Louis
Good luck with the move. I know from first hand experience about helping a child with a move to a new home. Also, I love that you have a blanket that DH's grandmother spun, dyed and wove the fleeces herself. This is exactly what my daughter does with fleece.
Happy you have finally found a place. Wishing you cool weather and an easy transition. Blessings, Martha
Bless you, Claudia. While we were still teaching, we spent one grueling Spring Break helping our daughter and son-in-law move. I get tired just thinking about it, and I won't even hint at all the last minute things that went wrong. You don't need to hear those horror stories.
Forget all the stories the wind-blown blankets can tell. Trust me: you'll have more fence building and moving stories to tell than you realize!
Good luck.
p.s. Yea! for building a fence to protect your grand dog. :)
Claudia, that's a huge job! Too bad these things can't happen in cooler weather! Hope everyone is settled soon.
I'm late getting here, Claudia, so things have probably progressed quite a bit since you wrote this. I'll be on the lookout for a new post to update us. I do hope the fence is now finished and your son's move went off without a hitch.
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