Sunday, October 9, 2022

Half 4 rows to go...........


I should be able to finish this today, just 4 more seams to sew and then to the ironing table.





I was going through the drawers of a little chest that sat on my dad's desk as I was growing up.  In there I found my first grade scissors, a hand carved wood letter opener from Delevan WI and one of the first ball point pens, when they had a screw on top like the fountain pens had.

I only remember going to Delevan once as a child and I was about 7 years old.  My aunt was dating a man up there and I think we were up there to meet him.  We went to the lake and I have a photo of my 2 brothers and I in the shallow water.  This was a rare occasion because my dad was a dairy farmer then and you have to milk the cows twice a day.  We had a hired man for a few years so we could occasionally get away on a Sunday, usually to go to a state park or a capital of a neighboring state.


This is a close up of the scissors that had 2 chickens stamped or engraved or molded in them.  That is how I know they were my first grade scissors.  Out in the country in 1946 there weren't any kindergarten classes so I walked the quarter mile to the school down the road with my brother for first and second grade.  It was a one room school with outhouses and a garage for the teacher's car.  I think there were about 12 kids total for all 8 grades.


 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fascinating how physical objects spark memories, eh? The chickens, especially, I bet they kept you close company all through a busy and demanding year!

ceci

Julierose said...

Nice that you are getting your quilt together now.
Great memory journey from finding those objects...amazing how times have changed so much isn't it?
Hugs, Julierose

Lesley Gilbert said...

What a lovely story to remember of your young years. Do the scissors still cut paper?

Nann said...

What a treasure! Your post brought back a lot of memories for me -- old pens, the Dells (I went when I was about 8 and that was the only time), the scissors (I have my grade-school ruler). Your blocks are positively vibrant!

Carolyn said...

I loved Delavan Lake when I was young! I live in NJ but my mom was from Racine , WI. Her aunt had a house in the lake and when we visited my grandparents in Racine we would go visit my Aunt at Delavan. We would fish using sticks, strings and chicken fat, go swimming of the dock and play cards, lots of cards. Thanks for the memories!

patty a. said...

What lovely treasures! I bet there are not many people that have their kindergarten scissors! The hand carved letter opener is stunning. Makes me wonder how many of these were made, who carved them, etc.

Mystic Quilter said...

I love it when treasures from another time are discovered again.
It's so interesting to read about happenings in your childhood and your words on the trip to school makes me think of the school in Anne of Green Gables.

Lynn Dykstra said...

I too am the daughter of dairy farmers--and our vacations were often to state capitals. My father loved walking through them and had us poke into rooms that I am sure now are not accessible to the public. Such magnificent buildings.