The furniture in my bedroom was purchased in 1939 by my oldest sister and her husband. They used it every day of their married life, for 42 years. They both died in 1981, six months apart. The furniture was made from solid maple and once had a mellow,golden tone. Since my sister Katrine was an artist, she had a tendency to surround herself with color. She painted this furniture gray and gray it is today. A number of years ago I researched having it refinished to the original hues. But the timing never seemed quite right. So, now it is still gray but worn around the tops of the two posters at the bottom of the bed. That is where hands over the years have used it for guidance, while walking in the dark.
There is a chest of drawers with this furniture and it holds some of my garments. In the top, short, drawer however, it holds a myriad of objects having not much to do with clothing. It is not opened very often and when I do open it - as I did this morning - I am reminded of many things.
The first thing that caught my eye was a picture of the first quilt I ever made. It was made without me knowing one thing about quilting. It fit snugly in a little dolly cradle which I had purchased for Ann Hunter Keaton, my second husband's grandchild. Along with it was a picture of a quilt that I commissioned to be made many years ago by Lydia Organ. Lydia was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Harlan, Ky. She and I became acquainted when I drove her home to Harlan from Lexington, Ky. She had been staying with Katrine during her last days in St. Joseph's hospital. It was a cold, snowy, December day, just a few days before Christmas in 1981. It was a bad day to be driving, but we both wanted to get back to home base. I think my driving in a little blue Ford pinto - with manual shift - on those roads made a better Christian out of Lydia. It was on that trip that we talked about making a quilt for me. I wanted it be interesting, with primary colors.
Over about a year's time Lydia did make the quilt and she used the "around the world" pattern. The back is just as pretty as the front as she quilted around each block which was set "on point". She made the entire quilt by hand using material she had on hand. Quilters always have material on hand! Each time I went to visit I would pay Lydia more for the quilt. The total price was $ 250.00. I dearly love this quilt. It is not quite large enough to cover the bed as far down as I would like, but that does not matter. It may have been the last quilt that Lydia made as she became ill later that year, and died of colon cancer.
Next my eye fell on a beautiful Christmas tree ornament made by my daughter-in-law, Jayne. She used to do that as a hobby and it is very intensive close work which is tiring on the eyes. I do not put up a tree at Christmas anymore but this elegant ornament draws me in to inspect it each time I see it.
I had placed some small boxes in the drawer. The first one I opened had two small metal pins from the presidential campaign of Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower. I was one of those "I Like Ike" people back then. Ike was a popular hero at the end of the war in 1946.
I had other little boxes in the drawer. I had forgotten what was in them so I opened the first one and the contents sparkled and "spoke" to me. What I saw was a rich blue and silver necklace, which my daughter Bonnie had made for me. It is the sort of jewelry you want to wear to a party. Since I had no party on for today I decided to put it on anyway and also the earrings she made to go with it. Now why would I do such a thing! Maybe because I do not go to many parties anymore which call for elegance. But after a shower and a new attitude, it seems like a fine thing to do. I know this will be a day of staying indoors as we are having storms and a tornado warning is upon us. If a storm does come by, blow my house down, and I am lucky enough to wake up like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I will soon be feeling very elegant in my blue and silver neckace and earrings.
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