Those summers were spent following my grandpa around the farm as he worked (my uncle lived there, as well). Those summers were spent riding hay wagons as it was being bailed. Those summers were spent swinging on a homemade swing tied to a VERY large maple tree out back. They were spent picking strawberries, watching Tigers baseball games at night on the screened in porch, being terrified of the summer nighttime thunderstorms that passed over Lake Michigan. We would take trips to the Ben Franklin (The Dime Store), grocery shopping at stores that had large deer head on the walls (hey, it was remote over there!), going for Sunday drives for ice cream, etc.
Then I grew up, but even so, my grandparents were ALWAYS there. The house was always there. The land was still there. The memories were STILL THERE on that property. It was still something I had in my possession.
My grandfather died unexpectedly in 1990, but I was still young and just out of high school. It was still very tragic to me, but I still had the house to visit and everything else to hold on to.
My grandmother died this past February and everything I always knew suddenly was facing a future of uncertainty. If you want to rock my world, put something so dear to me up in the air.
Needless to say, my mother had to sell it. My uncle is suffering from a mental illness (we believe it's schizophrenia), the deed was solely in my grandmother's name, and my family (and my parents) live 2.5 hours away. There was no way we could take it (my husband and I) due to jobs, etc, though I would completely LOVE to have been able to do so.
It's very, VERY emotional going in the house and being on the property. Very surreal knowing it belongs to someone else now, yet I am determined to "rescue" as many things as I am able to from the property.
My grandmother's home is frozen in the year 1970. In fact, many of the things inside are frozen in the 1950s and 1970s. My mother was born in 1951 and there are things hanging on those walls that are in pictures of her as a KID. Seriously. And sure, it's "outdated", but for me, it WAS "Grandma's House" and I have a lot of emotional attachment where this is concerned.
Because my uncle is suffering from what appears to be schizophrenia (a paranoid type, at that), we have to be pretty careful about what we take and how we take it. When he was outside with my mother and kids, I managed to snap a few pictures (just a few for time purposes).....and here are a few things on my list.
If anyone can help me identify some of the unknowns, please feel free to do so!
I've looked high and low for information about these things. These are in pictures of my mother when she was a little girl so they are at least 50s. Anyone know?
I have no idea why that picture is smaller than the elves? I thought I resized them the same..Hm. Oh well.
BLUE RIDGE No WAY will I part with these. From what I understand, the pattern is "Winnie". I don't know the story on these dishes (if they were a wedding gift or what). I know the set of "special occasion" dishes we always used at Grandma's were something she had gotten back in the 50s from a grocery store or something...I will have to see if I can find more information on them...but they are beautiful. My mother won't give me those *hmph!*
More Blue Ridge....
Various things from Occupied Japan, Norcrest Fine China, etc....
And more to come.....:)
