The week after the month before

I guess I'm slowly returning to normal.  Things don't seem quite real without Gram around, even less so without either of my Grands.  My brother & I have been working on things slowly - fixing things, sorting through things and relaxing, of course.  We found the long cigarette holder Gram had been telling us about off & on in the last few months, thinking it had been given away or lost.  She bought it in New York in the 1930's when she attended Columbia University for a summer term with a girlfriend.  She's never smoked and came from a conservative family who would not have approved, which makes it a very strange thing indeed for her to posess.  Even more strangely, it looks like a Hobbit's pipe!  There are even little scrolly-leaf motifs inlaid in the stem.  Once Blog-City has picture capability again, I'll have to post a picture.  I'll absolutely post a picture of another historic object I found - an army green woolen sweater vest with a Red Cross label in the back neck.  Knitting history!  Col. Converse's sweater vest.

The memorial service was very nice.  Smaller than Grandpa's, but our minister gave a wonderful eulogy sermon.  Very tasteful, respectful and hopeful.  Giving thanks for her life rather than eliciting tears.  She would have approved.  One thing I'd half expected from a certain individual, but had dismissed as too far outside the bounds of taste to actually occur.  A cousin of my Dad's who had been visiting the Grands for years - and every time I was present only seemed to discuss family antiques - blew in during the luncheon, didn't even take her coat off, signed the guestbook & remarked to our little table generally "if there's anything you don't want from Spring Arbor, you know where I am".  She drove at least four hours to say that.  I know what she wants.  I was half wondering if she'd name objects.  Man alive!  At least we can laugh about it.  Fred & I earlier tonight: "Oh, here's a silver coffee pot with our Great-Grandmother's name on it - we don't want it".  "Oh, dear - take this beautiful china, we don't want it!"  "That daybed, it's not from Spring Arbor as you think, but heck - we don't want it!"  Not gonna happen.   

One thing I was very, very thankful for -- my best pal from High School came with her husband.  They drove up here the day before, six hours, leaving their little sons with their grandparents and her husband took a day off from work.  This is a very big deal to me, and not a little thing for them.  I am so immeasureably blessed and honored with their frindship.  I made a white chocolate pineapple upside-down cake from The Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor cookbook (YUMMY - big time) and we had delicious coffee & the most wonderful visit. 

I'm so thankful for my blog-friends, too!  Thank you so, so much for your messages - they touch my heart & mean so much to me !