YELLOW CANARIES ~ FREE IMAGES ~ A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

You know it is really strange the things that will trigger a walk down memory lane.  I was visiting some of the free image sites I have collected looking for some interesting Christmas vintage images and happened across this image on BUMBLE BUTTON (she has beautiful vintage images that are free, a lot I have never seen anywhere else).  http://bumblebutton.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-10-10T19:02:00-07:00&max-results=7 

Now, everyone is crazy about birds and birdcages, and I am one of the devotee's of that passion.  But this particular pic brought back some memories that have not been dusted off in a long time.  My Grandmother Nelson had a yellow canary when I was a young (6-10 yr old). The cage hung in the kitchen on the wall opposite the windows. I can remember it was round and kinda fancy like this one. Grandmother had made a little cover that was gathered and could be pulled around the cage.  The canary was female and named Bobbie.  She could sing so pretty, but sometimes Grandmother got tired of her singing and would cover it up so she would stop singing. 
 I had to call my Aunt Mary (at the nursing home) to find out what the bird's name was and I also found out that 'Bobbie' was Aunt Mary's bird orginally, and my Grandfather Nelson (Aunt Mary's and my mother's father) thought she (the bird) was so great that he talked Aunt Mary out of the bird and that he was the one that actually took care of her. Aunt Mary couldn't remember how long they had Bobbie.  I don't either, but I do remember that when Bobbie died, we (the grandchildren) had a funeral for her in the backyard at my grandparent's house. Near Grandfather's prize winning dahlia's.
That was something else we did as children.  We thought enough and cared enough for our pets that we took very good care of all of them when they were alive and when they died (be it dogs, cats, turtles or birds or goldfish) they were all given a respectful funeral in the back yard.  So many people today throw away animals (and children) and have no feeling for anything. Alive or dead. I am glad I grew up 'in the old days' when a few people still cared for others (animal or human). 
The funny thing is thinking about the canary and the cage got me to thinking about the Thanksgiving dinners we had at my grandparents house.  I guess the tie in is that usually after dinner we kids would play under the kitchen table and could hear the bird singing.  Funny how memories are.
I hope each of you are having a great week.
May God bless each of you.
Mary

MEMORIES, TRUE LOVE, AND 59 YEARS

Norman and Louise   1941

On June 4, 1942 Norman had just received a 3 day pass and arrived in Birmingham, Ala. in the evening.  Louise was attending a bridal shower being thrown to celebrate her upcoming marriage. 
All the ladies in their family were at the party.  Most of the men were either off stationed out of town in the military or home in bed.  Both of my grandfathers were home in bed.  My father (Norman) arrived at my grandfather Nelson's house and found out mother (Louise) was at the party.  He headed to the party and found Louise and told her if they were going to get married before he shipped over seas, it had to be tonite. Thus started the hunt for licences, a preacher, the fathers of the bride and groom. A friend of Grandfather Nelson was a detective for the Birmingham Police dept and knew a clerk in the marriage license dept. and they got the clerk out of bed to issue a marriage license to the bride and groom. The preacher was rounded up and my parents got married at her bridal shower. There were no pics at 11.  In all the excitement no one thought about a camera.  It didn't matter.
After a 2 day honeymoon at the Tutwiler Hotel in downtown Birmingham my father reported back to his squadron and not much later he departed for Italy and the shooting war. 
That marriage lasted until July 29, 2000 when my father died.  Sometimes my mother said she felt like she had been married all her life.  They had their ups and downs (my mother was a redhead) but overall I believe my parents were deeply in love.  They were not very demonstative in front of my brothers and me, I think it was a old fashion feeling to them.  They were devoted to each other and neither one could not go more than several days without the other one.  When Mother and I would go out to work craftshows, she couldn't wait to get back and Daddy would meet us at the door wanting to know what took us so long to get home.  I believe my mother pined away after Daddy died.  She honestly didn't know what to do without him.  She just slowly faded away.  Fifty nine years together was just too long to start a new life.  She never looked at another man after my father died. I honestly don't believe it ever crossed her mind. She died in 2005.
 I read recently some of their old letters to each other before and after marriage.  True love NEVER dies.
God Bless all of you.
Mary

LABOR DAY AND BLOG HOPPING

Today is Labor Day. Today marks the beginning of the Christmas season to me. From now on I will be thinking about Christmas, planning Christmas, making lists about Christmas and working on Christmas.
I have already started making lists of items I will post to sell for Christmas. When we (my Mother and I) were doing craft shows I would have boxes of (and I mean big tote boxes) Christmas angels, teddy bears, mini wreathes, all kinds of ornaments all ready for the show trail. We would start with Labor Day shows putting out Christmas themed aprons, hot pads, bonnets, tote bags and purses. And always the hundreds of Christmas angels and Santa Clauses we made and dressed.
Those were the days. My Mother made the clothes by the stacks and I made the bodies. I am going to be putting out some of the little angels we made. I found a box of the compontents and as soon as I finish altering Aunt Mary's vests and finish the Mind Wide Open challenge piece this week, I am going to start putting them together and posting them on ETSY.
I have spent the afternoon blog hopping and found some new (to me) cottage chic blogs. One is http://www.creatingvintagecharm.blogspot.com/ .
They are launching a new magazine on Sept.25. I think it is worth the time to hop over and check them out. I can't wait to check out the first issue. I put a button on the side of my blog for you to click on, so hop on over.
It is nearly time for supper and Don is hungry (I am too), so catch you tomorrow. I will have some pictures.
God Bless You.
Mary