Christmas of the Past

 

     Linda and I were lucky enough to celebrate 48 Christmases together. Except for the two I was in Vietnam, we celebrated with family and friends, sometimes we were hundreds, even thousands of miles from family but we were together. I can't remember all of them in detail but there were a few that stand out in one way or another.

     The year before we were married, we each gave the other a special gift. Linda had a picture from a calendar of an old sailing ship ploughing through the waves. She cherished the picture, for some reason, it stood out for her and she vowed to have the picture framed and hung on a wall in "her" home. With her mother's help I took the picture to a local artist and had a painting done and framed, it cost me $50 which was half a month's pay in 1966. She was ecstatic and the picture hung in every home we had. When she passed away, I gave it to Danny to hold for MJ when she gets older.

     That same year Linda gave me a special gift but let me give you a little background to start this off. Linda had learned to sew in her home economics class, she was proud that she could make her own clothes which she considered a necessity because she had a hard time buying things that fit her due to her being so tall. This was the start to her skills with a needle and thread. It was now that she decided to expand her skills and try knitting, seeing as how I was the object of her desire why not knit something for me. I was surprised to open my gift that Christmas, there was this beautiful burgundy turtleneck sweater and I mean it was beautiful. There was just one problem, she misjudged her measurements and it came out a little large, actually it was a lot large like there may have been enough room for both to be in it at the same time. She was a little ticked at herself and was going to rip it apart and do it over but I refused to let her. It really came in handy when we lived in Tennessee as the winters could get cold, even though it was a little oversized it was still warm and comfortable, I proudly war the sweater for years. I think the sweater disappeared when we moved to Florida in the late 1970's.

      Linda's skill with a needle and thread grew over the years, the things she made were really works of art and there are people all across the country who were warmed by her blankets, soothed by her needle point pictures but for some reason she never again knitted anything. 

     I always tried to get her something for Christmas that would surprise her. When we first met, she had a dream to go to Germany. Her mother's family were of German ancestry, her grandmother spoke little English, her mother spoke German and taught Linda who enhanced her abilities by taking German courses in school. She gave up on that dream and married me instead. In 1970 I was working for a jewelry store and found out they sold things other than jewelry, they sold coocoo clocks from the black forest in Germany. It cost me $50 but that clock hung in every place we lived until she passed away. Every time we moved, which seemed to be often, Linda would carefully pack the clock in its own box and it was one of the first things I would hang on the wall. The clock quit working many years ago and became just a wall hanging, Clay has it now, I hope he gets it fixed one day.

     Linda's talents with a needle and thread improved quickly, she went from making clothes to crocheting and needle point. We bought our first home and the walls decorated with several pieces of her artwork. I think it was 1973, Linda had her eye on a needle point kit called the "Four Season", someday she was going to find the time and get it. I bought the kit for her for Christmas, it cost another $50, I guess I was good at buying $50 gifts. The kit hardly weighed a pound and had everything she would need. I had to be sneaky and make her wonder what was in the box wrapped in bright paper and had her name on it so I got a box that was too big and added about a dozen or more king size bottles of coke then left it on the floor in front of the tree. When she came home I pointed it out and had her push it under the tree. 

     We carried on the Riggan tradition of opening our gifts on Christmas Eve. Linda was surprised when she opened that heavy box, the smile on her face was all I needed. Two days later she had started work on the project that would ultimately take about four years to complete. She labored over the project like no other, every thread had to be just the right tension or she would rip out rows and redo them. She would become so intense in her work that she would have to put it down for days or weeks even but in the end it paid off. When it was finished she had it framed with a special glass that won't allow the light to fade the colors then it was hung over our bed for the rest of her days. To me it was probably her finest piece, Danny and Marie have it hanging on a wall and will give it to one of the kids when they are older, I can only hope they see the beauty I see in it and appreciate the labor of love that Linda put into it.

     Christmas was and still is a favorite time of the year, it more so for Linda, I have never liked all the shopping and trying to figure out what gift might make people happy. Linda on the other hand knew the exact thing each person wanted or needed and she enjoyed buying the gifts and wrapping them, it was hard enough for me to figure out what to give Linda. Linda had next Christmas all planned out and most of the gifts bought by her birthday in March. 

     Over the years I bought her jewelry, clothes and every now and then something that would put the extra sparkle in her eyes, she always repaid me with her smile. As for me, she always had the knack for giving me the one thing I needed or wanted, a fishing reel, a hammer or a new coat but her best gifts were the smiles I got from whatever I gave her because to me it was all about the giving.

     Looking back, it's good to know that I chose a gift that not only made Linda happy every time she looked at it but now these things are bringing joy to her kids and grandkids. Hopefully they will become heirlooms for generations to pass down for many years to come. 

Reaching For the Stars

 

      I was watching a movie on TV today about the Space Shuttle program. It jolted a few memories loose. In my lifetime, I have been lucky enough to have seen many of the wonders this country has to offer and a few offered by the world at large. 

     My first duty station in the Navy was at Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It's ironic that I was sent to an Air Force Base, seems there was one ticked off Air Force recruiter back home who thought he was going to sign me up, he did come close. I wound up working at the Navy Port at the Kennedy Space center. This was my first time away from home, I had yet to learn of the amazing things I would see and experience in my lifetime but that was about to change.

     In that short two years at Patrick AFB, I saw quite a few launches of rockets and missiles. The Airforce was constantly testing new missiles and the Navy contingent I was stationed with oversaw the Polaris missile program. I saw several rockets and missiles take off rockets that roared into space and missiles that lit up the night sky. Most rose in the sky without a problem but there was one Atlas rocket carrying several satellites that just couldn't seem to fly straight so they blew it up. They said pieces were scattered over a ten square mile area of ocean, it was a sight to behold as all those pieces left contrails on their way to the ocean.

     Over the next few years NASA launched several missions to prepare them for a moon landing. The world was glued to their TV's on July 16, 1969 when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon while Michael Collins manned the capsule. An idea that had consumed mankind for centuries had come to life, the age of technology was upon us.

     Fast forward nine years, in search of a better life Linda and I had moved to Titusville, Florida one of the gates to the Kennedy Space Center. Danny or Michel, as he is known today, was born on July 10, 1980 some thirteen years after Linda and I were married. The space program had entered a new phase, work on the first space shuttle was in progress. This was going to be the first re-usable space craft in the world that could carry a heavy payload of 50,000 lbs. and a crew of eight then return to earth and land like an airplane, it was called the Columbia STS-1. 

     Where we lived was about eighteen miles from the launch pad to be used by the space shuttle, if we went to the river front we could see the launch gantry in the distance. Brevard County was still a small county whose population would swell by several million people when a big launch was scheduled, Titusville got most of those people. Danny was not quite a year old when the Columbia was launched into space, it was April 12, 1981. The crowds of people seemed bigger than usual but this was not a usual launch, our little part of the world was big news. 

     On the day of the launch, Linda was at work in downtown Titusville, Danny and I were home. Danny played with his toys on the floor as I watched all of the leadup programming on our nineteen inch TV. When the countdown started, I held Danny in my arms and told him what he was watching though I'm sure he had no idea. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 blastoff, we watched as the shuttle rose above the launch pad then with Danny on my shoulder, I ran out into the front yard and watched as the shuttle soared above the trees. Columbia left a cloud of steam and exhaust behind it, the engines roared a deafening sound that was heard in Orlando some fifty miles away, the ground trembled as if there was an earthquake. We watched until we could no longer hear the engines or see the contrail of exhaust, together we watched history in the making. 

     There were six space shuttles built, Columbia, Challenger, Atlantis, Discovery, Enterprise and Endeavor. They all made voyages in space over the next few years but not without problems. On January 28, 1986, moments after liftoff, the Challenger exploded and the crew died, it was determined that a rubber seal was at fault. Returning to earth on February 1, 2003 a tile damaged during launching caused an explosion that destroyed the craft and it's crew over Texas, they were only minutes from landing.

      Despite the problems we have led the world in space technology, others have tried and will continue to try but the USA seems to be the best, may it always be so. The space Shuttle program is over, new ideas have evolved; new goals have been set. There are now rockets that will lift off, go into space then return and land on the same pad they were launched from. We have machines exploring Mars for future landings by mankind and the Voyager space craft designed to explore our solar system in the 1960's has now entered the next one on it's continuing journey into infinity.

     I have lived in an age of great advancements in technology that many think was the best thing to happen to the world at large. There were so many new gadgets that I can't begin to list them all but I think it was the space program that has left the biggest impression on me. I have always wondered that there might be other worlds among the stars, the question is "are we really alone, could there not be other civilized worlds". What the space program has done for life on this planet is remarkable, the possibilities of what it can do are staggering. I envy my grandkids and their grandkids and the many generations that follow for while I think I have lived in the best of times, the best is yet to come.

     

Grannie's Apron

    

     There was a recent post on Face Book about "Aprons" that jogged a memory from long ago. There was a time when most women were mothers and housewives, there was a time when all women owned one or more aprons that they wore while doing housework and cooking, feeding the chickens, shelling beans or working in the yard.

     Aprons came in different sizes and colors, some were short and had a clothe belt that tied around the waist, others had a bibb with a clothe strap that went around the neck and a belt that tied around the waist. Some were augmented with lace and ruffled collars and sleeves; they were made from rough textured feed /seed sacks that previously held food for the livestock or flour and corn meal for cooking. They were plain and unadorned with patterns, or they were brightly colored with designs of flowers. Whatever their appearance they had one main function and that was to protect the wearer and her clothing from stains and burns.

      Aprons had many uses besides protecting clothing, wrap a portion around the hot handle of a pot or skillet and it protected you from burning your fingers, a little dust on a table could easily be wiped away with a handful of apron or spilled milk or coffee could be quickly sponged up. Most aprons also had pockets in the bibb or the skirt portion, small pockets or large, one or two pockets or more and they held all manner of utensils used in the day-to-day routines.

     My mother and both grandmothers had several aprons either being worn, hanging on a hook in the kitchen or drying on the clothesline after being washed. They used them every day and when one did finally wear out, they would quickly make another. There was one thing that I remember most about their aprons that was common with all mothers, grandmothers and aunts. Their pockets contained a feminine handkerchief, usually plain but sometimes dainty, or a wash clothe.

     These handkerchiefs had several uses, they could wipe the runny nose of a young child, be held tight against your nose as you were told to blow your nose, wipe sweat from a brow or food from mouths. They could wrap cut fingers until a band aid could be applied and wipe the dirty faces of young boys. After each use it was returned to the pocket for future use. Many was the time that I had my face wiped with grannie's handkerchief whether there was any dirt or not was questionable but according to grannies, little boy's faces were always dirty. The process of cleaning a dirty face was kind of unique, if there was water around granny would moisten the kerchief and rub the dirt vigorously until removed but if you were outside she would spit into the handkerchief and then rub the dirt away. 

     Many was the time I blew my runny nose into granny's handkerchief or had my face cleaned with a spit laden handkerchief. Were there germs? Probably so but I doubt any germ would be brave enough to make a grandchild sick  but I survived as did most kids from that generation.

     Memories come from many places, and I constantly look for them even though they seem insignificant, they are all important but this one is a little special.

     

The Cost of Dying

 

     Everybody complains about the high cost of living. I have lived long enough to know it's something to complain about but I have now reached the stage where I'm dealing with the high cost of dying. No I've not been diagnosed with an incurable disease that's going to take me out tomorrow. What I'm talking about is, I have reached the age, I'm 76 now, where my body is changing and I spend a fair amount of time with doctors who have me taking a pill for all my aches and pains. Between co-pays and prescription cost and insurance premiums a person could go broke.

     I started this year out with a VA doctor and a private civilian doctor. I now have a Neurologist, a Pulmonologist, a Gastrologist and a Cardiologist and an Audiologist, and I see an eye doctor and skin doctor once a year. I have been to more doctor appointments this year than in the total of the last five years, seems like I have at least two or three appointments a month, more if I require any test. I now have nine prescriptions plus a couple of over counter supplements, keeping me healthy takes a lot of time and work.

     Speaking of test, this year I have had two audiology exams, and MRI on my neck and another on my brain, a colonoscopy, a nuclear stress test three EKGs, a breathing test and had enough blood drawn to make another person. 

     In addition to all of my aches and pains, I'm overweight and have a gut large enough to make me look like I'm about seven months pregnant. Dieting is really not something I want to do mainly because all of the foods on most diet plans are foods I don't like, let's face it, I'm a butcher's son and was brought up on meat, potatoes and cornbread. The diet hasn't worked so that leaves exercise, another thing that at my age I would rather not get involved in but my modesty has gotten the better of me and I have joined a gym. The cost of the gym is not in money because the insurance pays for it, the cost is in the time it takes up, winter is coming on and I can't go fishing so the gym it is.

     I'm not one of these people who does things halfway, I go at it full bore. The first day on the tread mill I went a mile in twenty one minutes and then the second mile in twenty. I found a machine that works on tightening your gut and another that strengthens your arm muscles, now I have more aches and pains than I started with. The first week, I went three times and got my mile down to eighteen minutes. this week I have been every day and this morning the scales say I'm down four pounds. My goal is to loose about thirty-five more pounds.

     This year, I have been pricked, probed and prodded from head to toe and had enough blood drawn to make another whole person. The best they have found is that I'm in pretty good shape for my age but I'm like an old 55' Buick whose parts are wearing out, they may be wearing out but at least they still work.

     I doubt the aches and pains will go away, that's OK with me as I consider them like a badge of honor for having lived so long. I think the secret to a long life is finding something that makes you want to get out of bed every day, that something for me is that I enjoy living, having good genes helps. I never expected to live this long but I have and I fully intend to be here a while longer, all it takes is a little money and time.

     

     

The Puzzle Of Life

 

     Growing up in the 1950's, we didn't have the variety of entertainment venues that are available to kids today. Personal computers were still about forty years away, TV was three channels and the whole thing went off the air at midnight. So, we were stuck with listening to the radio (AM only) or playing some sort of game. 

     I was probably six years old before mom quit having me take naps instead I was occupied with various industrious games like helping mom wash clothes or vacuuming floors or peeling and cooking potatoes then mashing them with a hand operated masher (not the electric mixer of today). 

     Mom wasn't a reader but occasionally she would play solitaire or work crossword puzzles, anything to relieve the stress of having two or three little ones hanging on to her apron. I can't remember how old I was when I first saw a jigsaw puzzle, I probably was a teenager as by then all of us were in school so mom had some free time. She would have a table set up where she could lay out the pieces of the puzzle as she worked it, taking care of us kids the house and dad was a full-time job so it would often take days to finish a puzzle, that's when I just sat down and put a piece in place.

     Mom was an expert at jigsaw puzzles, she had her method of laying out the pieces and which part of the puzzle to start working on first. Her eagle eye could spot the particular piece she was looking for even though it may be surrounded by a couple of thousand others. Each piece had it's own look that made it distinctive from all the rest, there were pieces with one round tip, two round tips, even three and four round tips. Some looked like crosses or an "H", maybe the tip was large or small, leaned to the right or left, was the color darker on one side than the other. Mom knew all the tricks and when I showed an interest she taught me. 

     After dad died and all of us kids were on our own so mom had more time on her hands so she used it to work jigsaw puzzles. In her later years she had a neighbor lady who also enjoyed working the puzzles, they worked so many that it eventually got to the point where they had a hard time finding one they hadn't worked. They searched for new ones in all the local stores and if they couldn't find any thing new they would expand the range farther, yard sales were a good source and they were cheap. They would work at mom's house one day and her friends house another. The puzzles ranged in size from 500 pieces to five thousand or more and would take days to complete. Jigsaw puzzle boxes would be stacked up like cordwood at their garage sales, what may have cost them a few dollars they sold for fifty cents then went looking for more.

      When Linda and I got settled in we would work puzzles on those cold wet winter days and nights and now Kay will brings one home for us every now and then. It's amazing how you can sit down for a few minutes to just put a piece or two in place and find yourself still at it an hour later, it's sort of like eating peanuts, you can't eat just one.

     I have been away from home for many years now and mom has been gone for some time. We didn't see eye to eye the last few years of her life so there was a river between us that neither could cross but every now and then I remember the good times we had sitting at a table working on a puzzle and I miss her.