First Christmas for my Dad in Heaven...

This is the first Christmas since my dad died.  The picture below is Christmas 2015.  Just 3 months before he left this Earth.  I am thankful that I always try to get a picture.  Because now the family dynamics have changed.  Changes occur and you never know when or how, but it's best to get those pictures taken while you can.

So as a result of this year's change, I felt I wanted to write a bit about past Christmas memories.  

As a child, in Minnesota, I remember my Christmas.  We had a tree with REAL CANDLES glowing on it.  Yes, that's right.  The German tradition was to have these little candle holders that clipped to the tree branches and they had a particular size of candle on them.  I remember that they were either red or white and about 3-4 inches tall.  They would be lit on Christmas Eve.

The Minnesota neighbors that saw this were quite shocked by this tradition and it wasn't too terribly long that the change to little electric lights on the tree occurred.

My parents had made a bedroom down in our little basement of our very little Minnesota house.  The tree was actually in their bedroom.  And my mom chose to keep the "live" tree in there until my dad's birthday which was Feb. 17th!  Wow!  Here I am the day after Christmas striking down all the decorations to get my house back to "normal".  

I remember that some of my friends would ask why our tree was still up.  I am thinking now about all the mess the falling pine needles must have been to clean up.  That's one tradition I won't be keeping or passing on.  It is kinda fun to think about it though.

I also remember that we opened presents and celebrated on Christmas Eve, as we do now, still.  However, there were no gifts under the tree until that night.  And my dad would take me out on my sled and go sledding. It was always dark and cold, very cold.  But there was always snow, as this was Minnesota!  The road we sledded on seemed so steep to me as a little kid.  But apparently not so much.  After I was married I have gone back several times to my hometown of Elmore and that hill was barely a hill.  I am not even sure how I could have sledded down it.  But none-the-less, this is one of my most vivid memories.

I remember one year wanting a doll that was popular at that time, she was very tall, at least 3 feet tall and when you raised her arm, she was supposed to walk along side of you as you held the arm.  I remember she didn't quite walk the way she was supposed to, but oh well.  Old technology.  Somewhere, I have a picture of her, but I would probably have to search forever to find it. So nevermind!

I also remember my grandmother coming from Germany and staying for 6 months.  I remember her making me a crib for my dolls, too.  She didn't use any nails, just made holes and pegs that fit into them.  It was quite large, again this is how I remember it from my childhood.  I also remember that when we moved to California, we left it behind.  I think I am still sad about that.  When she went back to Germany, it turned out that this was the only time I would be seeing her. I do have pictures of her and I during Christmases in Germany.

Now that I am a gramma, things are different again.  I have four sweet munchkins that are a part of my life now.   My mom still is nearby and I am happy for that.  So now we have our traditions that are also slowly starting to change as my mom no longer can participate as she could in years past.  She is 87 now and struggles to do most things.  But the Roladen dinner for Christmas Eve is still in place and then the grandkids open gifts here.  After they rush to the other grandparents for their family party.  Things have changed over the years, but it's still fun to remember days gone by.

Signs of Summer

It's hot, that's a sign, of course, but I remember summer as a young girl in California and everyday after school was out, the ice cream truck was there at the bus stop to greet us as we got off the bus.  We would dig in our pockets and find the money for the choice of the day.  I usually got a drumstick or 50/50 bar, which was 1/2 vanilla ice cream and 1/2 orange sherbet.  And  this was our  "routine".  Tonight on my daily walk, guess what I saw!  The ice cream man!  Hadn't seen one in ages.  But there he was in the same looking truck and the same music playing loudly to get the children's attention. (Probably the same man, but wait, he would probably be dead by now, right?)  Well, he got my attention and it made me hungry, although I was walking for exercise, not to find some ice cream.  Luckily I have no money with me as I walk, otherwise I may have gained all the calories back that I was trying to lose by my walk.  Remind me to put a buck or two in my pocket tomorrow.   Did I really say that??? Shame on me!  I have to save my extra calories for my pierogis in Poland in a couple of weeks and my Polish Italian Ice Cream.  There are just some things I can't do without!  I will be thinking about you as I enjoy them.  MMMMMM!

I will try to post my "Pilgrimage to Poland" as regularly as I can get internet connections.  So keep watching From Aug. 19-Sep 5. 

Till later!

Living in the Desert!

At work today we were talking over the " fence " , actually through the cubicles and Sylvie 's daughter was going to Arizona to visit Sylvie 's son's family. He is going to dental school there. The other day, her little grandson said to his mother, "big bug ". And his mom went to investigate and it was a cockroach, a typical sight in the desert ... I know, I lived in the Palm Springs, Ca. area. So I mentioned to her what my parents did at night. My parents noticed the roaches came up through the drains. At night, when the roaches roam, they would always keep all drains closed and the shower drain covered with cardboard or something that could be weighted down so that they could not come up through there, either. Anyway, a memory from my youth teenage years of living in the desert.  Funny what comes to mind that you haven't thought about in years...