collecting, remembering and imagining

Since Grandma died this summer I have made a few gathering trips over to Grandpa's house. Gathering treasures. Mom asked right off the bat if there was anything I knew I wanted. Yes, without hesitating I knew. The tea cup with the birch trees. I have wanted it for as long as I can remember. It was the most beautiful tea cup I had ever seen. Now it, along with the matching cream pitcher and sugar bowl are mine. I smile - and sometimes laugh - when I see them in my cupboard - or use the tea cup at tea parties. The pattern is not one I would choose now. I might not even notice it on a shelf of others had I not grown attached to it at Grandma's house. I remember often peering into the china cabinet. Hoping that she would somehow know I wanted it and give it to me. Though I wouldn't choose it now, it makes sense to me why I loved it then. It is fantastical and dramatic. Bright flowers and (almost) neon pink in the sky. The scene covering the whole cup. The fanciest and most beautiful thing my 10 year old eyes had seen. Now it's one of the most lovely things my 3.5 year old girl has seen.




Some of the things, like the tea cup, I've brought from Grandpa's home to ours have specific memories. Others I don't remember ever seeing but have great history - like a cotton quilt made by my great great grandma, it is pieced on both sides... I thought this was fancy, now I'm realizing it was probably practical, use scraps for both sides, perhaps there wasn't a large piece of cloth available for the backing.

Still other items I just find beautiful - like some pale green depression glass pieces.

And then I chose some things that were very practical, some things that Grandpa was offering were things we needed. Tonight I was putting pizza slices into a tupperware from Grandma. I'm sure Grandma brought cookies, or her famous lemon bars to my folks' place in the same tupperware. And then I got to imagining. You buy tupperware at home parties. Grandma must have gone to a party at one of her friend's houses enjoyed some visiting and snacks, watched the presentation and chose some tupperware out of the catalogue. I liked having this little moment.

Grandpa is still sorting and preparing to put his house up for sale and move to an apartment. We will keep making trips out. Asking questions, learning the stories and bringing things home to be used at our house. I know that Grandpa is glad that many of the things are finding a new home at our place and I think Grandma would be pleased to by how I'm enjoying some of her precious things.