The Way We Were February 24, 2013

I asked Mr. Wonderful if he thought I appreciated old things and old ways of doing things, just because I’m getting older, or is it because I’m exposed to old things more than before.  

It was really just a rhetorical question, really, but it made me think, just the same.Swaddling clothsThis is just a stack of “swaddling cloths”, (as named, by Susanne Burns, the estate dealer I spoke to).  I bought a stack of what looked like diapers, from what had been the home of an obstetrician.  I thought they were old diapers, but in fact they weren’t padded like the old diapers.  I think that they were in fact, what new borns were wrapped in at birth.  I found them in browned paper, with a string around them.  I could almost hear the doctor telling the nurse to wrap some up for him to use at home.  His wife probably liked them for dusting.  Or, maybe not, since they were still  in the string!  Either way, it was like stepping back in time.  I got them to wax furniture pieces with, but I almost hate to ruin them!

Grain Sack

I felt the same thing, yesterday, when I was looking at a grain sack and thinking about making one into a table runner.  I realized , after looking closely, that these personalized grain sacks were made completely by hand!  The side seams were finished and stitched by hand, using small, near perfect stitches.  Even the strings that were used to tie the grain sacks at the top, were sewn on, carefully, by hand.  No wonder people love these things so much!

I see the big world map, that was in my parents’ house and the huge dictionary, on an old stand, in our living room, that have now been replaced by digital versions, that are more handy and up-to-date.  But they will never be the same.  I still prefer a book or newspaper in my hands, instead of a Kindle.

How about you?

I hope you’ve had a really nice weekend.  We got up this morning, with grand plans.  We were going to drive to Napa for lunch, after church, but quickly ran out of steam.  We ran a few errands, had lunch and came home for a long nap.  I’m looking out back, at a bunch of robins that are having a party, eating berries and drinking from the fountain.  The sky is blue, the oak tree is still bare, but I know spring isn’t far off and that makes me happy!

 

 

Recent Posts

New arrivals, classes, and creative inspiration
is headed your way!

Signup for our weekly newsletter
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Follow Us For More Inspiration

6 Comments

  1. Donnamae on February 25, 2013 at 6:02 am

    I don’t think I’d use those to wax furniture…they do look handmade! There is something about a real book…the smell of the pages, the ‘crack’, when you open it. I don’t know about you, but my iPad doesn’t smell, and crackle! Spring is a long way off…everything is still white….I need to.dig.in.the.dirt.!! 😉

    • Barbara Bussey on February 25, 2013 at 7:30 am

      Well said, DM! I’m not sure if I could adjust to that much snow. Maybe I’d be one of those sun lamps! But every place has issues. You could come to California and spend all your money on taxes! (Don’t get started, Barbara!)

  2. Barb @ The Everyday Home on February 25, 2013 at 11:28 am

    I could not agree more. I think we value old things because it represents another time in our lives when things were a little simpler. Maybe not in all aspects, but sometimes it seems that way. I am not sure I could use them as cloths either, thinking how they once swaddled a brand new baby. 🙂

    • Barbara Bussey on February 25, 2013 at 9:57 pm

      Exactly! I wish I had a little g-baby to wrap them around! All in good time!

  3. Kathryn Cain on February 25, 2013 at 9:19 pm

    Love your bringing up these thoughts. I never learned the concept of saddling and it was my youngest son who taught me,for about a year he ran a day care so he could finish school….he amazed me with one very fussy little guy….you never know what a Marine can do, I have found out just about anything…I was saying the same thing about crochet work, you see for pennies on the dollar, and then to think of the hands and work that created these beauties.

    • Barbara Bussey on February 25, 2013 at 9:55 pm

      Hi Kat, good to hear from you! Your kids sound pretty amazing. The apple of their momma’s eye! Everything has just gotten too high tech and fast paced! Bigger, faster, higher! It’s over-rated! (As I sit here blogging on my phone!)

Leave a Comment





New arrivals, classes, and creative inspiration
is headed your way!

Signup for our weekly newsletter

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

HOURS

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10:30-4:00
Wednesday: 10:30-5:00
Thursday: 10:30-6:00
Friday & Saturday: 10:30-5:00
Sunday: 12:00-4:00

CONTACT

(916) 514-5272