LN #9: Tell about your hobbies

Another blog at Brooks' request. I keep telling her I'm not a "hobby" type of person. I read. A lot. Historical fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Mystery. I enjoy it all, but it's not too entertaining to write about reading.

I enjoy writing. I won several awards in Jr. High and High School for essays and short stories I wrote. I love putting myself in the moment of the stories and being able to take others into my mind's eye to picture what I'm seeing or to feel what I'm feeling. I'm frequently told I should write a book and I'd love to, but whenever I actually consider it,I freeze. No thoughts ideas or inspiration. I keep hoping that one night I'll have a dream like Stephenie Meyer did and my book will come to life...

I had a real hobby once upon a time. Remember Love Beads? Yeah.  I strung love beads, but I went beyond that. I had a loom of sorts, made of a 2x4, nails, thread and, of course, beads. Using graph paper, I would create designs and then weave the patterns with my beads to create native american style jewelry or spirit necklaces of red and black for my high school.

I used to do embroidery and sew as well. Through my teens, I made a lot of my clothes and continued to sew for Megan when she was small, but as the family grew and time evaporated, sewing went way back on the burner. I'd like to take up embroidery again. Not what people do now with sewing machines, but the pillowcases and dresser scarves embroidered by hand; thimbles, embroidery floss, patterns, pin pricks and all!

Some people consider travel a hobby. While I truly enjoy travel, for me, it's more of a bucket list. There are places I want to go: the remaining 6 states in the Northeast to make all 50 states; Boston for the 4th of July; cruise to Australia/ New Zealand; and Ireland, just because. I'd like to go other places as well, but those are the top of my list.

My final real interest, something I want to dive into and succeed with is Family History. We've been able to gather some information based on information, documents and contributions of others. We have very basic pedigrees for Hansings and Haags, a greater volume of information about Staffeldts, but next to nothing on the Zielkes and Hills. And then we have the information about Alice Gustafsen & Ted Voorhees, his mysterious second family and the TRUE story about how my mother ended up in an orphanage. Perhaps that's a novel waiting to be written, but I have to put the piecces of the puzzle together first...

As I'm at an age to truly contemplate retirement, maybe I'll begin to take a more genuine interest in some of these things, because, to me, a hobby is fueled by passion with a deep desire for accomplishment. I know myself well enough to know that forcing myself to do any of them will make them a drudgery instead, so only time will tell, but if you get to read my first great novel or receive an embroidered pillowcase, you'll know where my passion has taken me!

EY #34: Tell about your first kiss

My first kiss. For some reason, Brooks seems a little obsessed with this one. I'm not sure she believes I was the boring nerd that I was; probably because I was such a cool mom with some crazy college/sorority stories. Any of my high school or college friends who may read this, feel free to confirm my nerdiness...

That said, I will go on to say, I made it all the way through high school with no kisses other than a good night or goodbye for my dad or a brother. I thought I had a boyfriend my Junior year of high school. Ed was a guy I had fun with at the lake or when I went to visit my oldest brother, exchanged gifts with and exchanged letters with on a regular basis. I won't deny, as a teenager with a crush, I thought about kissing him; probably a lot. But before my fantasy could become a reality, he decided it would be fun to make out with my best friend, breaking my heart and betraying HIS best friend in the process. I never blamed her. I knew how cute Ed was and how persuasive he could be. I was appalled, however, that knowing his best friend had a crush on her for years, that he could do that to his friend. Obviously, no kiss there.

So when was my first kiss? Sadly, there's not too much I can say about it. I was in Cornucopia with Lanie. We were driving back to the cabins late one evening and we passed a couple of guys walking alongside the road and offered them a ride. Since I was driving, I don't recall conversations in the car on the way, but after parking in our driveway, the guy sitting on the bench seat of my Olds 98 next to me thanked me and kissed me. While I don't recall the kiss as unpleasant, there may have even been more than one, I know it wasn't knock my socks off wonderful either. As unremarkable as it was, that was my first kiss.

Now, let's go on to my first memorable, meaningful kiss, because there were a few others after that kiss in my 1970 Olsmobile. The first one that really counts in my book, was during my Sophomore year of college at our Zeta spring formal. I had been going out with Randy for about four months at this point, but the spring formal was our first real, formal date. After dinner, Randy and I were dancing and the DJ put on a slow song; Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You."  I know it's very cliche' these days, but back then it was a new, popular song. As we danced and listened to the song, as she sang the words "If we both were born in another place and time," Randy looked at me and said, "This is our song. If we both were born in another place and time, we never would have met and we wouldn't be here now."  And he kissed me. Three times. Not short. Not long. Not sloppy. Just right. Sweet. Romantic. Loving. Not  personality traits Randy typically exhibited, but in that moment, enough to confirm for me that he was indeed the young man I would marry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac24COCKTVM

Zeta Spring Formal 1975
Randy, Me, Robyn Wise, Randy's brother Judd

ML#16: Does your family have any heirlooms...?

I've been staying with Brooks for the past month while I've been recovering from two different surgeries and decided I needed to do something productive with my time. Since Brooks created this blog for me, I told her that she could choose my topics. Recently, I told my kids it was time to begin claiming and retrieving items that I still had that held special memories or significance to them. Brooks decided it would be good if I made a record of those items and why they were special. While most of these items have no value, they hold special memories for one or more members of my family. For any/all who read this blog, I hope it will encourage you to recognize the worth of those little moments, those hidden treasures that are part of our lives each day. So, here goes:

Mom's Locket: A ,"birthday present for my mother from my father before they were married. It holds pictures of each of them in their young days. Mom wore it for her wedding. I wore it for my wedding. Each of my daughters wore it for their weddings. As the "family historian" Brooks will keep possession of the locket to ensure each of my granddaughters has the opportunity to wear it for their weddings as well.

Native American dolls: I began collecting Native American dolls in 2010 when I first visited Leavenworth, Washington and fell in love with one that I saw in a shop there. It brought back memories of my dad bringing me Indian dolls on the occasions he would go out of town on construction jobs. I'm not exactly sure if he brought them home because I liked them or if I liked them because he brought them home to me, but either way, I loved them. They were special to me and every new one I bought, brought back those special memories. As the granddaughters who receive them look at them, I hope they'll have a special memory of me attached.

My first doll purchased in Leavenworth and my Eskimo
purchased in Alaska with 3 totem poles.

After I began collecting my Indian dolls, I decided that one would go to each of my granddaughters. However, when I visited a giftshop in Estonia a few years ago, I fell in love with a different kind of doll that, for some reason, just reminded me of my granddaughter, Claire. I bought that doll with the intent it would always be for her.

Totem Poles: I began collecting totem poles because of my love for Indian lore. As a child, I remember my mother telling me of the Indian legend that they're waiting for "the great white God" to return as he promised. As I investigated the LDS church and learned of the resurrected Christ visiting his people in other lands, the legend took on even more meaning. 

Cut Glass Beverage Set: Coming through the Haag line of our family, this pitcher and glass set came from Germany. Every time we'd have a holiday dinner at Grandma Hills house, I remember looking at the beautiful set and wondering why we couldn't use them. I was always told they were too special and fragile, yet they were made to be admired AND used.

Cuckoo Clock: I've always been proud of my German heritage and was VERY excited when I began taking German in 9th grade. I didn't just study the vocabulary, I studied the pronunciation for hours! I had to get it right. Since my dad was so aware of my love for German culture, when his friend Ralph Weber was going to Germany, Dad asked him to bring me a cuckoo clock. I LOVE my clock. It cuckooed once on the half hour. On the hour, it cuckooed the appropriate number of times and then played a tune while German children danced in circles. It even hung on my wall at college. After several years of use, it was wound too tight and wouldn't work anymore 'til Brandon and Brooks sneaked it out of my closet when I lived in Idaho and had it repaired. It's never been quite the same, but every time I hear the cuckoo and the little song, it brings back more loving memories of my dad.

Victrola: While I have my own fond memories of persuading my aunt DeeDee to  wind up the old victrola in my Grandma's parlor, even greater are the memories of regularly sharing the magical experiences of bringing days gone by to life for my children by playing the old 78 rpm records: A favorite anytime was Rufe Davis singing The Old Sow Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBMBkeCafjQ 

At Easter there was Here Comes Peter Cottontail. At Christmas, there was the original Gene Autry recording of Rudolph

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j11rwc6Sf4o

 and then EVERYONE'S FAVORITE that I played each year for the first snowfall: Suzy Snowflake! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrTS_Z67waA

Suzy was such an important part our family tradition that I received a phone call from Megan early one morning during the fall of her freshman year at college. she was sobbing and being hundreds of miles away, I didn't know what to do until I realized she was saying it had snowed the night before in Rexburg, Idaho and she was homesick for Suzy! So, I wound up the victrola and played it over the phone, which terribly confused the rest of the family when they saw no snow...

Mom's Rocking Chair: A child's rocker that my mother remembered as being hers, inherited from her mother as a little girl. She always called it the "cherry" rocker. When I was in high school, I retrieved it from my grandma's basement and my father had a friend "restore" it for me. In the restoration, however, we learned that it wasn't actually made of cherry wood and it had never had a caned bottom. It was stained in a cherry finish, the bottom was caned, and the rocker survived many moves and aided me as I rocked and sang to each of my babies before bed. Unfortunately, the rocker is currently broken with a couple of the spindles being broken off where they attach to the chair. I hope one of my children will love my rocker enough to replace the broken legs and make it usable once again.

My bookcase: Although it's not been in my possession for many years, my bookcase is extremely near and dear to my heart. As I was preparing to move into my sorority house my Sophomore year of college,I realized the bedrooms had no bookcases. So, I asked my dad to build me one. While he was a carpenter, he was not a furniture builder. My bookcase was ugly as sin, but, by golly, it was heavy, sturdy and strong. My father died 6 months after building it for me and became very special to me as the years went on. It was the closest I could get to my lifelong dream of my father building a house for me...

Vinyl Record collection: 33 rpm albums & 45 rpm singles from my pre-teen and teen years in the 60s and 70s don't contain music that's hard to find, it's the memories connected to looking through them, selecting the ones to play, dancing in the living room while cleaning on Saturdays, introducing songs that ended up having long-term affects (i.e. Brooks decision to name a daughter Claire after Gilbert O'Sullivan's hit song) or watching performances to some of their favorites that some still remember! (i.e. Daddy Dewdrop's Chick-a-Boom)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6PJCb1daug
And then, there are the memories attached to the children's albums and the Christmas records, Elvis, Bing and the family favorite, the Lennon Sisters.

Christmas Tree Skirt: Randy crocheted our Christmas tree skirt to match the family Christmas stockings and each year as we began to decorate the tree, as the Lennon Sisters would begin to sing Christmas Island, Samantha would don the tree skirt and entertain all with the Christmas Island Hula.

Christmas Ornaments: I think most everyone has memories around their ornaments whether they are Hallmark Keepsakes, special gifts, ones the kids brought home from school, ones the family made together or purchased on memorable trips. We had all of those as well, but probably the most precious on our family tree were the Disney ornaments that hung on the Zielke family tree my whole life, the most special of which was Thumper, who hung at the top center front every year (so he was visible AND protected from little hands!

Princess Aurora: Sleeping Beauty was always my favorite Disney movie and, consequently Princess Aurora and Merriweather (my favorite fairy) were a sure win as a gift for me, whether a figurine, a doll or ornaments!

Childhood Books: Books have always been important to me. My kids grew up with some of my favorites from my teaching years like Leo, the Late Bloomer or Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I still have my Mother Goose Book and a reprint of my favorite Christmas book, Santa's Workshop. Most sentimental, though are my copies of Disney's Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella that were always kept in the play cupboard at Grandma's house. My hands had to be clean to be allowed to touch them. More remarkably was the older edition of Cinderella with the inscription in the front cover, "To Mary Ellen, From Virginia" We have no idea who Virginia was, although she was probably a key link to my mother's past. She remembered going on a train to Chicago once each year to see this woman until the day she asked my grandmother who the lady was. She never saw her again.

Other toys from Grandma's house: Handmade beanbag clowns and discs to play a bowling type of game; Gyroscope (to me, it was always a top, that could spin forever) that we used to play with on the parlor floor at Grandma's for hours!

China & Crystal: When Randy & I got engaged the first time, we bought a china and crystal set. We pulled it out 3 times a year (Easter, Thanksgiving & Christmas) to set a fancy holiday table. Over the years, through auctions, Randy added some Depression glass and a couple pf pink crystal glasses to add more options for the holiday punch.

Beatles RockBand: Not really a FAMILY memory, but a degree of nostalgia anyway, bringing the Beatles music to life through a video game!

Jewelry: While of little monetary value, my jewelry has immeasurable worth in sentiment.
     Diamonds: The diamond and sapphire earrings Randy gave me for Christmas 1975 (Silly me, I saw the size of the box and thought he was giving me an engagement ring!) My engagement and wedding rings, my mother's engagement ring and my grandmother's engagement ring.
     Pearls: The strand of pearls Randy gave me with matching earrings. He believed every woman needed a classy set of pearls, so he made sure I had mine. He always told me that I was to wear mine with a simple black dress to his funeral. As we're divorced and he's told others he doesn't want a funeral and he wants to be cremated, I guess I'm no longer obligated, but maybe I'll choose a day when he's gone, put on my black dress and add my pearls. Just because. The earrings each have a diamond attached. Unfortunately, both the necklace and one earring need repairs. Randy got Sami to give restringing of my pearls a valiant try, but perhaps being restrung professionally would be a good idea.
     Opals: My first opals were earrings Lanie gave me to wear in her wedding. The matching opal necklace I got later has gone missing over the years. I purchased an opal and silver ring that I loved at the Sequim Indian Reservation in western Washington. Finally, a ring belonging to my great grandmother has two opals, surrounded by black pearls and four rubies.
     Locket: In addition to my mother's locket, there is also one that belonged to my grandmother with hers and grandpa's pictures inside.
     Baby rings: My baby ring, a simple gold band that I last wore on my pinkie finger in my 3-year-old picture. My mother's baby ring has an emerald birthstone. Hopefully, one day, a grand-daughter or great-granddaughter will be born in May to inherit this one!
     Signet ring: My dad's initial ring R.

There's no special way to close this post. No profound words to pass on, so I will just say to each of my children or grandchildren, if you find yourself in possession of any of these items you will hold them dear to your heart, pass on the stories connected with them and work hard to create memories of your own with your families. It's the memories that are truly priceless.