June 25, 2018
A while back I finally came into possession of my late grandmother's Eastlake platform rockers. They're a part of my history and memories so I was delighted to get them even though they weren't in the best condition. They had a black lacquer finish and I've set out to repaint and restore them to their glossy best. I decided to work on the one in the worst condition first, Pop's chair, and it's finally finished and sitting in a place of honor in my sunroom office.
Not everything worked the way I'd planned. Getting the seat and back cushions made proved beyond my skillset. It didn't matter what I did, the end result was sloppy. I gave in and purchased matching seats and backs for both chairs. Red was my grandmother's favorite color so red was the only possible choice.
The chairs sat facing each other at the large windows in my grandmother's sunny kitchen. When they're both finished, they will sit facing each other in my sunroom.
Maybe the spirits of my grandparents will come and sit with me while I'm working. Or, more likely, I'll simply pretend they're here. They were married for sixty-six years. Pop outlived Mam by eight years but I like to think of them as always together. Whenever I stopped to see him, he always told me to sit "in Jean's chair."
And so I'll sit in Jean's chair again, very soon. That pleases me.
KC
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December 5, 2017
I'm slowly cleaning out my mother's house. It looks like I'll have to move a bit faster, and soon, but being able to take my time has yielded a treasure trove of old photographs.
Dear reader, if you have old family photos, please, please, please get names and dates on the back. Then get them scanned into your computer. As you lose family members you will regret not knowing who is in those photos and when they were taken.
I've found a few gems like this one of my youngest first cousin and me at our oldest cousin's wedding. I was in the eleventh grade so he was in the tenth. It seems so long ago! I bet my father took that picture. I remember the day as being soooo hot and my hair went flat. AND I had to wear a hat and a long-sleeved dress. The church did not have air conditioning. Most didn't back in the 1970s.
This might be the only photo left to me of that wedding. It means a lot it's of the two of us. You see, we're actually double first cousins. My mother and his father are siblings, and my father and his mother are siblings. It's the reason my immediate family is quite small. You'd think we'd look more alike, but we really never did! Anyway, the picture is a precious "find."
If you're new here at Between the Keys, this blog isn't all about marketing my books. This blog is the story of my life, some of my opinions, and a few of my regrets. I'm glad you stopped by for this brief stroll down memory lane. Come back anytime you like! I make take another walk or two as I sort through all the pictures.
KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
September 21, 2014
Yesterday our family welcomed it's newest member. She's already keeping her mother awake having arrived just before four a.m. I doubted my young cousin minded having been anxious to meet her new daughter.
For me her arrival on September 20 is an answer to a small prayer I uttered when told she was to arrive mid-September. She was born on her what would have been her great-great grandmother's 99th birthday.
She'll never know her great-great grandmother - my grandmother - but some day I'll tell her some stories and it will be great-great fun!
KC
July 7, 2013
One of the things I wanted to do when I retired from gainful employment, but not from life, was research my family tree. That got a jump start about eighteen months ago thanks to a blunder made by my mother that led to the discovery of a previously unknown cousin. This cousin, being of a generous nature, handed over my maternal grandmother's genealogy. Every new reveal is great fun, well, except for learning someone died from snakebite, etc. Times were hard in the 1800s.
Along with the discoveries comes a different sort of eye-opener, that being the reason behind my lack of knowledge. Apparently very few in my family really cared where we came from. Heck, I'm not even sure they cared where we're going. It's a bit unsettling. Anyway, they didn't feel it necessary to impart some interesting information to myself or my cousins - like how many people we're distantly related to on this mountain and how. It's a bit scary-fascinating.
Thankfully there are places like Ancestry, Rootweb, Find a Grave and others. I really like Find a Grave because it's FREE and there are volunteers all over the USA finding grave sites and photographing monuments and stones to preserve the information before time and weather erode it.
If you're one of the lucky few who have had family members go before you and publish books on part of your family tree, get the books. You may not care but your children may thank you.
Remember - they won't learn this stuff through osmosis, so help them out. They might just thank you one day.
KC
http://www.kckendricks.com
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June 25, 2018
