Memory Lane, Part: Whatever

I'm sure I've blogged about this in the past and will most likely do so in the future. Get used to it.

Actually, yesterday I posted that we were getting serious about the trip. I mentioned to Bruce that we probably should locate our will. Good idea Gail. Except we can't. It certainly is not for lack of searching, I'll say that much.

What I did find however is the receipt for my wedding ring dated April 5, 1973. $450 + $18 tax. Must be paid in full before pickup. Today, the tax would be $29.25, which translates to a 2.5% sales tax increase in 38 years.

Apparently I've always possessed writing aspirations. Consider my first published piece in the Eager Beaver, Volume III, May 1961. (I have no idea if this was fact or fiction!)

Homer

Homer was our turtle, but he had to die. I'm sorry that he did. He weighed ten pounds. He was so pleasant.      Gail Price    Grade2

I found more report cards than you can imagine, along with standardized test scores. There is much ado around here about the current version of the standardized test which I've never fully understood. It can't be that much different than it ever was. For the life of me, I can never remember giving it a second thought when the boys were in school. Maybe that is because they were test-takers extraordinaire?

And then there was the nice little letter from my Billy boy asking forgiveness for disappointing me with his grades. As well, he reminded me that it was a new 9 weeks and surely he would improve--particularly if I would type something for him.....

The Darden newsletter welcoming Bruce as an employee was yet another find. Those were the heady early days when we were sure we hit the jackpot. And we did. These days are much more challenging, but the fact that he's never been without work during this recession is a blessing we overlook sometimes. Like today. His 2:00 flight to Washington DC has been delayed more than four hours. At this rate, by the time he gets to his hotel it will be Midnight! Which just goes to show you how times have changed since he began traveling every week. 19 years ago he racked up frequent flier miles at an astonishing rate enabling him to help people out at the drop of a hat. These days the entire flying experience is difficult at best, not to mention how hard it is to earn miles.

Yet another find was a copy of the Peck genealogy with information from Ira Peck's manuscript. Just as we suspected, Bruce's family comes from the brother of the infamous Robert Peck. Matt will find this news very satisfying indeed.

Modeling stuff, Bill and Dave's registration for the draft, as well as their first driver's license paperwork, the newspaper headlined, "Nixon Resigns," along with an account of a trip Maureen and I took to New York City. Not once, but twice, I mentioned the World Trade Center.

When you go through practically every paper you own you discover your history in print. Which makes me worry about how people will preserve their history in the future. Digital is amazing, there's no doubt, but for me, there's something so satisfying about holding paper, seeing a person's handwriting, and even the smell of something aged. Maybe when the typewriter was introduced people lamented in the same way?

Let's take a break for pictures shall we?

Finally, I got a bird on the new bird bath..

I wish it were one of the cardinals but it's not. They won't sit still long enough.

Last week I bought another bird feeder to hang outside our bedroom window in the ligustrum tree. It is only a cheap little plastic thing which is the point of this picture:

This little tufted tit mouse keep pecking away at the plastic because he could see it. Yesterday while talking to Nancy on the phone I walked into our bedroom and discovered not one, not two, but three blue jays hanging around the feeder. You won't be surprised to find that it is now empty. I'll fill it in the morning.

Today at the Polasek I checked to see if that amazing hibiscus was blooming. It was not. Seeing only the green leaves one would never imagine the delight awaiting them. Maybe when I return it will once again show off for me.

The passion flower is one that amazes me to no end; the intricacy is mind boggling. A neighbor has a fence covered with the vine which is just beginning to bloom. I can't wait to see unfamiliar flowers in England! Tom's mum, Jane, emailed me saying her climbing roses had mostly peaked, ignoring her admonitions to wait until our schedule July 10 visit. My reply was "no worries, there will be more than enough to keep me in wonder."

After all that searching I am happy to report that, although I never found a copy of the will, I at least found the receipt, dated, August 19, 1998,  from the law firm. Neither Bruce nor I can even remember the attorney's name. My plan is to call in the morning, hoping they'll remember us, even if we don't remember them.