Monthly Archives: June 2012

Follow Friday – What Caught my Eye (& Ear) June 8, 2012

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* I really enjoyed Sir Paul McCartney singing the old songs he listened to growing up. Good background music for research. I especially like this one, although it is a song I had not heard before.

* Elliot Malkin has a unique vision of preserving his family stories. Check out his Everything I Know About Hyman Victor, Mother’s History of Birds, and Home Movie Reconstructions.

* This week I  was looking for information about life in the County of Durham, England during the 1800s. I had hoped to write a comprehensive post about my great-grandfather in honor of the 145th anniversary of his birth. Instead, I spent waaaay too much time watching these videos. There are lots of them to view – here’s  a list of the 129 videos from DurhamTelly. Not all are vintage footage, but many are.

* And I learned a lot about the history of coal mining in Britain from this series of vintage footage!

* My STRANGE family lived in Lincoln County Kansas for many years, so I enjoyed this article about the special Memorial Day activities which included erecting a marker to a Civil War soldier where none had been before. I’ve never met Tracee Hamilton, who discovered the tragic story of Edwin Simmons and his family while compiling obituaries, but know her through the gifts she gives in time and research through the Lincoln County Genweb. This effort is another of her gifts.

 

Chair Memories – Little Rockers

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My First Rocking Chair

A couple of pictures from much younger days….

I have to admit that I don’t really remember this chair but I have several pictures with me in and around the chair, so maybe somebody remembers it. I had to include this picture more for what I was wearing though. The apron! I love old aprons. Maybe this was the beginning of my fondness for them. I would imagine that one of my grandmothers made it for me.

 

A Bigger Little Rocking Chair

I do remember this rocking chair. I clearly received it as a Christmas present along with a lot of other goodies. It was a textured vinyl fabric in a very neutral white/grey/beige. I know there is a picture of me sitting in the chair holding my cousin Cherie as a baby. We are on the sidewalk in front of Grandma (Eveline Coates) Hoskins house. I can’t find it.  🙁

*****
Addendum: November 12, 2012 – Here is the picture I was looking for…

Holding Cousin Cherie

 

 

Chair Memories – Amana Rocking Chairs

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My Amana Rocker

I have scoliosis.

I was in junior high and had just returned from a Girl Scout canoe trip with a bad sunburn when Mom noticed that my back didn’t look right (besides the fact that it was bright red).  “What’s wrong with your back?” she asked with urgency in her voice. Doctor appointments followed. My case wasn’t severe enough to warrant a back brace, thank goodness, but I was instructed to practice a variety of stretching exercises.

Needless to say, backaches happen. Often.

During a summer visit to my Grandmother Abbie (Webber Smith Brender) in Iowa City, I suffered a really bad backache while sleeping on her couch. I couldn’t get comfortable and I couldn’t sleep. I finally got up and sat in her rocking chair. I felt so much better! For the remainder of my stay, I would get into that rocker whenever my bed disagreed with my back.

With Abbie 1977 at Amana Colonies

Abbie’s rocker was made in the Amana Colonies in Amana, Iowa. I took my husband to see the sights in Iowa in 1977 and we visited the Amana Colonies with Grandma Abbie. I told him how her rocker had eased my back pain years before and one Christmas he surprised me with my own Amana rocking chair. I’d insert a heart here if I knew how.

 

 

Addendum: November 12, 2012

I found a picture of Grandma Abbie sitting in her Amana rocking chair. This was taken when she lived in an assisted living apartment.