Monday, December 16, 2013

trees

Yesterday was a particularly difficult day . Acknowledging condolences, piles of paperwork, digging through personal archaeology were all contributing factors to the extra melancholy. Thanks to both my sons for rescuing the day. Jake came by midmorning and they needed feeding so I made a hearty soup and biscuits and when Colin returned from the laundromat they took the dead clothes dryer up to the street (where it was grabbed up by scrappers in minutes!) and hooked up a used but working one that Jake had in storage under the house. Needful, useful things to deal with, pass the time and remember.  I'm better today.


When Jimmy and I were first married, like many newlyweds we were p-o-o-r. A week with swiss to go on the baloney sandwiches was a really good one. That first year together we waited until 7 or 8 on Christmas eve to go the tree lot and see what was left. (We both came from family traditions of not putting up or decorating a tree until Christmas eve.) You knew you were grown up when Mom let you help decorate.

The lot was closed and line of scraggly, forlorn looking leftover trees leaned up against the front of the hardware store where a hand lettered sign said "FREE".  We had been ready to pay a whole five dollars!  (This picture was taken many years later when I always had to restrain him from getting a tree that was taller than I could reach to the top since decorating was my assignment.)

We stuffed the Charlie Brown Christmas tree through one passenger window on the Dart and pulled it out through the opposite door when it got back to our first apartment together at Skyview cottages in Mohegan Lake, NY. The place was so small we had to set the tree up in a corner of the kitchen and block it off with the two chairs to keep Shag from knocking it over (again). The next morning I found a diamond ring in the bottom of my stocking and Jimmy asked me to marry him.
Here we are at my family's house later that day showing off my ring and making our intentions known.

10 comments:

Kit Lang said...

Beautiful memories.

Michele Lasker said...

Deb, what a lovely story.

wandamarie.blogspot.com said...

so SWEET and simplified SPECIAL GOOD STUFF!

Cheryl Razmus said...

Thanks so much for sharing. I hope it is healing too do so. Lovely!

Anonymous said...

okay, let's try again...these pictures you are sharing are just wonderful...sometimes when we look back, we realize that those were "the best of times" regardless of our personal economies...you and Jimmy look so happy and beautiful...hopefully the reverie brings comfort...just know that Jimmy lives forever in your heart and mind...thank you for sharing these precious moments of your life together with us...sending you much love...thinking about you muchly throughout each day...
ant

Joanne S said...

Thank you for these lovely (loving) posts. Those of us who are of a certain vintage lived pretty much the same in our early wedded days. But it's nice to be reminded of the days when LOVE was most important.

We got free trees as well. You reminded me of that today. It felt good.

Nancy said...

Thank you for the gift of this story with these images. That was my era too and the photos bring back my own memories.
Take care.

neki desu said...

thanks for sharing the love.
hugs

Judy Sall Fiber Art said...

Truly a beautiful love story... with two wonderful sons to help you carry on. Keep the memories alive for you, your family and your friends. And thanks for sharing with us as well!
Hugs to you all...

Bookhandler said...

Our first Christmas tree was a clump of pampas grass I wrapped with an aluminum garland. Then there was a tumbleweed....
Good memories.