You Just Couldn’t Make This Stuff Up

Sorry folks – but due to health reasons I am finding I haven’t been able to post much let alone visit everyone on a daily basis like I used to. Some days I’m able to get to one or two visits and there are days I don’t visit anyone. I’m hoping that eventually I’ll be able to catch up on everyone – but right now that is just a lovely memory.

Keeping all that in mind – please bear with me. Health is such a fickle mistress isn’t she? (and I haven’t even had my carpal tunnel surgery yet!)

 

Now for the story.

Remember Christmas 2009? Remember the day after when The Man’s new (to us) vehicle burned down in the driveway along with my little trailer that I adore with a passion and that let’s me get out of the barn?

Both the beautiful Touareg and my little trailer were written off. The Touareg because there was nothing left from the dash forward – my trailer because the one side was all bubbled and because it was a vintage trailer (built in 1975). Insurance companies just can’t be bothered to have anything fixed these days – have you noticed?

After much breast beating and howling at the moon – I finally got my trailer settled with the insurance company. Now I have some money to fix it up myself.

Moving on.

The Man works 45 minutes north of The Big Blue Barn. Naturally he needed a vehicle to drive to work to pay the bills. So naturally I let him drive my little red sports car that I’ve had since 1996. I’ve loved that car. No mechanical problems ever – no accidents – nada. I can get in it and GO! if you get my meaning. Another ‘thing’ that made me very happy and it’s been paid for for a long time now.

Remember I live in a part of Canada where it can snow every month of the year? True.

Well – we had an incredible snowstorm in early April. Just down the road south of us there was a 56 car pileup – all accredited to the storm conditions.

Just north of us there was a 2 car collision of which I am more familiar.  The Man – driving my little red sports car – couldn’t stop on the icy road and while trying to avoid the truck in front of him managed to hit it with the front driver side. I got a call at 10:30pm from The Man – yelling above the wind and snow – informing me he was alright. I knew instantly that something was very wrong.

Of course my insurance company – noting the age of my (previously undamaged) vehicle -  wrote it off.  (It still drives like a charm of course).

That meant I had to replace my car while The Man still had to replace his. Sigh. With that in mind I went out in search of a decent vehicle and ended up with a very nice looking and undamaged Saturn Vue. 

Not bad huh?

On the first long weekend (May 24th), The Man and I headed across the border to Great Falls, Montana for a couple of days  to try out the new Vue and to pick up a hitch for towing the vintage trailer once I fix it up again.

We had a lovely weekend and as we left the hotel and turned on to the main street of Great Falls – an older woman sideswiped us.

You just can’t make this stuff up. Really!

Luckily – Saturn (now defunct) came up with an outside body that bounced back upon impacts of a certain force. And because of that we ended up with a tiny scratch on the passenger side wheel rim. The lady shakily drove off while The Man and I did the same.

Oh yes. The Man was driving.

In my mind that adds up to four. Things can’t get any worse – or could they?

Oh yeah. My new roof is leaking once more. Right above my head in my (finally) finished studio.

I count myself lucky. No-one has been injured in any of this. And – it’s supposed to rain here for the next week. At least the front lawn will be very green.

My Mother’s Wedding Dress

Over 60 years ago – my Mother wore this dress proudly down the  aisle on her special day.

For years it sat in an old trunk along with other ‘stuff’ I had saved for whoever knows what reason.

I knew it was there all along but I don’t know how I ever became the owner of it in the first place. Perhaps I asked – perhaps she gave it to me one day in the hopes that I would wear it like she did. I don’t know – parts of my memory are blank pages and although always frustrating, I’ve come to live with it.

What I do know is that I could never have worn it no matter what. I could never even get the sleeve over my arm let alone the dress over my body! Food wasn’t as plentiful during the war and they were married shortly afterwards.

Once renovations were finally completed on the third floor of the big blue barn, I dug it out of the old trunk and took it to a special dry cleaner to have it restored. Then my house guest built a stand for it so that the train of the dress would not touch the floor and get dusty and dirty once more.

Unfortunately the pictures do not show the tiny 3 cluster pearls sewn into the lace bodice here and there. Nor did I take pictures of the tiny satin covered buttons that run down the back of the dress. I often wonder who did all those buttons up for Mom when her hands would have been shaking with anticipation as someone settled the veil on her hair.  Who did up the tiny snaps on the sleeves? I never got around to asking or perhaps it’s one of those blank pages again.

It stands beside my dresser – the stains and dirt gone – the old satin beautiful as it shines in the morning sun. And even though there are blank pages, I’m hoping that looking at it every day when I rise will write new pages that remain forever scribbled upon with the thoughts and dreams of my own that my Mother’s dress causes to impress upon my memory.

 

 

One picture with flash – one without.