ADVENT 2024 – HARD TIMES CHRISTMAS ON THE FARM

 

INTRODUCTION

I live mostly in the past now and remember some things that I would not forget and many others that I would willingly forget. – Great-aunt Ida Dickson Patchen, 1924 

I so agree with Aunt Ida. As I move through life, even some of the things I would not forget are poignant and even painful. But loved Christmas comes again, so I lay aside the stress and uncertainty of these times to listen to my Grandma Ina’s wisdom as she prepares for an understated “skimpy” Christmas at her farm home. The visit is imaginary, of course, but mostly based on Ina’s letters written to my dad during the Depression. With a vague plan in mind, I write as I go, so I don’t know what (if anything) will happen next. Vintage Christmas cards serve to Illustrate the posts. It’s a trip to a past long gone – a past that was never mine.

The year is 1931. Ina has just turned 61, and Jack is 67. They have been married 40 years and have farmed here for 35 years.

Longtime readers might recognize the names of my players, but here’s a roster if you need it:

Ina Dickson Dobson, my grandmother

Julian (Jack) Dobson, my grandfather

Their children, now adults:

·      The eldest, Pearl, lives in northern Alberta where she farms with her husband, Albert Sanders. They have one son, Stanley, who was 11 in 1931.

·      Myrtle, also called Lynn, is a photographer’s assistant in Portland, OR.

·      Earle and his wife Bernice live in Idaho Falls, where he is a junior high math and shop teacher.

·      Ethel and her husband, Ernest Robinson, live in Montana, where he is in law enforcement. They have a six-year-old daughter, Shirley Jean.

·      Vance, who won’t become my father until 1949, is a private piano teacher and musician living in Raymond, WA.

·      And Shirley, the youngest at 21, still resides at home.

Additional players are:

·      Ina’s sister, Bertha Dobson, affectionately called “Aunt” by the children.

·      Junius (June) Dobson (“Uncle”), Jack’s twin brother. (Sisters Ina and Bertha were married to twin brothers and lived parallel lives on adjoining homesteads.)

Daily Advent posts begin tomorrow. KW

CHECKING THE FARMHOUSE

Taken November 25

Mike and I returned to the farmhouse Monday morning (Nov. 25) to put some final touches on the winterization and pack to town some things we didn’t have room to take on the last trip. I grabbed the wrong notebook, so I didn’t have my list, but it didn’t matter. Most of what I wanted was stacked on the table except for Grandma Ina’s copy of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, and I couldn’t find it. I don’t know where it is.

I have realized that if we aren’t going to have a farmhouse Christmas, I should bring all things Christmas back to town, and some things in town will have to be stored at the farm. This process will continue into next year, but on this trip, I brought holiday plates and mugs.

I also packed boxes of cereal. I won’t have to buy cereal for a month. The winter dampness causes it to go stale at the farm in a hurry. An unopened box of Mike’s Sugar Babies had already coagulated. It’s a difficult environment in winter.

Mike had hoped to hunt for the elusive covey of huns (Hungarian partridges), but he decided to forego because of the weather. It was chilly (less than 40), wet, and rainy. And besides, I would have been waiting in the cold house. My greatest disappointment in the trip was the lack of snow – no snowy photo for our Christmas card. On to Plan B.

So, we stopped at Subway on Riverside for lunch, and while Mike visited Builder’s Supply, I shopped next door at the Family Dollar store. I was impressed with the available home dec and holiday supplies, and it only took me three minutes to spend $16.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems like the simple things in holiday themes have become scarce. I’m talking about napkins, paper towels, facial tissue, soap in holiday dispensers, etc. Well, I did buy hand soap in a snowman dispenser from the Dollar Tree, and then I couldn’t get the nozzle to release. “If I’m having trouble, others have had trouble, too,” I reasoned. Sure enough! I found a YouTube video from Dollar Tree. “Some of you have told us you can’t open our soap dispensers,” it began. It still took Mike and a tool to do it. 

We were home around 1:30, and then I was busy unpacking and putting away. KW 

THE LITTLE IRONING BOARD CABINET

I love my little ironing board cabinet. It’s compact and sturdy, and it stores my ironing supplies as well as current reading material and projects. I’ve even switched to my little “Steamfast” iron and stored my big iron. It’s great for pressing little seams and fabric scraps, and I was even able to iron Mike’s shirt.

The reviews said the ironing board cover left a lot to be desired, and they weren’t kidding! Why would anyone make an ironing board cover with zigzag fabric? The first time I walked up to press a little seam, it had a dizzying effect on me, and I nearly fell over. I knew I had to cover up those zigzags quickly, so I made a cover of this “Snoopy’s Doghouse” Christmas fabric. It adds to the seasonal feel of my sewing room. Just think! I can make covers to match every season – if I want to, that is.

I just finished this clever gored doll skirt from Genniwren Designs. I used a variety of 10-inch squares from a line of Halloween fabric to make the gores. It wasn’t easy and took a lot of time, but I had fun doing it. I would do it again, but for now I’m moving on to a Pilgrim costume. 

The thing about the American Girl doll is that once you cover her bum, you're already at her knees. I know the problem. I'm built the same way -- short legs.

Autumn is upon us in earnest, and the first winter storm of the Pacific Northwest has happened somewhere, especially at elevation – just not in our Valley. Looking at the weather map, we see that we sit on the edge of the storm. We didn’t even get measurable precipitation. I’m not complaining – just sayin’ that we could use some rain. KW

LIFE CHANGES

Life can change in the blink of an eye, the ring of the phone, or a knock on the door.

Mike gave us a scare on Tuesday when he collapsed while walking Bess in our neighborhood. A neighbor came to the door to get me. In all, half a dozen people were showing concern. The ambulance had already been called when I got there. With the neighbor’s help, I got him back to the house, but he kept losing consciousness. The EMTs said he was having a cardiac event and whisked him off to the ER in Lewiston.

I reached out to my children because I felt they should know in case the worst happened. Son Murray was available and readily agreed to meet me at the hospital. Within a few hours, we had the diagnosis – clots in Mike’s lungs requiring a procedure to clear them. The cardiac specialist said he could work Mike in that day, and by Wednesday noon, he was good to come home with no restrictions on his activities. It had felt like a close call, but by Saturday, he was happily bird-hunting with friends. KW

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

 

“What made you decide to take on this project today?” asked Mike. Well, I didn’t tell him, but Christmas is coming. (He thinks it’s a long way off.)

Cleaning the kitchen soffits (the tops of the cabinets) is a challenge. First, it requires a plan of attack. Then I need a ladder, a vacuum cleaner, a Swiffer duster, a sink full of hot soapy water, a soft rag, and the discipline to stay on task. It needed to be done, and I just decided that Sunday was the day. Further, I display my Christmas figurines on the soffits, and they have been there for several years. Well, no sense to put them away now, but they must be cleaned anyway. The whole thing is time-consuming – and not very interesting.

I have always found when cleaning that one thing leads to another. I couldn’t find the Swiffer duster, and it was logical to think that it was behind the washing machine. Mike helped me, and we managed to retrieve it, along with a glove and a shoelace. And while I was looking for a flashlight in the utility cabinet, I found Mike’s missing cap. (Mike is part packrat.)

And then I remembered a basket stored in the shed which would be useful to trap random items on the washing machine. (There will always be random items on my washing machine.) I retrieved the basket, but its canvas liner was very dirty, so now I had to do a load of laundry. And what does this have to do with cleaning the soffits? Everything and nothing.

Oh! And while all this was going on, I was also baking the molasses cookies I mixed on Saturday.

Since the basket has vacated a spot in the shed, I decided it would be a great place for my rather extensive collection of cookie cutters. (I love cookie cutters.) So, yes, I moved the cookie cutters from the cabinet above the fridge to the shed where they are actually more accessible. (I love my shed!)

“Are you finished with the ladder?” calls Mike, and I just can’t help but feel defensive for the fact that, I’ve barely begun. And I’m already tired, and I’d rather do something else, but I promised myself I’d stay on task.

And yes, I did finish before suppertime. It was a good day. I got a lot done. KW

WINTERIZING THE FARMHOUSE

Autumn at the farm

On Friday (Nov. 8), we drove to the farm in the old pick-up to winterize the house. Son Clint went with us to a lend a hand. It was a decent day – 40 and sunny when we arrived. The sun was warm and an impediment to taking pictures.

First, Mike and Clint loaded the 4-wheeler into the back of the pick-up and the lawnmower onto the trailer.

The old maple has lost her leaves

While Mike and Clint pumped antifreeze into the pipes, I took fussy Bess for a walk. She usually insists we go to the pond, but she gleefully agreed to walk down the lane, working both sides of the road and into the fields as we went. At the bottom of the lane, I suggested we return to the house, but she made it clear that we should go on. “What does she know,” I wondered. So, we moved up the road, beyond the old apple tree and the elderberry bush where she went over the bank and was soon on point. Then she stealthily crept into the scrub brush, and within seconds, the elusive covey of Hungarian Partridges (probably 25-strong) got up and flew farther up the hill. Bess continued to hunt the scrub brush and was soon on another point. This time a pheasant got up – and then another. (Pheasants here are escapees from the hunting club in Little Canyon.) And then another bird flew out, either a hen pheasant or a hun. (My bird identification skills aren’t the best.)

Next, Bess led us on up the hill to the edge of the field where we knew those huns had parked themselves. Bess pointed them again, and as she moved in, they flew farther away – this time across Plank’s field, which is now a homesite. Well, no matter. I wasn’t hunting anyway.

So, we headed back to the house to tell Mike about our hunt. We knew he would be sorry he missed out. Bess was satisfied with her hunting experience and finally settled down.

As a part of winterization, we unloaded the refrigerator into two crates and the cooler, and that was about all we had room to carry back, though I did bring the bin of Christmas stockings and Hallie’s stuffed Dalmatian that barks “Jingle Bells.” Also, Avista has alerted us to the possibility of electricity outages this winter, so we brought the generator back, too.

But I’m making another list of things to get from the farmhouse because Mike wants to return so that he and Bess can search for those huns again. Mike says we’ll go as soon as the rain is over. (Apparently he thinks the predicted rain will actually happen.) And that will give me a chance to pack up more more stuff. KW

HALLOWEEN IS OVER -- MOVING ON

 

Looking across the south field to the canyon

Mike and I went to the farm Thursday – just a quick trip (really quick!). I wanted my sewing machine and some machine embroidery supplies, and while we will make at least one more trip before Christmas, I brought back the bin of small cars that I know Silas will expect when he visits. He will remember the bin of cars for sure. He’s been playing with them since he was one, and even last Christmas, when he was two, he watched me carry the bin from the shed to the house and exclaimed, “That’s my cars!” Knowing that the cars will be Silas’ priority, I left our Christmas stockings behind until the next trip. If it comes to that, Silas won’t care if Santa fills a paper bag – or even if Santa doesn’t come – as long as he has the cars.

Mike had things he wanted from the farm, too – a bicycle, his power saw, and the homemade ice cream that I’ve forgotten twice. I packed a couple of crates with open packages from the pantry that should be used.

3-year-old Silas as a monster truck

That night was Halloween. We turned on the porchlight and had just one caller, the adolescent from across the street. Just as well. Mike added the leftover M&M snack packs to his trail mix. He has already taken down and stored our Halloween yard figures.

I have long felt that my standard ironing board took up too much space in my cramped sewing room. While pressing is important, I make mostly small things and seldom need to iron our clothes. I searched for and eventually found exactly what I wanted – a small ironing board affixed to a cabinet, available from Wayfair. “Will I have to assemble it,” asked Mike, and I affirmed that he would. They made it sound easy, but it was a nightmare – heavy, awkward, some of the holes not punched, inadequate instructions. It took us at least 3 ½ hours, and don’t believe them when they say you won’t need an assistant. The good thing is that it fits the room as I expected. The standard ironing board is stored in the shed and accessible if I need it. KW