A "Special" gift...

   Have you ever received a special gift that was totally unexpected. Let me tell you a story about just such a gift I received.

   I will have to start at the beginning... it began some 16 years ago when I was looking for a birthday present for my dad.  I remember giving a lot of thought on what I could buy as a gift that my dad would appreciate and actually use.   Dad really didn't need much...he managed to make do with what he had... always comfortable with the simple things in life. So one day while visiting my parents home,  I noticed my dad working out in his garden wearing an old barn jacket.   I noticed his jacket was rather worn, with several sewn patches on it. I asked my mom about the jacket...she shared with me that he bought it at a garage sale for pennies, it had belonged to a dear friend who had passed away. Mom said he enjoyed  remembering his friend and telling the story on how he came to own this  perfect jacket for gardening. 

This got me thinking....if I could find a new jacket just like my dad's worn jacket, it would make the perfect birthday gift.   So off I went searching for a barn jacket.   I remember being rather excited about this idea.   Then after many stops with little luck finding a similar jacket...I  received a tip about a store in Batavia, NY that might sell barn jackets, so I travelled an hour to the outlet store in Batavia, NY called the Melton Shirt Co.  Sure enough I found a jacket almost exactly like the one I saw my dad wearing out in his garden.  I was so excited...I found the most perfect gift for my dad!

So when my dad's birthday arrived....I travelled home to celebrate my dad's birthday.   I was sure this gift was going to be received with amazement and appreciation.  As he opened the gift I could see he really liked it and thanked me for such a thoughtful gift...commenting on how great it will be to wear this new jacket while gardening.

Well... Each time I travelled home to visit my parents I would notice my dad's new jacket was still sitting in the closet, untouched.  After several visits I began asking my dad "When are you going to wear your jacket?" Dad would reply..."I will."  Several years passes... and the jacket sat tucked away in the closet...unused.   At the time I couldn't understand it, why wear an old worn jacket...when you had a new one to use.  It became a topic of conversation during each of our visits throughout the years.

Then one day, several years after I gave this jacket to my dad, I came home from work to see that a package was waiting for me.  The package was from my dad.  My dad never sent letters or packages... I carefully opened the package to find the barn jacket with a note..."Chris- I want you to have this wonderful jacket...I know you will enjoy wearing it. Love,Dad".   

Now several years later...I continue to wear this jacket...it is now worn and frayed in some spots.  But now I understood ...how my dad felt about his worn jacket.   My jacket became my favorite jacket to wear! It had a story behind it...one I enjoyed telling friends and coworkers.  I love my worn jacket and feel grateful my dad gave me this "special" gift!

Sisters...

 

My sister celebrated her 60th birthday a few months ago. Although I am only a couple of years from reaching this life milestone as well, it was a wonderful time to remember all the "fun" things we did growing up together in our hometown. I wrote this letter to my sister on her 60th birthday...

Dear Sandra- Happy Birthday!         November 9, 2013

This is such a special milestone in your life. As sisters we are connected by our childhood home in Lyons.  As we were growing up there were things we did as young children that didn't seem to mean all that much at the time and even as years pasted, not giving much thought to these childhood experiences.  But...now as adults it is so much fun to think back on all the interesting things we did, what they really meant to us and how "lucky" we were to experience them!

This is what I remember... Catching lightening bugs in the back yard, sledding down Chippie's Hill, trips to Roseland Park, skating on a pond or the community center ice rink, fishing with a bamboo pole, playing with the baby chicks in grandma's basement, swimming in our pool, apple picking, playing in the chicken coop at grandma's house, picking raspberries eating gooseberries, the smell of fresh baked cookies...mom made the best cookies, dressing up to go to church, having a grape fight with neighborhood kids, riding the tug boats between the canal locks, climbing aboard the caboose at the train station, sleeping at grandma's house in the old iron beds...listening to the trains go by, bundling up to play in the snow, family trips...all squeezed into the back seat of Dad's car, country rides to see the deer, fresh baked bread with peanut butter on it...Yum, and all the wonderful birthday celebrations with family...enjoying mom's great cooking, presents, cake and ice cream!

My wish for you is to have a wonderful 60th birthday and many returns! May our childhood memories be a source of many "smiles" for you as you think back on our experiences growing up!

Remember...."A sister is a little of childhood that can never be lost" by M.Garretty. Love, Chris

Fruit...

I remember growing up enjoying the many different fruits that my grandparents grew.   Today we go to the store and pick our fruit from shelves...paying quite a bit to enjoy the sweetness of berries, grapes, apples and such. But... as I was growing up, when we wanted a fruit to eat we would go into the backyard to pick fresh grapes, figs, cherries, pears, raspberries, currants, apricots and gooseberries. These fond memories not only included the fun of picking and eating these fruits...they also include the great care my grandparents gave these fruit plants, bushes and trees to ensure they were healthy plants and produced wonderful harvest of fruits!   At the time of growing up with these fruit trees, I think I took it for granted that these wonderful fruits would always be part of my backyard.  But as years past my parents yard and then my own yard changed and the fruit trees disappeared.  But I still remember...  all the wonderful fruits right in my own backyard as I was growing up.  I am thankful for this childhood experience.   "When eating fruit, think of the person who planted the tree." Author unknown.   

So what do you build with Barn Wood?

Will had several projects that he completed for a small business. Here are some of his projects...

Barn wood.....

A new adventure took my son Will and me searching for barn wood. A request had been made to craft   several boxes from repurposed wood. So where do you go to get barn wood?  Why to the countryside.  As my husband and I drove through the country we observed several farms with old broken down barns.   You wood think that you could just go up to a barn and pick a few pieces of old wood....with owner's permission.   Not so easy....come to find out farmers have a lot of attachment to their old barns.   As if they are part of their family....with many important memories. So after a few failures of talking directly with the land owners...and a gentle remember from a state policeman...I decided to take a different approach.   I advertised that I was looking for barn wood.   Who would of thought that barn wood would be so expensive....many wanted $5 a foot.   It almost seemed hopeless until a response came from a person named Jason.   He said he was going to be taking a barn down close by and he would be willing to help us get some wood.  So in the dead of winter Will and I drove  to met meet Jason.....sure enough there sat a very large barn...very old and half fallen down.  Will walked around with Jason and picked out the wood he would like.  Took a couple of months for the barn to come down.....piece by piece.   So one day....the call came and off we went with a circular saw to cut barn wood for some projects.  Here are some pictures of our adventure of  "barn wood".