* I REMEMBER "TEA CUP TUESDAYS" & "TABLESCAPES! *

Hello All ~

I recently received a few pieces of china from a distant cousin. She said my *maternal grandma had given them to her years ago and now she thought I should have them. Wasn't that thoughtful of her?

(*These belonged to my grandma who lived in Greenfield, Iowa. I wrote about her and grandpa in my memoir and also other relatives who lived there. My childhood summer vacations there were some of the happiest times in my life.)

Fortunately the five pieces arrived from Iowa with no damage! Here are pictures and yes, I am already using them. No more putting away in cabinets to "save" and I don't have a china cabinet to display them in. So I will use them and enjoy them!

There are two small dessert plates. Two small bowls and one large bowl. There are a couple of funny looking spots on the larger bowl. Can you see them? Two small, tan circular thingys, with a black dot in the middle. I have no idea what would cause that! Do any of you? I don't mind it at all because they have been lovingly used for many years....And I love it that they all don't match!

These pretty dishes reminded me of the Tea Cup Tuesdays and Tablescapes I used to enjoy so much. I imagine there are many bloggers still doing them. At least I hope so. If anyone knows of any, please mention in my comments!

Thanks to you who continue to stop by and see if I'm still alive!

Y'all mean the world to me!

* I SUBMITTED A STORY TO CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL! *

I'm so happy to announce that yesterday I submitted a story to Chicken Soup for the Soul, for their upcoming book about grandparents. It felt so good to write! 😃

I reworked and edited one of the grandparent chapters in my memoir.

They are looking for quite a few stories right now, so check it out! I know y'all can write about your favorite memories!  Book Topics

It will be months before I hear anything, but I'll certainly keep y'all posted. I'm keeping the faith.

I have to share a cute photo of Charlie. I caught him yawning....

and posted it on my Facebook page saying that writing is hard work, 

and it even makes Charlie tired just watching me! 😋

Have a great rest of the week!

* SOMETHING VERY UNIQUE FOR VETERANS DAY *

 

The Freedom Rock

 

 

I am very proud to say that I met Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II and his lovely wife a few years ago when I was visiting my favorite small town in America: Greenfield, Iowa...in Adair, County.

 

He is a fantastic guy, with extraordinary talent, yet very humble.

 

Please click on the link above to see a video of what "Bubba" has been doing the past few years, to honor all our Veterans.

 

It's quite an amazing story.

 

 

(Photo courtesy of Bubba's website)

One of the MANY versions Bubba has painted of a "Freedom Rock."The original rock was & still is in Greenfield,but he has also adorned rocks in other parts of Iowa...He plans to have a Freedom Rock in every county in Iowa!

 

Thank you to all veterans!

~~~

 

 

 

 

Another very interesting fact!

photo courtesy of Redbook magazine

 

http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/search?q=bubba 

 

 He also won Redbook Magazine's

"Hottest Husband" Contest in 2010!

 

 

 

 “We don’t know them all but we owe them all.” — Anonymous

 

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

Well, here it is again folks....time for another Nostalgic Sunday.

 

Can someone please invent a lasso of some sort that can be thrown around the earth and slow down time?? Or better yet, spin it backwards, and take us back to the days of black and white TV shows, and much simpler times.

I am really ready for a trip to good old Greenfield, where life is still a lot like Mayberry in the early 1960s. I don't know when I'll be going again, but you can be sure
 I'll be blogging about it when I do.

Greenfield Police Dept

July 2009

 

(smaller than Andy's jail!)

 

 

 

That same visit, July 2009

I actually rode in a prop plane, a 1946 Piper Cub, with NO doors,

and the pilot sat behind me. Weird! 

We flew all over Greenfield, and following the streets with my view, I saw my (deceased) grandparents' home. I still can't believe I did that!

 

 

P.S. One of the reasons I'd like to slow down the always marching of time, is because my youngest son's birthday was last week...he is now 29 years old!

 

 

(P.S. #2 - You can click on the Greenfield police station and
yellow prop plane photos to see them larger.) 

 

 

 

“The years just pass like trains.
I wave but they don't slow down” - Steven Wilson 

* A HOME IS GONE, BUT NOT THE MEMORIES *

This is a photo of my Grandma Louise & Grandpa Harl Dorsey on the left, and my Great Aunt Grace & Great Uncle Albert Foster on the right. (Louise & Grace were sisters.) It was taken near the side of my grandparents' house in Greenfield, Iowa. I still love that small town, and visit it often, where I spent magical vacations as a little girl during the 1950s and early '60s.

Greenfield, Iowa - 1950s

It's the only photo I could quickly locate, but hopefully I'll come across a few more later. I'm so terribly sad and have actually shed some tears, because I learned this past Tuesday, Sept 8th, that it BURNED DOWN. (No cause known at this time.) It had been bought, and sold, and rented over the years, and was in pretty bad shape, but I'd always dreamed of having enough money someday to buy it and renovate it back to the beauty and charm it displayed all those years ago.

I wrote about these four lovely ancestors in several chapters of my memoir, "From Pigtails to Chin Hairs," and how much they meant to me. The following is the last paragraph in the chapter, "A Timeless Journey."

       The furniture, pictures on the walls, and old-fashioned knick-knacks were always the same: crocheted doilies here and there, roller shades on the windows, white sheets on the beds that smelled like sunshine, and Grandma’s quilt with the little, yellow sunbonnets on it. This was a place where time stood still—no matter how long between visits—and always surrounded me with feelings of love, comfort, and home.

The next time I visit Greenfield, I think it will be difficult to not drive along SW 2nd Street, the way I've always done before, looking for that familiar home, but I'm also sure it would be very depressing to see an empty lot. Only time will tell.

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

 

It's Time Again for Another Nostalgic Sunday!

 

 

 

I'm particularly nostalgic today and I think it's because of the various challenges I've had to deal with the past month. I'm longing (at least a little bit) for those days of simpler times....of naïve childhood summers.....

...of window fans

 

 

...of Jack Benny & "Hoss" from Bonanza

 

 

 

...of aluminum tumblers, with "sweaters" to catch the moisture



 

...of visits to grandparents in Greenfield, Iowa




 

...of hand crank ice cream makers

 



...of hand crank ice crushers

What about you? What are some of your special, yet simple summer time memories from your childhood?

P.S. Please excuse how jumbled my photos and captions are. Blogger just would NOT work with me this evening!

 

* Listen to the Radio....Online *

* I had a variety of things to blog about this evening, but then remembered this:

Have I mentioned that I was interviewed a couple of weeks ago for a Des Moines, Iowa radio station? An amazing man, John Busbee, read my memoir and asked to interview me about it. And why would an Iowa radio station want to interview me? My maternal grandparents, and my parents were all born and lived there for many years....So my roots are in Iowa. In my memoir From Pigtails to Chin Hairs I write about my magical summer vacations in Greenfield, Iowa. It is still my favorite small town in America!

source: free clip art

It will air tomorrow, Wednesday November 12th, a...t 11:13 AM CST. If it's possible, please listen to it Streaming Live at http://www.kfmg991.org/

They don't have the capacity for archives at the moment, but I will receive a CD of the interview some time soon.

I'm a bit nervous but at the same time, can't wait to hear it!


* I'd like to welcome two new followers! One is Janet Givens, and I think the other one is "Phyllis." I say, "I think" because Janet's is the only new face/icon showing. And from what I can tell, the newest "blank" follower face is Phyllis. *

Welcome to you both and I hope you always enjoy

what you read and see. Thanks very much!

~~~

 

 

Please don't forget......11:13 AM CST, Wednesday, November 12th! 

 



 

* TEA CUP TUESDAY *

Hello! Today I'm once again joining in the fun for Tea Cup Tuesday with Martha's Favorites. This post is a bit different because it doesn't show any of my own tea cup sets and I'm including people and items from my recent trip to Iowa. I wanted to share the lovely place setting and snacks that my dear friend, Marge, had ready for my cousin Nancy and me when we visited her.

 

Here's Marge sitting at the table.

 She didn't want to be in the picture, but isn't she cute?!

 

 

I don't know the name of her china but isn't it pretty?The coffee was just right and the ice cream was de-lish! It was Butter Brickle, which I haven't had in years! We also had scrumptious scones, which are in the center of the table in the photo with Marge. 

I bought these next two items in an antique store while I was in Iowa

and although they aren't "tea cups" I wanted to share them, too,

especially because I think they're so unique!

 



 

This little white china piece, with gold trim and décor, was in the $1.00 section of the store and I just had to have it! It looks like a sugar bowl until you see the actual size of it! It's only 3 inches wide and about 2-1/2 inches tall. (see the ruler below)

 



I guess it could be a toothpick holder,

but I think I'll put sugar and Splenda packets in it.

 

The only marking is the Made in Germany on the bottom.

 

This pretty little dish was also in the $1.00 section,

and I think it looks a bit like a deviled egg dish,

but it, too, is small. It's about 5 inches across

and 6 inches from top to bottom.

Can you see the little hole at the top?

I guess that's to hang it up on a wall, which I intend to do!

 



 This is really much prettier than it looks here.

 My cell phone does not take the best photos sometimes!

 

 

There is gold trim around the edges and also along the top edge.

The little curly flower stems are also gold.

There's not a single marking on the bottom, so I know nothing more about it.

 

 

I'm joining Martha's Favorites Tea Cup Tuesdays, and Tuesday Cuppa Tea.

 

 

 

Wishing everyone a beautiful, blissful rest of the week. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

~~~

* Please stop back in a couple of days to find out about my newest give-away! *



 

"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion." -- Ann Wells 

 



* SERENDIPITY IN IOWA *

While I was in Greenfield last week, I did a lot of walking. Why? For one reason, I didn't have a car, but also because the entire town is small, and level, and the weather was perfect. The Hotel Greenfield was right at the edge of the town square, too, so I could walk all the way around, browsing and window shopping, and purchasing some items, of course!

 

I'll be posting more photos in the next few days, but for this evening, I just have to share one of my serendipitous finds in an antique store on The Public Square.

 

 Eek! It's multiplication...with a 9!

Ahh, to find the answer, just turn it over!

After digging through a box of old flash cards of various sizes, I bought this one in J's Variety Store. Anyone who has read my memoir will know what is so significant about these particular numbers! The humorous chapter is titled, "Multiplication Made Easy." It's about how a possible life of crime was cut short at an early age!

~~~

I'll be sharing more news and photos as soon as I can. I'm happy to announce, too, that I went all the way back to my July 8th Tea Cup Tuesday post to catch up on my replies to your comments! Wow ~ nothing like being a month behind. I promise to do better on that, and also on visiting other blogs much more often!

~~~

 

Encouragement and Approval from the Sky

(I'm still on my Blog Break, but felt the urge to share the following. Please don't feel the need to comment, because I'm still not reading other blogs, and that just wouldn't be fair.)

It doesn't seem possible that it was three months ago when I wrote the following poem. The weather was magically warm and I walked in wondrous thoughts and visions. That's when it began to sink in. The cosmic, overwhelming sense that now was the time to get serious about my writing. Now was the time to continue on with my memoir. Jump over those hurdles standing before me. And burst through anything or anyone (including myself) who got in my way.

Since that profound February day, I see and hear prop planes almost every single day. And the most Cosmic & ♫♪ Twilight Zoney ♫♪ thing about it is.....WHEN I see them. 

• When Vern and I are doing our daily walk. (at various times of day)
• When I just walk out onto our deck, with my pen and tablet in hand.
• When I'm driving, and all of a sudden one is flying over my car. 
• When I walk out to our mailbox. 
• When The Ronald and I are sitting on our deck, just talking and resting. 
• When I'm in a parking lot, walking into or out of a grocery store.

The point is: There is no particular time of day or night!!

It's become such a regular occurrence, it makes me smile and laugh every time. 

After looking up at the plane, and then further up into the sky, I said out loud: " I see it. I see it! I'm getting it! I'm getting it! Thanks! I'm getting it!"  ☺

That's me, during a visit to Parks Airport, 2009.

Now, just what do prop planes have to do with my memoir? The short version is this: I didn't really write until my *estranged father* became seriously ill and wasn't expected to live. My feelings about him poured out of me and were printed in a local newspaper (and later in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book). That's when I decided I was a writer and would write my memoir: From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More

* (When I was a little girl, dad was a professor at a local aeronautical college. I've loved planes and everything to do with flying ever since. If you check my archives of dad, Parks Colleges, prop planes, etc. you can find out more.) *

So, there you have it. I'm getting help completing my book in what I'd call blissful and spiritual ways! 

Untitled               February 18, 2012


I strolled along the pavement,
the sound of quiet surrounding me
like a quilt. The stillness was deafening
until I heard the engine of a prop plane 
flying overhead. Stopping and shading my eyes,
I squint and watch it putter across
the powder blue sky.
Memories flooded my soul,
immediately tugging my mouth
into a wide grin.

The next day I walk the 
same path. A distant cardinal chirps,
most likely believing it's already spring.
Why shouldn't he?
These past few days have been nothing
but glorious.
Only the calendar page declares
it's just early February.
I turn, looking for his brilliant crimson color
among the vast bare branches
but my eyes cannot find him.

I notice the sky is full of "airplane smoke,"
those cloud-like wispy lines also 
carry memories for the child within me. 
I close my eyes, and for a moment
I'm standing motionless in my front yard again.
I stare up, marveling at the sight above,
taking it all in and thinking as profoundly as
a five-year-old possibly can.

Blinking, I become aware of 
my present surroundings and
begin my journey
back home.
Tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow 
I'll think back and 
reminisce once more.
Sentimental journeys.
Always bittersweet.

©2012 Becky Povich

"My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living." -- Anais Nin

* Nostalgic Sundays *

Time is just flying by too fast. If you've read my blog for very long, you've probably seen where I've said something like, "I'd love to throw a lasso around the earth and slow it down for a while....Not stop it. No. Just slow it down."

Today has been a serendipitous adventure. While blog reading and commenting, I jumped from blog to blog, not stopping at every one of them, silly!...and one seemed to lead to another, and I discovered/learned some things about myself, my writing, and my wonderful blog friends. All that magical karma!

I'd like to thank Randi for sharing her thoughts about my book title and our camaraderie through our e-mails.

I'd like to thank Ms. Lou for her post about John Wayne, which led my thoughts to Greenfield, Iowa, which led me back to my book.

And last but not least, I'd like to thank Madeleine for her post about taking a Blog Holiday and getting back to her writing!

And what does all this have to do with Nostalgic Sunday? Writing my memoir. And I'm borrowing Madeleine's idea for a blog holiday because I know it will do me a world of good.

Until I'm back, I'll leave the front porch light on!

"Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped." Lillian Helman





* Nostalgic Sundays *

I'm a nostalgic gal. I love old TV shows like The Andy Griffith Show (only the B&W episodes, ya know!) I'm particularly drawn to the lovely citizens of Mayberry because this fictional town reminds me so much of the real-life hometown of my parents and grandparents: Greenfield, Iowa.

When I was a little girl we went to Greenfield every summer for vacation. It was a magical time. The late 1950s, life was slow and easy, we young kids could walk or ride bikes all over town. I have such fabulous memories of those days, some of which will be included in my memoir.

Today I thought of trying to begin another weekly post and call it Nostalgic Sundays. I'm not really sure what I'll post or if I can even come up with something every Sunday, but I'm going to try. And if any readers decide to post something nostalgic on their blogs on Sundays, let me know and I'll be sure to stop by!

That's it for this Sunday, and surprisingly I've already thought of topics for at least two more Sundays.

"There is a lovely warmness about feelings of nostalgia as though in one's head one is putting on a pair of comfy old slippers and curling up in front of a fire."  - William E. Geist

*I Think it's Thursday, So it Must Be Tuesday*

For quite a long time, my Mondays have been so busy that by evening, I'll look at The Ronald and ask, "Is it Tuesday night?" And he, as always, looks at me like I'm nuts, yet he has to stop and think for a moment before replying, "No. It's Monday. Remember, we're going to watch Monday Night Football in a little while." Oh yeah.

So, although I know I watched part of that wacky football game last night, I'm still feeling like tonight is Thursday night! What can I say? I'm just a mixed up, forgetful, mind-going-in-20-different-directions kind of gal.

But, I did jot myself a note to post about some really cool and unique Christmas cards. This is a perfect time to find out about these particular ones, too, since we just celebrated Veterans Day last week.

Earlier this year, I wrote about Ray "Bubba" Sorensen, the very talented artist in Greenfield, Iowa. He is getting to be more and more well known because of the Freedom Rock he began painting in 1999. He is the artist and creator of the Patriotic Snowman Christmas cards. They are really awesome. They are 5x5 and look suitable for framing. They are $3.00 each, or a pack of 25 for $43.75.

I just know that "Bubba" is going to be world famous someday. And besides being so talented, he and his wife are the sweetest, most down to earth people you will ever meet.

"A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle." -- George William Curtis

Oops...re: Year of the Piper Cub

I just discovered that I've been saying the wrong year for the Yellow Piper Cub airplane I took a ride in last month. I thought it was a 1949, but fortunately someone at the Iowa Aviation Museum corrected me.

It's a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub.

(I have corrected it on the post for Wednesday, July 22, 2009.)

Thanks, Lee Ann!

** Flying in a 1946 Piper Cub **

Anyone who knows me very well, knows that the thought of me flying in a tiny, 2-seater 1946 Piper Cub prop plane, would be totally unbelievable! BUT, during my visit to the RAGBRAI Event in Greenfield, Iowa, I thought it sounded like a fun, adventurous thing to do!! As you can see by the photo, the pilot is helping me into my seat, in the front of the plane.....no right side door or window....and he sat directly behind me, somehow controlling the plane!

We flew around the town of Greenfield, population 2100, for about 20 minutes. We saw many of the bicyclists riding into town, plus some of the support crews in their campers, buses, etc. I was also able to pick out the house my grandma and grandpa lived in all those years ago when I visited as a young child!!

It was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to do it again!

(I'm also ready for those hot-air balloon rides and wild roller coasters!!)

** Day Two of Our Iowa Vacation - Sun 7/19/09

The rumbling trains weren't as sleep-depriving as we'd expected. Yay! BUT, every time one did blast its horn and roar by, I immediately smiled and pictured "Vinny" and "Mona Lisa Vito", waking up in panic, and then laughter.

I've lost a day of posting.....It's been verrry interesting so far. Ron and I had a much too close encounter with a deer on a two-lane highway on Saturday night, in the dark. Cousins Nancy and Denny had warned us to keep a watchful eye, because deer were everywhere. We saw one near the side of the highway shortly after we left their house, driving back to our motel. I had JUST said "knock on wood" about the deer situation and was singing Knock on Wood, and acting silly, as I many times do.....when fortunately Ron wasn't paying any attention to me.....because he saw the large deer run right in front of us and was able to apply the brakes!!!!! THAT was the closest either one of us has ever been to hitting ANY kind of animal......Whew!

More later..........

** Day One of Our Iowa Vacation **

Oh my gosh. Before we even pulled into the parking lot of our motel, I had a feeling about the place. I noticed a railroad train track being quite close and wondered silently if it would be noisy at all hours of the day and night.

I had visions of the movie, "My Cousin Vinny". Vinny and his "fiance" stay at various seedy hotels in the South, while he tries to defend his nephew and a friend, falsely accused of murder. A very loud train goes through town, right next to their hotel, and besides waking them up in the middle of the night, pictures fall off the walls, drinking glasses jiggle right off the night stands, the lamps and lamp shades wobble and almost tip over, etc.

WELL...we hadn't even gotten settled into our room, when the first of many trains roared and clattered along, sounding as if it might just blast through the wall.

I can't wait til bedtime.......

RAGBRAI -- I'M GOIN' TO GREENFIELD JULY 2009

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RAGBRAI is an acronym for:

Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa

It is a non-competitive bicycle ride across Iowa that draws recreational riders from across the United States and overseas.

The 2009 is schedule to start in Council Bluffs and visit the towns of Red Oak, Greenfield, Indianola, Chariton, Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant, and Burlington from July 18 - 25.

**Greenfield, Iowa is home of the Adair County Free Press, owned by the Sidey family since it was founded in 1889 by Edwin J. Sidey. I am honored to write a weekly column for this historic newspaper. **

~~ Note the Greenfield Opera House on the left side of the logo....and the photo I took of the Greenfield Opera House last fall when I was there! It's another historic site. ~~