Wednesday September 3, 2008
After canning 27 pints of pizza sauce yesterday and 19 quarts tomato juice today, I really don’t care if I don’t see another tomato for a very. long. time. At least not until Saturday night when I am certain I will want a slice on a grilled hamburger. Huge kudos to my mom who scalded and peeled and froze tomatoes for yesterday’s job after hearing that I was about ready to go buy a bushel. Most of the ones I cooked today came out of my freezer where they’ve slowly collected before and after trips when there was simply no time to be processing food. Now that my kitchen cabinets are wiped off, the counters cleaned, and the floor mopped, I like canning tomatoes. I think. I feel virtuously weary. I also look like a tomato. And feel like a tomato. And smell like a tomato. I suspect I taste like a tomato.
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The other day I was at my mom’s house for a girl’s family day with Beth. We sorted through the old toys, threw away the broken bits, cleaned up the good ones, and laughed and reminisced. My mom says I’m not sentimental. She rescued my college graduation cards out of the trash years ago. She’s (mostly) right. I saved our wedding cards because she thought I should (I called to ask her). My thought is that if I don’t see it or use it and it’s just going to sit in the attic or the basement, I can spare myself some grief when it’s time to move and toss it. I just don’t see myself some day saying, “you know, I need something to do. I think I’ll go up to the attic and read old cards.” But sometimes I am sentimental. “Flop,” as she was oh so lovingly called (because our dolls had new names whenever we played with them) had to be tossed. Beth and I both asked Mom to do it when we weren’t looking. It still hurts me a little and I wonder if I should have rescued her and put her in my closet somewhere. “Flop” is in the back with the now blind eye and the other one that won’t stay open.
the coin purse I used as a little girl to take 2 quarters for the offering in Sunday School
Are you a sentimental saver or a pitchin’ purger?
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squishy. cuddly. giggly. sweetness.
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I am loving this hot week again. I love that summer is not finished with us yet. But last week when it was cool and rainy and my sisters-in-law were doing applesauce, I started thinking about autumn. And apple pie.
Mostly, I’m a pitchin’ purger. Sometimes not. Having moved 3 times in 4 years, though, and living in a small house, sure helped me purge. Except books. Those I cannot throw away (unless I find that they’re nasty) and my bookshelf(s) shout that fact to the rooftops. And there are some cards that I cannot bring myself to throw away because when I read them again (like I did the other day when I was doing my desk) they made me cry. With happiness, of course. Because they’re from very dear people. So… is this comment long enough yet? 🙂 Have a great tomato-free rest of the week!
What a splendiferous post! The pictures of the boys are quite darling and Liam is adorable (as is his shirt!) The toys–well, I think I could get in the mood to play church again, especially with that “pacifier.” I’m sad that I couldn’t be there when ya’ll were going through that. The tomatoes—you really are quite the “flesich” little woman! My word. Oh, and the apple pie is the first thing that has remotely caused me to think autumn coming might be a good thing.
I did it, I did! I saved something worthwhile!! After you girls left I dug “Flop” out of the trash bag. She has got to be one of the happiest baby dolls ever. Her blind eyes made me feel sad and I wondered if I should put her in the toy box as a blind doll. I started cleaning her up and would you believe it? She had doll cataracts. After the “surgery” her eyes looked fine. I dressed her in one of my littlest baby collections and she looks happier than ever, flopped out, sleeping with her one eye open, but I would rather have that than being awake with one eye closed, wouldn’t you?
I still say, save some cards, and gulp, I venture to say, someday, when you have lived a lot longer you might enjoy looking at your graduation cards, that is, if I don’t pitch them in the mean time. You might be surprised at what it will evoke from Way-Back-Then.
When we come to your house for family day may I suggest apple pie? -mom
Wow… yeah, I helped make quite a bit of pizza sauce on Friday & Saturday! It’s hard work, but rewarding, huh?!
I’m laughing a little here….when I read about poor little Flop I thought ‘I bet your mom rescued her from the trash’ because that would seem like a sentimental mom thing to do.
I am mostly a pitchin purger. Mostly because I am not the most organized person around and that’s my way of staying sane.
I love the picture of Adam in the rain. Liam is darling, too. You’ve got adorable little boys!
If something looks trashy, I pitch. If I don’t use it much, I sell or donate. Why do we have too much stuff yet???? Am working on getting rid of more this fall. Some things, like cards, magazines (Country type) I like to save for making scrapbook pages, the scrapy type, not albums! I’ll admit, my mom saved childhood sentiments that are simply stored away. I’m still trying to figure out what I should do with some of it. My MIL, I won’t even go there! The dear lady doesn’t know how much stuff I’ve pitched or sold that she gave, things that she ‘found in the closet’.
Liam is looking more like his big brother over the eyes. And Adam looks like he enjoys rainy days!
Uhmmm…. My husband is actually more sentimental with stuff than I am, I pitch, pitch! But I try to charitably respect him with his little childhood toys he doesn’t want to part with 🙂
The apple pie makes me hungry for one!
@seniorsurfer –
I’m still smiling about Flop!!
God has certainly given you the gift of writing! You make me wanna be right there enjoying your life too!
As far as being sentimental, I’m right there with ya, if it’s gonna sit in a box never to be looked at again, why do I need to keep it!
Is seniorsurfer your mom? I need to send her a message, I accidantly subscribed to her under someone else’s username.(OOPS)
@indehecka – seniorsurfer is actually my grandma! But my mom uses her name and password since she opted out of having her own site for now.
I know I already commented about saving things, but here’s something I remembered this evening. Several years ago we were going through some stuff in storage at home, and we came across something that really intrigued me. My grandma Beachy had saved all the baby cards she got when Dad was born, and there they were, bundled up and saved for posterity. We had tremendous fun going through those. It IS a way to keep history alive for the next generation. And I could go on, but I’m going to stop waxing sentimental!