Baby Teddy – One Good Bear

May 4, 2015September 15, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 6 Comments

The Tale of Baby Teddy

As I approach my 59th birthday and inspired by the prompt for Day 20 of Writing 101, I have to write about someone who’s been with me through it all.

Baby Teddy, One Good Bear

Baby Teddy today looks much the way that I remember him since I was old enough to form memories. His appearance is beyond “shabby chic”, he went through a lot in his early years. There are no known pictures of him as a young Teddy so we can’t be sure what he looked like when he first came into my life. Diminutive in stature, about 9 inches tall, I’m guessing his name came from his small size but it could be because I preferred teddy bears to baby dolls. But I digress.

I’m pretty sure we don’t even know who gave him to me; I suppose it doesn’t matter. He claimed my heart and in spite of my parents trying to entice me with a Winnie the Pooh bear (which I loved, don’t get me wrong) and numerous other pretty fluffy stuffed animals, I wouldn’t part with him. I think they were embarrassed by his shoddy exterior. It didn’t matter to me.

Baby Teddy’s Disappearance

This was a tragic day, I was about three years old. Carrying him with me everywhere, I remember awaking from my nap only to realize he wasn’t with me. Where was he? I searched, I sobbed and was completely devastated. This went on for several days and I wasn’t getting over it.

One evening, my Dad came home and called for me. With puffy eyes, I stumbled into the living room, looked up and stopped in my tracks.

“Look who I found walking through the flower garden” he said, holding Baby Teddy by the paw. Not noticing that he was worse for wear, his eyes sewn back into place, the majority of his fur missing, I hugged him with all my might and sure enough, he smelled like flowers. It was a miracle and at age three, you just accept miracles without questioning them.

Baby Teddy never strayed again and was with me through all the highs and lows of my youth, my teens and had his fair share of tears cried onto his tiny shoulders as he gave me comfort.

The Family Secret……..

Many years later, I was at work and fell into a daydream thinking of Baby Teddy, remembering his mysterious disappearance many years before and his trek back to me through that flower garden. Now an adult, it occurred to me that there was clearly another part of that story that had remained a family secret. And I had to know what the truth was, no matter what, no matter how hard it was to hear.

I called my Mom. “Hi” she said in her cheery voice “What’s up?”

“What happened to Baby Teddy, I have to know!”

I’m sure she was caught off guard (what, no hello?) Where was this coming from after so many years? She was quiet for a long minute. (I think she was suppressing a nervous laugh) But I’m sure she knew this day would come.

“Well, you carried him everywhere” she began “Everywhere. Even into the bathroom.”

She went on to say that I’d placed him carefully on the toilet tank and that when she next went in, he’d taken a plunge – into the less than pristine toilet. While I was sleeping, she’d fished him out and taken him to the trash.

Then I woke up from nap time and all hell broke loose. I began the search and was in such a state that she and Dad made the decision to discreetly rescue him and put him through the washing machine. That explained the eye mishaps and the nearly total loss of fur. Apparently, they next placed him somewhere to air dry, high enough that I wouldn’t discover him. (I imagine after they saw what the washer did, the dryer might have been the end for him.) Dismayed by his appearance but seeing that I was still distraught after several days, they came up with the “walk through the flower garden” story, first spritzing him with perfume and reunited us.

“You threw him in the garbage???” was the first thing that I said thinking, “arghhh the humanity!” (I’ve always been a bit dramatic)

Sometimes you just can’t handle the truth.

Here is a picture of my Baby Teddy today – still with me and holding a million memories and secrets, one good bear.

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Day Twenty: The Things We Treasure

Today’s Prompt: Tell us the story of your most-prized possession.

It’s the final day of the challenge already?! Let’s make sure we end it with a bang — or, in our case, with some furious collective tapping on our keyboards. For this final assignment, lead us through the history of an object that bears a special meaning to you.

A family heirloom, a flea market find, a childhood memento — all are fair game. What matters is that, through your writing, you breathe life into that object, moving your readers enough to understand its value.

Today’s twist: We extolled the virtues of brevity back on day five, but now, let’s jump to the other side of the spectrum and turn to longform writing. Let’s celebrate the drawn-out, slowly cooked, wide-shot narrative.

If you enjoyed this, check out: https://spencesgirl.com/2015/06/17/like-my-dad/ ‎

Gourmet Food and Wine Tasting

April 22, 2015August 7, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Just before I headed to visit my stepmom in Florida, she’d left a voicemail on my home phone.

“Are you interested in a gourmet food and wine tasting dinner on the day after you arrive? Let me know”

I called back, “I’m in!”

Here was our menu:

My stepmom and I were joined by four of her friends and started with a pre-dinner cocktail. Moving into the dining room, seated overlooking a lake I observed all the attentions to detail including this snazzy “butter rose”:

Here were our courses:

The little corn pudding (to the left) was exquisite! Everyone was applauding it. Like a little corn custard cloud. Oh my!

Somehow, to my dismay, I missed taking a picture of the next course which was beautifully presented and delicious. Sorry about that!

And last, we were offered a lovely ruby Port to cap off the evening.

I was in a wine and foodie state of bliss and went to sleep recounting each course as I drifted into dreamland. Every bite was delightful, artistically plated and the wines were superb. The Rose and Pinot Noir were my absolute faves!

My Home at age 12

April 20, 2015September 15, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 6 Comments

At age twelve, I lived with my parents and my sister. Mom and Dad designed and built our home seven years earlier. I recall a visit there while it was under construction.

“This is your bedroom” Dad announced “and Lisa, this is yours”. We squealed with delight as we ran into the empty rooms, straight to the windows. With nothing but the frames, we leaned out and waved. “What fun” we thought “we’re neighbors!” A novelty to be sure, we’d always shared a room.

The home was on a quiet, tree-lined side street, walking distance from the family business. At it’s end was a park. My aunt, her family and my grandparents lived on the corner and across the street respectively. It shared mix of homes. Some modest, ours was one of the largest.

My lifelong BFF lived around the corner. I’d walk to school with my her, my sister, cousins and neighbor kids. It was so close that often I’d run home from school and eat lunch with Mom.

We had a deep back yard with rolling hills. Dad hung a tree swing in the willow tree, my favorite to climb. By the time I was twelve, he’d had an a-frame treehouse constructed. Incredibly unique, it was “the place” to hangout or have sleep-overs. It also was “home-base” for hide-and-seek. Ours was the best yard in the neighborhood for hiding places you see.

A brick, ranch-style house, it was modern with many striking features. A fieldstone, wrap-around fireplace visible from both the living and family rooms. A sauna Dad installed, inspired following our trip to the Montreal 67 Expo where we’d experienced our first sauna. The finished walk-out basement with thick cream-colored shag carpet, a fire-engine red, free-standing gas fireplace and a bar. That bar top took 3 men to carry in and featured river rocks set in lucite. I’ve never seen another like it.

At age twelve, I got to update my pale pink bedroom. It was the late 60’s. I chose black carpet, black and silver beads for my windows, adding a lime-green Tiffany lamp and matching crushed-velvet chair. A creamy white faux-fur bedspread was the crowning touch. Add a black light and psychedelic posters pinned onto a cork board that Mom covered with black burlap. A seriously cool room for an almost-teen.

I loved that home, the neighborhood, the town. I felt safe there, knew all the neighbors. There were tons of kids the same age. Kickball, softball, sledding, bike riding and the like filled those years. We played outside till dark or later, summoned home when we heard our parents call our names.

I would later become the President of the Chamber of Commerce in this town and chose to live my life here. Thirty years ago I moved into the house that my grandparents built when my Dad was a boy, a home I’d been in as a child. The bonus? It’s walking distance from my childhood home.

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Our Writing 101 assignment for today, was to write about where we lived at age twelve. The twist was to mix long, medium and short sentences.

Memories of Grandpa Fox’s Chicken

April 18, 2015September 20, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 12 Comments

I have so many memories relating to food from childhood to adulthood, from beloved family recipes to exquisite food I’ve enjoyed in my travels. Loving food as I do, it’s no wonder that even as a child, I gravitated towards watching my Grandpa Fox prepare meals with love and joy.

Grandpa Fox was Mom’s father and had retired at a young age after a lengthy illness. After he recovered, he took up cooking. And not just any cooking – the man had a passion and a talent that took his food to gourmet status. I still cherish a number of his recipes, written with his favorite green ink pen, detailing every step of preparation.

Today, I’m focused on his chicken, first off – his fried chicken. If my sister and I knew that Grandpa was making fried chicken, the drive from our home to theirs seemed to take an eternity (or about twenty minutes). As we entered the house, the aroma was tantalizing. Even today I can close my eyes and remember the smell of that chicken sizzling as he fried it to perfection in butter. I was always so grateful that the sight of that chicken frying meant we would be eating soon. Golden, crunchy, tender, each bite was sheer delight. Having discovered that I loved chicken wings, which were also Grandma’s favorite, he’d call me to his side to confide that by a stroke of luck he found a chicken with extra wings. That luck held out for years and I can still remember the twinkle in his eye each time he told me, likely sparked by the sheer happiness on my face as a result of his good fortune.

Then, there was Grandpa’s rotisserie chicken. Fixed on a little old charcoal grill with a small hickory chip smoking tray and a flip top lid, he would load several whole chickens onto the rotisserie, grab a cold beer (or two) and set up his chair so that he was nearby to baste them. Enjoying beautiful Michigan summer days, he would sit back and wait – for us to arrive but also every one of his neighbors who were drawn to his grill. “A nickel a peek” he’d say and then raise that grill top to reveal these gorgeous spinning birds to “oohs and ahhs”. I’m certain those neighbors went home wistful that they could’ve snagged an invite to dinner at Mr. Fox’s house. My sister and I could always count on “free peeks”. Joining him in our little folding chairs as soon as we arrived, we willed him to cook them faster as the smells from that grill had our stomachs growling.

Many years later, Spence bought me one of those “set it and forget it” rotisserie ovens and I have cooked countless whole chickens on them, as recently as last week.

Each time my house fills with the aroma of the rotisserie chicken, I wonder if Grandpa is looking down on me remembering all our chicken dinners together. I figured out the secret ingredient he added to his cooking; it was his love of cooking and the love for those he cooked for.

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Our Writing 101 assignment today was to recall a favorite childhood meal, how it made us feel, was always a treat, meant celebration or comforted us, with roots in our memory.

The twist, tell it in our own “voice”.

Settling Mom Part Four or a Temporary “Cease and Desist”

April 4, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

For those following my blog, you may have wondered why I’ve gone “silent” on the Settling Mom series. The subject of said series, Mom, asked me to “cease and desist” on any more posts showing off her new furnishings – until she was able to do the big reveal to a couple of dear friends coming for a visit yesterday. After posting pictures of the statement piece, I was in serious trouble (not really though she told me to stop or she’d take away my MacBook).

The black-out has been lifted and I’m back in her good graces, allowed to proceed with the latest update. Her bed was delivered on Tuesday and with that, she raced back to my sister’s home (her temporary residence), laundered her new sheets and packed up all her stuff. She officially moved in and though surrounded by boxes, slept in her new bed.

Mom's snazzy new bedding. It's really beautiful and vibrant. She'd found this online months ago. Great taste that Mom of mine. — Mom’s snazzy new bedding. It’s beautiful and vibrant. She’d found it online months ago. Great taste, that Mom of mine.

Her check-in email the next morning was a good one, she’d slept wonderfully. She’d been so exhausted the night before that when she saw an email stating her kitchen table and chairs had been delivered, she called the office to ask if they were holding her delivery. They informed her they’d taken it up to her apartment and put it inside. She looked and sure enough – several ginormous new boxes had joined the others – and she’d walked right around them without noticing.

She began to unbox the set – two chairs and a drop leaf table. The table itself was so heavy that she opted to stop and wait for my brother-in-law and sister to come over after work and he assembled the set for her.

The single drop leaf can be raised should she need a larger table top for company.

Stay tuned for the next update in this series….more furniture has been purchased and will be delivered today.

Settling Mom Part Two – or “The Statement Piece”

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

If you saw yesterday’s post, you’ll know that the plan today was to head back to Colette’s, the furniture consignment store (the first store visited Mom and I visited – last Monday) to see if the special “statement piece” of furniture we’d found was indeed still there. If so, Mom would buy it and I’d help get it back to her new apartment.

Spence was kind enough to loan his GMC Canyon to transport said item and just before noon, we pulled into Colette’s. It’s a massive warehouse of consignment goods, primarily vintage and antique furniture but also books, clothing and everything you could imagine. The small chest we sought was in the farthest corner in the recesses of the store which is arranged by vendor space. There was no way to know if it had sold but we remained hopeful.

As we came closer, I saw it, just waiting for Mom. This time she’d taken measurements of the space intended for it and armed with my own measuring tape, we took the dimensions of the chest. Just right! Still as taken with it as we’d been the first time, we inspected it for flaws, finding none. Removing the tag, we walked back to the central cashier where Mom made the purchase. We learned from the cashier that the vendor selling this had told her it came from her mother’s home where it sat in the entryway her entire life. Interesting….. we’d been curious about it’s history. I brought up the truck while Nate was summoned to load it for us. Given the marble top, Nate warned us that it was very heavy even for a strapping twenty-something guy such as himself.

After unloading it back at Mom’s new apartment we checked for any marking that might indicate where it was made but to no avail. If I was to guess, I think it is European. We put it into the place, measuring first right and then left to center it. Perfection. Mom has many boxes to unpack and one of them may contain just the right thing to hang above the “statement piece”. If not, our next search will be for a mirror to hang above it. And the Settling Mom series continues…..

So without further adieu, here are the pictures. You decide, does it make a statement?

Settling Mom – Part One or “On Shopping”

March 28, 2015March 28, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 1 Comment

Just following instructions! And helping the economy…

With Mom’s recent move back to Michigan (see Moving Mom series in this blog), the need for shopping has reached a new dimension. Was it just a week ago that we were arriving home from the road trip from Florida to Michigan?

Mom left most of her furniture in Florida as requested by the buyers of her home. Good for them and less to contend with for her. Now starts the tricky part – from two bedroom house with large lanai to one bedroom apartment with a “pie” (think alcove making more of a great room). Where to place her sofa, love-seat, computer, desk, TV and then what to buy? The first day we set out was cold with a steady rain. What we found out immediately? Mom LOVES the heated seats in my Tucson.

We started by checking consignment stores for a small but contemporary drop leaf table, large living room table for her ginormous lamp and if possible a “statement ” piece, (something really striking). Less likely would be finding the right dresser and matching nightstand in consignment. A bed she will buy brand new and she’s already on task for that. She located the bedding online she fell in love with and it’s making it’s in transit, even as I write this.

The first shop we visited yielded a single treasure (the “statement piece”) but felt almost too easy. Mom wasn’t ready to “pull the trigger” – not just yet. But we were both struck by it’s uniqueness. As days ensued, visiting numerous stores not finding anything else that compared to it, we kept talking about it. We even agreed on where to place it, clearly it left an impression on us. Tomorrow we’ll go back, praying that it’s still there in that huge warehouse hopefully undiscovered and waiting for Mom.

Yesterday was another day of furniture shopping – in the snow (seriously – welcome back to Michigan Mom!) We’ve had no luck finding tables in consignment. At a major retail furniture chain, we’d spotted a table that could work (later on Amazon I found something better which she’s since ordered) but did find a matching dresser and nightstand that she likes. However, there’s at least one other furniture retailer that we’ve yet to visit making sure we’ve checked their selection. Decision – paused for now.

When not shopping this week, we’ve been moving in those things from the truckload Spence drove back in February, items we crammed into Mom’s car and a number of items from the POD which was delivered Thursday. (Sister, brother-in-law, nephew and a buddy unloading the remainder of the POD today as Spence and I are off to the wedding of dear friends)

Got her new phones, a LAN line, high speed internet and HD cable set up, pairing her Kindle to her new home network. She looked so happy sitting on the apartment floor able to check emails on her own computer for the first time in nearly two weeks, seeing her HD TV with a picture – knowing both had arrived intact. (other than the missing power cord to the printer which is bound to show up – a casualty of the hectic last boxes packed)

If you enjoyed this piece, stay tuned as there’s more to come on Settling Mom, including (fingers crossed) our consignment find….with pictures to follow.

So good to be home!

March 22, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

I love my life and am so happy to be back home after 19 days away! I always appreciate my life but perhaps all the more when I return to it.

Moving Mom Part Twenty – or The Last Leg of the Road Trip

March 22, 2015May 20, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

March 20th – part 2 – We checked out of our hotel at 10:00 fairly certain that we’d waited long enough for the heavy fog to burn off. By and large it had but as anyone knows who’s driven through the mountains on I-75 in Tennessee or Kentucky, fog is serious.

About the time I noticed my ears pop, we’d reached higher elevation and I had to drop our speed as the fog created pockets of no visibility as the cars and semis in front of us seemed to disappear. As had been our rule on this road trip – no talking if we hit 1) rain 2) heavy construction 3) fog or 4) heavy traffic. Once through the fog, the roads were drier than we’d expected and traffic was not too bad until we neared Cincinnati. Never a fan of driving this stretch of intense traffic, multiple bridges and exits while crossing the Ohio River, Mom had volunteered (as she did with Atlanta) to drive this leg of our road trip. As mentioned, she’s a very safe driver and while I could have done it, it is her car. We arrived at our third Country Inn and Suites by closer to 4:00 (this night in Dayton) and dragged our stuff into the hotel (this part was getting old for both of us). My plan for tomorrow is to rearrange so that everything of mine will be in the backseat making for easier unloading tomorrow.

I set up our now-traditional cocktail hour:

We chilled for a bit and then headed to The Chop House for a celebratory dinner. At 2:30 my iPhone had gone off (Bruno Mar’s Uptown Funk ringtone does get one’s attention) and I handed it to Mom. We expected a call from her realtor and indeed, the closing had happened, giving finality to the sale of the house.

With Rocky as our server, we ordered more wine – a Pinot Grigio for Mom, Malbec for me. Lots of toasting – to the closing, to the last night in a hotel, to being home for me and to the move into her new home for Mom. And to Peggy – her realtor. And to family, dry roads (you get it right – lots o’toasting)

I ordered the appetizer Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes for my meal having had this before and recalling that it was a big plate of food.

Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes with chipotle mayo, pico de gallo and avocado. Amazing.

Mom ordered the small plate Crab Cake with Sugar Snap Peas:

Served along with these plates was a half loaf of crusty bread, hot from the oven, and honey butter. It was a perfect place and meal to celebrate.

Back to the room, we were exhausted. Tomorrow, we’re home!

March 21st – After rearranging the car and checking out, we got on the road with about four hours to go. Traffic not bad, little bits of rain but mostly dry roads. We turned into my driveway at 2:30. Home, sweet home. I nearly tackled Spence with a hug before unloading the car and then hugged Tipper and Biscotti. There really is no place like home and nothing like arriving safely, we are blessed.

This is the end of the “Moving Mom” series for my blog. I’m grateful that so many enjoyed this journey with us. It’s been a gift to chronicle our experiences; thanks for sharing it with Mom and I.

Moving Mom Part Nineteen – or The Day Mom’s House Officially Changes Hands

March 20, 2015May 20, 2015 ~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

March 20th – Yesterday’s drive in the rain was physically draining; both Mom and I were gripping the steering wheel, shoulders tense. Add to that the mental exhaustion of safe driving while watching for drivers taking less care and for road signs to make sure we didn’t go wrong on our route. I’m grateful we broke this road trip into 4 days/3 nights.

After a great dinner at locally owned Cabin Restaurant (we both had variations of a hickory smoked pulled pork sandwich – outstanding), we came back and polished off the bottle of Malbec (maybe that was just me?). Mom read her Kindle until she could no longer keep her eyes open (8:15). I made it through Grey’s Anatomy, read for 5 more minutes and was out!

This morning we woke up at 6:00 and turned on the local news only to see what I’d expected, HEAVY FOG. With all the rain yesterday, the local weatherman called the air “JUICY” which must be a meteorologist term for “wet air” (as he later explained that comment). On a positive note, while roads will be wet it would appear that the rain has shifted to the east and that we won’t be driving in rain today (fingers crossed).

At 2:00 today, the new owner’s close and Mom’s house officially becomes their house. Her realtor will text me to let us know that the trigger has been pulled and the $$ will be wired. And so that chapter has ended and a new one officially begins.