Life is "Just a Bowl of Cherries"

I purchased these beautiful, tasty cherries at the grocery market a couple of days ago. The little crystal bowl they are in is one of a set of five that go along with a large crystal berry bowl. I purchased this set over 20 years ago at a farm auction in Iowa. It is vintage replica, but another few years, it will be antique !! I have often wondered why these berry bowl sets always have just five small serving dishes !! Eating these cherries brought up some fun memories of your Dad. Of course, he loved these fresh cherries and when we had them, he didn't like to share. He wanted them all to himself !! He was one of few people I have ever known that could tie a cherry stem into a knot with his tongue. That contest started in some bar somewhere years and years ago with maraschino cherries with stems that arrived in certain mixed drinks. He liked showing off this little trick of his whenever there were stemmed cherries around.

Glamour Shots ??

I doubt that I could have gotten your Dad to make a special trip to a photographer's studio for professional portraits. Owning my own beauty salon did have its advantages !! A photographer came in and set up for a couple of days -- all the clients were looking their best with a fresh hair style and a little professional help with their make-up if they wanted it. It was time for your Dad to get a hair cut and perm -- here we were in the mid-70's with those curly hairstyles being the "in" thing -- We posed for our photos and I always loved the way they turned out. My only regret is that we did not have one done of the two of us together -- I think we were quite a handsome couple !!!

A Fun Gift

Look at that big grin on your Dad's face !! This stuffed toy Wiley Coyote was one of his most favorite things you ever gave him. That Wiley went everywhere with him. It was the first of many Wiley Coyote items through the years. The time was the Chrismas of '83 at G'ma and G'pa Schultz's house and one of very, very few times the entire family was together.

You're in the Navy, Now

This is one of my favorite photos of your Dad, - his boot camp "graduation" portrait, circa 1958. Of course, he had that hat set off at a bit of a jaunty angle. Uniform code, the hats were to sit directly straight with two fingers width between the edge and the eyebrows. Those heavily starched white uniforms had to be uncomfortable !!! Makes me wonder how he could have that big smile on his face !!!

Celebrating Life

I believe this snapshot of your Dad and me was taken as we were on our way out for an evening to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. I clearly remember us dressing up to go out to dinner to this wonderful little local steak house in Beaver, Iowa. Would we ever have dreamed that day that 40 years would pass so quickly ?? And, would we have thought after 40 years, that our time together was nearing an end ? Time passes all too quickly -- "we do not remember days, we remember moments". This date in May, I celebrate your Dad's life --

Racing Days

This is one of my favorite pictures of your Dad. I think it was probably rare to catch him in the daylight without his sunglasses !! He never went to race without the black hat or the bear claw necklace. He also had his rabbit's foot in his pocket, always. I'm not sure which race track this 70's photo was taken, but close-ups of him like this on race days are far and few in between.

Watchers

This is one of my favorite candid shots of you and your Dad. It would have been the early 80's, I think maybe at Christmas time. I believe you were playing "Pong", but, you could have been watching Wiley Coyote cartoons !! The two of you were Saturday morning cartoon buddies from time beginning !!

Celebrating a New Job

In June of 1990, Circus Circus opened their new hotel-casino, The Excalibur. I had been dealing cards for the company since '86 and was transferring to the new property. The two nights before the opening, we had "rehearsals" with half of the new employees and a guest treated to meals and playing the games. The other half of the employees were performing their jobs as they would at the opening. The first night of "rehearsals", I was dealing blackjack to fellow employees and their guests. The second night, your Dad and I were the guests and here we are, sitting at one of the bars, enjoying a drink before dinner. CNN filmed a news clip on opening day and within that clip, there is a short bit of me dealing cards at my game. I have the VHS tape that features that clip of my "15 seconds of fame" -- if you blink while watching, you will miss me !! A fellow employee had set his VCR to tape the news that opening night and gifted me with the tape. It seemed I was the only dealer featured on the finished cut of the news item. WOW !!

Dad's Darts

This dartboard has hung on a garage wall anywhere and everywhere through the years. I can't remember exactly when I got it for your Dad -- in the late 60's, I think. There were years when gas stations and grocers gave out S & H Green Stamps when you made purchases at their stores. You would fill your books with those stamps, then go to the S & H store and purchase your choices of their items with those books. There was a catalog of their premium gifts so you always knew how many books you had to fill for the item you were saving for. Of all the items we purchased using these stamps, the dartboard is the only thing left that hasn't been passed on in donation boxes or sold in garage sales. Your Dad was always pretty good at hitting the bull's eye and I think he rarely walked out into the garage without throwing a dart or two.

Watching and Waiting

This photo of your Dad was taken the summer of '97, sitting in his favorite spot on the patio. He would wait for the hummingbirds to come to the feeder or close to inspect him, visit with the neighbors walking their dogs, and watch the people at the swimming pool, (especially, the girls in their skimpy suits !! ). He was definitely a "girl watcher", for which I always gave him a bad time !! Often times, when I came home from work, we would sit together here and tell each other the stories of our day. To this day, I cannot sit on the patio without thinking of him.

Box of Rocks

Anyone that comes to my house will ask "What's up with the box of rocks ??" and I have more than one answer to that question !! The rocks have been collected from various places around the world. Most of them, of course, have come from fields in Iowa. The collection just sort of happened and there are only a few that I can tell someone exactly where they came from. The box was a planter in which I tried to grow real flowers once upon a time, but, my "green thumb" is not very green. The rocks ended up taking up residence a few years ago !! You know one of your Dad's favorite "isms" when someone did or said something entirely wrong was "they were just dumber than a box of rocks". So, this is always a reminder of him and when I catch myself doing something "stupid", I can go look at the box and hear him talking to me !!

The Johnson Kids, circa 1947

There is something about those old professional photos taken back in the '40's that are so charming and "real". No props, plain backgrounds, and just get those kids to smile, all at the same time !! And, those "cardboard" decorative frames !! Your Dad is standing while "big" sister is holding onto baby brother. G'ma Ruth once told me that all of her children were "planned" -- there is approximately 5 years of age between them, so, I never doubted her statement. Joan has said that she was never given the chance to pick out her own apparel until after she was married and on her own. Her clothes were laid out for her to wear to school each day. I wonder if G'ma Ruth was raised in that same manner by her mother. Were the boys given any choices in what they were to wear ?? Your Dad never said that he wasn't !! I like to think he would have chosen a black shirt versus this white one , though !! He rarely shopped for his own clothing as an adult. He relied on me to pick, choose and purchase. Maybe, I just took up where his mother left off !!

Vintage Trophy

This old trophy was presented to your great-granddad, C. J. Rose. The inscription reads, "Little Glidden Tour, 1911. Presented by Hyperion Field & Motor Club, to C. J. Rose, In recognition of the true sportsmanship shown in night drive from Council Bluffs to Dubuque." This was when he drove that Hupmobile across the state of Iowa. No one in the family knew this trophy existed until G'ma Mom (Minnie, the wife he left with 4 children) passed away. It was found in a trunk with mementos of her lifetime. G'ma Ruth thought your Dad should have it since he was into stock car racing. The trophy now sits on top of the curio in the front entry hall. Now, I have to go Google that club and car and see if there is any history on the Internet !!

Coffee Time

This was one of your Dad's favorite cups to use for his morning coffee. There was a set of eight, four were broken through the years, leaving four which I have setting in the china cabinet. We purchased these when we were in Okinawa and used them every day they weren't packed and in route to a new assignment. Your Dad liked the Asian design and because he could get his fingers through the oversize handle. They also held a bit more coffee than our china cups. If they all happened to have been used and not washed yet, he would clean one up before he would use any other mug available. Two of the mugs have "Imari Porcelain" stamped on the bottom, two are blank. I'm not sure why that is -- it may be that they were originally sets of four. Maybe a cup of coffee would jog the memory !!!

"THE" Tool Chest

Your Dad loved things from "days gone by" as much or more than I do. A fellow aircraft mechanic kept his tools in this vintage oak chest. Your Dad, having coveted this chest, had offered to buy it many times. A day came around in the early 80's when the fellow was in need of some cash and your Dad, once again offered to buy the chest. At last, it was for sale !! He needed $50 and was willing to sell it to Dad for that amount. Our garage was broken into in '97 - a Craftsman chest filled with tools along with a few other things, was stolen. Fortunately, the burglar didn't appreciate antiques !! This chest now sits in my bedroom and stores my costume jewelery collection in its many felt lined drawers.

Mr. and Mrs. Bear

This cute little couple were a Christmas gift to me from your Dad. They sit together on the old school chair in my bedroom and they have a teddy bear crib quilt to lean against and be "comfie". Did I say I like teddy bears ? The Christmas of '96, nothing was appearing under the tree with my name on it. When I came home from work on Christmas Eve, a beautifully wrapped, large box had appeared. Your Dad could still surprise me after all these years !! When I opened the package on Christmas morning, he related the story of seeing this couple two months earlier at a little gift shop in a strip mall down the street. He didn't know where he would be able to hide them and keep them from me, so he took them to Willa, our friend across the street. He asked her if she would wrap and keep them until the day. Those two conspired more than once through the years to surprise me !

Dad's Hats

Your Dad's favorite hats hang in the entry hall, a constant reminder of his personality and his presence in my life. The felt hat was donned every race night -- one of his "good luck" charms. One of his fans beaded the band for him, another gave him the pheasant feather. The pins were added as he came across them, each one having some personal meaning to him. The "Avon Man" hat came about after he retired. He would come home from his favorite bar, Pepper's, with Avon orders for me to fill. The girls that worked there were some of "his" best customers. I ordered and gave this hat to him as a gift one Christmas, mainly just for fun, but, he wore it nearly every day wherever he went. The colorful golf hat underneath is a mystery to me. It was one that he liked to wear occasionally, though. He had a collection of hats, most of which I gave away and hopefully, they have become special to whoever is wearing them today !