Moustache Cup

This was my G'pa Hanle's moustache cup. And, what is that ?? Well, the cup has a divider in it -- the front half has holes in it for the coffee to come through. Supposedly, this would keep him from getting coffee on his moustache as he was drinking. The marking on the bottom says Austria. Mom had this on a knick-knack shelf in her kitchen for many years. I think she probably remembered seeing him drink from it. I think it is a beautiful piece of porcelain and it has a home in my china cabinet.

Fancy Pants

These pretty little Lefton porcelain figurines were my Mom's. She had them on an end table in her formal living area. I don't know whether she bought them herself or if they were a gift from one of her friends, but, I know she always loved pretty little "things" !! When us kids were cleaning out the house after Dad died, no one else wanted these gals, so, I latched on to them. I know I have a lot of "stuff", but, things like this always bring me wonderful memories.

First Grade

This old 1946 photo came to mind when out of the blue, an old high school classmate called Thursday evening and he had just arrived here in Las Vegas. His hobby is skeet shooting and he came to enter a tournament. I see Dennis most every time I go back to Iowa as he is a neighboring farmer. We grew up down the country road from each other and our parents were good friends nearly all of their lives. His time here is well filled with his tournament, but, we managed to have dinner together Friday evening, then played black jack for a little while. The Bristle farm was in a different country school district than the one I went to, so he is not pictured here with me and my classmates sitting in the school yard. Arthur and I, on the right, were in first grade -- Richard, Terry, and Linda were in kindergarten. With nine grade levels in a one room country school, lesson planning for the teacher had to be quite a chore. I regret not having more photos of the schoolhouse, the teachers and the classmates.

Elda and Elmer

This wedding portrait of my Dad's only sister, Elda, was taken in 1946 when she married the love of her life, Elmer. I was again a flower girl, along with a niece of Elmer's. We were dressed in yellow and shared a basket of yellow and white carnations with baby blue ribbon trim. This time, the flowers were real !! It's really strange that I don't have as vivid of memories of this wedding as the one a year earlier. The only other person in this photo I can name is the man on the far right -- Delbert -- a brother to my Dad. Elda and Elmer spent their life together as dairy farmers in South Dakota. They raised 3 sons, one of who now manages that same farm. I don't do well with keeping in touch with "far away" relatives. Mom always kept me updated and now my brother does a pretty good job at it !! Your Aunt Shirley is probably our best family historian, though.

Lehman and Irene

This wedding portrait, dated 1945, is of my Dad's first brother, Lehman and his new wife, Irene. I was the flower girl, dressed in blue and carrying a basket of blue and pink crepe paper carnations. On the far left is the best man, Lloyd, another of Dad's brothers. The woman on the right is Dad's sister, Elda, who a year later, married Elmer, the man next to her. The maid of honor was Irene's sister whose name I do not remember. After the wedding at the country church, there was a reception at the Schultz farmstead. The party went on into the wee hours, even after the bride and groom had disappeared. Kids were allowed to stay up as long as they wanted (or as long as they could keep their eyes open). A fun time was had by all !! I love these old photos in their "cardboard" frames.

70's Oils

Here are a couple of my oils that I painted back in the 70's. I sold both of them and wish I had them back, although, I don't know where I would hang them if I had them !!! The "Old Prospector" was one I painted because I just loved the look of the old man in a photo in a magazine. A good friend and neighbor, Opal, saw it when it was finished and framed, fell in love with it and told me she would pay whatever price I set. I thought I set a price higher than she would pay, but, not so. It still hangs in her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The nude was a commissioned piece - some friends, John and Jodi, wanted a painting to hang in their bedroom and hadn't been able to find anything they liked. They gave me a photo they found in a magazine, liked what I did with it and purchased my painting. I have lost touch with them over the years-- hopefully, they still treasure it !! The small "Watermelon Pickles" is a copy of a still life painting I liked. It hangs in my kitchen in a collage collection of two other paintings and treasures. I often think about how much I enjoyed oil painting, but, have no desire to pick up a brush these days -- I am loving the altered arts !!!

I Love the Saturday Auction

This gorgeous cut glass vase was the one I have had my eye on for the last two weeks at the Saturday auction and they finally put it up for bids !! It belonged to my friend, Willa, so I really wanted to have it (whether I needed it or not) ! It measures about 9" tall and 4" across the top. My friend Sharon and our mutual friend, Lana, accompanied me -- it was the first time Lana had been to any kind of auction, so now she is hooked, too. I was able to purchase this vase for $10 which was much less than I expected to have to bid. I think I will have to buy a bouquet at the grocery store and use it before I find a permanent home for it !!