Cocoa, Cinque Terre, and the Corner Bakery combo

Again this year I did not kiss Billy Crystal at midnight, although I'm sad that Nora Ephron left us in 2012. Instead I piled on the quilts, drank cocoa, and stayed up late reading Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins, way past eight p.m.  I drifted away in a happy dream where iridescent hummingbirds towed congressional representatives and senators to happy rainbow compromise with pink satin ribbons.  It seemed so real!

Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins also seems so real and wonderful. I loved being sucked into all the story lines and movie pitches. And when the iridescent hummingbirds bring me a Very Big Check, I will go to Cinque Terre to hike and write my memoirs. I will stay at the Hotel Adequate View for sure.

Had lunch with long-time friends at Corner Bakery.  My walking buddy claims this is our annual New Year's tradition.  I'm embarrassed to admit if it is our tradition I don't recall. Read back through my blog entries from a year ago, and found no Corner Bakery New Year's.

There's something profoundly anchoring about a tradition so unblogworthy. I rely heavily on that friendship, that comfort of the known, that hesitationless panini combo. The routine is so consistent that the only decision is whether to start walking from her home or mine.

Two years ago my sister and I brought Dad to live out his days in Plano, Texas. One year ago, Dad was entering his final downhill slide. Eight years ago my mother was being transported to Mayo Clinic. I did not know I'd just seen her for the last time.

January is a tough month.  I look to the ceiling and see cobwebs that date back to the dawn of the modern era. The hummingbirds fly in with ribbons, not cobwebs.

There was about a year and a half after Mom died when Dad still had most of his wits.  He followed my interests in photography and hummingbirds and spiders.  He could still connect those interests with our family tradition of exchanging Christmas tree ornaments. He was not yet in the toddler self-centered dementia. He could still plan ahead.

I cherish the cloisonne hummingbird ornaments he ordered from a museum catalog that year knowing how much I would like them.  The wonderful spider pin he gave me has a broken clasp, but there's a silken web leading to an alert mind and a man with whom I'd shared every birthday.

Yes, January is a rough month. Good friends are the ribbons and webs that keep me together. And I recommend the poblano fresco sandwich with roast beef.


© 2012 Nancy L. Ruder

Ox team mired in mud

You bet I earned them, and lots of other stuff beside for I had then learned already, how to get my Clothing free:,, -- The third year I hired at $120 and a free horse to ride, every other Sunday;;,, which was my day off – to see the girls of course, [illegible] had no other ones to see!! – Yes I forgot – 10 Times a year a Preacher would come in our settlement – which is called to this day:,, Long [Pond?} or [ ]uiver settlement;, and such a day would be a big Jubilee; when old and young would turn out, on foot or with the [  ]wagen, to see the great and holy men.,, -- By this time I was well initiated in the farm work, and always willing to do my share; -- I hired to Wm Bruning, for the nice sum of $240.00/100 a year; besides all the Overalls and workshirts I needed, and washing and mending of Clothing Thrown in, besides two horses and a second hand lumber wagon, were at my command: at any time on Sunday – If I wanted to take my best girl to Lumberwagon riding; “ on moonlight nights These several years, I would be at the Creek or a rich Cornfield, with my shot gun;,, to Kill Duck Geese - - or any other game, that came in my way and There was a great abundance of all kinds,

     Especially Ducks -- -- Geese & Cranes –

The meat I gave to the farmers, for the shot and powder I needed – and the feathers and skins, I saved up, until the end of the season, and sold them for a nice little pile of Cash. -- -- --

After these years of hard knocks, and making a little money besides ; -- I rented 40 acres of fine land. – boarded with a friend at $2.00/100 per week – bought a Yoke of Oxen, and went to farming on my own hook; I helped around in The neighborhood for 50 Cent a day, and boarding myself – That Year I had a good Crop, and made some money;,, -- so I traded my Oxen for an old mare, and bought a filley to work with her –rented a 120 acre farm about one half very sandy, and the other good, but low bottom -- -- so the high water took everything; and This brought me back, to the Year before; besides being in debt, for about one half years board money. -- -- The next year I went to Prairie breaking --- traded my horses for two yoke of Cattle – and that year I made enough money to pay my debt; and had $175.00/100 to the good -- -- Now I felt encouraged – bought 80 acres of bottom land – paid $200.00—down, and the balance in two years. -- -- --- --- I worked here – There – Everywhere – at good wages. ---

  

Of my own land I broke about 30 acres, planted the same in Corn, and harvested a [illegible]  The next year I broke some more of the corn land, and served Timothy, on the [   ] years everything.  The spring showed up very nice, and my Corn showed up very fine – Then a very rainy time set in – and I lost everything!! ---- Even one of my Ox teams, mired in the mud, and perished after night -- -- Now I sold off everything that I had left – so as to get enough money together to pay for my Land; and get my Deed! –

Yes; Prunes! – When I offered the money; I found the man had no tittle [sic] to the land himself and I had to loose my $200.00/100 besides some interest I had paid:,, -- -- -- -- - -

Now I took my money and bought me another span of horses; rented better and higher land – and till the War broke out; I had accumulated a nice sum of money ; and about 1500 bushels of Corn in The Crip, on the place where I boarded:, We had now gotten to the Year 1861 -- -- the Year of the Rebellion had  broken out!!  -- -- --- -- I studied every [     ] of Newspaper, That I could get hold of: ,, listend to the many speeches, of The great men, Especially to our afterwards beloved Abraham Lincoln and Stephen [ ] Douglas  The best speakers of them days;,, and many others: ,,  What I didn’t understand, I talked over, with my dear old friends;,, in Bruning – Westing – Walker – [ eikirk]. – Yes, and a number of others; whose memory will not be forgotten; for they were all dear to me; and had always treated me as one of Their Son’s:” -- -- -- --

© 2012 Nancy L. Ruder