What is not fun: I am never going to get rid of all the scraps in there! I have worked with these same scraps and made I don't know how many things from them and the tote still seems full!
************
Today Roger needed to go to Menard's, the local home improvement store. The one that is closest to us. We had another stop or two, so we were gone two or three hours. When I walked in the back door, there was a smell. Oh, a good smell.
It smelled just like Mrs. Hayes' house used to smell. It is hard to describe, and I have no idea why mine smelled like that. It is a smell I have only ever smelled in her house, and I didn't know why hers smelled that way and I don't know why this one did either.
Mrs. Hayes was one of my mom's best friends. She was probably 10 yrs older than mom. And for a while was a real close neighbor. I am not sure if I had been born when they lived close to us, I think I was but not sure. I just always remember that no matter where she moved to, we would go visit her once or twice a summer. And between times, her and my mom would write each other.
I don't remember what her husband called her, but she always called him MR. Hayes...I don't know if she did that when it was just them, but I never heard her call him anything else. He was older than her, and when he died, to the best of my memory, she had a hard time finding a place to live. She even tried living with another lady for a while....I am not sure if she just rented a room or if she shared the whole house. (Or maybe she only talked about doing that)
Then she finally got into some senior's housing, and had been living there a while when I started driving. Then mom and I would stop by a few times a year. And that is where I really remember the smell from.
She and my mom talked quilting, and no matter if I had just been there the month before, I would still get her to get out her quilts till I could look at them. I don't ever remember her getting tired of doing it...maybe she was just happy that I was interested.
What an interesting couple!
ReplyDeleteyou did not say if you like the smell or don't like it. i would not want my house to smell like any of the senior living homes I go into for sure. in fact i don't want my house to have any smell at all...good luck with working your way through all that fabric... you story sounds like fond memories of this lady
ReplyDeleteSweet memories.
ReplyDeleteThese blocks look pretty ! :)
ReplyDeleteYou always have so much to do, Rose, and I think that's a very good thing! It's amazing how certain smells bring back such strong memories. I wonder what the aroma is that you like so much.
ReplyDeleteI loved "the place" you took me to . . .
ReplyDeleteled by the smell, fragrance, significant and remembered.
I liked this . . .
Guess I am a "story kind of gal."
A fine shot of your machine. The account of your mother's friend was interesting with a bit of sadness.
ReplyDeleteSmells are supposed to be one of the most powerful cues for us to remember events. For me, it is the smell of fresh sawdust. It reminds me of my father, the carpenter, and freshly bedded horse stalls. Both great memories.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are having FUN with your 'toy'.... AND it's true that scrap bags just seem to grow instead of get smaller... ha
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how smells from your past come back at you. My mother wore a certain kind of powder of some kind ---and whenever I smell something similar, I think of her.
Hugs,
Betsy
I have not done much quilting since I finished my Insanity Quilt, but I have managed to piece a pink bow tie one. It is sitting on my stool still waiting for me to sew on the sides and then get it ready to quilt. I loved the story you told. My mother always called my father Mr. Hornot. I thought is was really odd so am very happy to hear that someone else did it. Maybe it was done back in those days.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful memory. I can remember how different houses smelled that were important to my life. We may think there is no smell, but there is and it usually has a very "home" feel to it. Good luck on the sewing! Love the blocks.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely memory! I too remember a very special smell that was my grandmother's house. Later my Mom's house started to smell like that. It's probably old wood furniture and a mixture of the things they used to clean with and make things fragrant, but also a mustiness mixed in from old fabric too. I don't know. But, I loved it! I love that you always wanted her to show you her quilts. She sounded like such a neat lady. Love the scrap squares you are working on. I need to get rid of a ton of scraps myself!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful memory of Mrs. Hayes. :)
ReplyDeleteI sometimes have smell "memories" of my dad - the pipe tobacco he would smoke. Other times, my mother-in-law - a pleasant fragrance that I can't really pinpoint other than I remember it being around her when she was in her later years. I like to think that they've come to look over us and see how we're doing, give us a little nudge that says, "Don't forget about us."
Lindy
Smells do bring on memories. some good and some not so good. This was a good one for you. I wonder what it was and where it came from.
ReplyDeleteYou are an expert quilter to be improvising. Good for you. MB
Smells bring back such good memories, don't they? I looked at my grandmother's photos every time I visited and she never got tired of it. One day there was a photo of myself as a very sick toddler that I had never seen before. I always wondered if she waited until I was older before putting that photo into the mix.
ReplyDelete