Week 2 Update on the FHWC and a Bear Story

The first full week of writing was very difficult, mostly due to how many other things that just had to be done in my, and my family’s, life.  However, I wrote every day, even if I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked, I still wrote.  I have now completed 3 stories, finalized the layout for the cookbook, and started transcribing recipes.

When I first thought about taking on collating a cookbook for my relatives, I didn’t think it would be difficult at all.  Wow…why on earth would I have thought that?  Now that I have the recipes the real fun has begun.  There is the order, the transcribing, finding pictures to go with each entry, stories or memories about the food if possible, and a dozen other tiny details.  I am just thankful that I didn’t have to have all the recipes and my family actually submitted them.  That would have been even worse!  I talked to my dad last week about my progress, secretly double checking that they did not have any more recipes squirreled away somewhere, and he told me about a collection of recipe books my mom just found.  They are from her home county in Indiana written by various community organizations and there are quite a few family members listed as contributors in it.  Her mother picked them up and made notes in them too.  I am giddy with anticipation to see them. 

I wrote the stories about a couple of newer items in my possession.  Objects that one day my children will inherit and I want to make sure they know the provenance from the source.  While I have told them the stories it would be even better to have the information written down by the person herself.  Item one is a stuffed bear, second my engagement ring, and third an eagle candle set.  The bear is mine, the eagles are my husbands, and well, the ring is from him to me.  They all have special meaning and fond memories attached; perfect things to be subjects in my writing. 

Fingers crossed for another productive week!

Remembrance Bear

For many, many years I had a bear collection.  Well, I still do, but I have not added to it in over a decade.  It started when I was very small, reached near obsession level when I was in high school, and then declined as I started my own family.  However, my children have the obsession now, so I must have passed it on to them.  My prized bear is the one my husband bought me on our first day as a married couple.

We were married at The Lodge in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.  The morning after our wedding we had a wonderful breakfast in the hotel restaurant and looked around the main building a bit more before heading back to my parents’ house 90 miles away.  Then we would be driving with the vocalist, our best man, and maid of honor the 20 hours back to our new home. 

I wandered into the hotel store and was perusing the items there.  Mostly I was looking for thank you gifts and other trinkets as a form of remembering the day.  That is when I noticed their bears.  Beautifully dressed and done up Victorian bears.  I walked over to their shelf and just stood there marveling at the detail and how exquisite they were. 

My husband leaned down and told me to pick one, whichever one I wanted.  I honestly couldn’t believe it! They were a bit on the pricey side for a newlywed couple who had just finished college and were in the process of buying their first house.  I took my time and eventually picked a light tan bear with a green velvet hat with roses, matching purse, cute little spectacles, lace collar and matching lace veil.  She was the perfect bear and I loved her from the minute I took her down off the shelf.

My bear sits still on a bookshelf in our house.  She has been with us since that very first day we became a family.  Through all these years she has watched over our lives, a silent witness to all our achievements and heart aches.  One day, if I am lucky enough, I will be able to pass it on to another person who will cherish her as much as I have.