Monthly Archives: December 2024

The Yellow Bowl

Reflections

I arrived at my dad’s apartment before my sister. As I looked around at the progress we had made so far, I noticed the yellow bowl sitting on the kitchen counter with all the other dishes my sister had left the day before as she emptied the cupboards. I quickly grabbed the yellow bowl, put it in a bag and placed it in a pile of things that I would take home with me.

When my sister arrived, I showed her the bowl and told her I would like to have it. “Of course,” she laughed, “the popcorn bowl.” To the naked eye it appears empty but, in my heart, and I’m sure those of my sisters, this bowl is full of memories.

Several years ago my husband and I were in an antique store and I saw an identical yellow bowl. It was the largest in a set of four bowls, each a different size and color. I considered buying the set, because I had fond memories of that yellow bowl and I knew it had many uses, but I decided to pass at that time. I’ve read that the set is 1940’s era Pyrex, and I believe this bowl was passed down from my grandfather, who was the cook in my dad’s family. I wonder what happened to the rest of the set.

After calling it the “popcorn bowl” my sister recalled how as little girls the three of us (I think this was before our youngest sister was born or old enough to watch TV) would sit in front of the TV on Sunday nights watching the Wonderful World of Disney movie. The yellow bowl was filled with buttered popcorn (it was really margarine as butter was a luxury our family couldn’t afford) and the one sitting in the middle would hold the bowl while we all grabbed handfuls of popcorn from the bowl. Sometimes two of us would have smaller bowls to refill from the yellow bowl, either way I’m sure we all got our fill of popcorn.

When I saw the yellow bowl my first thought was of mom’s homemade potato salad – a summertime favorite. When I make potato salad, I often wonder what mom would think about me using Hellmann’s Mayonnaise for the dressing instead of the Miricle Whip that she always used. When we were growing up Miricle Whip was a staple in our house, and it wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that I discovered my love for Hellmann’s.

The yellow bowl took me back through Thanksgiving over the years. Every year that bowl held the stuffing after it was scooped out of the turkey. When we were really young my sisters and I would be up early on Thanksgiving morning to help make the stuffing. There would be three or four loaves of soft, white, Wonder Bread, and our job was to break the bread into small pieces and put them in a large pan. Mom would get out the meat grinder and clamp it to the table and we might get to turn the crank while she ground up the celery, onions, and giblets that would be mixed with the bread. Grinding the celery and onions could be a fun job until the onion juices made our eyes tear up. Grinding the raw giblets was kind of gross, so I think mom usually did them. We would then watch parades on TV (the Hudson’s Thanksgiving Parade out of Detroit and maybe the Macey’s Thanksgiving Parade out of New York) while Mom finished preparing the meal.

Again, I wonder if mom would be disappointed to know that I opt for a stove top, stuffing mix from a box on Thanksgiving rather than go through all the work of making homemade stuffing.

Tuna-noodle casserole is another meal that comes to mind when I see that bowl. We had tuna casserole most Fridays during lent and various other times throughout the year. It was probably one of the first recipes I learned to cook, as a preteen. Start by cooking up one bag of egg noodles. While that is cooking, coat the inside of the yellow bowl (casserole dish) with a thin layer of butter (margarine). When the noodles are cooked and drained put them in the yellow bowl (casserole dish). Add two cans of tuna fish (drained) and two cans of cream of mushroom soup. Mixed it all together then crush up several handfuls of saltine crackers and sprinkled the crumbs on top. Set the oven at 350 degrees F and bake it for about an hour. I haven’t made this in decades and don’t think I will be making it since my husband doesn’t like it.

The yellow bowl was so versatile; mom used it for a mixing bowl for things like cakes or cookies, a serving bowl for stuffing, potato salad and much more, and a casserole dish. No wonder It holds so many memories.

I doubt that it has been used in the past 12+ years. Dad lived alone and didn’t do much cooking. It likely has just been sitting in the cupboard where my sister found it. I was wondering why he hadn’t given it to me or one of my sisters, but then I realized that perhaps it held even more memories for him.

In Loving Memory

Dad, Reflections

Thursday morning I received a phone call from the rehab/nursing facility informing me that my dad had passed away. On November 15th he had been admitted to the hospital and where he was treated at first for congestive heart failure and then for dehydration which led to an imbalance of electrolytes and the discovery that he had severe sleep apnea. After being in the hospital for 11 days the doctors determined that his condition was stable enough for dad to be discharged to a rehabilitation/nursing facility. Upon admission to the facility dad stated that his goal was to get well enough to return to his apartment where he lived on his own. He had been in rehab for nine days when I spoke to him Wednesday evening. He sounded good and told me it had been a good day. We agreed that he would call me Thursday when he had some free time so we could discuss some business affairs I was handling for him. I was not at all prepared for that Thursday morning phone call.

When dad went into the hospital, Taffy, dad’s dog, came to live with us. Taffy is a wonderful white boxer. She loves to go for walks, be brushed and give kisses. She gets along well with other dogs but has one huge flaw as a farm dog. She wants to chase and attack chickens. For over two weeks my husband worked with her. He kept her on a leash when the chickens were around, but she would yank and pull to try to get at them. He fenced in the chickens, and she stalked around the outside of the fence and the chickens were so traumatized that they would not come out of the coop. When he put her on a cable so he could do some work she slipped out of her collar and my husband ended up with injuring his hand trying to keep her from killing a chicken. It was heartbreaking because when dad adopted Taffy my husband and I decided that she would never go back to a shelter, and we would take her in if a time came when dad could no longer care for her. We prayed about what to do and as difficult as it was, we had to accept the fact that Taffy needed a different home. It needed to be the right home for her, and she would stay with us until we found it. She would not go back to a shelter!

Dad and I had discussed earlier in the week that we might have to find a different home for Taffy, so when I told him on Saturday that it just wasn’t working out dad called a friend, Kim, who had already offered to take Taffy in. I spoke with her Saturday evening, and we agreed that My husband and I would bring Taffy to her home around noon on Sunday. Kim and Taffy were already friends. Kim was the meals-on-wheels driver who delivered meals to my dad five days a week. Taffy enjoyed Kim’s brief visits each day, as did my dad.

It wasn’t an easy thing for us, and we prayed it was the right thing on Sunday when we packed up her food, dishes, bed, blankets, vet records and some treats and drove Taffy to Kim’s lovely home in the country. We were greeted by Kim and her husband Carl. Carl immediately took Taffy on her leash and walked her around the yard and gardens. We visited for more than half an hour while Taffy got acquainted with her new home and family. As we left our only concern was that Taffy had not yet met Kim and Carl’s three other dogs. They wanted to make those introductions slowly – one at a time.

On Monday dad said that he had heard from Kim that Taffy was doing well. On Tuesday Kim texted me that all was well and sent a picture of Taffy looking happy on her dog bed. On Wednesday Kim texted that their other dogs were getting comfortable with Taffy. Dad got the same message, and we agreed that Kim and Carl were heaven sent.

It was sometime in the early morning hours on Thursday that dad died, and I know he was at peace that Taffy would be well cared for.

My dad was a storyteller. – he told stories about his life, stories about family, stories about his kids and grandkids, stories about people he knew, stories that would make you laugh, stories that would make you cry, stories to prove a point, it seemed that he had a story for every topic. He loved to talk and if you spent much time with dad, you were sure to hear the same story more than once. In memory of my dad, I am reblogging one of my favorite posts – a story about dad that I have shared twice before on this blog, but one that many of my readers may not have read. I hope you enjoy it.

Rescue Rooster

Thanks for visiting.

Monthly Inspiration

Inspiration, Reflections

Hello and welcome! I’m glad you stopped by for our last ‘Monthly Inspiration” of 2024.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~ John F. Kennedy

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. ~ Desmond Tutu

If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. ~ Lucy Larcom

Wishing you a happy December! Thanks for visiting.