If you have read my blog over the years, you will already know just how precious my Aunt Margaret was to me, and you will also know that she was very much my inspiration, and indeed my teacher when it came to the crafts, hobbies and collections that I have always done - even to this very day.
My Aunt Margaret lived in a tiny little house, but unless you ever visited her - you could never imagine what was in that tiny little house. She wasn't a hoarder, but she did have a lot of collections of different things, she was a creator of beautiful things, and she had all she needed to create, right at her fingertips at all times.
I remember many trips with her to Lee Wards, to buy craft supplies... it was the first time, I had ever seen a craft store larger than a shopping mall! To be honest, that Lee Wards store remains the largest and best craft stores I have ever been in... but it exists now, only in my memories!
Earl has the task of cleaning out my aunts home. It's not a task for the faint of heart! Many many times over the years Aunt Margaret and I discussed just what Earl is facing right now... she said she would get rid of things as she got older ( she was in her 80's when she said that) but she crafted another decade past that day - in her mind, she needed all her supplies.
The serious side of my conversation with Earl was to find out if I could use any of her supplies, and if there was something in particular I wanted from her house. I answered yes to the first question and there was really only one thing I really wanted, and another item I was concerned about.
The one thing I wanted, was a little cross stitch picture I stitched and gave her for Christmas in 1996. It is a picture of a little girl dressed in a red coat hanging a quilt on a wash line. I stitched that piece on every lunch break at work for months, and I loved the finished piece so much I always intended to make one for myself.
The object I was concerned about was Elizabeth - my Grandmother's china doll. Elizabeth stood on Aunt Margaret's dresser in her bedroom forever. Because she had many china heads that looked much like Elizabeth, I was concerned that Elizabeth would be sold off with the rest of the collection, and not passed down through the generations to come, as I believe she should be. I knew that she was the only china head doll that my aunt had that had a Kidd body, and so I instructed Earl to look for her, based on a picture I had taken 8 yrs ago during my last visit with my aunt.
Yesterday a large box arrived from Earl - thanks to another cousin... Thank You Kelvin for being our messenger!
It was an emotional experience for me. As I dived through the stuff Earl had sent, I swear that Aunt Margaret was right there beside me. I believe she was - I know she was!
Along with lots of braids and ribbons, and craft supplies that Earl somehow knew I would use, there was this sweet little picture....
And there was Elizabeth!
Meet Elizabeth Owens... she is around 122 yrs old, belonged originally to my Grandmother Mabel Fischer (nee Owens). Her dress and pinafore are not original, these were made by Aunt Margaret, and I am going to knit an Irish lace shawl for her. She has had a wash, her clothes have been washed and pressed and she is going to be standing on my dresser in my bedroom for as long as she is with me.
I will keep her for a time, but eventually I would like to find someone in our very large family who will treasure her and pass her on to the next generations of little descendents of Mabel Owens, and I will make sure she is tagged with all the information needed to keep her in the family.
What an incredible day! What a typical "Dale" day! Memories, emotions, and wonderful, beautiful things!
BUT - something was missing.....
What a lovely story, Dale. I just love Elizabeth! Your auntie Margaret sounds amazing.
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