With a condo in Michigan, and a house in Florida, I’ve got a lot of cupboards and closets. I’m responsible for the organization of one closet in Michigan, and I didn’t organize anything in Florida. Ruth did it all.
My single contribution is the closet that I use for my office. It’s really one of our guest bedrooms, but it doubles as my Michigan workspace. When I was wrapping up my contract work with Michigan Works, I needed it. Now I just write my blog and pay some bills.
I get by using very little space. I use the same things over and over and I’m really not sure of everything I have. I know it’s much more than I need. Ruth organized things the way that suited her best. That was fine with me. She used all the space in both homes as she saw fit.
David and his family were here the past couple of days and David took a look at the cupboard above the refrigerator. In my childhood home, that’s where my parents stored their liquor.
Ruth set ours up when we moved in November of 2020. I opened the door once since then and took a cursory look but couldn’t swear what was there. He took the stuff out and we celebrated a bit. He shared his treasures with Brady and Eva. I don’t know if they were impressed, but we took a quick look down memory lane.
He found the yellow Tupperware pitcher that lived in his childhood refrigerator. It held orange juice in the winter and Kool Aid in the summer. We always got the Kool Aid that you added sugar too. Ruth wasn’t into artificial sweeteners. The kids took turns making it, but were highly supervised until we let them fly solo. They were all good about it. There were very few disagreements that I can recall. It was one of those teachable moments about taking turns.
He also found our old school Tupperware cupcake carrier. That’s been around the block a time or two. It was a must have for family picnics. Cupcakes were easier to make and transport than an entire cake. Much more flexible.
There were two big treasures housed in the cupboard. One is the applesauce blender that Ruth used with the kids. It belonged to her grandmother, then her mother, and then us. You cooked apples and placed them in the sieve. The round wooden paddle smashed the apples through a multitude of holes. It was the smoothest applesauce ever. It’s been idle for years.
Way in the back of the cupboard, he found a brown box. It contained a treasure from my youth. My Grandma Barner painted beautiful China. She painted cups and saucers, serving dishes, dessert plates, gravy boats and ladles, and at least one ash tray. David found the ash tray. I remember it but can’t recall the last time I saw it.
When I was growing up, smokers smoked in the house. My Grandpa Barner smoked a pipe, and an occasional cigar, but most of the time a pipe with cherry blend tobacco. His sons in law, smoked cigarettes. Smoking required ash trays. You could find them everywhere in everyone’s house. Some were decorative, and some just functional. Nothing fancy.
The ashtray that Grandma Barner painted is a work of art. I don’t know if anyone ever used it for smoking. It’s just too pretty.
There were several other items: An angel food cake pan, a small blue roasting pan, a couple of candle holders, a Tupperware relish tray, and a decorative crock contraption for keeping things warm before serving. I’ll never use any of it. In fact, I may never open the cupboard again.
The important thing about all these items is the memories they hold. There just objects until you recall their stories. The stories are made by the people that bring each item to life.
I got to witness my grandmother paint her China. I was only seven when she gave the ashtray to my dad for Christmas in 1954. She painted because it gave her great joy. She gave most of her creations away. I need to share her story, so it doesn’t end with me.
The Tupperware pitcher lives on through David, Elizabeth and Michael. I imagine each one has a story or two about the vessel. It was a part of every day in their youth.
I’m going to gift the applesauce sieve this Christmas. I’m sending it to young Jackson James. He can’t read so he won’t know he’s getting it unless his mom or dad tells him. Hopefully, they can keep a secret. I’m pretty sure that Ruth used it a time or two with Brady and Eva, and I’m very confident that I won’t use it again.
Jackson, Michael and Kate can start a whole new series of teachable moments. Jackson likes to help cook, and applesauce preparation will take him to a whole new level. Who knows, perhaps he’ll use it in another twenty-five or thirty years with his own children. He’ll just need to remember to get it out of the cupboard.
Love this!