Birch and a Barrel.......

My clump birch never sprouted out other trunks so my clump birch is all alone. It may be a mistake but it has really thickened up and has such great textures from it's bark.






My son's had a Great Grandma Stevenson who I had met but they never had. She lived to be 100 but she died before they were born. She had a sister and her name was Maimie Stevenson. I always heard stories about her as Aunt Mamie. Mamie never married, but served in the military as a nurse in her early years. Then she became a missionary to Madagascar. She spent most of her adult life there working among the people. She was a go getter and was willing to tackle most problems. It was said that she once performed a appendectomy to save a life, as there were not doctors around at that time. She would return for furlough like most missionaries but in the most part she like living there.
When she finally retired, she came home with suitcases, a large steamer trunk, that opened like a giant bookcase, standing on end, and this barrel, pictured above. My late wife's family received most of her stuff, delivered to their garage, when she died. No one wanted to go through it as mice had been in the big trunk and one could smell it. The steamer trunk and barrel sat in a barn for quite a few years. Myself being curious was the one that volunteered to go through it and I am glad I did. The barrel smelled badly but it was filled with a replica grass hut, an old very nice quilt, metal spear heads, many woven baskets and mats, and travel stuff she had collected through her travels. There was one carving that looked like an evil spriti. I have the set of very old postcards from Egypt. That had to be in the 1920's I believe that they were made.
The trunk had more baskets, carved sculptures done by natives, jewelry, and other objects that were historic. It had all these little drawers that you could pull open.
The barrel sat in my classroom until I retired and I used it to tell stories as well as kept the grass hut in it. I pulled it out and had students draw it. So I brought it home and it now is my rain barrel. The lid has printed by hand the name of M.Stevenson. U.S.A. Iowa. The curious thing is that barrels were probably a popular way to ship things back then, That barrel may have started out in the United States, gone to Madagascar, and then traveled by boat home again.
I don't know why I am the way that I am, but knowing that it is so old and well traveled is a marvel to me. I like old things and I like that I can know and follow the history. Thanks for reading......