Stories.......

A few years ago when I was a substitute in a history class, one student smiled at me and said, "there is always a story from Mr. Burg. "  He was not dreading a story, he just knew that there was always a story.  Having a lot of materials in my possession related to WW II meant I did have connections to that part of history, with my dad being in Belgium and Germany at the end of the war. I had ammunition boxes and arm bans from German soldiers. Many photos that told stories of the life in battle.

This box has many stories and I do remember some of its history.  The bells were collected pieces from various locations.  I think my "John and Iva" connection gave me access to some of the bells and I think I bought a box of junk in an auction that had a couple of bells in it.  The ink container was also an auction find.  I don't remember that style of ink well, so it is older than me.

The box is the other story that I could expand on for forever. It is a box that I found in the "John and Iva" house as they were moving to town.  I found drawings on the sides of it done by one or more of their four boys. I have shared the pictures before on blogs but not again today.  The one crayon drawing shows one of the brothers shooting his gun and a fox laying dead on the ground.  As all kids do, since I was an art teacher I remember this, people and things have been labeled to let you know what you are viewing.

The corner of the box has wonderful joinery on it.  The story isn't complete as I really don't know which set of guys drew the pictures. They may have shared the box I am not sure what they kept in it, maybe a yoyo or ball and jacks; it could have been a toy box or a crayon and pencil box.  The ages of the boys were varied but the younger son, Loren, I still have contact with him every Christmas.  He is 80 years old or more.  He was the youngest son.  The next son older than him, was George, who was killed  on the shoreline in France at the beginning of WW II.  He is buried there in France and was the same age as my dad.  Two other older brothers, Lowell and Harvey, are still living today in the western states. I don't have any reference to know how old that they are now.

When I view the box, it brings back many memories of the people, home and farmstead. Stories of country schools, trunks brought in on wagon trains, hand pumps in the kitchen, a wood burning cooking stove and many years of a relationship with John and Iva Horton. I have so many things that they have given me, even when they were surprise that I wanted them.  We eat breakfast every morning, off the same oak table that they ate from in there tiny kitchen. Iva wanted to be sure that I would use it and wanted it or she was not going to give it to me I have the antique toys and bookshelves made from table boards, and  metal cans that held coffee or coconut.  A glass decanter with a stopper was a prized possession from Iva that had a red ribbon tied around its neck from many years before that I received it.  John and Iva valued things and used them continually.  It was my valuing those things as special that gave them a generous heart to share what they had.  I also have two quilts made for me which John sewed the pieces together and Iva quilted them.

As I carry on with lots of words, I need to get busy.  We are remodeling our art gallery turning it  into a family room. Things are being tossed, repaired and repainted. I do need to get to work.  Thanks fro stopping by today.