Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, people take time to kick off the holiday season by giving back to their community. Whether it is donating money to a charitable cause or volunteering, Giving Tuesday is a day set to benefit the community. For me, the opportunity to give back came a bit early this year.
On November 6, 2021, hundreds of people gathered at church in my community to sew dresses for the Dress A Girl Around the World organization. Founder Rachel Eggum Cinader describes the organization this way: “Dedicated volunteers throughout the United States and around the world gather to sew and distribute dresses to girls in need around the world because we believe every girl deserves at least one dress…” https://dressagirlaroundthe world.com
I’m not sure why vintage sewing machines intrigue me. Maybe because we live in a throwaway world, always looking for the latest, fastest, newest models of cars, appliances, phones… and it’s satisfying to find well-made machines from the past that still work. It could be because I learned to sew on a (now vintage) 1970s Sears Kenmore that holds many memories and is still my go-to machine. Or perhaps, as I get older, these vintage machines remind me that us “older models” still have a lot to offer.
I recently visited an antique mall where I discovered a booth dedicated to vintage machines, patterns, and sewing accessories. The catchy name and display of cleverly arranged machines drew me in. The owner had written descriptions giving the sewing machines names and personalities. Each one “seamed like a story” just waiting to be told. The writer in me couldn’t resist. (disclaimer: I don’t claim to be a vintage-sewing machine expert. I am going by what was on the tags and some feeble attempts at research.)
John (not his real name) was a student in my first grade class and, nine years later, was also a student in my husband Ed’s high school biology class. I remember him as a lively red-haired little guy. By the time he was in high school, “lively” would be a mild term. Ed saw through the antics and challenged this bright young man to live up to his potential. After he graduated from high school, John joined the Marines. Ed and I kept in touch, often taking him out for lunch when he was home on leave. We’d lost touch for a while, and were excited to receive an invitation to his wedding this fall. Of course, we had to go.
My thoughts from Phoenix to Indianapolis on a recent trip:
Traffic from Tucson to Phoenix is horrendous
Glad we reserved a parking space in the garage.
Made it to the airport in plenty of time
Ed’s bag doesn’t get through security. “Do you have any aerosols in here?”“NO.” “What’s this?” Agent pulls out a container of shaving cream.“I forgot about that…” Dangerous shaving cream tossed in trash.
Spent $18 on a sandwich, bottle of water, and Rolaids to take on the plane. Sheesh!
Group 6 boarding…Waiting…waiting…finally board and find our seats. Right behind the wing. Ed has to have an aisle seat. He thinks the aisle seat gives him more room to stretch his legs, but can he really? I don’t think you’re allowed to stick your legs into the aisle. I take the middle seat.
Lucky day! The plane is loaded and no one is in the window seat! I move over leaving the middle seat open. Wiggle room!
American Airlines is offering free movies on your own device. I finally get it figured out and get Ed settled in with Ghost Busters. They look so tiny on his phone’s little screen, but Ed’s content and occupied. I settle in with a book.
Had a hard time packing for this trip…high 80s in Phoenix, will be 50s-60s and probably rainy in Indiana.
Going to a wedding…in a barn…invite said “casual formal”…what the heck does that mean?
Packed my only dress. It’s sleeveless. Threw in a jean jacket and boots. Is that casual formal? It’s a barn wedding… Indiana… In October…I’ll be fine.
Dinner. Ed and I share the $12 sandwich I bought before boarding, Airline pretzels round out the meal. Eating slowly so we can relax with our masks off for an extra moment or two.
I dangle my mask from one ear so everyone knows I have one and will put it on as soon as I finish eating and drinking. I’m such a rule follower…
On American Airlines you get a whole can when you order a diet Coke…not just a little cup. I almost feel like I’m in first class. I refill my little cup of ice three times!
One hour in…the bathroom line forms…probably all those people who drank a whole can of Diet Coke.
Two more hours to go. Hope I can hold out. Rather not use the plane bathroom unless I have to.
11:00 pm Indy time… dark, but I can tell we’re getting close. We experience turbulence as we descend through dense cloud cover. Why is it always raining when I get to Indiana? I hope I get to see some Fall leaves. The Fasten Seatbelt sign blinks on as we bump into Indianapolis.
Threads of thought
It’s interesting to be traveling again. Have you ventured out yet?
It’s that time of year again. Pumpkin carving, trick-or-treaters, classroom parties. Being retired, I no longer have to plan and take part in classroom Halloween activities. But I’ve experienced my share of them during my 37 year career as a kindergarten, first-grade, and fourth-grade teacher. Here are my Ghosts of Halloween past:
One of my first Halloweens as a teacher…Jeans, straw hat, hubby’s flannel shirt…A Scarecrow? Spooky owls with egg carton eyes hang from the ceiling.
Kindergarten
I started my teaching career as a kindergarten teacher in 1975. During that time kindergarten was a half-day program in public schools, if they even offered it at all. In one sense, the half-day time frame was a great setup for Halloween. The students came to school dressed in costume and we played some games (Guess who’s under the mask, Halloween Bingo, maybe a simple art activity.) A school-wide parade would follow. Kindergarteners always led the way, and we picked up the other-grade classes as we wound our way around the school. By the end of the morning, we had a snack… brought in by parents, homemade, and extra sugary. If you were lucky enough to reserve one of the school’s projectors, you could end the session with the Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin. By then, it was time to send the little goblins home on a sugar high for the parents to deal with.
Half-day Kindergarten teachers had one disadvantage, however. After a quick lunch break, during which I had to clean up the classroom and reset my activities, I had to get ready to party all over again with the afternoon session, pretending that I was equally enthused the second time around.
First Grade
Sometime during my years as a first grade teacher, things began to change. The first wave of social consciousness and health awareness hit the school scene and altered our holiday celebrations. Some parents objected to Halloween on religious grounds and did not want their children to dress up in objectionable costumes such as witches or devils. In some years, we banned the word “Halloween” and called the celebration at the end of October “Harvest Festival”. Students could dress in costume if they came as a book character. (“But Mrs. VanDeventer…. Spiderman is in a book!”)
Miss Viola Swamp
Viola was a mean substitute teacher…
…who arrived to tame Miss Nelson’s unruly class in this James Marshall book
School officials wanted to focus on health. Sugary treats were banned in favor of “healthy snacks” and teachers scrambled to come up with ways to make carrot sticks and cheese look like fun. (I remember making spiders out of Ritz Cracker-and-peanutbutter bodies with pretzel-stick legs and raisin eyes. Yum..)
Fourth Grade
During my last three years of teaching as a fourth-grade teacher, Halloween was back and costumes were allowed. However, you had many, many state standards to cover and couldn’t afford to “take a day off” to party. Movies were not allowed unless there was a specific ‘tie-in” with the curriculum. Sorry Charlie (Brown.)My teaching team and I came up with what I thought was a great idea. Each of the 4 teachers created a standard-based, Halloween-themed activity in Language Arts, Math, Science, or Writing. The students rotated through the classrooms throughout the day, keeping everyone engaged until the end-of-the-day snack. Unhealthy treats were allowed in moderation… except now everyone has allergies. No peanuts, gluten, dairy, tree nuts…..
Retired
It’s fun to think about those days and sometimes, I really do miss the kids, the excitement, the fun. But now I’m happy to say that I celebrate Halloween with pictures of my grandchildren in their costumes and by sitting in my driveway on a warm Arizona night handing out candy to the neighborhood kids.
( I hold back a few of the snickers to eat while I’m watching The Great Pumpkin from the comfort of my own living room.)
Granddaughters Melanie (AKA Elsa) and Michaela (AKA Mayura Miraculous) have fun at the Trunk-or -Treat sponsored by Autism Community Connections https://autismcc-in.org/
Threads of Thought
Read more about my experiences in teaching and retirement in my newly released book: Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life
