. . . NOT WITHOUT A WASHER
Heather,
Glad you are sewing. Some things are becoming a lost art in this disposable and technological society. I have several clothing items that date to my early twenties and probably a few from my teens. I take a needle and thread to mend the minor rips and tears that occasionally happen.
Sewing and mending reminds me of your Grandpa Costales. Grandpa was a jack-off-all trades: a passable cook (not as good of a chef as Grandma. But, a great pancake flipper and drop biscuit baker); a knitter – learned during Grandpa’s bellboy days (probably taught to Grandpa by some little old ladies in Kansas City), an agile and expert typist – Grandpa learned on a Manual Typewriter (Oh, how I wish we had kept Grandpa’s Green Manual Typewriter as a memento); a packrat extraordinaire (Grandpa would salvage the wastebaskets of the Federal Building in LA – his last work stop – accumulating wastebaskets full of paper clips; reams of discarded but very useful paper – the typical sheet of paper was lined on one side and blank on the opposite side (the blank side was great for doodling, sketching, and drawing); rejected staplers, paper punches, three ring notebook binders, other miscellaneous office supplies and knick knacks (my favorite knick knack was a small metal sculpture of a Nut being chased by an aggressive Hex Head Bolt (the Nut and Bolt sported tiny wire arms and legs) – a caption was painted on a metal plate, the plate was mounted on a wooden plinth, the caption read –
NOT WITHOUT A WASHER (so, you can guess why the knick knack was discarded by the way); and once Grandpa brought home a marijuana pipe (probably discarded by some Federal Attorney that may have used the pipe as evidence.)
The paperclips and many of the office supplies that the family could never completely use were donated to our local Catholic Church and School. And your Uncle Jesse keeps a sweater knitted by Grandpa (a fine example sample of knitting work that is still brilliant in color and still very usable.)
Love Uncle Jerry
