Christmas 2017

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2017 from the Marks'!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Chris, Liz, Erik, Ron, Nancy, Kathie, Bethany & Ike

2017 has found Ron and I continuing to enjoy our retirement. We each work a little- Ron as an autism consultant for the state of Montana, visiting schools and helping educators work with students with autism. I keep busy with a small business Plan it Montana assisting with event planning including an annual conference and a Women's Spring Retreat as well as helping build and maintain websites.

Bethany & Gillian:   Baking at Nana's

Ron, Nancy, Bethany & Luke

enjoying our summer outdoor time!

Our major “job” is building relationships with our 2 ½ year old granddaughter Bethany (3 days a week) , 6 1/2 year old Gillian (after school on Thursday) and 3 ½ year old Luke (Friday mornings). It has been so fun to watch them grow. We regularly spend time outside with them as well as finding time for books, baking, crafts, and gardening.

Our summer was spent in the midst of a major remodel of our house. We took existing space and created two large bedrooms and bathrooms with accessibility in mind for our future. We added a large sliding glass door to each bedroom that opens out to a deck with a great view of our yard and pasture. We spent the summer living in our RPod (camper) in the pasture, while the “worker guys” (as Bethany called them) were in the house. Of course there were a few rough spots, but we managed to find the humor in most of it. Check out my Remodel Humor video. We are very happy with the results.

REMODEL HUMOR

Our yard and garden keep us busy during the spring, summer and fall. I’ve begun to sew and quilt again (our remodel now includes the Sewing Palace). I am enjoying making short videos.  Be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel below if you want to view future videos! Ron continues to enjoy working in the garden and orchard, plowing snow and of course hunting! He and son Ike both got elk. We enjoyed boating this summer as often as we could.

We had a record apple harvest this year. The trees were loaded and as with every year, we needed a lot of help. This year we were able to get a grant from Thrivent and sold apple juice, sliced apples and apple pies to support Family Promise, an organization that provides support for families who are homeless. We were so thankful for all the people who came and helped with the harvest. Enjoy a short video about our fun harvest!

MARKS MACS APPLE DAYS 2017

Ron spent several days going back and forth to Great Falls fixing up his mom’s house to sell. On one of those trips in late July, I went with him and on the way home we had a major head-on collision which totaled our truck, when a woman came into our lane. I had injuries to my feet, knees and neck. Ron came out unhurt. We were blessed being able to walk away.   It was an experience that really made us realize how fragile life can be. It could have had a very different outcome.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:4-5

We enjoyed some traveling this year. In the spring we went to Arizona and visited with our son Erik, my sister Jane and her husband and my nephew James and wife Sarah. It was a great respite to get some sunshine during a bleak Montana winter.

Erik, Nancy & Ron enjoying some spring training baseball

In late September we packed up our truck and delivered some of my Mom’s things to brother Joe and his wife Lori and some of Ron’s mom’s things to his sister Lorrie and her husband John in California. We enjoyed time playing in the ocean and enjoyed a sunny fall days and California wine tasting. It was great to get away from a smokey summer and enjoy time with family.

Ron with his sister Lorrie and her grandkids Andrew and Hayley

Looking forward. We have been busy planning for the wedding of Liz to Christopher Brault on December 30th. We are so excited to see family and friends and celebrate this great time. Congratulations to Chris for graduating from law school. They will continue to live in Baton Rouge while Liz finishes her doctorate.

Ike & Kathie and Bethany are looking forward to a new addition to their family the end of February. Bethany can’t wait to be a big sister! We are excited to have a new little one around!

Blessings to you in 2018.

Love,

Ron and Nancy (with Bethany, of course) 

Stay in Touch with us

mslamarks@gmail.com   Nancys blog: http://missoulamusings.blogspot.com

 Nancy’s Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/mslamarks

See you on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mslamarks 

3524 South 3rd St West, Missoula, MT 59804

PS... Upon later reflection, I realized I forgot an important event in 2017.  In January 2017, our beloved Madison went to doggy heaven.  She was 13 and we had many good years with her.   We certainly miss her.  

Because she died in January, we had her cremated. In March, Ron and I decided to let her go.  Something amazing happened as Ron let her ashes go.... 

One last swim!   We miss you Madison!

Grandma's Singer Sewing Machine

Grandma's Sewing Machine

March 2017  When I was about 13 years old, my older sister Jane and I took a road trip in her Volkswagen bug from Great Falls, Montana to Basin Wyoming to see our grandparents Doc and Ollie Walker.  Jane had a mission to discuss with them the fact she was going to get married, even though she hadn't finished college... but that's another story.

Grandpa and Grandma owned a house in Basin.  My memories of it were that the basement was full of treasures.  Grandpa Doc loved to go to auctions and find "good deals"  I'm not sure what he did with them, but their basement was fun to explore

I was just learning to sew and on this trip I found an old sewing machine.  I asked Grandpa and Grandma if I could have it.  I remember Grandpa saying, "sure take it."  But I remember Grandma Ollie being a little hesitant.  I'm not sure why, but she was.  I remember she finally said yes and I was elated as we packed it into the backseat of the VW to drive home.

I don't remember using it a lot, but I think I did use it when I was in junior high and high school.  But mostly it stayed it its beautiful case.  When I got married, it moved with me, but I think by that time I preferred using mom's little singer featherweight as it would backstitch.

Fast forward to about about 1982.  Ron's sister Cheryl and her husband were making plans to move to Alaska.  She said something to me about wishing she had a sewing machine.  I told her I had one I'm not using and off it went to Alaska.  I remember my mom saying something about it being antique and maybe I shouldn't have given it away!  I did tell Cheryl if she ever didn't want it, I'd like it back.

In 2011 Cheryl and her husband Tom moved back to Great Falls to live with Ron's mom Shirley.  In 2013 she died after a short battle with leukemia.  Then in 2015, Tom (her husband)  and Shirley came to visit and he brought the sewing machine to me. He told me Cheryl wanted to make sure I got it back.   I opened it and looked at it, but life was busy so I just put it in the closet.

In January, 2017 I decided I wanted to start quilting again.  All my fabric was spread out hither and yon.  Some in tubs, in closets, here and there.  Some up in the attic of the barn.  While going through one of the tubs from the barn (which had been there since 2002 when we moved in) I found a sewing machine manual for this sewing machine.  (oh yes-- I did get my stash all organized)

I looked more closely and noticed that Grandma Ollie had written my name Nancy Fagenstrom in pencil on top of the cover.

I opened the manual (probably for the first time) and found all kinds of notes in Grandma's neatly penned handwriting.  

The cover page showed the sewing machine as a treadle sewing machine with her name Olive Walker 1918.

The diagram of the sewing machine was fascinating.

In the top left hand corner in pencil is written.  "This machine Doc bought in 1920 to sew Joy's diapers and outing flannel nightgowns."  Hmmm did Doc do the sewing or did Ollie?    

To the right it says.  "Better buy a new belt as this is Wyo. dehydrated, then you'll have on on hand."

At the bottom in pencil it says.  The last belt I bought Ethel Osborn she found it in his basement

As I flipped through the pages there is a section called "To OIL THE MACHINE.  In her handwriting it says  "Follow this Nancy, I did!" 

And under the photo it says-- "Have a second key made.  I tied this on when finished sewing. "  The case has a key to open it tied to the handle.

In the book  was a whole chapter on Instructions for using the Attachments.  -- what a find!  For a machine made in 1910 it had a lot of attachments.... ruffler, hemmer,  underBraider, shirring plate, ..and tucker.  Most of them are still in the machine.

On the page about FOOT HEMMER- Grandma write.. Use this--slowly--it works! 

 As I looked at the sewing machine, I discovered a real treasure!  It has a motor that I've learned was probably attached in the 50's.  It has a cloth cord which isn't very worn. The foot pedal was probably replaced in the 80's.

I took it to  Bagnelle's Sewing Center to have it checked out.  He said that  it is in excellent shape, probably hasn't been used a lot.  The writing and artwork is not very worn.  He did a tune up on it. He suggested I should  find a treadle and free it from the motor!

A bit of reflection.  I find it amazing that it took me nearly 50 years to actually look at the sewing machine manual.  What a treasure to imagine Grandma Ollie, in her very teacher-like, exact manner writing some notes to me - by name- about how to use the machine.  I don't ever remember her using it, but obviously she did!

Grandma Ollie with my mom Joy in 1921

Just got it back and set it up.  Took me a little while to get the needle threaded, but it purrs like a champ.  Here I am sewing on a blanket for my granddaughter on a sewing machine that belonged to my grandmother.  Over 100 years old.  Somethings are timeless!

ADDENDUM August 2018
Shortly after I published this post, I tripped on the cord and somehow damaged the motor.   When I took it back to Bagnelles he said it couldn't be fixed.  But he did say that if I found a treadle, he would connect it for me.

Fast forward to 2018.  About 6 months ago, we were moving some furniture for my good friends from church Rick and Pat Swanson.  Beside the furniture they were moving, they had an old treadle sewing machine.  I asked if it worked and they said yes.  I asked what they were going to do with it and they said they didn't know what to do with it but would like to sell it.  Finally several months later, we reconnected and I was able to buy it from them.  It was Rick's mother's sewing machine and he said she made many aprons on it. 

This is a picture of the sewing machine that was in the cabinet.  Ornate in it's own way! We took the whole cabinet to Bagnelle's Sewing Shop and he took the other sewing machine out and put my sewing machine in it's place.  

Grandma/Grandpa's sewing machine "freed" from it's motor and now powered by the treadle. 

My first project- an I Spy quilt for my grand-nephew Logan William Roberts.  

This quilt was made entirely using the treadle sewing machine.   What a delight to use- even stitches, great tension.   I'm loving it!  

Now my only problem is what to do with the other sewing machine.  I guess a girl can't have too many machines!