Don't Hog Your Journey...



My cousins, lil sis and me, circa 1968...
we're each a part of the others journey



"Don't hog your journey, it's not just for you." As I was listening to the Today show while working, Hoda Kotb was sharing a story. While on a plane, she was visiting with the gentleman sitting beside her. Chit-chatting away, she had mentioned she had had breast cancer. She asked him not to think of that if he ever thought of her in the future. He turned to her and said, "Don't hog your journey, it's not just for you." I kept thinking of that statement and have decided that I agree with it. What if no one ever shared their story~their journey...good or bad. My world would certainly not be as rich and full as it is now. I would not know of another's happiness, adventures, struggles. I would not be who I am today without knowing of another's journey.

Hoda's story is great, and deep, and more than just her breast cancer...for sure! We are all more than just one part. We are, shall we say, the sum of all our parts. I am a woman, a mother, a wife, a daughter an entrepreneur...the list goes on and on. But, it's the sum of all of these things that makes me who I am today. I enjoy sharing my journey...it gives me great pleasure and I hope it adds to your journey, too.


The other day, I stopped by the "Music in the Park" event held at the city park in town. In amongst the music...which was very enjoyable, I heard someone get up and give a testimonial. I wonder, did his journey make a difference to someone else in the crowd. It did mine and I'm sure another's. Then I have to think...what if he didn't share his "journey"? What if he kept it to himself...I would not have known the depth of his story...his courage in sharing it. It has stuck with me...and, it removed me from my cares and woes and opened my mind, my heart, to another's struggles and triumphs.


Life is a Journey, isn't it? Sometimes we're on a mountain, sometimes we're in a valley. Most of the time, I'd guess we're just motating along on the plaines. Enjoying life, taking one day at a time, doing what needs to be done and just cruising along. To me, it's the mountains and valleys that we grow the most. We are pushed to our limit, only to find our limit can be pushed. We read something or hear of someone else's journey and we gain strength from it. We realize we're not alone. Somehow, we come out on the other side because of it...but don't necassarily understand where it came from. What if no one shared their journey? Who would be a better, stronger, wiser person because of your journey? Maybe your journey is told by your actions. How you reach out to your community members, volunteering, donating, a struggle overcome. Our journey's are shared in many different ways. The key is that it's shared.


"Don't hog your journey, it's not just for you." I would not be who I am today without knowing of another's journey. And this folks, is the view from my front porch.


Beth Voltmer lives on a farm in rural New Virginia

Learning to peel...Grandma Grace style

I was peeling apple upon apple yesterday, readying them for an apple cake I was making.  As I started, knife poised just under the flesh, I was distinctly reminded of the time (in my early years of homekeeping) when I was peeling potatoes under the careful watch of my Grandma Grace.  Not knowing I wasn't doing it correctly, she quickly pointed out that I was wasting too much of the potato.  She showed me how to do it.  She'd be proud of me today.  I can peel a potato, apple, pear...whatever it may be, with the best of them.

It does take practice...this peeling.  Sliding the knife just under the flesh and peeling away the colorful top layer, leaving behind as much of the meat of the fruit or vegtable as you possibly can.  My other goal is to peel the fruit with one swell swoop.  No starts and stops.  I find that I point this same thing out to others at times, too.  I want them to be as proficient as they can be.  Not to waste anything so precious.

I think, my memories of my Grandma are most vivid and alive while I'm in the kitchen.  I can still see her in her kitchen now...21 years after she's passed.  A strong, sturdy woman.  Seems she was in her kitchen all the time.  That's where I remember her most.  It wasn't a big kitchen.  But, somehow, she managed and fed her brood of seven quite sufficiently from it.  There certainly was not a multitude of cabinets, nor counter space.  A very humble kitchen, to say the least.  A very humble home over all.  I loved it there. 

She was a great cook and a very generous lady.  She always seemed to have plenty for whomever was there.  No guest was "one too many".  Never an invitation only household...somehow, we all gathered there.  And, I do mean "we".  It may not have been the same "we" every Saturday, but there were plenty of us.  Saturday nights were hamburger night.  I can see her mixing the hamburger meat and it never failed, she always took one bite of the raw meat, spiced with salt and pepper, only.  Still  makes me gag.  I don't remember anything else being put in it.  I remember that, every single time I make a hamburger patty.  Funny what sticks with you, isn't it? 

Sundays, too, brought another set of "we's" and some of the same from the night before.  It was "just the place to be."  WE all loved it there.  And, WE all miss it terribly, even to this day. 

Right before my Grandma got really bad with her cancer, she came to spend a week with me.  I will forever treasure that time.  She seemed to have gained strength that week.  I wanted to her to show me how to make her vegatable stew, which she did.  Our cherry trees were heavy laden with fruit.  I wanted to learn how to make pie.  She happily obliged.  She rolled out the dough for the crust with every ounce of energy she could muster.  It just came from somewhere.  Maybe we both knew...if I were to learn this from her, and she to show me how, it was right then, or never.  She passed just a few weeks after I had her at my home.  It was one of my greatest accomplishments...to care for her like she had me for so many years.

She tired, but did not quit.  She sat down at my table and started working those cherries over.  De-pitting and de-stemming.  Before we knew it, we had cherry juice all over...and, I do mean all over.  I think we must have been so busy talking and cherishing that moment, we weren't really engaged in what we were doing.  It took me awhile to get that cherry juice cleaned up.  It was blissful!  I miss her every single day! 

She was a generous lady and no guest was ever "one too many".  Never a "by invitation only" household.  I learned from her.  She was my mentor.  She is my mentor...she's with me every day and I miss her!  And this folks, is the view from my front porch.

Mixin' and Matchin'

Last weekend served as the Grand Re-opening for Vintage Home & Garden.  After 8 years being open, I felt it time for a face lift.  So, several cans of paint later, new inventory, and a little rearranging, the doors opened at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 15th.  Many nice compliments unfolded. 

I had a great time doing a little mixin' and matchin' with the vintage jewelry and clothing in the shop.  Brooches, earrings, necklaces and scarves were matched to sweaters, cami's, skirts and more.  A photo shoot is planned...keep a watch out for more on this later.

New garden decor, by way of flowers and birds, will "happy up" your sweet garden spots.  Introducing my "Time Traveler" and "Time in a Bottle" lines.  I've had fun with this.  Stop in and see what I'm talking about.  Great ways to showcase family photos, old letters and ephemera.  A nice gift for a 'graduate-to-be' or start placing mementos for a new baby...maybe yours or a grandchild.  

Stop in sometime.  VHG is open the Third Thursday and following Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a sweet, once-a-month shopping event.  10-3.  OR, by appt. 

Thanks to all the Vintage Home & Garden Fans that made their way to the shop...it was a real pleasure to meet my 'new' friends.  

I just finished reading my youngest daughter, Mackenzy's Ethnic Autobiography and am inspired by her last paragraph:

"One other very interesting thing that I have learned just from doing my research for this paper is just how mixed I really am. When I look at all of my ancestors from all sides of my family, I am part German, Italian, Swiss, Swede, English and French. This just supports my thought that for as discriminating and manipulative as Americans can be of other races or ethnicities, we are probably the most mixed group of people in the world. We have no right to shun someone for their color or beliefs because we are the mutts of the world; we have every type of blood running through our system, and I stongly believe that inthe end we are all intertwined with one another at some point in our family's history. I may not be an African American or Latin American on the outside, but I could very possibly be on the inside. Most of the sterotypes and beliefs we have come mainly from two things, one being parents and family, and the other being the media and society. I come from a family that does not discriminate against anyone, whether we believe in the same things or not. I also know that some of my ancestors had beliefs that were probably very racist and demoralizing, but I think as new generations form and society evolves and becomes more accepting of everyone, the younger generations become more tolerant and understanding of the people around them. I think that as a younger generation, we understand who was wronged in the past and are more willing to make peace with the situation because there will be no way to survive ourselves if we cannont unite together." Mackenzy Voltmer

What a wonderful thing, to see your child's viewpoint in print. For me, her openness and ability to see so deeply is inspiring...who could ask for anything more?