Grandma Stahl's Tulip Quilt

Well, now that you've met Edna Dodds -- I'll show you the most beautiful thing she owned.

An extraordinary hand-appliqued Tulip Quilt. In pristine condition. The story that was handed down with this quilt is that Edna's mother made it. Her name was Vivian Stahl, and she lived in Davenport.

We never met our Great-Grandmother Stahl...but, apparently, she was an accomplished quilter.  Although we don't know if she made this quilt by herself, or with her daughter, for her Hope Chest, or maybe with a quilting circle...which was common practice in the 1920's...

What we DO know for sure is that after she gifted this beautiful quilt to her daughter, Edna put it in a cedar chest. That probably happened around 1930...

Edna NEVER put this quilt on a bed. It stayed in that cedar chest until 1971...(40 years!)

When Edna Dodds died, my mother inherited the quilt, and -- guess what? SHE, TOO, PUT IT IN A CEDAR CHEST. And it stayed in Mom's cedar chest for the next 26 years.

After our parents died, this beautiful quilt was sold at their estate sale/auction in 1997. OF COURSE WE SHOULD NEVER HAVE LET IT GET OUT OF THE FAMILY -- but the truth is -- our parents had a lot of stuff -- and an auction just seemed like the best way to handle things. We all went, and we bought back whatever mattered to us.  And, for the most part....we all got the things that were important to us...

OF COURSE I planned to buy the Tulip Quilt.

But we never could have predicted that Grandma's tulip quilt would fetch over $600.

YIKES.

I had to let it go. That was just too much money for me.

So, as sad as it was -- the Tulip Quilt went to a stranger. She was a lovely woman who appreciated this gorgeous quilt. As karma would have it -- her name was also Joyce.

But -- guess what -- SHE, TOO, PUT THE TULIP QUILT IN A CEDAR CHEST...where it stayed for the next 18 years.

So, if you're doing the math -- this incredible Tulip Quilt has been HIDDEN IN A TRUNK for at least 85 years.  HOLY COW...!!

In the year 2015, we learned the new-Joyce-owner was donating the Tulip Quilt to her church to be sold as their Fall Fundraiser.

Hey -- this time around -- WE ARE NOT GOING TO LET IT GET AWAY..!!

I sat next to my niece, Nicole -- and told her I WAS BUYING THE QUILT...

They always get a big crowd at this auction/fundraiser...

My nephew, Toby, his wife Brenda and their son Clayton...holding the quilt...which THEY WON..!!  (only because I love my sister Deena so much, I didn't bid against them...)

Honestly, I have never seen a quilt in better condition.

Every stitch is absolutely perfect.

Each flower basket is a masterpiece of hand-appliqued stitches.

Deena's three children went together to purchase the quilt...and, hey -- how could I bid against them?

I'm just glad it's back in the family. And, gifting the quilt was a good excuse to HAVE ANOTHER PARTY..!!

P.S. Here's the funny thing. When I looked at these pictures, I realized there are NO TULIPS in this quilt...So it should have been called the "Flower Basket Quilt"...but, then, it has always been referred to as The Tulip Quilt...so now I'm wondering if there was another, second quilt? Somewhere out there -- did Grandma Dodds have an actual Tulip Quilt? Hummm...

Roland and Edna's Secret

I'm not saying a secret is a bad thing.

The definition of the word "secret":  a : something kept hidden or unexplained : mystery. b : something kept from the knowledge of others or shared only confidentially with a few. 

Most of the time, a secret is a bit of history kept hidden for a reason.  Maybe because the people involved are ashamed...or embarrassed....or they're trying to protect somebody else.

Or, at least, that's what they tell themselves.

In the case of Roland and Edna's secret -- we'll never know WHY they kept this secret...

But here it is.

Edna was NOT Roland's first wife.

He was married before he joined the Army.  It was World War I, and Roland went to serve in France.  While he was overseas, his young bride died in the influenza epidemic of 1918.

Writing about this situation made me curious...

************  

From the National Archives:

World War I claimed an estimated 16 million lives. The influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people. One fifth of the world's population was attacked by this deadly virus. Within months, it had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.

The plague emerged in two phases. In late spring of 1918, the first phase, known as the "three-day fever," appeared without warning. Few deaths were reported. Victims recovered after a few days. When the disease surfaced again that fall, it was far more severe. Scientists, doctors, and health officials could not identify this disease which was striking so fast and so viciously, eluding treatment and defying control. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others succumbed after a few days; their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated to death.

The plague did not discriminate. It was rampant in urban and rural areas, from the densely populated East coast to the remotest parts of Alaska. Young adults, usually unaffected by these types of infectious diseases, were among the hardest hit groups along with the elderly and young children. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population. In one year, the average life expectancy in the United States dropped by 12 years.

*******************

Nobody will ever know why Roland and Edna kept his first wife a secret -- it doesn't seem like anything either one of them should have been ashamed of.

Unfortunately,  Roland's family had lived in the same small town for generations.  His story was well known....

And what do "they" always say?  "You know how people talk"..

My Mom, Joyce (their middle child), was 17 years old when a girl she went to school with taunted her with this "secret". 

Mom didn't believe it.  She was furious with the girl who was spreading these lies about her father...and she was adamant in her defense of him.

Bummer.

Roland and Edna Dodds

Thinking about my "Summer Grandma Camp", makes me remember those lazy summer days -- when I'd spend A WHOLE week with my mother's mother -- Grandma Dodds.  I have written about my father’s family -- but never much about Mom’s side.

Actually,  I don’t know very much about them. I don’t think that’s unusual. If you watch TLC’s show, “Who Do You Think You Are” (GREAT show) -- you realize that for most families -- the real story is seldom told, and often lost. The circumstances of a family, the love, the hate, who was brave and who was not...what they did to survive, heartache, loss -- that history all dies with the people who lived it. And maybe that’s the way of it.....

So, here’s what I know.  Edna Stahl was born in 1899.  She married Roland Dodds on October 16, 1923. They had three children: Rozella, Joyce (my Mom) and Melvin.

Roland Dodds worked as a lockman on Mississippi Lock and Dam #14 for over 30 years.  He also painted houses on the side...and he was a quiet man.  I was 17 years old when he died, but I cannot recall ever having a conversation with my Grandpa Dodds.

Here’s some family “lore” ....(which means, I am making some of it up)

Edna was not pretty, and she had a very prominent, Roman nose. Her looks probably limited her suitors...and, frankly, I don’t think her personality helped much. I remember her as a severe woman who seldom smiled.

After she graduated from high school, Edna got a job working in the offices of Standard Oil. At the age of 24, she was on the cusp of being an “Old Maid”.

But, she was spared that humiliating fate when she married Roland Dodds in 1923. He had recently returned from World War I.

They paid $600 for a small house in Princeton, Iowa. I’m not sure when they moved into the house -- but they lived there for the rest of their lives. 
 

The house was dilapidated, and the last tenants owned a hoard of cats. My mother remembers cleaning piles of cat poop...and scrubbing the floors and the walls to remove the smell of cat pee. (my Mom hated cats.)

Although they were married for 50 years -- Edna and Roland Dodds were not Romeo and Juliet. They tolerated one another...but there was never any warmth between them.

I remember Grandpa Dodds sitting in a leather chair in their small living room, winking at me as Grandma was nagging him about something.  She always seemed annoyed with him....but he never seemed too affected by her complaints. Maybe because he was buzzed most of the time.  Grandpa Dodds had a “drinking problem”.... but nobody in the family really talked about that. 

This is Grandma and Grandpa Dodds' house.

A few years ago, a friend of Deena's purchased the house and did a major renovation.

I was shocked at how small the porch was. Grandma hung a porch swing every summer...and we spent hours sitting on this porch, watching the river and listening to the trains... learning how to crochet

The new owner kept the glass-door kitchen cabinets.

We can never know the truth about the couple that lived in this house for 50 years -- why they got together in the first place, the issues they struggled with, or how they really felt about each other.  

But we do know Roland and Edna Dodds had a secret.  One they kept from their children. 

Tomorrow -- the secret....

Our First GIRL'S NIGHT

Here's an interesting tidbit. THAT I ALMOST FORGOT TO WRITE ABOUT.

My birthday is in March...I was born in 1949. Lilly's birthday is also in March, and she was born in 2009. Her mother, Emily, also has a March birthday -- and she was born in 1979.

So, that means we are exactly 30 years apart....

AND, that also means that this year -- 2019 -- we are all having a special "Decades" birthday.

I will be 70. Emily will be 40. And Lilly will be celebrating her first double digit birthday. 10.

WOW..!!

WHAT CAN WE DO to  celebrate our big "Decades Birthday"??

I wanted to make it something special...

The movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" had just come out. I knew Emily LOVED Queen music -- which is probably why Lilly also knows the words to many of their songs. Then, as Ritaluck would have things happen -- I saw that a QUEEN Tribute band was giving a one-night-only concert at our big venue, The Mark, on Sunday night, March 24.

PERFECT...!!

I purchased the tickets in advance...and then, I debated how to handle my "Decades Celebration".  Of course, I could set up the evening as a total surprise for both Emily and Lilly.

But, sometimes -- the ANTICIPATION is as much fun as the event.  So I decided to bring Lilly in on our "Decades Birthday Event".  Also, before we go to the concert, I thought Lilly should learn a little more about who Freddie Mercury was...

Thanks to my friend Valerie -- who gives me her People magazines when she's done with them -- I had the PERFECT article for Lilly to read

It was in a February 2019 issue -- and there were lots of great pictures.  Lilly read the story, and had a few questions.

We had several conversations about Freddie Mercury -- and then, I rented the movie...Lilly loves music so much, and she loved learning the story behind the music.  It is a wonderful movie...  

Because of the rating, I told Lilly I might have to FF through some portions of the movie...and she was fine with that...

On the night of the concert...we are getting dressed...

This was her first concert at a HUGE VENUE...5000 seats.

And this tribute band did NOT disappoint.  They did ALL the fabulous QUEEN songs...

It was, truly, a ONCE IN A LIFETIME Girl's Night OUT...!!

Summer!!

Memorial Day is also, traditionally -- THE START OF SUMMER..!!

School will be out next week, and it's time to start planning MY GRANDMA CAMP..!!

In the past, I've planned some great summer trips with Lilly and Warren.  The train into Chicago with my cousin Jackie...and last year, Uncle Ross drove us to the beautiful Brookfield Zoo...

But, as I consider the Summer of 2019 there probably won't be any big trips.  It seems like the older they get -- the more scheduling is involved.  Both Lilly and Warren are signed up for some fun summer camps...and they take four different weeks of swimming lessons...

Hey -- that was then and this is now.   Life is all about change!  You have to embrace the HERE AND NOW...

And, who knows what a child will remember?  Maybe it's not the big elaborate trips or vacations...maybe it the simple ordinary stuff...

Like, say, for example, a cookout at my sister Deena's house...

Nobody can put together an impromptu cookout quicker than my sister Deena...

If it's summer, and she's expecting more than a dozen people (which often happens) -- she sets up the outdoor kitchen in their Morton Building.

This is where they had Ross's surprise nursing school graduation party, and she's hosted many Christenings, summer cook-outs for-no-special-reason...parties with lots of kids...

Because her back yard is DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN.  She has TWO barn bouncy houses...and a trampoline...

Pat came to visit (from Washington) -- but she didn't get on the trampoline..

And one very incredible, fun, and yes, dangerous -- old fashioned Merry Go Round...(the more kids, the better!)

GOOD JOB on those cookouts, Deena.  When should we come?  And what can I bring??

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is our national designated holiday to honor the men and women of the Armed Forces who died while serving this country. 

On Memorial Day -- I'd like to give a shout out to the Quilts of Valor organization...

I attend their regional event at the Quad Cities Botanical Center.

My husband John and my son Elliott both received quilts.

Terry Austin is in charge of the local chapter of Quilts of Valor

She gives a big hug to every single veteran.

Terry Austin made the two matching quilts John and Elliott received. (there is a label on every quilt).

Check into your local organization -- you can honor them by making a quilt, or attending an event...

The best thing about the Quilts of Valor is that they don't have a "process"...no veteran needs to fill out a form or prove they are worthy. No officer is considered or honored before a private...their service to their country is honored, without question.

The PERFECT Fried Mushroom

When it comes to Morel Mushrooms -- I'm sure there as many ways to cook them as there are places to find them. I've tried many different techniques...

My sister Ronda swears by saltine cracker crumbs.

John's favorite way used to be to cook them down, then saute them in butter to put on top of a steak.

But, since all of my mushrooms come FROM MY SISTER DEENA -- and her family found bushels of them this year -- I'm going to share her cooking method. Which came from our mother...and it is E.X.C.E.L.L.E.N.T.

Of course, you clean the mushrooms first. Cut them in half, and soak in salt water. Drain and dry...

The first step is an egg wash. Start with three well beaten eggs, add some milk...

The next step is to coat the egged mushrooms with flour. The Batter Bowl, of course, IS YOUR BEST FRIEND FOR THIS STEP...and I hope you have one...

After they are coated with flour, lay them on a paper towel...

Because, you have to wait for the butter to get hot...

That's right.  Butter.  You fry them in real butter.  And it will take A LOT OF BUTTER...

A good electric frying pan is essential...it holds the temperature...and makes quick work of a big batch of mushrooms.

Morel Mushrooms fried in brown butter...

Life doesn't get any better than this, people..!!