My Hope Chest

Years ago my dad bought me a beautiful cedar chest at an auction which became my hope chest. I think he was hoping I would grow up, marry, have children and live happily ever after. Some of that did happen, and I still have that hope chest filled with old memories. My grandson, Harry, visited me several years ago when he was quite young, and I came up with a wonderful idea for something the two of us could do together. I took him into my bedroom and opened up the hope chest and told him we could look at everything I had inside. I thought he’d be thrilled, but I obviously mistook him for my imaginary granddaughter. All Harry wanted to do was go play outside and get all dirty and hot and sweaty. Today I got to thinking about all the stuff I had saved inside the chest, so I took everything out and put a few on display. And then I took the photo I have on this posting.

On top of the chest is a rug made out of string I made when I had some sort of disease like chicken pox that kept me inside for a while. The rug was not easy to make, so I was probably quarantined for about 2 years! On top of the rug sits Pinky, Cindy’s little stuffed dog. She loved Pinky, and when Pinky started wearing out and required medical assistance, I sewed a big, colorful patch over the worn-out place on his back. The patch is holding up very well.

Down below is my old, brown, stuffed dog with no name. Next to the dog is a beautiful, blue Borsalino hat my brother brought me from Italy many years ago. I immediately put it in the hope chest to save where it has been ever since I received it. Next are little pink booties and a cap my mom knit and crocheted for my girls. I didn’t know how to knit, so my mom made many sweaters and hats – all of them saved in the chest. I did try to knit a sweater for my husband once when I was pregnant with a big stomach. I pushed the knitting needles where they were supposed to go with my stomach – this all took a long time – probably about 6 months. When I finished the sweater it was enormous and my husband never wore it, so I did. When I was no longer pregnant, I wasn’t able to knit as my stomach was gone. I didn’t care as I wasn’t into knitting that much anyway.

Next come Nancy and Dorothy, my two best dolls. They are made out of composition whatever that is. I think it’s something really old. Even the antique dealers couldn’t explain it to me. They still have their hair, and their eyes open and shut. I think Teri and Cindy will want them right now – not to play with, but that is a possibility. Nancy is sitting on a white plastic bag filled with a sterling silver place setting. I never knew where the sterling came from . . . was it my mother’s or did it come from my husband’s family? It just sort of appeared, and from that moment on, I kept it in the hope chest, never using it or polishing it. It was my little secret. When I went back to Wash. DC for work, I took it with me in its white bag and brought it home when I was married. Now it just stays in the hope chest along side the Borsalino hat.

Down below is an afghan(not the country or the dog) my mom made for me. I never could understand why anyone would name a country after an afghan which is a throw or coverlet. Anyway, my mom made many afghans for me which are all beautiful and which I do use. Do you suppose my mom had something to do with Afghanistan? Did they name their country after the beautiful afghans she was making? Was she aware of what was going on? I think I’d better stop now and have a glass of wine and then return when I’m thinking more clearly . . . . .

Well, I’m back and refreshed. On top of the afghan – that’s the last time I’ll mention it – is my wedding headpiece. My dress is in a box and not on display. I was the fourth generation of women to wear the dress, and I was the biggest one of all. I weighed 112 pounds and the dress had to be let out so I could fit in it. The dress is beautiful with little seed pearls all over it. I was working in another city before my wedding, and the dress needed some pearls sewed back on. My mom took the dress out to the back yard to sew on the pearls. She sat on the lawn with the dress covering her lap, needle and thread in one hand and a pistol in the other! We had a little birdhouse nailed to the barn wall for swallows, but bigger sparrows kept trying to chase the little swallows away. So my mom sat there, sewing part of the time and shooting at sparrows the rest of the time. No one took a photo because there was the possibility of being shot! But what a great picture that would have been!

Next to the headpiece is my little teddy bear. He had all the fur rubbed of his left arm as that is the arm I used to carry him. Why didn’t anyone tell me to switch arms? Was no one watching me and taking care of me? Was it just me and my teddy bear with the skinny arm? Next is a fur muff. This muff was made from one of our rabbits named Alexander, a big buck. We raised rabbits and ate them, just as we did with our chickens. We never made anything out of chicken feathers though. But Alexander served a dual purpose – food and fur muff. The muff is beautiful and keeps your hands really warm. I didn’t use it much – I just saved it with the other things. Maybe I should use it this winter when I go out. I wonder if people would throw rotten tomatoes at me and form a PETA group to stalk me. I’ll have to give that some thought.

The last object in the display is a little dress I made for the girls. I made many dresses, but for some reason this was in the hope chest. So now I will put everything back in the chest, and I won’t have to deal with the sterling silver sitting out in the open. For some reason, it makes me nervous.