Thursday, April 30, 2009

Meet Bertha



I meant to post this yesterday, but there's been so much going on that I chose sleep last night.

May I introduce you to Bertha?



Yes, that's right, Bertha is a sewing machine.

She's a 1916 New Home treadle, twiggy cabinet. This picture was taken before cleaning. My friend Elsie decided to give her to me now.

So, by now you're wondering how Bertha got her name. Well, Elsie was given this machine after a neighbor died, Bertha Fiebelkorn. Elsie has always referred to this machine as "Bertha's sewing machine", and so Bertha she is.

In one of those weird coincidences, Elsie's parents bought a farm down the road and around the corner from my grandparents years ago. Her father still owns it, and I drive past it to go to my grandparents' house. Fiebelkorns owned the farm across from Elsie's parents, and my great-grandparents knew Ray Fiebelkorn's parents from when they still lived in the south end of the county. Small world, isn't it?

Oh, and lest anyone think I forget to memorialize Elsie, she also was my lead to a Domestic Fiddlebase which now bears the name of "Elsie".

Bertha makes 28 machines in the house, not counting the one that Karen the firefighter is holding for me.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary to my grandparents who were married 63 years ago!

Some of the cousins still talk about the wedding and how much fun it was. The reception was at the old Harrison Twp hall, food downstairs and dancing up stairs. They stayed the night at the old hotel in Mt. Clemens, around the corner from the old jail. The next morning, Grandpa's car broke down in front of the jail, and they ended up calling Grandma's father to come get them. 63 years later, and they've yet to live down getting picked up from the jail the day after they got married. And everyone thinks Missouri Synod Lutherans are boring!

If you would, I ask that you'd say a prayer for Grandma. She's not been well lately.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Well, here we go!

I guess the first post is the hardest. I just don't belong in the 21st century.

So, welcome to "The Secret Life of Clara's Pet!" I should warn you, lest you think that this is going to be like a James Bond movie, well, you'll be sadly disappointed. My secret life is made up of all my hobbies. I am a diverse individual. I have a BS in chemistry and I'm a housewife, besides sewing on treadles and hand crank machines, farming as much as half an acre allows, being an Austenite and sewing Regency style clothing. Oh, and just for fun, I study theology. Yeah. Real geek here. I haven't the faintest idea of what I'm doing blogging, but I figure I'll give it a shot.

Just keep in mind that you'll see some of everything here.

Oh, and Clara is my chicken who turned 6 this year. She's not my pet, I'm hers. I'll add a picture of her as soon as I find a good one.