Art, Family, holidays, Kids, Uncategorized

Charmed

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Today’s post comes to us from Crystal Bay.

A friend of mine sports a lovely bracelet with initialed charms of her grandchildren. I loved it, so I decided that I’d tell my kids that the most special gift they could give me is a bracket or necklace with my 12 grand kid’s names for Mother’s Day, my birthday, or Xmas. Years went by and this special gift never materialized.

Still wanting one, I decided that if I wanted this so badly, I’d have to make my own. I went on Google, ordered the charms, and bought a silver chain. I excitedly strung the initialed charms, in order of birth, onto the chain.

Hanging below the 12 charms is my “Survivor” pendant. I’ve worn it around my neck 24/7 ever since. The unexpected out play of giving myself this gift is that I find myself constantly rubbing the charms together. It makes me feel like my family is with me. 12 charms are a lot for one chain, so I put three charms on my three kids on an ankle bracelet.

WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO DO FOR YOURSELF THAT YOU WISH SOMEONE ELSE HAD DONE FOR YOU?

46 thoughts on “Charmed”

  1. I’m unable to think of a single case that fits the question. Try as I may, I can’t think of a gift I hoped someone would give me. Our mother was gifted with the ability to select wonderful gifts for us. Somehow, focusing on a particular gift and hoping to get it would have felt like messing with that lovely process.

    When I was 13 I came down with polio. This was just before the vaccinations became available. The thing I most desperately wanted at the time was a Daisy 25 BB gun. I needed to take a medical test that was painful. My parents told me if I took that test without crying, I’d get the BB gun. Our family doctor had a bad afternoon, bungling the procedure, and I couldn’t get through it without tears. But I got the BB gun anyway. 😂

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        1. I knew that, Steve. I think there are not too many polio survivors around anymore. There was a vaccine for me and my older siblings and we’re not THAT much younger than you.

          I’m a big believer in vaccines.

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  2. Not a gift, but I can think of many little chores or projects I’ve thought of for Husband to do, that I ended up doing myself – rearranging furniture comes to mind. I’ve put felt pads on all the furniture (hardwood floors here), and can move almost anything without help. Of course, sometimes all I have to do is threaten to do it myself, and it is magically accomplished – the most recent being painting the front door a deep yellow. 🙂

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  3. As a single parent I went through several years when baby / child wasn’t old enough to shop. So at holidays I would get a book or two or something (usually small) that I wanted and wrap it up and put it under the tree. Then when she got a little older but before she really had any disposable income, I would go shopping with her and let her pick something out and then I would pay for it. These days we do lists for each other.

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      1. Not sure I follow your logic here, CB. If your first “test” shows up, why don’t you just write your comment instead of another “test”? I know you probably don’t want to waste your time writing a message that doesn’t show up, however computers are pretty consistent. If your first “test” shows up, it’s a pretty safe bet your next one will too, and I, for one, would much prefer your comment to your “test” message.

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      2. Cb
        Steve is he one who taught me (I don’t do it often) that the way to escape having your stuff disappear is to type it up as a word doc or a google doc first finish it and then copy and paste into the trail. Instead of test you paste and hit send

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  7. I end up buying most of my own “presents” because I am almost impossible to shop for. Even though my wardrobe is mostly boring and predictable, I wouldn’t want anyone picking out clothing for me. My taste in reading is not predictable and so unless I offer a list of titles I’m interested in, choosing a book for me is a crapshoot. And that is just for the contemporary publications. If it’s a vintage book I desire, usually I have my eye on a specific volume offered somewhere—it’s just not something someone else can purchase for me.

    Two of the best gifts I’ve received and that come to mind are a set of Wusthof knives my daughters bought me when they both worked briefly at Crate and Barrel and a cast iron braising pot that Robin bought me (I requested that one). I use the knives daily and the braising pot every week.

    I really have enough stuff. Lately, the family has adopted the practice of buying tickets to some event we can attend together. I think that’s a great solution.

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  8. OT: Many of you know I lived 18 years in Iowa, 44 years in the Twin Cities, three years in Oregon and now about two years here in Michigan. Of course, I notice differences. How could anyone not notice? Although at times it feels like tracking all the little ways other places fail to please me as well as Minnesota did, I prefer to see this as finding new ways of appreciating what I once had. You’d be surprised at some items on that list. I have discovered how much I love alleys, for example, and houses built with basements or even attics.

    Oregon recently got commended for developing the best voting system in the country. Folks in Oregon can only vote by mail. It is a superb arrangement.One consequence is that about 50 percent of all eligible Oregonians vote.

    Michigan is much more traditional. The turnout in recent elections has run from 16 to 22 percent. 20 percent is a good average.

    What about Minnesota? The lowest rate recently was 62 percent. The highest was 78 percent. The average is about 70 percent, and that puts Minnesota WAY in the lead nationally. Oh, you lovely, lovely people! You have resisted the pull toward cynicism that runs so rampant now. That kind of voter participation reflects Minnesotans’ commitment to collective action. You guys are beautiful!

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    2. Today’s questions answer is sex as was the answer at the tail end of yesterday’s question .
      Kind f like fortune cookies where you add “in bed”
      I’ll smile to myself as I choose not to respond sex again to,orrow in reply to the question

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  10. what size is something I have had to figure out how to do for myself
    I am such a massage monster dad a little massage doesn’t do it in a big massage feel so good that is soon as it’s done I’m ready for it again
    There is a candycane looking stick with little handles like the latter coming out in various places that allow you to use it as a massage tool to stick together to the pressure points that you want to blast
    I first found it in the chiropractor’s office about 10 years ago and last found it in a physical therapists office yesterday are used it for about five minutes before he came back in

    One of my invention in my brain is a way of doing a self massage where you bring the rollers and pressure devices found in a massage here so that you can place them exactly where you need to have them buy maneuvering share location on your smart phone
    I also have one where the massage. Replaced on the wall when you lean up against it like a cat Rubbing up against the post
    highbred version of this is a massage that you do in the shower boat with a pressure point massager and was blasting water like a water pik

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      1. Sorry bir busy day and I didn’t double check since I posted
        Supposed to be… massage is something I have had to figure out

        Talking about rollers found in a massage chair

        Driving dictation is not my best idea

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  11. This is a hard question. My wants are pretty minimal at this stage of my life. There’s always some photography equipment I want, but that’s not something other people can buy for me unless I get very specific about exactly what I want (and if they’re wealthy).

    Steve sent me a book a while ago that I absolutely loved (Lake Superior Images by Craig Blacklock) but he knows me well enough that he knew I would like it. That’s a rare thing, for someone to know exactly what will bring pleasure to me.

    And now? I don’t do much of anything except read and sleep and whatever needs to be done to get my life in order, so there’s not many physical gifts I want. However, I have been the recipient of other gifts recently – oldest daughter helped me with various tasks a couple weeks ago, youngest daughter arrived last night and will help me with things this week, a friend did fall cleanup in my yard, people have brought meals, my friend from vermont was here for a day and a half and stocked our freezer with meals and muffins, people have visited me and sent me encouraging notes on caringbridge or email or text.

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      1. Craig blacklock is a buddy. He has classes I can see about getting you a special presence in. Craig was always second fiddle to his father les and when his father died 30 or 40 years ago craig became the blacklock photographer of Minnesota after years of mentoring from his dad. We used to give him flack about sticking red canoes in his boundary water photos , then he came out with a book about how you stick naked women in you nature photos and make it work. I saw he had a clas a couple years ago when I looked him up on how to photograph a live model in a photograph so while he is a nature guy he is good at construction of balance and counterbalance both with nature and with pose. Still life with folks.

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  13. Well, my mantra since I have been very little has been “Do it myself!!” I am hard to buy for and hard to do things for. I notice that I am an inch or so shorter than I used to be, so I really don’t mind having to ask taller people to got things down from the kitchen cupboards, which are pretty high as cupboards go.

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  14. I, too, am pretty hard to buy for. I often don’t know that I need or want something until I see it. But a gift certificate to a spa on this side of town would always be welcome. (I specify “this side of town” because Hans once bought me a gift certificate to a day spa in Minnetonka. I don’t want to have to drive an hour each way, through horrible traffic.) See? I told you I was picky.

    We both tend to buy what we really want, and if we can find some small surprise to give each other on special occasions, that’s gravy.

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  15. Each year as we approach Christmas or my birthday, I try to remember things I want so I can tell my sister, who still seems to want to exchange gifts. I know there are things I’d like, but when it comes to writing them down I can NEVER REMEMBER them. So I always say: Let’s treat each other to something next time we’re together.

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  17. Coming out of the precinct where I was working tonight, the first thing I heard was that Dean Phillips defeated Erik Paulsen. A few minutes ago PBS announced Angie Craig defeated Jason Lewis. Tim Walz is our next governor. In neighboring Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin prevailed and Tony Evers has a narrow lead over Scott Walker. Not all the news is good, of course, but overall I’m encouraged.

    The turnout in the precinct I worked was really surprising. A precinct that had 1659 registered voters had 1052 ballots cast. In a non-presidential year, that’s phenomenal.

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