Chugalug, Chugalug

If anyone has Craig Bond's address or email, please send it to me; I'd like to send him a copy of this picture, taken with Lou in the wagon in about 1956.

Notice that this picture is before the garage and carport were built. Although the wagon is somewhat dilapidated in this picture, I remember when I first got it, painted red, with a black handle, white wheels, and "chrome" hubcaps.

I had a very bad compulsion to take every mechanical thing I had, disassemble it, lubricate everything, and put it back together. One time, while reassembling, I damage one of the tabs that held a hubcap on the wheel, causing it to flop, so I left it off. You'll notice that the front wheel facing you is still missing the hubcap. Originally it was the rear cap on the same side that was off. I was "pumping" the wagon, kneeling on my right leg, steering with my righ arm, holding the left frame of the body with my left hand, and propelling the wagon with my left foot. I was doing a good clip down the sidewalk, about in front of the Reisey's house, when my shoeless left ankle struck the axle and/or cotter pin (which held the wheel on). I tore a nasty gash in my ankle, went running home, splaying blood everywhere. I was conviced I would bleed out before I got home.

I don't remember who drove me to Doc Proud's office, while I clutched a kitchen towel to my ankle. That was the first of five such trips for stitches in my childhood. Guess I should have been a hockey player. Anyway, when I got brave enough to climb back in the Radio Flyer, I first switched the hub cab to the back wheel, and that's the way it stayed.

Jesus in the Garden

Painted by our Grandpa Waelde sometime prior to 1935, "Jesus in the Garden" hangs in the chapel at the First United Methodist Church in Flat Rock. I remember dad restoring it in the early 70's. I also remember that it had hung in Uncle Dix's church in Deckerville prior to that. (When he and Aunt Ev moved to Florida, the painting went to mom) What I never knew before, was that prior to Deckerville, the painting hung above the altar at East Grand Boulevard Methodist Church. I didn't realize this until I was looking at a picture from the 1936 Memorial Directory from East Grand and found this picture. Excuse the quality of the scan. I never remember hearing that the picture had hung in East Grand sanctuary. I also don't know what year the church was closed. There is also a picture of the sanctuary today. Sad....

The Eye Cup

How many remember using this handy device when we were young? Just the other day I had to use it and thought of how I used to get this out of the "medicine cabinet". Usually, the eye problem was nothing real serious, maybe a piece of dirt, a hair, or something innocuous. I always thought it was kind of an archaic thing to use. But it almost always got the job done. I don't know how old this is, but it seems like it was there as long ago as I can remember.

I remember this and other "tools" we had in the medicine cabinet: clippers, nail files, lash curlers, and the very cool dentist's mirror. Those implements of health and beauty used to sit in some kind of glass cup. But what was the dentist's mirror all about anyway? Were we about to embark on home dentistry to save money? (remember Dad had a Dremmel tool, so we were already well on our way!)