My Aunt's Home in Ft. Branch Indiana

I have very fond memories from my youth visiting my Aunt and Uncles home in Fort Branch Indiana. I loved my cousins and my Aunt and Uncle. I loved their beautiful home set among the cornfields. I loved fishing from their pond and the small town atmosphere of nearby Fort Branch and Haubstadt.

Later in life, I was able to take my daughters back to visit my Aunt and Uncle. They were able to enjoy some of what I loved so much. This short video commemorates that visit. I hope you enjoy.

As I have been looking back on my youth since my Mother passed away, I have many very sweet memories of time spent with family, near and dear or extended, and always remembered with loving hindsight.  Thanks for letting me share some of them here on Kotkas.

Cheers, Nicholas.

Elvira Riffert Adler

As lead up to the upcoming Adler family reunion, I edited this video of an interview with my Grandmother, Elvira Adler.  Back when my youngest daughter was 8 or 9 we traveled to Southern Indiana to visit. My older daughters filmed this interview, and I think it is a wonderful keepsake of a very special person.

Elvira Riffert Adler lived from December 31, 1904 until June 2, 2005. I really only was able to see my Grandmother a few times throughout my life. One of the visits was the subject of a poem I posted on a previous post.

We are blessed by the people we come across in our lives.

Cheers, nca

3/18/2014

Yesterday, I said Good by to my Mom, Bettye. She passed away at 86, troubled and alone. I am dealing with a wide range of emotions and thoughts about my Mom; some good, some not so good. That's all between me and her, and most of that is not the subject of this post at all.  Those are emotions I will deal with, and with the help of my daughters and wife I will get through those feelings and work them out in my mind and my heart.

Here, on this blog....I just wanted to celebrate one particular aspect of my Mom. For all the years I knew her she dabbled in various arts and crafts projects. Over the years she painted, molded, wrote, chronicled, sewed, knitted, crocheted, beaded, pasted. She played the Piano and Organ.  Her hands were busy at all times and she produced beautiful, crafty, and creative things all the days of her life.

Here is an example of one of her wall hangings.

This was hand done in yarn with either a crochet hook or a yarn needle. I don't know. But the colors and details standout, the hours of work she did alone in her little apartment permeate from every fiber.

When we visited her apartment, dozens of pillows like this adorned her craft room and she always encouraged us to partake and to share in her works.

For Holidays she made theme orientated crafts, which along with her collection of Nut Crackers filled her apartment with a sense of festive joy.

For us kids, my 6 brothers and sisters, we probably took Mom's skills and talents for granted. During all the years growing up watching her sew and mold and craft, we probably did not appreciate her gifts and hand-crafted treasures as we could have. Busy lives, growing to adult hood, raising our own families. Moving onward and upward, time and distance separating us from her.

But as sure as our gene pool and our personalities were influenced by her, undoubtedly to some degree her craft talents live on in all of us, testimony to the importance and power and influence of family upon us.

This very blog site is an example of her 'crafts' influencing me. I may not be able to sew or knit, but I can blog and I can appreciate art in all it's wonderful forms.

Mom, may you now find peace and acceptance and joy in your new eternal home. May you know that your children and grand children and great grand children all love you, miss you, and have been touched by your short time here on this Earthly home.

In my mind, I see you in some Heavenly sewing room with your hands working rapidly on some really cool wonderful project....with a bunch of young spirits gathered round you learning your techniques.

Love and Cheers, nca