Richard's Family

A story my Aunt June sent me:

  I grew up with practical parents who had been frightened by the Great Depression in the 1930's. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it.  A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

  Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Ma in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things: a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, and the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

  It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that repairing, eating, and renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

  But then my Father died, and on that clear fall night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

  Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... While we have it... its best we love it... And care for it... And fix it when it's broken..... And heal it when it's sick.

  This is true... For a partner you love... And old cars... And children with bad report cards..... And dogs and cats with bad hips.... And aging parents..... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

  There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special... And so, we keep them close.
Author Unknown

 Thank You Aunt June (My Mothers Sister). Even though this is not 100% correct as I remember it, there are many similarities.  

   As you read what I put on here, you will start to get to know my great family and the characters some of them are.  I hope not to offend anyone, but this is my version, not right or wrong, just the version from my perspective, or as one might say, "The World According To Richard."

Richard's Parents

Richard's Father:  
 
     Wilton Purcell Penland was born August 11th 1910 in Estacada, Oregon.  His Father (Wilton Vinton Penland) was a Butcher and his Mother (Faye Hashburger Penland) was a Seamstress.  He was raised in the Portland, Oregon until he was in his teens when his family moved to California.  He had a Half Brother (Everett Penland) who was older than he was.  I do not know much about Uncle Everett as he died when I was pretty young.  My Father worked most of his life in construction and when he could do what he liked best, it was mining for gold.  My father was a published author and published his book, "Deep Canyon, Heavy Gold" in 1989, when he was 79 years old.

Richard's Mother:  

     Fairabelle Mae Penland was many things.  She was one of the best musicians I have ever encountered.  She could play any instrument she ever decided to play within a few minutes of picking it up.  She was also a published author and published her book, "Bottles Corks and Cures" in 1963, when she was 43 years old.  When she died in 2004, she had scrap booked enough work to probably publish ten to fifteen additional books.