You Can't Get Rid of That - Continued

I also brought home a small box filled with goodies. Most of the things in the box were just little mementos of vacations that my folks had taken. A couple itineraries and hotel confirmations from the 1980s and'90's, and some post cards they picked up on their travels. But, there were also several old old pairs of glasses. Mom had always planned to make a shadow box to display the glasses. But, like all of us, there always are so many projects that we want to do that we just can't get them all done. (Maybe I'll have to do that now.) I thought of Footnote Maven when I was looking at the glasses as I know how much she loves the “ladies in glasses”.

One of the pairs was in a little wooden shipping box. The wires for the ear piece is so thin it's amazing that they lasted. The glasses were packed in tissue paper in the box and as I removed the paper here was an envelope marked Riggs Optical Company, Manufacturer's Jobbers Importers. Apparently the glasses had originally been shipped to a Dr. N. T. Johnston in Upland, Nebraska for my Great Grandmother. I tried to do a little research on both Dr. Johnston and the Riggs Optical Company but haven't found anything so far. Another pair is in, what I thought was a stiff cardboard or plastic type tube case. But, when my Hubby was examining it he seemed to think the case was made from dried leather. The third pair of glasses has round lenses and the frames appear to be made of sirocco.

There was my great grandpa's money purse – and yes I checked it to see if maybe my Great Grandpa had left any money in it – and there was! Don't get excited, it was just a penny – but the date on it was 1919. I'm not sure but it looks like this penny might fetch as much as 14 cents. It only took 90 years for it to be worth 14 times what it was when it was minted.
There was a small little envelope and in it was something only a Mother would keep. A note from me to her written when I was about 7 years old.

Oh dear, what drama!

And lastly a box filled with my Dad's Air Force uniform ribbons and pins. My Dad retired from the Air Force in 1962 with 21 years of service. I can still visualize his dress uniform with all the ribbons on it and the “U.S.” pins on the lapels. A little blue box held his World War 2 Victory Medal which I had never seen before. Oh dear, where did all those years go?

I brought home a lot of things that I probably didn't need and a few things that are part of my heritage. Someday, when my stepdaughters are cleaning out all the things I no longer need, I'm sure they will wonder, why in the world I've kept so many things. But, I'll bet they will haul them all home to their houses the same as me – and they will say – You can't get rid of that! – I'll take it home with me.............