Grandma's spinning wheel has new home

By DIANA DOLECKI
Special to The Commercial Review
I wanted to race for the phone last Saturday to call my mom. I wanted to tell her that I had my grandmother’s spinning wheel. My cousin, the one nobody claims, had offered it to me. I wanted to say, “See, there is value in keeping up with the black sheep of the family.”
Then I wanted to tell her that we had stopped at a nursery on the way home and bought an armload of plants that were on clearance for only 99-cents each.
It saddened me that it was pointless to call her. If she was interested, she already knew what was going on. Sometimes being an adult is no fun at all.
Back to the spinning wheel. It isn’t actually a family heirloom. My grandmother had gotten it when her good friend from the farm next door was moving away. She said it reminded her of her own mother who would spend many hours in front of a spinning wheel. It was one of the few times she ever mentioned her mom.
For most of my childhood the spinning wheel sat nestled in between the picture window and the library table. I also have the library table now and hope to reunite the two old friends.
When Grandma died, my uncle Leroy got the spinning wheel and Mom got the library table. After both of them passed on, Leroy’s son, Lee, ended up with the spinning wheel and I
commandeered the library table.
At some point mice had gnawed on the feet and part of the handle is broken. I have no idea how to use a spinning wheel and might have to attend the annual festival our town has that features the ancient art of making cloth out of sheep. Oh, does this mean we need sheep? I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I’ll keep it as a decorative piece.
In return for the spinning wheel, I gave Lee some silverware his dad had brought home from his time in the service. He and his dad didn’t get along at all and I find it ironic that Lee is fascinated with anything having to to with the Marine Corp or his dad. I also gave him an old newspaper article about his dad, something to do with gun safety or usage, I think. Lee was thrilled.
Lee also gave me a framed diploma my grandmother had received from school. It entitled her to admission into any high school. It was cobwebby and huge, much bigger than any diploma I ever received. I had never seen it before. He said he had found it in the barn. I’ll have to clean it up and find a special place for it.
We finally parted ways, each thrilled with our new treasures.  
As we were far from home we decided to stop by a favorite nursery. We were surprised that the display gardens weren’t as lush as usual. Then the greenhouses and shelves appeared ominously bare. A few lonely plants languished near the entrance.
We pulled into the parking lot and glanced nervously at each other when we saw racks of clothes instead of plants in the windows.
The ladies inside said they were almost exclusively a catalog business now. The only plants they had on site were catalog overruns. Then she uttered those magic words, “They are only 99-cents each, except for the butternuts and evergreens.”
We came home with two mock oranges and some roses. After experiencing a wave of sadness at not being able to tell my mom what an amazing day I had, I gave each plant a new pot with plenty of room to spread out its roots. Lots of water and a sheltered spot to adjust to their new home completed my chores.
It was a day that connected me to the past with the acquisition of the spinning wheel and to the future with the new plants. What more could anyone ask for?