Remember when I visited that great warehouse of a shop in Ireland, Indiana? Tickled Pink Among the items I scored that day was about a yard and a half of vintage upholstery type fabric. I said I would do something with it. I always think I will do something with stuff I get/have/find that is ambiguous but I must have it or keep it.... Well, I have this great yellow office type chair that my Dad gave to me some time ago. He rescued it from the lab at the hospital where he works.... he works for just a couple more days, actually... because he is retiring!! (The following is hardly a side note!) ...Congratulations and Happy Retirement, Dad! I love you very much--and you have worked so very hard for so many years--doing ALL sorts of things including but not limited to: served as an Altar Boy in your Catholic Church, worked at Hillcrest greenhouse and Gill's greenhouse, you ran a vegetable stand, you worked for Red&White, a department store, International Harvester Truck Engine Plant, you loaded Coca Cola trucks, you were a salesman for an Indianapolis Company selling non-food items to groceries and other stores in Chicago and Michigan, you put together ends for aerial flares, you worked at the turkey plant, you served our country in Viet Nam after being drafted....you had avoided it by going to school to be a journalist...until you were in a car accident that prohibited you from finishing your final exams. After you narrowly survived your tour in Viet Nam--sustaining serious wounds (awarded two Purple Heart Medals) and fighting malaria (and something I remember you telling us girls when we would ask you about it, having to lie completely still on your belly in the bottom of the jungle because just inches from your face-a mad and ready to strike Cobra-a deadly face off with unpredictability-which, now--makes a fairly good metaphor for what you faced as a whole in Viet Nam), you came back to Indiana and worked at a newspaper as an Editor,
you were a mail man, you did public relations for Park District in Madison, Illinois, you worked on Roads and Grounds and the Railroad at Crane Naval Base, you were an insurance adjuster, you drove a taxi for Ramsey Taxi Service, drove a truck hauling livestock, you sold church supplies, and as if you were not already a Hero-you became a firefighter. There is where you would faithfully stay, fighting fires; saving lives; serving a community and eventually, becoming Chief. Then, your career cut short by an idiosyncratic and mysterious affliction-a blood pocket on the brain that we all just simply refer to as a stroke. After rehab and much therapy to try to bring your motors and speech back into alignment with the intelligent mass that is your brain, you took early retirement from the Fire Department. And finally, found work at the same place as Mom. The hospital. You were an excellent courier for them. Driving all over the county-in and out, in and out of your car-all day. But you met so many people-people you care about and those people really care about you, too. And, it is funny, you could relate, finally, to Mom's talk about her work.... you were there, too--and you two could talk "hospital". So, now... you are free. Free to get up at o'dark thirty and watch the news shows, go play cards at the club with the guys(at a way early hour in the day to be playing cards at the club...but, hey you are retired), free to do whatever...and come up to Indianapolis or Bloomington and babysit as needed....many options for you, now, Dad! A new chapter in your well rounded life. Cheers to you, all you do-all you have done-you have certainly helped me to be the person I am today--and I think "helped" is a gross understatement, there. You know what I mean.
Uh, so, I was talking about a chair that my Dad gave me--and went on an important tangent--hey, it happens...
So, back to that .... It serves dutifully as my office chair. My legs and rear are pins and needles when I get up from it but, hey, I like it. It's simple, old, ya-a little dirty. It's used....and abused. Hayes is pretty rough on that chair-always picking foam from beneath the split seams of the brittle vinyl upholstery. I find little bits of dark gray foam scattered about my dining room. After plenty times of telling him to please stop...I wondered how I could avoid having to ask him to stop picking that foam.... I could cover it. So, I remembered the liberty fabric- grabbed it from my pile of projects in progress and in perpetual waiting. I placed the fabric directly on the seat and wrapped it around the sides. I counted the blocks on the grid (nice this material has a grid in the print) and cut. I did the same for the back. I found some elastic from long ago...just waiting to be used. I sewed channels for the elastic, fed it through, pulled it tight, and tied it. I sealed it with stitches and placed the cover over the old vinyl. The foam is out of sight; out of mind. Aaand I now have a new look for my old chair. The material can easily be removed for washing, too.
Congratulations on your Retirement, Dad! Thanks for the chair, too. Tickled Pink
you were a mail man, you did public relations for Park District in Madison, Illinois, you worked on Roads and Grounds and the Railroad at Crane Naval Base, you were an insurance adjuster, you drove a taxi for Ramsey Taxi Service, drove a truck hauling livestock, you sold church supplies, and as if you were not already a Hero-you became a firefighter. There is where you would faithfully stay, fighting fires; saving lives; serving a community and eventually, becoming Chief. Then, your career cut short by an idiosyncratic and mysterious affliction-a blood pocket on the brain that we all just simply refer to as a stroke. After rehab and much therapy to try to bring your motors and speech back into alignment with the intelligent mass that is your brain, you took early retirement from the Fire Department. And finally, found work at the same place as Mom. The hospital. You were an excellent courier for them. Driving all over the county-in and out, in and out of your car-all day. But you met so many people-people you care about and those people really care about you, too. And, it is funny, you could relate, finally, to Mom's talk about her work.... you were there, too--and you two could talk "hospital". So, now... you are free. Free to get up at o'dark thirty and watch the news shows, go play cards at the club with the guys(at a way early hour in the day to be playing cards at the club...but, hey you are retired), free to do whatever...and come up to Indianapolis or Bloomington and babysit as needed....many options for you, now, Dad! A new chapter in your well rounded life. Cheers to you, all you do-all you have done-you have certainly helped me to be the person I am today--and I think "helped" is a gross understatement, there. You know what I mean.
Uh, so, I was talking about a chair that my Dad gave me--and went on an important tangent--hey, it happens...
So, back to that .... It serves dutifully as my office chair. My legs and rear are pins and needles when I get up from it but, hey, I like it. It's simple, old, ya-a little dirty. It's used....and abused. Hayes is pretty rough on that chair-always picking foam from beneath the split seams of the brittle vinyl upholstery. I find little bits of dark gray foam scattered about my dining room. After plenty times of telling him to please stop...I wondered how I could avoid having to ask him to stop picking that foam.... I could cover it. So, I remembered the liberty fabric- grabbed it from my pile of projects in progress and in perpetual waiting. I placed the fabric directly on the seat and wrapped it around the sides. I counted the blocks on the grid (nice this material has a grid in the print) and cut. I did the same for the back. I found some elastic from long ago...just waiting to be used. I sewed channels for the elastic, fed it through, pulled it tight, and tied it. I sealed it with stitches and placed the cover over the old vinyl. The foam is out of sight; out of mind. Aaand I now have a new look for my old chair. The material can easily be removed for washing, too.
Before
After
Congratulations on your Retirement, Dad! Thanks for the chair, too. Tickled Pink
3 comments:
LOVE your dad! I have always been/ will always be intrigued by and in awe of Ken Brown. I always enjoyed his stories when I was growing up. I wrote about him once in my journal, haha. It was the time Laura and I painted Grandma and Grandpa Brown's porch and your dad bought us lunch as our payment. He was a familiar face when I was brought into the hospital to have Theo (an infamous story) as well as when we had Theo in for bloodwork. He has been of service in many jobs. He will continue to work hard as your dad! If you're reading, we wish you the best Ken!
Happy Retirement! Dads are just the best.
i love that picture of your dad. i can see you in his face. and nice job on the chair!
Post a Comment