Linda's Rambling and Other Things: MEMORIES OF EASTER AND THE INVISIBLE TAILOR

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

MEMORIES OF EASTER AND THE INVISIBLE TAILOR

I have so many great memories of Easter’s in the past, while I was growing up in Owen Sound, Ontario. When my two brothers, Michael and John and younger sister Roxanne (not born when this picture was taken) were young children, the tradition for us, was to put out our hat on the buffet, and the Easter Bunny would fill it with beautiful eggs.

Of course we didn’t know it at the time, but those beautiful decorated Easter eggs where made by my father!! He was a man of many talents, and he loved to make holidays special for his kids. He knew of a restaurant that made chocolates and they would give dad huge chunks of chocolate and these cast-off molds of bunnies, chicks and many different size eggs. When I look back, we never did suspect or get the smell of chocolate being melted after we where in bed. But, he must of had some late nights and hunted for some great hiding places, so we wouldn’t find them. Dad had a knack of decorating them too, and his favourite design was lily of the valley and those big and delicious sugar roses, you still see on cakes, but ours was hard candy like roses. Our Easter eggs became works of art, and our biggest problem was having to take a bite and destroy such beautiful creations. They where beautiful and bountiful, and our hats left out for the bunny overflowed.

For Mom, he always made a special one! One so beautiful, it took our breath away! A huge chocolate egg, with icing ribbon and bows, and roses and lily of the valley adorned it.

Then, we always had nice new clothes to wear to Mass on Easter Sunday. A new Easter bonnet, and new patent leather new shoes. I remember one dress mom made for me that was more special then anything off the shelf. The pattern was little tiny violets, which have always been my favorite flower ever since and violets always make me think of that special dress that I loved and the love that was put into making it.

I also had a new camel coloured coat, and I loved the colour. I walked to Mass in my new dress, hat, with ribbons flowing from the hat as I walked, and stopping every few minutes to wipe of the dust from my new shiny shoes. As I was walking through the church parking lot, my sleeve caught on a car door handle (those old handles that where a open latch). My sleeve caught in the handle and I heard a horrible rrrrrip! I had torn my new coat from the sleeve to almost the elbow. Talk about a life-time feeling and memory that gave me the sickest feeling, deep in my tummy.

When I showed my parents and told my tale of woe, Dad, told me not to worry, he knew this invisible tailor that would fix it to be just like new! INVISIBLE TAILOR?????? What the heck could that be? What did he mean? So the next day, my beautiful coat disappeared from the hanger, and all week, I wondered how Dad would even find an tailor if he was invisible! A week later, my Dad called me in from play to show me my coat, back on the hanger, and I couldn’t find where it had been torn at all, but what relief!! My new coat was just like new again!

Dad also, being the romantic, would write poetry to Mom and make these little cards with a cute little poem and the outside of his card was made with a branch of pussy willows, with little cat faces painted on the fuzzy part. So cute!!! Now where do you find a romantic man like that these days???