Little pieces of memories

By Rennie Phillips

Back when we first moved to Scott City, I needed some fishing gear, so I'd go down to B&K Carpet and check out what they had.

Little by little, I got to know Dallas Kinder. We'd go fishing together at times, and other times, we'd just sit and have a coffee together.

Down through the years, I ended up with one of the cups Dallas used as his coffee cup. Not much of a cup. Probably holds all of 6 to 8 ounces, so not enough even to get a serious coffee drinker started. But it was Dallas'.

I use it pretty much every day, and it reminds me of Dallas, one of my old coffee-drinking buddies. So as long as I live, that memory of him stays alive.

These memories usually are tied to some event or something that stands out. Could be something physical like jewelry or a fishing pole, or it could be a place like Lake McConahay in Nebraska. It might even be an old bullhead lake like San Puddin or Duck Lake or Three Corners or Frye Lake.

It might be the pine trees by the house when Mick, my brother, and I would stay with my Uncle Mick up in Cherry County, Nebraska. Might be the carp I caught on 4-pound line on a fly pole at the Cement Lakes. Might be an old, large one-cent coin Clarence gave me before he passed away. Something happened to make that particular memory stand out as important.

Gary Varguson and some more of us were fishing at Three Corners Lake back in Nebraska. It was the middle of the summer, and it was fairly warm outside. I was wading along the northeast side of Three Corners, casting a minnow-looking lure, when I hooked a pretty nice northern pike.

It turned out to be right at 37 inches long. We took it back to Marge's folk's place, where I went to skinning it. Turned out it had swallowed a whole muskrat.

This kind of made the whole day stand out in my memory. I'm not sure we even took a picture, so the picture exists only in my memory.

I think all of us have these little pieces or objects or memories that remind us of loved ones lost or absent from us. They can be places or destinations as well.

Could be some place where one visited, or could be even a place around where you live.

When I was real little, Mom and Dad had a bedroom in the northeast corner of our house. Mom always slept on the south side of the bed, and she had a little wooden stand right beside her bed with a lamp. There is a single drawer in the stand. The stand probably is about 16 inches by 16 inches and about 3 feet tall.

Most people would toss it out in the trash, but to me, it's pretty valuable. Reminds me of my youth and Mom and Dad.

What I probably need to do is write up a story about the stand and then store it in the stand. Oh, yeah, it stands by my bed with a lamp on it.

Many times, keepsakes are some type of jewelry. I know of some who have taken the diamonds and such out of rings and other jewelry and reset them in new rings. The memory then goes on and on and can be passed down for generations.

When I was pretty little, Dad bought a rod and reel made in Ogallala, Nebraska. It was a Goodall rod and reel. It was special in that the reel was a part of the rod, and the line came out of the handle and then through the eyes on the pole.

Dad tried to use it but just couldn't get the hang of it. He was used to an old Pflueger bait caster with 25-pound braided line on it. He always used black line.

This newfangled Goodall rod used a clear plastic monofilament line, and it frustrated Dad. It was his loss but my gain. I simply wore out that old rod and reel. But I'll be danged if Mick, my brother, didn't buy one at a sale and gave it to me.

It was an awesome gift that came with years of memories. I haven't even used it. I just might have to put some new string on it and use it this spring.

Marge has pots and pans that Helen, her mom, used back when she was little. Dishes she remembered her Mom using. And when we got married, Helen gave us one of her cast-iron skillets. It was a neat gift. The neat thing about the skillet was it wasn't new. It was well used and seasoned.

Helen and Keith, Marge's parents, probably had cooked many a meal on that old cast-iron skillet. If those old cast-iron skillets are taken care of, they will last several lifetimes.

A good friend of mine gave me two old aluminum lawn chairs some 10 years ago or so. He told me how he had come to own those chairs as he gave them to me. So I have two aluminum and wooden lawn chairs.

The are just chairs to most people, but to me, they are far more. I carry one of the chairs in my pickup pretty much year round just in case I need it. When I'm at the farmers market in Scott City in the summer, you will find one of those chairs in my pickup.

Some would say I'm sentimental, and they are probably right. Probably most of us are, when it comes down to it.

As you go through life, look for those little opportunities where you can share with those you care deeply about. But also be aware of your loved one's friends, and look for opportunities to share with them as well.

As the old-timers leave this world, remember those who are left behind. And as you go through their "things," pass some of them on to the family and friends. It might be just a cup to you, but to a close friend, it's a memory.