Time travel is definitely a reality! My husband Ron, and I traveled to St. Louis, Mo., in April for the funeral of his mother Louise Kinder. Born in 1922, she passed away at the amazing age of 101, living a long, interesting, and fruitful life. While in St. Louis we were tasked with going through every inch of her house where she had lived since 1953.

This is where the time travel comes in; including not only sifting through the contents of the house, but discerning the value systems, and time eras encompassed within. We spent days digging through everything: sometimes laughing, sometimes in tears; and always in awe of insights gleaned and treasures found.

This mid-century modern home was built in 1946 on what was then a quiet country road in south county St. Louis. Believe me, it was fancy, and state-of-the-art for the times. At age 5, my husband was awed by the expansive yard and roomy interior. His parents gradually filled their new home with the latest in-home decor. You guessed it-most of these furnishings were still there!

Louise, who was raised during the depression, was a saver! Her home was filled with stuff in every closet, drawer, and cabinet. She was not a hoarder by any means, and her stuff was all completely organized. For example, there was a drawer just for playing cards. You never know when you might need 100 decks of cards!

Our journey began. Our intent was to respectfully honor Louise by sharing her belongings with friends and family, packing up heartfelt mementos to bring home, and being as careful as possible to leave nothing of great sentimental or monetary value behind.

The home exemplified Louise as a southern gal from rural Kentucky, legendary cook, fashionista, and hostess with the mostest. There was no pretense throughout the rooms; simply comfortable, homey, and truly livable spaces. When Louise served up a meal it was the best vittles ever! She was famous for her down-home breakfasts of biscuits and gravy, with country ham. Dinners started with appetizers such as pickle roll, cheese balls, and all you could eat boiled shrimp-always served with Hi-Ho crackers. The groaning board continued at the dining room table that was set with China and gleaming silverware. At least two meats were always served, homemade bread, and countless tasty side dishes. Her famous green beans, prepared using bacon and sugar, were ever-present. For dessert homemade pie was a given! She made her own piecrust, using her secret ingredient – Crisco.

Hundreds of soirees were held in the Kinder home over the years. Game nights, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, and any other excuse for entertaining were constants. Everyone was welcome, and there were typically extra guests brought along by invited guests. People tended to drop in for visits on a regular basis. There was always ample food and drinks in the refrigerator, and conversation and laughter flowed.

One day a humble, black handyman was invited to lunch on ham salad sandwiches and a can of Coke at Louise’s kitchen table. He accepted, and after the meal he told her he had never before been invited to eat at a white woman’s table. She took great pride in her door always being open to all, and her guests being well fed!

The closets were filled with years worth of stylish clothing. Louise loved to shop, and she was a skilled seamstress who made many of her own ensembles. Home-sewing is such a lost art that it was a delight for me to sift through the contents of her basement sewing room. Her Singer sewing machine in its functional cabinet stood front and center. She must have kept every pattern she ever used, because I found them neatly filed away in boxes. Buttons, zippers, spools of thread, ribbons, trims, pins, and needles filled her sewing drawers.

Louise was also a crafter, and the closet was brimming with quilt patterns, skeins of yarn, knitting and crochet needles, and various unfinished projects. Her joy and talent in producing handmade treasures filled this simple room.

A dresser drawer and a large jewelry box were chock full of all descriptions of costume jewelry. The granddaughters delighted in checking out each piece, and taking with them precious mementos that had belonged to their beloved grandma.

Dishes, glassware, canned goods, decorations for every holiday, unused small appliances from days gone by, and serving dishes for parties filled the shelves throughout the house and basement. So many things had a story to tell. Louise and her second husband, Wes, loved to explore the world, and spent 30 years traveling the globe, and every state in the union. Wes lovingly assembled scrapbooks of these many years of joyous wanderings.

Oh, the photographs! There were thousands and thousands to pour through. Back in the day, before digital photography and saving to the cloud became a way of life, people ended up taking and saving their physical photos. What we found was 100 years of pictures taken throughout the decades, documenting everything from mundane events to every important occasion. Needless to say, it was daunting to peruse them, and heartbreaking to leave most of them behind. Ron scanned the most meaningful pics, and the rest … well we don’t want to know what will become of them.

So, you get the picture. We traveled through the decades and down memory lane during the week we spent readying the house for sale. Farewell Louise as you go on your final journey. We truly embraced our opportunity to navigate this road as we reflected on the life that you created, leaving your distinctive mark on all who cared about you. You will be greatly missed!

Time travel is definitely a reality! My husband Ron, and I traveled to St. Louis, Mo., in April for the funeral of his mother Louise Kinder. Born in 1922, she passed away at the amazing age of 101, living a long, interesting, and fruitful life. While in St. Louis we were tasked with going through every inch of her house where she had lived since 1953.

This is where the time travel comes in; including not only sifting through the contents of the house, but discerning the value systems, and time eras encompassed within. We spent days digging through everything: sometimes laughing, sometimes in tears; and always in awe of insights gleaned and treasures found.

This mid-century modern home was built in 1946 on what was then a quiet country road in south county St. Louis. Believe me, it was fancy, and state-of-the-art for the times. At age 5, my husband was awed by the expansive yard and roomy interior. His parents gradually filled their new home with the latest in-home decor. You guessed it-most of these furnishings were still there!

Louise, who was raised during the depression, was a saver! Her home was filled with stuff in every closet, drawer, and cabinet. She was not a hoarder by any means, and her stuff was all completely organized. For example, there was a drawer just for playing cards. You never know when you might need 100 decks of cards!

Our journey began. Our intent was to respectfully honor Louise by sharing her belongings with friends and family, packing up heartfelt mementos to bring home, and being as careful as possible to leave nothing of great sentimental or monetary value behind.

The home exemplified Louise as a southern gal from rural Kentucky, legendary cook, fashionista, and hostess with the mostest. There was no pretense throughout the rooms; simply comfortable, homey, and truly livable spaces. When Louise served up a meal it was the best vittles ever! She was famous for her down-home breakfasts of biscuits and gravy, with country ham. Dinners started with appetizers such as pickle roll, cheese balls, and all you could eat boiled shrimp-always served with Hi-Ho crackers. The groaning board continued at the dining room table that was set with China and gleaming silverware. At least two meats were always served, homemade bread, and countless tasty side dishes. Her famous green beans, prepared using bacon and sugar, were ever-present. For dessert homemade pie was a given! She made her own piecrust, using her secret ingredient – Crisco.

Hundreds of soirees were held in the Kinder home over the years. Game nights, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, and any other excuse for entertaining were constants. Everyone was welcome, and there were typically extra guests brought along by invited guests. People tended to drop in for visits on a regular basis. There was always ample food and drinks in the refrigerator, and conversation and laughter flowed.

One day a humble, black handyman was invited to lunch on ham salad sandwiches and a can of Coke at Louise’s kitchen table. He accepted, and after the meal he told her he had never before been invited to eat at a white woman’s table. She took great pride in her door always being open to all, and her guests being well fed!

The closets were filled with years worth of stylish clothing. Louise loved to shop, and she was a skilled seamstress who made many of her own ensembles. Home-sewing is such a lost art that it was a delight for me to sift through the contents of her basement sewing room. Her Singer sewing machine in its functional cabinet stood front and center. She must have kept every pattern she ever used, because I found them neatly filed away in boxes. Buttons, zippers, spools of thread, ribbons, trims, pins, and needles filled her sewing drawers.

Louise was also a crafter, and the closet was brimming with quilt patterns, skeins of yarn, knitting and crochet needles, and various unfinished projects. Her joy and talent in producing handmade treasures filled this simple room.

A dresser drawer and a large jewelry box were chock full of all descriptions of costume jewelry. The granddaughters delighted in checking out each piece, and taking with them precious mementos that had belonged to their beloved grandma.

Dishes, glassware, canned goods, decorations for every holiday, unused small appliances from days gone by, and serving dishes for parties filled the shelves throughout the house and basement. So many things had a story to tell. Louise and her second husband, Wes, loved to explore the world, and spent 30 years traveling the globe, and every state in the union. Wes lovingly assembled scrapbooks of these many years of joyous wanderings.

Oh, the photographs! There were thousands and thousands to pour through. Back in the day, before digital photography and saving to the cloud became a way of life, people ended up taking and saving their physical photos. What we found was 100 years of pictures taken throughout the decades, documenting everything from mundane events to every important occasion. Needless to say, it was daunting to peruse them, and heartbreaking to leave most of them behind. Ron scanned the most meaningful pics, and the rest … well we don’t want to know what will become of them.

So, you get the picture. We traveled through the decades and down memory lane during the week we spent readying the house for sale. Farewell Louise as you go on your final journey. We truly embraced our opportunity to navigate this road as we reflected on the life that you created, leaving your distinctive mark on all who cared about you. You will be greatly missed!