Rainbows and Beyond

I believe I may have shared before my grandmother Anna Beck’s love for bright colors or it may have just been my grandfather Edson’s frugal spirit that colored their home. This was so apparent when anyone walked into their kitchen. The metal base cabinets and sink were white as was an old Hoosier cupboard and a white side cabinet. They were the islands of serenity in a swirl of color. The tiles on the floor made a sea of bright red. Brilliant blue Congoleum with white lied blocks rose halfway up the walls. Above the blue barrier, the wall was painted a bright sunshine yellow. The primitive hand-crafted upper cupboards were painted pale, pastel of sea foam green. To complete the rainbow effect, ruffled lavender curtains hung at the windows. A small powder room claimed one corner of the kitchen.

This area was the masterpiece of mélange. The rest of their home was more subdued with only splashes of color in the living room, dining room, and Granddad’s office. Old time flowered carpet made the centerpiece, while the dark wood dining room table and chairs rested on it with the china cupboard watching over all. In the living room, a plump maroon sofa and chair surrounded another flowered carpet, their material was stiff and itchy to sit on.

Linoleum of pale gray embossed with flowers covered the office floor. In the center were Granddad’s dark multi-drawered wooden desk, his wooden roller chair, and two chairs for clients. Granddad made wills, deeds, and completed income taxes.

In one corner of the office huddled a pale green metal stand, the resting place for his old Underwood typewriter. In the opposite corner, a huge safe hibernated, its single brass-eyed dial glowed. When the safe needed to be moved, 2X8 planks were needed so it wouldn’t break through the old pine, tongue and groove flooring. A door led to an adjoining and narrow waiting room that held a few more chairs and a pale gray filing cabinet. Several calendars hung on the wall; the pictures helped to eliminate the drabness of the room.

Grandma’s love for colors must have rubbed off onto her daughters Estella Strawderman and Helen Stahl. Fastidiousness and choice of décor could be seen in their homes as well, but I will leave those stories for another time.