Two gifts: one old, one new...Both special

The cookie jar is the old gift, given to me a long time ago by my grandchildren because I collect cow items. The new gift is the vase containing the Black-eyed susans. Our friends who visited last week purchased it for me when we took them to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.Unknown to the givers, both gifts have a connection to my home and family.

The cow, one of many in my collection, reminds me of my father. He ran a farm products business that picked up milk from the farmers throughout the countryside and shipped it in tank trucks to the dairy in Philadelphia. His job included visiting the farms on a monthly schedule to inspect them, making sure they met the health standards. I felt very lucky when I could ride along with him to see the cows and play with the barn cats.

The vase, beautiful and unique, is made of slate, and slate quarrying was another of the industries in our little community. During the 19th century, slate was quarried in the hillside outside our town. The men who worked in the quarries had emigrated from Wales and settled in southeastern Pennsylvania to continue the trade they had learned back home in the old country. As a result, our town was blessed with many Welsh residents. We even had a Welsh Presbyterian Church where my parents were married. To this day, they hold an annual song fest with an unpronounceable Welsh name. They loved to sing!

So that's the story. These two items, seemingly unrelated, are connected through my memories. Look around your house. Many of you could probably find two strangely connected objects that mean something special to you. Only you can tell their story, and that is a blip challenge from me to you!