We had to pick the colors that we wanted and she taught us how to cut the strips and weave the paper that would be folded into a basket shape. Then the paper handle was fastened with some brass fasteners. Teachers have so much patience. I don't know how she dealt with a class of 20-25 kids....all in different stages of construction of these rather difficult baskets. When we finished...we put our name on the bottom and all of us made a card to put in the basket. School let out and we were on the run to find the prettiest flowers to put in our basket. There was a huge lilac bush on my way home. It was planted next to an alley, so I could go in the alley and pick a few flowers. Violets and dandelions made up the rest of the basket. When I got home, I hung it on our doorknob and rang the bell.....running to hide when my Mom came out. She acted so surprised and tickled pink with her treasure. She got a jelly jar out and filled it with water and put the flowers in.
There were many more May baskets in her life...the last one being the one I put on her door at her nursing home. She had Alzheimer's disease, and she didn't react the same as in the days of past. I just got so much pleasure doing this....it was mostly for me I guess. The twinkle had left her eye, but I knew that my Mom was in there and maybe, just maybe, she remembered.
Balisha
