Ernest used materials he had on the farm and the love in his heart to make the perfect foot stool for his beloved wife.
Ernest W. Nelson (1913 - 2011) spent most of his life on the farm his father homesteaded outside of Camrose in 1902. In fact, he received an award for a 100th Anniversary on the family farm in 2002 (picture below).
Ernest told many stories of his life on the farm. Some of the ones I enjoyed most were about how they had to make do with what they had. You grew, raised or made what you needed, and you fixed what needed fixing.
Ernest never threw away a single nut, bolt, screw, bent nail, piece of wire or spare part during his life time on the farm. He would often use twine to string together parts he might use, or extra pieces he came upon in his day. He had endless strings of treasures stowed away.
Ernest could fix most anything using those strings. He had a brilliant mind and he wouldn’t quit a problem until he figured out a solution. His father was known to say, “If you want something done right … get Ernest to do it!” He lived up to that reputation all of his life. He left behind a lot of knowledge and treasures.
One of those treasures was an old hand made foot stool. He told me the story behind it.
Ernest’s’ wife Myrtle was the true love of his life. In her later years, she became ill and could not get around very well but she really enjoyed sitting in her favorite chair and watching out the window. The problem however was that she suffered severe back and leg pain when she sat for very long.
Ernest bought her different chairs, recliners and multiple kinds of foot stools but none were quite right. So, he decided he would make her the perfect foot stool and with true Ernest style, he did just that.
They started out with a stack of old Simpson Sears and Eatons catalogues to decide on the height. In the end, they were adjusting by one or two pages at a time until they found the perfect height. It was also important to keep it light weight so Myrtle could move it around easily and, it had to have just the right kind and amount of padding.
Ernest used materials he had on the farm and the love in his heart to make the perfect foot stool for his beloved wife. Myrtle sat comfortably for hours each day using that handmade foot stool.
I started using that old foot stool and soon found I simply couldn’t be without it! It was like a miracle for my back and hip pain! It just takes the pressure off of all the right places and feels soooo good.
It started on the back deck, then it went with me on a month long camping trip, then it worked its way into my kitchen but it was so old and dirty, it just couldn’t be in the house. So, I set out to make one exactly like it.
When we ever so carefully dismantled that original foot stool, we confirmed that it was made with true Ernest style. He had used an old cupboard door for one side and countless different kinds of nails and screws when he put it together (likely what he had on a string in his pocket that day). He used a piece of wood doweling for legs and padding from an old couch. Not sure where the fabric came from but he had sewn each seam three times.
Although we used new material and standard sized nails and screws, each detail is precisely to scale. Each one is hand crafted to standards that honor the wisdom and love that Ernest put into making the original.
I LOVE my Perfect Foot Stool. Everyone that tries it LOVES it and wants one too! ... That's how we started making The Perfect Foot Stools. And, we make them in the very same workshop!
My husband and I live on that farm now and we know that each Perfect Foot Stool truly is, Made with Ernest.