They just seem to say, "screen porch, summer day, life is good."
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Cottage Style
These could only be nicer if they held a few oatmeal raisin cookies and had a glass of milk on the side.
They just seem to say, "screen porch, summer day, life is good."
They just seem to say, "screen porch, summer day, life is good."
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Nuts for Antiques
We don't know the provenance of most of the curious things we come across. We often have to imagine our own story.
Perhaps Miss Lillian spent hours painting these gorgeous goobers as a gift for her son, James Earl Carter, Jr. upon his inauguration as a remembrance of his humble peanut farming past.
The popularity of and curiosity about the peanut grew significantly during the successful 1976 presidential campaign that put Jimmy Carter in the White House. The image of the peanut in caricature was seen around the world as a symbol of not only a president, but also the towns of Plains. Born in 1924, James Earl Carter, Jr. grew up on his parents’ 360-acre farm. In Carter’s early years, his father began growing peanuts, a crop that made a great impact on his life. His family first raised the small Spanish peanuts, which were used as salted nuts, in candy bars, and some varieties for hog feed. At the age of five, Carter sold boiled peanuts on the streets of Plains. - Jimmy Carter NHS Program
Perhaps it was a Southern belle's prize-winning entry into the Georgia State Fair domestic arts competition that then came North with her when she ran away with her no account Yankee beau.
And the chip? Well now, that's an entirely different story for a future Antiques Roadshow.
Perhaps Miss Lillian spent hours painting these gorgeous goobers as a gift for her son, James Earl Carter, Jr. upon his inauguration as a remembrance of his humble peanut farming past.
The popularity of and curiosity about the peanut grew significantly during the successful 1976 presidential campaign that put Jimmy Carter in the White House. The image of the peanut in caricature was seen around the world as a symbol of not only a president, but also the towns of Plains. Born in 1924, James Earl Carter, Jr. grew up on his parents’ 360-acre farm. In Carter’s early years, his father began growing peanuts, a crop that made a great impact on his life. His family first raised the small Spanish peanuts, which were used as salted nuts, in candy bars, and some varieties for hog feed. At the age of five, Carter sold boiled peanuts on the streets of Plains. - Jimmy Carter NHS Program
Perhaps it was a Southern belle's prize-winning entry into the Georgia State Fair domestic arts competition that then came North with her when she ran away with her no account Yankee beau.
And the chip? Well now, that's an entirely different story for a future Antiques Roadshow.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Where do You Live?
Every now and then an estate sale or thrift shop find is just too good to be true. On first look this wonderful plate seemed like it must be Pottery Barn imitation vintage decor. But, no, it's real antique wallart for thought.
Research using the plate's backmark has turned up few clues about the history of this design, but we'll keep at it and let you know when we know the rest of the story.
Research using the plate's backmark has turned up few clues about the history of this design, but we'll keep at it and let you know when we know the rest of the story.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Remember the Time...?
There comes a time in every relationship be it between husband and wife, brother and brother, friend and friend, crazy old uncle and the Thanksgiving day crowd - when all the stories have been told, the jokes delivered, and issues debated and dissected down to the minutest parts.
We all try to keep listening anyway knowing that we will likely be shown the same courtesy when we tell for the umpteenth time about the time we ...
Members of a certain family in our acquaintence, when a certain nonstop talker comes to call, take turns indicating by silently holding up fingers behind his back how many times they have heard the current story in his running monologue. We understand that the next time he visits teamwork will be needed to supply enough hands and digits to continue this smartypants tradition for some of the golden oldies on his playlist.
Stop us if you've heard this one...One of the only jokes we remember and can usually tell correctly is about a joke-telling club whose members had told the same jokes for so long that they all knew all of them by heart. They had decided to save time by assigning a number to each joke.
The teller would simply stand up and say for example, "Number 9."
Laughter from the group would follow as jokes were told all evening long with different numbers receiving a variety of responses from giggles to knee-slapping guffaws.
A visitor to the club observed for quite awhile and then asked to give this brilliant system a try. "How hard could it be?" he thought.
"Number 18," he called out with a big grin and an eager look of anticipation.
Only silence followed.
"Why is no one laughing?" he asked.
"Well," said an old member, "some people just don't know how to tell a joke."
So, everyone around you has heard all you have to say, over and over and over again. Now what?
Time to find a new audience. To save our marriage from becoming a daily conversation that goes something like this...
"Did I ever tell you about...?"
"Yes."
"Remember when...?"
"Uh huh."
"It is just like the time I..."
"Saw Ed McMahon in the giant redwoods scolding his children. Yeah, I know."
We started blogging and now have encouraged the spouse to also start a blog of tales old, and new.
Allow us to introduce Detritus of Empire - Unearthing odds and ends from the past and the present.
It's your turn to listen and politely nod (without nodding off) for awhile.
Thanks. Really. Thanks.
We all try to keep listening anyway knowing that we will likely be shown the same courtesy when we tell for the umpteenth time about the time we ...
Members of a certain family in our acquaintence, when a certain nonstop talker comes to call, take turns indicating by silently holding up fingers behind his back how many times they have heard the current story in his running monologue. We understand that the next time he visits teamwork will be needed to supply enough hands and digits to continue this smartypants tradition for some of the golden oldies on his playlist.
Stop us if you've heard this one...One of the only jokes we remember and can usually tell correctly is about a joke-telling club whose members had told the same jokes for so long that they all knew all of them by heart. They had decided to save time by assigning a number to each joke.
The teller would simply stand up and say for example, "Number 9."
Laughter from the group would follow as jokes were told all evening long with different numbers receiving a variety of responses from giggles to knee-slapping guffaws.
A visitor to the club observed for quite awhile and then asked to give this brilliant system a try. "How hard could it be?" he thought.
"Number 18," he called out with a big grin and an eager look of anticipation.
Only silence followed.
"Why is no one laughing?" he asked.
"Well," said an old member, "some people just don't know how to tell a joke."
So, everyone around you has heard all you have to say, over and over and over again. Now what?
Time to find a new audience. To save our marriage from becoming a daily conversation that goes something like this...
"Did I ever tell you about...?"
"Yes."
"Remember when...?"
"Uh huh."
"It is just like the time I..."
"Saw Ed McMahon in the giant redwoods scolding his children. Yeah, I know."
We started blogging and now have encouraged the spouse to also start a blog of tales old, and new.
Allow us to introduce Detritus of Empire - Unearthing odds and ends from the past and the present.
It's your turn to listen and politely nod (without nodding off) for awhile.
Thanks. Really. Thanks.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Don't Tell the Kids
And please don't nominate us for Hoarders. Yet.
Kitsch collector C. Dianne Zweig has some good advice for dealing with the parental home/trash pit sooner rather than later. It is a big job (which we fully intend to leave for our kids to do just as we have had to do it for our parents), but Ms. Zweig has some helpful tips for handling the situation before it becomes an overwhelming gigantic nightmare that you will probably have to travel across the country to deal with on a single weekend in a community that you never were, or are no longer, familiar with.
If you are in the situation of having to liquidate the family homestead now or in the future here are several helpful posts on the topic:
Cleaning Out Your Parents House: Letting Go Gently
How to Sell Your Parents' Stuff
How To Clean Out Your Parents House: Organizing The Basement
Getting Rid of Parents' Stuff: Start Early
You'll know when it is appropriate to pass this on to our younguns. Or perhaps you've known for awhile now.
Kitsch collector C. Dianne Zweig has some good advice for dealing with the parental home/trash pit sooner rather than later. It is a big job (which we fully intend to leave for our kids to do just as we have had to do it for our parents), but Ms. Zweig has some helpful tips for handling the situation before it becomes an overwhelming gigantic nightmare that you will probably have to travel across the country to deal with on a single weekend in a community that you never were, or are no longer, familiar with.
If you are in the situation of having to liquidate the family homestead now or in the future here are several helpful posts on the topic:
Cleaning Out Your Parents House: Letting Go Gently
How to Sell Your Parents' Stuff
How To Clean Out Your Parents House: Organizing The Basement
Getting Rid of Parents' Stuff: Start Early
You'll know when it is appropriate to pass this on to our younguns. Or perhaps you've known for awhile now.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Or Just Cross Your Fingers
A little collection of tokens meant to bring good fortune to the wearer/bearer.
It is interesting to find the littlest bits and pieces of peoples' lives at estate sales. Little things that may have ridden around in pockets of everyday clothes or that filled the "junk drawer". More interesting to think about who valued these good luck charms and their expectations of them. Did they win at the race track, get that promotion, get the girl to say yes, or maybe find a fiver on the sidewalk?
Let us know if you need a loan from our collection next time the powerball hits a million. It just might help.
It is interesting to find the littlest bits and pieces of peoples' lives at estate sales. Little things that may have ridden around in pockets of everyday clothes or that filled the "junk drawer". More interesting to think about who valued these good luck charms and their expectations of them. Did they win at the race track, get that promotion, get the girl to say yes, or maybe find a fiver on the sidewalk?
Let us know if you need a loan from our collection next time the powerball hits a million. It just might help.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Vintage Garden
We found only the first page of "Gardening as a Cure for Mental Breakdowns" amongst some other garden ephemera in a box. We dearly wish we had the entire article by Bolton Hall, an early advocate of "vacant lot gardening", from The Worlds Work… A History of Our Time.
Here is the opening paragraph: When the official returns of the Philadelphia hospital for the insane at Byberry showed that the inmates of the institution had raised about $10,000 worth of garden truck in one year, gardening began to attract attention as a cure for mild cases of lunacy. Since that time the experiment has been made in many hospitals for the insane and always with gratifying results. Not only have good crops been secured (interesting choice of primary project benefit), but the improvement of the condition of the patient has always been notable.
Chemical gardening in this case is just as advertised, growing plants without soil. The colorful, nicely designed cover is quite a mismatch with the black and white and rather dull content inside.
This album of a complete set of Will's cigarette cards on the topic of Gardening Hints dates to 1923 and was purchased at the Portobello Road market in London. Cigarette cards were enclosed in every pack of cigarettes originally only as a stiffener to protect your cancer sticks from damage. Someone, an American wouldn't you know, had the brilliant idea of using the formerly blank cards as advertising space with collectible images.
From about 1901 Cigarette Cards really caught on and thousands of different sets were issued by over 300 tobacco companies, Wills issued over 175 different sets alone. It is believed there were over 11,000 cards issued depicting the subject of cricket.
Many sets are still regarded as minature reference books with illustrations and texts absolutely correct. Children of the time used to stand outside tobacconists asking smokers for their 'fag' cards, they were then kept to make up sets and sometimes try and win more by playing games with the cards and hopefully winning them. Unfortunately most cards were damaged when played with, making them now worthless as condition to collectors of today is quite important. - from history section of cigarettecards.co.uk
The themes of the cigarette cards of old are too numerous to name here, but we find the inclusion of gardening topics quite interesting knowing what we do about the dangers of smoking and gardening as companion pastimes. Tobacco on hands is the prime method of spreading tobacco mosaic virus. Not smoking, or washing your hands if you do is the best prevention.
So, don't smoke, examine your nursery seedlings carefully, and just as you do at your favorite restaurant, pray that the workers at the greenhouse are paying attention to the "All Employees Must Wash Hands" sign when their smoke break is over.
Here is the opening paragraph: When the official returns of the Philadelphia hospital for the insane at Byberry showed that the inmates of the institution had raised about $10,000 worth of garden truck in one year, gardening began to attract attention as a cure for mild cases of lunacy. Since that time the experiment has been made in many hospitals for the insane and always with gratifying results. Not only have good crops been secured (interesting choice of primary project benefit), but the improvement of the condition of the patient has always been notable.
Chemical gardening in this case is just as advertised, growing plants without soil. The colorful, nicely designed cover is quite a mismatch with the black and white and rather dull content inside.
This album of a complete set of Will's cigarette cards on the topic of Gardening Hints dates to 1923 and was purchased at the Portobello Road market in London. Cigarette cards were enclosed in every pack of cigarettes originally only as a stiffener to protect your cancer sticks from damage. Someone, an American wouldn't you know, had the brilliant idea of using the formerly blank cards as advertising space with collectible images.
From about 1901 Cigarette Cards really caught on and thousands of different sets were issued by over 300 tobacco companies, Wills issued over 175 different sets alone. It is believed there were over 11,000 cards issued depicting the subject of cricket.
Many sets are still regarded as minature reference books with illustrations and texts absolutely correct. Children of the time used to stand outside tobacconists asking smokers for their 'fag' cards, they were then kept to make up sets and sometimes try and win more by playing games with the cards and hopefully winning them. Unfortunately most cards were damaged when played with, making them now worthless as condition to collectors of today is quite important. - from history section of cigarettecards.co.uk
The themes of the cigarette cards of old are too numerous to name here, but we find the inclusion of gardening topics quite interesting knowing what we do about the dangers of smoking and gardening as companion pastimes. Tobacco on hands is the prime method of spreading tobacco mosaic virus. Not smoking, or washing your hands if you do is the best prevention.
So, don't smoke, examine your nursery seedlings carefully, and just as you do at your favorite restaurant, pray that the workers at the greenhouse are paying attention to the "All Employees Must Wash Hands" sign when their smoke break is over.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The King's Bad Word
Since hearing that an F-word-sanitized version of The King's Speech is coming to theatres this Friday we have been unable to keep from giggling every time we think of Colin Firth shouting, "Fudge. Fudge. Fudge. Fudge."
Sadly, newly acquired details of the story from The Hollywood Reporter reveal that that is not to be the case. PG-13 still allows minor oaths to be substituted for vulgar ones so it seems we will have to wait until the G version comes out before we get to hear the line done our way.
The redo is being released on April fool's Day. Could it be an elaborate joke?
Sadly, newly acquired details of the story from The Hollywood Reporter reveal that that is not to be the case. PG-13 still allows minor oaths to be substituted for vulgar ones so it seems we will have to wait until the G version comes out before we get to hear the line done our way.
The redo is being released on April fool's Day. Could it be an elaborate joke?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Week-long Beans
These beautiful Garden of Eden beans became Rancho Gordo's Pasta Fazool.
Soaked on Saturday, cooked on Sunday, eaten on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...
Soaked on Saturday, cooked on Sunday, eaten on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
What's Not to Like About Lunch?
We really like this vintage cookbook with images reminiscent of our own early schooldays. Which, just for the record, did not start until 1965.
1958
Farm-style beef stew, to be packed in wide mouth vacuum bottle, is main dish of this lunch which includes bread and butter sandwich, banana, package of cookies. Coated paper plate makes stew easy to manage.
Hot bouillon starts off a box lunch that includes an American cheese and bologna sandwich on French bread, a tomato and applesauce. Tomato may be eaten whole or sliced and put in sandwich.
Chicken and vegetable salad from a vacuum bottle is eaten with lettuce wrapped separately in plastic bag. Since milk is often available at school, a jam sandwich and an apple complete the lunch menu.
Two sandwiches, meat loaf on rye, and pimento cheese spread with olives are eaten with carrot sticks and celery. Grapes and chocolate milk, to which an egg may be added, (eww!) are dessert and beverage.
Would Jamie Oliver approve of these delicious '50s lunches?
Now that the snow is finally shrinking (but still far from gone) we can like these photos too. We had hats like that how about you?
1958
Farm-style beef stew, to be packed in wide mouth vacuum bottle, is main dish of this lunch which includes bread and butter sandwich, banana, package of cookies. Coated paper plate makes stew easy to manage.
Hot bouillon starts off a box lunch that includes an American cheese and bologna sandwich on French bread, a tomato and applesauce. Tomato may be eaten whole or sliced and put in sandwich.
Chicken and vegetable salad from a vacuum bottle is eaten with lettuce wrapped separately in plastic bag. Since milk is often available at school, a jam sandwich and an apple complete the lunch menu.
Two sandwiches, meat loaf on rye, and pimento cheese spread with olives are eaten with carrot sticks and celery. Grapes and chocolate milk, to which an egg may be added, (eww!) are dessert and beverage.
Would Jamie Oliver approve of these delicious '50s lunches?
Now that the snow is finally shrinking (but still far from gone) we can like these photos too. We had hats like that how about you?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
More than Fond of
Flowers of all kinds. Especially happy ones.
Tip: The Target Dollar section often has wonderful whimsical treasures that are better for your body and soul than a checkout lane impulse candybar purchase.
Tip: The Target Dollar section often has wonderful whimsical treasures that are better for your body and soul than a checkout lane impulse candybar purchase.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
No, Not Smoking or Starting Fires
It is vintage advertising we are fond of.
Especially of the local variety.
Especially of the local variety.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Love is Kind of a Strong Word
Inspired by a little book of things that Kate Spade loves (click on the book), found at Katie Armour the neo-traditionalist, but with our own twist (due to our fear of commitment) here are a few things we are very fond of starting with...
Canada!
Canada!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thanks, But We'll Just Watch
A minute and a half of fun viewing or inspiration for a weekend-long project.
You pick.
>
We choose hitting replay over and over again as we enjoy a comfy chair.
Video brought to our attention by the ever resourceful gals at Mason-Dixon Knitting.
You pick.
>
We choose hitting replay over and over again as we enjoy a comfy chair.
Video brought to our attention by the ever resourceful gals at Mason-Dixon Knitting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
