Draw some faces, thrift store boxes, a blue jay on the deck

 

Pretty faces to draw. Taken from Fritz's mother's high school album from Agnes Irwin School 1937. The school is 156 years old, private school for exceptional girls (rich) , founded by great great grand daughter of Benjamin Franklin.  

Their senior portraits look like Breck girls, perfect proportions , perfect hair. The album is wonderful in that the portraits and photos of students are actual photos glued in place, leather-like linen bound cover. 

Activity/club photos are the usual - drama, art, But athletics get the most attention and participation. Hockey, lacrosse, basketball. Every girl participated in sports.

Seniors have a devoted page of their aspirations , favorites, and philosophies.  Most are vacuous , as one might expect from a teen aged girl. Aspirations , some of them-- "To be happy, though married", To wash dishes", " sudden death", To commit murder". 

There was one stand out girl, though, her nickname was "Frenchie".

For every personal question she had a thoughtful answer. 

Pet possession- Intellectual integrity

Idiosyncrasy- Predilection for light talk

Ambition- Social services

Destiny- An exemplary existence

Pet aversion- Worrying about drama club dues

Favorite pastime- Turning off alarm clock

Remarks- Don't let school work interfere with your education.

That is what one would hope for in a student in expensive private girl's school isn't it?  Mind you , this was 1937 when women didn't have a hell of lot of opportunity.  I am curious what became of Frenchie. 

 -0-

I popped out to my meditation center, the thrift shop and took a few photos of things worthy  , I did not buy anything but there was temptation.  Little wooden music boxes that actually were in good nick. Playing songs  not familiar . I thought about getting one for Flora but she winds things too tightly  , breaking the music, as we all have done in childhood.

This one was familiar, playing "school days" as the teacher opened the doors, came out on a little track, went back in , closing the doors.

These two worked well , really cute, mystery to me what the songs were. Made in Switzerland.

The shelves  had so many cute boxes- A village of boxes for storage, low prices and would have been great for Flora and Emmett but they live in teeny tiny house with no room for anything more. 

 Leaving you with another face to draw- a most hilarious karma face! I had a laugh. I do hope that he gets tossed into the slammer. Randy Andy, the prince of darkness. Raising the bar for justice- America. are you taking note??

On the deck just now, so as to not leave you with Andrew's horror  face entirely-

 Jay weighing  every peanut to see which one is best to carry  through the sky. Blue jay shopping, we call it. 

Have a great week end. Ours will be as usual , doing odd bits, cleaning, futsing  aimlessly. I got three boxes off to Janny, things that she had left behind and wanted. $120 - one left to send that will be more $$ I am sure, All of her vintage  kimonos with their accessories. surprisingly they weigh a lot.

Her house goes on the market soon, everything left in the house will be hauled off to Goodwill. A grand old late 1700's German wood desk that no one can lift and is too hunky for any house these days- off to Goodwill. A few tables and other doo dahs.  bye bye.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Horse, orphans torch Ice, jesus

Lunar year of the fire horse. Drama and power. Anything involving fire interests the orphans - adding a black stallion in there is just too good! 

One thing that might be useful for a Fire Horse year. 

I got an eye jab yesterday and commented on Year of The Fire Horse to my eye guy , maybe getting Chinese food for dinner (good luck  finding Chinese food that is not pretend Chinese, in this town). We used to go to Pender Street in Vancouver China town for great Chinese food but have not been there since before Covid. I miss going up there. It was like a real holiday going to Vancouver. International, interesting, dangerous, and thrilling. 

I miss Chinese culture.It  dominated  my life for seven years.  A concentration,though I never  learned to speak Chinese I could  write a little, I  dropped the ball after I met Dennis. I quit tai chi practice, changed to plates and cutlery, quit cooking Chinese meals, because D was not a fan. BUT I still love lunar calendar  celebration/ lion dance and the animals of the zodiac.  I mentioned to  the eye jabber  that  Fire Horse only comes around every 60 years...he said that he would be 80 then. Good god -I am trusting my eyes to a baby!

Then a little old lady tapped me on my shoulder while I was waiting for the drops to do their business. She held tatting in her hand to show me. I expressed interest which opened the door to "freak". I should have pretended to only speak Chinese...She told me that she has 1% of her sight but that jesus helps her with her tatting and off she went- I learned way too much about her life in a few minutes of "Jesus take the wheel"... how her grampa was johnny Cash's grampa- a preacher man. She did some genealogy and also found that she had married her cousin. After I had shut her off , she proceeded to approach  the Sikh man across from me- telling the same tale and praising jesus all over the place, handed him a pamphlet , told him all about her church and how he should come to the glory. 

He was so sweet and polite but looked confused.

Showing me her tatting, carried in film. 

And there she goes, walking with jesus.  If jesus's daddy did exist,  I would thank him for her departure . I rolled my eyes at the Sikh man , he smiled and dropped the pamphlet into the bin. 

 

  

 

 

 

Old photos, a cult and a conundrum

What to do with other people's history? a small photo album left behind after Fritz and Janny departed. Their house will be going on the market next month and that will be that. I brought the little photo album home with me, thinking that sometime they might want it back.

The house that housed Fritz's family when his granny was a girl. 

When snow meant it!

There are a few charming photos in the album printed on weird paper from long ago. Not sure what the process was for photos back then but it does crumble and fade. I am sending a few large boxes off to them and did include the album just in case there is a change of mind. 

Fritz remembers being told about this darling baby girl- the youngest of the lot and everyone's favorite. "Spoiled", he said. Of course she was, just look at her sweetness!

One photo struck me as a possible place of importance. I looked it up - indeed a place of curiosity and  of historical note. It is the  John Humphrey Noyes 1848 Oneida Mansion. Built  on 500 acres, orchards, grapes, cattle and horses, the usual farm animals and a huge vegetable garden.  Housing  for a religious commune with the weirdest damned ideas.   It flourished in cultism and business - 1848 until 1880 , not a bad run for a cult. There are 9 dorms, 9 guest houses as well as the 35 apartment mansion , massive meeting and dining rooms. Today used for museum and cultural events. 

The cult at the time seemed somewhat rational and liberating as cults go, but there was typical sex stuff and the isolation of children. Women had more freedom than in normal society, the commune was self sustaining  in all things. ( sounds like Stephen Gaskin's farm -without pleasure) Children were taken from their mothers upon weaning and placed in a dorm of babies and toddlers cared for by a handful of older children. Free love was the main theme- male continence the rule unless conception was wanted. They termed it "complex marriage". women over the age of forty were mentors to young boys- older men mentored young girls. In the evenings there were meetings like a seventh grade  "lemon squeeze" . Persons showing weakness or failure to be christian perfect , were criticized harshly . Everyone had to measure up or face these interventions .The purpose  was the good of elimination of undesirable traits according to Noye's rules , and god , of course. Their god was a super strict asshole except when it came to sex, that is when god became a  human male. 

They made stuff, of course the famous Oneida silver, garden tools, furniture, Game traps, palm hats and leather goods. It collapsed due to the death of Noyes and human nature of jealousy, attachments and competition. Ella Underwood, the last of the lot died in 1950! Stephen Gaskin's Farm in Tennessee is still going strong - nearly 50 years.  Cults are getting better at culting, I guess. 

I have also inherited photos from my dead friend when he was a child growing up in California in the forties. What to do with them? 

There are no family members left  alive.  David , a gay lad, did not marry or settle into a relationship. He was a free wheeling dude. A scientist, singer, actor, author, doctor, professor, , limnologist, comedian, poet, artist, gardener, hiker, traveler, curiosity seeker. And a friend. 

What to do with photos? Damned if I know. I rather like digital photos lost in the cloud somewhere and "disappeared"  after a while, especially if one does not pay them regularly . Mine are lost and that is just fine with me. No burden.

 

 

 

VAlentine

The "valentine" I gave to Mr. man, asking him to NOT fall off of the toilet ever again. 

Orphan wishing you a face full of valentine love, below is the art heart i won in an art auction as well as the arrow spear.  That is as corny as we get in this house of romance!

 

Be my Valentine, Bleah

Happy VD y'all. I hope that you get the Valentine that you deserve.  I am not particularly keen on 
VD   Hallmark sentimentality  ("mental" being the operative)  but there are flowers in the sink which I will distribute to the neighbor girls and the Grannie kids along with chocolate hearts. 

Go in peace and beware of the chubby naked baby with arrows- she will only get you into trouble.  Arrows sting and then your heart enbiggens and your brain turns to mush. Fair warning. 

 

 

Abe birthday, family tree, valentine and blooms

 

Today is "cousin" Abe's Birthday. Of course descendants of Abe are plentiful , some are famous- Tom Hanks and George Clooney to mention only the most recent known  cousins- all connected through Abe's GGG grandfather, John Hanks from Gloucester England 1470, and Abe's  Mother, Nancy.

  A little family history goes a long way even though we are all related somewhere down the line, it is kind of groovy to have Abe over there on the right of our family. The "tree" is basic as you can see- Stops at Abe , not including his offspring and theirs.  Our grandfathers names  are to the left of ABE.  All "Hanks" with a few Swede and Norwegian interlopers thrown in. 

Stella and I went out for lunch, Sunshine , cocktails and cheese cake- I had oysters and she had crab/shrimp on toast.

Cherries for February/president's day, George and the myth. The hellebore are blooming by the entrance.

A good nosh, great conversation. The place was fairly empty so we could hear one another- a first!  The restaurant is cavernous - the kitchen and cooks exposed so when there are more than two people in there it is deafening. Poor design! Anyway the food was pretty great, the G&T  - a thimble full of gin over a mountain of fast melting ice does not a good drink make. That is the way  up here in the Ham- has always been skimpy , sad and  pricey. 

Stella made a Valentine for me-

I made one for her- an old cigar box- I cut the lid off, cut it in half , reassembled it  it to make a sort of shrine for small things. Her mice can use the small things if they want to. I did not fast glue them into the little shelves.

SISU for our little Finn. Brave and hearty!

So Happy Birthday. Happy valentine, happy oyster lunch. Today looks promising weather wise. I will take my Subaru on an adventure!

The painting that my friend did and that Dennis bought for my Birthday one year- Abe ,with the palm reader  saying (around the outside)- "Before you leave this earth, you will free the slaves, you will free the slaves, you will free the slaves."  
 

Ongoing but Abe was a start. Racism seems to be part of human DNA. Latest  of course, Bad Bunny being  targeted by GOP asshole racists.  I am so looking forward to the day when we all  speak Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and there is no difference at all.  I won't live that long but maybe Flora will. 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Million dollar card, Sweets from the tooth doctor, owl and Beanie

5"X5" 2D card.

" Thank you very much for adding a review, I am so pleased to know that you love the card! :) My apologies for the  high postage cost to the USA - this is currently the only service to the USA that my print studio offers (I have my cards printed to order remotely) since the change in tariffs from the UK to the USA came in last year. The service with DHL is very speedy & reliable and gets your order there without being stopped for any customs charges - it's like a delivered duties paid service. I will of course be changing this as soon as I have another option! My apologies, I hope you still get enjoyment from the card."

Do not  ETSY late at night- if you do,  check the small print closely - this card cost $44.27 in the end- the card itself was $5.00.  I know, I know- my bad,  my stupid, my blond,  I am just  here to warn y'all.

I took one  for the team!

Anyway, I will frame this card in some  thrift store frame and hang it on the wall somewhere , along with cautionary tale,  to make it seem that my costly eff-up  was  somewhat intentional.  

Dennis came home  from a dental dinner thing with promos from a periodontal guy. The doctor went out of his way  for everyone who attended- Two  fancy cupcakes, one chocolate  bar confection, fudge popcorn,  notebook with pen, and a t-shirt that fits Dennis perfectly. All of that sugar will guarantee business...The t-shirt will be added to the wash pile. Notebook and pen - appreciated. I realize that an endodontist does root canals but thought this cartoon appropriate at the moment.

 

Taken from computer screen , thus the wavy colored lines..This photo was also taken from computer:

 

A neighbor shot this from his back yard, Owl in tree in fog.  

 

Today Stella and I have a lunch date- We will likely go to the harbor in spite of it being  overly priced- the service is good and the food is adequate. We will exchange Valentines and have a G&T maybe...Lovely day for it! Sunshine , crisp freezing air.  She is a candidate for a hearing device, as is Kim. Dennis has two and still can not hear. I have quit talking to Dennis for that reason. When I am asked to repeat and repeat and increase volume to shouting, I get  Cranky, one might say, so I would just rather not speak. Actually that suits me, I am not a talker nor am I loud.  Silence is golden- I am rich !

 

Maddie sent shots of Beanie, the naughtiest little boy ever, but sooo adorable. He is more gold colored than the photos, he just had a hair cut and looks pinky.   

 

Flora Jane is also  golden , adding to our reserve. Her hair is becoming darker and her eyes are changing to be green. Beauty is her cross to bear. My heart hurts considering this time that she has been born into- is there hope on the horizon? Looks like  maybe a glimmer...Fake emperor's gold is tarnishing- as one might expect from dime store  paint. 
 Speaking of dime store - I bought a deviled egg platter from the dollar store to use as a pallet- It is perfect  as long  as  crispy plastic form  lasts.

I  do have glass pallets , they are  too small so this forbidden plastic hypocrisy has been  accepted . Dilemma, buying plastic- I hope it will last  without cracks  until  we are all dead and gone.

 

I have failed to live up to my own eco-friendly resolve. 

 

 

Leaving you with the golden child and  the LOVE post. See you in the sunshine!