California Pottery Crocks and a Chicken Love Triangle

Old crocks have such a nostalgic appeal even though they are such utilitarian pieces. We were lucky to find several that Hummer and Hobo had used. At least one came from the California Pottery Company which operated a plant here in Merced from about 1920 to 1929. Hubby believes they were used for curing olives from the two olive trees on our property. I've always wanted to display them together but I had trouble finding a spot because they're so big.

When Hubby pulled this old wood stove/shin bruiser out of our living room fireplace I knew I had a place to display the crocks.

The fireplace that can't be used as is and we're not sure if we're going to restore it. Now for the pretty part...

The crocks by themselves were looking rather dull. I tried some old silk roses I had but it was a long swag and just didn't work. I thought about silk sunflowers but the prices were outrageous for the long stemmed ones so the crocks stayed empty for a long time.

Just yesterday I came across these real sunflowers at Raley's. They have a section of "Farmer's Market" bouquets that each have just one type of flower but you can mix and match bouquets at a a price of 3 for $12. I think they'll dry well enough to use through fall.

They looked so nice that Miss Henrietta moved her bed over for a closer view...

and a handsome new fellow found his way in. Hank doesn't know bout him yet but Henrietta says she and Alejandro are just friends.

I don't know, they're looking pretty cozy to me!

And the crocks look nicer now too!

From the Attic ~WWII Letters

I was in the attic getting something for my mom yesterday and on impulse I grabbed this stack of papers to bring down and read. I've used my paint program to white out addresses and highlight some information.

This appears to be a resume for a friend of the family, "Kitty", who was like a grandmother to my MIL. A couple of boxes of her things ended up in our attic. Note the sales job as it is the connection between her and the author of of the letters that will follow later in the post.

Included with the letters was also a WPA identification card from 1940,

and a tiny address book with entries written every so lightly in pencil.

These letters are to Kitty from M.M., a woman she apparently worked in sales with in New York. M.M. and her husband had opened their own wholesale business in Denmark. This traces her steps through Europe as she sought to return to the U.S during WWII. She was allowed to leave by the German government but could only take two suitcases of clothes. She was not allowed to take photographs or money with her. Her husband stayed behind to look after their business interests.

She describes waiting in line for nine hours to board the Manhattan ocean liner for the voyage to back to America. The ship was meant for 1200 passengers and carried 2197 war refugees at double the usual fee. They waited an entire day in line, with many people passing out. Those who did were carried aside and ended up at the back of the line when they came to. She writes, "We were not stopped at Gilbralter for I believe they felt that all foreign ships should get out as soon as possible and England probably suspected dirty work down there....This was a week before war was declared."


She tells about the German army's invasion into Denmark and how they took over the food supply, transportation and the banks.


She speaks of receiving "innocuous" letters from her husband, meant to get word to her of what was happening and still make it past the censors.

She also writes about hostages from Holland being executed and what she feels should happen when the war is over.

There are several letters and M.M. often laments that Kitty hasn't written back. This 1940 letter from a cruise line confirms that Kitty had sailed with them in 1923. It is addressed to M.M.and shows that she went to some lengths to find Kitty. The letters cover a span of about 12 years, from 1938 to 1950 and I only remember one mentioning that Kitty had finally written.

It was strange reading these little snapshots of history through the eyes of one woman. Knowing she wasn't receiving much response makes me wonder if she wasn't really just writing for herself, like many of us feel the need to do. We don't know if 60 or 70 years from now anyone will find our words in some digital archive that can access what will surely be obsolete technology by then. We only know we have the need to put our thoughts down in some form. I encourage you to make hard copies, paper copies, of your favorite writings and photos. Maybe someday they will be found in a box in an attic and mesmerize someone for an afternoon.

Perspective, A Happy Ending

Perspective is a funny thing.

Things aren't always what they appear.

Let's play a little word association game. If I said, "perfectionist" you might say, "neat freak". But is there any chance you would say "hoarder"? Not likely. The thing I've been most struck by on the shows about hoarding is that for many it really seems to be rooted in perfectionism.

One lady spoke of her dish collection (gasp! I hear all you tablescapers holding your breath. LOL!).

She bought tons of dishes. Even though no one could possibly come to dinner at her house. Even though she barely had room to make dinner for two. Even though those two had to eat in separate rooms. Why? The dishes were a symbol of the perfect dinner she would make for her family.

The need for that perfect family dinner was so strong it affected her perspective. She could no longer see the stacks of things in her kitchen that actually made it dangerous to cook. She could no longer see the precarious path from the front door, to the one spot to sit, to the stove. All she could see was the Norman Rockwell moment those dishes represented. So the dishes became more clutter.

The good news is she was making progress with the help of her daughter by the end of the show. But it made me wonder.

Where is the point that the perfectionism which drives the "neat freak" to be critical and controlling becomes the perfectionism that drives the "hoarder" to be lackadaisical and disconnected?

I received an advertisement for the Real Simple magazine in the mail recently. It had a Finnish proverb that said, "Happiness is the point between having too little and having too much". Well that makes it real simple! I hung it on my fridge with a bunch of other clutter.

So..I guess it all depends on your perspective.

Any one want some tea?

Have you ever...

brought home old fabric or wall paper books thinking you'll use them for...something?

held on to an item because someone else has one?

put away the nuts only to find 4 more cans in the back of the pantry?

been smitten by something that wasn't the direction you were heading

felt the adrenaline rush while treasure hunting?

kept friends at arms' length because your housework wasn't up to par?

given your kid the present you wanted but never got?

brought home a bathtub just because you could?

thought about bringing a 50 lb chunk of concrete into the house so no one would steal if from the spot where it's sat for 50 plus years?

stopped on the side of the road to pick up friends?

felt like life was passing you by while you're looking for the key?

Hubby and I watched a few episode of TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive recently. When the narrator said compulsive shopping was part of the problem Hubby laughed. When they came to the part about possible genetic causes I laughed. We're in big trouble.

I really enjoyed all your comments on the last post. I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit yet. I've been making plans to make sure we don't end up on that show. I got a glimpse of the light at the other end of the tunnel, and it was coming from a fellow blogger's halo! There are angels among us!

And just so you know, Mona, I will save what is truley important and treat it that way. And Garden of Daisies, your imagery of a "dead cat under mountains of garbage in the living room" should keep several of us from continuing to brake for yard sales!

Hugs

Dawn

Ripe for the Pickin'

Recipe booklets from the attic.

For some reason lately I keep getting comments about pickers. Even my mom and dad have mentioned the History Channel's "American Pickers" show to me recently. So after a long weekend I settled down in front of the TV last night to see what all the fuss was about. I gotta say I loved the show.


I asked Hubby if those guys were to show up here, could I start making deals or tell them to come back when he's here. His answer? "Tell them to leave and not come back." He said it with a smile but I know he was serious. Oh, he would love showing them around but sell something to them? Never.

I also watched TLC's "Hoarding: Buried Alive" last night... More thoughts on that later.
Hugs,
Dawn

Vintage Chocolate Posters from the ...Wash House?!

Ha! You thought I was going to say from the attic didn't you?

What do you mean you already knew?

Buddy told you yesterday? Humph!

I wondered why the key board was full of seeds!

I was quite surprised to find a gem like this out there.

But before you go getting jealous,

and saying it's not fair I've got an attic and a wash house,

let me give you a dose of reality...

from the door...

to the farthest corner,

the wash house is stacked to the rafters

with stuff

and dust

and cobwebs.

Ewe!

Now I love chocolate as much as the next girl,

probably more,

but I'm not dressing up

in a pink bunny outfit to get it.

Now this is better.

Make him work for your affection!

Santa Baby, flattery will get you everywhere!

And if all else fails,

whip up your own little love potion

and hide it in a box of chocolates!


No calories were consumed in the making of this post,

a few dust mites, maybe!

Vintage Valentine Party

Sunday is Joan's Vintage Valentine Card Party at Anything Goes Here. She is sharing a fabulous group of Victorian valentines from 1901. You won't want to miss the story of how she got them! Be sure to visit Joan and the other participants listed on her sidebar. I have just 3 to share and they aren't the usual red valentines we are used to seeing. These came from Hubby's great grandmother's box of postcards that I shared before

Postmarked 1913

Postmarked 1907

Postmarked Feb. 16, 1910

Now, I know you're thinking this is not a valentine card but here is what it says on the back:

"Everyone else is getting Valentines. So I send you one too. Oro"

This was sent by Oro, hubby's great grandmother to his great-grandfather, Pop Smith. Not a lot of sentiment there and it sounds like she may be disappointed she hadn't received one from him yet. I'm learning from these postcards that Pop Smith worked out of town for long periods for the California State Highway Department and he wasn't one to write often. He did save the cards she sent though and brought them home so they must have been important to him. I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with love from the people who are important to you!

From the Attic ~ Hummer

When I shared the postcards I found in the attic I highlighted two from a mother and daughter. The daughter was Hummer, my husband's maternal grandmother. The photo below was taken in 1912 , about 2 years after the postcards were written. It is a Sunday School class in Atwater,CA. Hummer is the third from the left in the middle row, I think the taller girl in the similar dress may be her sister. I'm not sure if her brother is pictured, I need to ask my MIL about that.

The postcards were to Hummer's father, Pop Smith. Hummer missed him and wanted to know when she could go visit. Pop Smith worked for the state highway department and must have spent a lot of time away from home judging by all the postcards to him at various locations. Hummer was born in 1902 so she would have been about 8 when she wrote the postcard and 10 in this photo.

The Sunday School teacher was Hummer's grandfather. He was appointed to Justice of the Peace in Atwater the year after this photo was taken. He retained the position in the election the following year and held the office until his death in 1943.

This 8x10 vintage artwork was in the same envelope with the photo.

The back was inscribed with Hummer's name, "From Grandpa Osborn, August 24, 1905" so it must have been a gift when Hummer was about 3 years old.

1912

early 1990's

Hummer saw most of the 20th century. We often talked about the enormous changes in technology and lifestyle that took place during her lifetime. Each time her eyes would sparkle and she would laugh and say "But we didn't know any better back then!"

Thanks for hanging out in the attic with me.

Dawn