to put things into other things

i once 

heard

grub 

describe

me as
a person
who

likes

to put things 

into 
other things.

. . . . .

on saturday

my brother

and i went to

the 

two thrift stores

downtown.

then

we ran across

a brocante

on the way

home

in the

jardin anglais.

there were
lots of cool things

at the brocante

but

they were all
too expensive.

we both
fell in love

with
an old

bowling trophy

but did not
even bother
to ask
how much...

i surveyed

my finds
when
i
returned home...

i realized

that

grub 

described me

to a tee.

xo

other people's history

i am
the youngest
and
my parents
started
a family
later
than most.
my grandparents
and
older relatives
passed away
before
i was five.



my father
is
an only child
and
my mother's family
lived far away
and
didn't
speak english.

i never
had
that time
to sit
with
my grandmother
and hear
her stories
about life
in france
or
listen to
my grandfather
tell us
how he
made his way
as a stowaway
on a boat
from
prague
to nyc.



i yearn
for
those kind
of connections
to
my personal history.
i love
to leaf through
the old photos
that
we have
from
my grandparents
or
my mother
or father's
youth.



but
many faces
are unfamiliar
and
i worry
that once
my parents
are gone,
who will remember
who these people are?



will they
be forgotten
like
the
vintage
photos
in stacks
at antique
stores?



i cannot
resist
a pile
of vintage
photos-
always buying
at least
one.
i tape
them into
my journal
and
make-up
a story
or
brief
description:


Honeymoon- Oregon Coast
1968
We walked along the coast.
Joe lost his wallet.
We had dinner at the Cliffside Inn.

why was
this photo taken
at that moment?

who took
the photo?



is odd
to be
fascinated
with a
history
that is
not one's own?

xo

ps.
none of these photos
are of anyone i know.

jenny penny vintage

my dad use
to call me
jenny penny.
not so very
unusual
for a girl
with the
given name
of jennifer.
like every other
girl born in 1974.

he taught me
how to
drop a penny
into
a mixture of
salt and vinegar
to turn
a dull
brown
penny
shiny again.

every time
he went
on a trip
(this was often
when i was little)
i would make
him a new
lucky penny.
i would make
it shiny
with
vinegar and salt,
staple
it into
an index
card,
and
scrawl
a note
on it.

a few years ago
i found
a whole
pile of
them
in a drawer
of
his dresser.

there
is something
very sweet
and sentimental
about
a father's
nickname
for his little girl.
that's why
i picked
that name
for my
little
vintage store.

i am selling these
things
because i must
but
as a friend
told me
recently-
you can get rid
of the item
but save the memory.
so that's what
i will do...
with the items
i have the most
difficulty
selling
i will
tell the story.
save it
instead
of the item
that i
can no longer
keep.


(like this one)

my store:

items
will be added
often.

hope you
find
something
that
brings
back
sweet
memories.

xo

ruff & ready

there's
a local
thrift/vintage
store by my house
called
ruff & ready
furnishings.
this is a photo
of the front.

i never
went in there
because they
put really
junky stuff
out front
on the weekend.
one day,
a few months ago,
i wandered in
and found
that
it was
a mecca...
it reminded me
of why
i love places
like this-
i love
to just
search through
old junk
for something
that
catches my eye
and
inspires me.

it's
jam-packed
with
stuff.
perfect
for
poking around.

when
i was
a student
years ago,
i use to go to
square one
antique mall
on
sunday mornings
by myself.
it is one
of my
fondest
memories
from that time.
i have a lot
of great stuff
from that place.

this
past friday
i went to the
village
after a long
hiatus...
unfortunately
i was
operating on
low blood sugar
and wasn't
quite in to it...
also i was
with a friend
who wasn't
really into
perusing.
it's difficult
to get into
perusing
when you are
with someone
who isn't
doing the same.

but during
my quick
pre-bubble tea
run through
i found
some cool items.
here are my
friday finds:

1. 1970s
catherine holm
(cathrineholm?)
bowl



2. vintage
argus 75 camera



3. 1940s-1960s
children's books


cool illustrations.
i had some of
these when
i was little.

not bad
for a gal
running
on low
blood sugar,
no?

i am hoping
this week
brings
with it
high productivity.
i feel like
i am in
a post-exam
slump.

more soon.
until then,
xo

show & tell

{a corner of my home}

maybe it's
because it's friday...
or because i just ate
thin mint cookies
and am on a sugar high
or
maybe it's because
i just got back
from value village...
but i am feeling
better today...
things are
looking up.

i had plans
to post
every day
this week.
sorry
i was m.i.a.
maybe next week...

{thursday}
lizette came
by my lab
with her kids,
enzo & sophia,
and
family
to visit.
they toured
my lab
but sadly
i had no bugs
to show them
(that weren't
dead & pinned)
because
it's too early
in the season.
i wish that
i could have had
more time
to chat with
lizette.
she is wonderful
and her kids
are amazing...
sophia made me
a cute little
moth tissue holder
and
enzo made
me the coolest
bug book

with fantastic
bug
illustrations...

it's just
brilliant!
hopefully
they
will visit
again soon!

i did take
some photos
of another
corner of my home.


not a particularly
exciting
corner
but i was proud
that i finally
put up
shelves to
get my
vintage canisters
off the counter
(mostly).
grub hates
things on the counter...
and i never
want to
annoy
the chef of
the house.
that's
bad news for me
(means that
i have to cook).

. . . . .

{friday}
this morning
my friend
joan and i
made
mayfly tee shirts
with my gocco.

our fellow
grad student
and dear chum
did her big
phd exit seminar
today.
she works
on mayflies
(and loves them
like i love
caterpillars),
so to show
her our support
a bunch of us
wore mayfly tees

like a little
swarm.
it was a hit.
congratulations
laurie!

late in the
afternoon
astrid and i
stole away
to
value village
no amazing finds
but lots of
odds
and ends...
including
some vintage
books:
needlepoint for men

that i just
had to buy
because it was
hysterical
also
the instant decorator

with cool
clear sheets
of rooms
to lay
under which
you lay fabric
to help
style
your room.

genius.

i should have
lots of
new
art & craft
to show
on monday...
plus
a
give-away™!

have a good
weekend!
xo