Friday, January 30, 2015

Vintage Valentines

Are you old enough to remember really great Valentine celebrations in your grade school?

At our house in the 1960s, Valentine's day was a Really Big Deal.



These valentines are much older, easily early 20th century.  They have remained collectible and--and it is essential to purchase them in excellent condition.

I remember the excitement of signing up for "bringing the treats" for Valentine's Day to my grade school classes.  This usually meant cupcakes decorated with sprinkles and my mother and me trekking to school on foot with the giant box because my dad would be using the car for work.  In school we would have decorated a large envelopes to hang on our desks or a kleenex box decorated for the top of the desk to receive classmate's valentines.  Mine were usually homemade with doilies and "colored construction paper".  Good memories.

Judging by the number of valentines I still see for sale--valentine's day is still a big day for many.  I love sending cards--but this year I could not find a single one that said "woo me beloved."

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Perfect Ice Cream Weather

We recently sold a fabulous, never used condition ice cream freezer.
 Complete with original label.

 All the necessary moving parts.  And the instruction book with plenty of recipes.
Not the easy peasy kind you buy today--where you plug it in and walk away and come back when it beeps.     But the hand crank kind that made you earn your prize of delicious homemade ice cream.  Home made ice cream was a ritual of summer at my Grandma's summer cottage-- specially prepared, slow cooked custard usually with sliced fresh peaches turned into softish, peachie hued lovliness.  Never in a cone, always in a dish.

To this young girl, with the magic that only adults possessed, ice and rock salt were combined and the churning began.  You take a turn, then mom and dad and all the other adults cranked away.  That magic wooden paddle got harder and harder to turn--and FINALLY  the Person Who Makes Decisions decided it was time to stop.  If I close my eyes I can even see the picnic table it was served on.

That big bowl spoiled my dinner every time--and that was the one time that no one seemed to care.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Cabin Fever Big Time

It must be because we got four inches of snow last night.  Unfortunately, cabin fever has hit this house full on.  Time for spring antiquing and it is not even close to spring.


We are already in the mood for the weekend of antique shows in early March that puts Arthur, Arcola and Tuscola  Illinois on the map for non stop antiquing.  We have written before about this Amish country in central Illinois.  The lines for the shows are long and we always come away with some interesting finds.  And let's not forget the BBQ ribs and the trip to the Amish grocery store in the middle of a farmer's field.  Remember--antiques and food go hand in hand.

My mother always used to say "Never wish your life away" when I was a over eager child looking forward to an upcoming event.  I hear ya Mom--- but the calendar is moving slow this January.

Google A Gathering on the Prairie and you will find the biggest of the shows.  The numerous shows have staggered starting times.  Well worth your time.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Scrabble Players Guide Book

More often than not, on New Year's Day,  I find myself rumbling through one of our bookshelves.  Probably because the day can be long--and after dipping into the parade (considerably more enjoyable when I was eight years old), checking out a football game or two, and cooking shrimp for supper, I am ready to dip into a book that has gotten itself lost someplace on our bookshelf.
I found The Lost Beauties of the English Language by Charles Mackay, London 1879.  This little gem is page upon page of words and definitions that have slipped from common usage.  Before you groan BORING, let's check out some of the treasures inside.



Blooth--a flower blossom
Daggle-tail---a slovenly woman whose skirts drag in the wet
Flurch---great abundance
Glunch--to frown
Mazle--to wander from place to place without an aim
Moonflaw--the wild fancy of a lunatic
Slorp--to eat greedily with gutteral noise
Snurl--to ruffle the surface of the water with a wind

How about something to use up the difficult  Q in scrabble???
Quert- joyful, in good spirits

Impress your scrabble playing friends!  Get them to challenge your words and prove them wrong!

Time for me to stop writing and slorp up some of those shrimp...

Elkhorn Antique Market August 11, 2019

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon--to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." Henry ...