Mid Century Mad

For several years now, decorating, clothing, recipes  and television viewing has been crazy about mid century modern--the snappy phrase that means the stuff us baby boomers grew up with in the 1950s and 1960s.  Now add to the mix the newest book by Bob Kealing, "Life of the Party--The remarkable story of Brownie Wise and the Tupperware Empire."

Ok--now stick with me on this.  Tupperware parties were popular in the 1950s and 60s as places where women could escape from their homes and meet at parties and eat jello desserts, and play games and yes--buy plastic boxes to store food in.  We've come a long way baby.

This, at times interesting book,  follows the careers of Tupperware founder Earl Tupper (who knew?) and the woman he hired who quickly built the empire of home parties and the legions of hundreds of women who raised money selling to their friends who sold to their friends who sold to THEIR friends.... You get the picture.

This book is overly stuffed with facts that just, well, don't matter.  Aren't there a million stories of partners in success who have messy falling outs?  What makes this interesting is that Brownie Wise was a cracker jack salesperson at a time when the career choice for women was mother, secretary, nurse or stewardess. The owner of the company flipped out, canned Brownie and then the book is over.  The book reads slowly--and is well--not very compelling.  Save your $26 and plug in a dvd of Mad men instead.

Thanks to Blogging for Books who provided me with a copy of the book to reveiw.

Stop Rolling Your Eyes

One aspect of the antiques trade that has always aggravated me to no end is dealer snobbery.  The idea that because one dealer carries a stock that has larger initial inventory investment, and through that, makes the items better or more desirable than lesser priced items is nothing more than arrogance.  Or that purchasing "Pilgrim Century" items makes you more high brow than Heywood Wakefield.

I don't know any antique dealer who did not start out as a child with an interest in history and a curiosity for "neat old stuff" that cost very little.    I remember attending auctions with my grandma and parents when I was single digit age. My friend Rebecca and I would pour over Goodwill's book offerings in the store next to a Chinese restaurant that was more often than not an after church lunch spot for our two families.  We often came away with a 50 cent or $1.00 treasure.

Dealers whine whine whine and  wish younger people would become buyers. Well folks--this is not rocket science--GIVE THE YOUNG CUSTOMER WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR!  Stop trying to put the round peg in the square hole and bemoan that you can't sell the fabulous quality inventory you own--and can't get rid of--because--wait for it--NO ONE WANTS IT ANYMORE.
While more modern furniture by classic designers is serious money--good quality, quirky modern things can be had reasonably if you look hard.

Dear One and I decided some time ago--show the young buyer an eclectic mix.  If they like mid century modern furniture--pair it with a more traditional piece--or an asian style lamp or art from ANY era.  Oriental rugs look fabulous with mid century.  Try putting an industrial shelving unit on a traditional rug.  A modern painting next to a victorian sideboard.  It WORKS!!

If some dealers would stop rolling their eyes at 1950s and 60s furniture and accessories and spend time giving buyers what they want instead of what they SHOULD want--their bottom line might improve.

A Sweet Little Book

On my last day on earth--I hope to spend a part of it enjoying a good vintage black and white movie from the 1940s or 50s.  Maybe it will have Olivia de Havilland acting in it.  I was highly anticipating receiving my copy of the book Every Frenchman Has One, which is the reissue of the humorous memoirs of de Havilland first written in 1953.

The 143 page small scale book was re-released this year to honor de Havilland turning 100 years old.  One small chapter is added at the end that was not in the original release.

The book contains anecdotes of the humorous and sometimes nerve wracking challenges of de havilland when she moved to Paris in the early 1950s to marry her second husband.

The book tries too hard to be funny.  Maybe it is just dated or old hat to read snippets about Paris traffic, or visits to doctors, social etiquette or women's fashions.  Foreign countries are just that--foreign to your homeland. Her stories are not that unusual or humorous.  De Havilland has embraced France and has lived there ever since--but it just seems that reading about her "misadventures" just does not strike a clever cord today.  It was written for a post war audience of Americans who most probably had never been abroad.

De Havilland is a brilliant actress and forever etched in iconic movies to be enjoyed for many future generations.  Please explore her films if you have not before--you can pass on the book.

Thanks to Blogging for Books who provided me with a copy to review.

Jefferson's America

Julie Fenster's new book entitled Jefferson's America is a refreshing change of pace from the usual books about Thomas Jefferson.  Haven't we read our fill on Jefferson's personal life--from the did he or didn't he story about Sally Hemmings, to the crazy collector of books and natural history to the he died bankrupt with Monticello in disrepair kind of thing.  This book focuses on his brilliance as president and his incredible foresight in choosing explorers and their exploration of America's undiscovered frontier.

Fenster does a good job setting the political background of the age--giving just enough information to set the stage of all the countries vying at the time for a piece of America's natural history and territorial riches.    We all have heard about Lewis and Clark--but Fenster weaves the tale that also included Zebulon Pike and William Dunbar and others.  She is a good story teller--this is not a simple book to read--but if your history of that time is a bit fuzzy--she does a good job of bringing the reader up to speed.

Fenster tells the riveting tale of the American adventurers, and also tells what Spain, Great Britain and France are doing at the time in a sort of race around the clock.  Who will come back first--and which map will be correct?    Her stories of the explorers' travels are written with good descriptions without getting bogged down in excessive historical details.

This book was not a fast read--but was a compelling read.  Sometimes we can forget what a really remarkable and exceptional country the USA is.  Well worth your time.

Thanks to Blogging for Books which provided me a copy to read and review.

Ode to Salmon Mousse

There once was a nice man name Frank
Who created food like a chef of high rank
His Salmon Mousse was supreme--his ice cream cake was a dream
Guests treated to all felt so swank.

On a lovely late summer day, Dear Husbola and I were invited to the special home of new friends Frank and Richard, whom we have met through our common antiques businesses.  Driving Way West of Home we arrived at our two friends' incredible historic home filled with hand picked treasures.  What better way to spend the day but with lively conversation and treated to a gourmet lunch served in their whimsical garden.

Our entree was a delightfully retro Salmon Mousse--perfect for a group of six antique dealers.  Coincidence has it that I have been reading a collection of  vintage Edna Ferber short stories--One Basket--and one of her characters in one of her stories dines on salmon mousse in the flagship Marshall Fields. 

Folks--this was not just any salmon mousse.  The photo above shows how the mousse was decorated.--with rose petals.

The cross section showed equally a lovely with carrot and crab meat I think.  Pickled asparagus and homemade sour cream cucumber sauce, a sprig of dill and garden tomatoes completed the plate.

Our party of six make short order of the cool and refreshing lunch.




Recipes for salmon mouse are varied indeed.  Betty Crocker shows one as well as the Settlement Cook Book.  Some use egg yolks, some use cream, some use cream cheese and many concoctions of secret herbs.  Some make in a loaf pan, others in fish shaped copper molds.   I read that the key is careful preparation, and no hurrying the cooling and the setting in the mold.


Crack open a vintage cookbook sometime--the vintage recipes can be some of the most delightful.

Last Gasp of Summer

How did we arrive at the middle of August so soon?

It seems like we were just perusing greenhouses for annuals for planting  and putting the screens in the windows and doors.  Now we have arrived at full on tomato and corn time and if you live in the woods like us--Spiders Are Taking Over the World time.

A few miscellaneous thoughts as the days are snowballing downhill toward autumn...

1.  There are farmer's markets and there are Farmer's Markets.  My readers from Madison will know exactly what I mean by that.  Jewelry, scarves and candles do not belong at a farmer's market.  And I want to buy veg and fruit from someone with hands that look like farmer's hands.

2.  Stop thinking that if you are stung in your backyard it is from a honey bee.  Unless you stand in front of the hive and wave your arms, or open the top of the super and disturb the brood--YOU HAVE NOT BEEN STUNG BY A HONEY BEE!  Ground bee, hornet or wasp- maybe--but not a honey bee.

3.  Consider stopping listening to commercial radio.  I located BBC Radio 4 on my iPad--what a hoot.  Gardening shows, world news, women's focus shows,  soap operas (The Archer's), chapter a day of books,  church service from some cathedral in the UK, quiz shows--something different,.  No American political news and no commercials.  And no ads for "male enhancement" products!!!  BBC London radio is very good too.

4.  Schedule that overdue mammogram and colonoscopy.  Enough said.

5.  Take an inventory of your "free" time.  Are you spending it as you would like?  Does there need to be some adjustment on the people who  you spend time with or if you are too involved in technology?

6.  Keep chiseling away at cleaning out your dreck.  What summer clothes did you not wear this summer?  What kitchen widget have you not looked at in a year? 

7.  Still can't beat a paper road map.  Just think--future generations will never have the pleasure of trying to fold one back up and Never Get It Quite  Right!

8.  Stop complaining about how humid it is.

9.  Visit an antique shop or antique market SOON.  (This is supposed to be an antiquer's blog after all!)  Nothing beats fresh air, finding a Neat Little Widget (to replace something you cleaned out--see #6 above) and eating some kind of fair food that isn't good for you, but once or twice a year won't kill you.

10.  Slow down.  Watch a good black and white movie.  Make gaspacho.  Enjoy the last gasp of summer.

A Box of Junk

Sometimes when we go to an auction, we come away with things we had no intention of bidding on--let alone owning.

Auctioneers cannot possibly know everything about everything they sell.  We frequent an auctioneer who works on high volume and not enough staff.  Recipe for a great auction in our book!!

With this particular auction, if the bids are not there for a particular item, he just keeps adding and adding stuff to the pile and when he gets some bidding, he sells the pile.

We came home recently with a box of pottery and glass and jumble--the "Are Not Selling Anymore" category of items.  Before I took the load to the charity resale shop in which I volunteer-I thought I would give the stuff a look over.

Yeah--a bunch of just stuff--but also some interesting platters, teapots and miscellaneous pottery.  What you don't see in the picture--was already in the house-- a fiesta batter bowl, an asian vase and a great ironstone platter.

Included in the lot was a french "sort of naughty" porcelain plate (perfect for serving hors'doeuvres) and a transferware bird teapot that is now gracing a collection on a rustic table in our garden.

Sometimes when a person wins a bunch of stuff they don't want--they leave it on the auction wagon or table for the auctioneer to scoop up and throw away at the end of the auction.  Our rule?  Bring it ALL home and decide what do do with it from the tailegate of the truck.  The garage for inventory, the charity boxes and the garbage are close at hand to help with the sorting.