Grandma

Reading and Music

March 29, 2022 at 8:46 am by Claudia

Part of the daily view around here – either in the chair or on the piano bench or on the sofa.

I like it.

My sister sent me a huge box of my grandmother’s sheet music – a lot more than I expected! I haven’t opened it yet. I’m wondering where this was stored over the years. I don’t remember seeing it and I’m the one who took lessons and inherited her piano. Maybe it was in storage at her house? Anyway, this morning I’m going to open it and tomorrow I’ll share what I found with you.

Maybe it will inspire me to get the piano tuned. It needs it – I know that because I played a bit the other day and cringed at the sound.

It’s sunny today and really, really cold. I’m sorry, isn’t it almost April 1st? For the last couple of nights we haven’t heard the peepers. They don’t call out when it’s this cold. Though I did hear the bullfrog. Another cold night tonight and then it should gradually get warmer. Can we stay in spring now?

I started reading this beautiful novel yesterday. I purchased it on a visit to Books are Magic in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn. It’s on the shorter side – 278 pages long – and I’m already entranced. As you know, I love Powers’ writing. He has the ability to talk very technically about the universe, or nature, or space, or mathematics and science, or music and make sense of it – especially to this reader. He manages to do all of that and write a work of fiction with beautifully written characters and an engaging plot.

I find his mind utterly fascinating.

My back is getting better. It’s at its worst first thing in the morning but I am recovering from the initial pain much more quickly and the rest of the day I feel fine. I’m still careful, of course. For example, I want to start painting in oils again and the best place, really the only place, to do that is at the kitchen table. I want to bring my easel downstairs, along with all my supplies. But first, I have to add pillows to the chair so that I can use the easel without aggravating my back.

It’s cold today, too cold to work outside (which I probably wouldn’t do anyway) and, though I’m reading a lot these days, I need to do something else – like painting. Egg cup? If so, which one? I’m pondering.

I’ve closed comments and deleted yesterday’s post. I got a comment from someone that’s never been here before accusing me of being racist, which couldn’t be further from the truth. If my husband, who is white, had done that, I would have said the same thing. If anyone of any ethnicity or race or color had done that, I would have said the same thing. I know and have witnessed that same kind of violence in white men and have spoken out about it on this blog. I have no patience for people who don’t know me, but have no problem attacking me based on my having an opinion that never once mentioned his color. It wasn’t about that. I don’t need trolls coming after me.

Anyway, we will now move on.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

The China

February 20, 2019 at 11:35 am by Claudia

I finally managed to unwrap all of my great-grandmother’s china yesterday. It was packed in a big box, but the china itself was in an old crate tucked inside the box. Now, I’ve had all of this for years, but I had never looked at the crate. Nor had I done anything but look at one or two pieces of the china (which turned out to be Haviland Limoges) so I had no idea what was there.

First, the crate.

Amazing right? It’s very old. And it’s sort of wonky. We’re currently trying to figure out where to put it.

Now, the china.

Here are a few pieces that are Haviland Limoges:

And I have a small Haviland Limoges dish that I’ve used to hold jewelry for many years. It’s upstairs in the bedroom.

But that’s it for this pattern. The big surprise is that most of the china – plates, salad plates, cups, saucers and serving dish – is made by a company called O & EG Royal Austria.

The theme that connects all of the china is pink roses. You’ve seen the design on the Haviland. Here’s the design on the O & EG.

I really, really love this pattern – even more than the Haviland. The roses are intertwined with a blue ribbon. And I love the scalloped edges.

There’s one more piece – a candy dish or something like that. It’s a different Haviland pattern.

Along with larger pink roses, there are lavender blooms, as well.

I had a post up on IG yesterday and I said that I couldn’t figure out what the marking said. Reader Linda came through big time with “Hudson Crockery Co.” I compared other marks from that company and they match. The company was based in Syracuse NY. Thank you so much, Linda!

And here’s the mark for the other pieces of Haviland Limoges:

So. What my grandmother told me was a set of Haviland Limoges is not that. It’s a combination of two different china manufacturers – both beautiful, both linked by a pink roses theme. Who knew?

I’m thrilled.

Everything stacked up and ready to go in the china cabinet.

I had to clear the bottom shelf, which involved some shuffling of McCoy pieces.

Here it is. I kept the blue napkins that my grandmother used to protect the plates. I didn’t want to get rid of them. After all, Grandma kept and protected these dishes for decades. And then she passed them on to me.

I’m so glad they’re on permanent display here at the cottage after years of being in storage.

I should clean them and I will, but slowly, over time.

More snow tonight with yet another layer of ice. That’s been the case with every storm we’ve had in February.

Over it.

We’re taking it easy today. I’m slowly getting stronger, thank goodness.

Happy Wednesday.

Trunk Sorting Yields a Vintage Find

January 13, 2014 at 8:05 am by Claudia

The other day, as I was sorting through all the things I’d stashed in my vintage trunk, I came across something that I think was my grandmother’s. It’s petite, and she was just over five feet tall, and it’s handmade. Letitia, my vintage dress form, is also quite petite and you can see it fits her rather nicely.

nightgown1

I think it’s a nightgown. It seems to be made from muslin or something very much like it. Perhaps this was part of Grandma’s trousseau? Did she take it with her as she moved with my grandfather to Michigan, leaving her beloved Canada behind?

nightgown2

The neckline is hand crocheted. Such a simple and effective embellishment.

nightgown3

Each sleeve has two tucks and is finished with a crocheted edge.

nightgown4

Isn’t it lovely?

My mom passed on a lot of my grandmother’s things to my sisters and me. Last year, my adored sister Meredith found another more elaborate (and rather sexy!) nightgown that we were pretty sure had to have been Grandma’s. It was exquisitely handmade. We analyzed the bust size, we pondered whether Grandma made it or if our great-grandmother made it, and we finally came to the conclusion that it had to have been made for Grandma. My mom was about five feet seven inches tall when she married my dad. These nightgowns wouldn’t have fit her.

My grandmother was tiny and small boned. My grandfather was tall and his nickname was Slim. His sisters were very tall. My mother is tall. My brother was about six feet four, my sisters and I are tall. In a sea of tall people, my wee little grandmother stood out. So really, isn’t it obvious? This was hers.

If you click on the link to the nightgown that Meredith found, you’ll see that it must have been part of her wedding trousseau. This one is simpler, a bit more everyday, but beautiful in its simplicity.

Did you know that Meredith and I named our dress forms after each other? Mine is Letitia, which was my aunt’s name and is Meredith’s middle name. Meredith’s dress form is Caroline, which was my grandmother’s name and is my middle name. Can you tell we love each other?

Such a lovely surprise. See what happens when I start to rearrange things in anticipation of the arrival of a bigger bed?

Now I’m looking at the studio with tough and uncompromising eyes. I’m in the mood to eliminate unnecessary clutter. I’ve cleaned off a lot of the little tchotchkes on the mantel shelf, I’m taking the Reimagined Bulletin Board down for the time being. Since I have to move the bookshelf out of the way for the upcoming bed maneuverings, I’ve decided to move it permanently into a corner of the bedroom. It takes up too much space in what is a turn in the hallway. Don will be happy about that. I won’t ever be a ‘spare’ decorator, but I’m tired of too much stuff in a tiny space and that is what my studio is – a tiny space.

Gosh, this bed is causing a lot of changes!

Happy Monday.

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Reading and Music

The China

Trunk Sorting Yields a Vintage Find

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Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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