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I like my favorites old

First it was Lora, and then it was Haley, and then it was a writing prompt, so I thought I’d take a stab at it…
I never said I wasn’t a copy cat.
 
 

   

Nana’s Blue Jars
 The perfect color of deep green-blue glass and scalloped edges. My nana’s kitchen held treats and warmth and witches. It was a room of great comfort, many laughs, and fear in my heart as I was sure those witches on top of the refrigerator were watching my every move. On the counter sat three glass jars; from where they came from I don’t know, nor do I remember what they held; probably OREOs and various other treats. My Nana didn’t bake much that I remember so I’m guessing they didn’t hold any homemade delights. I have these green-blue jars in my kitchen now; a little piece of my childhood I brought to my adulthood. I used to hold sugar and flour and salt in them; I am a firm believer in using things passed down. But then I cracked the top of one of the jars and I realized I would much rather enjoy looking at them and having them intact than to use them in the present. And maybe one day someone will want them in their kitchen. For now they sit on top of the plant shelf where they watch over my every move.
The Pansy Painting
 The story goes that the first Lizzie painted this many many years ago, during the hey day of the Victorian age. My great grandfather had it framed and I was gifted it as I’m the latest Lizzi, by the Elizabeth that ties us but who doesn’t go by Lizzie or Liz. It used to hang above our mantle but now it hangs at the top of our stairs. I pass by it more times in a day than I can count. The colors are muted; I wonder what they originally looked like. Were they bright or deep? There are still hints of vibrancy in the pansy petals. I look at the background, a dull gray, and I wonder if she meant to have it that way. Regadless of how it looked centuries ago, today it’s a beautiful painting in a beautiful frame. Gilded and ornate; not as heavy as it appears.
Crazy Quilt
 For years this gorgeous quilt was boxed and hidden away from view. Now it has center stage on the wall above our sofa. It’s a large and old piece and a lot of people don’t like large and old pieces displayed in their homes. I’m not one of them. It was created in 1883 as an anniversary present to my great-great-grandparents. It is made of pieces of silk and satin and velvet and practically uniform stitching. Save for some tattered corner pieces the colors and textures of the fabrics look close to how they must have looked in 1883. It was originally a sofa cover, and is not currently backed, but I assume it once was. Though the underside is rough it shows the hours of labor by women for the creation of beauty. I don’t know how long it will remain intact but I don’t worry about it; I’d much rather enjoy it while I can.
Nana, 1940?
Beautiful bouquet of flowers tied with lace ribbon, pristine white dress and shoes, flowing veil, ethereal smile…My nana’s First Communion. I have a handful of photos of my Nana. Most of them are small and slightly out of focus: snapshots on vacation in Mexico; modeling for the camera in front of her NYC apartment building; caught off guard at a shop. This is the only formal portrait I have of her. I don’t know what she looked like as a schoolgirl, or as a young bride, or as a bride the second time around. But I do know how she looked on her First Communion day and I treasure that.
Lady Lamp

For as long as I can remember my parents had the Lady Lamp. My dad picked it up somewhere and it always had a place in our living room. By the time I got it the soft metal at the top had gotten broken (in one of its numerous moves I suppose) and the lamp needed to be rewired. In attempting to fix it up Shane realized he didn’t have the right tools and it never got fixed. But that doesn’t stop me from displaying my lady lamp. The lady sits on the shelf above the television and bookcases looking lovely yet shadeless. One day we’ll fix her up with some wiring and buy her a new shade.

Gone To Soldiers

…by Marge Piercy. My aunt gave me her copy of this book years and years ago and along the way I’ve collected more copies. It is my all time favorite book. Not necessarily because of the story, although the plot and the characters are wonderful, but because of the time and the place when I first listened to it. When I was 12 or 13 my family was up at my grandparent’s house for a weekend at the lake. It was a little rainy and cool so we ended up staying indoors most of the time. I remember my two aunts in the living room reading this book aloud. I don’t recall much except for u-boats and submarines, and being as young as I was, I didn’t understand much. But it stuck with me and I have read the book several times over since. It is tattered and taped and falling apart but I love that.

Comments

  1. What amazing treasures! I especially enjoyed the painting story. You not only share names but obviously artistic talent as well. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  2. Thanks for sharing your treasures with everyone. I feel like I know a bit more about you through the things you shared and the stories you told about them. Lovely!

    Reply

  3. I love that you did this as well. Your family has such great history and I love the fact that they treasured the things they had enough to pass them on to younger family members. I am trying to start that. Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful treasures of your home. I love the pansy painting…I think the colors are perfect and the lady lamp is classic. My grandmother had a porcelain one, but my mother threw it out not thinking anyone would want it…i was upset. More please!

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  4. Oh, and I plan on doing a snapshot story of all my quilts. That is one thing my family does treasure. You cant have someone putting over 300 hours of work into something for it to not be treasured…keep your eyes peeled for it!

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  5. This was fun! I love reading these on the blogs… yours was great Lizzi 🙂 I can't wait to do this myself one day, when my stuff ever gets here….

    Reply

  7. This is an amazing post Lizzi. Was the "writing prompt" you were referring to the one over at CoW? If so, I hope you post these there. Each are wonderful! (I'm having to catch up on my prompts).

    Reply

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