The Great American Tchotchke Debate

A Bunch of Tchotchkes
*Also known as a Bunch of Crap
*Except for the Banana Mouse, All of American Origin

Jack Ass Tchotchke
*Possibly Made in America

I recently came out of the closet and confessed on I Antique Online that I was a Tchotchkaholic. I had no idea that there were other like-minded people like me. It was a relief to finally stand up and be accounted for because I am a Tchotchkologist and have been one all my life. I even left my gainful employment in the corporate world (okay, so I was downsized three times) to ply my love of Tchotchkes as a full time business, although my brick and mortar shop is also my home and a front for my writing. But then I began surfing the Internet and found that entire world of late is capitalizing on the word Tchotchke.

Bobble Head Tchotchke
*Can be Purchased in Washington, D.C.

First the American government has been referred to as "The Tchotchke Economy" perhaps because people everywhere are getting in on the Tchotchke band wagon and making money off of President Obama and other political figure souvenirs.  Contrary to Urban legend - a Tchotchke is not a piece of worthless crap, nor is it simply a knick knack, trinket, toy, gimmick, or promotional item, which serves little or no purpose such as bobble-heads or the giveaways at trade shows. I for one am tired of the word being bandied about and it is time to set the world straight on the true meaning of a Tchotchke.

Bull Tchotchke
*Possibly Made in America

Some resources claim the word Tchotchkes only invaded our culture since the 1960s.  In reality, Tchotchkes  have been around since the beginning of time.  For instance archeologists make a living out of studying artifacts left behind by the first people on earth and still are not quite certain as to the true meaning as to why small pieces of bone, shells, made into beads and other small items were carefully laid in patterns inside caves or burial tombs. Fact is these were the very first Tchotchkes, are universal and found everywhere. Michael Quinion from the website World Wide Words offers that a Tchotchke, "It’s one of those delightful Yiddishisms that do so much to enliven American prose." Wikipedia further claims otherwise that this is a derivative of tzatzke and that "the term could be construed as a more dismissive synonym for bimbo" meaning a slut.  

Gator Eating Bull Tchotchke
*American Made late 1960s

I beg to differ with Mr. Quinion, wikipedia, and others who are self-proclaimed experts because my mother's family was not Yiddish but of Slavic and Russian decent. My Great aunt, Tante who came from Russia to live with my family when I was a child and who did not speak English, called me her 'Tchotchkeleh.' My mother said it meant that I was an adorable little girl and would  grow up into an attractive, unconventional woman, which I did so this should eliminate any reference to a Tchotchke being a toy or excuse me, a piece of crap.

Why Tickets are Hot New Collectibles in Ephemera

Rare ticket from the Steamship Independence
which burnt at sea in Spring of 1853.
Over 120 passengers lost their lives.

Once upon a time, long, long, long ago, one needed a piece of material which he or she paid cold hard cash (or paper money) for and then in turn handed the material over to a stern faced person who was guarding an entry of sorts, (which, by the way, in turn gave rise to the term bouncer). He or she was then allowed to proceed and enter. The problem arose if the event or happening that the person was attending, was disappointing, he or she felt cheated. Rarely did one get money back which may be why some tickets survived. Then again it may be why the rise in counterfeiters who expanded their industry because next to money, a "ticket" or "invitation" to enter was as "good as gold."

Love-Feast Invitation from
Salem Home
Moravian Church 1869

Although "ticket" printing was being done long before 1870, trade cards entered the scene and the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia set off a new craze of collecting. People wanted souvenirs - something to bring home with them even though later, they may have tossed the item away or stuck it in a soon forgotten place. More tickets and stubs are surfacing from these long ago eras.

It wasn't until 1917 when Reuben Harry Helsel of New York invented a ticketing machine, a device he continued to improve upon until 1962. Today tickets are no longer necessary for many venues and ticketing can easily be completed online - a barcode easily identifies the purchaser though in time this too might become counterfeited. Unfortunately though, speeding tickets are done the ancient way except for filling in the blanks (umm - wonder what celebrities do with their indiscretion papers?)  

The real Scoop on Collecting Vintage Paper

Memorabilia and Ephemera Scrap Book
P.T. Rider 19th C

If you are into collecting vintage paper, advertising, memorabilia and ephemera blame it on the Greeks, who coined the word ephemera, meaning something that was transitory or lasting no more then a day. In fact any material that was written or printed was intended to be thrown away, as we do today with junk mail. However, enterprising and industrious people found other uses paper material rather than throwing the product away. Still, it wasn't until an Englishman named John Johnson who was born in 1882, changed the way the world viewed printed material.

            Johnson studied at Oxford and after his studies joined the Egyptian Civil Service, became interested in Arabic and fell in love with papyrus. A forerunner of parchment, papyrus was much easier to use then clay tablets or steal and could be rolled up for ease of use. Although paper is derived from papyrus, the first paper making is attributed to the Chinese in the 2nd century AD. It wasn't until 1844 that a machine for milling paper out of pulped wood was invented that paper products became more available and affordable. Even after the field of Library and Information Science was established in 1887, libraries described the term ephemera as "the class of published single-sheet or single page documents which are meant to be thrown away after one use."

            Thankfully, John Johnson changed this way of thinking. After discovering a 900-year-old papyrus by Theocritus, and became a papyrologist - the forerunner of a paperologist (which may have other meanings then to those of us who collect paper material). When WWI broke out, Johnson left Egypt and returned to Oxford where he was given a job at the Oxford University Press, becoming Printer to the University from 1925 to 1946. Johnson began collecting printed ephemera or the "ephemera of printing" immediately and defined printed ephemera as: "Everything which would ordinarily go into the waste paper basket after use, everything printed which is not actually a book …"

            When Johnson died in 1956, his collection was massive and was acquired by the Bodleian Library in Oxford. So impressive was Johnson's ephemera collection, that the material inspired John Lewis and his seminal work, Printed Ephemera. The Changing Uses of Types and Letterforms in English and American Printing and was published in 1961. This book literally set the design industry on its heels because even those who studied graphic design did not have access to 19th century examples primarily because most printers were localized and not national. The book gave further rise to legitimizing paper hoarders across the globe and convinced these collectors to come out of the closet thus proving the Greeks in their ever philosophical musings wrong; Ephemera may have meant transitory and lasting no more then a day, but "Viva La difference" becaus one man's trash is indeed another man's treasure (okay more specifically - a woman's treasure).

I Antique Online

Last year I stumbled upon this great web site even though its been around for several years called I Antique Online. I didn't visit it very often until a few months ago and found that it had grown by leaps and bounds. The site is sort of a conglomeration of antique shops, dealers, collectors, experts, newbies and everything and anything you could imagine that has to do with world of antiques and collectibles. There are numerous groups that you can join within the site itself and one of my favorite and most addicting is  Debsgreatfinds's group Guess what this is . I was really floored by some of the items that had been posted such as this unusual object from my new friend Dempsey Collectibles  in Webster, Florida. The object is called Ant Art - made by ants, at least the mold and then brass was poured to make the object itself - pretty cool!   The editor and webmistress for the site is C. Dianne Zweig and she is the author on several great books on collecting.  So pop in and visit and find why it is so easy to get hooked on I Antique Online!

Waiting for my Real Life to Begin

I felt invincible

I burned my bra

I broke glass ceilings

I swam in oceans of salt

I dove the depth of seas

I danced until the sun rose

I felt the pain of childbirth

I felt pain of a broken limb

I climbed a corporate ladder

I made love all through the night

I felt cold and ice touch my body

I felt that I knew the meaning of life

I felt the wind ripple through my hair

I felt rain and snow caress my bare neck

I felt a baby’s heartbeat beneath my chest

I told men what I wanted and they heeded

I held a young man in my arms as he lay dying

I learned that life was fragile and let my real life begin.

The Cycle of Life and the First Day of Fall, September 22, 2010

The ancients calculated the seasons.
foretold of how, when, and why.
we would know,
when Fall turns summer around.

A season, which masguerades as an ageless song
spreading its tentacles
of life
before
dying,

blooms into a
a chill lurking between clouds,
allowing darkness to creep too early
skirting over 
sunlit skies.

A soft gentle breeze
gathers strength beneath the shadows of lingering leaves.


Gray overhangs, pauses,
tumbles brittle golden orange to the ground,
lets leaves laying in wait, 
to be blown by the last breath
of the summer wind.

And so goes,

the cycle of life.

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen with photography by Bowman Gray IV

Two amazing things happened to me that smoothed out the strife in my life over the past six months. I received my first royalty check from my book - Bethania The Village by the Black Walnut Bottom and then Bowman Gray IV who I met by chance and fate and who did the modern day photography for my book hand delivered his first book inspired by James Allen's As a Man Thinketh. Bo's Photography is stunning and awesomely inspiring!

Here is the detail on the book:

It has been said that James Allen is the ''most quoted man you ve never heard of.'' In 1902, Allen published As a Man Thinketh, universally acknowledged as a classic book on self-examination. The precept conveyed in Proverbs 23:7 (''As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he'') inspired the book's title. It also captures the essence of Allen's philosophy. Through his eloquent and succinct prose, Allen conveys his thesis that it is up to the individual to form his own character and create his own happiness.

In 1985, 15-year-old Bowman Gray IV lost his father to a heart attack. Later that same year, his mother gave him two gifts - a copy of As a Man Thinketh and a 35-millimeter camera. At the time, he did not fully appreciate how important these two gifts would eventually become to him. In his 20s, Gray, like many others, finally understood Allen s words and began to change the way he viewed himself and how he interacted with the world. Through the years, Gray also developed his skills as a photographer. In this gift edition, he couples his own color photographs with Allen's timeless advice to produce an inspirational book that will stay with readers for years to come.

http://www.blairpub.com/alltitles/asmanthinketh.htm

Remembering New York City and 911

Lower New York City 1928

As a child I lived in Pennsylvania next to the center of my father's large family. My mother's family was less than three hours away, in New Jersey and New York City. I grew up in a contrast of languages, my father's Pennsylvania Dutch, and my mother's Slovak, Polish, Russian, and other languages which confused me even more. I loved going on long extended visits to see my New York relatives. The sounds, smells, and sights of the city became embedded beneath my skin. After we moved to Florida, I quickly adapted to southern living and culture. As a young adult I got to travel to many places, some exotic, and some not so exotic. But this is how we grew, how the world goes around, changing places and changing faces.

Broadway Looking North 1928

I traveled to New York City on a fairly regular basis throughout my adult life as it is one of the main retail centers in the world. I had to be there during every major market week and many smaller mini-markets throughout the year. My first office in New York City was in the Empire State Building, on the 79th floor. One particular elevator always seemed eerie to me. Sometimes the noise seemed deafening, particularly on the rare occasions when I was the only one in the elevator. I also hated walking the winding corridor to the ladies room where heat and more noise radiated through the walls. The July of the first year after I joined the company, I found out why, although I was still in Chicago packing for a trip to the Big Apple. Parade magazine ran a big article on the military plane that crashed into the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945 --- smack dab into the 79th floor leaving a gaping hole 18 feet high and 20 feet wide and destroying the offices along the corridor to the ladies room.

Wall Street NYC 1928

I had other offices, one on the Avenue of Americas, and one across fro the World Trade Center. I used to stop in the deli there for a bagel or breakfast sandwich. Occasionally I even had business meetings at the Trade Center, and friends. I left the corporate world for good when I opened my antique shop, but never forgot the excitement, or sounds, smells and sights of New York City.

In August of 2001, my husband and I had decided to move to another part of North Carolina and had just begun the process of purchasing a plantation and estate, looking to turn it into a B&B along with selling antiques. We had just returned from a final view of the property before making an offer when 911 happened. I know that the world stopped for many people on that day which forever altered our lives from one corner of the globe to the other. For me and my family, we stopped and took a long look around us and realized that home to us, was right where we were and should be.

Have You Seen These Statues?

Missing Giant Frog

Missing Eastern Island Head

SILVER ALERT . . . actually it is a GREEN ALERT . . . Any one near Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, please be on the look out for a missing giant Frog and an Eastern Island Head. The pair were last seen in front of my shop in Bethania. Frog is dressed in green, about 5 feet tall, carrying flowers and the Head is 3 feet tall, multi-colored in blue and red. The Sheriffs department has been notified and are issuing an APB. If you have seen the pair please notify me.

Some Favorite Paper Collectibles

Pen & Ink Kitten late 19th Century

Collecting paper items has been a life-long love of mine and was and still is my first love, mainly because paper is related to reading, writing, and drawing. I used to sneak my treasures from the garbage can soon after my third birthday. I stored these in a heart shaped box, a leftover from my mother's Valentine candy. I wasn't picky back then, of course I couldn't read very well either.

To this day I have stacks and piles of books flowing from numerous book cases throughout my building; papers horded in boxes including vintage candy boxes, a gentleman's underwear box, cigar boxes, cloth boxes and other boxes that are just to kool to throw away. I have boxes of advertising, postcards, newspaper cut outs, recipes, scribbled notes, perfect penmanship, letters, store receipts, and well just about any paper item that was ever invented, made, or printed - some going as far back as the 1600s.

Gibson Girl 1912 Sketch Book

I am particularly fond of diaries and old sketch books although 19th century and earlier books of this kind are rare finds. I think that in a former life I was a scribe but most likely it was the simple fact that writing paper and writing implements were costly and scarce.

One of my favorite finds (okay - I have numerous favorites) was a tin filled with scraps of paper. Turned out the papers were from men who took "The Oath" during the Revolutionary War era. Another find was an old chest in an attic that the family considered trash.

Pen & Ink Drawing

Thankfully someone threw it in auction. There were amazing letters and documents that told of settling the coastal region of North Carolina and Tennessee. There were slave records and documents along with rare books although some were in very sad shape.  But everything is recyclable - okay - almost everything. 

Imagine history being dumped in a garbage can - which is still my life-long avocation - saving someone else's trash, and rescuing it into treasure.     

Cow Frog & Date

Brekekekex koax koax!
May the force of the frog be upon you!

Antiques in Bethania Celebrates 14 Years

I officially opened my antique shop under the name of The Bethania Emporium in 1997, but wasn't really sold on the name and also registered the name Antiques in Bethania. When the first outdoor sign I had made disintegrated after a few years, I switched over to Antiques in Bethania with the new sign, but also kept on to the other name. I decided it was time I chose one name - subsequently - Antiques in Bethania won out.

In the beginning and up until 2007, we had three apartments above the shop (oh what stories I could tell - but I won't). In 2008 and I ceased being a landlord and we converted the upstairs into our home. We knocked down walls, put in French doors, new windows, new floors, added functional space, but still must contend with a small kitchen - the work was labor intense and thank goodness my husband is a plumber. We love living here,and earlier this year we gave the front of the shop a face lift. Though we still have some work to do, such as restoring the back of the shop for my writers workshop and studio, the changes have really been an improvement.

The building was built in the late 1940's as a grocery store and apartments. Over the years it has been an antique shop, cabinetmakers shop, wicker shop, toy and hobby shop, and always apartments.

For many years people used our drive as a short cut to the back lane. The back has grass, bushes, and trees along with boulders and other landscaping. We added a deck and put up decorative criss-cross fencing that one day I hope to train vines to go up. It is private though and we can sit out doors and not feel like we are in a fish bowl. Zach and Zoie, our Yorkies in training can run and play freely - along with their friend Mr. Wiggles and his big black Lab companion who like to come and visit.

Zach

This month - September - marks the beginning of my 14th year. I think the shop has evolved in many ways, besides being a front for my writing and I love being here, even more so now because the building is also our home. I am surrounded by inspiration and can immerse myself in history on a daily basis - what more can anyone ask for?

My Historic Photographs of Bethania

are on Facebook although not authorized by me or there with my permission. Take a look at the image on the right and notice how the second child from the left is distorted. The Facebook page happens to be the one for the town of Bethania. I wouldn't mind (actually I do mind) but they are not carrying my book in their shop - claim that everything is purchased through Old Salem. It's really the feud and fences. The images are from original glass negatives in my possession and were taken by JL Kapp around the turn of the century. I paid dearly to have these glass images made into photographs.

The images are from my book also and I have some posted on both my websites. So is the information for my book, Bethania: The Village by the Black Walnut Bottom.

Antique Kitchen Eye Candy

One of my favorite kitchens was in the gentleman farmer's estate we restored in DeKalb, Illinois. The home was a big rambling brick former mansion with many out buildings on 3 acres of land and sat on the outkirts of town in the middle of corn fields. We loved it and had just completed my dream bathroom when my company wanted to move us to California, which, we did - but only long enough to buy high, sell low, and move on to North Carolina.

I filled the kitchen in DeKalb with antiques from floor to ceiling. I'm glad that i did because when I left the corporate world for good, these antiques helped me to initially supply my antique shop in Bethania, North Carolina.Many of my antiques are enjoining new homes elsewhere. This is the way it should be, recycling at its finest, preserving the past while giving pleasure to the future.

Back to School Blues

Bethania High School

I am spiraling downward,
traveling backwards through
hallways of cinder block,
white-washed walls with
tattered banners, ancient
posters scattered here and there.

Memories corrode my psyche,
lockers open then quickly shut,
soft kisses behind metal doors,
thundering echoes,
remembering heartbeats of youth,
rushing scuffling feet.

Marching to tunes
embedded in minds
full of dreams,
tomorrows yet to come
different drums that beat
to passion long ago lost in flame-tipped heat.

Lanky legs,
arms and hands
grappling beneath a Madras shirt,
making promises we would not keep
could never keep..
except for remembering you,
weeping for
my old high school friend.

American Lifetsyles of the 1920s

Between 1919 and 1929, the gross national product rose by 40 percent. During this decade mass production made America the richest nation in the world, giving birth to the culture of consumerism and materialism. In 1919, the 18th Amendment passed the Act of Prohibition, which made consumption and even possession of alcohol illegal. Prohibitionists thought that prohibition would alleviate social problems. The law was difficult to enforce and opened the door to speakeasies where illegal booze could be purchased. The making of homemade bathtub gin and gangsters and bootlegging became rampant. Subsequently, prohibition ushered in an era that would catapult American society into the modern age, the fabulous Roaring Twenties.

Postwar disillusionment, deflation, depression, and unemployment plagued 1920 and 1921, and in 1922 recovery helped to raise the standards of living and was followed by years of economic prosperity for many Americans. The cost of living kept in line with wages and incomes. Americans began to spend money or to make purchase on time. Consumerism flourished and as the roles of people changed, so did their lifestyles. Technology played a vital part in delivering the economic and cultural good times that most of America enjoyed during the 1920s.

Technological advances rose at a rapid pace and by the mid 1920s, 35 percent of the population was wired for electricity. New products poured into the market. Electrical sewing machines, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, mixers, stoves, toasters, irons, hot-water heaters, space heaters, and refrigerators made life easier and convenient for the modern housewife. Canned food, household appliances and ready-made clothing further liberated the average woman who now had more time on her hands.

However, it was the nineteenth amendment and womens' right to vote that ushered in the era of the new woman, as her taste of independence during the war years made her an empowered decision maker. Women were not about to relinquish their new roles. In the age of the Gibson girl, women did not openly date and waited until marriage to have sex. A battle of morals waged. Margaret Sanger who advocated for birth control, gained a large following in even respectable circles.

Birth control had been around since the beginning of time, but now it was advocated more openly and partly because of the new era which, gave rise to another new woman called a flapper. She drank, smoke, cut her hair short in a “bob.” She wore outrageous make-up, short dresses, long jewelry and powdered knees with turned down stockings. She danced, went to petting parties and flaunted her sexuality. She led another revolution for women’s clothing and many women adopted the shorter dress and a "no corset image." With the Flapper's focus on dieting; her popular look propelled a significant change in the dietary habits of Americans as a whole — less fat and meat, and more fruits and vegetables and an interest developed in nutrition, caloric consumption and physical vitality. The discovery of vitamins and their effects also occurred around the same time. Countervailing tendencies lay in cigarette consumption, which rose to roughly 43 billion annually, and bootleg liquor became a $3.5 billion-a-year business during the same period.

Changes in lifestyles influenced clothing, hairstyles and lifestyles set precedence for the Art Deco architecture, art, décor and home furnishings, which all flourished during the 1920s. However, it was the automobile that would dramatically alter lifestyles. With the automobile came freedom to travel and necessitated the construction of paved roads. An abundance of fuel increased migration from farms to cities and cities to suburbs, where consumerism and materialism continued to foster a new mass culture. The American public flocked to Vaudeville, movie houses, and sporting arenas. Baseball, dance marathons, flagpole sitting, flying stunts and daredevil aviation became the rage. The first talking picture was introduced in 1922 and would consequently explode the movie industry into a permanent cultural necessity. The radio became a national pastime and further whetted Americans appetite for materialism and became one of the decade’s most influential advertising agent.

The Roaring Twenties was an age of happiness and prosperity for the American family, yet the typical American was still hard working and sensible. Workweeks became shortened for industrial workers, white-collar workers often enjoyed a full weekend off, and annual vacations became a standard job benefit. Americans in general were living longer and began to think in terms of planning for retirement and old age. What most Americans did not consider planning for is that the stock market would never quit increasing and that the American lifestyle of the 1920s while fundamentally sound, would come crashing to a halt for many, on October 24, 1929.

Mystical Glastonbury

"And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?"

- from Blake's Jerusalem

Glastonbury Tor is one of the most spiritual places in England and although it has been a few years since I've been there, I remember the images and explosion of my senses as if it were yesterday. The setting surrounding the Tor is a place of many legends.

The travel guide told of the story of Joseph of Arimathea and it was here where he brought the Holy Grail, to the sight where he had brought his nephew Jesus, when he was a small boy. Joseph is even said to have built one of the first churches here, though Jesus is also given credit because he became a carpenter by trade. An excavation uncovered remnants of ancient wood posts that conceivably date to the time frame.

Some legends say this is where Arthur was laid to rest, home to Gwyn ap Nudd, King of the Fairies, and home to the goddess Cerridwen, keeper of the cauldron of knowledge. In 1970, a timbered trackway was discovered and is said to date to around 39th century BC. This was a heavily used road way believed to have been built by the ancient Sumerians.

Others say the Glastonbury Tor landscape is a center for Ley lines. I personally felt the mystical and powerful energy. Two natural springs run down the tall hill, one pours water the color of red, and the other almost white. The red spring runs into the Chalice well and is said to be the keeper of the divine feminine, and very well may be, the cauldron of knowledge and where the Holy Grail was laid to rest.

Adventures of a North Carolina Yankee in King Arthur's Court

The first semester my older brother Ken came home from college, he would make me memorize Shakespeare. The second semester, he threw in Chaucer, but this time, I had to recite the words in old English.

What’s in it for me,” I innocently asked.

“You get to read my books, you don’t have to iron my shirts, clean my room, and I’ll buy the beer.”

Ken was 18 and legal to participate in buying massive quantities of alcohol. But only if he drove to New York or Maryland. Not a problem because either border was less then two hours away.

Hmm, I was reluctant to respond. This concerned me. Although Ken did not drink and drive and was often the designated driver, I had been in a car before when Ken drove and was extremely un-nerved. Ken had a lead foot and liked to exceed the speed of sound. I always sat in back seat next to my mother or other passengers. It was amazing how many people that you could fit in the backseat of a Volkswagen Beetle.

“Promise you’ll follow the speed limit. Who speaks old English?”

“No one.”

I mulled over the possibilities.
- I would become popular overnight.
- I could become Prom Queen.
- There was possibility that Ken could actually teach me something – (Nah).

I am both foolishly brave and stupidly clever. This happens to be J. R. R. Tolkien’s definition for his last name and because this story includes him, my real maiden name (which I will not reveal in order to protect the innocent) means besides being foolishly brave and stupidly clever, is – she stretches the truth – a lot.

Phew. . . now that we’ve gotten this out of the way --- on to my adventures in England.

Not too many women my age, decide to become a scholar, go back to school, and rethink their whole life after living almost half of a century. There are parts of my stories about Oxford that are quite true. I also have a vivid imagination. “Aye there’s the rub” as Shakespeare would say.

I reserve the right to embellish. This lends interest to the true story. Therefore it is up to you – the reader --- to decide what is true (or not).

A truth is that I easily get lost although I sometimes do a good job of finding my way home – sooner or later (mostly later). Christ Church in Oxford, is where I first met Bill the Duck. Bill was an English Duck, which is similar to Canadian Geese (some are of English heritage). Ducks and I seem to be attracted to each other, most likely a form of animal/human magnetism.

Bill claimed he was an Inkling (note the similarity to duckling), often sat in with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien at the “Bird” no less, which, is short for – ‘The Eagle and Child,’ a.k.a as the ‘Bird and Child.’ Whether or not Bill’s story is true may be questionable but I had been to the Pub often during my stay at Oxford and enjoyed a Brakspear Bitter (pronounced the same as Shakespeare only with a B sound) along with their roast duck specialty.

Then there is the tale of the pub’s beginnings, handed down over the centuries. A sign hung over the doorway shows an eagle though it’s beak and feet are oddly duck like. A mythical bird in flight swooped down over a watering hole and wooshed up into its talon-webbed feet, a baby born out of wedlock. The babe was a male-child and would one day become a once and future king. Now it seems to me I heard a similar story --- about King Arthur.
The event happened long before Bill’s time, even longer before Shakespeare’s time if one were to believe that Bill the Duck was William re-incarnate. Of course Art was the once and future King – I know – he told me himself.

Turn of the Century Oak Chair

Question:

My friend sent me an email; "I am struggling with this chair...name, description, time period...I get close... Is it tiger oak? Does it have Triffied feet? Is it 1900's? Nothing in my books are taking me to it!"



Answer:

It's understandable why your books aren't taking you to it because there are a number of different things going on with this chair. First, the chair is splat-back also called fiddle back and typically this kind of chair top/back would be more squared cornered and would not typically have cabriole legs as seen. The feet fall into the "paw foot" with a pad on the bottom (Triffid feet have more finer lines and are somewhat squared). The wood appears to be a combination of tiger oak (which is accomplished by quarter-sawing wood), golden oak or even red oak (hard to tell because the chair has been refinished). The chair is a common - turn of the century style and falls into the "Design Reform" period up to 1930. I think the chair seat would have originally been wicker or leather - (you can tell from looking underneath the seat). Oak sells much better in the mid-west - here the chair might sell for $50.00.

A League of Their Own and My Aunt Gert Alderfer

Every few months or so, the movie, "A League of Her Own," seems to be playing on all the late night channels. If you look closely enough at the end of the movie when the Women's Baseball Hall of Fame comes into the picture, you'll catch a glimpse of my aunt - Gert (Gertrude Alderfer) Benner. Although the movie depicts an earlier time in the history of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, my aunt was very much a part of this history. For one summer in my youth, I was the leagues mascot.

The summer I turned nine, my family moved from Pennsylvania to Florida where my summers really did become endless. My favorite though was the short summer of my twelfth year when I was sent back to Pennsylvania to visit with my Aunt Gertie. Images of that summer flash through my mind and I remember the baseball games she took me to and the crowds of people running to get her autograph after the game ended - I didn't know why grown men, women, and children converged upon not just my aunt, but the other women as well.

And then I met boys - who informed me that my aunt was "the" Gertie Alderfer. As if I should have known who she was, which I did, obviously because she was my aunt. But then I realized that she was so much more.

[The photo on left is my aunt going in for a home run!]

That summer I visited aunt Gertie was my first indoctrination into the art of being a feminist, or a woman who walked the walk and spoke the talk. My mother and grandmother had been showing me in subtle ways all along. But it was my aunt Gertie broke barriers in an era when women were deemed unable to do more than just raise children and take care of the day-to-day life of running a household.

That summer I learned that my aunt Gertie was a celebrity in womens'  baseball (though technically it was called softball). The larger version of the ball was considered less dangerous. I didn’t realize that womens' professional baseball  was a big 'thing,' until long after the movie, A League of Their Own came out.

I was googling and typed in my maiden name - Alderfer -  then led to several sites on Ebay. I did a double take - a picture showing a much younger version of my aunt stared back at me. The ad attested to the validity of her signature on the baseball even though her trading card wasn’t made until a later date. The bidding was already at $300.00. I called my dad. “Did you know that Aunt Gertie is a celebrity?” I told him. “Her autographed balls are selling on Ebay.”

I knew my aunt's story because in many ways her story was also my story.Although I had only two brothers, with five brothers, my aunt took on every sport challenge they would include her in on and besides baseball she excelled at basketball and hockey. She could out run, out jump, out shoot, out pitch, and out throw any of her brothers and most of the males in her school. She has medals and trophies in numerous sports.

[The image on the right shows my aunt on the day of her wedding with my mother who was her matron of honor.]