A Really Truly Friend

There is a little framed plaque hanging in my kitchen just behind the new microwave and it fits right into a small space I gave it 25 years ago.  I have always loved the little lithograph but had become so accustomed to its presence I almost forgot it was there.

The image of a feisty Scottish Terrier proudly sitting on the master’s chair was a gift from my brother and sister-in-law to remind me of our dog’s funny antics and because Pepper used to sit bolt upright on our wing chair too.  It was her favorite place and she looked very much like in the picture.

The image is precious but I have always thought the rhyme beneath it completes the whole happy feeling it provokes.  I absolutely love the rhyme and once again I walk around quoting the words in my head, “Lots of things in life are junk, troubles never end, but there’s something never palls, a really truly friend.”

I also  just noticed  there is a reference on the back to the Buzza Company, makers of the plaque in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  And of course I looked it up.

George Buzza founded The Buzza Company in Minneapolis in 1907. 

Early products included college advertising posters, greeting cards, books and later framed mottos.  Buzza was considered a pioneer in his use of color and the variety of papers used in greeting cards.  The Buzza Company was one of the best known producers of framed lithographs or gift mottos.  Buzza knew that sentiment sold and no sentiments were spared with syrupy verses and pretty pictures for mothers and sweethearts. Other motifs included patriotic and religious writings and illustrations.  George Buzza retired in 1917.  The company’s stockholders liquidated the company in 1942.  

~ From about.com collectibles.  Sources: Terry Kovel, Minneapolis Public Library Online Archives

The Scotty plaque occupies such a tiny corner of my house, but it says, “Home.”  So, Thank you once again Steve and Viv all these years later.  If there is such a thing as the perfect gift, that was it.  Do you suppose I am soppy over sentimental syrupy verses and darling images?  I never thought so, but maybe so.  Maybe so.

 

 

 

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The Search for Half a Loaf

The saying, “It is better to give than receive,” has definite merit, at least when I think about the best gifts I have ever given, and how much joy the giving has given back.

My blogging friend at Mamas Empty Nest just shared her story of finding the perfect gift for a beloved sister. And her post got me thinking when she said it was “…the best gift I have ever given to another person.”

In 1959 and my Mom announced she was searching for a special book, written by Grace Hegger Lewis (first wife of Sinclair Lewis) and entitled Half a Loaf.  It was published in 1931.

SEARCHING PRE-INTERNET

So began a fifteen year search (before the wonders of the internet) for Half a Loaf.   I remember we scoured book stores and inquired at every library to no avail.  I  began to think it was a mission impossible.

But Christmas of 1974 was fast approaching and I finally discovered a first edition in an antique store!

I could hardly wait until Christmas morning!  And of course, my mother’s thrill was my thrill too, and we were both grinning and delighted with each other.  In a way it was sad that our search was over but  we would find other adventures to share.   At that moment her joy was all that mattered and her surprise was more satisfying to me than anything else under the tree.

SCARCE, SCARCE, SCARCE!

In today’s world, we can find almost anything with the touch of a few keys.

Still, out of curiosity, and even though I have Mom’s book on my shelves now, I went online to see just how fast I could find it (or any information on it) today.  I was stunned to learn it is considered a rare book and even listed as “scarce, scarce, scarce.” I could find no cover photos and no write-ups or reviews either, not even on Amazon.

The little book seems as obscure now as it was in 1959, but at least the search for it took minutes this time instead of fifteen years, and it is available from just a few sellers of rare books.

A SECRET BETWEEN THE PAGES

Returning to my bookshelf this morning, I retrieved the little book and turned its pages once again, so many years later.  Mom died in 1993 and she left it for me to rediscover this morning.

As I gently turned the yellowing pages, something fell out!  I thought it was a newspaper clipping but it turned out to be a crumbling dust jacket with a synopsis.   I felt tears coming at the same time as an intense joy.  Once again I was holding something my Mom had held.  She had cherished it so much she  saved the old book’s dust cover folded between its pages and until now, I never even knew it was there.

The Book and Its Cover

Half a Loaf was the best gift I have ever given to another person and proof that there is definitely more joy in giving than receiving.

What is the best gift you have given to another person?

From the Dust Cover of Half a Loaf:

“This is the story of what it means to be a successful author’s wife – told by a successful author’s former wife.  Half a Loaf is romantic and realistic.  Romantic because the two chief characters were young and in love when success came to them and because they continued, almost to the end, to find adventuring on an open road of more importance than emeralds in Cartier settings.  Realistic because Mrs. Lewis reveals with piercing insight that when a woman marries an author, she marries not only the man who loves her but also the author – the author who unconsciously becomes, in their creation, the characters he is creating, and who unconsciously becomes the person his reading public has invented.”

About Sinclair Lewis:

Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwrite. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters.  His works are known for their insightful and critical views of American society and capitalist values, as well as for their strong characterizations of modern working women.

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A Thing for All Seasons – The Perfect Gift

Not many of you know that beyond Virginia Views, I am also The Virginia Shopper.  That means I write another blog on occasion for a lovely little store somewhere  in Virginia.   I am not including the name of the shop or the blog here because this is not a push to buy anything.  It’s just that all of a sudden, I realized  I  found my favorite Virginia product. 

As The Virginia Shopper, I am charged with wandering all over the state (mostly online) to find the nicest things and places and write to my heart’s delight.  That’s the fun of it!   But, of all the items I have ever loved about Virginia, this one little thing always meets the criteria for perfection.  It’s the perfect gift for family and friends and the perfect gift to myself.

Don’t go away please!    I’m not done regaling the virtues of this phenomenal thing.

–          It’s the most unique gift imaginable

–          I want one for myself

–          It will add character to any outdoor place around the house

–          It is so odd looking that it will spark conversation

–          It is so attractive, I may want to get two!

–          It has a historical flavor and purpose

–          It’s lightweight for easy shipping

–          It’s reasonably priced

–          I LOVE it!

What is this perfect little thing?

THE WILLIAMSBUG BIRD BOTTLE!

A bottle for birds?  Really?  Look closely and you will see the face of a sweet little bird who has already made the bottle her home!

And here’s the history:

Williamsburg, Virginia is the nation’s largest living history museum!  Would you believe over 4 million people visit there each year?

In the 18^th century, Virginia colonists in Williamsburg figured out how to attract birds (who would control insects) by attaching this beautiful Bird Bottle to their homes!

The one in the picture is a wonderful reproduction made of redware pottery and modeled after an original bottle excavated at Colonial Williamsburg.  How’s that for an interesting thing in the annals of American history?

What do you do with it?  With a single nail, you can hang it from a tree or on the side of any building, and guess what – the birds love it!

I recently received a birthday gift certificate from the little store in question.  What do I want from my favorite little store in town?  There are so many things to choose from!  And that’s how I decided on the Williamsburg Bird Bottle.  If you come for a visit, you will find one attached to a favorite tree within easy view from my living room window and another one attached to the house!

Lemme know if you would like the link to the little store’s catalog or The Virginia Shopper blog!  After all, it isn’t every day, you can find the perfect gift for holiday giving and I will be happy to share!

English: Wigmakers reenacting their historical craft in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: A recreation workshop on Duke of Gloucester street in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

View of Duke of Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Gifts That Give and Go

My friends dreamed up a wonderful idea for gift giving:

A special gift for a special day

Here for now and gone away.

What?  Don’t worry.

It’s  a magic act I hear.

 Now you see it,

Now see it disappear.

What is this gift so removable?

Why, it’s simply this – a gift Consumable.

CONSUMABLE GIFTS!

Actually this little mystery rhyme was the lead-in to a true story.  After years of agonizing over what gifts to select for the special people in our lives, some of my special friends came to a consensus.  We made a pact to only give consumable gifts – meaning things that will get used up.  I can’t tell you what a relief that is and how much more fun I have shopping.

We just remember this:  “If it will soon disappear it’s a gift worth giving,” and here are some examples:

• Chocolates (Yeah! Yeah! Chocolates!)
• Gourmet Flavored Oils (I put this in because I found a gourmet oil store!)
• Spices (you can even make your own concoction but I found a spice store too)
• Candles (beautiful or utilitarian in case there’s a freak storm)
• Batteries (maybe best for a man?)
• Note Paper (lovely reminders to keep in touch the old way)
• Faux Fingernails (Huh?)
• Nail Polish (for the fake fingernails)
• Soap (used to be an insult, but now soaps come in grand scents and colors)
• Nuts (but not raw cashews – supposed to be poisonous – unless you want to see your friend disappear too!)
• Coffee or Tea (always a tradition)
• Cheese and Fruit (a gift of health and good taste)
• A Book (time well spent and pass it on)
• Money (of course – but considered somewhat crass!)

Are you getting the idea?  I know you will come up with a whole new list of your own Gifts That Give and Go designed to temporarily please.  And what better way I ask, is there to celebrate a special occasion than to relish the moment and then move on?

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