Tag Archives: Found items

The Case of the Mysterious Musician

Musings

Here’s a mystery. Not a huge important one, but something that has me wondering. The photo below was among my mom’s things. At this point I have no idea where it actually came from — Grandma Green, maybe.

Mysterious Musician

Someone in my mom’s family seemed to adore Ray as indicated by the hearts over his shoulders. Ray played both the saxophone and is that a clarinet at his feet?

At first I thought Ray was a famous musician and this was a promotional photo, but the more I look at the photo I think it was just something someone snapped at home. The doily in the bottom corner of the room, just behind his chair, seems less than professional. In addition the lamps, especially the one on the left, just showing on the screen, seem odd for a promo shot. Also, the original photo is tiny — the size of annual high school photos you handed out to friends.

I cannot really tell when this was taken. Certainly before the 1960s I think. I think a clue is the foldable metal music stand. Professor Google is not very helpful when I ask about the history of music stands.

My next task for this mystery is to check my mom’s yearbook for orchestra members who played the sax and clarinet.

Stay tuned!

Infant Dona’s Blood Levels

health, Life,

This tiny silverfish-eaten piece of paper has been around for 65 years. Mom saved everything. I am assuming it was from when I was born, or at least during my nearly month-long hospital stay after birth. According to Dr. Google the numbers seem normal, so maybe it was my last blood work but I have no idea what the levels were when I was born. I was very tiny and my mom’s doctor wasn’t sure I would survive, but who knows if these blood levels had anything to do with his dire words to my mom, “she’s not out of the woods yet”.

Yeah, this is going in the trash now that I have shared it with the Internet. You’re welcome!

Beaded wrist band

Things

Tidying up again (when am I not?) and have been moving this old beaded wrist band around from one office surface to another.

When I was young and had a very tiny wrist, someone must have bought it for me when we were in Wisconsin. I remember wearing it and I think I must have found it at my Mom’s at some point. It was something typically found in souvenir shops in touristy towns in Wisconsin. They also sold belts (I had one of those too). They were purported to be made by “Indians” — I surely believed that when I was a kid. This one was made in Hong Kong according to some very faded blue letters on the back.

It’s falling apart, something you cannot see in the photo. At one time I planned to make small beaded items out of beads from my grandfather’s beaded belt and give them to my cousins. That never happened and who knows where all of that went. I’m betting kneewall!

Anyway, I wanted to get this up here so I can put this wrist band away.