My mom and I had a difficult relationship when I was in high school and sometimes (often) we would have arguments over things she said and I misunderstood (sometimes purposely) or didn’t want to hear. One way for her to apologize without actually apologizing in person was to tape a typewritten note on the back door so I would see it before I walked inside. Once, after explaining to me what I might expect at my doctor’s appointment the next day (she thought I’d get a pelvic exam and I was horrified and lashed out) she typed an apology that she should not have told me in such detail — and also that the doctor’s appointment had been postponed. (In reality the appointment was simply a wellness check — no stirrups involved.)
Another time Mom taped a note to the back door was after I’d been through a very sad few days, having been told by my English boyfriend that he would not be able to come to the States that summer. She’d gotten the mail that afternoon and a letter from Jeremy had arrived. He’d written on the back of the envelope “GOLDEN NEWS INCLOSED! Coming in on a wing and a prayer.” Mom knew I would be happy so she typed it up and taped it to the back door.
In 1977, shortly before he was to head back to England, my then boyfriend Jeremy, painted a North Woods scene on our garage doors in Elgin. It was his interpretation of the scene out the window of our vacation home in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin. The local paper even picked it up and for weeks people would slowly drive by the house to get a peek at the garage doors.
I’m not entirely sure the house was even built when Jeremy painted the garage doors — this might have been how he imaged it would look from inside the house. A fun follow-up is that Jeremy recently recreated the garage door images on a much smaller scale as a gift for my brother who now lives in the house. He even included portraits of our Mom and Dad on each door. I’m grateful we still have a connection with Jeremy. The paintings he made are priceless.
The article below, is not completely true. Jeremy did have a place in mind when he painted the image. It’s definately the view from the property.
The article from the August 18, 1977 Elgin Daily Courier NewsAn actual sunset from the property — photo credit Kevin PatrickJust starting the painting as Kevin and neighbor looks onStill a long way to goLeft door, almost completeRight door completeBoth doors, completeThe artist with his masterpiece
It’s hard to see the bunny in the lower left corner on any of the photos of the complete door, but when Mom eventually had the doors painted over (we neglected to put any kind of weatherproofing on the painting) she left the bunny. Here it is with a real live bunny and a detail from the painting Jeremy made for Kevin.
A box of various items that I am relucent to dispose of has just resurfaced. I’ve written about some, but not all. Maybe more of these items will find homes.
I thought I’d written about the porcelain Wade figurines that came in boxes of Red Rose Tea back in the 1970s, but cannot find it in a search of my blog. I believe I had more at one time, but all I have is a rabbit, a hedgehog, and a leopard. I don’t know if I got them in England or when I returned to the States. Of course the hedgehog is my favorite.
Wait! I found another — a bird and this one says Wade on the bottom.
These two resin faces were made by Jeremy when he first visited the States. He crafted them in the art room at my high school. At least I think that’s were he made them. I had the clay mold he poured the resin into at one time, but that’s understandably long-gone.
This small compact was given to me by Frances Lide. Its needlepoint cover is in good shape, but the mirror inside is not. There’s still face powder inside! I think I know what I’m going to do with this. (Note that after I took the photo I cleaned up the mirror and it looks much better.)
Three black stones, two polished and one that might be some manufactured material. It looks like it has a seam and feels lighter than the other two. I think I will add these to the stones on our fireplace mantle. At least the polished ones.
Two tiny bottles. One is made to look like a Heinz ketchup bottle (it’s actually a pin for your lapel) and the other like a Coca Cola bottle. I don’t know where the Heinze ketchup bottle pin came from, but the Coca Cola bottle has been with me for decades. My Barbie doll used to drink from it. They are about 1.25 inches tall.
A very tiny toadstool. I should be using coins to compare the sizes of these miniatures, but the is about half an inch tall. It is possible that Clare made it for a terrarium she gave me. As you can see it is very detailed.
A Celtic cross that, I believe, was also part of the terrarium Clare made me.
A bird made out of plastic or bone (hopefully not ivory) — possibly some sort of pheasant. A gift from Frances Lide. It’s about 1.75 inches long and .75 inches high at the head. I remember exactly when Frances gave it to me and where I found it at her house. For some reason I was looking in a drawer of her sideboard in her dining room and it was among other items. She asked if I would like it since I liked birds.
A plastic vial containing bits of heather, including rare, lucky white heather and a tiny seashell. I picked these up on my first trip to Scotland with the Burgoynes.
And finally a piece from a crystal chandelier. I probably picked this up at an antique store, but I remember talking to Frieda, an elderly next-door neighbor when we lived in Alexandria, about how beautiful these were when they refracted the light and made sparkles on the walls and ceiling. This one doesn’t make rainbows, just sparkles.
Clutch Cargo Lips 