Personal Artifacts

It was one of those cool, cloudy days this month. One of those days when you’re taking care of minor chores around the house but there’s nothing very urgent about them. I wanted to hang a picture, but I couldn’t remember where I stored the picture hanging wire. So I started searching. I looked in drawers, closets and the basement.

 There was a large shoebox that looked promising. The picture wire wasn’t in it, but I found plenty of old distractions in the form of stuff I hadn’t come across in many years. Being the cloudy day it was, my nostalgia hormones kicked in.

I found the Harley Hog stuffed toy that I got at the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota one year. The log planter was one of my first vintage pottery items. The two, together make a fine hog on a log for the photo. There’s a small boot vase from a friend. I have family by marriage in New Orleans. They sent me some souvenirs. A Louisiana coffee mug with a lobster imbedded in it and a shot glass from Bourbon Street–how appropriate! The 1952 book is a yearbook by Unicorn publications. It was an encyclopedic rundown of then current events that took place in 1952. A cousin sent it to me because I was born in 1952, she knew, correctly, that I’d enjoy reading through it.

I found another box of stuff in the basement that looked like a good candidate for picture wire storage. Again, no wire, but plenty of nostalgia. I’d forgotten about the toucan from a Mexican vacation. I was happy to find the paper fan from my former Japanese lover. An art deco jardiniere from a long forgotten floral project contains a souvenir baseball from a San Francisco Giants game and a magnetic poetry kit for a refrigerator magnet freak. A terra cotta cowboy boot vase came from a flea market in Kansas City a few years ago. The miniature Etch-A-Sketch was a gag gift from my 50th birthday party. A black Lexus sedan model from my brother. He said he wanted to buy me a luxury car one year for Christmas. I’d been looking for the Swedish Cookbook for a long time so I could work up a Scandinavian Smorgasbord feast. The blue creamery can is a regular feature of my present day kitchen.

The Carter/Mondale bumper sticker brought back memories of working with a great team of like-minded politicos campaigning for Jimmy Carter. He was the first one I’ve worked for who didn’t get defeated or assassinated. It was a real joy to see him get elected. I haven’t seen the bumper sticker since the 1970s, so finding it was a real thrill again.

Finding and photographing the hidden finds gave me the urge to click a picture of a wall where I currently display things I’ve come across during the past year worth showing off. The Mount Everest poster was in the back of a closet. I found it while looking for some art board to use in another project. The 1957 Chevy framed mirror was one of my brother’s personal artifacts. It was one of his favorite wall hangings.

The license plate came off of my old 1973 Chevy Kammback lemon of a car. The little station wagon had taken me on many adventures, so I kept the plate as a momento. The hat? It’s one I wear from time to time to shade my eyes. I’ve had it for years.

I haven’t found the picture wire yet. I’ll have to search for it another time when I want to reminince again.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness likes bright shiny trinkets.