I used to be very obsessed with mugs and steins. I’d pick one out at each gift shop while vacationing. Attend a sporting event, there probably was a mug to go along with it. The same went for charity fund-raisers, and money appeals from Public Radio.
The collection needs some serious downsizing, but there are so many unique examples that it’s hard to part with any of them. One problem is that mugs are practically worthless as second-hand items. People are not even interested in them at garage sales as freebies.
Yet, there is a certain charm about many mugs and beer steins that cannot be denied. One good use for them is to hold plants and arrangements.
Each visit to San Francisco usually yields two or three coffee mugs, especially the folksy type. A leafy succulent shares space with Peruvian lilies inside this example.
The Superman soup mug is jumbo size and features a fabric cape. However, there is a warning to not microwave the mug. What use is a soup mug that cannot be microwaved? In this case, I parked an early 1990s vintage large silk flower inside. The old flower was falling apart and the mug was sturdy enough to support the stem while I fixed the blossom and leaves.
Although I rarely drink beer, I like beer steins. They come in as many varieties as coffee mugs. A black glass stein is decorated with the periodic table of the elements in mind. It’s not a good thing if the beer contains beryllium due to its toxic nature and erbium is best used in small doses for its medicinal qualities. The black container works well with berries and a solo echinacea flower. The 0.25 litre grey German stein has been a pen and pencil holder on my desk for several years.
Ciao
The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes this morning’s coffee mug. “‘To do is to be.’–Kant ‘To be is to do’–Heidegger ‘Do be do be do.’–Sinatra”
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