Studious

School has officially opened in our area. The little munchkins are ensconced in their classrooms, tucked in with their books and their pencils, hopefully gleaning a spot of education from time to time. The best part- Mom has a smidgen of time to herself to catch up on housework (ha ha), to quietly curl up with a book or a blanket (even better),or to create a work of art (or two). My child asked me one day last year, "Mom, what do you do while I'm in school all day?". I enumerated a list of my activities for that day and the swift response from the kid was, "Is that all you could manage to accomplish for the seven whole hours I was gone?". I formed a frown between my eyes, pursed my lips, took a breath and started to defend myself. But then I thought, "So what? So what if I only get a few things done? Or nothing?". Life is not always about what you produce. Sometimes the best thing is to just play hooky from the laundry and go to the early morning flick at the theater (the best time EVER). Just don't confess it to anyone when you do. And, in my case, it's always a good idea to destroy the evidence (throw away the movie stub) before the kid discovers it.

The vintage postcard featured in this post is 99 years old (!). Obviously, the theme of the card is school. However, I am deeply perplexed as to what the message actually means on this card. Who, exactly, is Ophelia? And why is she sticking her tongue out and acting loopy? Who is the odd looking fellow behind her? A stalker? A friend? What does "They'll never get ripe if you pick 'em" really mean in this context? One possible explanation: if you drop out of school, you'll never have a complete education. You'll wind up wandering the streets, looking vaguely like Ophelia there. I don't know. Anybody else have any theories out there? Share your views. At any rate, it is a charming, if somewhat strange little card. Just wanted to share since it's 'Back to School' time!

I have been putting some new items in my stores lately, Now that school is open, more things will be stocked every couple of days. Every item is unique- I don't make duplicates as a general rule. So if you see something you like, snap it up! That's what I do, perhaps more often than I should. I never learn.

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."- Sydney J. Harris

"I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework."- Lily Tomlin as 'Edith Ann'

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire."- William Butler Yeats

Discovery

I have made a fun discovery. I have a wonderful collection of vintage postcards that I inherited from my father. Most of them were actually mailed and have written messages on them. I just realized that several of them are actually little secret love notes sent between my grandparents, including mysterious secret codes that I cannot decipher (yet). What a serendipitous find! Most of these are dated from the very early 1900's. The one pictured in this post was sent from my grandfather to my grandmother, before they were married. The message on the back includes a charming and undoubtedly daring (for its day) little poem, written in my grandfather's own quirky handwriting: "Crackers are dry without cheese/ So is a kiss without a squeeze." Oooooo, so racy! I have never stopped to think about how these two individuals, my grandparents, originated their relationship. I barely remember my grandmother, who died when I was 12. My grandfather died when I was a baby, so I never really knew him. I've seen lots of pictures, naturally. But finding these cards and the long-ago sentiments inscribed upon them really brings these people to life in a sense. Without them and their love, I would not be here. This particular card is from 1908, originally sent over 100 years ago. Wow.

"Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."- Robert Heinlein

"You don't have to go looking for love when it's where you come from."- Werner Erhard

Vintage

My father was a collector. He enjoyed the details of items, the history of them. He collected many things: books, record albums, stamps, coins and postcards. I have most of his collections intact. I love to look through them and try to piece together what made my dad 'tick'. Today I was looking through his old postcard collection. Wow. Most of them are dated from the early part of the 20th century through World War II. They are fascinating to study. The artwork on the cards is simply lovely. Many of them were actually mailed from locations around the world to various members of my father's family. He was a magpie as a boy, who must have begged for these cards from his relatives. The postcard pictured in the photo is dated November 29, 1944. It was sent to my dad's older sister by a soldier that she knew. The French caption on the front translates as, "Our love knows no boundary!". What a sweet sentiment. I think the cartoon is utterly charming. I am equally charmed by the personal message on the flip side. It is not what I would consider romantic, but quite warm and friendly in nature. Maybe the man was shy or uncertain of his relationship with the lady recipient, my aunt. Or maybe he just had a fun sense of humor and thought she would enjoy the picture. Either way, it is a tiny window into someones life from a long time ago. I wonder about how the sender's life progressed. I'm glad I got a chance to peer into it. I'll share more postcards with you in the future. There are so many interesting ones to see!

"In youth we run into difficulties; in old age difficulties run into us."- Josh Billings

"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be."- Robert Browning