Book 'em Danno
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Hawaii Five-O was my favourite TV show when I was a kid. I thought Jack Lord was lurvely. Nothing to do with these books. When my mom was here I was able to go through some very old books with her — to find out which ones came from her childhood and which ones might have been acquired elsewhere. The ones from her childhood we'll keep a bit longer. These came from someone else's bookcase. The one about Atlantis was particularly odd and beautiful inside. (see binding detail).
Chit chat
Friday, January 22, 2010
I have a stack of these Home Chat magazines from the 30s. I'm ready to get rid of them. My mom wanted to take them all, but she really doesn't need more stuff either. We compromised — she took two with her when she left and I can do as I wish with the remaining issues. She remarked on the advertisements in the magazines. Many products and companies are still around today. The two she took have my favourite covers.
More cheese please...and some mac to go with it. OR The most fun I've had getting rid of anything so far.
Friday, December 04, 2009
There’s this guy, Ian Golder, who collects boxes of macaroni and cheese. He's a little bit famous for this. I had heard of Ian and his macaroni years ago and kept this bit of trivia lodged in some dark recess. I too have loved boxed mac and cheese over the years. When I was in grades 5 and 6, my family lived right across the street from my school. My brothers and I went home for lunch, even when my parents weren't there. As far as I can recall, I boiled up and ate a box of Kraft dinner pretty much every single day. We also squeezed in two TV shows over lunch, Hercules and Rocket Robin Hood. I'd run back and forth to the kitchen during ads until the macaroni was ready. Many years ago, when my mom and I helped clean out a friend's house — she was over 100 years old at the time — I came across an ancient, unopened package of macaroni and cheese. I have no clue what year it’s from. I thought the packaging was a great example of vintage graphic design, and I displayed it on a shelf in my kitchen, along with vintage spice tins, for a long, long time. Ever since I've lived in this house though, Magic Chef has been in a drawer. I figured it was finally time for him to go to a new home, so (thanks to the Internet) I contacted Ian, asked him if he wanted this box for his collection, and, well, the photo says it all. Thanks Ian, for appreciating this old bit of cardboard and tin. (If you google Ian, there is video of an interview he did not too long ago on Jimmy Kimmel. You can also see some of his collection at macandcheesebox.com).
Give it a whirl
Thursday, November 05, 2009
I collect globes. I have a lot of them. I bought this one in Vancouver, in an antique mall downtown, around 1992 or 1993. It is circa 1944, on a metal stand that someone painted black a long time ago. It is paper over cardboard. More than 12 inches in diameter. Some wear in the cardboard where it attaches to the spinner at the base. Not bad for something 65 years old. I really like it and I still wonder if I should get rid of it, but I am going to commit to trying to sell it. I will try to put an ad up on craigslist and UsedVictoria this weekend. I am going to line up all of my globes, choose the ones that are my absolute favourites, take a deep breath and try to sell the rest. I find globes and maps fascinating — the older the better of course. I look at countries whose names have changed, whose borders have been adjusted — so many places I’ll never get to.
It's a sign
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Thanksgiving weekend. I'm thankful for what I have, and thankful too for what I no longer have in my life. I hung on to this sign for sentimental reasons. Plus it's really cool. But it didn't fit with the decor (inside joke, as you might have guessed by now our decor is thrift store/cat hair/piles of paper/generic clutter), and it came from a long ago time in my life. I sold it. Proceeds added to my SPCA fund. Love my kitties. Haven't posted a picture of Mika in awhile.
No match
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
This is a wooden match holder. When I was younger I had a vision of living in a quaint Victorian house with nooks and crannies, with antiques and doilies. Now I’m paired with someone who likes open plan and is emphatic about no doilies. We live a mish mash of styles, if we are even able to sense a theme under the chaos. Getting rid of things is supposed to be helping.
Oldie but goodie
Friday, January 09, 2009
I’ve thought long and hard about giving this away this washstand. I do love it, and the cats love it too, taking turns sitting on it to look out the front window. It was given to me by a woman who lived to be 105. I began planning to let this go a few months ago after a friend admired it. We give each other lots of little presents and on occasion some bigger ones. It would have been out of here before Christmas and not even part of this record were it not for the horrendous winter weather that has prevented my friend from driving to town to pick it up. We’re aiming for a pickup tomorrow. In the meantime I’ve emptied the washstand of over 60 VHS tapes stored in the bottom and loads of odds and sods in the drawer. Have to figure out which tapes to get rid of. TV Nation anyone?
