Mystery of the Poppy Plates

We have lived here for nearly two years. One would think that everything would be in its' place by now, but that wouldn't be true. Since I don't want to have every wall covered, many of them are still a little too bare. That isn't the way of the sun room, since it is mostly windows. There are very few walls, so I must be selective. 

I have always liked this picture, so I was happy to find a place where it fit. It's a print of an oil painting by a self taught German painter named Max Streckenbach (1865-1936) who specialized in floral still lifes. This one is called "Poppies in Vase". He painted another one that looks like the same poppies. That one is named "Poppies in Bloom". Since I didn't want my picture to feel lonely, I wanted to add a few other items I've acquired along the way, specifically two hand painted plates and a few postcards. Since I didn't have a place for them, I put them away for later. I will repeat that. I put them away for later.

Eventually, I bought a vintage shelf that John hung on the other side of the doorway. I went to get the plates because I thought I knew exactly where I had stored them. And they were not there. So the search began. I looked in all the drawers and spaces that I thought they could be. Every little box and basket around the house... The two shelves in the front hall closet... The linen closet... The laundry room cupboards...The extra boxes in the sewing room... The office closet... Then I went to the basement. I tried the storage room. And then I looked through the holiday boxes in the furnace room. I have to admit that I was on a mission, and not about to be defeated.

Finally, today I found them. For some reason, I hadn't opened the little desk right below the picture. I did open the drawer, but not the desk. I had set them in two of the little cubbies because it was the most logical place. Now they are finally on the little green shelf across the wall. And I am happy to report that I did not have to purchase more old poppy plates from the local antique mall. In desperation, I had started to look.

Unfortunately, during my poppy plate quest, I didn't find any of the other items that are still missing. I have a complete tea set, with cups and saucers for four. Somewhere. I hope to find it before next March, since it is decorated with shamrocks. I have some more framed pictures. There are various craft supplies. I know I have another antique quilt. Somewhere. There was a long hunt for my trifle bowl. I finally found two. I won't even mention the books that have gone awol. 

I blame all this on moving so many times in the past several years. A couple of moves ago, I finally started a little notebook titled "Oh, Wherever Can It Be?" I try to list all the cupboards and drawers and boxes where I might have put things. It isn't always up to date but it really helps me (sometimes) when I'm looking for something. I hadn't listed the poppy plates. That would have saved a lot of time. Live and Learn.

TEA AND THE TELLY

 

I visited England for the first time twenty five years ago, but I had already been in love with the country for a long time before that trip. British books and British television have been a part of my life for most of it.

Since I live in the midwest, I had to find my England wherever I could. I first discovered Midsomer Murders on the public tv stations when we had few choices. Midsomer Murders will always be a favorite. The series started filming in 1997 and they are on their twenty fifth season now. (I know the numbers don't add up, but they have skipped a few, here and there.)The shows take place in the fictitious county of Midsomer, and many of the Cotswold villages. The villages have different names, but are real places in one of the prettiest areas of England. There have been over 388 murders in the 136 episodes. Many have been done very creatively.  And there has been very little blood. This series has some of the wittiest dialog and beautiful houses and scenery. 

I have learned a lot of valuable life lessons from this series. First, and foremost is to never go into the woods alone. Also don't go into the woods at night. Also if you answer the door and say "Oh, it's you." then you are almost sure to expire in a most tragic and unpredictable manner. Never plan a village fete. Someone will not live through the festivities. Don't eat mushrooms, especially if they were a gift. Elderly ladies on bicycles can be very dangerous. Don't eat the bunny cakes. Tea cures everything. Watch out for the milkman and the postman, or even the doctor. Sometimes they have ulterior motives when they come to call. It isn't always murder. There is a lot of hanky panky going on in those quaint little villages.

Other British channels to watch are Acorn and Britbox. Now there are so many choices. Some of the programs go on for years. Heartbeat has 18 seasons and each one has over 20 episodes. The Royal was a spin-off and some of the characters overlapped, especially in the first few seasons. Both of these shows take place in the 1960's and there are many, many songs from that time as background. Heartbeat focuses on the police force in the little villages and The Royal is set in a hospital. The two things I learned from these shows was that everyone offered visitors a cuppa tea all through the day and if you visited someone in the hospital you brought grapes! Neither of these programs focused on murder, but be prepared because they often killed off the main characters just when I really started to like them. It is very emotional television. There were many tears.

These are just a few of the many, many entertaining British programs. I like the mysteries the most. All the people are well bred and polite. We see the same actors over and over again as different characters. That's part of the fun.

When John first realized I was hooked on English murder, I think he was just a little bit worried. But he started watching them with me, and now I think he is just as involved as I am. Or, he just likes the nightly ritual of laying on the couch while I sit there rubbing his head and drinking tea. Old people romance.

 OUR STATE FAIR IS A GREAT STATE FAIR

 The Iowa State Fair is one of biggest and earliest fairs around. Many people will tell you that it is the best. It was established in 1854 in Fairfield Iowa. The fair was moved to its' current location in the capital city of Des Moines in 1886. 

It is perhaps most known because of a book written in 1932. The book, State Fair, became a best seller for the author, Phil Stong. He was an Iowan from Keosauqua. His book was first made into a movie in 1933, into a musical in 1945 and 1962 and a made for tv movie in 1976. The story was about a farm family who visited the Fair in the big city. They were full of hopes and dreams and the two teenagers were looking for romance. The book didn't end as happily as the movie. The parents did win some blue ribbons, even though their children ended the visit with broken hearts. I read that the book was banned in the hometown library for twenty five years because the teenage characters were considered to be too immoral to be Iowans.

Our own experiences at the fair are much tamer. John's family have been venders since1948 when his grandmother started selling lemonade. He retired in 2021, and two of his sons have taken over the business. Now that the young grandchildren are learning, they have five generations that have been involved with the Brafford concession stands. They currently have four stands and are best known for their lemonade shake-ups. They also sell hot dogs, tots, nachos, tacos and burritos and more.

Here is John with his three boys, and another little snapshot with the Pope. You can see just about anyone at the Fair.

John has gone to the Fair every year that he remembers. He's been working since he was old enough to shake a lemonade. Even though it only lasts eleven days, it's on the Brafford Boy's minds all year long. John's retired now, but he can't stay away.

A lot of my early family experiences revolve around the race track that used to be part of the fairgrounds. My dad was a stock car driver and later a race promoter. I went to my first race as a baby in a wicker basket.

My brother also had an interesting history with the Fair. In 1990, he drove a semi truck and jumped it over eight cars. It was called "The Great American Truck Jump" and was filmed at the Fair for the Guiness Book of Records. He performed this all over the country.  I guess my family had its' own version of the Shake-Up.  

My own experiences are quite different. Many years I didn't go at all. And I didn't really miss it. It was a big relief when I finally realized that I didn't have to go on the scary rides just because my friends did. The craziest thing I ever did at the Fair was perform with a belly dance troupe, the Rainbows of the Desert. That was quite a while ago, and there are no pictures. Now I like to see the quilts and needlework and especially the dollhouses. Other than that, I am just fine with people watching.

SCHOOL DAZE

No sooner do we finish with one holiday than it is time for another. I've put away my July decorations and the house looks bare. I never quite know what to do at this time. I know some people like to use a honeybee motif, or fruit. I usually have some summer themed buntings, and some sunflowers.  I will make a wreath for the door with them, and some back to school items. It is pretty low key, compared to some decorating extravaganzas we will have later on in the year! I do know some people who will be very involved with Halloween before this week ends. That is just too soon for me. I know it is already in the stores, but I prefer looking at the back to school things. I have always liked office supplies, even though I never liked working in an office. School supplies are just a mini version, and cuter. 

When my youngest child was finished with school, I visited the school supply aisle at Target and cried. Any sensible mother would have been crying at graduation, or when he moved away. Not me, I looked at all the different kinds of pens and papers and notebooks, and erasers, and pencil boxes, and backpacks, and I remembered all those years when we had picked out favorites. Yes, I am just filled with nostalgia when it comes to lunch bags. Is that normal? Probably not.

As it turned out, I didn't need kids in order to stock up on paper. One of the nice things about this time of year is the bargains.

I am partial to these plastic pencil boxes. They fit into drawers and I will fill them with beads and wire. Tape and picture hangers fit there too. Actually, all sorts of this and that find the way into these boxes.

Composition notebooks are everywhere in the stores now. I bought enough to last a good long while because they were only 37 cents! The fancier ones were a little bit more, but I cover the covers so it really doesn't matter. I use these books to make "junk journal planners", and it's a favorite thing to do.

The first step is to go through the book and tear out a page for every ten. It should be fairly even, so make it one ten pages in from the front, and ten pages in from the back. This is to keep it from getting too bulky. The remaining pages should be glued together in twos. Washi tape is fine for the outside edges. I use a book for two or three months at a time and print monthly calendars to put inside. And then comes the fun part. Collect pieces of your days. It is like the scrapbooks we made when we were kids. Anything can go inside. Last month I used my birthday cards, and even a small candle. These books can be a little lumpy. Anything from favorite quotes or daily to do lists will fill the pages. I also save a lot of receipts, business and appointment cards, chocolate wrappers, unusual tea bag packages, labels, and so much more. I use patterned papers to add extra pages and pockets, and often use lots of stickers. I use glue and tape and even staples for this journal. It isn't meant to be grand, but it will hold a lot of memories while not taking up much space.  And as a bonus, I use a lot of supplies that I have on hand.

A cute finishing, and wholly unnecessary touch are handmade dangles clipped on to each book. Once again, they use little bits of memorabilia. Items like buttons, beads, charms, ribbons, keys, tiny silverware, mini teacups are lovely when knotted together.

I learned to make these from you tube videos. The channel called Thrifty Day, run by a woman in California named Leah is filled with charming ideas and lots of conversation and enthusiasm.  Her work has a strong connection to Disney, and she manages to have fun with everything she makes. I have learned a lot from her, but she is quite a talker.