While continuing the general packing up and relocation of items at the Ranch, I came across this plaque which I had set aside in our initial cleaning.
This plaque originally hung in our kitchen, just to the right of the door space that led to the entry to the house. As far as I know it belonged to my mother (I can surely not visualize TB The Elder having this). The name - "Flavia" listed above the quote matches a sticker on the back. The date there is 1969. It hung there as long as my parents were in the house I grew up in and then moved with them when they moved to The Ranch, where it hung next to my parents' bed until I took it down.
My mother was one to collect certain things - sheep for example, or bears - but she seldom if ever collected this sorts of things. Which makes me wonder of course: What is the history behind this?
She was a teacher, even then. Was this a gift from a student? Was this something from a teaching friend? Or something she purchased for herself, a reminder of the impact that a teacher can have? And why did this stay with her 50 or more years?
I have brought the plaque back home to be with us now, one of the few definitive things I can place as being in the house I grew up in as a child and, perhaps obviously, associated with my mother. It will hang here - or wherever the next "here" is - as a reminder of home, my mother, and the gentle sorts of mysteries that can permeate our normal lives.
(Editors Note: A bit of research finds Flavia Art Studios, in existence since 1961. The dates and location seem to match.)
A small yet thoughtful reminder of Mom TB.......far easier to find out about the plaque using that Computer in the Pocket now rather than using 1969 search methods.......:)
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I had to do a bit more searching than I originally intended. Name was not enough, name plus location made a bit of difference. Somewhat fascinated to see that the studio is still in business.
DeleteA worthy keepsake.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael. I think so too.
DeleteGifts I gave to my mother 50 years ago, are sitting on a shelf - after her death they returned. Art glass, interesting to see what I thought was lovely then still has appeal. I was a drifter at the time of purchase, away from home since my early teens, a fisherman, a logger, in the city with a paycheck. Long haired redneck hippie. Back when Seattle was the countries biggest small town.
ReplyDeleteI can't hear the song "Summer Wages" without thinking of that time and place.
Our lives are like a leaf in a river, never know where we will end up-in a backwater eddy, over a falls, drifting on a slow current...sometimes a "thing" will be a touchstone to the past, although never quite so poignant
as a melody, or the most visceral of all, a scent.
Raven, thank you for sharing.
DeleteI collected up many of the things I had given both her and father over the years, as well as every card that they had saved from us over these years. They likely will not make it beyond me, but in that time they will remind me.
Melody and scent have a time traveling element few other items do.
During my mom's final weeks of life, when things were becoming obvious, she mentioned to me that once my brother got here, she wanted to go through things and tell us the stories behind them. Unfortunately by the time my brother arrived, she was past the point of really being able to communicate beyond a guttural couple words at a time. So like you, I ended up with quite a few things that I know where special to her but I have no idea why. It sort of breaks my heart. As time goes by, I have culled a few of them and kept a few others, for no other reason than my gut tells me it was particularly special to her. Because my girls will never even know that it was special, the days of being cherished are certainly growing shorter.
ReplyDeleteEd - Had we known sooner about my mother, I would like to believe that I would have asked those kind of questions as well.
DeleteThere are a lot of things we simply had to let go because there is no space for them in our house at this point. But it is good to think on that; it should make me all the more eager to denote the history of these things for my own children.
That is a sweet looking plaque with quite a profound life message if one meditates on it long enough. Your thoughts here make me wonder what (if anything) of mine my sons might find meaningful when I am gone. I'm pretty sure they will want very little, if anything - which is fine. But I hope something is tender enough in each of their memories to take as keepsakes related to their father and I. I love this sweet and simple post, TB.
ReplyDeleteThank you Becki.
DeleteOf all the things that were in the house, this was not something that I would have expected to keep. Initially it was almost a sort of last minute addition; it was only when I thought about it more that it became so important.
I have to admit Ed's idea above about recording the history of items my children might interested in makes more sense - at least if I know now, I can start to plan.
Wonderful find, TB. God bless.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda!
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