As I watch the contributions one man gave the world some thoughts come to me.

 

One small soccer ball and one simple gesture from a man  changed a country.

Imagine what could happen if each of us thought of ONE move to make

 

In the US wearing a team jersey is an act of pride

In South Africa that action spoke of reconciliation.

It became the first step of acceptance of the hated.

 

One act of allowing the world to hear of his son's' HIV

changed every  "HIV leper" into someone worth knowing and  gave HOPE to a whole country.

Just a few sentences changed so many

What could we do in our life that would do the same?.

 

One man spent 27 years, 9850 days in  jail and  still found a way to meet the challenge of   loving  his enemy.

He spent another 23 years, 8395 days meeting one person at a time, changing attitudes and teaching acceptance with love.

Imagine what could happen if each of us met 365 people in a year and met them with love and acceptance.

What a change that would be to our world and there's.

 

Nelson Mandela was no angel, he had flaws just like all of us.

His gift was his ability to move on, to live the law of love and illustrate it to all of us.

One handshake at a time, one soccer game jersey,  or one carefully worded sentence at a time.

Imagine what the rest of us could do if we followed his example.     

 

   

                                    Thanksgiving time....or was it?

Thanksgiving is over?  How was it?  Did you eat   bargains   or turkey?  Did you enjoy the day with the kids playing games or watching football or having a lively conversation? Or were you chasing the sales during the day or evening?

Now, don’t get me wrong I love a bargain.  I will participate in Black Friday and get up in the wee hours. I can chase the sales just like everyone else but this year I privately decided to boycott the Thursday sales. 

I spent several days before the big sales shopping for something to wear to an event and I overheard wives and mothers trying to figure out how to have their Thanksgiving   family gathering.  Each had one or more of   their children or spouses having to work or leave early to sleep so they could be up in the wee hours to sell. 

In so many ways the world is chiseling away at family time, the enjoyment of our holidays and one on one conversation.  Marketing has become part of our family and now they are planning how we have our holiday. People say they see what is happening, resent it but have no way to stop it.  I believe we can only fight these intrusions by letting businesses   know with one email, letter or phone call at a time.  Companies only listen when people complain or when the number crunchers see their idea does not work.  So I am speaking out my feelings.  I want to take my   Thanksgiving Day back and any other holiday they decide to   change for my family by letting them know I am not happy. I may be one small voice but after all Dr. Seuss did make all of us hear” Horton’s   Who”? Won’t you join me?   

 

 

NO, not that!

 

We are all in trouble.  The rules are about to change.  The battle of man verses machine is about to   change.  We are losing, I am sad to say.  To make it worse we can’t even protest.  It is so scary.

Remember   when you were going on vacation and the fight was on for the window seat in the car?  Remember when as a kid   no one wanted to take the garbage out and   you all decided   with a game who will take the stinky bag out.    Having a 9 year old granddaughter who has to make the big decision of does she want mac n’ cheese or ravioli for lunch reminds me of my childhood.  She pulls out the often used decision maker, “ennie, meanie, miney, moe”   and ravioli is the big winner.  The song is a bit different and to be honest much less racist that I grew up with but for children everywhere it still works.

But now with sadness I must tell you that soon the world of decision making for all will change.  Science has done it.  They have taken a bit of our childhood and are in the process of ruining it.  It has been announced that they have made a machine shaped like a hand that can play “rock, paper, scissors” with you and it wins 99% of the time.  It reacts to the movement of your muscles and can tell what you are going to show.  How dare they ruin everything!  Will the child in the back seat pull out their handheld scissor hand and win the seat by the window every time.  I think we need to protest!  I think I will start a petition   against the ruining of this long time game. We can’t let science and machines ruin this time honored game.   Let’s keep the child in rock, paper, scissors.  Let’s keep the “ hands” in the rock and the scissor.  We need sanity.  Won’t you help fight this atrocity!

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2487401/Rise-rock-paper-scissors-machines-Japanese-robots-reflexes-fast-beaten---technically-cheating.html

A pretty for a Fall table

 

Just right for your fall table this retro condiment table delights the eye.  Just the right colors for Fall.  Use fall colored cloth napkins and charger plates in many colors.  What a table that would make! 

See it at Carmel Collectibles

   http://www.rubylane.com/item/357173-41A72/Retro-orange-black-U-S

Falling leaves

Peaches and cream, minks, laughter and cake are memories I hold dear.  I love fall.  I  loved it even as a child.  I remember running in the leaves before raking the red, orange yellow and brown of the front yard. The tree lined street we lived on arched over the cars as they drove down our street.  Later as a teen the city had to take away the beauty because of a massive attack of Dutch elm disease.  I remember standing at our front cape cod window watching them tumble down with tears streaming down my cheeks.  We were lucky, for we had an oak that stood tall in our front yard and a maple next door.  As a child I remember staking out the neighbors pear tree in the fall in the backyard.  I watched for a pear to drop to the ground and made my dart to capture it before the birds got to it.  I never saw Mrs. S peeking around the curtain watching me.  Years later she laughingly reminisced of catching me and delighting in watching my siblings and I steal her fruit.  Years later I fell in love and he and I walked the streets of town and went to the neighborhood parks to kiss under the maples and oaks.  We kissed under the trees  the buds of the flowering crabs in the Spring, trees green in the Summer, and later under the reds of Fall.  So when we married, of course, it was an  October  day  with autumn in full beauty.  Orange and red were not colors acceptable for my wedding so I chose peaches and cream for the roses that were so beautiful in the Fall.  Our day was not the normal weather of  the season.  We had sun, rain, wind, sleet and snow on our day.  Some told us it was an omen of happiness to come saying we could weather any storm.  We honeymooned seeing the colors of the season in Wisconsin.  We kissed under the same reds, golds and yellows again  that year and  for 39 years. I watched my husband and my blond haired  granddaughter rake the golden leaves in the front yard from my living room window as they frolicked jumping in those beautiful leaves. My love of leaves has come full circle.  I do so love Fall and its fluttering leaves reminding me of the cycle of life.                

Gifts of love

Love...remember how you felt when you first fell in love?  I fell in and out of love in high school and eventually married my high school sweetheart several years later.  I remember the trip to the fair where my love gift was earned at the shooting range booth.  I remember the French valentine attached to my locker at school.  He was so proud of his being able to write Amour on it.  The gifts have changed over the years and so did the celebration.  I remember the romantic meals on the set up card table in the living room with fancy glass candlesticks and burnt food.  One year I got my Fontanni nativity set on the seat of the car after he  faked a sprained ankle and sent me out to retrieve something on the seat.  The homemade chocolate cake he made and put on a cut-glass plate that was more crumbs than cake.  As the years went on the creativity changed but the gift was never forgotten.  It could be jewelry, a pretty vase, a piece for my collection or a bouquet of flowers.  Many times I told him,  "just bring me one rose,  you   don't have to buy a whole bouquet" but he always said  " You are worth more than that, honey".  My favorites  are the homemade cards he  made when we were too broke to buy anything.   Such wonderful days and how wonderful to be loved. The lesson learned for me is the gift doesn't have to be from Kay's Jewelers, or from the florist it can be something small or tenderly written because it is about the action rather than the amount spent.  Happy Valentine's Day, honey.

My take on "When old becomes new again"

     Goodbye 2012......

Loving collectibles and antiques as I do I was interested in the end of year numbers for what has sold on the collectible site Tias.  As anyone who sells on line  "old junk" we all try and pay attention to what has "returned" and what is not "in" anymore.

Looking at 2012 from a sellers point  of view I saw jewelry as the big seller. When I looked at the "What was selling" area of  Ruby Lane, ebay and Tias I  found that fact frustrating as I do not sell much of the items. All year I have found the numbers  climb weekly. I also find it alarming that the cost of gold has made the allure of money and the economics of the time  more important than holding on to beautiful pieces that were placed on a lapel or a ring by our ancestors who cherished them.  What does that say about the attitude of the young about "old" in any category including people?   Those beauties of stones and gold are now gone forever I am sad to say. The reality is the stories are gone as well of family and how they were obtained.

I love pottery and not just one kind but many types and price brackets.  I cannot pass up a figurine with wonderful details and delicacy.  Just head to a dollar store or a huge merchandise store to see the lack of workmanship our young people are buying.  It lacks detail, quality and even weight.  Sadly each one is the same and  mass produced as well. The quality is just a sad reflection of the fact that buying a piece of technology is far more impressive to young people these days then finding a piece of our past made by a crafters hands. The beauty of a planter is definitely a plus when you are talking pottery.  Yes, there are some beautiful pieces of planters now but isn't it interesting that at my garage sale every year that is one of the items most asked for.  Maybe people realize the sturdy durability of the old pieces Grandma used.  In looking at my own selling numbers sales have definitely been slower of those pieces on line this year but they have been consistent.

I am in heaven when I get the chance to look at old toys and games.  I am definitely hung up on the memories they bring  I guess.  Interestingly this year I have sold quite a few.  I believe there is a renewal of the" old" slowly trickling into the market.  My thought is that some parents are seeing the unwanted influence of technology and are looking for a way to bring  family time back  into their life. "Game nights" and the resurgence of the remake of old standby games prove that in the trendy specialty stores.   Even though the WII has become a family favorite I believe there is also a sense of some wanting the next generation to learn how to do fun without the modern conveniences and in a simple way.  From my view my granddaughter was totally enthralled with a game of jacks on the front sidewalk and we played for a good hour.  I think that says it all.

Lastly, is the trend of vintage clothing.  Now there is where you see quality.  Goodness knows, we all complain about the quality of the mass produced new these days.  Hollywood has helped this trend upsurge, I believe.  Economics has helped as well.  People are now not as able to afford the price of the fashionable new and fashion has, as it always does, taken from the past so that has definitely helped vintage clothing sellers.  I am afraid the real reality is as the population increases in size the ability to wear the clothing of the past will become less marketable. Tiny waists and small sizes were the trend years ago.   So if we want sales we need to promote the diet and exercise push now in our market not only for sales but also for better health. 

So that is my take on the end of year evaluation.  It is not worth much I am afraid and is not done with the economics of numbers as math is not my God given talent.  It is just one lonely seller with a keyboard and an opinion. 

Check out my "The Vintage Village" blog for my page to see the numbers and what was in and what was out.