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Archive for nostalgia

keep . Salem School Chalkboard

If you’ve spent much time browsing the Field Guide, you know that I’m usually inspired by a love of old things, especially if those things add a depth of meaning to my own memories and experiences. Through a little foraging and pandemic-motivated restoration, a new “old thing” is gracing the walls of our entryway as we come and go. It’s giving a fun, old school vibe to our virtual learning efforts, and surrounded by vintage jack-o-lanterns, it’s bringing a finished touch to this much-used space. Today, I wanted to share a little more about this pandemic project!

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collect . Little Golden Books

“There once was a very unusual school
that had for its teacher Miss Tillie O’Toole.
She taught all her lessons in riddles and rhyme,
and those who learned quickest were given a dime…
I’m sure there was never a happier school
Than the one that was taught by Miss Tillie O’Toole.”

A new school year started last week for my family, and every year, I get a little nostalgic as we begin preparing for a new year. I invariably start reminiscing about days when my kiddos were young enough to want me to walk them into school on the first day, and the children invariably roll their eyes. Still, I see the glimmer and the subtle grins, and I answer the questions when they ask me to tell them more. Sometimes, we can’t help but be curious about our own little histories, especially as we’re moving breakneck toward the next stages of our lives. Today, I thought I would share one of our collections that brings both me and my children fond and special memories… Little Golden Books.

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maker’s dozen . Valentine’s Day Love

Kisses, flowers, hearts, glittery promises, and more! Happy Valentine’s Day from the Pond! I decided V-Day would be a good time to launch a new idea I’ve been noodling on for the Frog Kisser blog. I love surrounding myself with a weird collection of studio vernacular. It’s not so much clutter as an ever-changing hoard of inspiration gleaned from colorful objects, found items, and a trove a vintage papers, magazines and ephemera I tend to collect. I just love the quirky items I happen upon as I look through filing cabinets and cardboard drawers and storage bottles. I think about the stories behind these items, the times they represent, and what kind of new creation I might be able to make with them.

As I set about or store away all these slips of paper and artifacts, in my mind, I’m usually trying to categorize them in some way. I guess there’s an amateur archivist lurking around inside me. That’s where today’s post comes in. I’ve been toying with a new series or “column” called Maker’s Dozen, where I could curate a “baker’s dozen” of studio paraphernalia into a themed collection. Just an image of curiosities and random objects, pulled together for a closer look. Perhaps, in giving these items center stage, I’ll find some new inspiration for artwork or handmade pieces to share and sell in the shop. And, maybe you’ll be inspired too!

Today seemed like a good day to begin, so I’ve shared my Maker’s Dozen inspired by LOVE. I hope you enjoy a glimpse at the objects. It includes an artisan-made princess finger puppet, a Game of Life promissory note, lips band-aids, and a few other oddities. You might like this one in particular… the Everlasting Kiss Card, produced by the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago in 1942 — as best I can tell. This one is the height of do-it-yourself Valentines with a place to put an imprint of your lips (no doubt in ruby-red lipstick) and check the boxes to match the fervor of your love!

If you’re looking for love notes of the more traditional kind, I spent my sketch journaling time this morning lettering one of  my favorite verses from 1 Corinthians 13. You can see the process in my Facebook Live video below!

collect . My Childhood Christmas in Vinyl

I don’t remember us having a record player at our house until I got the little green and blue kids version from Santa one year. He brought my eight-track cassette player with the removable speakers too, and my first stereo. The turntable took a back seat to the double cassette deck in that one. But as far as vinyl goes, Christmas music was synonymous with the big white record player at Grandmother’s house – and the small collection of classic Christmas albums we kept there. I can clearly remember lifting the cover of the record player, choosing the speed, moving the arm, and hearing the scratch of the needle, an experience practically lost to my children and their digital world. I’m slowly trying to pique their interest these days with our little orange Crosby.

We’ve been at Mom’s this week, making merry with an updated set of traditions. But, yesterday I pulled out the records from Grandmother’s and found so many of my favorite songs and memories staring back at me. In fact, some of my first memories of music center around this collection of Christmas records. Each year growing up, we spent about two weeks at Grandmother’s house on the farm, and the records served as the background score for a lot of holiday traditions and fun. They are an odd mix of unnamed choral singers, big band crooners, and old school country – with a little pop and folk thrown in, courtesy of Aunt Betty. Most are classics now. Some were already classics in the second release versions we had. And not only the music. The album covers! Like favorite book illustrations, they instantly send me back to childhood Christmases.

The Little Drummer Boy (late 60s?) and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1962) compilations — those illustrations! I don’t know the singers, but I’m pretty sure this is where I learned most of the Christmas carols I know.

No Christmas is complete without Elvis’ Christmas Album (1970 re-release of 1957 classic) and the classics, “Blue Christmas” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” in his one and only style. I think everyone in the family took a turn as background singer on this album each holiday season. I’m betting this album is also why I know my mom saw Elvis at the Tupelo Fair before he reached iconic status. Stories just seem to abound around old Christmas albums.

I attribute a lot of my love of show tunes, crooners and the big band sound to Saturday evenings at Grandmother’s watching “The Lawrence Welk Show” on E-TV… and to The Dean Martin Christmas Album (1966). For sure, it’s the reason why I sing ” Marshmallow World” every time we make hot chocolate! My grandmother loved the Perry Como (1961 reissue) and Bing Crosby (1973 reissue) albums, with their rich voices. My favorites were “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S” and Bing’s iconic rendition of “Adeste Fidelis”.

My Aunt Betty loved records. She always brought new ones home. The old John Denver and Olivia Newton John LPs she handed down to me where my favorite childhood songs. I have most of her records now, but her love of classic country music didn’t really stick. I’m sure she’s responsible for the country and folk albums that were part of our Christmas collection… Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas (1971), Glen Campbell’s That Christmas Feeling (1968), Christmas in My Hometown (1970) from Mississippi-native, Charley Pride, and Emmylou Harris’ beautiful Light of the Stable (1979). I love Tennessee Ernie’s version of the Negro Spiritual, “Children Go Where I Send Thee”, along with Charley Pride’s “They Stood in Silent Prayer” and Glen Campbell’s cover of Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper”. I also remember thinking as a little girl how cool The Partridge Family Christmas Card (1971) was, since it was so obviously a younger sound. I felt like I was a girl in the know listening to it — even though it was really before my time!

Memories, memories! When I look through the issue dates on all these records, I realize what classics many of them already were before I ever heard them in my 70s childhood. I realize it every time one pops in my head in response to some family activity. It’s fun to think about what the sounds added to how we celebrated Christmas. I’m already humming them again!

go . Sugarplums from The Peanut Shoppe

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The holiday season isn’t complete without a few visions of sugarplums, right? It was drizzling on our last morning in Memphis during the recent Nutcracker trip, but we didn’t let that stop us from ducking into what’s become one of our favorite candy, nut and snack-attack spots! The Peanut Shoppe on Main Street — under the big “Peanuts” sign — has been around since 1949 when it was an official “Planters Peanuts” store. Mr. Peanut still graces the sidewalk sign out front and sits atop the 1929 antique peanut roaster, but the owner for nearly the last 25 years, we learned, has been Mr. Ridda and his wife. That’s his first name, and when he introduced himself, he explained it was pronounced, “Ree – DAH.” I was so thankful for the time Mr. Ridda gave us that morning and the wonderful Memphis experience he shared with us.

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The shop is only the width of one long aisle next to a series of display cases filled with nuts and candies, and what seems like barely enough room for popcorn makers and the nut roaster. The walls are filled with old photos, posters from various Memphis events, “Go Tigers” memorabilia and tins. You would think that a tiny spot like this would be more conducive to a quick pop in and out, but it usually seems like folks want to linger.  We did!  I guess it’s the warm smell of roasting peanuts and buttered popcorn, or maybe the wonder of so many spice-sprinkled or chocolate swirled nuts and shiny, sugary candy varieties.

Mr. Ridda was engaged with another family when we came in, which gave us a little time to narrow down some of our candy favorites (ha! narrow down was a bit unrealistic). When they left, he turned his attention to us. He learned each of the children’s names and promised to get their help with some roasting before we left. Our first selections were buttered and cheddar popcorn, so he demonstrated how to work the popcorn maker and showed us how he dripped the butter in. While that finished up, he showed us the antique roaster.

Mr. Ridda brought out a tall narrow black metal bucket filled to the top with peanuts in their shells. He let each of the kids grab a handful and then opened the peanut hatch on the front of the roaster and poured the rest of the bucket in. When he closed the hatch again, he showed us a small circle opening where he let each of the kids drop their peanuts in one at a time. We left them to roast, and he told us we had helped him make the peanuts that another customer later that day would enjoy! Mr. Ridda’s reward for peanut roasting… suckers for each, of course! We went on to finish out our selections, and Mr. Ridda — who I think will now forever be known as the Peanut Man in our family — made us promise not to eat any of the treats until after breakfast.

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We left The Peanut Shoppe with a near ridiculous variety of popcorn, nuts and candy, candy, candy. Our purchases? A bag of buttered popcorn, boxes of cheesy popcorn, ring pops, and carefully measured pouches of gummy bears, sugared fruit slices, jelly beans, yogurt covered pretzels, cinnamon pecans, sugared pecans, spicy pecans, and of course, peanuts! And, we left feeling that a unique part of historic downtown Memphis had become our very own! Sorry, Mr. Ridda… we didn’t keep our promise. We sampled some of these “sugarplums” right away!

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