Mooney Warther-Worlds Master Carver

I have couple memories about Mooney Warther.  In the 1950's I visited his workshop twice.  Once with my Brownie troop and once with classmates on a field trip.  The first visit with the Brownies was by far most impressionable.  We stood in his workshop and listened to a rather well rehearsed story, I'm sure told by him thousands of time by now, about his life and carvings.  He spoke very loudly, too loud really for such a small close group, but it kept our attention.  I can still hear it easily in my head.  His voice was kind of high, tenor.  He told about the steel mill he'd carved, and about the Lincoln train which carried Lincolns body after the assassination.  I loved Abraham Lincoln and felt sorry as I looked inside that train car and saw his body laying in it.    Another thing he told was about the elephant ivory.  There was a large tusk sawn in half lengthwise, and hung on the wall with the inside facing outward.  Running down the center of the tusk was a rather thick brown streak, all the way from the tip to the end where it had been cut off.  Mooney told us the elephant had a cavity, like a cavity we get in our own teeth.  He said when the cavity reached the root, the elephant would go mad and run through villages, the pain almost too much to bear.   I felt so bad for that elephant. 

He carved each of us a pair of pliers.  I actually watched him carve mine, then he handed them to me.  They were lovely, and I treasured that gift.  I played with them too much and tried to "use" them to pinch something and a handle broke!  I was upset with myself. 

About 10 years ago, I saw pieces of uncarved elephant ivory from the Dover, OH auctioned on eBay.  There was a lot of it and I regret not bidding on a piece or two.  I can't remember now if it said it was Warther's, but I think it did.  Now it is illegal to sell ivory in the USA.

 http://www.warthers.com/Ernest_Warther.htm

Another story Dad told-almost forgotten!

I was just reading a book review for a book by Cormac McCarthy about a person who, (turn of 20th century) takes off across the US on a quest to find her daughter. That sounds like a book I might read, and it reminded me of a story Dad told only a few times. I remember questioning him about it once wanting more details. It was the 1930's and he and a couple friends were allowed to take a vehicle and go on an adventure. He was a young teenager, and absolutely unbelievably to me, they were allowed to do this.

My dad was allowed to drive when he was 13 or 14, probably about the time his feet reached the pedals. According to him, he didn't have to get a license, and there was no age limit in 1933. Now it could be that his parents were unaware, or uninformed re: laws, but he started driving back then. My grandpa owned a model T.; it had to be cranked to start it. In fact, once on a bitter cold day that frozen crank wouldn't turn, so they tied a rope from their plow horse to the crank and had the horse walk away from the car to to force the crank to break the ice bond loose. It did more than that, he said the horse tipped the whole car over on its' side (heh, heh, I love these old stories).

Anyway, back to his big trip, he said they just drove from town to town and explored. Of course they didn't have any money to speak of, and he said they found odd jobs to earn enough to keep going. He said one place they dug some ditches. To me that sounds like they were gone more than a few days. I don't know, but I suppose they slept in or around their car. They spent the night in one town, wish I knew the name, and on that night there was a murder. Since these kids were the only strangers in the town they were rounded up and questioned. He said they were put in a jail for a short while. Somehow they got out of that predicament; his words: "they believed us, I guess".

When I later questioned him, he said they were supposed to drive to my Aunt Leah's in Salem, OH. I really suspect that was the story they told Grandma, and that they really just wanted an adventure, with some eventual lavishing upon by my great aunt when they finally arrived there. I remember her as a sweet lady. Like that side of the family she was very tall, probably almost six feet tall.

So, that's the little story he told, and how I wish, like so many other moments, I'd have found out more.

1st Robins of Spring-3/7/10

This siting made my day. I make a little game every February, trying to spot a Robin, but this year, since all the snow and ice, we still have a sea of white in our yard. I've worried because I know they want to come back to Ohio, but there isn't much to eat; they are bug, berry and worm eaters, not seed eaters, and there's nothing for them to eat yet, at least not in my yard.

But with temperatures in the 40's last week and lots of sun, there is finally the sound of water trickling everywhere with plenty of melting. I spotted two Robins in the field on Bluebell Drive as I headed to Walmart at 4:30 this afternoon.

I celebrated by buying packets of flower and vegetable seeds and looking at lawn furniture while in the store.

I just read that Robins are one of the first birds to sing in the spring, so I looked up a source to hear their song. I'm sure I've heard that in the last few days. You'll recognize it too:

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sounds/RobinSong_LangElliott.mp3

Pickled Pigs Feet

Mom reminisced often about how much she loved pickled pigs feet as a child. She said she gnawed at them and they lasted a long time. Oddly, as good as she made them sound, I don't remember them ever being in our home, or watching her eat one. I kept waiting, I wanted to experience the taste. I've never had the nerve to buy them on my own.

Honeybees

I spent a lovely afternoon at Lowes this past Friday. My list was short:
wood-
frame
bed
toluene

I got sidetracked in flooring, ceramic tile, sweepers, doors, etc. I also love paint departments and all those free color chips. Sometimes I stand and flip through the giant hanging rugs, but skipped it this time. Anyway, I saw what I wanted to see and saved the plant department for last. I looked at what was left of their trees. Then came the perennials, and what made me stop cold was a huge table full of a variety of Salvia with tall purple flowering spears. There were hundreds of honeybees on them. There were so many there was a low drone of buzzing. I did not see bees on any other plants. But they were sure loving that Salvia.

Just this year I've seen a couple on clover in our yard and was pretty excited, since I'd thought they were about gone in the area. Maybe they weren't the same type of bee from years ago, but they looked the same. I hope the bees are coming back.

D-Clutter

I've been watching HGTV this week, while painting our bedroom. This painting job has been postponed because I couldn't face moving 4 dressers, a king size bed, and emptying corners and closet. I left the TV on as I worked, and watched HGTV, mostly those shows with decorators "staging" houses so they would sell quicker. So I get their message, they think clutter is bad. The bedroom was a living example of clutter, and I have to admit my magpie personality-verging on hoarder, sometimes gets the best of me. Now it feels nice walking into my Sand Yellow bedroom, so clean, calm, almost empty. New carpet in place. I'll not be taking a lot of the stuff back in there (she said bravely), so it will stay nice looking (uncluttered) for awhile.

I'm sitting at my desk looking at all my personal items that have turned into clutter. Each item here is needed almost every day, or is so precious to me, that I won't de-clutter this area to any significant degree. Top shelf are family antiques and gifts from students, and friends. There is a story for each item. A picture of Johnny Depp taped to the wall was from a student. An Obama sticker. The top shelf has some antiques from Mom and a picture of my dad holding Brian. I love that shelf. 2nd shelf, more of the same plus some practical items I use frequently. Stapler, reference books. Well, I could put the "Yoga 101 Workout for Beginners" DVD away. I bought it before Christmas and haven't even watched it yet.

Desk area: My favorite place in the house. A little TV sits to the left of my monitor. There's usually a little bowl of kitty food for Danny to eat when she comes to visit me. My vitamins and calcium plus D are beside the TV so I'll remember to take them sometimes. A bottle of Gold Bond lotion, dental floss, TV remote. Personal mail and Things That Need Taken Care Of sit there too.

To my right is a swivel magnifying lamp. I've found if I keep it on, for some reason the glare of the monitor doesn't tire my eyes so quickly. Beside the light I stuck a little clip on fan which goes on if I have a hot flash. There's a jewelers loupe 'cause my eyes are weak, tweezers, nail clippers, a comb for my cats and dog.

But back to the bedroom. I papered the ceiling, the hall and down the stairway. It is an embossed design made to look like a tin ceiling. I think it's kind of tacky but it covered a world of woes up there. The paint is on, a coat of primer and two coats of "one coat" paint. http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Match-of-Walmart-93212-Yellow-Sand-p/mpc0085145.htm

Soon a new bed will be delivered, which I'm kind of nervous about. After reading all the reviews on the internet I'm not sure there is a decent durable mattress made anymore. I have laid on mattresses all over town, with strange men watching and inviting me to lay on my side and stomach, wiggle around and take my time. I didn't like that experience at all. At Andres Furniture I laid on a bed that cost $5999.99! If you are ever there I highly recommend trying it out. So, the bedroom is about finished. Maybe I'll post a picture after the bed arrives, and before the clutter sneaks back in. Guaranteed, this house will never be ready for HGTV, and that was never my goal. I just really love fresh paint.

Sherry's Garden

This was the 3th time I'd attempted to visit a new friend's garden. We became acquaintances a couple years ago and from time to time Sherry would invite me to see what she'd done at her house. I like her a lot. She is very humble, but every once in awhile she says something that makes me think this is a person worth knowing. Like mentioning off-hand "I have a lot of friends who are artists". Or, "I just finished enclosing my porch room, and I love the floor we chose". And mentioning that she's related to my speech professor from college, whom I liked very much. That she went to Italy and washed her clothes in the hotel room and hung them out the window to dry. I just plain like her.

So this morning I went to visit her garden. I took my camera because she told me about an intriguing Clematis vine that has bell-shaped blue blooms. As I walked through her house to the back, I saw she did have a lot of artist friends. The walls were covered with work. Important looking pottery and glass caught my eye. Creative touches everywhere inspired me, or to be more accurate, made me wish I tried harder in my own house.

I was at a loss for words when I walked on to her patio. I was still speechless for words though I was Oooing and Ahhhing when she handed me a generous cup of espresso. The first sip was a jolt as I hadn't expected espresso, and it was delicious.

She has raised flower beds throughout her yard, and their borders undulate in and out past the bricked patio. It is cool and lush. Roses, Lavender, Clematis, Lilac, Azalea, Hydrangea, Rhododendron, Columbine, varieties of fern, mature Wisteria, blue and white Spider Wort are the names I can think of, but there was much more. She also has a huge freeform iron sculpture, and tall cast planters holding pink daisies from South Africa. There is no direction to look that something is not growing.

Toward the back of the yard her husband and daughter were working in a nice size vegetable garden. They have a large drum composter behind their garage, and beside it, a 50 gallon? rain water collector they just installed. That really intrigued me. It is half full already, and comes with a spigot attached. They say rain water is the best for your plants; I think it's a good investment.

There are benches and garden chairs positioned here and there. Interesting art pieces, statues, and sculptures, and Green man faces added points of focus. I took two pictures and wouldn't you know it, my camera said 'battery exhausted'. Sherry said she'd let me know when her Wisteria blooms. I've not seen any since I was 12, so I look forward to that and I'd also like a better look at the art in her house, too.

Granddaddy Gallops

Since Mom was raised in Birmingham AL, but moved to Ohio when she married Dad, I never got to know her father very well. I was thinking about that and decided to write down what I know/remember about him. His name was John Fayette Gallops and he came from Georgia. (One of his brothers was named Grady.) He was very tall and had a lot of hair. We called him Granddaddy.

He worked on the Panama Canal before he married. Then he worked for the railroad running from Birmingham to Atlanta. Actually, he worked for a company, my mom once explained, that wanted him to oversee cargo that was being hauled on that train. Once he had a dog in his car. She said it was overcome by the heat and he worked and worked to come up with ways to save it, but it died. She said he felt terrible about that for a long time.

My dad said that when Mom took him to meet her parents, he overheard Granddaddy complain that he couldn't understand a thing that Yankee said.

Mom took me on a train to visit her parents when I was maybe 3 or 4? I remember a few things about that trip. I remember a black man wearing a hat with gold decorations on it walking down the aisle and giving me an egg salad sandwich wrapped in wax paper. He later turned our seats into a berth and Mom and I slept together in it with a curtain pulled across the opening.

Next I remember walking down a street (which was Alemeda Ave) and a thin little woman with black/gray hair in a bun and dark circles under her eyes, running towards us with her arms out, making a noise like she'd been hurt. It startled the shit out of me. My mom started to cry and I thought she was afraid. I also thought that it was a witch coming at us, so I cried too, but it turned out she was my grandmother. My mother called her "Mama".

When we went into their house, Granddaddy told me he had something to show me. He led me into the corner of their kitchen. There was a dead mouse in his mouse trap. He seemed pretty happy about that, but I'd never seen such a thing and felt sorry for the mouse.

I remember he held my hand and took me for a walk on a beautiful night. Mom dressed me in a pretty dress and shoes for that trip, with a tiny purse to carry. I think we road a bus too. He took me downtown and we stopped at what I thought was a theater and he bought me a paper cup of lemonade. He also stopped somewhere and let me select a toy but I don't remember what it was. I ate watermelon at their house and Granddaddy told me if I swallowed a seed I'd grow a watermelon in my belly. Oddly, I don't remember one thing about Grandmother after the "witch" incident, just a feeling that she was a kind woman.

Granddaddy came to visit us only once when I was pretty young. The biggest thing I remember about that is he left a red pill on the upstairs bathroom sink. I found it and thought it was an M&M and started chewing it. It was a bitter pill and made me vomit. He sent me a present for my high school graduation, a long strand of faux pearls.

Mom told me he was a member of the Presbyterian Church and (their) Ku Klux Klan. She said he had a white robe and hood in his closet.

He died in the early 70's; Mom, Dad and I drove to Birmingham to his funeral. Grandmother had been dead for a long time and he had remarried a woman named Minnie. Minnie buried Granddaddy in a grave where she too would be buried in the future. Mom discovered that when we were walking to the graveside. She started to cry because she had assumed/wanted her parents to be buried together. I, in my smart-aleck youth, stomped over to Minnie and her entourage to demand why the hell wasn't my granddaddy being buried with my grandmother? Mom was appalled with my behavior, but I never regretted it.

Also, after the service I took a couple flowers from an arrangement at the grave. Minnie squeaked "you're not taking flowers from the grave are you?" and to her entourage "I never saw such a thing!" I wasn't well versed on funeral etiquette, but saw nothing wrong with this. People looked shocked and I embarrassed myself, but I wouldn't back down to her and selected another. I never regretted that either.

Canoe, beaver, geese, cell phone

My son went on a little canoe trip last night. Temperature in the low 80's on a balmy evening. He was with his buddy, and they started out below Dover Dam, and stopped 2 1/2 hours later at the Wooster Ave. bridge in Dover. He said the river was low and quiet. They saw a beaver swimming and said his head was so big, he bet the beaver was as big as his dog, who weighs 60 pounds. He said they then came upon a large flock of geese, and he couldn't guess how many hundred baby geese. He said the parents raised their wings, honked, hissed and stuck their tongues out at them as they went by. Actually, there were so many he didn't know how the parents knew which were theirs. I wish I could have been there.

It sounded like a really nice evening, but as they got about 20 yards from their stopping place, he made a dumb move, and tipped into the river. He said the water felt delicious, so cool and refreshing. But he had to move fast because he had his cell phone with him. It got wet and wouldn't work. Oh, and he also lost his sunglasses.

So today, he was really upset with himself for letting that happen, and was trying to dry it out in the sun under the windshield of his vehicle. After about 3 hours in the sun, it still had condensation under the screen. So he left it sit there another 3 hours. By then the water was gone, he tested it and it started up. He didn't loose a bit of data, and knows how lucky he is on that one.

I still can't stop thinking about those baby geese.

Mom's Paring Knife

My mom used to regularly say "I couldn't live without my sharp knife". She had a little paring knife with a dark gray blade and an oval wood handle. It was almost as sharp as a razor and never needed sharpening. All my life I watched as she peeled vegetables and fruit, an expert at it. Her peelings were so thin you could almost see through them. She could peel a pound of potatoes in minutes, flicking the eyes out with a quick twist. Or an apple in a minute. She would share slices of whatever she sliced and that's how I came to know how good raw cabbage, rutabaga, and celery hearts are.

She didn't really want anyone else to use it. It was so sharp it was almost scary, and I'm sure she was afraid we'd mistreat it at some point (kind of like the time my son used my sewing shears to cut a wire, they were never the same after that). I could never attain her skill with a knife. Mine was nowhere as sharp as hers. I wanted that knife someday, but it disappeared after she got dementia.

I bought a similar one on eBay, finally, after months of searching and researching. Seems others know their value, because I bid against 7 others to get it. Turns out it was a carbon steel blade and I believe that is the secret. It will bloom with rust if not dried after use, but is always very sharp. I keep mine on my windowsill over the sink, because I want to know where it is all the time.