MY TOP TEN COLLECTIONS

Evan sent a tag around earlier and this really doesn’t have anything to do with that, but I’ve been wanting to blog for a while, and not wanting to start with a rant, I thought I would share my top ten collections.
Evan and I are both pack rats, so this undoubtedly does not cover all our collections. But perhaps it gives some insight into who I am and who we are since Evan lets me continue to collect these things.
These are in no particular order, but enjoy!

Skulls. At one time this complemented by 4-H projects of bugs and rocks. I no longer have those assemblies, but I have saved my skulls for posterity. The first skull I found myself underneath the pussy willow tree and the big picture window at my childhood home. I had probably been performing autopsies on local tadpoles with my trusty rusty play saw (ah, those were the days . . . ), when I moved on to archeology. I now have a full bird skeleton, a couple mice, a really cool beaver, squirrel, and a couple more dogs. I did have a deer at one time, but it’s not in there any more?

Tomie de Paola books. Evan could probably tell you when we first found out about his books; I don’t remember. I believe the first one we got was about Saint Benedict and Scholastica. Absolutely beautiful, but very innocent, pictures. From there, at Half-Price Books I found a compilation of Bible stories written and illustrated that he had signed. That was kind of cool, even if it’s not worth anything. I’ve also acquired some of the Strega Nona series, one about pancakes, and of course, Clown of God.

Magazines. I’m an addicted magazinoholic anyway, but I’m usually cutting them up or ripping them apart. The three that I SAVE are Martha Stewart, Victoria, Mary Engelbrite. I have had to whittle my stash down as we’ve moved around the country because they’re such a doggone pain to lug around, but these are several I can’t part with – mainly Christmas, fall, and certain spring ones that talk about either lavender, lilacs or eating things out of the woods.

Black Amethyst Depression glass. This collection began when E and I picked out our wedding china. Actually it began before that when Evelyn Ross bought us a china service for our wedding that was rimmed with black and silver. We picked out Wedgewood Fleur Damask, which happened to be discontinued 6 months after we got married to match that. In the process I found this depression glass that was fairly unique, but worked beautifully with the china. I’ve bought odd pieces here and there, in antique stores, ebay, etc., but I never really pay that much for it. The stuff I like has inlaid silver designs, and those aren’t too common.

Medicine bottles. Another archeological find but this time in the woods. Since my mom and dad’s property has been inhabited for more than 100 years, there are junk piles in strange places. There’s also a rumor that gold is hidden somewhere, but Dad has borrowed my cousin Steve’s metal detector and not found more than some pennies. However, at some point, I was messing around out there and dug up some old medicine bottles – electric bitters, sarsaparilla, etc. Every time I go home in the spring, when the weedy undergrowth is down, I go out and dig some more. Last year, I found two bottles from local Havana pharmacies. Right now they are waiting for display on my porch.

Passion music. After following the church year at St. Paul’s and developing a rule of life, I began looking for music to listen to during Lent. I did a paper at seminary comparing the passion narratives of Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion and Handel’s Messiah. I found a couple recordings of those, but have also gotten St. John’s (Bach) and St. Matthew’s (Golijov). Try listening to the Messiah during Lent sometime. As Evan and I are desperate to recommit our time to Christ’s calendar, I’m hoping to get Mozart’s classic Requiem for this coming Lent.

Vintage Christmas junk. I’m really not crazy about the commercialism that is Christmas, but I just can’t help myself when it comes to amassing piles of scratched up Shiny Brites and Twirling Santas. It’s always going to be better than Halloween. I actually shed a whole tub of Christmas crap before we moved from Guymon, but I couldn’t part with the vintagy-est stuff. I remember I found a whole bag of Santa’s at a thrift store in KC for less than $12. Then I bought a whole stack of ornaments in a now-closed antique store in Havana. Somewhere I also found a ziplock of plastic reindeer. I actually got back into it just recently when I discovered the thrift stores of Dayton. I had been living too far south, too close to Centerville and Oakwood to know. I’ve already procured a paper honeycomb Santa, 2-3 boxes of shiny brites, a big ceramic Christmas tree, and an old plastic light up snowman.

Newest collection – Salem Christmas Eve dishes. This leads me to my newest collection, still in the Christmas category. I happened across these at the St. Francis Thrift Store on Wilmington Pike. They’re the coolest shapes and they have these little retro images sprinkled all over them. The two larger bowls were $3, the smaller $2. I got on ebay to see what else I could find, and ended up purchasing 6 hot chocolate mugs in the same design. All I can say is: I paid more than $2 a piece for them (from Paypal, Evan.) That’s all I could find so far, but I’m looking forward to hunting more down.

Old Religious Ephemera. Evan and I have both taken this on. Evan moves more towards icons Eastern and Western. I tend to find old OLD Catholic stuff and other visually interesting items. We both like pictures or icons of Jesus when we can find them. We’ve found things at estate sales, thrift stores, monasteries. Evan has moved these images to his office (since he has one). I have a poster of old Sunday School story cards hanging over my computer desk. I found an old first Communion certificate in a Jacksonville, Illinois antique mall from 1895. It’s beautiful, with gold leaf and script. It seems Providential that I should have found it.

Unfinished travel scrapbooks. Finally, there are my bags and bags of partially completed travel scrapbooks. I have one from high school and my trip to Clinton’s inauguration that I’ve been hoping to redo since I returned. That was over 15 years ago! Also, the Orpheus Israel tour, Scotland to see Angie in 1994, St. John’s monastery, and most recently Italy. I’m sure there’s others. I just brought the album from our DC trip in May upstairs. It’s not done either, but I’m tired of it. These things are meant to be shared and looked through on solitary occasions. They almost have more character and interest with things hanging out and little notes stashed away than they would perfectly arranged and positioned.
So there they are. My top ten collections. I’m sure there are others considering how long it takes us to pack and move. I hope you’ve gotten to know me a little better.