The Sugar Plum Tree

The Sugar Plum Tree

Eugene Field

Have you ever heard of the Sugar Plum Tree?
'Tis a marvel of great renown!
It blooms on the banks of the banks of the
Lollipop Sea
in the garden of Shut Eye Town;
The fruit that it bears is so wonderously sweet
(as those who have tasted it say)
That good little children have only to eat
of that fruit to be happy next day.

When you've got to the tree
you would have a hard time to
capture the fruit which I sing;
The tree is so tall that no person could
climb
To the boughs where the Sugar Plums swing!

But up in that tree sits a Chocolate Cat
and a Gingerbread dog prowls below,
and this is the way you contrive to get at
those Sugar Plums tempting you so!

You say but the word to that Gingerbread Dog
and he barks with such terrible zest;
that the Chocolate Cat is at once all agog,
as her swelling proportions attest.
And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around
from this leafy limb unto that,
and the Sugar Plums tumble, of course, to the
ground;
Hurrah for that Chocolate Cat!

There are Marshmallows, Gumdrops and Peppermint
Canes
with stripings of Scarlet or Gold,
And you carry away of the treasure that rains
as much as your apron can hold!
So come little child, cuddle closer to me
in your Bedtime Pajamas or Gown,
and I'll rock you away to that Sugar Plum Tree,
in the Garden of Shut-Eye Town.

More Stencils!

Another lip stencil photo.(see post 'Lips and Eyebrows') I would love for anyone to share these "Beauty Guides" type of photos if they happen to have or run into one. Eyebrow stenciling, Hairline shaping, Lip stenciling, eyelash application...of course, they should be vintage photos.

Mad Men Season 3, It's nearly here!!

Season 3 of MAD MEN is coming on Sunday. I can't wait to see where we find the cast this fall. I have been impatiently waiting for this moment. What is going to happen?

What of Don and Betty? What did she tell him at the kitchen table that night? "I'm Pregnant." Too easy. "I had an affair." Unheard of. "I wan't a divorce." I can't imagine that. I'm unsure exactly howthey're going to haul in the strings they left us dangling on at the end of last season.

What of Pete, alone in the office with his rifle? Surely he can't kill himself off! Whom else will I hate then? Wait a minute, I forgot...Duck is the new Ass in my book. If I remember right, I was left feeling a little sorry for Pete.

How is Peggy going to shake off this annoying Preist, Father Gill? It seems he is becoming a real thorn in her side. Her underhanded sister, Anita, seriously bugs me. No beating around the bush about the sibling rivalry here.

I want more of Joan. More, more, more. My absolute favorite scene of hers so far, and there are many, is when she shames and humiliates Paul Kinsey nearly to


death.

Joan: "Mr. Kinsey? Is something wrong?"

Paul: "I'm avoiding you, or haven't you noticed that after three days?"

Joan: "Are you worried about the typewriter? I'm not going to tell anyone, although
you were so brazen you don't deserve clemency."

Paul: "what'd you say to Sheila?"

Joan: "Who?"

Paul: "Sheila. My Girlfriend."

Joan: "Describe her to me."

Paul: "Very Funny."

Joan: "I know what's first on the list."

Paul: "Oh My God, I knew you were a lot of things..."

Joan: "I'm not a phoney."

Paul: "You're so proud."

Joan: "It's so obvious why you're seeing her. A supermarket checkout girl?
conversation must be stimulating. 'Lettuce costs a nickle.'"

Paul: "What a relief. You're just jealous."

Joan: "Because you're the one who got away? You, out there in your poor little
rich boy apartment in Newark or wherever, walkin' around
with your pipe and your beard, fallin' in love with that girl just to show
how interesting you are...Go ahead, what part is wrong?"


That was the BEST BURN of all time. You could actually feel paul seething!

Well, I'm looking forward to Sunday along with a slew of other Mad Men lovers. It's hard to keep something so darn perfect to yourself!

Song

When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.
I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.
- Christina Georgina Rossetti , 'Song', published 1862"

A Dirge

"Why were you born when the snow was falling?
You should have come to the cuckoo's calling
Or when grapes are green in the cluster,
Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster
For their far off flying
From summer dying.
Why did you die when the lambs were cropping?
You should have died at the apples' dropping,
When the grasshopper comes to trouble,
And the wheat-fields are sodden stubble,
And all winds go sighing
For sweet things dying."

Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894) , "A dirge"
photo "Untitled" Winogrand

Collections, collections, collections!!

I love collections. In fact, I could spend all day just admiring the collections of others. I especially love collections of the vintage type. Collections require so much effort, time and love that you can't help but stand in awe of some of them. I would absolutely love to see some of your collections out there and share them on this blog. Please share anything you have!

In an earlier post I said I would leave a link for a site I had visited where ULTRA COOL COLLECTIONS of vintage board games, etc. were shared. Here is the link:

http://www.4gamesgoneby.com/

While checking out some of these wonderful collections, I saw a board game that brought me back 35 years. I used to play it at my Aunt Doris's house when our families would gather to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. My Uncle Clarence would pull down the creaky attic steps and carefully make his way into the black hole above. My sister and I would wait, anticipating the treasure that only saw the light once a year. We watched the ceiling as items rumbled and slid around on the attic floor punctuated by thumps, curses and mumbling. Finally, Uncle Clarence's face would appear smiling down at us, a swinging, dusty light bulb illuminating his head from behind with a it's weak yellow-orange light. "Look out!!" he would shout and the cardboard box would tumble down the ladder steps to the floor. Nicole and I would tear open the box and carefully remove the treasures one by one. An old toy truck, red and made of rubber, a handful of weird shaped wooden blocks, a family of small dolls with eyes that moved in their heads and real eyelashes that blinked, and last but not least, the coolest board game ever, "ELOPING". (1946 Game Creations Inc. New York) In the 70's when we were little kids the board game was already old. Everything in the box was old. The toys had belonged to my Aunt Patty when she was a girl and now she was old too. To us kids, anyone over the age of 12 was a "big kid" and anyone out of high school or married was "Old". Aunt patty was probably 20 something at the time we played with her ancient toys. We played ELOPING most of the day until the all the festive sounds and wonderful smells culminated into the delicious holiday meal and it was time to eat. I've never seen ELOPING anywhere else since then until I ran into the above site. I would love to have a game of my own.

The Invisible Wall

It had been awhile since I'd read a good book. I mean a reeaally good book; one you can really sink your teeth into. The kind of book that when you get close to the end you tend to turn the pages much more slowly and begin to suffer an uncomfortable feeling of anxiety with each completed paragraph. It's going to end soon...then what am I gonna do? Inevitably, the story ends and you have to lay the book down. Damn. When I found "The Invisible Wall" by Harry Bernstein, I was immidiately taken in by the fact that mr. Bernstein was old. I don't mean just a little old...big time old! Mr. Bernstein published his first book at 96 years of age. I had to buy it. I even put back a couple of items in my grocery cart at Target in order to make the purchase. I know a twelve dollar paper back isn't a whole heck of a lot of money but times are tight dammit.

Anyhow, this is a wonderful book. I immidiately put it in one of my favorites sections, which consists of towering, dusty heaps of books that teeter precariously wherever they stand...the fireplace hearth, my bedside table, great vintage tv trays, etcetera. Then I began to worry...according to the prologue there would be a follow up and even a third book! Could that really happen?! I HAD to have the second book for sure, "The Dream". .
If Mr. Bernstein was 96 when he wrote "The Invisible Wall", he could very likely fall ill or become too weak to complete "The Dream". This couldn't happen. I had to have the second book. I began my search quickly. I wasn't even going to consider the possiblity of a third book right now. I searched Target again. I was sure it would be there. The invisible wall was chosen as a Target Book club pick. Surely they would have the Dream as well, right? NOT RIGHT. No book. I would search out the library next. I found "The Dream" rather quickly. Not surprisingly, it's sister book, the Invisible Wall was checked out. I got lucky though and raced home with my treasure The dream turned out to be as great as I thought it would be and better. You're missing out if you don't read these books. Now I'm waiting for "The Golden Willow", the third and final installment. I'm so pleased that Mr. Bernstein was able to complete these memoirs. Stories like his need to be told, shared, absorbed and thought on. I look forward to sharing these.

Paper Fish

Cluster

Wool

King Arthur’s Knights sat sullen eyed.;

“What ails thee all?” the Monarch cried,

Said one, “It’s this round table, sire.

The lads out there can’t feel the fire!"

Quoth Guinevere;

“Poor faithful knights, I’ll knit them all a pair of tights."

Morale was saved, which proved the rule:

There is no substitute for wool.

My Valentine

Motorin'

Mattel Thingmaker, 1965

I went thrifting today and didn't find much. I did find a Mattel "Thingmaker" in excellent shape along with a "Creeple Peeple" kit also by Mattel. Both dated 1965 and obviously well cared for. (above) I thought I might check it out tomorrow and make stuff if the goop is still useable. Maybe I shouldn't. I really need my own display room for all of the great things I've been collecting over the years. I have things displayed in our home as well as I can but I just don't have the appropriate set up. I totally COVET a display room I've seen where the collecter has at least a thousand vintage board games displayed. The majority is board games but there were tons of other things too. Absolutely cool I'm telling you. I have got to search this place out again and I'll put up a link. Anyhow, my dream is to have something like that. My new goal.

Lazy days of summer

It took me a couple of times before I realized that the object in the foreground was a car. How absolutely cool! I mean, check that out. I believe (based on the theme of this perfect batch of pictures) that these people may be enjoying a beach at Lake Worth, Florida, one that was part of the 1922 Casino and Baths Entertainment Complex. It appears that these pictures may have been taken in the 20's. The 30's are possible too but I'm not sure. The car certainly looks 20's-30's but I'm not an expert on cars. I am sort of basing my guess on the photo of the casino itself and the knowledge that it was heavily damaged in 1928 and again in 47. Maybe someone else can take a guess. I will be posting many photos from this group.

I Heart MAD MEN!!

I am sooooo excited about the second season of amc's "Mad Men", Sunday 7/27/08 at 9 pm. I've been impatiently waiting long enough. What a perfect show! If you are going to watch anything at all this summer, this show has got to be it. I was seriously worried that amc wouldn't give us a second season but they've obviously got someone smart enough to know when he/she/they've been smacked in the head with something fantastic. amc seems to be kicking some serious ass this year with excellent programming like "Breaking Bad" (Bryan Cranston; Aaron Paul) and of course, this one.

I am quite pleased! Oh, and by the way, I'm not the only one who thinks amc is doing wonderfully. They raked in the most Emmy nominations for any basic cable network. "Breaking Bad"(John Hamm; Christina Hendricks) pulled in four nominations and "Mad Men" fully stomped ass with sixteen nominations!

I am literally counting the hours until I can pull out my trusty old clicker, plump up my kick back pillows and zone in on the best danged show since "Sopranos" (which still garners the number one spot in my heart as my favorite tv show of all time...so far anyhow)

My favorite character has got to be "Joan", played to the hilt, and perfectly I might add, by Christina Hendricks. She can wear the living hell out of those rocking 60's dresses and honest to God makes them look like a brand new style! If anyone can bring a look back, she would be the one to do it. Talk about stunning. I honestly can't wait to see what she's wearing in season 2.

Birds!

Beatrice gasped when the gulls swooped down for the second time. She had pinned the wig on well but she was unsure of how much more it could take. Should she run? Should she call out to Harvey? What if she tripped and fell and the wig came off anyway? Oh God, what would she do? What could she do?

A Gamble and a Soak

I was excited to find this picture. It was obviously taken before the 1928 Hurricane pounded the heck out of the building which happened again in 1947. (the roof was ripped off then)

Anyhow, I couldn't find a lot of info about the place other than it was a wonderful vacation spot at one time and the building has succumbed to a lot of damage over the years.

Waves

"Say cheese!" Bob said and snapped another photo of Virginia and Millicent. His big toe was still raw from raking it on a barnacle earlier in the day. It had bled a little so he non chalantly pushed his way through the crashing waves and back to the beach. He'd heard things about sharks being able to smell blood for miles.

Somebodys Life

Found some excellent photos while thrifting. I love finds like these. Found in an obviously vintage, leather snapshot album. Some of the pictures slip out easily while others are stuck on. I don't want to ruin the photos but I'd sure like to see any possible labeling on the backs. I also kind of feel like removing them from the album itself takes away from the coolness of the photos. Someone took a lot of time placing them in the little photo corner things and making it look just right. Here are a couple of the pics for now.

I cant help but look at these pictures and try to imagine whose lives these were, where they went, what they became, where they are now, if they are, and who is connected to them somehow, somewhere.

Lips and Eyebrows

Hmmmm. I can't imagine using something like this. Oh, alright, alright...I admit it, I would mess around with it and I'd have fun too. Who knows, maybe I'd end up with some really killer looking lips. Killer looking 50's lips no less. I can't see this working for everyone though. What if you have really skinny weird lips to begin with? You'd end up with a huge bright red ring of lipstick around your mouth...something like this:

I guess it's no different than the eyebrow stencils that a lot of women use now days. Hell, I use them sometimes. It did take me awhile to get the hang of it though. I looked very much like Frida Kahlo at first, not that natural eyebrows are wrong, but now I can achieve quite a righteous look! Anyhow...I wonder how many other wild and wonderful vintage beauty supplies I can find?