It's Dishes Day!

People who know me know that I love books. I have a library in my house with shelves full of books and a sliding library ladder that allows easy access to those on the highest shelves.

But people may not know that I also love dishes—I’m talking plates and bowls, cups and saucers, teapots and pitchers.

Teapot from my sister and vintage platter

I own a lot of china, pottery, and glassware:

A white-on-white Moonspun Lenox fine china setting for eight, almost 50 years old now, made in the USA. This pattern was made by Lenox from 1968-1995.

Moonspun by Lenox

Vintage china passed down from my mother, or given to me by friends from their mothers and grandmothers.  

Vintage china and stoneware

There are beautiful plates with sky blue rims and 24 karat gold borders around a floral bouquet, passed down from my mother who received them as wedding gifts.  My sisters and I each have two plates to display in our homes.

Vintage plate, made in the USA, passed down from my mom

I have fine bone china from several English companies, a plate from Germany perfect for serving cookies, china from Japan, old stoneware, and other plates from US china makers. The place of origin and the marks on the bottom tell a story about each piece.

China cabinet in dining room

I love all this sweet vintage china.

The 50^th anniversary gold-plated coffee set, with a mark that says Winterling Bavaria Germany that belonged to Ricky’s grandparents. 

A glimpse of the gold plated china and the demitasse cup 

A collection of demitasse cups from Ricky’s mother, some plain white, others decorated with pink roses or butterflies, and one advertising the May 12, 1937 coronation of Prince Edward VIII.

Cut glass pieces inherited from my parents and Ricky’s aunt and uncle. 

 Detail of cut glass reflected in mirrored walls of china cabinet

Our everyday Botanic Garden BritishPortmeirion dishes featuring different flowers with their common and scientific names.  

Everyday dishes of British Portmeirion stored in butler's pantry

The Pyrex (which turned 100 in 2015) and Fire King mid-century modern glassware that my estate-sale-going friend Rebecca passes on to me.

Miscellaneous glassware in butler's pantry

A Somayaki Japanese tea service Ricky brought home from Vietnam. The Somayaki pottery is unique because of its double wall construction, which keeps the hot liquids hot while the outer layer remains cool to the touch. Unfortunately, the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear facility, resulted in the mandated abandonment of the village where Somayaki pottery was made. Local rocks that were responsible for the unique glaze are now contaminated. Some young artisans around Japan are trying to keep the tradition of Somayaki pottery alive with mixed results. 

Japanese Soma-yaki tea set

A set of heavy-duty Iron Mountain stoneware dishes, the Blue Ridge pattern, manufactured in East Tennessee from 1965-1992 not far from my Southwest Virginia hometown. I acquired mine in the early 1970’s, and many are from the “seconds store.” 

New Lenox Christmas china, now manufactured in capital “C” China, with green holly leaves and red berries on each piece. These were gifted to me over several Christmases from our friends in New Orleans whom we met as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Admittedly, Christmas dishes are a big weakness of mine.  

Christmas dishes displayed in butler's pantry

More Christmas dishes

 My favorite Christmas mugs

There are more treasures that I didn’t mention. I know owning all these dishes may seem excessive in this time of minimalism of belongings, but what can I say—I‘m a collector!

Luckily, we have sufficient storage for my dishes and china collection. We have a large formal china cabinet in the dining room passed down from Ricky’s grandparents 

Ricky's grandparents on their 50th wedding anniversary

A corner china cabinet in the dining room just for cut glass, a butler’s pantry hutch (now part of the kitchen) for storage of less formal dishes and serving pieces, plus another old china cabinet in the guest cottage. We also have regular kitchen cabinets where daily use dishes are stored.

Portmeirion tea set

The obvious question becomes why do I keep all these dishes? 

To me, their beauty and uniqueness are sufficient reasons for owning them. I also enjoy creating displays with the dishes. It’s both a form of play therapy and a creative outlet. I love the stories attached to each piece—sometimes a personal recollection of how I acquired the item; and sometimes it’s the story of the manufacture of the pieces and the history behind them. Many of the companies that created the china, glassware, and pottery are no longer in business because of the changes in cultural practices, the surfeit of cheap items from China, or misfortune befalling the manufacturer. 

I think the beauty and diversity in our world is diminished as these companies and their wares disappear.

P. S. I'm not the only person who loves vintage dishes. View Susan Branch's blog here to see and read about her collection of vintage dishes.

Christmas in Shreveport's Highland Neighborhood--funky, fun and a little bit crazy

When it comes to Christmas, I admit it--I’m a fanatic.  I like the music of Christmas so favorite Christmas CD’s (e.g., New Orleans Christmas, Aaron Neville and Jazz Christmas compilations) are downloaded into my car so I can listen and remain jolly when stuck in the snarled traffic caused by shoppers who flock to Southeast Shreveport's sprawling shopping district.  I enjoy giving gifts—this year we handmade a lot of our gifts—but I still had to venture into the occasional store. 


One of all-time best Christmas compilations. 
I heard most of the musicians on this CD at a conference in New Orleans one December.
Unforgettable experience.

I usually try my hand at cooking some holiday treats.  This year’s date bread with pecan streusel was a flop, so I won’t foist it off on anyone.  On the other hand, my Meyer lemon curd, made with lemons from our tree, turned out beautifully as did the spiced pecans.  My family in Virginia are excellent cooks so taking baked goods to them is like carrying coal to Newcastle, but I had hoped the date nut bread might have been suitable to share. 

 

I love decorating in my own kitsch fashion—pulling the numerous bins from the attic so the tree can be decorated with old family ornaments and newly acquired trinkets.  It doesn’t take long for the foyer to be filled with the fragrance of Fraser fir and wrapped packages spilling out from under the tree, waiting to be opened or delivered to family and friends.

 

The fireplace mantels display my collection of Santa Clauses, started when my hometown of Marion, Va. had a cottage industry, Wood World, where old-fashioned Santa figures of pecan shell resin were made in molds, then local women would paint the figures. 

 Wood World Santa Clauses

 

I acquired a handful of the Wood World Santas, but since then, my collection of all types of Santas has grown exponentially as friends and family learn of my affection (affliction) for St. Nick.  My great-uncle Joe was Santa Claus in my hometown for decades, so I blame him for my fixation.

The plate rails of the music room, i.e. living room, are decorated with Ricky’s vintage Christmas albums, and he wows the neighborhood with his rooftop Santa in a rickshaw pulled by three well-illuminated bicycles! 

Plate rail Christmas album display.

 



Ricky's annual roof-top display. 
Note Little Free Library in right hand corner of yard
is also decked out for the holidays.



The library is where my Christmas fixation really takes hold.  Every shelf is decorated with some holiday vignette.  It’s my room so I can go crazy and it doesn’t bother anyone else.  I love the way the fisheye Olloclip lens for the I-phone made each of these photos look like a Christmas ornament:

 

  

library decoration detail
 

Look for more  about Christmas at our house in tomorrow's post....

 

 

 

 

 

Home Again

After spending Christmas in Louisiana, I hopped in the car on December 27 and drove to Virginia to see my mother, my sister and brother-in-law.  I always enjoy my trips back to the mountains of Virginia and this recent trip was no exception.  My sister lives in Williamsburg so she was only in our hometown for a couple of days but we still had a chance to catch up.  My other sister and her husband were visiting their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in the Czech Republic, so our family was a bit like ping pong balls this holiday season, bouncing back and forth.

I had lunch with one of my college friends, which always makes the visits to Virginia special, and we even had a little snow one day to accentuate the holiday feeling.

This was the view of the skiff of snow that covered the ground as seen from the kitchen window at Mother's house.  We spent many an evening after supper during our childhood and adolescence standing there, washing dishes, before our family got a dish washer--after we all left home!  We had specific jobs which rotated each week. One daughter washed dishes, while one used tongs to remove the dishes from the sink with the hot rinse water and put them in the dish drain.  The third daughter dried dishes if they didn't fit into the drainer, wiped off the table and kitchen counters and swept the floor.  It goes without saying that our working mother was very organized.

It soon was time to return home to Louisiana after a week in Virginia, and husband Ricky was glad to see me.

It was a wonderful holiday, but now all the Christmas decorations must go back into the attic so we can gear up for Mardi Gras season!!!!

 

 

Mardi Gras means a big party at our house during the neighborhood parade.  A good time is had by young and old alike!!

 

A Neighborhood Christmas

This is the first Christmas that I've spent in Louisiana, and I've lived here since 1982!  I always took advantage of the time off from work to go visit my family in Virginia, but this year I'll head to the mountains of southwest Virginia after Christmas. 

I've enjoyed this year's holiday season in Shreveport with Ricky and numerous friends.  It seems everyone had a Christmas gathering, whether it was the combo Christmas/birthday party that my writing group had for one of our members, the delicious dinner my wine group enjoyed in one member's new-to-her, but vintage, Craftsman bungalow, the luncheon the faculty at work enjoyed at a local Mexican restaurant, or the lovely afternoon soiree hosted by two of my mystery reading friends. 

I'm amazed that most of my younger friends seem to think in images, so they have great photographs to commemorate every gathering or interesting event, while I'm the one who gets home and berates myself that I forgot to take out my cell phone and snap a pic.

However, my family and friends took some photographs of special holiday events this year, and I want to share way too many of them with you!

The Holiday Tour of Historic Homes the first weekend of December served to jump start the season.   I again chaired the event with lots of help from my friends.  It occurs every other year and for that, I'm grateful. 

Saturday night the entire avenue was closed to vehicular traffic except for tour trolley and limos, so guests could stroll along a luminary lit path that led to each house.

Here are a few images from the neighborhood's historic homes:

 

Doors and windows, the architectural details, the décor--all dazzled



 





 



Interior window imported in 1920's from Tiffany's in New York

 

More Tiffany windows in another 1920's era home.
I learned that 1920's Shreveport had more millionaires per capita than Chicago did,
as evidenced by the details in some of these mansions on tour. 

 

 

 

There was a string quartet playing in the gazebo of a hidden garden

Wine was served

 

And Mrs. Santa and elves frolicked in the garden

Some of the women who worked with me on the Home Tour.  I'm sporting the elf hat.
 

Finally after the Home Tour, I could think about decorating my own house. 

Our foyer where Santa rested before the big night
 

Dining room with mantle full of Santas

And more Santas in the music room



 

 

 

 

I attribute my obsession with Santa Claus to growing up in a small town where my great-uncle was Santa for decades.  On Christmas Eve when I was small he would come to my grandmother's house and visit us before we went to bed.  The photos above show my Uncle Joe as Santa.  He was the best.  The top photo shows a tired Uncle Joe after a hard day of being Santa Claus.  The bottom picture is my sisters and me with Santa at my grandmother's house.  I'm the dressed-down child in the middle, while my younger sisters wear their dresses in hopes of impressing Santa.

 

There were other special holiday celebrations with friends from the neighborhood this year.  One warm night in mid-December, the local Bed and Breakfast opened its doors for a party complete with a band, open bar, valet parking.  My friend Tina and I closed this party down but we were home at 10:30.

The crowd spills out of Fairfield Place Bed and Breakfast onto the porch and into the courtyard.

Our friends Howard & Sarah's gumbo party was held in the magical

surroundings shown below:

 

 



 

 

Sarah gave every guest homemade biscotti when we left

 

 

There was an enjoyable evening out with my former department head and my present one, both good friends.  I'm so fortunate to work with great people who are also long-time friends of mine.

 

Then, on Christmas Eve we headed up the street to the home of our friends, Terry and Marsha, who host an annual Christmas Eve open house.  Marsha's home is always beautifully decorated at Christmas.  As a matter of fact, she and her husband participated in this year's afternoon Tour of Homes that is held on Sunday after the Saturday night candlelight tour.

 

Christmas Day found us kicking back for lunch at a friend's house for soup and corn bread, then scurrying back to our house to host Christmas afternoon High Tea, a tradition from my family in Virginia.

 

As you can tell, I'm very blessed to be surrounded by loving friends and family this holiday season. 

 

And I wish each of you a joyous Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2014.