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As I sat here tonight, struggling to find a new topic for a new post, I heard the explosions of fireworks from a neighbors’ yard.

Eureka, I thought, Independence Day.  

I simply love Independence Day.  On the other 364 days a year, I am a pretty glass-half empty person when it comes to national and religious holidays – even at Christmas time.   The commercialism and in-your-face tactics of marketers to buy, buy, buy around those holidays wears me down, but believe it or not, on July 4, I look past all that to become the most patriotic asshole to walk on this side of the Mississippi.

I mean, what’s not to love about Independence Day?  First of all, it’s a day off of work (I can hear you saying, hell to the yeah to that!).  Secondly, red, white and blue has got to be the greatest color combination of all time.  It just works, people.  Thirdly, you go ahead and tell me that you don’t get a little choked up when you see elderly veterans stand up and salute the flag when you watch “A Capitol Fourth” on PBS (admit it, you know you do).   And lastly, I love it because Independence Day is a day when we celebrate with family, friends, food and fellowship for the sacrifices of those who have come before us to make America a decent place to live.

 

I also know my love of this day came straight from Chapter 8 in Little Town on the Prairie.

After wakening to the sounds of the town’s blacksmith exploding gunpowder on his anvil in the early morning hours, Charles Ingalls embraces the day.

“Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light?” Pa sang.

“Charles!” Ma protested, but she was laughing, because it really was too dark to see.

“It’s nothing to be solemn about!” Pa jumped out of bed.”Hurray! We’re Americans!”

Later when Laura, Pa and Carrie head to town for a small celebration put on by the founding members of the new community, patriotism swells in the heart of Laura.

 

Laura and Carrie knew the Declaration by heart, of course, but it gave them a solemn, glorious feeling to hear the words.  They took hold of hands and stood listening in the solemnly listening crowd.  The Starts and Stripes were fluttering bright against the thin, clear blue overhead, and their minds were saying the words before their ears heard them.

“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”….

Isn’t that just wonderful?  I reread that chapter every fourth of July to remind myself that even though the United States of American is far from perfect, it’s still my beloved country.

So, on July 4, I’ll be in my Betsy Ross costume, singing at the top of my lungs to “Yankee Doodle Dandy” with James Cagney, and crying my fake eyelashes off watching the elderly veterans salute the flag on PBS, watching baseball and eating apple pie, and thinking about this wonderful melting pot of cultures, religions, personalities and politics that I call home.

Until next time, I wish you all A Glorious Fourth!

 

 

 

Everybody raise their hand who has a favorite annual antique show!

Great!  Let me tell you about mine.

Mine is the Forever Vintage Market in Highland, Illinois that runs twice a year.

It’s just big enough to have a great selection of merchandise with good prices, super food trucks and great music, but just small enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelmed with crowds or tons of questionable looking reproductions.

The market is held at the Madison County Fairgrounds and just reeks with country charm.  Many vendors are housed inside of actual stables where animals are shown at 4-H competitions.  It’s fun to walk on dirt paths strewn with bits of straw and ogle at the fantastic wares.

The Market is held in other venues during the year, but it’s just not the same.  I love the rusty, dusty and musty feel of the whole thing.  When I find that special certain something to buy, I feel like I’ve found a diamond in the rough.

But, enough of my prattle!  I won’t keep you waiting any longer – enjoy!

 

 

Until next time – get out there and support your local antique shows!

For more information on Forever Vintage Markets, visit forevervintagemarket.com.  

Ah, Mother’s Day.  The one day a year when mothers everywhere are exalted and waited on by their loved ones while being festooned with meaningful words of love.

NOT.

I have learned the hard way over the years to take charge of my own Mother’s Day celebration, else I’ll be waiting for my family to make last minute plans for me and I get stuck doing actual work on what is supposed to be my special day.

I mean, look at this poor woman.  I bet this photo was taken of her after her family left her house on Mother’s Day years ago and she was finally getting some damn rest.

But why focus on myself for this day?  My sainted mother, Margaret, has certainly earned and deserves more than her share of special days, so this year I decided we were going to do something out of the box for the both of us and bring a little levity to the celebration.

With the secret help of my mom’s good friend, we put together an assortment of hats, gloves, corsages and embroidered handkerchiefs to bedeck us when we went out for our traditional luncheon.

I thought my mom was going to pass out from laughing so hard when she saw this array of goods on her patio table.  But why not?  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.  I love photos from past generations of seeing elegant ladies with hats and corsages celebrating special occasions and let’s face it, I don’t want to go to my grave someday never having done the same.  Life is too short, people, to not be a little ridiculous.

Aren’t these orchids beautiful?  Why do we save corsages only for high school dances and weddings these days?  Wearing this made me feel like QEII!  

In the end, we decided to go with these numbers.  Mom, in an over-the -top black chapeau with bright green feathers and me in a little veiled pillbox and Lilly Pulitzer dress.  (And no, my mother is not an amputee, if you’re wondering.  For some reason she put her arm behind her back at last minute because she didn’t know what to do with it for the photo.)

Once we felt sufficiently robed as ladies of distinction and style, we headed to Josephine’s Tea Room & Gift Shop in Godfrey, Illinois.

Josephine’s is a totally frou-frou destination for any woman who wants to immerse herself in pure femininity.  The tea room offers scrumptious food and the gift shop has a dazzling array of items for the home or a lady’s closet!

Outdoor seating area

Dessert!

Inside the gift shop….

I’ll admit it, we received many compliments on our get-ups and I ate up every minute of it.  We also got some looks (you know what I’m talking about) from some members of our fair sex, but it didn’t matter.  My mom and I had a lot of laughs while spending time together and I crossed off one more item on my bucket list.  What more could you ask for on Mother’s Day?

Until next time, don’t be afraid to be a little ridiculous.

For more information on Josephine’s Tea Room & Gift Shop, go to http://www.josephinestearoomsandgiftshops.com/

 

 

There’s nothing I love better in this earthly life than springtime.  Watching the world wake up after a long, cold, hard winter in delicate shades of green, pink and yellow, stirs my tired, snow-weary soul.

Laura Ingalls, my hero, loved springtime too.  In Little Town on the Prairie (one of the best Little House books, in my opinion) Laura wrote,

“Now it was springtime.  The Dakota prairie so warm and bright under the shining sun that it did not seem possible that it had ever been swept by the hard winds and snows of that hard winter.  How wonderful it was to be on the claim again!  Laura wanted nothing more than just being outdoors.  She felt she never could get enough sunshine soaked into her bones.”

Can’t you just feel the sunshine on your face and smell the fresh grass after you read that passage?

To celebrate the advent of spring and to finally get outdoors, I recently visited the Village of Elsah, a tiny enclave nestled in the stunning Mississippi River Bluffs, just northwest of Alton, Illinois, off the Great River Road.

This 19th century village just oozes charm.  With a population of 673, Elsah retains much of its quaint architecture and gorgeous views from its original state featuring tiny gardens and the magnificent Mississippi River.

Elsah was founded in 1853, by James Semple, a local lawyer and politician. In 1973, the entire village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Everywhere you turn there is something marvelous to see!

This place is SO charming that there’s even a bird house for its tiniest of residents, alongside the church!

I can’t get enough of the beautiful details in the village.  I decided on this visit that when I die I want a pineapple finial on my gravestone.  Why in the hell would you want to do that, you ask?  WHY IN THE HELL NOT, I SAY TO YOU!

Elsah’s architecture is a feast for the eyes, boasting Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Mansard, Italianate, Saltbox, and Gambrel styles.

There’s also a fantastic museum in the village dedicated to its beginnings and the founding members of its community.  A must-see if you stop for the day.  I love imagining what it must have been like when horse-drawn carriages pulled the 19th century inhabitants up and down the narrow streets in their best clothes on a Sunday morning.

If there are any budding entrepreneurs or restaurateurs out there, I’m dying for this vacant building to be rechristened as the new Elsah’s Landing Restaurant.  If you don’t know about the original, curse your damn rotten luck because Elsah’s Landing was THE BEST RESTAURANT EVER.  This was Panera Bread Company before Panera Bread Company was a glimmer of an idea in Ken Rosenthal’s mind.  Unbelievable soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts abounded plus the coma-inducing potato bread…the cookbook is still for sale on amazon.com (http://amzn.to/2psGGQS).  I double dog dare someone to bring it back to its glory and I’ll pledge my unwavering business!

Until next time, Hank and I wish you a beautiful spring!