Hobbies
Care for the Earth
Every November I pause to remember my mother who died in November 2007. My mother continued to plant annuals in a variety of decorative planters at my brother’s up to the last spring she lived, dying that November at 93. My parents were not wealthy. They saved for twenty years to buy the only house they’d ever own; yet, more important than the house was the yard. It wasn’t large, but every year Mom and Dad created a riot of color with roses and annuals. We lived on the corner and passersby often paused to look at our roses and flowers. Our parents taught me and my older brother to love, care and beautify the earth.
We plant flowers and trees because we believe in a future. Earth is our home, and we owe it our respect. No greater respect can be given than to beautify and care for all that lives upon the earth. Now, I do not know the circumstances of my readers, but I do know that regardless of what those cares, worries and concerns may be, beauty can be a part of each life. A small basket of annuals, a few perennials, some trees, a few shrubs, are all within our reach if we believe it’s important to care for the earth and its future. Enlist grandchildren to plant; spend a few minutes just looking at your flowers; do whatever is necessary to surround yourself with some natural beauty. I’ve written about planting a tree in honor of each grandchild’s birth. When the last one was born ten years ago, I planted my eleventh tree on my property. The trees are planted for a future likely to extend beyond my lifetime because I want to offer hope for that future through both the trees and each grandchild attached to one of the eleven. When I leave this house, a new owner may destroy what I planted, but that’s only the visual evidence of what I hope I planted deep within each of their spirits just as my mother and father did to me. This year, more than any of my seventy-three, has no parallel; no equal. Fires in the west have consumed more than a million acres of trees, a storm in Iowa uprooted hundreds of trees, Emerald Ash borers have destroyed nearly all the Ash trees in the country, and we stagger under a virus we’ve yet to conquer. Is there any hope for a future? I must believe so; I must. Beyond ourselves we’ve placed three families who love each other and our eleven grandchildren into a future which at some point we will not share. We must believe trees, shrubs and flowers are the door opening into a hope-filled future. Lucy Larcom profoundly said this with her simple words: “He who plants a tree plants a hope.” Yes! Trees are our hope for a bright future as they teach us so much in the present. Speak kindly to those younger than you; offer wisdom to the children; put your hands in the warm spring soil next to the hands of youth. Plan now, in the November days leading us to winter, to pass on what love you’ve received from the trees, the flowers, the gardens, and the fresh spring air that will come again. Plan now, to plant at least one tree in 2021. 
Who’s the Boss?
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I know it’s a running joke that cats rule people and not the other way around. But if cats can’t stand people, why did they become domesticated in the first place? How did that happen? — Trisha G., San Bernadino, California
DEAR TRISHA: While cats seem aloof and rarely fawn over people in the same way that dogs do, they do love their humans. They express their devotion in ways that are weird to us — like quietly placing a dead mouse in front of us and sitting expectantly until their triumph is acknowledged. Or, like bumping their forehead against our hand, or even our nose. Or meowing incessantly when we’re in the bathroom, worried that we will never come out. When cats were domesticated — scientists think that happened about 12,000 years ago — they approached humans for much the same reasons that dogs did. There was food available. Cats, like dogs, earned their keep: dogs by keeping watch over their humans, and cats by protecting their food. When humans developed agriculture and began storing grain, rodents became the bane of their existence. Cats, on the other hand, saw a smorgasbord of tasty rats on the menu. Over time, they became domesticated, and our symbiotic existence was cemented. Cats were revered by ancient societies, and yes, jokes about cats ruling the household are probably as old as the early Egyptian pharaohs. Their behavior — as territorial hunters who move quietly and strike quickly — probably did not need to change as dramatically as wild dogs’ behavior had to evolve. Yet, they did become tame and companionable as well — although much more aloof. Archaeologists and sociologists have studied the domestication of cats quite a bit, because it helps to answer many questions about ancient peoples. In a way, it helps to outline why cats today behave the way they do. |
Faience Figurines
Emile Galle was a famous French artist who is best known for cameo glass vases. These faience figurines, a bulldog and a cat, sold at auction as a pair for $1,470. Every cat has a silly grin and glass eyes, so they are easy to recognize.
Emile Galle is a famous artist, a leader of the Art Nouveau movement in France in the mid-1800s. He started his art while working at his father’s furniture and pottery factory. By 1877, he managed the factory and started making clear glass. He soon developed a style of his own making vases of heavy, opaque colored glass in layers that he carved into plants and flowers. He called it cameo glass. In 1878, his exhibit at the Paris Exhibition made him famous, and he promoted Art Nouveau designs in his glass and in the marquetry on his furniture. By 1885, he founded a workshop for furniture and made pottery.
Many modern collectors only know about Galle’s cameo glass, yet his pottery and furniture are often sold at shows and auctions. Furniture can be identified by the script name “Galle” as part of the marquetry design. The heavy faience (pottery) vases have thick walls, curved patterns and rounded edges and rims. Each is colorful and decorated with natural shapes of plant life. But little is written about his seated faience. Each cat is about 12 inches high and 7 inches wide. Most are glazed yellow, although some are blue, black or green with small scattered hearts and circles as decorations. A few have elaborate drawings of flowers covering the body. Every cat had glass eyes and a grin. Morphy Auctions sold a signed pair of yellow Galle figurines with scattered hearts and circles on a yellow background for $1,476 despite minor damage. At first glance they look like two cats, but one is a frowning bulldog. We wonder why cats are almost the only animal figure he made. • • • Q: We found an old baby cup when we moved into my parents’ 1898 house. It’s marked “Pairpoint Mfg. Co., Quadruple Plate, New Bedford, Mass.” Can you give me any information about it? A: The Pairpoint Manufacturing Co. started in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1880. It was founded to make silver-plated items to go with Mt. Washington’s glassware, which became part of Pairpoint in 1894. Silver production stopped about 1930. The value of your silver-plated baby cup is about $15 to $20. • • • CURRENT PRICES Staffordshire plate, sailing ship, Cadmus, fishing, dark blue, floral border, 1830, 9 1/4 inches, $95. Lightning rod, copper, balls, barbs, circles, verdigris, 112 x 20 inches, $280. Sampler, tree of life, serpent, flower and vine border, fruit basket, animals, yellow, green, c. 1820, 16 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches, $580. Galle cameo vase, pink and white background, green leafy overlay, signed, 7 3/4 inches, $830. • • • TIP: Spray glass cleaner on a cloth, then wipe the glass on a framed print. Do not spray the glass because the liquid may drip and stain the mat or print. “Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide”
— the all new 2021 edition — is now available in bookstores nationwide and online. © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc. 
Simple Perfect Roasted Turkey14-16 pound Fresh Amish Turkey
1/2 cup softened butter Package of Cremer’s Rub Me Tender Seasoning 2 stalks of celery and 2 carrots 1 1/2 quarts turkey or chicken stock Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Rinse turkey with cold water, pat dry with paper towel. Place celery and carrots in cavity of turkey. Rub skin with butter and season with Rub Me Tender. Pour stock into roasting pan. Cover turkey with lid or foil.tent. Roast until the popper thermometer pops or meat thermometer inserted into the deep thigh reaches 180 degrees F or about 3 1/2 - 4 hrs. General rule for Fresh Turkeys 15 mins per pound. This simple recipe will give you a tasty turkey. *** Simple Turkey Tips *** When you start with an Amish Fresh Turkey, you are well on your way to simplifying the big day. (1) No concern of where you are going to defrost a frozen turkey not to mention any concerns of the mess and safety. (2) We strongly feel that by cooking your stuffing in the cavity of the bird, you are going to increase the cooking time and further the chance of drying out the turkey. Pick up some of Cremers Homemade Pork Sausage Sage Dressing and cook it in separate dish alongside your turkey. (3) We also can simplify and save you some frustration with our very popular Homemade Turkey Gravy. 
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