Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Sole of the Plain People
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Labels: Swedish Antiques
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Ghostly Gift
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I love animals but find I spend a lot of time cursing their existence in my yard. The deer that frequent the back field of Klaradal recently discoverd my hanging geraniums which now resemble hanging sticks. One year the squirrels chewed all of the pumpkins I had on the front porch. Birds seem to know when I put out a freshly cleaned cloth on the table in front of Klaradal. (They're usually floral and not bullseye design but...) This year, however, I have to thank one of these creatures for naturally planting a ghost
(tiny white) pumpkin seed in my front yard. The vine showed up a few weeks ago and now has over a dozen small white pumpkins! Now, I just need to protect them from Greta (the resident ground hog) whose figure attests to her love of EVERYTHING.
Labels: Swedish Antiques
Monday, August 25, 2008
New York Gift Show
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I also purchased items from some Scandinavian companies that were Swedish or Danish design but made in Nepal or China. These items should be in the shop by next month. Especially fun are some felted wool gnomes, pigs, and mushrooms for the Christmas tree. More on mushrooms later.
Labels: Swedish Antiques
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Water For Horses
The other week I went to visit my father who lives in Lancaster County PA. I needed to visit a shop off a Rt. 896 which is heavily traveled by the Amish. I passed a general store that had, on their permanent sign, "Water for Horses". Having just read the book Water for Elephants I was trying (waytoo hard) to decipher the meaning. A special energy water, a supplement for water, tanks of water? I then passed a small Amish house with the same sign...only hand made...and realized it was for those Amish horses (many once fine race horses) who, in the heat of summer, often needed to stop for water! I didn't stop for water but did quickly park to pick up a bunch of rainbow color zinnias and to deposit my $2.50 in the honor box! Ahhh...the simple life!
Labels: Swedish Antiques
Cape Horn...or the Top of the World!
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Above is a view of Cape Horn from our cruise ship. We were lucky enough to be there on a sunny clear day...the first they had had all summer! We walked around the visitor center inside and then roamed the grounds. Everywhere we walked we saw these pile of rocks....My explanation...Reindeer games!
Labels: Swedish Antiques
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sami, Scandinavia, and the Midnight Sun
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In June we cruised through the Norwegian Fjords and went as far north as Cape Horn. It was in this area that I saw my first "Sami" people, also referred to as LapLanders. I knew a little bit about them from our travels to Finland and Sweden. Over the years, as I traveled Sweden buying Antiques and furniture for the shop I would pick up some paintings, or carvings, or dishes featuring Sami. For those who aren't familiar with Sami they look (to me, at least) like our Native Americans or Inuit people. They are, generally, reindeer herders. They live in collapsible tents in arctic areas and follow the reindeer. We first saw herds of reindeer (Pure white! They are selectively bred to be white since it is the more popular fur color) and then saw the Sami people. These were "tourist" Sami's....I'm sure....because they were set up to sell crafts, show their tents, and let you pet the reindeer. That said, they still wore the traditional costume and offered for sale reindeer fur (I didn't buy any...I'm not a fur person!) wonderful woolen hats and tassel crafts. The landscape was amazing for what you did not see.....TREES! The permafrost is such that nothing grows other than reindeer moss. (Gray curly stuff that Swedes use around candles at Christmas time)
Labels: Swedish Antiques
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