My Grandmas’ Embroidery Floss

This summer I inherited two different sets of embroidery floss, one from each of my grandmas. My Grandma J gave me her embroidery floss earlier this spring. She had just moved into an assisted living center and I was staying at her vacant house in the evenings, while visiting her new apartment during the day. The floss was in the drawer of the bedroom I was staying in, and Grandma just happened to have the color floss that I needed to complete a cross-stitch project I had brought with me. She was very pleased to give me the floss and see me use it: I worked on my William Morris bookmark every day that we watched Hallmark shows and old movies together.

On this same trip, I showed my Auntie T my cross-stitch project and she mentioned that she had taken lots of embroidery floss from Grandma L's house, after Grandma L passed away a few years ago. When Grandma J died earlier this summer, Auntie T came out for the funeral and she brought Grandma L's embroidery floss to give to me.

So now I have two sets of embroidery floss, one from each grandma. I've been using colors from both of the sets for the current project I'm working on. Tonight I was thinking about how the ways that my grandmas chose to store their thread both remind me of them. They both are organized by color and number, although Grandma L kept hers even more contained by using small ziplock bags that are bound together by a silver ring. These threads are neatly wrapped in circles so they don't tangle. By contrast, Grandma J cut her floss into equidistant strands and tied them onto numbered boards. She left the strands loose, so they have a little bit of a quirky character as they enmesh and interact. 

I like to think about how these two collections - and two grandmas - form different parts of me: an organized, independent and slightly quirky person, who also feels the need to engage and intertwine into her community.

Art History Accessories

When I think about the upcoming school year and the prospect of going back to the classroom, I get excited at the thought of getting to wear some of my jewelry again. I like to pair my outfits and accessories with the topic that I am going to discuss with students, although the references are small and probably go unnoticed. Here are some of my art history accessories:

Pendant of a rosette from the Ishtar Gate. I got this at the Pergamon Museum gift shop.

For early Egyptian lectures, I wear a scarab with a pendant that came nestled within the Giza Pyramids Conqueror Challenge medal.

The back of the pendant has hieroglyphs which translate to say "Well done."

For later Egyptian lectures, I wear this necklace when I teach about King Tut's funerary mask and/or lapis lazuli.

This one I often wear when I teach about Minoan art (it has a nod to nature and Minoan metalwork/filagree), but it also works well to teach about other groups that are inspired by nature (the PRB and the Arts & Crafts, for example).

I inherited this necklace from Grandma Judy this past summer. She lived in Athens for a short time on a mission, and I think that I'll wear this drachma when I teach about early Greek art.

I usually wear this Athena (owl) pendant when I teach about the Parthenon and Athens. I got this necklace in Athens when I was on a study abroad as an undergrad.

For Byzantine lectures, I wear this pendant of Salus Populi Romani (Health of the Roman People). It is a copy of a Byzantine icon located at the Borghese chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. I got this as a souvenir when I was in Rome as an undergrad.

I wear this pink rose when I teach about Rococo art. I bought this at a gift shop at Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam (outside Berlin).

My sister E gave me this ring when she went to Turkey on a trip. I like to wear a nod to Iznik tiles when I teach about pottery or ceramics.

This pendant looks like a feather to me, so I wear it when I teach about featherwork and/or the tapirage technique in indigenous art from the Americas.

The oval shape of this pendant reminds a little bit of Victorian brooches, so I wear this when I teach about the 19th century.

Flexibility

I was following along with a yoga video this morning, and the instructor said something that stood out to me. She said that the body and mind and interrelated, and that mental health corresponds with physical health. I had heard this before, but she put it in terms of flexibility by saying something like this:

“A flexible body creates a flexible mind. A strong physical body creates strong mental health.”

This month has been full of stressors: positive stress with fun visits from family and events with friends, but a lot of negative stress with Grandma Judy’s poor health and death last week. The day she passed away was a ill-gotten confluence of both stressors, since her health declined rapidly at the Enchanted Forest, while the kids and I were there with my sister L and my local aunt, uncle, and cousins. We were in the best of places experiencing the worst of times. Lucy and I said goodbye to Grandma via FaceTime, while we were standing in line for the bobsled ride and cheery synthesizer music blared out of speakers nearby.

I’ve been anticipating a lot of upcoming stressors, too, especially as we travel for the funeral during the Covid pandemic. I got a massage yesterday (as part of Carrie’s birthday celebration) and I could feel a lot of physical tension in my body that needed to release. A lot of it did release, which really helped me to feel better. But I want to have a flexible and calm mind too, especially on this trip. I think I’ll do stretches and some yoga each day, especially while traveling, to try and work on my mental flexibility and health.

Narnia Costume Brainstorming

 This evening, the kids and I went for a walk on the neighborhood trail, through BB Mill. As we walked, we talked about all of the different permutations that we could have for family-themed Narnia costumes this Halloween. Here were some of the ideas:

• Dad as Mr. Tumnus
• Mom as the White Witch
• Sam as a Wardpost or Lampdrobe (a wardrobe with a lamppost inside the doors)
• Lucy as Lucy
• Violet as Aslan

OR

• Dad as Mr. Beaver
• Mom as Mrs. Beaver
• Sam as Edmund with Turkish delight
• Lucy as Lucy
• Violet as Aslan

OR

• Dad as the wardrobe
• Mom as a lamppost
• Sam as the stone table
• Lucy as Lucy
• Violet as Aslan

Lucy said that she doesn't want to be an inanimate object ("I want to be human!") so that last theme won't work. And she will pretty much only consider being Lucy. Perhaps going as inanimate objects from Narnia is too niche, but I love how esoteric it would be. ;) 

I love talking about Narnia books with my kids and we all had a happy time imagining costume possibilities together. Now we just need J to get on board. I doubt I can convince him to be a faun.

To Age Gracefully and Willingly

I've been thinking a lot about age over the past few days. One of my best friends, Rachael, turned forty last week, which has prompted lots of reflection and celebration. Rachael, Carrie, and I went to the MarQueen Hotel to celebrate, as we have all been fully vaccinated - it was the first time I had been in a hotel in over fifteen months due to the pandemic! We took a lot of pictures, although I couldn't help but reflect on how we looked old in the pictures. Not just young moms, but like seasoned moms on a middle-aged "girls" night. Which, in truth, that is what we are: seasoned moms who have been raising our kids together for the past 10+ years.

I'm not even forty yet, but Rachael's birthday (and Carrie's impending 40th birthday) have made be reflective. There is so much that one can accomplish in the first forty years of life, and it also make one wonder what is left in store. And it just so happens that this week other articles about Millenials turning forty came out, stating that it is the "old age of youth" (the term "geriatric Millenials" has gone viral over the past week or so) and that better things happen when one is in their fifties. I guess we'll see how the next decade pans out for me and my friends!

These things about aging were in the back of my mind yesterday, as I was listening to C. S. Lewis's "The Last Battle" on audiobook (read by Patrick Stewart, who did a fantastic performance). I was struck by this quote about Susan Pevensie, who at this time must be in her late teens or twenties:

“Grown-up, indeed,” said the Lady Polly, “I wish [Susan] would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that way. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.”

This quote has made me think about what period in my life do I want to enjoy the most, and I hope that my answer will continually be "the present." I'd rather not spend time wishing that I was trying to stay at a time in my life that has already passed me by. Of course, I want to keep my body as healthy as possible, but I think that's different from trying to stop myself from aging or wish that I was a different age. I hope that I can be a person who is content about their stage in life and the things that happen to one's body with age. If I'm going to be a seasoned mom of older kids right now, then so be it.

Reading Outside

I had this painting by a Swedish artist, Johan Krouthén, saved on my phone lockscreen for the past month. I like the thought of reading outside with my friends in the middle of a forest.

Johan Krouthén, "Three Reading Woman in a Summer Landscape," 1908 (see high-res image)

Outdoor Scenes and Caring for Grandma

About two weeks ago, my grandma woke up and found that she didn't have the strength to stand up on her own. My extended family members - especially my two aunts - have been working hard to figure out solutions to help ensure that Grandma gets the care she needs (and also finding care that can fits within Grandma's financial means). These past two weeks have made me think a lot about caring for the elderly, those who are infirm, and also the things that I want to do to prepare for when I'm older. I hope I will be able to maintain my independence in the years to come, both physically and financially.

These paintings make it seem so lovely and peaceful to care for someone who is old or infirm. I don't think I'll spend much time outdoors when I see my grandma next, but I like these romanticized views nonetheless:

Vasily Polenov, "Grandmother's Garden," 1879. (High-res image)

John Lavery, "Convalescence in the Apple Orchard," 1885