Always Obsessed with Vintage

Please say I'm not the only one who loves Alice & Jerry!  You know, the charming little characters in the readers used from the 40's-60's? Probably cousins of Dick and Jane, but not nearly as monotonous and boring.  Oh how I loved to read and read and read these books.....I am a flower-child of the seventies, so I stumbled upon these readers quite by chance. My Aunt Robin, a school teacher, got a hold of them at a School Board warehouse give-away 30 years ago and shared several with my mom.  She gave them to little four year old me...This was how I learned to read well before Kindergarten.

Flash forward to the last few years, I had been sitting around wondering whatever became of the books.  Then one day I discovered "The Wishing Well" volume, tucked among some tattered old things at a used book shop.  A few weeks ago, I found another one in Tampa. 


When I asked my mom if she had any of the old books, she offered them to me for my collection--all except her favorite, which she's holding onto for a while longer.  See, sentimental things are hard to give up :)  So, a big shout-out to my mom, Iris, for making me happy!  She gets me.


It's also fun to have something to collect.  Being "on the hunt" for something special is one of the many perks of life. 

Oh, Alice.  Your antics always make me smile.

So, to Alice, Jerry, their dog Jip and all their friends, I hope I come across more of you the next time I'm perusing a vintage bookstore.  Please just stick your little cartoon hand out of the book and wave at me!  I'll give you a good home...

On the left, something I can manage now.  On the right, something I'm aspiring to!

On a seperate "note" (ha ha....couldn't resist).....I've been coming across all of these used piano books and it's pretty much getting out of control.  My son, Solomon has been taking piano lessons for about 6 months now and once we got his keyboard and set it up in the living room, some of my old recital pieces just came flooding back.  It's like my fingers have memory--weird. 

After completing the theme to the Young & The Restless (yes, that was my recital piece in elementary school), I was kicking myself for not keeping my old piano books.  I remembered how much I loved playing!  Then, as always, my awesome public library saved the day! They were selling old books for about a quarter and sure enough, "Teaching Little Fingers to Play" was among the stacks.  I was thrilled!  Now, I get to hear my 9 year old boy play "Motorcycle Cop" and "Stalagtites and Stalagmites", songs that I have been able to sing word for word my whole life.  It's amazing how musical things stick with you.  So, now everytime I walk in the library and see old piano books for sale, I have to stop.  The artwork is always so lovely....

Check out the markings in the books (the best part!).......Someone was sitting at a piano bench with their teacher in 1959, working on this piece.

So, as I always tell my husband, at least my obsessions are wholesome, legal and "sweet"! He keeps telling me that books and paper don't weigh much or take up too much space, unless you collect them in the thousands (ahem).. I also have a sneaking suspicion that if I play THIS song one more time, my entire family is going to feed me to wolverines....Judy Garland is not everyone's cup of tea, apparently.  LOL.

Ta-ta for now....
Kimberly

Sacred Harp

When something stirs up my emotions, I have to share it.  Maybe you have never heard of Sacred Harp music.  I know I hadn't until I saw one my favorite movies, Cold Mountain.  Those of you who know me, know I have a little celebrity-crush on Jude Law, but please believe me--the movie is fantastic on its own and is only enhanced by his prescence! LOL.  One of my favorite scenes is in the church when the townspeople are singing and doing this thing with their hands.  I was like, "What the?" The music was so unique, beautiful and haunting at the same time.  I wanted to learn more.  Here, have a quick listen.....

 Apparently, Sacred Harp (also known as Shape Note music), originated in the colonies and then migrated south, where it took root, especially in the Appalachian areas.  The "hand chopping" action is used to keep time.  Because there are no instruments accompanying the singers, the names of the notes are sung, i.e. "Fa" "La" "So", etc.  This was so untrained musicians could still sing, reading the "shapes" of the notes rather than musical notation.

When there are lyrics, the words are sung, and what words they are!  They are very old-school primitive hymns, which I normally don't find very meaningful, considering I've grown up in a pretty contemporary praise and worship-style church my whole life.  But there is something raw and real in this music.  The emotion echoes around in the old wooden churches.  No organ, no microphones, just voices.  I can't listen to it without tearing up.  You can learn more about Sacred Harp here.

There are a few tracks on the Cold Mountain soundtrack that are in this music style, but the rest of the Appalachian-inspired songs are amazing as well.  Jack White's "Wayfaring Stranger" will make you weep.  I was so obsessed with this book, the movie, the music, that I designed a Cold Mountain quilt back a few years ago.  I made a square for Inman, Ada, Ruby, Sara, and the Musicians, etc.

I was going to embroider the lyrics to "I'm Going Home" along the borders.  And then, in my dream, I would present the quilt to Jude Law and he would love me.  Ha ha ha ha....That poor quilt is still in my UFO (Un Finished Objects) box, but now I'm getting inspired to pick it up again!  Wow, I truly do have a "all-or-nothing" obsessive personality.  I need counseling....

So, you may want to incorporate a little mini-lesson on Sacred Harp when you teach about the Colonial Times or the Civil War-era.  There are many singing groups that perform throughout the United States.  I checked and sadly, there are none in Florida.  But to see it performed in North Carolina, near the real town of Cold Mountain, in the winter time.....now that would be worth the trip!  Better get that quilt finished.....