Nothing replaces togetherness

We live in a world of texts, tweets, and emojis. Great for convenience, but nothing replaces togetherness. Nothing replaces Stressless.

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Beauty is a thing of joy

What is beauty, does it exist and why? 

 

 Shop for floral prints online

A florist finds beauty in a floral arrangement, a lover in a single rose, a naturalist in the smell, a child in a fresh picked daisy, the old find beauty in the daffodil as pokes its yellow head through the snow, the forlorn find beauty in the dainty violet pressed between the pages of a book, a cynic says its crazy, that we find beauty at all.

Though beauty is not something we can not touch, it is something to behold.

I confess I love to walk in the park in early spring and if by chance I spy the tiniest violet in bloom along the side of the path I walk, I smile. It is a thing of beauty, to be appreciated for its own sake, and for no other reason.

'Twas John Keats who said, the sylvan historian, who can't express a flowery tale more sweetly than the rhyme knows, 'Truth is beauty, beauty truth,' and that is all we know on earth and all we need to know.

So ignore the cynic and the scientist who try to reduce it to mere words. Beauty is a thing we feel and know.

The origins of Surrealism

 The origins of surrealism are not limited to when but where and the answer lies within,

The unconscious is the wellspring of the imagination. So said Sigmund Freud, but so too William Shakespeare: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." Prospero to his daughter, The Tempest.

If you enjoy that thought, you will enjoy these fanciful pictures from Propac Images by the artist Duh Hunyh.

See them now.

Cheers to Santa!

Eartha Kitt is singing, Santa baby, ... hurry down the chimney tonight. Dads are dreaming of sports cars, moms of a quiet moment after the shopping is done, and the kids want anything and everything that is new and wonderful. Santa ought to be confused, but somehow he figures it all out.

Here is Chandler 4 Corners salute to Santa Claus. Available at traditionsathome.com. Free shipping, arrives before Christmas if ordered by December 15th.

Chandler 4 Corners throw pillows

Pillow hooking is an old American craft and an art where wool throw pillows are made by pulling loops of yarn through a discarded burlap bag. Making something out of nothing is an American tradition,

The craft goes back to Samuel Slater who had the idea for a new American industry, the cotton and woolen mills of New England. England prized its intellectual property and did not let it leave the country. Slater memorized the method of production while in England and brought it to America.

America calls him the "Father of American Industry," the British call him "Slater the Traitor."

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Name calling never solved anything, and Slater's mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island was a success.  He went on to build other mills across New England and got rich. Others followed. And soon New England was swimming in balls of yarn in every color of the rainbow. The by-product of the process was called thrum, and these short strands of wool and cotton found their way onto the floor of the factories.

wool

Back then, America was not as enlightened as it is today. Children worked the mills, carding and culling the cotton and wool. And much to their delight, they pocketed the left over wool and brought it home. New England mothers, thrifty and wise, took the strands of wool and cotton, and wove it into empty burlap sacks.



From poverty an industry was born.

Chandler 4 Corners is a small company in Vermont with big ideas. It makes throw pillows and rugs in nostalgic and whimsical themes. Along with designer Laura Megroz, it offers hundreds of pillows to accent a chair, sofa, or bed.

Let's have fun we say. Shop for Chandler 4 Corners throw pillows online at Traditions Home.

Pretty Room

We make rooms pretty. We make pretty rooms. Pretty are the rooms we make.

The word "Pretty" is from Old English prættiġ meaning “tricky, crafty, sly, cunning, wily, astute”.

Our interior design is no sly trick. It is a craft, an art which we apply astutely and lovingly.

Red Room

Traditions Home wants to know:

Are you blue? 

A Personality Color Code tells you that if you are, then you are true, passionate, and creative.

The other personality colors are red, yellow, and white, allowing no possibility of the many shades and hues that fill up the rainbow of colors our world is filled with. Nor, does the code allow for the many shades of grey and white.

Maybe blue reminds you of the ocean waves and the deep blue sea, or the blue sky on a mountain side. Maybe blue is your favorite flower or the color of your true love’s eyes. Maybe, blue is the color of your baby's eyes. And maybe you like the way it rhymes with “you”.

The color code may not be accurate, but it makes us curious to wonder what pseudo-psychologist say about our blue fascination.

Blue as a metaphor

Blues are steady as the waves, ordered as the tides and enduring as the ocean. Blues love with a deep passion. They are the well-spring of our society, creators of our culture, ones who foster home and love. They are loyal and true blue in the most trying circumstances, even when clouds turn the skies grey.

They strive to be the very best.

Uncle Charlie flew a P-40, but never flew a Corsair

 “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience:
    this is the ideal life.” Mark Twain

 “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
   J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter

My wife’s Uncle Charlie Miles, who served with the US Air Force in China during World War II, was once asked by a curious relative what airplanes he flew in the war. 

He replied, “Everything we made.”

Uncle Charlie’s claim was not a boast. In Chungking, China where he was stationed, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Forces fought a desperate struggle for survival against Japanese forces advancing from the east and the south. Meanwhile, Mao Tse-tung’s Communist forces controlled the northern mountains.

US airmen in support of the Nationalist Army had to fly whatever plane was needed for the mission. This included the reliable C-47 cargo plane that flew “The Hump” bringing precious gasoline and ammunition over the Himalayan Mountains. It also included the fearsome P-40 fighter that kept the Japanese at bay while Chinese forces regrouped.

After going down the list of planes he flew, Uncle Charlie was asked if he flew the vaunted Corsair, the first fighter in the Pacific whose speed exceeded 400 mph.

Not one to miss a beat Charlie said, “Damn it, that’s a Navy plane.”

Vought F4U Corsair

In The Vought F4U Corsair was developed early in 1938 for the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers, which needed to combine a small compact body with the most powerful engine and a low stall speed. When it appeared in the Pacific in late 1942, the Corsair was the fastest plane in the skies. Its distinctive W-shaped wings were immediately recognizable to friend and foe. The Japanese Zero pilots nicknamed the plane “Whistling Death” because of the sound it made when diving for the attack.

Initially, the plane was flown by Marine pilots and appeared in action over the skies of the Solomon Islands. Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington and his squadron flew Corsairs. With this success, Navy pilots soon adopted the Corsair as their own. 

In the course of its more than 64,000 missions, the Navy Corsair downed 2,140 enemy planes while losing only 189 Corsairs to the enemy, an 11:1 ratio unmatched in air combat history.

Traditions - friends, new and old

 “Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.
Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.
Just walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus

A couple in the Paris rain

Friends - the old ones are like a familiar chair, comfortable to the touch. And new ones bring joy to life, a bit of inspiration, a moment of laughter in a world that needs it and a hope for something better.



Each year Traditions celebrates its annual Holiday Open House. We decorate the store bringing in new seasonal gifts and serve food and even wine on occasion. The hope, as always, is to enjoy the friends we have and make a few new ones.

Life is meant to be enjoyed.

Terror attacks planned in Paris and London

The New York Daily News reports that the US foiled planned terror attacks in Paris and London.
NY Daily News ,2010-09-29.

France 24, the news is not a top story. France 24 reports of information received from a foreign intelligence agency (US) of an imminent threat. A hoax bomb threat to the Eiffel Tower is received.

The Sunday London Times reports:

Scotland Yard has warned businesses in London
to expect a Mumbai-style attack on the capital.

In a briefing in the City of London 12 days ago, a senior detective from SO15,
the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command, said: “Mumbai is coming to London.”

Al Jazeera likewise reports of a foiled attack.

Western spy agencies have foiled an advanced plan linked to al-Qaeda to attack Britain, France and Germany, according to British and US media.
Citing intelligence sources, Britain's Sky News said on Tuesday that Pakistan-based fighters were plotting simultaneous operations in London and major French and German cities, but the attacks were not imminent.
The broadcaster said that spy agencies had been tracking the suspected plotters who were planning attacks similar to commando-style raids seen during the co-ordinated atttacks of November 2008 in India's financial capital, Mumbai.

Canada's The Globe and Mail reports the news with calm and dispassion.

Intelligence officials have intercepted a credible terror plot against Britain and France, raising security fears at the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, but failing to raise the overall threat level in either country.

Stickley Traditional Collection

Stickley the Traditional Collection - classic grace and stately elegance. Future family heirlooms that reflect your tastes and your style. In rich mahogany and beautiful cherry, the Stickley Traditional Collection creates an inviting, comfortable setting for the style of your life.

This is the final week of our 40% off custom orders of Stickley Furniture. Come in today and save.

Come in to Traditions Home this Thursday for refreshments, prizes, and great savings - only in Wichita.

new york day 2

The Gift Show at the Javitts Center and Piers was, on the whole, a disappointment. There is very little furniture and the gifts and accessories were for the most part geared to smaller stores than ours or to large chains selling smaller items.

The highlights of the day were visits to Stickley Furniture, ABC Furniture, MacKenzie Childs, and Henri Bendel. Pictures to follow.

hotel elysee - manhattan, new york

Hotel Elysee

Built in the 1920's, the Hotel Elysée in New York City is named for one of the finest French Restaurants of that era. Today Hotel Elysée has been home to movie stars, artists, writers and intellectuals. George Clooney stayed here recently and shot scenes of the movie Michael Clayton across the street. The ground floor of the hotel is home to the equally well-known restaurat, The Monkey Bar where celebrity spotting is always in vogue. Hotel Elysée is located on East 54th Street between Park and Madison Avenues and is an oasis of luxury, elegance and calm in bustling Midtown Manhattan; the vibrant heart of New York City.

Visit the Hotel Elysee and learn more.

the history of St. Lawrence Church

St. Lawrence's Church in Lechlade was completed by 1476, but excavations reveal an earlier foundation and burials dating back to Saxon times. There is mention of the parish of Lechlade in the Domesday Book of 1086. The first mention of the dedication church to St. Lawrence was noted in 1255. The church was one of the few in England with the privelege of sanctuary.

More.

still waiting, after all these years

Thirty two years and counting - that is the length of time since the launch of Vayager II and with it earth's message in a bottle to the extraterrestrial aliens that if you are out there, say something. This was Carl Sagan's idea. he thought that while we are at it, sending space junk out beyond the solar system, we ought to see if someone is out there listening. More on the message.

We are still waiting.

When you think about it, the lack of response from the aliens out there is quite staggering. The earth after all, is over 4 billion years old and the universe itself, is 14 plus billion years old. Enough, already. Forget time travel, parallel universes, and worm holes. If someone, intelligent enough as we are, has been working on this problem of contacting intelligent life out there, and has failed for 10 billion years more or less, then the likelihood of finding intelligent life anywhere is slim.

Still, we keep trying.

I am reminded of Sisyphus, who was doomed to roll a heavy rock up a hill for eternity, only to have it roll back during the night so that he could start all over again. It is an existential nightmare, but it is our nightmare, and so we embrace it.

The Night the Lancaster Bomber Crashed

In World War II, Graffigny-Chemin saw little action due to its relative isolation. However, on the night of July 22, 1944 an English Royal Air Force Lancaster Bomber crashed into the hills behind the village. Thirteen airmen died immediately, two were seriously wounded, and one, Canadian Paul Bell, was slightly wounded. Local villagers managed to secret Airman Bell to the French underground, and he was spirited out of France through Switzerland and then to England. However, because of the severity of the injuries of the other airmen, they were released to the German authorities, but then never heard from again.

Villagers had removed from the crashed plane its radio transmitter, weapons, ammunition, and explosives. When the German authorities learned of this, they took hostages from the village and threatened to burn it. Living in the village was the French widow of a German Colonel, who had died in 1913. She interceded with the authorities and obtained the release of the hostages and cancellation of the order to burn the village.



The Airmen who died in the plane crash are buried in the village cemetery of Graffigny-Chemin.

the bridge to nowhere

Ever since I can remember, I have thought about escaping from my mundane life into a world of excitement and adventure.

It is the wish, I imagine, of most small town boys boys and girls to want to strike out and find something new and different. Main Street, Winesburg Ohio, Our Town, books that I read in high school, revealed to me that this need was epidemic. The longing to leave is epidemic.


This last Saturday,
I dropped my son Will off in Emporia where he was trying out for an Olympic High School Development is expressed in many ways.Program. With the whole day to kill while I waited for Will, I brought my kayak along, hoping to find a river or stream to navigate.

Hartford, Kansas is north of Emporia and just off I35 on the way to Kansas City. The town survives on farming, and by survives I mean that like so many other small Kansas towns, it is hanging in there. Opportunities for high school students are limited. If you don't farm, you pretty much don't do anything.

At the north end of the town is a bridge. It looks like the "bridge to nowhere". It leads into the Flint Hills Park, but that is one way trip down gravel roads that end at the John Redmond Reservoir. If you really want to leave Hartford, you need to go back the other way, hop on I35 and head north to Kansas City.

The bridge is now the haunt of high school kids who wanting to express themselves, paint the bridge and not the town. From its railings these kids can look out and wonder where the river of life will lead them. Right now the bridge serves as a way to express loves, memories, feelings, and hopes. In a greater sense it expresses hope that out there somewhere there is more.

Julie & Julia

This might keep me going for awhile - this being the Julie & Julia movie about a failed writer who finds her calling and purpose in life by blogging all the recipes of Julia Child's 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Julie is Julie Powell whose blog the Julie/Julia Project, a race to complete 524 recipes in 365 days, becomes a blog sensation, followed by a book and a movie. (Watch the trailer.) Julia of course is Julia Child, cook, author, and TV sensation.

If your looking for the original blog, there is little that is left other than a tribute posted on Julia's death in 2004. And, yes Julie has created a new blog to record her experiences as she deals with fame and fortune, but apparently lighting does not strike twice with Julie; her blog has none of the appeal of the original.

A no-holds-barred movie review.

Having just come back from Paris this summer, I loved the scenes in the movie. Shakespeare and Company, the bookstore, is still there on the Left Bank. Yes, it is the bookstore that Hemingway frequented when he had no cash and was struggling as a writer. The subway scene was also real, the only change was finding a metro train that was vintage. Sadly, the French open-air markets where one went to buy fresh produce are gone. But, one can still find patisseries, boulangeries, and the other small specialty shops where Parisians love to shop.



Read the N.Y. Times story as Julie goes into the homestretch on her blog.

Up the river

Read about the poet Shelley's trip up the river Thames with his wife Mary Shelley.




"The weeds above Lechlade became so thick that ...tugging and pulling [they] could not move the boat an inch..." They returned to Lechlade and stayed at the inn.

In Lechlade Shelley's thoughts turned to writing and the self-reflection that writing creates:

"A mirror would be held up to all men in which they might behold their own recollections, and in dim perspective - their shadowy hopes and fears, all that they dare not, or daring and desiring, they could not expose to the open eyes of day."

The writer's passage from sensation to reflection is sometimes so difficult and dizzying that one "dares not look behind".