Friday, May 5, 2017

If My Tchotchkes Could Talk.....

     I've written before about the odd little tchotchkes in my home---stuff that other people may see as a collection of junk, but to me, they're treasures. Each one carries a specific memory, and for that reason, I hang onto them. I'm not a hoarder (well, maybe when it comes to squirrel stuff I am, but....), and I DO try to keep my tchotchkes organized. Just the other day, I removed all of my pug-faced pillows and stored them in the closet so that they wouldn't clutter up my bedroom. Perhaps I should have donated them or tossed them out, but you never know when someone might be in dire need of a pug pillow.

     My home is full of amazing little items that make me smile whenever I happen to spot them on a table or shelf. Or when it's time to bring out the duster, because God knows, the more tchotchkes you have, the more dusting you'll do.....




This metal biplane was given to me eons ago at a surprise birthday party hosted by my husband. At the time, I was fascinated with World War I aviation and even rode in a biplane that had an open cockpit. Crazy for someone like me who has a fear of flying, right? Oddly enough, I felt safer in the old Sopwith Camel than I ever did on a commercial jet. Which is why you won't see me flying again any time soon. It's not the turbulence I'm worried about; I don't want to get bloodied and bruised while being dragged off an airplane that has oversold its seats. 





This is just a SMALL sampling of squirrel figurines that I have in my curio cabinet. Yes, I can always make room for more.....





What home would be complete without a model of the ship that sank in 1912, killing 1500 passengers? For me, the Titanic is a reminder of why I don't do cruise ships. Ever.




There was a time when I had a THING for Captain Jack Sparrow. Seriously---I had posters of him all over my house, and collected any type of memorabilia from Pirates of the Caribbean---like this doll. Okay, so maybe it was just because I really had a THING for Johnny Depp. Several years ago, I was
fortunate enough to see Mr. Depp sing with his band when they came to our town. I was right up front by the stage, too, until an unruly young woman tried to elbow me out of the way. We almost got into fisticuffs, but I stood my ground. The concert was great, yet all I remember was my urgent need to use the restroom and being forced to keep my bladder on hold for fear of losing my spot by the stage. Lesson learned---next time I go to a concert that is standing room only, I'll bring a travel pack catheter. 




These are no ordinary finger puppets. These are magic puppets to spark the creative juices. How do I know? They were given to me at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop by my hilarious friend Elaine Ambrose, when I attended her seminar. These guys sit at my desk now and cheer me on whenever I feel uncreative. The one on the left represents my current status the best.




This little replica of the Fountain Of Youth was purchased at the museum after a grueling walk through St. Augustine during the summer when it was above 90 degrees. My husband was certain that the park was near our hotel, so we set out on foot to the museum. Two hours later, drenched in sweat and with blisters on our feet, we finally reached our destination. I was hoping that the Fountain of Youth was large enough for me to throw my entire, sweaty body into the cool oasis, but all we found was a small trickle of water coming out of some rocks. So I did the next best thing--I drank the water in the hopes that I would stay forever youthful and free of hot flashes. And then I made my husband call a taxi.

What sort of unusual tchotchkes do you have on display at your house?



******WANT MORE MENO MAMA? This week I am honored to have my first piece up on The Mighty: How I learned To Live With My Anxiety Disorder. I also have a humor article about menopause on Medium that you can read here:  https://medium.com/@marciakesterdoyle/a-husbands-perspective-eight-ways-menopause-has-changed-my-wife-4b94c90ea4e5


24 comments:

  1. First of all- you like those early biplanes because you were only 100 feet from the ground!
    And, Tchotches? When you've have five kids, that's all you accumulate. Admittedly, I removed about 25% of my holdings (hoardings?) when I downsized. But, now I need to be able to drop from 3 floors to two (by my own edict), so I have a plethora of wonderful (absolutely ditzy and worthless) objects to eliminate.

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    1. You will have a lot of "fun" going through each of those items...hard to sort through and decide what to keep and what to pitch.

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  2. Well, I don't have many. You know me by now... I'm more of a "streamline" girl. I do have a few things that bring back wonderful memories, just like these possessions of yours. That is the stuff you should keep and enjoy! I tell clients that it isn't about forcing yourself to get rid of things you love. It is about making space for your favorite things, and then letting go of the rest. It is really about priorities. That said, I'd certainly affirm a decision to let go of a few pug pillows (wink, wink!)

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  3. I keep the little figurines or candles my kids gave me when they were very young. Now I keep the ones from the grandkids -- mostly handmade of course.

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  4. We have far too many tchotchkes in our house. Most of them are travel souvenirs and I'm beginning to forget where some of them came from.

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    1. I can totally relate. As I was preparing to write this post, I found some things in my curio cabinet and wondered where they came from, lol.

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  5. You seem so fun! Although recently I have begun to hate squirrels. They chew down my patio lights, my plants and eat through my pillows. So I'm not sure I would enjoy your collection.

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    1. Yes, they do make a mess of things. They are chewing up our new wood deck. But they are so darn cute....

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  6. Last year we sold the house that we raised our kids in. Major right-sizing, which translates into purging. A lot of tchotchkees did not make it to the new home. I picked one small thing from each "category"--something to remember my parents, my husband's parents, our kids toddler and school years. I went with small. What surprises me is how little I miss the stuff I gave away. it ,may be a cliche but less is more.

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    1. You are so right---I did a lot of purging before but perhaps I need to do more....

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  7. I would love that biplane. My uncle was a commercial pilot and owned private planes as well. I used to go up with him in his open cockpit biplane, but his was originally used for training pilots. It had 2 sets of controls and the passenger (me, but originally it would have been the one learning) sits in the front.

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    1. That's so cool! Next time I see a biplane model, I'll grab it for you.

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  8. Ha! These are so great, Marcia! Mine aren't nearly as funny. Jack Sparrow or Johnny Depp? At least you came clean on that one. OMG, those finger puppets are a riot! I am forever telling myself to get rid of some of my tchotchkes (did I spell that right?) but I never do. I have a memory with almost everything.

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  9. Wow! Maybe next time you can open a museum.

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  10. Husby would totally agree with you! He has cabinets full of little keepsakes. Each with its own story. He and I don't see these things in the same way. To him, they're treasures. To me, they're stuff that I have to dust. I drew the line at his old, rotted gold tooth. He thought it deserved a place of honour. I gave it one--in his nighttable drawer.

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    1. OMG---I saved all four of my wisdom teeth in a tiny box, ha-ha!!

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  11. Thank you for the invitation to your home. It's so lovely with you. So many nice things... I love them.

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