Rita Rose Has a Fan
Imagine that girl’s surprise yesterday morning, finding this little love token tacked to the store wall! It seems that Chance, a charming and quite bright seven year-old whose mother owns Sarida, has taken a shine to Miss Rita Rose. With this kind of adoration, that pug is going to have a devil of a time pouring herself into her newly acquired swimwear . Now the girl does not swim but she knows how to lounge with that little hind leg curled around with just a bit of ankle showing. It is the very same pose she uses at the store, which brings most clients down to her level. She is shameless!
My Idea of Perfect Daffodils!
Last weekend, Diane and I were overjoyed with writing in the very same room these divine daffodils live in. They are on my friend John’s mantle and make me appreciate the gift of a flower gone by. It was a rainy weekend with gale force wind…just the sort of weather for a tuck in, some hot sweet dark tea in one of John’s white mugs, a blank journal, a bottle of Havana brown ink, my favorite fountain pen, and a few prompts to get that pen moving.
Same Mantle Six Inches Away
Swear to God…John is a genius and a generous genius at that! I have written about the house in Provincetown a number of times so try not to snooze off. But the more I visit, the more I am in love with its quirky owner and its lovely light and its delicious silence. Were it possible I would move right in and those of you who visit my store in Roslindale could stop by for tea. Of course, you might have to travel some, but I assure you it is worth the journey.
A Man At My Feet!
Last August, just as hurricane Irene was about to visit Provincetown, I went to Victor Powell’s Workshop for a sandal fitting. Now truly, dear friends, wouldn’t each of us love some nice man at our feet? Flash forward…last Sunday, I went back for my final fitting and within hours, I had the treasured sandals in my suitcase. Now all I need is a little vein stripping, some toenail polish, and a few hot days for the maiden voyage of said sandals!
Some Trees Just Know How to Dress Up!
Was it Thanksgiving that a woman wandered into one of those big box stores for that insane just-after-midnight-opening, packing her pepper spray? One does wonder what in the world she was thinking and why she or anyone else would camp out on the asphalt parking lot for such madness. While all that nonsense was going on, the date trees at China Ranch in Tecopa, California were wearing their best cotton shirts to keep the sun from scorching the tender dates. This will be my next wander west to suss out this date farm. My daughter, Andrea, sent me a one-pound bundle of dates from there, and I assure you those dates were the most delicious “date” I have had in years…and that includes both male and female!
Desert Spirits From Death Valley, California
It was my intention to go all Christmas with you and to feature all the gift items we are currently selling at 6 Birch Street. I had intended to show you the interior of the store all tarted up with bobbles and what-nots. What I can tell you is the store is stuffed with delicious goodies (even more delicious than those dates I spoke of moments ago). I can tell you also that the first Holiday Wander of this season was a terrific success. I can tell you that Rita Rose took over the cash register and ran the charges through with nary a mishap. That little pug vixen is all set for the rush of holiday shoppers! Dino has taken to the road again…he has a group of unsavory types, among them, a pit bull called Winky and a French poodle named Sassy. They like to spend the first week of December in Las Vegas, and when they head west, it is Winky who does most of the driving. I worry a whole lot less knowing Dino is in the back seat handing out the roast beef sandwiches packed just for the adventure.
Rita Rose...wart and all
Yesterday, a delicious box of kantha (vintage quilts) arrived at the store. First step is to bring them home and give them a good cleaning, then dry the dickens out of them, and then marvel at what beauties they are. Well, that little Rita Rose (still sporting the world’s largest wart) found the pile irresistible. We have some wagers going on at the store: HOW MUCH BIGGER CAN THIS WART GET AND WHEN WILL IT FALL OFF? It’s sort of like the football pool at any ten-man office…winner takes all. Dino is starting to flirt with Gracie, a bigger-than-him Golden. I think his passion for Rita Rose might be on the wane. I noticed last week he took out the little red motor scooter and was giving it a polish for those summer gadabouts. I wonder will it be Rita in the sidecar or Gracie?
"Markets of New England" Book Signing!
Christine Chitnis presented her wonderful book a couple weeks ago at the store. What a time we had! I know, for a fact, there will be gobs of well informed folks out there on the four lanes of summer travel hitting new farmer’s markets they had no idea (previous to Christine’s book) existed. We loved having her, her husband, and her beautiful seven month-old son. While here, Christine took some mouth-watering shots of the store…made me fall in love all over again with 6 Birch Street! We have put some of Christine’s photos on our website, and you can check out her site for more images. What I should mention is this…all the photography in Christine’s book is a credit not only to her writing abilities but also to her talents as a photographer. . Thank you, Christine!
Did I Say Mouth-Watering?
This is something I said I would never do…feature a tray of cupcakes before noon on my blog! These were created by a client for Christine’s event, and they were inhaled by all who entered the store. We are so lucky that we have amazing bakers who shop the store, who bring in goodies for me to try, and who make divine treats for many of our events. Thank you to Amy and to Lori for adding a couple delicious pounds to my not-so-skinny self!
Sure Sign of Spring!
Well, look at that! Sheets out on the line and today at Forest Hill Cemetery I spotted my first Snowdrops. Can the real honest-to-God season of Spring be far behind? In my fantasy life, every March, I would get out my hot pants and the little strappy tank tops, and the open-toed 6″ weggies so I could strut my stuff when the temperature even looks like it might get to forty degrees! My fantasy life says these are the days when I think of lounging at the beach. (I don’t swim but I do know the art of lying about on a sand-free towel.) I think about long bike rides down tree-lined country roads in the south of France. (I own a black bike that has seen fewer miles than I care to admit, but it does have a chic little Nantucket basket attached to its handlebars.) It is good to have a fantasy life during the month of March!
Ana Sortun's Magic!
Last night I sat at Sofra watching Ana Sortun, chef and owner of Oleana in Cambridge and Sofra Bakery and Cafe also in Cambridge, give a cooking class on “One Pot Meals.” If you haven’t taken a class from Ana, you haven’t lived! I adore Oleana and Sofra; I adore cooking and eating…these classes have it all. Good wine, great food, and I leave the place well fed, clutching copies of four new recipes. Who could ask for more!
Life More Abundant
Well Darlings…the pugs took me back to Forest Hills this past Wednesday. The place still has that damn snow on the ground, but those two pugs Dino and Rita Rose have a passion about the walkways. Can’t say I blame them! I came upon this Victorian marker and thought it said it all…”Life More Abundant.”
The morning’s New York Times had page upon page of reported struggles complete with photos. It is hard to ignore and also to read of the pain that exists both in the Middle East and in our own part of the world. The owner of my little local gas station keeps a ladder under his sign now so he can scamper up as the price jumps a notch or two. It is difficult to chatter on about the unnecessary and irresistible goods at 6 Birch Street when the dreary cold month of March has arrived…add to that the world with all its over-throws and you got yourself a fine case of depression!
Which brings me to Life More Abundant…may I suggest:
#1 Hot bath by candlelight with something deliciously scented in the water (not your mate); #2 Cups of hot cocoa with heaps of whipped cream on top (screw the diet); #3 An afternoon movie or better still a morning movie matinee (leaving the dishes in the sink, the bed unmade, and the ring around the tub); #4 Pot luck suppers with folks you keep wanting to have over (don’t forget to add candlelight); #5 Curling up with your dog/cat/partner for an afternoon nap (draw the drapes and turn the clock around). I could go on but you get the drift…LIFE MORE ABUNDANT!
Lottie
Earlier this month, I popped into my all-time favorite designer’s booth at the New York Gift Show. We sell Pip-Squeak Chapeau at the store…I adore Sveta, the designer and owner of this small, exquisite line of clothes. She has many fans at 6 Birch Street who also adore her! While in the booth, I noticed this truly amazing model’s photograph, which Sveta had on the wall. I asked a few questions. Was she some one famous, say an older model who could have been a version of a younger model….you know, kind of like buying a car in the current year! Whoever she was, I thought she was truly special and clearly older. When Sveta told me the story of Lottie, I nearly swooned. She is someone Sveta met at the laundrymat in Brooklyn waiting for her clothes to dry! Sveta asked her if she would consider doing some modeling, and Lottie was delighted with the opportunity. When I found out that Lottie is 81 years-old, I wanted to weep! It is about time a wise designer selects a senior woman with style to show her work. As far as I am concerned that dear Sveta is up for sainthood…Lottie at 81 is already an angel!
Another Storm
Same Spot This Past June!
Well, here we are again…more snow, add some ice, maybe a little bit of rain and you got yourself February 2011! This lusty little corner of my back porch reminds me to think Spring. And, as I slide around on icy walks, I remember to pray. Now you should all know I am not a praying type of gal but this winter has done it to me! I just returned from New York and the Gift Show…which is usually a whole lot of fun…though even New York City had snow and slush and icy puddles that I could have used a canoe and a nice set of paddles to get across. I prayed there too…maybe in all this, I might find religion!
What I do want to tell you is this…the Gift Show was divine. There were the usual tempting goodies and the favorite booths and the very favorite artists and vendors. I bought amazing things I believe you all might enjoy.
The best part of it all in New York is the after-hours! I love the delicious nonsense of eating out each night with friends old and new. This time in New York was different and maybe even better. I dined, once again, at Bombay Talkie on Ninth Avenue with dear friends who own Bon in Tucson. And I ate, once again, at Malatesta on Washington Street in the Village. There was snow (piles of it) outside our window, worn wooden floors under our feet, and in front of me, a dish of spinach gnocchi with gorgonzola cream and sage leaves! Bottles of wine, the company of good friends…who could have asked for more? One night, my friend John and his friends from Astier de Villatte in Paris gave a buffet supper party. The meal was catered by a chef named Amy Chaplin. This was the most amazing food I have eaten in a very long time! Amy has a blog called Coconut and Quinoa. This blog is a must for anyone who loves to eat! Please check it out, and did I mention…there are recipes. Each one sounds more delicious than the next.
New York was a wonderful adventure with a great deal of work and the best ever food! Now… if only we can get past this winter and into spring, hang up the snow shovels, and put away the fleece…imagine!
The End of Chinese News at 6 Birch Street
For the past three weeks while the whole of the Northeast has been buried in snow, worker boys have scraped and painted, polished and buffed the store. It is truly clean and completely beautiful. Selecting the color was no easy task, just ask Holly at Wall Paper City! I ended up with a quiet but tasty grown-up color. I hope you all will enjoy the change. Of course, in all of this flurry of change, the Chinese newsprint that covered the walls for eleven years is gone. I found this tiny fragment clinging to the front window ledge and felt I should honor the character those walls displayed these past eleven years. There were those who felt the place had once been a Chinese restaurant; others who adored the look and were sad to hear it was going. Now it is gone! Come on in and check out our fresh look and the newly arrived merchandise and the older-than-dirt shopkeeper.
The Big Switch-Over!
Well, darlings is there anything more sobering than poking about in the soon-to-be last year’s calendar? It is at this moment when I wonder if I sent a thank-you note for that lovely dinner back in May, and then I wonder did I even attend the lovely dinner?
I am reminded of old friends both in this world and the one beyond. I am compulsive about listing both birthdays and, sadly, death dates. I am reminded that a dear black dog named Boo died June 14th back in 2007, and for a lovely moment, I remember Boo and how she once, as a young puppy, tore through my freshly planted tomato garden turning up sod as she whipped around the tender “Early Girls.”
I see that in May I had the liver spots zapped on the backs of both hands. A non- insurance covered event where the room smelled of burning hair and burning money…but, oh what hands, worth every dime!
I look fondly at an obit I saved from the small print of the NY Times…a woman I never knew who died at 93 years of age and left behind her 98 year-old boyfriend, and I think…thank you, Jesus, there is hope for all of us! Not that I want the boyfriend of any age but that love was there for both of them.
I see lists of books I have yet to read and movies I must rent and words that delight me that I must one day use (if ever I can remember to). I see addresses without names attached and phone numbers also without names, but one has an underlined “URGENT” along its side. I believe I might save that number for the urgent events in one’s life!
Before the year is fully here, I want to tell all of you (all ten of you) who read this blog to have a healthy New Year filled with much laughter, good health, and an adventure or two. I will see you at the store or on the street or in my dreams in 2011!
Glitter Time!
Yep! It is that time of year again…where boxes arrive with goods I swear I don’t remember ordering. I wonder also if I might have been on drugs when I did the Gift Show at the Javits! So many decisions made last August, so much merchandise arriving this month, did I really order all of this in a totally sane state?! There is glitter from one end of the store to the other; product is screaming for position. I leave the store each night with armloads of empty boxes, and once the alarm is set and the door locked, those goods take on a mind of their own moving themselves into precious store space. The books, always a pushy lot, muscle the soaps out of the way, and I can’t even tell you what happens to the tubes of French hand-cream! Those wonderful French will have no part of taking a back row. What I am telling you is this…we have wonderful treasures in the store right now…drugs or no drugs this is the best season ever!
Now there is some chatter about shopping locally, which I know you all do, so maybe I am preaching to the choir here. There is a movement afoot for Small Business Saturday, and God knows the best stores ever are privately owned by small madly insane folks like yours truly. We are talking here about the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but any small business would love any old Saturday traffic…not just Saturday after Thanksgiving!
A Clever Book!
My dear friend Janette came for a wee visit from San Francisco a week or two back…she brought me this book that I hope to sell in the store. After all, where else can a girl of any age find such urgent information as “How to Ride an Ostrich,” found on page 135. Or “How to Make a Macrame Bikini,” page 187. Or “Eighteen Uses for a Spare Fishnet Stocking” on page 26. Or “How to Look Glamorous in a Sidecar” (something Rita Rose has already mastered) on page 241. Perhaps my all-time favorite is found on page 213…”How to Give Yourself a Brazilian Wax!” This is a must have on any bedside table (the book, not the Brazilian wax!).
Shoes that Could Tell a Story
Well…this is it! No more Rowley for the season. I can’t tell you how sad this makes me. I had such fun every Sunday morning covering those big tick-infested open fields. Guess it will be church for me on Sundays! These steppers were on a table of other delicious goods a month or so ago. They reminded me of how it felt to navigate in heels. It might have been my second marriage when I wore such heels. That was a while back…and with the heels, I wore a charming little handknit suit…a skirt and top sort of thing. The skirt would barely fit now as a cufflet on one thigh, and the top, as I recall, was deeply scooped…perfect to reveal the tiniest bit of cleveage. The headgear for such an outfit was a mantilla lace shawl dyed by my amazing, soon-to-be, mother-in-law in a cup of her hot black tea. It might still have been damp when I strutted down the isle of Christ Episcopal Church in Sausalito California in June so many years ago. What a day it was! The first marriage was a far more serious event…complete with white Chantilly lace gown, tea length with a million small covered buttons up the back, and the white pois de soie heels whose tips had traces of grass and slight bits of mud caught up from my parents front lawn, as I made my way to the waiting ’58 ivory colored Buick Royale. That was a day too, and one I wouldn’t want to repeat with or without the nice pointy-toed shoes!
