Kirking of the Tartan
Sometimes when you see a handkerchief, a certain individual immediately pops to mind. When I saw this silk souvenir from Scotland, I immediately thought of Jim Osborn, for two reasons: one – Kirking of the Tartans, and two – well, you’d have to know Jim. Jim Osborn is one-of-a-kind. Delightful, adventurous and fun, he had an impressive career in media that spanned decades. He was VP and General Manager of KGO-TV (ABC) in San Francisco, subsequent to serving as VP and GM of WXYZ-TV (ABC) in Detroit. He oversaw all facets of operations including sales, news, programming, promotion,...
Read MoreLimerick Lace
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Gaelic blessing The following wedding handkerchiefs of Limerick lace are beautifully executed and contain symbols associated with Ireland, including the harp and the shamrock. For those wondering about the meaning of the symbols, the shamrock was discussed in the previous blog, but since Irishmen are known to repeat themselves, particularly if the yarn is a good one, here goes:...
Read MoreStirrup Cups
Ownership is the most intimate relationship one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who comes alive in them.” Walter Benjamin Some friends of mine were lamenting the fact that none of their children were interested in inheriting the family silver or other treasured antiques. A few ladies were heartbroken, while others pragmatically observed “It’s a different world, and tastes change.” True enough. I’m reminded of the Wall Street Journal article which appeared in the fall of 2014 titled “She Can’t Give It Away” which featured a woman with a home filled with...
Read MoreAddendum to Roses and Romance
Although Valentine’s Day is still a few weeks away, I’m hopping on cupid’s bandwagon because in today’s culture of texting and tweeting, some guys apparently need a wake-up call when it comes to romance. A recent lead story in the New York Times decried The End of Courtship, and the details were truly disheartening. (We touched on this trend in Flirting.) Apparently Millennial girls are drowning in a tsunami of boys with bad manners. The story opens with a social media manager in Philly, who thought she had a date for Friday night. The guy finally texted her at 10:30 p.m., with this...
Read MoreDiet
You can’t watch tv or listen to the radio the first few weeks in January without being deluged with diet programs of every kind. The tv show Biggest Loser promises to return “Bigger and Bolder” than ever – perhaps not the best choice of adjectives for a show on dieting. Even Jane Fonda has resurfaced in leotard and headband to teach AM/PM yoga. Yep, you can work out with her morning and night! Whether you planned to get into shape or not, you may be shamed into doing so. Calorie counting is nothing new, as these 1940’s and 50’s hankies will attest, although methinks they did it with a...
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