Curio Christmas
The Cottage Curio in Salem is decorated for Christmas.
Today, owner Peggy Shifflett had another gathering of artists and authors. I was one of two authors available to sign books; the artists were jewelry maker Tina Faith and her son Pat Donovan who makes beautiful wooden boxes. Peggy’s sister-in-law Hilda was making cookies in the kitchen.
Among the customers were folks I already knew: Marilyn (from the Franklin County Library), Ethel (a fellow member of the Roanoke Valley Branch of the National League of Pen Women), and my cousin Judy (who lives in the neighborhood).
Visiting Peggy’s shop is like visiting Grandma’s house—the place is filled with wonderful furniture and collectibles from days gone by, good smells emanate from the kitchen, and interesting folks sit around and talk. Today, for instance, I learned a lot about different kinds of wood, like ambrosia maple—silver maple that gets streaks because of a chemical interaction caused by the ambrosia beetle which burrows into it.
The box in the lower left has an ambrosia wood top.
Peggy, of course, has written and self-published two books that were among my 2007 favorites: The Red Flannel Rag (her memoir of growing up in Hopkins Gap) and Mom’s Family Pie (memories and recipes from her family).
I love old-timey stuff. Peggy’s shop and her books feed my interest in things from an earlier time.
And Hilda makes doggone good cookies. They're something to sing about!
Today, owner Peggy Shifflett had another gathering of artists and authors. I was one of two authors available to sign books; the artists were jewelry maker Tina Faith and her son Pat Donovan who makes beautiful wooden boxes. Peggy’s sister-in-law Hilda was making cookies in the kitchen.
Among the customers were folks I already knew: Marilyn (from the Franklin County Library), Ethel (a fellow member of the Roanoke Valley Branch of the National League of Pen Women), and my cousin Judy (who lives in the neighborhood).
Visiting Peggy’s shop is like visiting Grandma’s house—the place is filled with wonderful furniture and collectibles from days gone by, good smells emanate from the kitchen, and interesting folks sit around and talk. Today, for instance, I learned a lot about different kinds of wood, like ambrosia maple—silver maple that gets streaks because of a chemical interaction caused by the ambrosia beetle which burrows into it.
The box in the lower left has an ambrosia wood top.Peggy, of course, has written and self-published two books that were among my 2007 favorites: The Red Flannel Rag (her memoir of growing up in Hopkins Gap) and Mom’s Family Pie (memories and recipes from her family).
I love old-timey stuff. Peggy’s shop and her books feed my interest in things from an earlier time.
And Hilda makes doggone good cookies. They're something to sing about!
~
Labels: writing
posted by Becky Mushko | 5:47 PM
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