May 8: Back in September, I signed up for an event celebrating the Smithsonian’s State Fairs exhibition at the Renwick Gallery. Perfect docent training, I thought, because I’d need to pass a test to give tours there.
I arrived to discover that I wasn’t actually supposed to be there: the party was a “thank you” for Smithsonian benefactors, featuring food, drink, a few friends I was delighted to encounter — and one artist.
The artist, Dr. Rodney Zeitler of Iowa City, Iowa, stood with his object, and I stood with him. “When the Smithsonian asked me to contribute to the State Fairs exhibition,” Dr. Zeitler said, “I was incredulous.”
Why? Because his particular expertise is canning. Jellies, jams, preserves, conserves, relishes, sauces and much more. He told me that the Smithsonian team arrived in his dining room with a specific plan to array shapes, colors and sizes in a very attractive back-lit pyramid.
Dr. Zeitler waved off the compliments, saying, “The Smithsonian made the art. I just put things in jars!”
Bonus: During my tour today of the State Fairs exhibition, two of my visitors reported a specialty in medieval art. Hmmm. I’ll show you something that might evoke stained glass, I offered. Later, they laughingly agreed that “Home Canning” was surprisingly close.
May 9: The five of us sat down at an outdoor table tonight giddy with the pleasure of each other’s company. “I feel like we could talk all night about everything and still have a ton more to say.” So said Daniel, Nate’s and Jeremiah’s friend who, returning to town for a weekend visit, enthusiastically accepted Jeremiah’s invitation to join us for my birthday dinner.
What 28-year old does that? Someone who loves books, movies, friends, conversation and, apparently, old people.
Kevin gave me bundles of love and support, coupled with a cherished card. Jeremiah’s partner Honora brought a bouquet of lilies and tulips to decorate our table and wrote a beautiful note. Jeremiah gave me a jigsaw puzzle by our favorite literature-themed puzzle maker. Nate phoned me from afar.
And although implored not to, Daniel presented me with a palm-sized book in perfect condition dating from the 1950s or 1960s. Tucked in a cardboard sleeve, with its covers swirling like endpapers in reds and blues and its pages peppered with colorful illustrations, the book is Daisy Miller, by Henry James. A few years ago, when Daniel mentioned an interest in reading Henry James, I pressed a handful of Penguin paperbacks on him. He politely accepted one — and politely returned it when he moved away.
Now he’s given me this beautiful book — the novel, Daniel said, that I urged him to read first. We closed down the restaurant talking about Infinite Jest and Don Quixote. Tempting titles, but maybe I’ll sneak in Daisy Miller one more time, with birthday memories turning the pages with me.
May 10: I’m famous! Not really. I’m overwhelmed! Yes, that part is true.
As part of the America 250th celebration organized by my town, I’m hosting monthly tours at Falls Church’s historic Oakwood Cemetery starting in late May. I’ve been busy planning, researching and writing my tour — and yesterday I saw an article about it on a local news website. Yay?
I’ve now received scores of requests, to the point where I’ve had to close registrations for my May, June, July and October tours. I am encouraging folks to choose a different date and might even need to mention my October library talk about Oakwood as a consolation prize.
Here I was thinking that I’d need to recruit friends and family to keep me from being lonely. Now I’m getting cheery emails from fellow taphophiles (from the Greek, literally meaning “lover of tombs”) who happily share photos with me of cool cemeteries they’ve visited.
I’ll report back after my May tour. In the mean time, wish me luck!
Postscript: When reading about Nijinsky I was dismayed to learn that this sculpture was installed over the dancer’s grave without his family’s permission. It shows Nijinsky in character as the puppet Petrushka.
May 11: Sometimes it rains.
I travelled to Lexington, Virginia, today to visit my son Nate. We met for a morning coffee and planned our day despite the downpour: a walk around the charming town, a tour of Washington & Lee University School of Law where Nate just completed his first year, and then exploring for me and working (etc.) for Nate until we would meet again for dinner.
My umbrella was my hero; my wool socks did pretty well too. I walked around the undergraduate campus, popped into cute shops and — sunshine! — visited the historic cemetery.
I write this now surrounded by lavender bushes under cloudless skies. I welcome the warmth and the rest. Four beautifully dressed college women just walked by on their way to Senior Photos. Four older people walked in the other direction in search of the grave of the horse of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. A foursome of college men passed me, using the university’s Great Lawn as a plastic-golf-ball chipping course. The University Chapel’s bell chimed the hour in a tinny quaint tone.
Maybe I’ll renew my wanderings. Or maybe I’ll just stay right here.
May 12: While walking to my exercise class this morning, I stooped to grab an errant scrap of paper. I put it in my pocket. A few moments later, I plucked a candy wrapper from the curb. Into my pocket it went. When a third (icky) scrap appeared, I sighed in dismay: I had no litter bag with me. A few steps later, though, a clean dog poop bag appeared on the sidewalk. Perfect.
On my way home, I spied an unreasonable pile of food packaging near the woods. Ugh. I shoved as much as I could into my dog bag and sighed again. Then I spied, fluttering from a bush, another clean empty plastic bag . Perfect.
Litter occasionally takes care of itself.
Fashioned For Joy 
Your birthday dinner – and gifts – sound wonderful and perfect delights. Good luck with the tours!
How wonderful to be surrounded by lavender bushes.
Footnote – I am not surprised Nijinsky’s family are not too keen on that statue.
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Thank you for your good wishes. And yes, I agree with your observation about the Nijinsky monument. I had found it intriguing (and, hence, I photographed it), but upon learning of the family’s reaction, I’m now more ambivalent. I would have loved to have seen a sculpture of Nijinsky in motion!
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“We will encounter poets and soldiers, spies and villains, faith leaders and storekeepers, ornithologists and egg farmers,” says the quote in ARL Now about your cemetery tour. Who could resist such an tantalising sales pitch? I’d attend myself if it weren’t for that rather large Pond that separates your home from mine! But good luck with the tours anyway, they sound like enormous fun.
Please accept my belated best wishes for a Happy Birthday. You clearly had a great time with your family, which is just how it should be.
And poor old Nijinsky looks delightfully miserable, as if his favourite team lost a game they were expected to win. It’s a feeling (and a look?) that I know only too well!
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Thank you for cheering me on for my tours. 😊 Thanks also for reading the article. That quote was from my website; I wish I could have been so spontaneously creative!
Regarding the content of my tour, I’ll be doing a presentation of the same material in October at our local library — here we go with a wonderful library shout-out again!! They’ll be recording it and posting the link. I’ll be sure you get it!
Nijinsky: yes, delightfully miserable, like his favorite team lost. A feeling we BOTH know well!
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I look forward to receiving the link so I can see/hear your presentation online. And kudos to your local library for making it possible, just the sort of thing libraries should be doing in our digital age.
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This post holds so many delights that I hardly know which delights I should settle on. First, a very happy birthday to you! Your birthday celebration sounds utterly delightful. In fact, it sounded like it could be one of ours! So lovely to get together with kindred spirits to talk about books and movies and other creative things. And it’s especially lovely when you can claim family as being kindred spirits.
Then, there is that rose bush tree. It is splendid, whatever it is, and I have never seen such a thing.
Finally, you might like to know that when we lived in Bangor, we lived next to Mount Hope Cemetery, one of the oldest in the United States. Mount Hope Cemetery was the inspiration for locations mentioned in Stephen King’s Pet Cemetery and It.
Good luck, good luck!
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Thank you for your cheery good wishes, Laurie, and capturing the vibe of my birthday party. Indeed, it does sound like one of your family gatherings!
Thank you also for telling me about Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor, Maine. I’ll definitely check it out!
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We used to think of it as a beautiful peaceful place rather than as a place of horror, and we took many walks there. But that’s how Stephen King’s mind runs. 😉
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Happy birthday Carol Ann! So wonderful to be surrounded by dear ones and their heartfelt gestures of love for you!
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the Zeitler pickle jars are fabulous! This conversation of art crossing into craft and vice versa is one that happens very often at our table. And I love that it is done so beautifully in this case. And to know that these are real pickles not just fabricated jars of things for the sake of the exhibition really tickles me.
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Thank you for your birthday greetings, Ju-Lyn, and for celebrating the pickle jars! I’m fascinated that the art/craft topic pops up at your dinner table — but not at all surprised 😊. What crafts do you particularly talk about?
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We are an eclectic household … we like different sorts of art, craft, music, books … but because we know each other fairly well (dare I say), we seem to have lots to talk about in terms of “hey, I came across this and thought you might like it”
Older Child is the avid crafter and loves to explore new crafts. Her latest kicks are spinning yarn (from all sorts of things, including our neighbour’s doggies’ fur) and carving buttons (and hopefully earrings) from avocado pips. Younger Child has recently be reacquainted with quilling. So these are the crafts we have talked about this week. My pursuits are less exciting – I am altering too-long-dresses, taking up strange-length-pants.
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Yours is a very talented family, Ju-Lyn! Quilling is so interesting; I was wearing a pair of quilled earrings yesterday — I have deep admiration for the artistry and patience it requires. And making earrings out of avocado pips!
I especially love your description of the breezy conversations among all of you. Very soul-nourishing (as well as intellectually and artistically engaging)!
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