November 30, 2002
Greetings Accumulators!
We are stuffed! Two days after Thanksgiving, and we still haven't recovered. Suffice it to say, the company was wonderful, the food was excellent, and there werw w-a-a-a-y too many cheesecakes on hand. Oink!
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF WHEN YOUR DOG IS A COLLECTOR TOO
I think when we retire we should move to Hereford, England. Life there is so interesting! Why, just the other day, Gordon Husband took his collie dog, Shadow, down to the riverbank for a hearty game of fetch. He threw a stick for Shadow to retrieve, and she dutifully ran off after it. She returned with a live grenade in her mouth. Husband gingerly removed the grenade from her mouth, and took it home. I know what you're thinking and no, that wouldn't have been my first choice either. I would have taken it as far away from home as I could get it. But, anyway, he took it home and called his friendly local army bomb experts, who stopped by and blew it up. I'm sure this was a big thrill for all the ten-year-old boys in the neighborhood, but may have disturbed everyone else. Said Husband, "I was quite surprised by the bang it made." He had served in the military, so one must wonder if he was paying attention during all those grenade lessons. Gordon added: "Shadow is always coming back from the river with stuff - but usually just rubber balls." Let's hope so.
FLY BY NIGHT ART MUSEUM DEPARTMENT
Well, I never thought I'd wind up on the same side of the fence as PETA, but here I am. Just to set the record straight, I am firmly against any cruel treatment of animals. I just find some of PETA's tactics unacceptable. The Paris Museum of Modern Art is planning to purchase a work of "art" featuring a live parrot. "Don't Say I Haven't Told You - the Parrot" by the Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers who died in 1976, is currently in the Belgian Palace of Arts in Brussels. The work consists of a grey parrot in a cage next to two small palm trees and a tape recorder. People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson Michel Vandenbosch says the parrot is "pining away from grief. He is already pulling out all his feathers." Jan Hoet, director of the Museum of Modern Arts in Ghent, who doesn't see any problem with a bald parrot, said Peta's objection was nonsense and that "the piece was Broodthaers most important work. I donąt understand why these people are opposed to it. If I had enough money, I'd buy it myself for my own collection," he said. "The cage is big enough for the parrot and I think the museum is one of the best places a parrot could live. It even looks a little bit like a zoo." And, as we all know, every animal just loves living in a zoo. Perhaps Mr. Hoet would be willing to take the parrot's place for a few months.
SALARIES YOU CAN'T TAKE TO THE BANK
Yes, but you can take them to the swap meet. A struggling Bulgarian company is giving its employees reject carpets instead of wages. Belosnezhka, a textile firm in the town of Pazardzhik, has told its workers it will give them each ten defective carpets a month. The local daily newspaper, 24 Chasa says the employees are "delighted". They say the carpets will sell for as much as $20 each at local flea markets, and that locals are already clamoring to own them. Since the average monthly income in Bulgaria is about $150, this would seem to be a great deal for the workers. Kind of like a raise. In another Bulgarian factory story, Edinstwo 35 in Panicino recently announced it would pay its employees in colored combs. The company had gone bankrupt and the combs were all they had left after their assets were sold to pay creditors. No word on whether the employees are happy with the arrangement. They do, however, have lovely hair.
TIPS FROM THE BOOK
Perspiration stains - Don't throw out that facorite shirt because it has unsightly underarm stains. As long as it is washable, try this: mix one part ammonia to two parts water and soak the shirt for 30 minutes. Then rinse and hang to dry.
Stained porcelains - If you have mild stains like coffee or tea, rub with cream of tartar on a damp cloth, then rinse in tepid water.
Well, well, well. It's off to do some shopping. And then tonight ANOTHER Thanksgiving dinner, at the home of our dear friends, The Nachowitzes. Artie will be dragging me home on a hand truck. Have a great weekend, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2002 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #200
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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