Button, Button, Who's Got The Button

Did you ever play 'Button, button, who's got the button'? I remember playing it in grade school but had forgotten all about it until searching for buttons to photograph for another memory of our 1953 trip to Davenport.

There was no Interstate 80 then. To cross Southern Iowa we traveled U.S. Highway 34. The distance from Corning to Davenport is around 265 miles. The family sedan then was a 1949 Plymouth. I remember there being an extra passenger at least part of the trip because we gave a ride to an older gentleman. I always thought we took him as far as Washington, Iowa but maybe that is where we picked him up. (The man was someone my folks knew - a former neighbor or relative of that neighbor - not a hitchhiker.)

 He was still with us by the time we got to Muscatine and first saw the Mississippi River because he teased my sister and me: "You girls look! Do you see those boys out there in the river?" We were mystified because there were no boys in the water. Of course he was pointing at the buoys. He thought that was a good joke.

This is when I learned that Muscatine was The Pearl Button Capital of the World also known as Pearl City. This is when I also learned the word nacre (and have never forgotten it) and mother-of-pearl. Those fasteners we called pearl buttons were more accurately mother of pearl.

I was impressed that Iowa held the title as pearl button capital of the world and that something as necessary as a button could come from an ordinary clam shell.

I just knew that somewhere I still had some of those mother of pearl buttons. I found the four on the left in a drawer in Grandmother Bessie's treadle sewing machine. For comparison, the four on the right are made from plastic. As you can see, one of the problems with the shell buttons was that they chipped and broke easily.

(More can be found about Muscatine's pearl button history here: http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/mypath/pearl-button-story )

Vander Veer Botanical Park

A few months ago my granddaughter Deise moved to Davenport, IA to be near her boyfriend. He shared this photo of the two of them "Exploring Vanderveer Park Christmas lights".  Just reading that sent my memories back to the summer before I turned 10 years old.

My Dad's sister and family had moved to Davenport. Grandma Lynam had been spending some time with them so we went over to bring her back home. It was a mini-vacation for us, staying a few days, seeing the sights, enjoying time away from farm chores.

This photo of Grandma, my sister Betty on the left, and me looking at my feet, was taken on the back stoop of my Aunt and Uncle's house on N. Ripley Street.








I remember those days as ones of freedom. With my cousins as guides, we were allowed to roam the neighborhood, being introduced to their friends, and, best of all, walking to nearby Vander Veer Botanical Park.

The main draw for me were the swans in the park lagoon. I could sit and watch their graceful swimming for hours. I also liked the park fountain and all the pretty flower beds.

Mom, Grandma and my aunt walked over with us the first time we went. I know Mom was concerned about us crossing the busy intersection at the southwest corner of the park. But there were crossing lights and we assured her we would always be very careful.

One of my cousin's friends lived near the park. He had a sister my age. We became instant friends in the way only total strangers can, bonding over books and whatever else we were into at that age. I remember one afternoon it started raining so she invited me in to see her room. I was already in awe of their house. It seemed like a mansion to me - a stately Dutch Colonial if my memory serves.

Another of my cousin's friends lived just across the driveway from my relatives. Cousin Butch had been telling Jack about me even before we got there. What Butch had told him was that I had a hot  temper, which his friend decided he wanted to see for himself. So day after day he did his best to make me mad, but I kept my cool. Finally he did or said something that really got to me and I slapped him. His look was one of astonishment, but he got to see my temper - just what he wanted. For the rest of the time we were there he left me alone - just what I wanted!

As much as I enjoyed seeing Zachary's pictures of their walk exploring the Christmas lights in Vander Vere Park, I equally enjoyed the prompt they gave me of memories from a summer sixty-six years ago.

(Out of curiousity, I used Google Earth to see if their house was still there. What I found was an area of apartment buildings and parking lots. Perhaps part of the St. Ambrose University complex.)

Read In November 2019

Ten books this month:

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult - Even when the subject matter doesn't sound like something I would like, Picoult's writing always surprises me. Her's is a diverse and talented pen.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson is reminiscent of the classic Strangers On A Train. This book is the kind worth reading. 

Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips took me right back to Under The Tuscan Sun and made me wish I had somehow managed a trip to Tuscany when I was still enjoying traveling.

Trail of Blood by Lisa Black is #3 in her Theresa MacLean, forensic scientist series. Unfortunately it is the only one my library has. I would read more of Ms. Black's books, especially if they were, like this one, based on true happenings.

Tabloid City by Pete Hamill - After watching a Sunday Morning segment about Hamill and learning he had authored several books, I decided to give one of his novels a try. Hamill's life as a NYC reporter really shows through this murder mystery. I wish my library had more of his books.

Garlic and Sapphires [The Secret Life Of A Critic In Disguise] by Ruth Reichl was given me by my daughter after she read and liked it so much. When I first began reading it, I just couldn't get into it, but when I picked it back up a couple months later, I really enjoyed it.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert - I resisted reading Gilbert's previous books, but thought I would enjoy this one set in 1940's NYC. It wasn't as good as I had thought it might be.

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier was my favorite read this month, the story of one of England's "surplus women" after her fiance was killed in WWI.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett is a story about a brother and sister and their obsessive connection to an iconic house they once lived in.

Akin by Emma Donoghue - When I saw the title of this book I wondered what it could be about because I grew up where the surname Akin was well known. Ah, but the title is a.kin meaning of similar character or related. It is the story of a 79-year-old man entrusted with the care of his 11-year-old great-great nephew that he has never before met. 

November was a month of good and diverse reads.

Look at the Pictures

Home is so Sad
      [Philip Larkin]

Home is so sad. It stays as it was left,
Shaped to the comfort of the last to go
As if to win them back. Instead, bereft
Of anyone to please, it withers so,
Having no heart to put aside the theft

And turn again to what it started as,
A joyous shot at how things ought to be,
Long fallen wide. You can see how it was:
Look at the pictures and the cutlery.
The music in the piano stool. That vase.

Moving Across The Landscapes

              Wild Geese
                                         [By Mary Oliver]

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the small animal of your body
       love what it loves.

Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
Are moving across the landscapes,
Over the prairies and the deep trees,
The mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
      are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
The world offers itself to your imagination,
Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
Over and over announcing your place
      in the family of things.

Read In October 2019

Big uptick of books read this month compared to the last few months (more than twice the monthly average the past three months) due mostly to finding a new author I enjoyed and  quickly reading my way through all her books available at one of my libraries.

Murder On Trinity Place by Victoria Thompson is # 22 in her Gaslight Mystery series. Still enjoyable reading for me.

The House At Sea's End and A Room Full of Bones are #'s 3 & 4 in Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series. I dig this forensic archaeologist. ☺

The Shape of Night is a stand alone mystery by Tess Gerritsen, author of the Rizzoli and Isles series. This book reminded me of a favorite TV program of mine from the late 60's, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

A Better Man is Louise Penny's latest (#15) in her Chief Inspector Gamache series. I love these books so much and am always glad when a new one comes out.

A Dying Fall, The Outcast Dead, The Ghost Fields and The Woman in Blue are #'s 5,6,7 & 8 in  Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series and all that the Corning Library has. There are currently two more in the series which I am going to order through Interlibrary Loan.

I have read a number of Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Russo's books which is one reason I picked up his latest offering.  The other was the title, Chance Are... I mean, how could I not? I enjoyed the book, set on Martha's Vineyard, about the reunion of three friends from the 60's and the mystery that has drawn them together once again.

I liked the Elizabeth Letts novel I read in August, so was predisposed to try her non-fiction The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis.
If you read the book or saw the movie, War Horse, you, like me, probably think of horses as being a part of WWI not WWII, when in fact more than 2,750,000 horses were used in WWII, suffering more than 60% casualties.
Reading this book reminded me of when I lived in central Iowa 50 years ago and the famous white Lipizzaner stallions would perform at Veterans Auditorium in their world famous "Airs Above the Ground". It was something I always wanted to attend, and take my children to, but as I remember, couldn't afford to do so.

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen is a biography of a young Audrey Hepburn and her time living under the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. This is an interesting read about a woman I only knew as a movie star and, at the end of her life, a UNICEF ambassador.

A first for me - the first time I downloaded and read a book on the i-Pad I inherited from daughter Kari when she got a new one.

Reflections On A Generous Generation by Michael R. Stern is an interesting read about his father's life, including his time during WWII. I became aware of Stern's book when he and my brother became Facebook friends on their authors' pages. And while I enjoyed reading Stern's notable biography, I have mixed feelings about reading a book on an i-Pad. I still prefer an actual book - the feel, the smell, the portability, the freedom from worrying about whether or not the battery is charged. Maybe it's just my resistance to change, i.e. old age.

Sunday Soliloquy

October is winding down. During its last few days, we have a chance for some snow. This year, more than ever, I am not looking forward to winter. Already the days are too short. Already I am back on the recumbent bike and the treadmill. I miss the days of park trails with my Nordic poles. Bud is still venturing out each day. He has proper outdoor weather plus the dedication of a long time runner.

He often brings me back some found item from his walk. This morning it was this pretty little leaf. Such colors!

Another present from Bud a couple weeks ago - a little woolly bear worm - long thought to be a predictor of winter. This one had some black on each end with a wider band of brown. So, cold winter to start and finish, but milder in between?

This hasn't been the best year for colorful Autumnal array, though there are some pretty trees here and there. Like this pin oak at a neighbor's.

And this maple against a bright blue October sky.

We are seeing the deer more often and closer. This one and three others have been coming very near the deck. I get a kick out of watching two of this year's fawns chase one another back and forth across the dam. My photo of them didn't turn out very well because they really move!

And even though we've had several nights below freezing, some of the flowers are still hanging on - like my Mother's Day flowers from Doug and Shelly. Some gaillardia hiding at the bottom of the photo and a pot of red geraniums and sprengeri still bloom. And another pot of petunias and my basil under the patio roof are also surviving.

Even these daylilies have decided to bloom one more time.

There's not much left of the alyssum. I've already emptied 7.55 inches of rain out of that guage this month - a new record for October, beating 1941's October total.

The sun keeps moving incessantly, setting farther south each evening.

Resulting, as always at this time of year, in some glorious sunsets.

Daylight saving time ends Sunday which means I'll be getting up at 4 a.m. for awhile instead of 5 a.m. until my internal clock adjusts.
But the time change won't mean anything, it will still be seven more weeks of darkness until the light begins to return.

"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."  (Mary Oliver)