Lovely Autumn Evenings

The days grow shorter and the air is finally cooling off, and the earth seems to be breathing a deep sigh of autumn winds, picking up the leaves and blowing them in gusts of crimsons, browns, and  golds. The wealth of the earth, the reminder of God's blessings, awaits us in harvest and Thanksgiving.

As the nights encourage a fire in the fireplace or just kindling the long lost desires of our hearts, there is a desire for comfort and warmth.  A favorite autumn evening treat is pictured here: the perfectly ripe pear, a lovely bit of gorgonzola, and glass of port.  These are some of tastes of autumn, but I have others to look forward to as well--my roommate has requested a pumpkin pudding, and I have already bought the mincemeat for the Thanksgiving pies (mincemeat will be doctored with fresh apple, raisins, and rum).  I have been hoarding the Spanish hot chocolate I bought last year; I think now it's time to break it out and enjoy.  What autumn delights are you enjoying, or planning to enjoy?

Connecting with History

Joseff of Hollywood made most of the jewelry that you've seen in the fabulous films of the 1940s and 50s.  Movies such as "Gone with the Wind," "Cleopatra," and "Elizabeth and Essex" all featured jewelry created by this talented creator.

When Eugene Joseff came to Hollywood in the late 1920s, he soon noticed that the movies were using modern jewelry with historically accurate costumes, and the problem was jarring to him.  He designed pieces that were historically accurate, but finding no company that could reproduce the intricate designs, he created a company of his own to produce them. 

At first, he only rented his creations to the studios, but soon the stars were clamoring for pieces to add to their own collections, so he started a retail line of jewelry.  Today the Joseff pieces are hard to find and highly collectible.

I currently have a piece listed in the shop, with the typical antique gold finish that was preferred by the studios, being less reflective under the lights.  The bookchain necklace perfectly reflects the Victorian design, which actually had a revival during the 1930s  when a lot of Victorian styled jewelry was created to recapture the Victorian era and all its charm.  Joseff, of course, did a better job of accuracy than most.  Keep an eye out for Joseff jewelry; its desirability will only increase with time.

The Journey

When life forces you into a new path, it is not always easy.  There may be scary-looking things on the horizon, things that seem to threaten and intimidate even the boldest among us.  On closer inspection, however, the things we feared often turn out to be nothing fearsome at all, like these stone lions that could never pounce nor attack, even if their faces wear the daunting shape of a roar.

We see such "obstacles" ahead of us and don't even take the first step: it just seems too hard and not worth it.  The safe, familiar place we always knew is still behind us, even if changed and crumbling beneath our feet--it's still the place we know.  Better the devil we know than to jump into the unknown. You know the syndrome: that class you always meant to take, but never could find the time; that place you meant to visit, which is still on your bucket list, unvisited; that person you wanted to talk to, but could never quite gather the confidence to so so--you know what I mean.

I'm about to take those first steps down a path pretty foreign and unknown to me.  I can see some delights ahead,  but also shadowy places that hold who-knows-what, and I'm right back to the lions and tigers and bears,oh my! stage.  And there is no scarecrow, no lion, no tin man to go with me.  Heck, I don't even have a Toto.

But I do have faith I'll find my way, since I know the One who lights my path.

Frozen Charlotte

One wonders why, sometimes, there is such a thing as writer's block, artist's lethargic indifference to art, the worker's wandering away from the work that she loves, dearly loves.  Could it be that there is a need to shut down sometimes and let the creative juices ebb back, regroup, mix anew with vibrant colors unimagined before?

I don't know, I just know that I have not been writing, not making jewelry, not even doing mundane day-to-day things that are silently screaming for my attention.  Yes, personal cares are indeed involved, but I don't know how much to blame them.  When I get this way, I call myself "Frozen Charlotte," after the little penny porcelain dolls that were one piece of porcelain; the arms and legs didn't move--hence, "frozen" in position.  I seem sometimes to be likewise frozen in an inability to move with creativity, move on to do the things that need doing.

Yet, the sun keeps on rising, kissing me and the yard into bloom: the century plant suddenly shot up a blooming shoot higher than the house, and I nearly missed noticing it was there.  The pink jasmine is filling the air with scented blooms and the citrus trees are too; spring comes, even when I am still frozen up. Each new shoot and blossom is an encouragement to me, a whisper of possibilities, new life, new hope, new beginnings.  Let it be so.