Tipp City Finds 6 (Last Installment in This Series)

On the Fourth of July in 1912, the American flag changed. It now boasted forty-eight stars, instead of forty-six. New Mexico had joined the union on the 6th of January; Arizona, on the 14th of February. Designs of the flag have differed over the years, with some staggering the rows of stars. One of my finds in Tipp City, Ohio, is a flag from before 1959, when the design was altered to reflect the admission of Alaska. (The flag was soon changed again with the admission of Hawaii.)

A 48-Star Flag

From Crossroads Consignments

In Tipp City, Ohio

I purchased the flag at Crossroads Consignments before owner Becky Peura had yet put a price tag on it. Even though the old flag is not fancy, I fell in love with it. I have a top-of-the-line fifty-star flag with embroidered stars and the proverbial “whole nine yards,” but Becky’s vintage flag spoke to me about the glory of the past. The blue field is merely printed around the star shapes, and the cotton fabric is thin. There are no holes and only light stains that barely show. The inexpensive pole has a honey-toned finish for which I am an automatic sucker. What is it about such amber-colored wood that I find so attractive? Maybe it reminds me of the schools and churches of my happy youth.

My fancy fifty-star flag goes outside on flag-flying days such as Memorial Day, but my old flag remains indoors. It is so thin that breezes might soon shred it. On days of historical significance, I proudly display it in a stand in my solarium.

Whenever I view my old flag, I remember my great uncle that served in the First World War and my father’s first cousin, who served in World War II. I recall Fourth of July celebrations when I was young. I think of patriotic songs performed when I was a member of the famed Marching Hundred Band at Indiana University. Many such recollections crowd my thoughts at the sight of the red, the white, and the blue.

I can hardly pinpoint exactly why I wanted the old flag the moment I laid eyes on it, but I attest that I have never doubted the wisdom of my purchase.   

Tipp City Finds 4

Crossroads Consignments in Tipp City, Ohio, has no peer. Owner Becky Peura’s passion is to offer items of lasting value and to display them artistically. I have made so many purchases from Becky’s shop that I must exercise discipline to limit myself to one “find” for this blog. I have chosen an unusual object: an oversized wreath made of oversized wooden acorns. For Christmas, I hung the wreath above the living room fireplace. My cousin, artist Sally Arnold, made the lovely bow and attached it to the wreath.

Oversized Acorn Wreath from Crossroads Consignments

Having grown up on a farm, I enjoyed early exposure to meadows, creeks, and woods. I quickly developed a deep and lasting love for nature. Acorns fascinate me perhaps as much as they fascinate squirrels.

In 1830, Scottish author Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) wrote, “When the oak tree is felled the whole forest echoes with it; but a hundred acorns are planted silently by some unnoticed breeze.” (Surprisingly few websites name the source of the quotation: Carlyle’s essay “On History.”) Carlyle suggests that the course of history arises from an infinite number of tiny, often random, actions. I like to think that whoever made my wreath knew the famous quotation from Carlyle and showed that countless capricious actions can form perfection in the same way that the acorns are twined in a perfect circle. Even if the builder of the wreath did not have Carlyle in mind, a circle formed of acorns affords a pleasing aesthetic.

I wonder how Becky can bear to part with such lovely items as the acorn wreath, yet her shop with its rapidly changing inventory is always packed with attractive objects from furniture to decorations (and everything in between). While I do not know Becky well, I suspect that she sees her mission as bringing joy to her customers.

On the farm where I grew up were two ancient oaks. Tall and elegant, they stood beside each other, supporting one another. To this day, my memory of the oaks reminds me of my parents, whose unshakable love for one another had grown with the years. My father and mother, who led upstanding lives, remain my principal inspiration. Faced with dilemmas, I ask myself what they would have done under similar circumstances, and I never regret choosing what I am confident would have been their answers.

A wreath of acorns, then, serves as a lovely ornament for Christmas. Thanks, Becky, for selling it to me!