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 5

A great find in Tipp City, Ohio, came from Midwest Memories Antiques. There, I found a statue of Mary Mediatrix. She represents a Philippine tradition within Catholicism. On the 18th of August in 1948, Teresita Castillo noticed a fragrance. Entering her room at the Carmelite nunnery, she saw a woman in brilliant robes who gave her instructions about humility. On a windless 12th of September, Teresita saw a vine shake and heard the woman’s voice telling her to visit the garden for nineteen days. The following day, Teresita again saw the vine move just before she witnessed the reappearance of the woman, who held a golden rosary. The next day, rose petals began to appear in the convent and in the nearby monastery. When a bishop required proof that Teresita was having visions of Mary, Teresita went blind. The prioress heard a woman’s voice instructing her to kiss Teresita’s eyes. The bishop observed the kiss, which restored the girl’s sight immediately. The bishop no longer doubted, but the apparitions are still under investigation. The Archdiocese of Manila has permitted veneration of statues of Mary, called Mediatrix for her ability to participate in the redemptive mission of her son Jesus—provided that such statues are sculpted to conform to Teresita’s descriptions. Mary clasps her hands in prayer and holds a golden rosary. Her bare feet rest on clouds about two feet above the ground. The shaking vines are often incorporated in the sculpture. A statue of Mary Mediatrix has been displayed in Rome.

My Restored Statue, Mary Mediatrix

I am not a Catholic. My parents belonged to the Methodist Church in my hometown and I was confirmed in that faith. For much of my adult life, I have served as an illustrator, and I appreciate many forms of art. I felt that the three-foot statue of Mary Mediatrix needed a good home, as it had already been damaged. The statue must have fallen forward. The cuffs of the sleeves and sections of the rosary were almost entirely missing, fingers had lost their tips, a chunk had vanished from the right big toe, a large section of the hood had been demolished, and the base was chipped in several places.

I went to work. Using self-hardening clay, I carefully restored the missing pieces. When the new finger tips, toe, hood hem, and other parts had dried and had shrunk slightly (as was to be expected), I filled the cracks with a latex product that expands and contracts with the weather without adversely affecting the paint. Finally, I mixed watercolor paints of the high quality used for such statuary and touched up the areas where I had worked.

Crown Similar to Original

For many months, I searched online to find a crown of the size and configuration that accompanied the statue originally. When I discovered one for sale through an auction site, I quickly bid on it and won the item. Now the statue is complete.

Mary Mediatrix is the second statue I have restored. The first is a life-size saint whose hand was missing. Repairing Mary Mediatrix was challenging because her relatively small size meant working with intricate shapes in tight spaces.   

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!

Tipp City Finds 3

In 1818, Romantic poet John Keats (1795–1821) wrote, “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: / Its loveliness increases; it will never / Pass into nothingness; but still will keep / A bower quiet for us, and a sleep / Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.” The Hotel Gallery in Tipp City specializes in things of beauty, and I bought one that increases in loveliness each day.

Vase by Sally Watson of Tipp City, Ohio

And I do admire it daily! It is a vase by artist Sally Watson. Sally’s pottery is so exquisite that I should put “artist” in capitals: ARTIST!

Sally Watson and husband Steve oversee the artistic shops and the musical concerts of the hotel, which was built in 1852.

Drawing comparisons, Keats implies that things of beauty resemble daffodils beside streams, sheep, shade trees, the sun, and the moon. When I read Sally’s statement (linked above), I understand that she is so well grounded that the beauty of the universe flows through her hands into her pots. Another potter once told me that it is nearly impossible to throw a calming pot if the potter feels stress. As an author and an illustrator, I took to heart the lesson that stress produces stressful art, and, not wishing to produce stressful art, I must relieve stress before attempting to write or draw.* Such excellent advice! (I think we do well to listen carefully to others every day because we never know when a gem of advice will be forthcoming!) I try to find an inner calm before I compose anything, including this blog.

I know that the vase I purchased from Sally Watson came from a stress-free potter’s wheel and kiln; in fact, the vase helps ground me, relieving my stress while I view it.

As I am not a potter, I lack the proper terms to discuss the technique Sally employed in creating my vase. I can only say that I appreciate the colors of the glazes; they remind me of mosses, earth, and sky. The shape of the vase suggests reaching upward to clasp hands around a part of heaven. My feeling for the vase extends so deeply, broadly, and highly that, ultimately, it surpasses description. Every day, when I glance at the vase, I relax.

I want to thank Sally for bringing such tranquility!

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*I recognize that stressful art has its place. Many of the greatest works of literature convey dismay, anxiety, and horror. I happen to feel that life already presents plenty of distress; for that reason, I seek to eliminate and avoid such tension. An inner calm is my goal. For me, celebrations of peace can be just as great as outcries of pain.