I’m doing a deep dusting and vacuum of the house after a few days of intense forest fire smoke, and found it to be a good adventure to rediscover some interesting decor pieces I’ve put together. What nicknacks do you have that bring you joy?

The driver of the deep clean was this:



Here’s what I “found”

A broken cargo hook I found on the beach on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast one summer. The Sunshine Coast was a popular spot for rum runners to load US-bound cargo during prohibition. It makes me wonder what amount of swearing might have followed when a crate of booze broke loose and disappeared under the ocean back in the ‘20s

And net weights from a Lake Huron beach in Ontario. First Nations would drill holes in the rocks so they could tie these weights to the bottom of their nets back in the day. I used the same set up when smelt fishing back when I lived there. I didn’t have to hand-drill through rock though, just needed to get some weights at Canadian Tire

 

Smelt fishing...those were the days when word spread that the smelt were running. My dad would take me down to the shores of Lake Erie, and we would spend hours in the dark with our dip nets plucking them from the water off the pier. Then up for many more hours cleaning them...I loved it all, even though I don’t like smelt...

 

My maternal grandparents and three children emigrated from England, circa 1905. They took a homestead in north central Saskatchewan, near Waldheim. Two children were born on the homestead, my late mother being the last one, born in 1909. My grandfather ordered a prefabricated house from the Eaton’s catalog which was shipped, partly by rail, and partly by horse and wagon. Delivery was made during the winter as the wagons had to cross a frozen lake to the site. This was in an era when a 2 x 4 was 2” x 4”, not 1 3/4” x 3 3/4”. Sometime after 1960, both grandparents had died, Farm sold, the house demolished, and the detritus dumped down a well.

On a family reunion at the former site of the house about 40 years ago, an uncle took us to where the well had been. Digging around, I came up with a glazed earthen ware door knob from the original house.

 

unlike most fish, smelt are so easy to clean. A pair of scissors is all you need. Fishing for them at night was fun. Sometimes the net would feel especially heavy, and you’d wonder what else you dragged in. Sometimes a catfish

 

Sure but when we were on our 5th or 6th 5 gallon bucket (imperial gallons of course) and it was 2 am, it felt like a major chore...

 

On the fireplace mantel.....

Western Electric candlestick

 

I never knew they were called that. Good to know so I can pretend I know what I'm talking about at antique shops!

 

"Hey how ya doin. Oh hey lookie here jeez I like that there candlestick youse got over here. By da way, yuz got any watches for me?"

 

Ma Bell called them "upright desk stand" telephones

 

-handwoven basket from Harar Ethiopia
- traditional head-dress worn by virgins in the Tata-Samba community of northern Benin;
-1950s jug from the Persian community of Zanzibar;
- hand beaded tobacco bag from the Xhosa tribe of South Africa.
There is absolutely no room left in the house for additional travel mementos of that sort. Fortunately watches take up less space.

 

Sawfish bill my parents gave me when I was a kid.

 

US Army issued calvary saber, circa 1863. When my parents didn't know what to get me for my birthday a few years ago.

 

A brass one. Sweet! I’ve always wanted one of those brass or otherwise

 

I really like this. It’s legit. Got it on one of my trips to China from a government official. I had to get a special piece of paper that let me take antiquities out of China. It’s not of great value but can anyone beat having something 40 million years old in their house?

 

I have numerous b & w photos taken in South Africa, when my maternal grandfather was a sergeant in the British Army, during the Boer War. I just know the mods wouldn’t allow me to show the pictures of the young African virgins!

 

Chinese scholar’s rock on carved rosewood base - an impulse buy years ago from an antique collector, just because I could not walk away from it. About 12"/30cm high.

 

There’s a zucchini in the back of my fridge that might give you a run for your money

 

Got a working one there was a guy called phone jack he rebuilt antique phones at a antique fair I use to go to he past away he was a nice guy wished I got a payphone from him that would of been cool in the garage.


Has this ringer for the phone sounds like a fire house alarm you hear it all over the house.

 

Love it!!!

 

Mrs. C lived in Vancouver B C for e few years in the early 1960s. She lived in a neighbourhood filled with magnificent 19th century mansions which were being demolished to free up the property for U G L Y high rises. She and her mother were walking in the neighbourhood amongst these mansions that were being demolished. She prevailed on one wrecking crew to allow her to liberate several stained glass transoms. They let her.

After we were married, and after several moves, we settled in the house we are in now. Between the living room and the front hall was a 4 foot high “pony” wall. I framed it in, and installed one of these beautiful windows.