Those of you who have been following along at DCoE (or talk to me in real life, heaven forbid) know that I just moved into my grandmother's house. Although I will be here for a few months, it feels temporary, as if I were housesitting and not actually living here. The house is like a time capsule- it's exactly the same as when I used to sleep over when I was a little kid. Same oriental rugs, same wallpaper, same lamps. I'd venture that most of the contents of the house come from the 1940s and 1950s. Like most people who lived through the Great Depression, my grandparents were notorious hoarders. They saved wrapping paper and ribbons. They stockpiled sugar packets. They cleaned out hotel bathrooms. And all of these items are still squirrelled away at the house. In my initial explorations, I've discovered some unusual gems. For example:
1. Q: What's in this really old looking hot water bottle box?
A: A really old hot water bottle.
2. When my cousin Myles and Nicole were over, we decided to open an old cedar chest. And we found... a mink stole. (Don't tell PETA) Made of whole minks. Like with heads and legs and tails and glued-on googly eyes. They really need to be modeled to get the full effect. Creepy or high fashion? You decide. (This question is generationally biased.)
3. Lastly, tonight I opened a medicine cabinet and found a bottle of cough syrup prescribed for my sister Kerry. In 1978.
9 comments:
Dr. Craig was the best! That stuff probably still works. Mom-mom can definitely rock the pelt, but you guys... notsomuch.
I don't really get why anyone would think that wearing a dead animal is the height of fashion. Regardless of the ethics of it, it's just plain old weird and wrong.
Maybe you should open grandma's house to visitors and charge an admission fee to make some money?
My grandmothere had similar furs in a trunk in her house. She also saved everything including every single greeting card she had ever received. It was a lot of fun cleaning her house out after she passed :)
Personally, I'd like a tour.
My aunt had one of those stoles. When I was a kid, I thought it was one of the most fascinating things I'd ever seen. It seemed to me that all of the minks were trying to eat each other.
Yeah, the minks are crazy and the way they are sewn together does make it look like they are biting each other.
I have a feeling that there are many more treasures yet to be unearthed. A tour/cocktail hour might have to be arranged at some point.
I love everything in that house and I havent even been there yet. When are you having me over for an Old-Fashioned?
that is too cool to be able to go through all that old stuff. now the mink thing is super INSANE! hahaha....
Just last nite we found a similar mink stole (4 whole minks) in my 93yr. old Mom's cedar chest, along with a full length fur coat and matching fur purse/muff, a regular fur stole, and another fox stole (head and all!). The stoles belonged to my grandmother, so are very old.
Have no idea what to do with them -probably not worth much today.
Curious as to what you did with the mink stole you found.
Also, I live in Canada, so resources are probably different.
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