Tuesday, December 19, 2023: My Favorite Thing # 11
Bric-a-brac!
Welcome, I’m Mary Louisa Locke, the author of the USA Today best-selling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series and the Caelestis Science Fiction series. In this daily newsletter, I reflect on my life as an indie author trying to age gracefully, including my struggles to maintain a balanced life, what I listen to, read, and watch for entertainment, and occasional bits of information I’ve gleaned from doing the research for my novels.
Daily Diary, Day 1204:
Bric-a-brac: Definition: “miscellaneous small articles collected for their antiquarian, sentimental, decorative, or other interest”
One of the things I have discovered as I age is that my perception of myself begins to shift. For example, if you had asked me in my youth if I was the sort of person who collects and holds on to objects, I would have said no, with the exception of books. I did have a collection of glass ornaments as a child and have no idea what became of them. Besides a few stuffed animals and books, there are only a couple of things from my childhood that I have carried into adulthood.
That pattern continued through my 20’s to 30s, in part because we moved so frequently during those years and lived in fairly small places. Books were always an exception for me. I did hold on to some of my early writing and my daughter’s artwork, but even those things have been relegated to the attic.
In retirement, I systematically got rid of all the items I collected while doing my doctorate (old research papers, computer tapes, index cards, etc), and finally jettisoned most all the stuff from my teaching years (old lecture notes and textbooks). Then, in the past 5 years I’ve gotten rid of most of my books, both fiction and non-fiction. I only kept those books I use for research for my historical mysteries. This then created more space for my husband, who is not ready to let go of print books.
But, when I look around at my house, which we have lived in for over 30 years, I can see that I am, in fact, someone who does collect things, in this case what you could call bric-a-brac, most of it is for sentimental reasons.
While these things do make daily dusting more difficult, they are definitely one of my favorite things, bringing me pleasure multiple times of day when I notice them (in fact, they make dusting more interesting.)
So, I’ve tried to give you some representative examples.
The first, the little dog in this photo, is the very first stuffed animal I was given as a baby. It has a little music box in it that I’ve been told played “How Much is that Doggie in the Window.” Next to it is the small teddy bear my mother had with her in the hospital when she died, over 30 years ago.
Next, is a fungus I found on a tree during some hike when I was 7, and next to this is a picture my daughter drew when she was also 7. Next comes the carving that was made out of the remains of a tree felled in an avalanche and was given to me and my husband as a wedding present (it may be one of the only presents we still have.) The final photo is of the gifts I have gotten over the years from my daughter, (the porcupine doubles as a heating pad.)
The items below remind me of my years teaching at a community college. The bird is from the friend I shared my office with for years, and the trio of boxes were made by a colleague whose office was across the hall. He made them as a gift upon my retirement, and they are great for holding keys and short connector cables, etc.
Finally, these last three pictures are objects I inherited from a friend (the geese, the bowl, and the horse). She was probably the closest friend I ever had or will ever have, and she died suddenly over 15 years ago. She was a person who really kept hold of stuff, and I helped her sister clear out her house after her death. As a result, most of my plates, casserole dishes, and other miscellaneous kitchenware came from her. But I also tried to take smaller items that I have placed throughout my house that remind me of her daily, with sadness and gratitude for the good memories.
And I guess that is why I like keeping my bric-a-brac, because of the valuable memories they invoke.
Do you have a favorite small object you keep for sentimental reasons?
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I am too much of a collector. Every room, every shelf, has memories. In my bedroom, I have a small framed print of the Catholic Sacred Heart that has a heart formed of wire attached. It belonged to my favorite uncle and he brought it with him from the Azores long, long before I was born. That is the snowflake at the tip of the iceberg of my collection!
I have many things, like my blue bear who I saved up my pocket money for. A box my daughter bought me for Mother’s Day. My pictures are also important to me I can remember where we bought them and the places they represent. I am by no means a hoarder but I do keep the bits that mean something to me xxxxx