A couple of weeks ago I took care of my sister and brother-in-law’s dog and nieces’ guinea pig while they were vacationing in Florida.
When they got back, my sister presented me with a gift of appreciation that she was very excited about.
She proceeded to tell me, before I knew what it was, that she and my mother, while down in Florida, decided to google antique shops in the area and go shopping on one of the days they were there.
The first to come up in the search was Motherload Antiques. With a name like that, neither one of them could resist.
As my sister went into the store, she mentioned to my mother that she was hoping to find something to give to me as a gift for taking care of the pets all week, in cold, upstate New York —very thoughtful of her. 🙂
Shortly after arriving inside the store, my sister happened upon this stack of dish towels — the vintage kind that has the calendar of that particular year on it. They are great for drying dishes.
The towel that presented itself to her was very special and really could not have been more appropriate for me than if she had it especially designed with me in mind.
It was the 1974 model, the year that I was born.
Holly Hobby and her cat are the featured drawing. The blanket that I lugged around with me everywhere as a toddler and young child was a Holly Hobby Blanket. It’s tattered and thin, has been reworked a couple of times, and still sits on a chair in my bedroom at home, in NH. Every night when I was young that blanket was in my arms at bedtime, or was clung to during an illness. That dear old blanket kept vigil over me and protected me from the scary things that were lurking under the bed or in the closet on dark nights. “She” was loved immensely … yes indeed, Holly Hobby was an appropriate picture for the 1974 dishtowel. It made me so happy to think about my long lost friend.
But what really makes the towel magical, is that the saying on the top is one that is iconic for our family:
“The time to be happy is now”
A very special woman, by the name of Mrs. Phares, gave a tiny little plate with a bluebird on it to my mother when we were very young. We loved Mrs. Phares and the simplicity that she brought to our lives with her teachings of forgiveness and contentment. I will remember her for her goodness and the blessing that she was to our family.
On that plate is this saying, which we all have admired over the years. It always sat above the kitchen sink, where we were reminded daily, “The time to be happy is now.” And it is.
I absolutely love this 1974 dish towel … thank you E for giving it to me. Nothing like a sister to know some of the little details. My plan is to get the towel framed and hang it in a spot in my home, where people can see it and be reminded.
Which brings me to the conversation I had with my sister about where the towel should be hung.
We thought about the kitchen … lots of people spend time in that room, but when you are in the kitchen, you aren’t necessarily admiring or thinking about what hangs on the walls.
The living room — not many people make it that far into my house.
The dining room — when you are in it to eat, you focus on the table, and that’s all. In addition, in this house, it tends to be just a pass through on your way to the front stairs.
The little piano room … already has quite a few things on the wall — not sure the genre fits.
My bedroom … then it’s just me that sees it.
What we finally landed on, perhaps the best place to hang it, is going to be the downstairs bathroom. I know, kind of a strange place when you first think about it, but then you weigh in.
Initially we said it to be funny, but then we pondered this idea. We decided that there are many reasons why guests go to the bathroom when they are visiting a person’s house.
Obviously, the biggest reason is that they need to relieve themselves. BUT, there is another reason that folks go; the bathroom break gives them a mental respite from whatever they were engaging in with you and your family.
You can usually guarantee that they are seeing what you have in your bathroom because for a moment they are on their own, in your house, and feel free to look … at the items on your wall, or in your medicine cabinet, towel cupboard, etc. (by no means in a bad way)
They actually can take a pause, look at something that you have (without feeling nosy) and wonder about it.
With that in mind, I have decided I will now have this beautifully framed 1974 Holly Hobby vintage calendar towel hanging in my downstairs bathroom for all of my guests to see and read.
It will be a reminder that their time to be happy is right now … in my bathroom!
Go forth, have a great Monday morning after Daylight Savings Weekend. Do your best to stay awake and alert, and know that I will be feeling it too in little old Greenwich, New York, as I HATE the Monday after this very unnecessary weekend that happens every year!
But HEY, “The time to be happy is now!” Embrace!
With Love,
Kate
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