In one corner of my family room, next to the fireplace, I have a cradle, several dolls, a rocking chair, some more dolls, and a table with old-fashioned, out-of-date, never-read-any-more children’s books. Book titles such as The Adventures of Johnny Chuck by Thornton W. Burgess, Raggedy Andy Stories, and Snip, Snap, and Snurr and the Big Farm by Maj Lindman. Never heard of them, you say? Aha! Then you may not be that priceless and rare personage known as Antique Little Girl. Which is what I am. Of course.
You see, I outgrew dolls many, many decades ago and my son outgrew the cradle only about 4 decades ago. But, I still like reminders. The quilt on the cradle, by the way, was handmade for my granddaughter by a very dear friend. So the quilt is the newest thing in the picture.
If you watch Antiques Road Show, you know about words such as “patina” and “provenance”. Hey! We can’t have provenance without acquiring a certain patina because life has a way of rounding of the rough edges and letting the real us shine through. Life is sort of like a rock polisher and we are the rocks. Along with that background and experience and acquired years, we come out pretty well glowing with the beauty of age and lo and behold! We are ALGs.
I have an appreciation for antiques in recent years that I’ve never had before. I looked up the word. It means, in part (only the positive part) “desirable because of its age, beauty, and rarity…” An antique also represents a previous era in human society. I think, although I’m not sure, that “vintage” might apply . I don’t much care for “classic” when it means “originating a long time ago” but if it’s talking about classic lines worthy of admiration and respect, or being classy or having class, that’s an OK definition. Anyway, I have come to the conclusion that when a lady reaches a certain age, she can be thought of as priceless, rare, beautiful (remember this is in the eye of the beholder) and trustworthy. We are of the generation that tends to endure. So, I guess that’s why I have this particular corner in my family room. It’s a tip of the hat to a time long past, and to all of us who at one time liked those dolls, books, and rocking chair. It’s a look back at a time before computers, space stations, and digital cameras. When I think about that time, I kind of like it, and I’m rather proud to be thought of as An Antique Little Girl.
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