22/Objects

My friend Karen was invited to conduct a poetry workshop in St. Petersburg. My Russian penpals offered to show her their city. I sent gifts with her: a watch for the father, necklaces for the mother and daughter. They had a gift for me: a beautiful tea set in a heavy box, carried on her lap for the entire flight home.

21/Objects

My father-in-law was a dentist with an affluent clientele. During the Depression, some paid for dental work with possessions, including five antique Navajo rugs. Passed down to us, they hung on our walls for decades. Needing money, I rolled them up and drove to an auction house in Boston. Moth damage reduced their value somewhat, but they all got good homes.

20/Objects

I had a barn full of laboratory glass—some from my husband's chemical company and some from a colleague's lab. Now it's in the house. I sell stuff on eBay, but don't want to ship fragile Pyrex. So I list it on Craigslist. I've sold about half of it, but now I'm at the "make me an offer for everything" stage.

19/Objects

My butcher block is the real deal. Decades ago, at a party in the Catskills with acquaintances who knew us through our tofu business, a woman mentioned that her uncle was closing up his deli in NJ and selling off the equipment, including his butcher block. I'd always wanted one. Measuring 30" square and 15" deep, it weighs hundreds of pounds.

18/Objects

In my bedroom hangs a portrait of a soldier. I'm sure I was told his name more than once; I wish I'd paid more attention. He looks somewhat like my step-grandfather, so I'm guessing he's a brother, possibly the beloved Uncle James. The uniform is from World War I. His handsome Scottish face radiates goodness. Whoever he is, he's worth remembering.

17/Objects

The warmers on my socks and in my pocket save me from . . . what? Amputation? Probably not, although gangrene is a possibility with Raynaud's Syndrome, which I have. Six months of the year I wear adhesive warmers on my socks, rescuing my feet. The pain in my hands isn't nearly as bad since I started keeping a body warmer in my pocket.

16/Objects

Also  hanging over the piano, on another wall, are these two pictures. My grandmother was also an opera singer, and on her travels around the country she collected silver spoons. Most of them are the small, demitasse variety. I display them on a spoon rack, but I also photographed some of the intricate designs (1/2" wide) and turned them into 8x10s.

15/Objects

My dad's extensive photographic legacy includes many of his parents' publicity stills, especially my grandfather's. A handsome operatic baritone, Harry Luckstone traveled around the country with the Aborn Opera Company. The New York Public Library's Digital Collection includes two photos of him. When I saw them, I couldn't resist ordering a gorgeous print of this one. It hangs over my piano.

14/Objects

I used to say my fortune was in sheet music. Looking at my shelves and the accumulation on the piano I can say it still. Song/fake books from Baez, Berlin (Irving), Beatles, Collins, Diamond, and Dylan to Ronstadt, Sinatra, Torch songs (5), Ultimate Jazz, and Willie (Nelson). Broadway . . . Children's . . . Christmas . . . Doo-Wop . . . Folk . . . Irish . . . Weddings. All the songs I once loved to sing.

13/Objects

When I started hooking rugs I used an embroidery hoop to hold the work tight. I graduated to an oval hoop on a stand, and then bought a $10 handmade wooden lap frame with thumbtacks. I heard about Charlie Fitzgerald, who made beautiful rotating lap frames. It took me a while to part with $250, but it's a joy to use.

For those unfamiliar with traditional rug hooking (using strips of woolen fabric cut from old clothes), here's a small example.

12/Objects

Who knew my snazzy, high-end ham radio would be the source of so much guilt? I studied for and received two licenses, permitting me to talk all over the world. My son worked hard constructing elaborate antennas, envisioning me having fun joining local conversations. But I still haven't participated. So many local ham discussions involve radio equipment and putting down liberals.