Weather in the Tries: Well, we get more Hot weather from low 90s to 102 for the highs and down in the 60s for the lows. Unless, of course, that butterfly in Beijing starts doing the Salsa with his buddies.

The Almost Chinese Incident:

My mother’s name was Verona “Vera” Mae McBrayer. Then she married Daddy and added Good, then a few years after their divorce she met and married Lyle G. “Sandy” Sanderson. I put all the names there in case someone says, “Hey, I used to know someone like her.” Who knows, maybe it is. Was. Whatever.

Mom always loved all things Chinese, starting when she was a kid. (By the way, there may be a pop quiz worth 100% of your grade by the end, so pay attention to all these disparate parts.) When a child she found a nearly perfect Chinese red teacup and saucer at a garage sale for a dime. I say nearly perfect because the glaze had cracked all over and only the encrusted dirt held it together. She loved that cup and saucer. I was seldom allowed to look at it as I might get greasy eye marks all over it. I was never allowed to touch it!

By the time she learned to draw and paint, she was copying the Chinese style of art. She loved cooking Chinese food. That was her primary hobby, and during WWII when she couldn’t buy water chestnuts, she learned to make her own out of new potatoes! (Peel them, slice them, soak them in sugar water for an hour or more.)

As she could, she collected Chinese and Asian artifacts. Beautiful things of carved stone. She collected art. She collected friends. After I moved out of the house, she decided to take Chinese language lessons and enrolled at the Chinese Benevolent Society in Seattle for same. She became the first, and possibly the only, European woman to be elected secretary of the Society. And she met people, including the Chinese Consulate and his wife and entourage.

Now, mom and Sandy lived in a very nice house, I’m guessing 1920s architecture, and the kitchen was large with glass doors on all the cabinets. Mom loved to cook, and as noted above, loved to cook Chinese food and she and Sandy had the Consulate and group to the house for dinner one night. Mom was in the kitchen cooking. The Consulate came in to talk to her. That was fine, she enjoyed the company, but then he started looking in her cupboard. Mom’s back stiffened. Two things my mom couldn’t stand—people getting into her things, and people insisting on helping her cook.

He opened the cupboard door. Mom debated whether that was worth an international incident. Then, he touched her most prized possession in the whole wide world—her cracked glaze teacup. He not only touched it, he had the temerity to lift it and the saucer out of the cupboard. Mom looked at the knife she was just slicing veggies with.

“Vera, may I have some silver polish and a rag, please?”

Poor mom. Not only was he holding her most prize possession (hint: higher value than me, I’m sure) now he wanted to polish it? To take a chance and dislodge that cracked glaze? How big an incident would it be to use the knife and rescue her prized teacup?

She handed him the polish and a clean rag, and even managed a smile. He started working on the bottom of one of the pieces. Smiled like a Chinese Cheshire Cat and said, “Hah! I thought so. Ming Dynasty, silver inlay. Now, you finish polishing after we all go home.” He carefully put her cup and saucer back in the cupboard, then went on with his conversation.

Mom’s back relaxed. Dinner was a success! Imagine, buying a Ming Dynasty cup and saucer, in perfect condition, for a dime! Imagine thinking that tarnished silver was dirt!

I had totally forgotten this story until a couple days ago. 

After mom died, Sandy remarried, and then Peggy died, and he chanced upon his grade-school sweetheart, Emma who was also widowed. They married and had a few years together before he died. Now you may recall that Mother had collected several artifacts. When she died, they were to go to the Chinese Museum in Seattle. I’m not sure if it was Wing Luke or the Seattle Asian Art Museum, but I think the latter. I was never told for sure, only that they were donated, and forgot about them. Until some time after Sandy died when Emma contacted me to return some of my mom’s things. I saw a couple other items in the house and recognized them, but figured Sandy had bought them for Mom, and figured he’d give them to Emma. And they were in a good home and being enjoyed.

Well, as happens, Emma died a while back, and her daughter called and brought several items that were Mom’s, including the few pieces I’d seen in the house earlier. Very few pieces, the museum must have taken 90-95% of the pieces she donated. So now I am trying to get my little apartment re-vamped and organized to make room for all the new stuff including the model of the Junk. She loved that Junk. I think when the house is rearranged, it will find a home on my Chinese Altar table.

Photo of the Week:

Gracious: I saw something on my window and looked. A baby, or small, bat was climbing down the screen. I went outside to see and couldn’t find him. Tiny, he was scrunched in the corner of the screen and window. Somehow, he’d gotten inside the screen, between it and the window. I managed to get the screen off, and he flew away. THEN I thought of my camera. Sigh. Why was Bat out at 3:00 on a sunny day?

Entertainment:

Netflix: Still enjoying my Korean series, Hospital Playlist. And have started Sense8. If you liked the Matrix movies, I think you’ll like this series, though so far, I haven’t been given the choice of a red or green pill. But there are drugs, and I can pretty much guarantee that what you see isn’t what was there. Great fun. Directed by the Wachowskis (Lana and Lilly). Written by J. Michael Straczynski.

Books: Remember, when I finish a book, I review it at Rainy Day Reads.

Finished Dead Heat —by Patricia Briggs. Number four in the Alpha Omega series. Took me two days to read it only because I started reading it at night, in bed. Would you do anything to live forever? There’s a price to pay for that, you know. You get to say ‘goodbye’ to too many people as they grow old and die. Joseph was an old man, dying. His father wanted Joseph’s best friend to ‘turn’ him, make him a were like they are. But the Morrock has said no one can be turned against their will and live. Dad pleaded with his son, but his son refused. Dad pleaded with son’s best friend, Charles, son and enforcer of the Morrock. Tricky, tricky situation. Throw an Omega into the mix and just be sure the cinch is tight, because you’re heading off on the ride of a lifetime.

I am still reading Calling Bullsh*t: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World —by Carl T. Bergstrom / Jevin D. West. Am still reading The Glass Constellation by Arthur Sze. Two good books going on at the same time. I think Auntie Lenora is going to get little else done but reading for a few hot days 😉

Writing: The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings, An Eclectic Reader for Eclectic Readers. is just about complete and ready to go to be proofread. At this rate, it should be available in plenty of time for Christmas. You can buy for gifts, for yourself and friends. 

Quote of the Week:

“It’s easy to forgive the mistake from others. But it’s hard to rebuild the trust that has been destroyed.” —https://www.searchquotes.com/quotes/about/Friendship/

OK, I lied about the pop quiz. Too hard to collect all the answers, then give a grade. Sammy says I’m a pushover. What can I say? Have a great week, stay safe, stay cool, stay hydrated and we’ll see you again next week. Honest. Trust me.