I think every Upstate blogger has posted photos of our autumn trees this weekend. One blogger said it seemed like fall came upon us all at once, and I have to agree. My property has some lovely Sugar Maples and oaks that have stubbornly remained green until a day ago. Suddenly, the yard is ablaze with 70 feet tall torches of red and orange foliage.

Almost all my flowers have turned gray and crispy, except some chrysanthemums that survived last year's winter. They are rather cheery, as our days have been gloomy.


All this past week the kids have been sick, and the weather has been wet and cloudy. Since we were cooped up in the house, I decided to open up my china cabinet of little antique treasures. The kids love to look at and handle these things from time to time. Most of the treasures are things passed down from my grandmother. The button collection is a favorite.


My grandma, like many in her generation I suppose (1920s) had this deep appreciation for celluloid and cheesy costume jewelry. This appreciation for cheap plastics wasn't inherited. But it is still cool to say that these things belonged to someone long ago.


I love the "I Like Ike" campaign button. And that small black box is a portable ashtray for the fashionable lady of 1940! It opens up to an ashtray and small cigarette stand. And if you can see well enough (or click on the photo for a larger view), there is a tiny ring called a "baby ring" that my grandmother wore in 1919. Two solid silver thimbles from the same era are shown. (And see the white box with "DB"? Anyone from my generation remember Dey Brothers in Syracuse?)

We have a small coin collection, too. My husband has a collection of foreign coins, but I couldn't locate the box. However, I have all my old coins in one place and we went through some of these. The oldest coin we have is an Indian penny dated 1897. We also have one from 1900 that we dug up from the yard. The Mercury head dime is another one we discovered in the yard. We also have a 1919 penny, and genuine silver Eisenhower dollar. And anybody remember the SueBee (Susan B. Anthony dollar coin) and the Sacagewea coin? It seems like the U.S. Mint is always putting women on dollar coins that get confused with the quarter (similar size), and then they fall out of circulation. Why is that?


Yes, that is a Jefferson two-dollar bill there. Ever see one before? I read a news story a few years ago that a man tried to use his Jefferson bill at a grocery store. The young cashier had never seen one, so she called the police and the man was arrested for false currency. The man was carted off to jail until the police could be convinced that the bill was real U.S. money.

Here's the front and the back.


Sorry the photos are a bit blurry. If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, I have been moaning about getting a new, better camera. (Mine is a 3pixel Kodak). My camera is still very nice, but as I advance in photography skills, I am beginning to see my need for nicer equipment.

I am also very proud of my menagerie of assorted dishes, as any good granddaughter would be. Actually, my dishes collection is a hodge-podge of various pieces from various people. The small china plate you see is the only one I have of its kind, and it traveled across the Atlantic from Ireland 100 years ago. (It belonged to my husband's great-grandmother). I also have dishes from my great-aunts, and various pieces of silver (badly tarnished). Nonetheless, it's all old, so it's all dear to me.


Oh and there is the 1884 family Bible! This is a beautiful book. It even has the marriage certificate of my great-great-great grandparents. The Bible has some wear and tear to it; it is nice to know that the Bible was used.


The lithographs inside are beautiful. It is full of maps, study guides, etc. Truly a treasure. Although the real treasure is in heaven.


The favorite part of this event is when I break out the toys! I have a good sized collection of antique and collectible toys. We love the Cootie game that dates from the 1950s. The children are not allowed to play with it, but I do sometimes let them handle the pieces. The plastic is very thin. It is a complete set, too, so I want to protect the game.


The all-around favorite is Cooky the Cucumber. How I spent countless hours playing with this toy! The parts are in bad shape now. It's not worth anything, I am sure, but I don't care. I guess I loved it to death.


The Cooky Cucumber is one game that I have let the children play with. Despite their solemn promises to never lose any pieces, I almost always invariably find an eye or an ear on the floor later.

See that Disney lunch box shaped like a school bus? All metal. It was my first lunch box, and before that, my uncles used it for school meals, too. Wouldn't get past the metal detectors, today.

And see these old blocks?


Oh, I remember playing with these at my grandmother's house, too. I found out that the paint is heavy with lead, though, so I don't let my kids play with them. Besides, they are so old and I want to keep them in existence to be able to pass them down, too.

Funny how such little things can make a rainy day go by so quickly. And it is amazing how things change so rapidly now from one generation to the next. Reminds me of that psalm:

So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Hattip to Down to Earth for the button idea. :)