Friday, March 16, 2012

Logical Nonsence

'The time has come, the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax
Of cabbages and kings
And why the sea is boiling hot
And whether pigs have wings.'
~Lewis Carroll

My grandfather was constantly quoting little ditties like this. He led a rather colorful life as a young man; orphaned at age 5 where he was then contracted out as a hired hand. He later worked as a carnival barker and a clown, just to name a couple. I believe he was also in the Navy, if that tatoo he had on his arm was any indication. I wish I could go back in time and ask him to tell me all about his life. He would tell the most interesting stories about being related to Daniel Boone, and being part Native Indian, but then again, he was a bit senile in his old age, so it's anyone's guess. I've been trying to track down his family history through Ancestry.com for a few years now, and having a time of it. Seriously, searching geneaology sites can be both frustrating and rewarding, and it certainly takes a lot of time.

So the title of this post really tells it like it is; a bit of this and that.

First, let me share some goodies I received in the mail recently.

This is a set of beads I received from Sally Russick for the upcoming 'Colors of Spring' Blog hop on March 31st. The beads are sitting on my bead table waiting for inspiration to strike--which I hope happens soon, 'cause I'm running out of time.



This pile of goodies came from Linda Larson at Objects and Elements as part of her destash. Just look at all the goodies!



These lovely headpins came from Lorelei as part of a Headpin challenge--the reveal date is set for April 7th. The headpins were made by Gardanne. As you can see, they have a balled end opposite the glass bead end, which makes for a challenge all its own--at least for me.



I won these gorgeous enameled earrings from Melissa Memann as part of the recent
Earrings Everyday blog giveaway. I love the pretty pinkish lavender colors.



This amazing resin pendant was handcrafted by Lynn Davis, which I won in a recent giveaway. I love the gorgeous antique look of it!



Yep, I feel pretty lucky after winning all these goodies. My grandfather was a teeny part Irish (at least that's what Ancestry.com says), and maybe I got a bit of Luck O' The Irish meself. Here's another ditty that grandpa used to recite. When I looked up the origin I was surprised to learn it was an old negro riddle. I'm guessing he probably worked with several negro slaves during his youth. I know he was shuffled around to many homes to work. See if you can figure out what item the riddle is referring to.

Round as a biscuit
Busy as a bee
Prettiest thing you ever did see





The answer is a watch. If you made it down this far, I commend you!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm terrible at guessing riddles! But it was interesting. You got a lot of interesting goodies to play with. I look forward to seeing what you do with the first set from Sally Russick!

CraftyHope said...

Your grandfather sounds like he was a pretty fascinating man!

Look at all your goodies!! I'm a little jealous of what you were able to get from the destash. That's an impressive haul!

As far as the riddle. . .I would have never figured it out. I did like the Walrus quote at the beginning of the post as well though!

Bits of Learning said...

Hi Alice!! :)
I will have to think about the riddle! I will probably end up trying to Google it for the answer! Ha! Because riddles kill me and I always need to know the answer.
I hope inspiration hits soon.... you have so many goodies to work with and they are all so pretty! Thanks for posting a pic of my beads!

Cindy said...

Alice, your Grandfather sounds like he was an amazing man. I know that feeling so well...wishing you could go back in time and ask your Grandparents more about their lives. I feel that way especially about my Japanese Grandparents. I only met my Grandfather a few times and he did not speak English. My Grandmother didn't either, but she had a way of communicating with me. And I certainly have the Irish heritage as well, on the other side (my maiden name is McGinnis).
You had an incredibly lucky month! Just look at all of those fabulous goodies.... what a great show 'n tell post! I especially love those earrings from Melissa!

Cathie Carroll said...

I love Lewis Carroll- and I'm Irish green with envy over your many goodies!!!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
she chortled in her joy.

Happy Thursday

Tricia said...

Your grandfather sounds like he was such an interesting man. It seems like you have some wonderful memories of time spent with him.

Look at you with all your new goodies! I'm in love with that little pendant. How gorgeous!