Diary 39

HEIRLOOMS

For a while now I’ve been thinking about the memory held within materials and objects. This concept reemerged for me on my last trip to visit my grandparents, remembering stories attached to the objects I saw around the house. Below, a brief list of some of these objects and their associations.

Grandfather Clock— they have a big grandfather clock in the entrance that chimes every hour. When I lived with them as a kid, this sound was consistent, reliable and ultimately reassuring for me. I remember many nights waking up anxious, only to hear the grandfather clock strike three, restoring my sense of time & place, soothing me back to bed.

Jewelry Box— my grandma routinely dumped her jewelry box onto the bed and let my pick through the contents. Sifting through these pieces always felt like handling precious pearls.

Rolltop Desk— a desk made of solid oak that was full of all kinds of crafting tools and materials. I knew this desk to be my grandma’s workspace, but liked to sit and write at it when I could.

Carousel Table— a revolving carousel coffee table with a glass top. I was always fascinated with this table as an object, especially the four ceramic horses that make up the base. I don’t necessarily have any stories attached to this one, but it serves as a placemark when I think about my grandparents’ house.

Grandma St. John’s Quilt— a gift from my great-grandma, who temporarily lived with my grandparents. It’s a massive quilt with delicate floral patterns that I take pride in as one of the most beautiful things I own. Of course the quilt lives with me now, but while I was visiting I found myself remembering the moment my great-grandma gifted it to me. The way her fingers traced the stitches, how she handled it as she passed it over to me, slowly, and with care.

I think the ability objects and materials have to retain stories makes their value beyond monetary, and there’s something endlessly satisfying about that. Of course these objects in my grandparents’ house have personal, sentimental value for me, but even walking through an antique mall or flea market, perusing objects that were collected or made by strangers, more often than not you’ll find something that makes you curious about its origin and past life. And I believe honing this curiosity is one hell of a way to connect with the world around us, may even be a real animating force for those who employ it.



01.01.24

Stayed in Pilsen over New Year’s Eve, visiting old haunts. Took long walks through the snow, rode the L into the loop, lounged in the lobby of the Palmer House Hotel, lost track of time at the Art Institute, indulged in hot bowls of minestrone and deep dish pizza. Came back to Pilsen after dark and drank whiskey with the owner of the local vintage shop, an old man with curly grey hair and kind eyes, who sat rolling silver chains between his fingers to untangle them.



CULTURAL AUDIT

Film: Who is Bozo Texino?
Duct Tape Messiah: Blaze Foley
Podcasts: This American Life, The Call
Heavyweight, #27 Scott
Books: On a Southern Grit Lit/Southern Noir kick, right now I’m obsessively reading Larry Brown. So far I’ve blown through “Facing the Music” (1988), “Fay” (2000), and “Big Bad Love” (1990).



JANUARY PLAYLIST
from delicate folk to Chicago blues

Days of Rum, Marissa Nadler
Lily, Henry, And The Willow Trees, Marissa Nadler
Go Dig My Grave, Lankum
Netta Perseus, Lankum
Moonshiner, Roscoe Holcomb
Caoin I, Landless
Don’t Go Where I Can’t Find You, Eraldo Bernocchi, Harold Budd
Paris, Texas, Ry Cooder
Morning Breaks, Matt Heckler
Baltimore Blues No. 1, Deer Tick
All the Pretty Little Horsies, Current 93
Who Does She Hope To Be? Sonny Sharrock
Follow You To Virgie (OurVinyl Sessions), Tyler Childers
Codeine Dream, Colter Wall
If I Could Only Fly, Blaze Foley
Freight Train, Lightnin’ Hopkins
Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues, Buddy Guy
Two Headed Woman, Junior Wells
The Thrill Is Gone, B.B. King

Josef Koudelka, “Slovakia (Rakúsy)” from the series Gypsies, 1966.

One of the many miniature rooms by Narcissa Niblack Thorne.

Bean-Shaped Pillow with Peony Scrolls, early 12th century, China.

Antonio Mancini, “Resting,” 1887.