Morris Novelty Trick or Treat

Photo, and much of the inspiration for this post, belongs to
http://retrori.blogspot.com/2009/12/morris-novelty-shop.html

sweet Amy,
Gertrude and Morris'
granddaughter,
my former sister-in-law

Morris, and Gertrude Karklin of Providence Rhode Island were my grandparents-in-law.  They were amazing grandparents, and their business was fascinating.

We loved visiting them, Sheila, Amy, Andrew and me.  Morris Novelty had been around for decades, they started the business in 1939 and by the 1980s in the nooks and crannies of that vast place treasures were to be found, like antique novelties that were stamped 'Made in Occupied Japan' or 'Made in Occupied Germany', and other places around the world.  The warehouse was the size of a football field, totally disorganized to the untrained eye, and there were three levels of shelving that were piled high.  Cats roamed the place and kept it moused. 

A long time ago

(I wrote a poem about Morris Novelty but lost literally everything in Andrew's and my divorce over a decade later...most egregiously lost my voluminous journaling.)  Miles of Aisles of Piles.

Morris unfortunately died suddenly in the 80s, I think he was in his 70s, and his beloved Gertrude followed him 6 months later of a broken heart.  Their middle daughter of three, my mother-in-law Sheila, commuted with us to Pawtucket that year to do whatever we could to help Gertrude...

When Morris and Gertrude weren't working in the store they were traveling to all the carnivals along the shore, to stores, and flea markets.  Their novelties spanned the entire year of holidays so something was always in season, including birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs, and every other special occasion, that were always in need of decorations, table settings and what have you.  Halloween was a specialty.

My mom Sharon and Sheila at the Arboretum
Jamaica Plain

Morris was a kind man with a sense of humor.  I wish I had some photos of them.  He liked to help folks out with merchandise on credit even when they could not pay.  He had his route, Gertrude always by his side, singing songs with us in the old station wagon on those long day-trips visiting all those folks' businesses.  We spent many holidays with Bubbie and Zadie.  They were my family, the family that I had craved since we had to leave my father's family in Italy, and then here in the states my mother's father died, back in the 60s.


Rhode Island Novelty is kind of a modern version of Morris Novelty, but is missing the character and patina.
[ https://www.rinovelty.com/ ]

Me, Reagan, John, Andrew
with some of Morris Novelty's
more racey items for sale, late 80s

My first husband Andrew and I were in our teens/early twenties, lived in Sheila's home on Cherry Street just outside of Porter Square, and we did the Monday through Saturday trek through Boston's Southeast Expressway and on to Pawtucket, R.I. in our brown Toyota Corolla wagon with a 5 speed manual tranny.  That car was stoved in on both front fenders, and drove like a bat out of hell.

Sheila adored her parents and did everything she could to help run the business during the tragedy.  After the unconscionable loss of both of them, she did her best to run Morris Novelty, most of which on the business end was lost to Morris' memory and proved a great challenge to us, until the business could be sold.

The several employees who had been working there most of their long lives thought differently, that it was they who should inherit Morris Novelty, and not the Karklin's three daughters...Sheila's elder sister lived in Connecticut and her younger sister lived in Pennsylvania.  I think.  And the sisters were both well off already and were totally unsupportive of Sheila.  They wanted her to just let it go, to just let the employees have it.

But, we hung in there through the turmoil, and the sale turned out ok.

That magical place that was Morris Novelty for so many years eventually sold, to our sad and exhausted relief, and seemed to do well for a 25 more years or so.

Sheila at my parent's home
on holiday

Sheila was Abbie's first wife.  I didn't know who he was when I became friends with Amy, then with Andrew, but he became the elephant in the room after a few years.  I just knew that Sheila, her parents and her kids accepted me for who I was, pretty much, a crazy, mixed up kid, and they became family. 

I just learned that Abbie's grandfather was also named Morris.
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/r/raskin-hell.html

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular - Roger Williams Park Zoo
augustmac
Nov 2, 2012
https://youtu.be/7GhRpQB9xEA

I am saddened to just now learn that Morris Novelty burned down in 2011. 
http://www.city-data.com/forum/rhode-island/2511290-ri-places-no-longer-there-6.html
http://www.artinruins.com/arch/?id=decay&pr=morrisnovelty

Morris Novelty Fire, Pawtucket
https://youtu.be/Aze6LtbpI5A

Impeach Brett Kavanaugh

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Kavanaugh_Impeach

We Believe Survivors
http://www.brettkavanaugh.com/

We Believe Survivors

https://www.brettkavanaugh.com/



I Believe Her (Dr. Christine Blasey Ford) Emma's Revolution
https://msdiagnosed.blogspot.com/2018/10/i-believe-her-dr-christine-blasey-ford.html






Federal Judges In Colorado Asked To Handle Kavanaugh Complaints
CBS Denver
Published on Oct 11, 2018
Kavanaugh committed perjury multiple times under oath during the nomination hearings.
https://youtu.be/_7bVyLL3Bg0





 Remember, Toxic Red Tides Kill

“Self-Made Billionaire” Donald Trump Built Empire on Father’s Money, Tax Dodging and Fraud

Democracy Now! Oct. 4, 2018 show 

Photo credit Socialist Worker: https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/43937
/President+Evil+on+the+rampage+a+guide+to+
Donald+Trump%2C+monster+in+the+White+House

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NYT Exposé: “Self-Made Billionaire” Donald Trump Built Empire on Father’s Money, Tax Dodging and Fraud

Trump Faces Probe into Tax Fraud After NYT Exposes How He Helped Parents Scam Millions from Gov’t

https://www.democracynow.org/shows/2018/10/4?autostart=true

photo credit Cassandra's Legacy, Donald Trump: the Evil Monster
: https://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/
2018/01/donald-trump-evil-monster.html

~~~

 

 

Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father

Oct. 2, 2018 By DAVID BARSTOW, SUSANNE CRAIG and RUSS BUETTNER
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html

photo credit: The Wrap:  Trump as Dr Evil and 9 Other Covers
That Have Ridiculed the President (Photos)
https://www.thewrap.com/trump-as-dr-evil-and-
9-other-covers-ridiculing-the-president-photos/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check Out John McAfee’s (Educated) Warning About The Dark Side of That Presidential Alert Sent to Your Phone

Oct. 4, 2018

In fact, McAfee is known as one of the top cybersecurity experts in the world. And he’s known for bluntly telling unpleasant truths that nobody wants to believe.

In 2016, he wrote:

    Few people are aware of the cybersecurity risks that surround them full time.

    If you own a new Samsung TV, it’s likely constantly recording every word that is spoken in its vicinity, and these recordings are being sent to unnamed third parties.

    If you own a car newer than two years old, chances are that hackers have already figured out how to take full control of it while you are driving down the highway. Last year, a brand new Jeep was hacked into by hackers hundreds of miles away and the Jeep was forced off the road by the hackers.

    If you fly on an airplane that provides Internet access, hackers anywhere in the world can take control of the plane and alter its course and speed, and perhaps even bring it down.

    Medical devices such as pacemakers, medical monitors, and other care-critical devices can be hacked into and patients placed into life-threatening situations.

    Our mobile devices are ubiquitously used as spy devices by everyone from our NSA to bored hackers in Uzbekistan. (source)

And now he’s telling us that the Presidential Alert just unlocked access to all our phones.

Given his track record, I tend to believe him.

https://www.activistpost.com/2018/10/check-out-john-mcafees-educated-warning-about-the-dark-side-of-that-presidential-alert-sent-to-your-phone.html

https://www.scarymommy.com/brett-kavanaugh-crying/
photo credit

The Unbearable Dishonesty of Brett Kavanaugh

Sept. 29 2018, The Intercept, by Briahna Gray, Camille Baker
https://theintercept.com/2018/09/29/the-unbearable-dishonesty-of-brett-kavanaugh/

I Believe Her (Dr. Christine Blasey Ford) Emma's Revolution

Christine Blasey Ford,
thank you
deep appreciation, respect and protection all around you and yours

#IBelieveHer

"I Believe Her"

by Emma's Revolution

(Official Video)

Emma's Revolution

Published on Sep 27, 2018

Emma's Revolution website https://emmasrevolution.com/ibelieveher

Inspired by today's Oct. 2, 2018 Democracy Now!

Venus Goes Retrograde Oct. 5
https://astrobutterfly.com/2018/10/01/astrology-of-october-2018-venus-goes-retrograde/

In solidarity with women everywhere! 

#IBelieveHer #IBelieveChristineBlaseyFord
In solidarity with women everywhere!#MeToo https://t.co/ORCqSothxO

— Adaline Incredulous (@AdalinePix0) October 2, 2018

Christine Blasey Ford Photo By United States Senate cameras. Official video by the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, as posted to www.judiciary.senate.gov. - www.judiciary.senate.gov and YouTube., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73279132

Evolve is Love Spwelled Backwards

Attack on Humanity Explained by Dr Edward Spencer (Neurosurgeon)
StopTheCrime.net NEW
Published on Aug 28, 2018
links

Humanity must wake up and take care of the earth and each other...

Late Summer's Wane

Monarch Butterfly

As the last days of summer's song wanes toward fall, the flowers are blooming, the peepers are singing, the bees are still busy and the Monarch comes to visit.  Haven't seen the Monarch for several years, this year there were a few this week.

One of them sees the joy he brings me, as I carefully go for my camera.  Without the camera, I find him lighted under my chair, teasing me, flying close past my face.  Pure Joy.

He is becoming so tame.  It's been eight years now, as of today.

The Monarch

Yesterday we saw this video of an aquarium seal playing with a butterfly!

A seal and a butterfly at play at the aquarium in Portland Oregon
euronews

A Mourning Cloak on the Sedum

The wood stove was on a few nights ago, in the low 50s.  It's 84' F in the shade now, the sun blaring, punishing.  Our atmosphere feels thin.  The magnetosphere has been dancing.  Whispers of the Galactic Sun in Sagittarius cosmic energies blast, helping humanity awaken?  And talk of a mini-ice age coming, with the solar minimum we are going through.  The Farmer's Almanac calls for a brutal winter... 

7 Reasons Why Humans May Not Have Come From Earth
WhatCulture
Published on May 18, 2018

Is the Moon What We Think It Is...?

Food for the Moon
montalk.net » 30 July 05
https://montalk.net/matrix/114/food-for-the-moon

Unexplained Lunar Mysteries That Will Blow Your Mind
nemesis maturity
Published on Sep 3, 2018
https://youtu.be/6XNoVPwMGto

Thunderbird in the sky
looking to our right

Bird of Thunder

Thunderbird

28+ Collection of Native American Bird Drawing
https://clipartxtras.com/categories/view/6a7e416f8f1089142b109bf940cb495047f0007f/native-american-bird-drawing.html

An Old Egyptian Artifact
we were studying when the Thunderbird appeared in the clouds

Freebie Hightop, the sweetest little Buff Silkie Bantam hen

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Tallullah and her 11 chicks

a dozen

at the water cooler

the first blue morning glories

every 17 years the Cicadas bloom, ancient looking insect

 

Bumble Bee

an annoying insectoid nosy neighbor on an ultralight

Hope you are having a great summer!

Research Finds that Supplementing with B Vitamins Can Help Treat Bipolar Disorder

Friday, August 31, 2018 by: Isabelle Z.
Tags: bipolar, bipolar disorder, brain health, choline, food is medicine, manic-depression, mental health, mind body science, natural remedies, nutrients, nutrition, phosphatiodylcholine, supplements, Vitamin B

(Natural News) Antipsychotic medications have a lot of very serious drawbacks, yet many bipolar disorder sufferers continue to take them because they feel they have no choice. All that could be about to change, however, as research shows that there could be a very safe alternative in the form of vitamin B supplements.
It is one naturally-occurring B vitamin in particular that is responsible for this benefit. Choline is needed by the body to biosynthesize the neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine; low levels of acetylcholine are believed to be behind some cases of mania. The brain needs choline for processes that are related to learning, mental alertness, and memory.
There have been case reports that point to choline’s ability to reduce mania. In one small case study that involved patients with the rapid-cycling and treatment-refractory type of bipolar disorder who were taking lithium, four of the six people studied responded to the addition of free choline in doses of 2,000 to 7,200 milligrams per day. The two patients who did not respond to it were also being given high doses of thyroid meds, and this could explain why it didn’t help them. Although it was a small study, MRIs showed that the clinical improvement was correlated with higher choline levels in the basal ganglia of the brain.
One placebo-controlled study has shown that supplementing with 15 to 30 grams a day of phosphatidylcholine can help lessen the severity of both mania and depression in people with bipolar disorder. Moreover, the patients’ symptoms recurred when the they stopped taking the supplement.

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Also known as lecithin, phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid that’s mostly found in foods that are naturally high in fat. Necessary for a brain development, it is believed to help improve brain processes and memory. Incidentally, the high amount of lecithin in the ketogenic diet could be one of the reasons it can be helpful in epilepsy.
This is good news for bipolar sufferers, especially when you consider the fact that both choline and phosphatidylcholine are considered safe and that patients generally tolerate them well.

Don’t underestimate the influence of good nutrition on mental health

Another vitamin that could help manage bipolar symptoms is Vitamin C, which research has shown to control the effects of the elevated vanadium levels that are associated with mania, depression, and melancholy is bipolar patients. In addition, the amino acid taurine can help manage bipolar disorder. After all, it’s an amino acid derivative of the lithium drugs that many patients are given by their doctors. Taurine blocks the effects caused by excessive amounts of acetylcholine.
The effects of proper nutrition on mood are well-documented. Studies have shown that those who take probiotics noted improvement in anxiety and stress, and people who have mental illness typically have deficiencies in nutrients like B vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.
If you would like to get some of the mood-related benefits of choline for yourself – whether you’re bipolar or not – there are several great foods you can turn to. Peanuts, eggs, and liver are particularly high in choline, while other good sources include wheat germ, salmon, scallops, and shrimp. The main form of choline found in most dietary products is phosphatidylcholine.
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, and those who suffer from it are advised not to suddenly stop taking their medication. However, you can start adding choline-rich foods to your diet right away to see if it helps and then consider adapting your treatment with the help of professionals.
Sources for this article include:
PsychologyToday.com
NaturalNews.com
PsychCentral.com
LPI.OregonState.edu

Home Is Where the Woods Are

June 2018

Imperturbable Tree Frog

Way out in the woods
One Day
found a shiny slice of mica
while taking a mini-hike.  A

red squirrel in the crook of a tree,
a tiny tree frog, the size of a pea pod
and a blue granite stepping stone by a log,
unflappable, he didn't try to flee,
as intriguing the sight of this frog of trees,
he too was curious to study me.

The giant Beech tree, three feet across
with an animal hole at it's root.
Never take that tree down - t'would be too great a loss
as firewood burned to soot.

A beautiful day, way out in the woods
just like this I hope we get more.
How many cord of wood came from those felled logs?
Today perhaps there were four.

A cool breeze bringing the promise of rain,
the backside of this front a heat wave.
July almost here, pomegranate and watermelon,
the seeds of which we will save.

∃ π ~ ♬ ♪ ♥ ∞ ☮ ★ ☄ | ☄ ★ ☮ ∞ ♥ ♪ ♬ ~ π ∃ 

 

Summertime

toad, center

toad

black petunia

black petunia a month later

more petunia

marigold

lupine

toad among the strawberries