Tuesday, January 25, 2011

ARTICLE I WROTE ON WALKING STICKS FOR WORTHPOINT.COM

I wrote this article on Walking Sticks for worthpoint.com, which is a terrific site for learning about antiques and collectibles and assessing their value. It was published today on their web site. I tried to reprint the article here on my blog, but it came up minus the images and when I tried to insert them, I met with no success. I imagine I will figure it out eventually, so instead I'm offering the link and you can go right to the article on worthpoint.com. I've talked about the history of canes, the different parts of the stick, the materials you might see, and several different types of canes. There are photographs and captions which describe some of the canes you might encounter in your travels. From both a seller's and collector's standpoint, walking sticks are truly fascinating. Each one is unique and a neat piece of history. And of course, please go back to Our Inventory and see if there's anything there that strikes your fancy. Remember, it never hurts to look!

http://www.worthpoint.com/article/getting-handle-collecting-antique-walking-sticks

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Music You Might Like

A dear friend sent me a beautiful song written by Jeff Tweedy, songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Titled "You Are Not Alone," Tweedy wrote it for gospel great Mavis Staples, who recorded it in September of 2010. I've attached a link of him playing it acoustically. Please ignore ad for "Royal Pains," which I happen to like periodically.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVHZZnyylnk

Being a huge fan of Rhythm and Blues and Soul, it got me thinking of the first time I heard the Staple Singers back in the 1960s, so I hunted down Mavis Staples singing the song with Jeff Tweedy accompanying her. Mavis Staples was part of the Staple Singers, a family gospel group led by her father Roebuck Staples. They performed in the '60s and '70s. This is the one they did that I like best. It's just as contemporary today as it was when they recorded it. It didn't "date." It's timeless.  Hope it brings you a bit of joy and hope as we move through the day and arm us better for the possibility of hits we might take.
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