The Buddy Purrkins Story: Buddy has Surgery

Where am I?  I'm so sleepy.  I hurt!  There is something on my front paws.  I can't lick them and make them feel better.  I try biting at the material on my paws but that doesn't work.  I shake my paws really hard but the wrappings won't come off. I am curled up on something very warm and it makes me so very tired.  I have to go back to sleep now.

Something terrible has happen to me and my front paws.  The last bone of each toe has been amputated!  My front claws and the bone in which the claw is contained has been chopped off!  How can I climb trees and catch mice?  How can I defend myself?

I have pain in my belly by my hind legs and that hurts too but I am too tired to lick it.  I am very very sick.  Maybe I am going to die.

The Buddy Purrkins Story: Buddy Goes Somewhere

This morning my mother told me that I was going somewhere very soon but she didn't tell me it would be today. I was playing, just typical kitten stuff, like reaching up high on the coach and seeing how far I could drag my claws down the soft side.  I even tried to climb up the curtain to see where that dangling string came from but that didn't make my human happy and I was pulled down and spanked. So I decided to take a nap. When I woke up, I was being stuffed into some kind of metal box.  It was small and I was scared. My human picked up the metal box and carried me outside. The sun was warm and bright so I tried to crawl out and play in the sunbeams but I couldn't move very much or get out.  My human put me in the car. The car made a terrible noise so I cried. Then the car moved and I wet myself. The car rolled this way and that way throwing me against the sides of the metal box.  I threw up.  The car finally stopped and I was a wet stinky mess. My human took me into a strange place and sat my metal box on the floor.  Soon after, I was carried into a room with bright lights and something sharp stuck me in my hind leg. I yowled and hit my head on the top of the metal box.

And that was all I remember until I woke up.

The Buddy Purrkins Story: Early Kitten Years

I don't remember much about my early kitten years but I know I was adorable.The first two months of my life I know that I was warm and well-fed and that my brother and sisters slept beside me.  Sometime one of them would walk right on top of me to get closer to our mother.  We learned to get along together, to socialize, and of course, we learned appropriate kitten behavior.  Our mother gave us a soft swat if we misbehaved.  After spending several months sleeping and eating, I was ready to step out into the world and explore.  I was curious to learn about everything.  What is that dangling from the wall?  If I bat it with my paw it swings back and forth.  What is that bright warm spot on the floor? If I sit on it, it disappears. My owner likes to play games too. Sometimes we play hide and seek or we play with my toys.  I love to crawl into an open paper bag or a cardboard box.  The bag crunches and crackles as I move around and I can jump and pounce on the shadows. I don't need my mother or my brothers and sisters to experience these wonders.  I am independent!

I can learn on my own.

And then the dreaded day arrived.

The Buddy Purrkins Story: How I got my Alias

My name is Buddy Purrkins but I'm also known as Mega Mitts because I'm a polydactyl cat. Normal cats have a total of 18 toes, with five toes on each forepaw, and four toes on each hind paw, but I have an two extra toes on each paw.  That makes eight extra toes! True polydactyl is a congenital abnormality, genetically inherited as an autosomal dominant trait of the ZRS gene.  Ernest Hemingway first six-toes cat named Snowball was given to him by a ship's captain.  Sailors considered polydactyl cats good luck and we were especially useful in keeping the ship's rodent population under control because we have extraordinary climbing and hunting abilities. Snowball's fifty descendants live in Hemingway's former home in Key West, Florida.  Hemingway loved his polydactyl cats and today we are sometimes referred to as Hemingway cats.  So you see, I am truly awesome.

Buddy Purrkins

My name is Buddy Purrkins aka Mega Mitts.

I live at Reuzeit Emporium, an antique

and collectibles store for everyone. 

 I’m 14 years old and have quite a story to tell, follow me if you   want to listen.

Independence Day: A Penny to Send Your Thoughts

Independence Day: A Penny to Send Your Thoughts

In the early 1900’s holiday postcards became popular.  For a penny stamp you could send a small greeting to your friend, family member, sweetheart, potential sweetheart or patron of your business. 

"Hello dear friend, I thought I would send you a July card cause you sent me a Easter card.      From, Laura"


This message could be from a young beau trying to impress his sweetheart with his wit.
"Hello, goodybye…..fine day nothing to say ….so long….so short.    TLK"

This postcard greeting is from a sister sending her sister an update on her recent activities.         
“Dear Sister, I am sending you a card to let you know we are well.  We hoed our garden this week. I spent all my time there, it was kind of hard the first time. Kind of showery this morn.  It has been dreadfully warm here all week.  Write us. Yours with love, Mayme”

Businesses often sent holiday cards to their best customers.

"Seasons Greeting from John Rickel"(stamped name)

Although, Christmas and Easter postcards were the most popular cards to send, postcards were manufactured and sent for just about every occasion. Thousands of postcards were manufactured for the Fourth of July and they had a large variety of different themes. Children with fireworks themes were very popular.  Here are a few examples.

Flags, eagles, soldiers, Uncle Sam, and cartoons were often used themes and some cards contained patriotic verses.

                                                                                             Hurray for the day that’s witnessed the birth

         Of the greatest country on this earth

         Hurray for the United States,

         The country that opens wide its gates,

         For all to come and for all to be

         Happy, prosperous and free.

 

With the age of cell phones, the internet and social networks, we have lost the art of postcard writing. The small back of a postcard held a simple message about a stop in our travels, an update on our recent activities, or a business advertisement. All of these have now been replaced with technology. The fast paced world we live in has us snap a picture on our cell phone, send it in an email or post it on Facebook, and immediately let 20 - 30 of our closest friends know about our lives. The golden age of the postcard has long since past, and along with it the great colorful and beautifully detailed pictures.

Happy July 4th

Gift Ideas for Mother on Mother's Day

Gift Ideas for Mother on Mother's Day

Mother's Day is one hundred and four years old this year.  How did it all begin? Mother's Day was a campaign started by Anna Jarvis to honor her mother who had passed away in 1905. It was meant to be a way of honoring all mothers for all the sacrifices they made for their children. Anna started a letter writing drive to newspapers, prominent politicians, towns and churches, asking them to adopt the special day. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure that officially established Mother's Day as the second Sunday in May.
  Today Mother's Day is a special day to say thank you to all the mothers around the world for their love, care and support of their children. It has become customary to honor and pay tribute to our mothers by giving them a token of our appreciation in the form of a gift. Please continue this tradition and remember your mother with a phone call, flowers or a gift.
 

If you need gift ideas? Reuzeit Emporium has a variety of gifts to choose from. 

I. Jewels for a Jewel of a Mother

 Gold Gilt Retriever Stick Pin 

 Rose Cameo Ring 

 Black Cameo Lady Pendant 

 1890's Mechanical Pencil Pendant 

  White Leaf Pin with silver & enamel 

 Sterling Silver Filigree Pendant 

 1990's Peridot Necklace 12 inches 

 Whiting & Davis Goldtone  Bracelet & Ring 

 1950's Gold wash Locket wit birds and flowers, 20 inch chain 

II. Mothers are more precious that Silver

 1900 Silver Holder & Blue Vase Pairpoint Mfg Co. # 1533 

 1900 Silver Holder with Engraved Flowers, Meriden Co. #1418 

 1885 Silver Gravy Boat gold wash on inside, Rockford Silverplate Co. 

 1985 Engraved Silver Plate Wallace Silversmiths 

 1880's Silver Jewelry Casket with Key Simpson Hallmiller Co. 

 1850-1899 Silver Cake Basket  Homan Company #1569 

III. Classy glass for a classy Mother

 Emerald Green Carnival Bowl 

 Blue Stretch Glass Footed Bowl 

 Green Fancy Loop Toothpick Holder 

 Frosted Clear & Pink  Divided Pickle Dish 

 Ruby Stained Wine Decanter 

 Marigold Carnival Bonbon Dish,  Lotus & Grape Pattern  

 Electric Blue Tokyo Compote 

 Green Pebble Leaf Dish 

 Vaseline Glass Candy Jar 



 



Buy your Mother a Memorable Gift from Reuzeit  Emporium Today!

Happy Easter to You!

Milk glass doesn’t just refer to the milk you use to drink from your glass. The term is often used by collectors referring to a special white opaque type of glass. To Victorian's it became an inexpensive alternative to porcelain tableware. Milk glass has been in production for centuries but before 1900, milk glass was called opal glass by the glass manufacturing companies. It wasn’t until after the 1900’s that the general public started using the term milk glass. 

The old trade catalogues from that time show a huge variety of objects often called novelty pieces. These included, dresser sets, pin trays, salt and pepper shakers, souvenir pieces, nesting chickens, hand painted Easter eggs and just about every kind of whimsy imaginable. 

Glass manufacturers achieved the white color by adding tin oxide, feldspar, bone ash, and other additives to their glass formula.  Antique milk glass has a transparency to it when held up to the light. The old time antique collectors called this fire because you can see blue, red, yellow and orange color through the glass. This glass making process has changed through the years with the addition of different chemicals. The newer milk glass, manufactured from 1950’s to present is a denser opaque color and  a thicker glass. If you are looking for an antique piece of milk glass just hold the piece up to the bright sunlight and watch the fire dance.

Why not start collecting some antique milk glass Easter eggs and decorating your home for Easter. Reuzeit Emporium has many antique milk glass Easter eggs to choose from and also Lefton ducks, chicks and bunnies to add interest and variety to your arrangements.

                           Happy Easter to you!

Happy Valentine's Day

                     Reuzeit Emporium wishes everyone love, peace 
                                      and joy this Valentine's Day.

Merry Christmas

Here are some lovely postcards from the 1900's to wish you a joyous Christmas.

Happy Holiday from Reuzeit Emporium.

Memorial Day was called Decoration Day

                                     Remember when Memorial Day was called Decoration Day?

 Our whole family would go to the cemetery with buckets full of flowers that we picked in our garden.  Sometimes only the lilacs would be blooming and other years the peonies, irises, honeysuckle or mock orange would fill the car with their sweet perfume.

We would bring our shovel, broom, a little soap, and some rags along with the jars to hold the flowers.  My father would lift the sunken tombstones up and level them with a little sand always making sure each stone was free of overgrown grass and weeds.  My mother would sweep the gravestones and arrange the flowers in the jars.

Then it was our turn to wash the stones clean and help place the jars of flowers  on each grave.  Sometimes we would bring a picnic lunch and eat under the large shade tree near the water pump. It was a family day that include our loved ones that were gone but not forgotten.