Saturday, January 13, 2007

Vintage Efflorescence

How do you know you are a bit of a character?

A friend is cleaning out his father's home after having to put him in a full care facility and he spots a piece of effluvia that he thinks you really must have.




















A little pamphlet produced by the Corona Clipper Company as an update to their 1969 Principles of Pruning. It is in near mint condition. The cover shot alone is priceless. It may deserve a picture frame to protect and display it.

I have been reading Twisty Faster, radical feminist, spinster aunt and gentleman farmer for the last week at the suggestion of Annie in Austin and wondered when I saw it, what would Twisty think of this picture. I bet I have a good idea.

My friend who gave it to me thought the garden maven on the cover had a striking resemblance to Miss Kitty Kola. Yes I can see that, but she has now been domesticated and tamed and brought in from the range.




















Underneath the intriguing stylish cover shot is the author of this miniature pruning guide, Albert Wilson . He was apparently a first rate horticulturist, college professor, TV and radio gardening personality and a founding member of the Garden Writers Association. He was based in the San Francisco area. The Wikipedia entry on him seems to indicate he died while gardening at the age of 93.

A mint condition vintage pamplet on rose pruning was lovingly brought back to Maui from California for me. It conjures up all kinds of thoughts and connections to the bigger world out there. What kind of efflorescence if any will some future character stumble upon that will lead them back to me?

2 comments:

Annie in Austin said...

The woman on the pamphlet cover immediately called to mind Barbara Harris playing Kathleen Turner's mother in "Peggie Sue Got Married" - must be the right hair for the era. It's hard to know what Twisty would say - not that I'd have the nerve to ask.

Thanks for the link to Albert Wilson. Was the information in the pamphlet pretty classic stuff or also dated? I don't remember the show or his books, but maybe they didn't play in the Midwest. I did like the quite spectacular exit made by Albert - not a bad way to go, perhaps.

As to future clues to character - will any of the stuff we're posting now last? It's only electronic... paper has a better chance of hanging around. Books also can be used for kindling if the world goes all Mad Max on us - one can't do that with bites.

Annie

Christopher C. NC said...

I didn't actually read the pamplet. We don't prune things here we chop and hack at them.

I read some where that Google or Microsoft or both were building unbelievably huge warehouses in eastern Washington state to house massive data storage facilities. Maybe these little bites can be immortal?