Baking Time Cookie Jar

This is the Ozark summertime cookie jar.

Named "Baking Time" from

Clay Art of San Francisco,

circa 1995.

Clay Art is known for their small line

of black Americana.

I found her at Burlington Coat Factory in 1999,

she was my first collectible cookie jar.

All her colors matched my kitchen very well

Plus,

She reminded me of my 4 years in college

at The Savannah College of Art and Design

in Savannah Georgia.

Many of the great cooks there that kept me fed

looked a little like her.

source

Have you ever been to Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House?

It's in Savannah and it's a Great place to eat, 

in an old fashion way.
Everyone sits at a table together and 

passes the serving bowls around the table. 

It's a pretty famous place.

source

But I digress...
 
Many websites refer to her as

the Mammy, or Aunt Jamima cookie jar,

but Clay Art never gave her an official name.

Whenever I see her I think of the slogan

"If you ain't eatin' WHAM. You ain't eatin' Ham."

A phrase uttered by Louise Beavers 

source

as housekeeper Gussie, in the film
 

"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House".

source

Her phrase saved the family's house.

A very fun film. 

Maybe I'll call the cookie jar Gussie.
 

Ebay image 

Clay Art even offered matching salt and pepper shakers.

I never collected those but now I wish I had.

I used to keep her out year round till

the Ozark collection started growing.

Now she's only displayed in the summer season.

She has such a cheery expression

I bet she bakes good cookies too.

Love These Meeces To Pieces, Halloween Pottery Barn Mice

Last year, 

before the Halloween season even started,

I spotted the cutest little bronze finished

metal mice online at PotteryBarn.com.

Bronze Mice Objects S/2 Item # 02- 2275444

Unfortunately they were completely sold out

by the time I decided to buy a set,

several weeks before Halloween!

Now

I'm delighted to report they are back for this

year's PB Halloween offering...

source

Needless to say,

I ordered them as soon as I saw them.

Reg. $19 for the set of two,

they came to $16.15+tax

with a PB coupon 

I just received in an e-mail,

&

shipping was FREE.

They arrived yesterday from UPS.

I plan to stash them away and wait for Halloween

but, just for now,

I'll let them explore their new home.

Pottery Barn does indicate

source

they can go just about anywhere.

and mine were doing just that...

till they were spotted by the Kron owl!

"EEP!"

Luckily I was there this time...

I just hope they'll make it to Halloween.

Thanks for stopping by
and Happy Hunting!

KRON

No, it's not some sort of sequel to TRON,

It's the name of the designer of my new

Ebay acquired

vintage "mid-century" TV lamp. 

This is the K559 Kron Owl TV Lamp

by Texans Incorporated in Bangs, Texas.
 
In the 60's people would place

TV lamps on top of their sets.

It was thought the ambient glow would
eliminate eye strain while viewing TV

in a darkened room. 

 

 I just received it in the mail yesterday!

This is the signature of Howard Kron.

source

He was a multi talented artist,
sculptor, and singer.

He joined Texans Inc. in 1954

as one of their primary lamp designers.

source

Find out more about The Texans Inc. Lamp Company

and Howard Kron on Mark Stevens' comprehensive

website

Texans Incorporated: The History of a Lamp Company

The felt base is stamped

Texans Inc, Bangs TX

My brown owl is not very rare because it was

very popular during its late 50s to mid 60's run.

despite reports that it would scare children.

Many of the "brown" owls were produced.

The "white" owl version is more rare,

source

fetches a higher price, and is highly sought after

by TV lamp collectors.

But in my opinion, not as suitable for Halloween.

source and source

On Mark Stevens' website tvlamps.net

He shows off his 2005 purchase of a

Kron owl lamp forgotten in time.

It was never opened, never used

since the day it was packed. 

It was brand new, complete with the sticker

warning not to use over a 25 watt bulb.

Mine was very used but still looks amazing.

I checked, and it even has some residue
left from that sticker.

My enchantment for this owl started

unexpectedly last November.
I was innocently searching Ebay

under the term "Owl Cookie Jar"

to try and fill a gap in

 the Ozark Halloween miscellany.

I so want the Anthropologie Owl cookie jar,

get one here

but it's still $128!!!!

So Ebay was my second option

where I found a few cool

Halloween worthy cookie jars....

Carbone, Inc. owl cookie jar from Ebay
this one got away.

Then I somehow stumbled onto

the Kron Owl TV Lamp,

find them on ebay

my heart skipped a beat!
It was everything I want in a Halloween
collectable, form, theme, and function!

I HAD TO HAVE IT!

I watched them for a time

and just waited....

so many of them have chipped wings.

Finally, I bid and won 

an undamaged one for only $29.99!

A real bargain and he's perfect!

I'm testing him at his perch on top of the hutch 
for this Halloween season.

Owls seem to be IN this year,

check out the plethora of owls at Pottery Barn...

Get them now online at Pottery Barn
and here is a selection from Pier 1 Imports...

Here's Pier 1's Halloween offering...

check them out here at Pier 1

I still have my eye on this white owl pitcher
by Two's Company,

get it here

as well as a Dept 56 Google Eye Owl
candy dish and lollipop holder,

get one here

but, I think I like my scary Kron owl

more than any of these.

Mine actually frightens children!

AND HOW COOL IS THAT?

A Trip to Ely Nevada

Have you ever been to Ely? 

Pronounced EE-lee. 

It's the self proclaimed

"Heart of Nevada's Scenic Wonderland"

It's also a copper mining town.

Sam and I were searching for a small weekend getaway,

and I was hoping for a ride on a historic train.

We had our sights set on the train ride

near the rim of the Grand Canyon.

But cost became the deciding factor.

After seeing ads in the Sunday paper inviting us to

Take a ride back in time on the ghost train
at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.

We packed and headed to Ely,
located in the middle of

White Pine County, Nevada.

It's about a 4 hour drive from Las Vegas

along a lonely rural road

We did pass a few communities and

some interesting land formations

When we arrived in Ely

We had hoped to find an IHOP for breakfast.

Unfortunately our Garmin (a GPS navigation device)

determined the closest one was over 122 miles away,

as well as a Starbucks

and a Wal-Mart

This is a town set back in time!

We did find a great little place to eat,

The Big Apple Family Restaurant!

And what a spread!

Because of the delicious biscuits and gravy,

I told Sam this is my new favorite restaurant!

After breakfast

we headed to the station...

source

And stepped back in time.

It was built in 1907

Today we would be pulled by 

The Baldwin Steam Locomotive 4-6-0 No. 40

(4 front wheels-6 middle wheels-0 back wheels)

  bought new in 1910

and called "The Ghost Train" today.

As the story goes, back during WWII
the government was looking for steel
anywhere they could find it. 
The mine train engineers of the time
had taken such a liking to old No. 40
they didn't want to see her scrapped.

First they completely buried her under a
mountain of scrap where she sat for a long time.
When the mountain started to shrink and reveal her,
they dug her out and hid her anywhere they could.
When the government agent would show up to
collect the steel he would ask about No. 40
and was told "Nope, she ain't here"

 or
"you just missed her".
Wherever he went he got the same
answer, "You just missed her"
He dubbed her the "Ghost Train"
in all the years he was collecting steel
he never saw her.
And she survives to this day.

Find out about our train trip

after the jump.