Jan has Left the Building

It seems like only yesterday when I took a temporary job as secretary to the head of acquisitions at UMass. Going back to teaching wasn't in the cards so I just stayed on. But I went out with a great party, lunch at Bertucci's, and seats at an Adam Lambert concert. Two great days!
Judy organized a great "meet & greet" on Thursday with snacks and a beautiful cake. Talking to everyone I didn't get a chance to taste everything.
They came from the Science Library & the 4th floor.


And the staff from IRM was there, of course.



And even the maintenance guys showed up. I'll really miss the asparagus and corn Eddie brings in.

And my best friend, Linda, came to share my day and reconnect with people she used to work with.




Got a hug and clock from Jay.





It was great to see Mel & Irene who knew me as a child.







And the staff chipped in to get me a gift certificate to the Art & Soul Gallery in Windsor, CT. Lis-el sells silver clay and related equipment and gives classes. Sorry, Jay, that was better than the clock.


After the party, Linda & I left for Foxwoods. She bought us tickets to see Adam Lambert. What a great retirement & birthday gift!








I did come in on Friday though not long enough to do much more than turn in my keys before it was off to lunch at Bertucci's.









Thanks to everyone who helped with the events, who contributed to my gift, and who came to share my joy.


The job's all yours, Rebecca.

Popular Tintype Jewelry

Because of the popularity of our "Adopt an Ancestor" bracelets my older daughter is creating earrings as well. Several people at the last show asked for them. Tintype photographs are rare and hard to find. Our special source at the Garage Flea Market in NYC had some when we were there in April. But prices are climbing and each year they get more expensive.

But the pictures of these unsmiling people are priceless. And the stories you can create about them are endless.

New Pieces from our Youngest Designer

Our youngest daughter came to visit from Virginia this past weekend. As usual she brought a few pieces with her to add to our inventory. She makes great and colorful bracelets and earrings that are very popular.


We've been selling a lot of steampunk so I was happy to see a little of that included.









We're going to be in Amherst next on July 10 for the Big Brother & Big Sisters' Crafts on the Common and we'll be displaying these and other new designs. Hope to see you there.

...and 1 long wooden pole

The forums on Etsy frequently have questions posed by crafters who are just beginning to sell at craft shows. Often they are asking what they should bring, how much inventory, what kinds of displays. Seasoned professionals inevitably respond with "the list." We all have a list of all the things we need to pack to successfully set up our temporary shops at local craft shows.

My list is a full page & 2 columns long. It includes a tool bag, a kit for adjusting jewelry pieces, a box of office supplies, a suitcase of jewelry displays, and maps and directions to the event. I haven't added to my list in some time but when I got home from a show in Connecticut this past weekend, I added to the list "1 long wooden pole."

It rained. It was our first show in a steady, heavy downpour. Don't let anyone tell you that EZ Up tents are waterproof. They lie. To be honest it only rained heavily for about 3 hours on Saturday. Sunday it only sprinkled. But what I found out on Saturday was that when it rains that hard, water pools in the corners of the roof of my tent and eventually the seams leak. So you need to keep clearing the water by poking at it with a long pole or something.
We've so far been very fortunate to always have very good neighbors at the craft shows we attend. Thank you, Katharyn, of Crippen Works. She was located across the aisle from us and her displays used long wooden dowels one of which we borrowed to keep the roof clear of puddles.

Last Look Around

I thought I'd take once last look around with my Kodak camera and photograph the last of the cubicles being assembled beside our department. This will be the new home of the Circulation staff, Reserves, and Interlibrary Loan (which now has another name I can never remember).



Du Bois is a very different place than it was when I arrived in 1972. It wasn't even called Du Bois yet. The building had just been constructed and we were preparing to move in. Susan Brynteson was the head of Acquisitions and was so proud of our new burnt orange carpets and bright orange kardex files for checking in journal issues. It was definitely the 70s!

My youngest daughter graduated from UMass a few years ago and as a student she worked in the Morrill Science Library. She has always been the most creative member of our family. So when she came across a pile of duplicate journals and magazines that were being tossed, she found a way to recycle them. It took months to glue the confetti sized pieces to create the scenes of The Biological Clock. It hung in Morrill until that library closed and the collection merged with the Physical Sciences Library. I hated to see it destroyed and it was way to big to hang anywhere at home. Fortunately Du Bois has adopted it and it hangs on the 2nd floor in a study area. I think it's one of her best creations.

Looking for the Pot of Gold

One of those rainy days we had recently ended with a flourish.
I've attempted to take other pictures of rainbows but this time the light must have been right.


That's the view from my deck with Mt. Sugarloaf off in the distance.

Just thought I'd share it with my friends.