Should I Try to Clean My Edouard Debat-Ponson Print?

I had to ask one of the elderly volunteer clerks at the Bethesda Thrift Shop for help since they'd hung the print way up on the wall. A ladder was produced and the plucky clerk ascended while another held the ladder. I was disappointed at first. There is a water stain on the top and another bigger one across the bottom. But the colors are bright and the subject is rural life at the turn of the nineteenth century, an era I love, so I bought it anyway. It cost $9.99.

The print is marked Debat-Ponson in the corner and some Internet sluething revealed he was a French painter, first name Edouard. He lived from 1847 to 1913. I think this print may be called "The Proposal" but that is not a certainty since that title was listed for more than one print. Likewise, the value of the print was variably listed for as little as $5.00 and as much as $500.00. More proof that the Internet is a minefield of misinformation. Of course, I know nothing about the value of prints; each could be correct. I only know I wanted this one at least $9.99 worth.

I think the frame is original since it looks just like the one on one of the art sites. It is simple, privative, just right for the rural subject.

The water stain sent me on another Internet search and I found many restoration sites. Most of them show examples of their work and they were impressive. Even large holes and tears can be repaired, it seems, and water damage looks to be a simple problem to solve. Less clear is how much that kind of restoration costs. It would be handy if they listed prices along with the glowing examples but not one site did. I am guessing if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

eHow.com has a do-it-yourself option. It involves soaking the print in purified water, then using chloride of lime and print acid. They warn that this is a risky business since the colors could come off along with the stain.

Well, what do you think? Should I risk the print with a do-it-yourself bath or leave it as it is? I don't think the item is valuable enough to justify a professional fix, so it's one of these two choices.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This euonymus bush is a nice Valentine's Day decoration, I think. It is a quiet day here. Our only concession to the holiday was a lit candle held aloft by a ceramic cupid at the dinner table. Dinner was spaghetti with meatballs and it was good. So much better than braving the big crowds at a restaurant. Bob has disappeared to read "Isle Royale Calling" and I will soon go back to reading "Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown. A near perfect day for two bookish folk.
Bob did make me a gift. It's a bookmark made from the cardboard box that held Valentine's cakes I bought for the seniors at my Senior Center. Bob has a thing for very white cardboard packaging; he cuts it up for use in list or note making. I get a note every work morning and I look forward to seeing what he has to say. He leaves me room at the bottom or on the back for my reply.
The bird feeder was busy today with many visits from many different kinds of birds. That usually means bad weather is on the way. A squirrel discovered the suet feeder and has nibbled the edges he was able to reach. We hope to attract the woodpecker we hear in the neighbor's tree but we may regret that. Last time we had a suet feeder a downy woodpecker made lines of holes in our garage siding, presumably to find insects. Bob wasn't happy to have such a well ventilated garage.
You'd think the birds would eat the euonymus seeds but there isn't much evidence that they have. The bush is in our side yard where we can't easily see it so maybe some do. The seed pods are certainly pretty but maybe not tasty.

Snow in 49 of 50 States. Why not at the Olympics?

The big snow storm this week cured our cabin fever! It seems the effort of digging out forced us back to life and now we are rejuvenated, if sore.
The weathermen are saying there is snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states. Only Hawaii is left out of the loop and I feel sorry for them. Don't they have a mountain high enough to have a snow covered peak? Of course, they are actually volcanoes, so I guess snow might have a hard time sticking to the active ones...
The Olympics in Vancouver are in desperate need of snow, I hear. They are feeling the effects of El Nino, so the temperatures are in the 50s. Oh boy.
But the worst news from the Olympics is the death of a 21 year-old luge rider. How tragic. I know it is a dangerous sport but I'm sure his family expected he'd be coming home to them after the games. There is a lot of talk on television and the Internet that the luge hill was too tall, too fast and too open and I guess that debate will continue at least through the end of the winter Olympics. And all this has happened even before the opening of the games, which is tonight.
I can't remember any other recent deaths at the Olympics, although there may have been some. There was that horrible year in Germany when terrorists attacked and several athletes were killed. That was long before we had any terrorism on our soil but we should have known then that it can happen anywhere.
I do wish Canada could have some of the cold weather and snow we've had, or better yet, some of it that hit the southern states that NEVER get snow. They would gladly donate.

Cabin Fever

We are in the middle of an epidemic here in Michigan. It is cabin fever and it is the worst outbreak we've seen in years.

Snow covers the ground but it is old, dirty snow so it isn't pretty to look at. We wander from window to window, lifting the heavy shades or parting the lined drapes hoping to see even a small sign of spring.

We are hungry for green, growing things. We would wear perfume called Eu de Cut Grass if they made such a thing and around here it would be better than pheromones. We are planning our 2010 garden and have dogeared several pages in the seed catalog. Mom found a source for Castor bean seeds which have become hard to find, so that order is filled out and ready to be mailed on Monday.

There is a stark beauty to the winter landscape here on our tree lined corner although we are so used to seeing it we sometimes forget to really look. The evergreens Bob planted about 25 years ago are bright splotches of green against the stark brown, black and grey of the deciduous tree trunks. The different textures and colors of tree trunks become more apparent in winter and some people, like Bob, can identify a tree by its bark. In our yard, snow clings to the bark and blankets the boughs and there it is clean and white.

The garden, on close inspection, has a few surprises. The cabbage stalks left to overwinter are still a deep, dusky green. Dusty miller, too, is still green and seems to have antifreeze in its leaves. Sometimes it will return to life in the spring but that is hard to believe right now. In fact, it is hard to believe the frozen solid earth will ever yeild to a shovel.

In November, I brushed the snow from the broccoli and made a salad from the florettes I cut. It was milder tasting broccoli than in the heat of summer and since it was unexpected, it felt like a special treat.

We will go for a walk today in the cemetery. There is little traffic and it is so quiet there. The exercise, and the cold air, will help dispel the cabin fever, we hope.