My Favorite Christmas Card ~ 2008

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SAUL STEINBERG ~ 1976
Colored Pencil and ink on Paper
23" x 14-1/2" Private Collection
Cover Drawing for The New Yorker ~ Nov 29 1976

A Winters Day

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Tortoise Hall ~
under construction
Northeastern Pennsylvania

" BLIMEY ! ~ It's Christmas "

That's a picture of me on the table...She keeps it with Her always, or is that Chuck.

A Legend of Tinsel ~ Click for Tortoise Orchard Webstore

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The addition of tinsel as decoration comes from a legend about a poor old woman who was unable to provide decorations for her children's Christmas tree. During the night, spiders lodged in the tree and covered it with their webs. The Christ Child, seeing this, realized that the woman would be sad to see her surprise spoiled. He turned the spider webs into silver, and the next morning the poor family was dazzled by the brilliant "tinsel" that shone on the tree.

Tinsel was invented in Germany around 1610. At that time real silver was used, and machines were invented which pulled the silver out into the wafer thin strips. Though it was durable, it tarnished easily, so some attempt was made to make tinsel with lead and tin. This proved too heavy and breakable, so silver was actually used until the mid 20th century. Today, the tinsel we use is made generally of plastic.
However, you can order a stunning Re-Creation of the original Lead Tinsel made of Pewter from Tortoise Orchard Holidays. www.tortoise-orchard.com
(Click Title of this post for direct Link)

My New York ~ Downtown Manhattan

Charles Lane and Washington Street

Movie Classics ~ Elephant Walk 1954

Director ~ William Dieterle

Elizabeth Taylor
Peter Finch
Dana Andrews

Be Thankfull

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Collecting ~ Foil Paintings

Collecting ~ Postage Stamps

"Introduced on May 6, 1840, the Penny Black was not only the world’s first postage stamp, it was also the first major step in mass communication. Mail service became affordable to every British citizen for the first time. From that day forward, any Englishman from any walk of life could correspond with any other person anywhere in England.

So revolutionary was the postage stamp it instantly became popular with collectors. In fact, Dr. John Edward Gray of the British Museum purchased a block of Penny Blacks the very first day they went on sale. Dr. Gray planned to preserve them – making him the world’s first stamp collector.

Carefully crafted, this classic stamp has withstood the test of time. Its finely engraved portrait of the young Queen Victoria is a work of art. In fact, the Queen was so pleased with this portrait of herself at age 18 that it was used exclusively throughout her 60-year reign! Now, 168 years later, the Penny Black is still a much sought-after collectible. And as collectors continue to lock them away in permanent collections, the Penny Black grows scarcer every day."

Mystic Stamp Company

A Brave New America ~ A Brave New World

11.7.08
Admittedly, anyone would look good after baby bush, but Barack Obama is someone very, very special. Let us look to his sincerity and clear vision knowing that he cannot change the world but only lead us as we change the world.

I have never been more proud to be an American.
Our shining new president was elected on the merit of his character. The fact that his African American heritage was not a factor but merely a fact is testament that we have truly grown as a people and as a nation.
We have entered a Brave new America and a Brave New World.

I am so Excited, I am so Inspired, I am so Proud !

Look behind you ...Mwahahahahah

Happy Halloween !!!

Collecting ~ Jewelry as Art

Venetian Milliforie Glass Mosiac Pins
Made in Italy
Circa 1930's

Church Supper Cake ~ try me

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Books of Note ~"When You Are Engulfed in Flames"

by David Sedaris

David's collection of short stories is like a box of chocolates, each one filled with a delicious center of humor, in site and candor.
While reading this book David becomes your best friend, keeps you company and inspires you to be yourself. The experience is one of those little endearing pleasures that makes life worth living.

Tortoise Building ~ Construction Update

~ Cupola * Roof * Rabbit Hole Door


~ "Rhombus Room" Ground Floor


~ "Tortoise Floor" Middle Floor


~ "The Bird House" Top Floor

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Javier Bardem
Penelope Cruse
Scarlett Johansson

Woody delivers a breath of fresh air with his light but lusty and exotic romantic comedy. Yes, Yes, Yes !!!

"The Family Jewels" ~ Hale Hall

Hale Hall, built 1674
Ancestorial Home
Ireland-Blackburne
Nr Liverpool England

"les extraordinaire postes" ~ The Asylum

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The United States post office is one short block from my apartment in New York City. This particular station holds a special carousel of characters which constantly percolate and change with the seasons. I have discovered that visits to the post office hold a wealth of surprise, humor, amazement and insight into human nature.

The city is usually fairly quiet during the month of August, especially just before Labor day; and so it was on this occasion. One of my almost daily mail deposits required for my mail order business. There were just a handful of people in the large cool stone room which is my station. Having zig-zagged through the nylon strap maze which usually hold an array of colorfully assorted and sometimes angry people I made my way to second position in the line.

There I observed a most peculiar stick figure of a woman in her late fifties. Her mission, to shuffle in a straight line until confronted by an obstacle, at which time the interruption in stride would send her on a totally new excursion, like a wind-up toy that changes direction upon bumping a wall or piece of furniture.

Her ashen pallor clung to her flounder flat face like a dish rag, not much different in color from her two very small, very close together glassy marble eyes. She had a small light switch for a nose and was missing a mouth completely. A Helmet of soot gray hair looking professionally done made a smooth bubble topped doo complimented by very straight sideburns. Her dress was made of thin oatmeal colored cotton which hung lifelessly from her formless body accompanied by a pair of open back bedroom slippers that made a scuffing noise as she shuffled tirelessly across the room.

"Una, Una, Una" exclaimed a middle aged black women nearby struggling with a tall rectangular package bungee corded to a flimsy aluminum luggage cart. Taking the zombie-like figure in tow it was clear she was Una's care giver, multitasking at the post office.

An unattended double stroller holding two screaming children made an appropriate side show. Meanwhile, oblivious postal workers talked and joked among themselves, lingering behind thick bulletproof acrylic windows.

All and all about a ten minute visit.

by Michael Hostovich

Mem-et

a very short memoir
How far back can you remember ?
One on my first memories, if not my first, I'm not really sure, was being in a crib during a storm. I was in a dark room, thunder and lightning filled the sky. There was a light mist of rain coming through the open window as the sheer white curtains blew in the wind. Funny, I actually enjoy storms in my adult life, they make me feel snug.

Hockey Mom ? Lipstick ?

What's the difference between a Pig and a Pit-bitch ?
... nothing

Down the Rabbit hole

I'm late / I'm late / For a very important date
/ No time to say "Hello" / Goodbye
/ I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.

Lewis Carroll ~ Alice in Wonderland

My Pa ~ "The Entertainers"

The entertainment for the local Callicoon Sunday green market
Valarie on the Keyboard & Agnes on the Drums

Repertoire includes:
* Good ole' Summertime
* Has Anybody seen my Gal
* Cabaret
* Never on a Sunday
* I'm lookin' over a Four leaf Clover
* Put another Nickel in
* Somewhere my Love
* Anchors Away
* Pretty Baby
* I Love You Truly
* The Gang's all here
* Sweet Georgia Brown
* Tiptoe through the Tulips

Nasturtium

Color the Ball Game

Click on the Ball to change it's color
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Click on the Title to Start Game

"The Family Jewels" ~ My Sister Pat

Patty Lee ~ Early 1950's
And to think She once tried to trade me for a bologna Sandwich !

Tortoise Building ~ Pouring the Cement Floor

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"My Pa." ~ Paulie's Hot Dogs

Paulie's Hot Dogs ~ Rt. 6 Honesdale Pennsylvania
Best home made French Fries !!!

Moth Ornament

New Ornaments are starting to fly in for the up coming Holiday Season.
You can see them in the Webstore
(Link at bottom of page)

"Books of Note" ~

The Power of Now
Eckhart Tolle

Conscious Death

"Every portal is a portal of death, the death of the false self. When you go through it, you cease to derive your identity from your psychological, mind-made form. You then realize that death is an illusion, just as your identification with form was an illusion. The end of illusion - that's all that death is. It is painful only as long as you cling to illusion."

My piece of Heaven ~

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Collecting Children's Books ~

Der Struwelpeter ~ German 1871
Don't play with matches children !

Happy 94th Mother's Day !

"Congress approved the holiday in the United States in 1914. They set the date as the second Sunday in May each year. The idea for a day to honor mother started in Britain and was picked up by Julia Ward Howe in 1870 after the American Civil War, not to honor mothers, but to unite mothers in a protest against war. Her daughter continued calling for the holiday and a Mother's Day was celebrated in West Virginia in 1908. The holiday spread from state to state and after 45 states had approved it, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day in 1914. It was a day to show a flag in honor of mothers who had lost sons in war, not really the holiday we celebrate today honoring mother for being mother. It is a commercial success today as the busiest day of the year for restaurants, and sets records for florists and long distance calls."

Kovels Komments
May 7th 2008

Tortoise Orchard Apple Blossom Time

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Film Classic ~ Paper Moon (1973)

Director : Peter Bogdanovich

Ryan O'Neal
Tatum O'Neal
Madeline Kahn

Glass Glitter ...German Glass Glitter

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German Glass Glitter is the most beautiful adornment you can add to your Holiday decorations and craft projects.
You can see, read about and purchase any of the 23+ dazzling colors in our Holiday Webstore
(see link at bottom of this page)

"Spring"

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"Spring" ~ by Michael Hostovich ~ 2008
Hand Colored Giclee Print A/P
Printed on BFK Reeves French Watercolor paper
Colored with water color dyes and enhanced with colored pencil

All rights are reserved by the Artist
copyright 2008

Tortoise Orchard Building ~ Window Washer Wanted

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"Myyyy Newwww Yorkkkk" ~ Times Square

Tortoise Orchard Building ~ Framing Continues

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