Tuesday, November 20, 2012

A Thanksgiving Afternoon's Collection


When I was much younger, I had a lovely 90-year-old neighbor named Ruth, with whom I became friendly. We visited often and had long conversations, and one day Ruth gave me a small stone box. She said it was jade.

I commented that it must have an interesting story, and Ruth — who had been a teacher — said that it had been given to her "fifty or sixty years ago" by a dean at her school (I remember thinking at the time how interesting that at Ruth's age, whole decades were merging together into single blocks of time.).

That same year, I traveled to Scottsbluff, Nebraska for a Thanksgiving family reunion. On Thanksgiving Day, the weather was unusually balmy, and so the family decided to hike up a mountain in a nearby state park. The Oregon Trail cut through the mountain, and one memorable detail was that one could still see the ruts made from pioneers' Conestoga wagons.


As we walked up the gravel path, I started noticing handsome green stones interspersed here and there. My brother told me that they were probably Wyoming Jade, and that enchanted me all the more. I told my young niece and nephew that I'd pay a dime for each gem that they'd find, and soon the three of us were engrossed in a fun treasure hunt.

I've since discovered that "Wyoming Jade" is actually a misnomer, and that the green pebbles are a lesser grade of the jade family, called "nephrite." But I still like to think of collecting jade treasure on Thanksgiving Day, and today the pebbles live quite appropriately in Ruth's box.


To all my blogging friends, Happy Thanksgiving!

20 comments:

  1. Dear Mark,

    I enjoyed reading this post.

    I love 'things' that have links to other 'things'. The jade, the pioneers, the box: all seemingly different and unconnected (to the untrained eye) yet for you, linked together in a special way.

    And speaking of things mineral, I have always wanted to get hold of an olivine bomb: I only want a small one and AGA has promised that one day we will be able to go hunting for them as they are quite numerous in parts of Victoria...

    Kirk

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    1. Dear Kirk,

      I was not familiar with olivine bombs, and so your comment required a Google search. Now I can see why they would be on your wish list — they're spectacular!

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  2. Hello Mark, What a charming story and nice gift to remember your elderly friend by.

    Your green nephrite stones are very attractive, and indeed they are real jade. The very hard and frequently bright green jade that is often seen now is jadeite, but most of the ancient jades seen in museums are nephrite. The fact that you gathered them yourself makes them more fascinating than if you had purchased them, and the fact that these were acquired on a family outing with the cooperation of your niece and nephew makes them priceless.

    Both the box and the stones, while interesting in themselves, show the true value of such objects as symbolizing the memories and relationships between people.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. Hello Jim, I'm guessing that you've seen your fill of jade in Taiwan! It was so wondrous to see these stones mixed in with regular gray gravel, and I never look at them without remembering the children's excitement in the hunt — I was a child that day, too!

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  3. The best part is that all of this collection has a story and fond memories of your friend Ruth and your family!

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    1. Hi, Stefan - As you might imagine, almost everything in my house has a story!

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  4. Dear Mark,
    This is such a beautiful story and beautiful collection--perfect for this week- thank you! I so enjoyed reading about Ruth and your family adventure, and I love how those stories "live" in that lovely box with your collection of nephrites... I think that's just as it should be. I hope the coming holiday brings you more of this kind of treasure to add to your collection!
    Happy Thanksgiving and warm regards,
    Erika

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    1. Dear Erika,

      Every-so-often I go to mineral shows, but there's nothing quite like making discoveries on your own! I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, with some time to nurture yourself (I think you are a very busy person!).

      Best wishes, Mark

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  5. Thank you, Mark, for sharing this lovely jade box from Ruth with us. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
    Take care,
    Loi

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    1. Thanks, Loi! It's good to have you back from your trip to Denmark. You probabbly need a vacation from your vacation, so have a Happy, Restful Thanksgiving!

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  6. Dear Mark - first of all may I wish you and all other blogging friends from across the pond a very happy Thanksgiving this Thursday.
    A delightful gift given to you by Ruth, I am presuming that it is probably Chinese from the colour and design on the lid.
    As a family we have spent many hours hunting on beaches, cliffs and in gravel for interesting stones, that is probably one of the reasons our eldest son became a geologist.
    I like the fact that the stones and the box all came together in the same year culminating with Thanksgiving, and that you have kept the memory of the two occasions linked together.

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    1. Dear Rosemary -

      Thanks for the holiday wishes. We celebrate on Thursday, as you mentioned, then many people start Christmas shopping on Black Friday, so called because that's when many retailers get out of the red ink. It's a sign of the times though that Christmas sales have started well before Friday . . .

      Now that I think about it, the little box from Ruth must be more than 100 years old by now.

      Perhaps your son was inspired to become a geologist in part by the jet of Whitby. Your family has such diverse interests, which I think is one reflection of good parenting.

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  7. "..almost everything in my house has a story." I do not understand people who mindlessly fill their homes with stuff that has no connection to them. Everything in my home has been collected on travels or made by me or someone I cherish. How can anyone surround themselves with items that do not have a personal story? I would love to walk through a room in your home and hear all the stories the objects tell.

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    1. Dear Theresa,

      Every-so-often I look at an article in a home design magazine that tells of a designer's client who scraps everything and starts from scratch. And then it's the designer who runs off to find new "stuff," albeit costly stuff. And I wonder how shallow a life must be that there is no sentiment attached to it. I would love to give you a tour of this place, especially as I know you are a kindred spirit. Happy Thanksgiving.

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  8. May you never become jaded by the delights that cross your path. But rather give thanks for them and all you have in life!

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    1. Dear Columnist - Thanks for your comment — which brought a smile — and best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm wondering whether you'll be dining on a turkey or celebrating with Thai food?

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  9. Dear Mark, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. You have shared with us another treasure and another story of your most interesting life. We have so much to be thankful for and your experiences prove that it is the people in our lives who make the difference.

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    1. Dear Gina - You are quite right. As relates to the mementoes we gather around us, they are best when they remind us of times with family and good friends. I'm wishing you and Gene a very Happy Thanksgiving.

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  10. I, too, enjoyed reading this post. What wonderful memory treasures you have, Mark. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. We had Florida weather up here in the north, same thing today.

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    1. Hi Yvette - Our weather is reaching the upper 70s in the afternoons, and dipping into the 50s at night — I find that perfect!

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