Poetry and Pottery (& my Grandma Viv)

A couple weeks ago I stopped at Browser’s Books, a small  over-stocked used bookstore  in Coeur d Alene to   peruse their poetry section. I quickly found the Robert Frost I was looking for, when another book of poems  caught my attention, Mostly California  by Don Blanding.   Copyright 1948, published by Dodd Mead.   Initially , the author wasn’t the reason I picked the book from the shelf, but  California.  I was raised in the golden state, moving there with my family when I was 4 years old,  not moving away  until I was 42.  I enjoy reading about California history, especially southern California   1930’s thru the seventies, and  am old enough to remember the sweet smell of colorful orange groves dotting the land, oil wells pumping  the ground  along Telegraph Road, and freeways not yet crowded with bumper to bumper traffic.

So after reading  the  description  on the inside cover,   “Mostly California is entirely Blanding in its colorful presentation, by drawings and verse, of California,  the Land of Gold; of the Padres and Forty-niners;  of the magic of the mountains and deserts and redwoods; of the fabulous cities and towns and of Hollywood with its glittering stars”, I knew I had to buy it. 

To my great delight I discovered Blanding wasn’t only a poet, but a pottery artist/designer  for Vernon Kilns,  the same  southern California company my maternal grandmother worked for  in the 1940’s and 50’s,   hand—painting their  popular plaid pattern  dinnerware.   

Just as I was familiar with poetry from an early age, I was also familiar with Vernon Kilns , not only because Grandma Vivian was an employee,  but because  their Organdie pattern  was the dishes grandma used to set her table  -  the dishes I would help wash and dry after eating dinner.  The same pattern I have now.

For the past several years I’ve used  that set  at Thanksgiving, and other special occasions.  They always trigger a warm feeling, and bring happy memories of my grandmother and the wonderful meals she prepared , and holidays shared.  And of Scrabble games played , when  she and I would  eat ice cream from  brown and yellow plaid  bowls. Each one  marked on the bottom,  Under glaze Hand Painted ORGANDIE Veronware California U.S.A .

I’m sure I didn't think much about it then,  but today it makes me smile, and proud  to know many of the painted   are from my grandmother’s own hand.