In addition to stashing things in shoe boxes, I have the annoying (to me) habit of putting odds and ends on book shelves in front of the books. Let’s take two shelves as examples.

The beautiful orange-tip butterflies are found in various Asian locations. But these three were found in a shop in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have had them about 40 years, and they haven’t aged a bit. Mounting a butterfly is probably not a nice thing to do, and these are the only ones I have. But I have long wished I had more than I do.

Cigarette silks were like Crackerjack prizes 100 or more years ago. Here, we have a pre-1917 Russian flag silk (this is the current Russian flag, but was displaced by a Communist flag during the days of the USSR). And we have an early Zionist Hatikvah silk, showing the Zionist flag and  the song’s melody and lyrics. The poem was published in the 1870s and the music around 30 years later, in about 1900, by Naftali Ingber and Shmuel Cohen, respectively. In 1948, Hatikvah became Israel’s national anthem, and the flag, slightly altered, became the flag of the State.

This kaleidoscopic paperweight comes from ______, was designed by ________, and can be dated in approximately ________. Where did I get it? Who knows?

This form of pocket watch was known as a railroad march. The brand is Elgin, and this watch was owned by my great grandfather,  Abraham Hessel.  It is the only thing of his that I have. He died in 1939. Before my time.

This is me, about 50 years ago. The secretary of a client in Los Angeles made it from a photo. We had never met. She made Christmas tree ornaments for a group that they had close relationships with. For mine, knowing I would have no tree, she left off the hook to hang it with. I was surprised that she gave me so little hair. The beard I had from 1974 (when I got out of the Army Reserves) until 2001. The ornament, like me, now looks its age.

This mezuzah, I think came from Europe with Edie’s father. I have forgotten exactly why I think that, but that is indeed what I think. But it is odd, because it appears to have been carved from one piece of wood, meaning that the Biblical quote required to be inside it is nowhere to be found. I should research this.

You have to ask daughter Hannah about this one. In fact, I guess I should. I assume she made it in high school. I am sure it isn’t me.

This is the largest of a series of nesting dolls that goes from Lenin to Stalin to Khrushchev and on. Sadly, I think they have tightened or dried out because I can not open them up. Did I get this on a trip to Russia? Nope. At a street fair in New York.

There is a bit more on the shelves, but I have shown enough. And, yes, there are many more shelves. Here is a picture of everything in situ.