Blogger Retreat

Well, where have I been for the past week? Certainly not in the blogosphere - and this trend is likely to continue for a week or two. So this isn't a retreat in the sense of lots of bloggers gathering in a touristy locale for a long weekend - or a blogger retreating in defeat in the 'Grande Armee Leaving Russia' tradition. It's just me taking a short break during a particularly hectic period.
When I return I'll be blogging about these: a pie crust breakthrough (!), a mysterious sterling silver item (!!), peaches, and more . . .

Hope you're enjoying the last week of July and I look forward to catching up soon! And now, I'm going to skink away . . .

Picture yourself in Philadelphia in 1787

You're a delegate to the Federalist Convention and you're debating the content of what will become our Constitution. You've been there over a month already; it's hot, crowded, expensive. It seems that the convention will certainly last through the summer and perhaps well into autumn. Indeed, creating a new government is not for the faint of heart.

Fast forward to today . . . we know the result of the Constitutional Convention and much has been written about the convention itself. Additionally, many details are available online. Wikipedia has an excellent timeline, for those who like to see history in an organized way. And we can also access a day-by-day record of the convention. Madison's notes on the debates are available online at the Yale Law Library. Click here to see what happened on a particular date.


I was interested to read the notes from today (June 26) - among other topics, the delegates discussed term lengths for congress (aka the 2nd branch) and salary options. What if they had agreed to two year terms instead of six? Or if Dr. Franklin had persuaded the group to pay congress no salary? If you'd like to know what happens next - check out Madison's notes. I'm going to skip ahead . . .

The painting is Independence Hall by Ferdinand Richardt, 1858-1863, White House Collection.

On the Road with the Duchess

So, the Duchess in question is Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and we're not really on the road together . . . you may have guessed that! But, I am on the road for a few days and so is the Duchess and I did have a close encounter with her at a wonderful fundraising event in Greenville, NC a few days ago. And she is visiting five other cities while in the US and I'm visiting my mom so more about Fergie when I return home.

Meanwhile I thought you might like to know that today (May 7) is not only my mother's birthday, but also the day that Joan of Arc ended the Siege of Orleans in 1429 by leading the French Army to victory during the Hundred Years' War. Saint Joan remains an inspirational figure centuries later - perhaps because she is proof that one small person can make a difference.

And you don't have to be a martyr who is burned at the stake to do it. Although I'd almost be willing to go that far to be immortalized by Rossetti as Joan was (above).


And one final word about my mother (did I mention it's her birthday?) and Joan of Arc - my mother's wedding silver is the Joan of Arc pattern seen above - isn't it lovely? It's a great pattern that debuted in 1940 and is still in production - it has lots of great serving pieces and is always available on eBay! Keep it in mind if you're looking for a new sterling pattern to collect.

Happy Friday!