“It’s amazing the requests that you get – each one of them becomes a whole experience by itself. Someone asks for a cotton plant or for a Coke bottle … I’ve got a fellow right now who has asked for a toilet bowl. I asked, ‘What do you want on the toilet bowl?’” said August Birk, the woodcarver ...
A Visit to the Unclaimed Baggage Center, Scottsboro, Ala.
When the Ozarkian visits the premiere unclaimed baggage repository in the nation, in Scottsboro, Ala.There are some answers to eternal questions that we’ll never know.What is the meaning of life?Why do socks disappear in the dryer? Will you ever see the headline “Psychic wins lottery?”A few weeks ...
ComeOnIn Antiques Offers Eclectic Finds for Junkers
My daughter, aka Capt. Jacks, and I have been antiquing since she was in the womb. Throughout her childhood years, we spent loads of time in junk shops and at flea markets. She even volunteered with me throughout the years at local charity thrift shops. Now, a well-respected commercial interior ...
Mid Turner Saves Memories in Bears
"I never get tired of making them,” says Mildred (Mid) Turner about the little stuffed bears she makes. “ They have their own personalities – they’re like people.” Turner lives near the hamlet of Anutt, Mo., but through her sewing savvy she touches the lives of many people, from babies to ...
A Museum in All Its ‘Glore’
“Help me … I just want to be loved.” Lines of zigzag embroidery filled a cloth sheet that hung on the wall at the Glore (pronounced “glory,” and named after George Glore, founder) Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph, Mo. A shudder ran down my spine as I recognized wedding vows and lines from songs ...