MY BLOG
PAGE
8/5/10 - Serious
bidders:
3/4/10 - We
havent had anything stolen from our gallery in quite some time and I
thank all our good customers for their honesty. However, at our Feb
auction, we had silver coins and jewelry stolen. There were only 3
customers in the building at the time and two of them I can
vouch for their integrity. The 3rd person made it obvious that
he was the culprit by taking advantage of a new employee during
pickup as he was very upset he didn't win all he desired. I would
like to remind that person, that the end result may be that you
walked away with articles that you wanted, but you stole from
yourself, not from me and every time you do this you weaken
your spirit and loose your dignity. You can boast to yourself and
perhaps to other deviants of your great accomplishment, but you are
an embarrassment to yourself, your family and your ancestry. I
have sent your name to all local auction galleries to watch out for you
and have turned this over to the NY State Police who are
investigating this incident.
2/20/10 - In
1 month it will be 1 year since I started feeding 3 crows that come
around for their daily handouts. They are just like children and sit
on the branches of the tries surrounding our auction hall awaiting
my arrival. If i forget to give them food, they let me know about it
with their loud caws, something akin to a Bronx cheer. So as i
prepare to go to work, I have bagged a few slices of bread and some
left over salmon for their morning feast.
10/10/09 - I have a complaint.......I know the
economy is not good now and this may be why I see more and more
people coming to the auction pooling bids with people they just met.
This is not fair to the consignor. Now I don't have a big problem
with 2 dealer friends coming to the auction together and not bidding
against each other, its just when dealers who are not friends
conspire to not bid against each other on certain items to keep the
prices down. That is where I think there is an integrity issue. This
is something that some rug dealers have been doing for years and
everyone agrees is totally unethical. Its tantamount to me
having shills in the audience bidding stuff up and something we would never consider. Everyone
expects me to honest with them, so why can't I expect the same. Just
food for thought and I welcome any comments on this issue....
10/08/09 - Well here we are again in
transition......Football season on its way and baseball playoffs
have begun......leaves starting to turn......Giants, Jets and
Yankees look great.......nothing like the beauty of
autumn.....life is good !!
7/16/09 - Russell passed away after a long bout
with prostate cancer. Perhaps some good can come out of this tragedy
by reemphasizing the importance of yearly physical exams and a PSA
blood test. I understand that prostate cancer is a slow developing
disease, sometimes with no symptoms, as demonstrated by Russell, and
it can be cured if found early. Hopefully, this will encourage
others to see and discuss this issue with their doctor. Remember,
Russell was only 50 years old when it was diagnosed.
Russ Stipanovich 1958 - 2009 - Never
a better friend.
7/13/09 - Many thanks for those
who contributed to Russell's computer fund. It was purchased in June
for him and he was so grateful for all who helped. It really lifted
his spirits and gave him real joy to know that people, even those
that didn't know him, really cared about him. Unfortunately,
Russell's condition has worsened recently so please keep him in your
thoughts and prayers.
4/09/09 - Baseball season
finally begins....how about dem Yanks.......were finally off the ground and
running ..... with a "little bit o'luck" should be back in
the playoffs again.
____________________________________________
Feed the birds
Last summer while walking thru the back fields, I came upon a pile
of dead crows that had been shot for fun and left to waste away at the
edge of a desolate corn field. Ever since then, I have paid special
attention to these feathered creatures and saw a beauty that I had not
seen before. I leave you with this picture of Jack, my adopted friend,
who comes around everyday for his free meal of table scraps that I
save for him. Ironic as it may be, he is especially fond of Friskies
cat food (no, Friskies are not my table scraps - the auctions are not
quite that bad). As we head into the heart of winter, I encourage
everyone to feed the birds.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
By Wallace Stevens
I
Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird.
II
I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three blackbirds.
III
The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the pantomime.
IV
A man and a woman
Are one.
A man and a woman and a blackbird
Are one.
V
I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendos,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.
VI
Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of the blackbird
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.
VII
O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine golden birds?
Do you not see how the blackbird
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?
VIII
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the blackbird is involved
In what I know.
IX
When the blackbird flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.
X
At the sight of blackbirds
Flying in a green light,
Even the bawds of euphony
Would cry out sharply.
XI
He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For blackbirds.
XII
The river is moving.
The blackbird must be flying.
XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.
_________________________________________________________________
