As regular readers know, I am fond of both public art and especially metal work. I took many pictures of the ornamental ironwork window coverings when I was in Morocco late last year. I even saw some urban blacksmiths at work on the street. Last weekend, during a visit to the Northern California’s Wine Country, I was amused to see small weathered Tunisian window grates for sale as decorations for $95 to $490 per. What a difference a little travel makes!

Images 2011-2012 Copyright Katy Dickinson

Saturday, John, my mother, and I spent another day of sorting and packing my parents’ San Francisco home. As my daughter Jessica wrote, this is about Dirt, Dust, and Duty. I shipped five boxes of my father’s clothes to my older brother, put five more boxes of family quilts, lace, and linens into the car, then packed in two small tables, two mirrors, some art, and a shower chair. Everything but the shower chair goes into storage. My uncle came over to pack some of his stuff. Then I did a walk through with the mover in preparation for his crew returning next weekend.

Today was my day off. After church, I worked in my poor neglected and dog-pounded garden. Then, John and Paul and I spent several hours reviewing the construction proposal for the new addition to our home in Willow Glen. Comparing the proposal to the architect’s drawings, we discussed flooring, counter tops, lighting, electrical outlets, TV cables, and all of the other minutiae which are so expensive if you don’t get them right the first time.

Our house addition will initially be for my 80-year-old mother, so we are making it wheelchair accessible, just in case. This means more than just a roll-in shower and wider doorways. Can she get into the pantry? Should the doors open in or out? So much to consider!

Image Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson

I have a doll collection, started by my mother when she was little, and added to since. Many of the dolls are foreign, brought as presents to show the native dress of places to which our family has traveled. However, there are some dolls unique to America. I have faceless Amish dolls, dolls made from corn husks, and apple face dolls in prairie bonnets. I also have some  “Mammy” dolls – representing an old archetype of African American women from the American south, where my mother grew up. An English friend at work was recently talking about her Mammy doll collection, so I took these pictures to show her my little group. Like Hattie McDaniel in Gone with the Wind, or the original image of Aunt Jemima, several of my dolls wear head scarves.  One wears an elegant silk dress with pantaloons and a slip under and fancy leather shoes, another has lace trim on her long dress.  Two are much more simply dressed.

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Images 2012 Copyright by Katy Dickinson

My wonderful daughter Jessica took on the task of getting the obituary of her grandfather, Wade Dickinson, published after his death in November. She worked on this for weeks.* It turns out that there are few obituaries considered news: most are paid for by the family. After much research, we chose to publish my father’s obituary in two newspapers:

• The Sharon Herald, published near where he was born 85 years ago, in Hickory Township, Pennsylvania
• The San Francisco Chronicle, published where he lived for over 50 years.

Even though we mostly communicate electronically  here in the Silicon Valley, it was important to my mother to see his obituary published in the paper.  Publishing an obituary is very expensive.  Newspapers seem to consider grieving families fair game and charge as much as they can.  This pair cost $132 and $450 respectively for a one-time publication.  Even so, the Chronicle had to republish because they misprinted his name the first time.  The Herald version is longer because it cost less – the same text in the Chronicle would have cost over $1,000. The San Francisco text reads:

Ben Wade Oakes Dickinson died at the age of 85 in November 2011 at his home in San Francisco. Wade was born in 1926 in Hickory Township PA, to Ben Wade Orr Dickinson, Jr., and Gladys Grace Oakes Dickinson. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor, his brother and business partner of 50 years Wayne, his 3 children: Mark, Katy, and Peter, and 6 grandchildren: Jessica and Paul, Corey and Forrest, Lynda and Daniel. Wade was a West Point graduate, and Technical Advisor on Atomic Energy to the US Congress.  He taught Engineering entrepreneurship for 19 years at UC Berkeley, and was a lay leader at St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church. Wade’s first patent was granted in 1965 and his 39th in 2011.  His funeral was on 4 December 2011, in San Francisco.

Rest in peace.

1/13/2012 addition:
* One of the reasons it took so long to place these obits is because the family had to prove to each paper that Wade Dickinson is dead. Jessica just placed her grandfather’s third obituary with the Knoxville News Sentinel, the paper in my mother’s home town (where my parents met at a dance in 1951). The Knoxville News Sentinel required a copy of his certificate of death, plus a call to the mortuary, plus a call to the widow before accepting the obit placement. I understand that someone might try to place an obit as a joke and that fact checking is important but some sensitivity toward the mourning family is also appropriate.

1/18/2012 addition:
Thanks again to Jessica for all of her patience and work placing the obituaries in the SF Chronicle, Sharon Herald, and Knoxville News Sentinel. My uncle just called to say that a friend of my grandfather called him after seeing Wade’s obit.  My mother has been happy to get many letters of condolence from friends who saw the Chronicle last week.  Newspapers are still important, even in our social media world!

My recently-widowed mother moved in with us in San Jose last month with her beloved young Siamese cats, Loki and Pouka. Our 16-year-old grey fuzzball, Tino, was not pleased with this development in his formerly-quiet life. Cat wars have ensued. With one brief interlude on Christmas Eve when we saw all three on a bed at one time, they have been glaring and growling (at best) and engaged in competitive carpet soiling and screaming fights (at worst). What fun.

Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher