Things I've Found
I love estate sales, abandoned places, and used bookstores. Over the years, I’ve come across some truly fascinating finds—well, fascinating to me, anyway. Maybe you’ll think so too.
Marion Jenssen's Photos
My great aunt, Marion Jenssen, was born in 1908 in Narvorod, Norway. She retired in 1970 as Connecticut’s senior hairdressing inspector—which is an odd thing to have in one’s obituary.
She passed away in 1977, so I only have snippets of memories with her. She and her sister Julia were the very definition of maiden aunts, their lives were not dull.
Aunt Julia was a cigarette-smoking, beer-drinking, dog-loving reader of Agatha Christie novels. Aunt Marion was the family photographer, and she had an eye for it. Her love for both still and moving images is something she and I share. I often wish I could have known her as an adult—I’d love to understand more about what made her tick.
I find her photos mesmerizing, and I plan to post them periodically on my social media. Follow the links at the bottom of the page to see them, or look for the hashtag #MarionsPhotos.
A Christmas Song
Many years ago, I purchased a large collection of personal items at an estate sale. Among the lot were several diaries written by a teenager in the 1930s, as well as a treasure trove of WWII correspondence exchanged between two brothers, their mother, and friends they made while stationed in Germany.
One of those letters included a handwritten Christmas song. With help from my son, I hope to record the music—and if I can find someone who can carry a tune, perhaps even bring the lyrics to life. Stay tuned!
Joe Schuster
I still get goosebumps thinking about this one. I bought a hardcover copy of DC Comics Archive Editions: Superman, Volume 3 for just $2 at a used bookstore.
I didn’t open it until weeks later—and when I did, my hands started to shake.