A happy morning at the local yard sales! so many times we buy little or nothing, perhaps some small tool or a few old copies of Southwest Art Magzine, or sometimes do not spend even a dime for an hour and half of driving, having risen and dressed and left home at 7 am or before. Weeks go by in futility and then oh wonder of wonders, we find some treasure...a small oriental rug, or a cache of art supplies including many fine brushes, or a piece of Texas stoneware...and this morning look what Jack found!
It has been years and years since we have bought any of the humble little iron snow eagles, which once sat in rows on the roofs or northern houses above the entrance to hold the snow from sliding down on the unwary. Sometimes on old homes, we have seen ranks of them all the way across a roof, several feet from the edge, in a fashion to keep the whole snow pack on the roof longer. Was this for insulation? I am unclear why they were so widely used, particularly in Pennsylvania, but they once abounded there on the old homes, and then in the antique shops. There were even some later reproduction ones to avoid.
It is fun to find something old mixed in with all the sad and dicarded Beanie babies.
The little iron eagles are in as found condition right now, meaning some aluminum paint and a bit of rust. Jack will work his magic on them and the pretty snow birds will sit among his collection of early stoneware, above our kitchen cabinets. It is Jack's collection of early American pottery than makes our modern kitchen more bearable to us. It numbers over 60 pieces of stoneware, and we never counted the redware. Heaven save us if we ever have to down size seriously! Edyth