a scan a day

Russ, c. late 60s

In honor of your visit. Welcome to Austin!

(Nice haircut.)

Christmas, Houston, TX, late ’60s

Coupla things about this picture:

• That baby grand was the only piece of furniture in our living room;

• I helped my mom make those choir ‘dolls’ perched on the piano — I folded the magazine pages that made up the body & my mom spray-painted them red, added doilies, a styrofoam ball & some yarn & felt & voilà — Christmas deco on the cheap;

• I made the ‘jewelry box’ my mom is holding, her Christmas present from me — out of a cigar box, macaroni & again w/ the spray paint, this time gold (bonus: she still has it);

• If I know my mom, she was feeling ‘fat’ that day — thus, the muumuu — but omg, I love it.

sexual connotations aside, grandma was a spinner, c. 1960s

We’re having a Spinner Contest next month (classy, I know) & with all the talk about what exactly constitutes spinner — it occurred to me that my grandma would qualify. She was 4’10 ½” in her bare feet (that half inch is pretty important when you’re under five feet) & she had great legs.