The Intriquing Older Woman

Do you have a memory of someone in your very early years that is just bigger than life itself?  

I remember the day that Maisie Stem moved into the house next to mine. I was 5 years old at the time.  A large moving van had arrived one morning early and that in itself was a major event in our small town.  We rarely saw moving vans.  The only time anyone ever left their house is when they died and even then, one of the children would take possession of the house and most of it's contents.  But not only was this a moving van but is was bringing a single older woman (she was probably only 45) who was from New York City.  That was the most intriguing thing of all.  

So I rushed outside and sat on the step and watched them move all this city woman's possessions into that little house.  It was furniture that was so different from anything I had ever seen...so curvy, ornate and in pastel colors. She obviously didn't have children.  And than she appeared at the door.... in heels. 

I remember hanging around outside her house trying to peek in to see this city woman, and then one day, Maisie invited me in for cookies and juice; not milk and  juice.  She gave me a tour of her home and to me, it was beautiful. My favorite room was her bedroom and the most wonderful piece of furniture in her bedroom was her frilly dressing table with all it's perfumes, makeup and jewelry.  I would go see Maisie almost every day and I would try on her jewelry, and her hats and her mink coat. The mink coats had the smell of her perfume and she looked so rich and worldly when she dressed up.  

But there weren't many opportunities for a single woman to dress up and go out in our small town, so the moving van came back a year later and Maisie Stem left.  

Maisie gave me a little farewell present.  Inside a beautiful gold box was one of my favorite bracelets of hers.  It had a heavy gold chain with a little music box charm that played the loveliest song.  No one in town had a special bracelet like my Maisie Stem bracelet and no one had my Maisie Stem memories.  Her persona still has an effect on my art today. 

This is a re-post of my second blog post.