st peter food co-op « ann rosenquist fee

One fierce final guest post. Please welcome Stephanie Thull.

I must be the exception. Not only do I not own a real strand of pearls – proud owner of a down-to-your knees strand of fakes granted after the departure of my mother’s mother, per my request of all her odd, impartial jewelry that I proudly wear when the outfit presents itself – but no, real pearls are not a part of my life. I want them to be, but really, any eligible milestone that would incur the passing down, or gifting of pearls to my behest, has passed.

30 & pearless but making the most of it.

Not that I’m complaining, quite the opposite. Instead – Furs.

Yep.

I own furs…gifted and second-hand of course, but, and perhaps this will become some sort of spin-off, but does that really make any difference should you decide to wear the fur in public? Most likely not. I don’t even eat meat.

fakes & furs

After my father’s mother passed away, my aunts decided to give me the coordinating fur stole and muffler that were the possession of my great grandmother. Positively mink, but not the head and feet kind. Just the basic, Gordon Furs of St. Paul stole and muff, soft, brown and completely useless…

the quilt is not completely useless, and was the last one Marie made – a way better gift

And furs, like pearls, are complicated articles of fashion. Seriously, find me an occasion where wearing this is appropriate.

the cape. a glorious find from the thread shed III in sauk centre, mn…$25. i couldn’t not buy it.

Okay, maybe here:

it works great if you’re going as a beaver – or mink, i guess.

But that is it.

As for the muff & stole…you guessed it, wrapped up stashed away in my closet (I am not even sure if properly stored, I suppose I should ask a furrier).

Much like many a lady’s pearls – neatly stored in their velvet boxes – waiting for the right time, my furs await the fateful winter day they get rustled out from their hiding spot and used as nature intended.

I assume it would be to a funeral.

You know that impossibly cool stuff at the St. Peter Food Co-Op & Deli besides the food? The scarves, the finger puppets, the rubber things that turn a faucet into a drinking fountain? That’s Stephanie. She’s the one who acquires and displays that stuff. She’s also the person who acquires and displays the goods in the Arts Center’s gallery shop. So basically if you’re interested in buying or selling or consigning cool goods in southern Minnesota, basically, I hope you own some fur.

Tomorrow: Foiled plans, stubborn legacies, and the end of me talking about my pearls.

The Strength card is about wearing your deep dark heart on your sleeve or on your neck or in your hair, wherever, just as long as it’s visible so you can see a little flash of the fact that you’ve got some depth and some balls and you will get through this. That’s all.

My mom used to have this friend who told her about a convent where they would take casket roses and roll the crushed petals until they looked like garnets, and then set them in a silver flower pin. So my mom did that with the petals off my dad’s casket and gave one to each of my sisters and me. That was a long time ago, and I honestly don’t know where the pin is right now, but I do remember that it’s quite a thing to wear that on your lapel. Nobody says a word about it, because why would they, who would remark on a dime-sized flower pin? Who would even notice it? They wouldn’t. They don’t, but you do, because every time you look down you see a little glimmer of casket. You feel a lot of things when you wear that, including strong.

This is what you’re going for today.

If you don’t have any casket roses, just find a couple of things that remind of you of your dark and light parts, and roll them together and see how it works to wear them at the same time. It might not feel easy but by the end of the day it should feel good.

Strength is sponsored by The St. Peter Food Co-Op & Deli, for obvious reasons, including that they sell the Vega Maca bar which is “renowned for its ability to balance, invigorate and energize…ancient native Peruvians used maca for thousands of years as both a food and a tonic, believing maca increased energy and stamina, improved fertility and enhanced libido.”

“I am eating one right now and I think it’s working,” says the Co-Op’s Emperess of Marketing Kris Higginbotham. Goodness.