Day 17 – Did Uncle Mart take the last cookie?

Creekside Memories

Today’s painting has a story. Well, really all of my paintings so far have a story to me! …but this one is a very special memory for me. This Cow jumping Over the Moon cookie jar is my cookie jar, my Mom & Dad gave it to me for a birthday a few years back. I think my Uncle Mart has the exact same one, his is the one from Gram’s kitchen on Creekside Lane. You see, I have such vivid memories of the kitchen at my Gram & Poppop’s house on Creekside. Uncle Mart would often stop by Creekside, after work, on the way to his home and beautiful family, to give his Mom (my Gram) a kiss on her cheek and he always headed to the cookie jar and grabbed a cookie. Seems to me Gram often had Archway molasses cookies in there, the big round ones with scalloped edges and sugar sprinkled on top. Not sure if that is a correct memory, but its what I remember! Fast forward to the mid ’80s and I am working here in Atlanta and see a Time Magazine about Andy Warhol and his cookie jar collection. Right there in the article’s picture, front and center, is Gram’s cookie jar (see photo below)   I cut the photo out of the magazine, and from that day forward I searched for that cookie jar. I would go in antique stores on my travels, whip out the magazine picture and ask if they had the jar. No luck. Thankfully, my mom was also looking for me. She knew what the memory meant to me and she was also searching. Her dear friend, Linda Barkett, is a great shopper and one day asked mom if she would go to an auction with her as she thought they might actually have a Cow Jumping over the Moon jar that mom had often mentioned. I am so happy to say, my sweet mom found and bought this cookie jar for me and I will never forget the day I was sitting in their living room and opened that beautiful gift. I about fell off the couch. Imagine, that cookie jar I looked all over the states for was at an auction in little ole Mansfield, Ohio…just waiting for me! The search was over, I had my cookie jar and I do not look at it without thinking of so many dear people in my life, Mom & Dad, Gram & Poppop, Uncle Mart and my beautiful Gullen family whom I adore.

(Andy Warhol collection – photo from Time magazine)