“Boy, did he get the brush-off!”

Last night, I was flipping through the TV stations, and I came across that famous painter on public TV who makes “happy little trees.” I watched for a while. He began talking of the oil paint colors he was going to use, and gave a description of the types of brushes he was going to use. Then he went into a tutorial that there were “no accidents, merely happy opportunities”. Suddenly I thought, “I have a book on this!” and I went downstairs to the library.

You may think I have a book on Bob Ross, that painter. I do not. But I found the book “Brushes for Art and Industry” by M. Grumbacher, Inc, published 1947.

This large book has fold-outs and descriptions of all sorts of brushes for painting. It described the types of brushes-from sable that comes from Martins, to bristle that comes from hogs; how they are made; how to clean them; and what is better for different kinds of paint or glues.

This is an interesting book…and it made me brush over to other books…

To the book “The Fuller Service Demonstration” by The Fuller Brush Company, published 1924. This is a training book for Fuller Brush Door-to-Door Salesmen.

There are eleven chapters-or booklets attached inside, to give tips on how to sell brushes and brooms, to specific types of brushes, based on men or women’s use, and what type of brushes they are.

During World War Two, my grandfather knew a friend of a friend, and called the Fuller Brush Company in Iowa. He was able to buy several dozen corn brooms (brooms were hard to get during the war.) He sold them out of his car. My grandfather continued to make orders and sell brooms. Eventually those sales helped him to start his own business-Will Inc. My dad worked there, as did I.

I have taken a picture of the back and front cover of a pamphlet that broke down all the different supplies Will Inc sold. They mainly worked throughout Lake County, Illinois, along with southern Kenosha County, in Wisconsin. Will Inc continued to sell all types of brooms and brushes.

I then flew over to a kid’s book, “The Widow’s Broom” by Chris Van Allsburg, published in 1992.

I have several children’s books by Chris Van Allsburg: “The Polar Express” “Jumanji”, “Zathura”, “Two Bad Ants”, and “The Sweetest Fig”. Several books have been Caldecott book winners, and at least six books have been made into movies. Chris Van Allsburg has great stories, and the illustrations are mesmerizing.

“The Widow’s Broom” is a wonderful book. I have had it for a long time but just recently read it. I will now have all of my grandkids, on each of their next visit, sit down and read it. This great book tells us that witches’ brooms are like cars, they work, until they don’t. It is not the magic of witches that make their brooms fly-it is the broom itself.

This story begins with a witch-crash, when her broom conks out. The witch falls in the yard of a widow. The widow brings the witch in her home, to patch and bundle her up. After a solid day and night of sleeping, another witch stops by, and the two witches fly off together on that new broom. The crashed broom is left with the widow. The book is about the widow’s adventure with the broom left behind.

Everyone should read this story, and gaze at the beautiful illustrations.

A few years ago, a good friend and I, visited Japan to visit my sister, and tour around the country. One early morning, we went to Iwakuni Castle. It was built in the year 1608. The castle was torn down, and rebuilt several times in history. It was very quiet the morning we were there, just us two tourists. The only other person was this old lady sweeping the castle courtyard. She had a handmade broom that looked just like the one in “The Widow’s Broom” story.

I got out my camera and took this picture of the old worker. My friend told me he wanted to get a picture with the old lady and her broom. He began moving closer to her. She looked up at him as he was getting near her. Startled, she quickly panicked, gave a quiet type of scream, and ran away. The poor old woman did not want anything to do with American tourists. At least we did not give a heart attack, or have the police come back to us, thinking we were going to rob her (though it was a Rob-ert attack of sorts, that scared her.)

Thanks for reading.