Remember Me When I am Dead, Susannah Hipple's 1848 Pennsylvania German Cross Stitch Sampler black glazed planter ) Of course it seems

) Of course it seems exactly the right thing for a carver to carve

I'd long been admiring both the forms and color on early croquet posts

and now on school-free spring break

with what looks a bit like a figure in silhouette inside it

I'm constantly amazed by the patience and care invested by the makers of objects like this

Remember Me When I am Dead, Susannah Hipple's 1848 Pennsylvania German Cross Stitch Sampler black glazed planter ) Of course it seemsI tend to gravitate toward samplers executed with far less precision than this antique cross stitch, completed by a Susannah Hipple on May 16 of 1848 but it is a lovely thing (all those different varieties of flowers, in their variously patterned urns), in lovely condition, and the "Remember Me When I am Dead" sealed the deal! I also now know, from a recently sampler I bought and sold, that the central element is Pennsylvania German: the OEHBDDE is an