GutterCherry:

Last month my family gathered to South Jersey to dismantle the house my grandmother lived in.  The house has been in my family for many generations, many people lived there. My cousin is currenly living there as my grandmother is living in a care facility.  It is going on the market and was badly in need of purging the contents. Treasures abound and I saved this one (shot gun barrel and an antique pipe vise) for myself.  For anyone who has sorted through and cleaned out an entire home, the process is daunting and emotional. Booby-traps of sentiment and land mines are rampant.  This little lady sat on the back of my grandmothers toilet for as long as I remember. Researching her origins online I found her to hail from Japan.  My grandmother called me a “mud gutter” blonde, which I see a resemblance in my new (old) keepsake too.