Just where is she supposed to hang her "Gone with the Wind" commemorative?
EVENTY-THREE year old Lois Wimple of New York Mills, New York has announced to friends and family that she is "plumb out of wall space" for even one more of her treasured decorative plates.
"I don't mind telling you, I'm not the least bit happy about it," says the avid plate collector. "In fact, I'm getting a little flushed."
Mrs. Wimple began hanging plates on her dining room wall in 1967, when she spotted "a magnificent nativity scene" at a yard sale for one dollar.
"I guess you could say that Baby Jesus started the ball rolling, and it's just been a completely enjoyable hobby ever since," reports Lois Wimple. "Until now, anyway. It feels a little like when the grocery store stopped giving out Gold Bond stamps. Now there was a real low point."
Family members say Mrs. Wimple has rejected alternative display options for her future plates, such as installing special shelving or placing new editions atop dressers and other appropriate furniture.
"I've never heard of such a ridiculous notion," claims Mrs. Wimple.
Daughter Janice Wimple Anderson's suggestion to "take down the oldest plates to make way for the new" has been met with firm resistance.
"I will not take down Baby Jesus for Scarlett O'Hara," insists Mrs. Wimple. "And that's final."
© 09.10.09 Kate Heidel
