My Green Whiskers

 I love playing cards and I have a   hoard  bunch of them. I'm not a connoisseur or anything, I just think they're pretty or fun,  and most of them aren't particularly special. This isn't even close to all of them.... But there are a few.....  While trying to sort and organize them, I stumbled across this lovely deck of  vintage cards. Velvet box, custom backs. These seem like they're maybe just a  bit special.  The backs of the cards feature a very classy looking gentleman pulling a bunny out of a hat, and also the Best Wishes and signature of Jay B. Smith. After a little poking around on the internet, I think I may have found out who he was. (A rticle from the pages of Doug Houser's  Maplewood History book, Volume One) https://40southnews.com/maplewood-history-being-made-or-at-least-re-lived/ Seems J.B. Smith was an undertaker for the town of Maplewood, Missouri (just a bit outside of St. Louis) in the 1930s, and he was also a ma...

Green whiskers? What?  Well, here....  "But I was thinking of a plan     To dye one's whiskers green, And always use so large a fan     That they could not be seen. "          Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking Glass I love magic. Tricks with cards and coins, silks and sponge balls, keys and pendulums, sleight of hand and mentalism and all of those things. Most magic, I love, love, LOVE. For years, I was very involved with my local magic club. I found myself called "the magic den mother" because I went to all the shows and applauded and encouraged and took lots and lots of pictures of everyone doing their magic. I absolutely loved it. And I was a performer too: house parties, ghost shows, a magic festival & more. I enjoyed every bit of it.   But things happened. I moved to the middle-of-nowhere (Aurora, Colorado), there was a pandemic, and eventually I just never left my house, even after it was all over. I have ...