Roberta Roller Rabbit

Another Case of Synchronicity?


I am a reader--I think my choices of books are fairly eclectic, though I usually prefer novels I also read mysteries, children's books, non-fiction, biographies, memoirs, books on varied topics of gardening, crafts,art, cooking and decorating. Not long ago I read The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to decorate and live well by Deborah Needleman. At the back of the book were listed various sources for linens, furnishings, etc--One that caught my eye was Roberta Roller Rabbit. Since my name is Roberta it interested me and I made a mental note to look it up on Google--me being me, I forgot about it but just yesterday I was cleaning out drawers and re-arranging clothes when I happened to notice the label in a brightly colored, vividly patterned cotton robe sent to me by a friend and yes, it said Roberta Roller Rabbit. I don't remember if I read the book or received the robe first, but it surely seemed like another case of synchronicity (See October 18, 2015 blog). 

The perfectly imperfect home : how to decorate & live well / Deborah Needleman ; illustrations by Virginia Johnson.  


I was curious about the name Roberta Roller Rabbit and did an internet Google search finding out that it is an off shoot of the Roberta Freyman namesake label. The name was inspired by a piece of discarded fabric Roberta found in India featuring a magical rabbit. Roberta invented a fable for children deciding that "the 3 R's are fun". The collection was introduced in 2003 featuring bright colors and vivid patterns designed by Roberta and block printed by artisans in India. Designs graphic and floral along with prints featuring monkeys, elephants and fish. There is clothing for men, women and children along with accessories, furniture and bedding.

Roberta Roller Rabbit Fabrics

Browsing the website I see that the robe sent to me by my friend will be the only Roberta Roller Rabbit item that I will ever own--too expensive for my budget$$

And The Years Roll By

                                     And The Years Roll By


2016--Another New Year and it seems that as I get older time speeds up, going faster and faster--I know I am not alone in feeling his way, I've read it and heard my friends voice the same thoughts and yet a day is just a day, 24 hours of which we are generally awake for 16 to 18 hours, so how can it seem to fly by so quickly? A few days before the end of 2015 I decided that I would start sorting through the boxes of loose pictures that have been sitting in the basement for a long time--I started with some photo album pictures of my mother as a young woman graduating from basic training--during WWII she had joined the Navy along with several friends and there were many pictures of them in a large group, riding bicycles and...partying! They looked so young, so fresh so full of excitement for the future. In the blink of an eye she met my father, got married, had 3 children and started to grow older and now it's been over 10 years since she passed away; now it's me who is growing older.

From those pictures of my mother I moved on to the large number of photos of my oldest granddaughter--being new parents my daughter and her husband snapped a large number of pictures and printed sometimes up to 4 copies for grandparents and great grandparents. At times it seemed like they were fashion photographers clicking off pictures of her every move! I had somehow ended up with many of the duplicates and tried to discard the extras. When her sisters came along 2 years later there were not as many actual pictures, the parents having moved on to a video camera. Trite as it sounds, it seems like just yesterday that they were all small--now my oldest granddaughter is 21, in college studying abroad in Italy--her twin sisters are 18 and also in college. Before I know it they will be graduating and moving on to whatever lies ahead for them.

For a few days I felt melancholy and sad thinking about how quickly time has sped by (even though I know that it isn't moving any faster than it ever did) and how much older I have gotten. I don't make New Year's Resolutions anymore, but I do think I will try not to let these feelings overwhelm me.