Purloined Peacocks. FUCK!
Remember the famous peacock wallpaper roll I purchased in 2014 for the Cross House?
Somebody has stolen it.
Yes, it is gone.
I have been aware for months now that something was amiss. After the initial 2014 purchase of the single roll I later found three more rolls, but in a different color way and sans the mylar background. I have always kept the rolls handy on the first floor as, when I give a tour, I can offer the wonderful story of what the wallpaper meant to me. People gasp when I unroll the paper.
Of late though, I realized that the paper I was showing did NOT have the mylar background of the 2014 roll. Curious. So during the past few days I have scoured the house for the errant roll. The roll was always on the first floor, and there are few storage places on the floor. So, I checked the butler’s pantry, the main pantry, under the grand stair, the china cabinet, and the sideboard in the dining room.
The roll was nowhere. During 90% of this search I just assumed the roll would turn up. Then came a terrible, stomach-turning awareness: The roll would never be found.
As it had been stolen.
I wanted to vomit.
Yet, I could not get my head around the idea. Did a visitor to the house, or a guest during one of the few events at the house, really secret away a roll of wallpaper? Really? This idea just did not feel right to me.
Then I had a shocking thought: Stealing the paper was not a theft, but an act of aggression.
To repeat: Stealing the paper was not a theft, but an act of aggression.
Without question, every cell in my body recognized this as a truth. This felt right.
It took a moment though to translate:
Somebody I know was really mad at me for some reason. This somebody is passive-aggressive. So, rather than tell me how they felt, they took something of nominal actual value but of great sentimental value to me.
The roll of mylar peacock wallpaper.
Stealing the paper was not a theft, but an act of aggression.
There are two people who I think could have done this.
There are people who I know did not, like Justin, Scott, The Other Justin, Kenny, Barb, and so on. Each of these people would have no hesitation in being direct with me. I did though call Kenny and asked if he could check out Jet’s doghouse. “Has Jet redecorated lately?”
Perhaps the person who took the roll is no longer mad. Perhaps they feel bad about taking the paper but do not know what to do. Perhaps they will read this blog post. If so, the loss of the paper is not about me. For, it is the Cross House which will be impacted. After I am long gone the paper has a chance to live on in the first-floor powder room.
I am hoping that the paper will be returned. My address is:
P. O. Box 454
Strong City, KS 66869
I will understand if no return address is written in.
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Oh no Ross. This can’t be.
I know. It’s sickening.
OH MY!!! I am in total shock that anyone would do this to you. I do hope a Christmas miracle occurs and the missing roll is returned to you unharmed.
I second your hope, Mary.
My heart aches. You were so generous.
I know who this was and you do too. I am so sorry.
There’s no way to know for sure, Susan. I just hope that things can be made right. BIG hug!
Big hug backatcha
I don’t think so. It was a shitty petty thing.
Pardon me. I should not have said that.
Susan, I didn’t understand this: “I don’t think so.”
What were you referring to?
I am astonished!!
Shocked!
Literally speechless!!
I will pray for a Christmas miracle!
Also perhaps a magical return to Cross House by December 12th, my 70th birthday!
I don’t believe anyone touring or visiting would do such a thing. They wouldn’t know the how much the wallpaper means to you.
My only concern besides the return, possibility of damage in in some way.
I pray the Peacock Mylar wallpaper from the 70’s is returned. I will pray for safe return of the beautiful wallpaper.
The thought that you welcomed someone to your place, treated them well and then they did this…
So sorry Ross, warm hugs to you.
Damn. Passive agression is just ugly. Always unfair.
I suppose I’ll have to doubt the culprit would be unable muster up the maturity or, simple decency to return the roll. I’d prefer to place greater faith in my fellow human being but these days, it seems trust has become a cumbersome attribute. 💔
Still, I have hope. If it turns up, it turns up. In the meantime, a creative “workaround” may be the thing to work through this sad episode. Chin up, Ross.🌻
Thank you, Kim.
Passive-agressive people are common. I didn’t even know such a dynamic existed until I was well into adulthood.
I’m simply aggressive. If I’m mad at you, you will know it, and will know why as I will tell you why.
I’d MUCH rather have aggressive people in my life than passive-aggressive, as with the former you will always know what is going on. But…sigh…way too many people fear being direct.
Years ago my best friend of many decades came to visit me. On day, he left the door to the cat fence open, and my many many many cats all ran off. It took me eight hours to find them, and I discovered my beloved Gilda high up in a neighbor’s tree, cowering with fear.
In later talking with my friend he admitted that he left the door open…deliberately.
“Why?????” I gasped.
Because he was mad about something I did a few days previously. Hearing this felt like a punch in the stomach. I replied: “OK. So, you were mad at me. OK. But why you did endanger all the cats?”
“Because I knew how much you cared about them.”
NOTE: I ended our long relationship. For, don’t fuck with my cats.
I’m so sorry! I just hate mean people! It says a lot about themselves. Praying it’s returned. I really hope they have a heart and realize how awful what they did was.
Say what Ross, dahlingk? Don’t f@₩< with the pussies? Lol.
(Let me pick up my mind from the gutter.)
But 8 hours of searching and worrying is upsetting.
I am so with you. I only meant I do not think it will resolve. I think a statement was made. And go for the cats!
Ahhh. Thank you, Susan!
This cannot stand. There is no vengeance, retribution or karma that can satisfy you adequately, compared to the return of the precious purloined paper pavonines. And as your general trust in people has been marred by a very specific act, the perpetrator can never correct all of the damage.
I have a suspect in mind. Perhaps she will send them back to you–unless she gave them to a client as a wedding present.
Ha, David!
I forgot about her! I’ll add her to the suspect list!
That is so sad.
I had something similar happen but not for the reasons you have deduced may be why your wallpaper is missing.
I had a discount chandelier that I bought for my library. It had five arms but only four shades. One was broken or missing. I thought I could easily get the missing one from the manufacturer but no. I scoured online for a while but then gave up.
I had the four shades stacked in the closet of the library. One day I looked and there were only two. WTF!!! Well, at some point I mentioned it to my Mother and she said my sister in law had accidentally broken one and rather than tell me, TOOK one to try to match it. Years had gone by by this time. I asked my sister in law if she could return the one she had but she remembered nothing about it. So instead of having four shades I now have two. Three I might have sold. Two are pretty useless. Eventually I just gave up and bought five vintage shades in a size that would fit. The fixture is fine but it’s up in the attic. I have it wired up there so that I have light if I go up after dark.
In the years that passed I bought a different fixture for the library that I like a lot better. If I move I’m taking that one with me and putting the bargain one with the eBay shades in the library. Or maybe the dining room as I’m taking that one too. And the bathroom fixture.
I am hoping that someone maybe took your wallpaper in order to find you some more rolls that match. I’m hoping.
You never know.
Saying someone stole from you, publicly, is a very slippery slope. Granted, you didn’t mention a name, directly, but hinted as to whom it may be. With all of the cleaning up, is it possible that you set it somewhere else? Is it possible that you had it in the Carriage House?
I really hope that if it was taken that it gets returned in good condition. For now, move on you have much to do.
Hi, Dan!
As you noted, I didn’t mention a name. But I did not hint, either. There have been thousands of people in the Cross House these past 8+ years. How many were mad at me for some reason? I can think of one person who was LIVID in 2015. Maybe that person took the paper. Or, as David mentioned, maybe it was the infamous crazy photographer from way back!
There’s also no way I moved the paper to the carriage house. Why would I?
No, the paper is gone. I can feel the truth of this.
Lastly, I am still baby steppin’ daily, no matter about purloined peacocks!
Ross, I know you don’t THINK you could have possibly moved the paper to the carriage house. But just in case you (or someone else) DID move it there, either intentionally or accidentally, I think it’s worth inspecting all of the carriage house’s nooks and crannies! Speaking of which, have you checked the attic in either house?
Brian, I’ve never had any reason to move the roll of paper to somewhere other than the first-floor of the carriage house.
Again, I have needed the paper on hand for when I give tours.
May it be so – that your loveky peacock paper returns to you.!
Have you considered asking [the person]?
Hi, Anthony!
I edited your comment, removing a name.
I don’t know who took the paper, so accusing an individual is inappropriate.
Also, I’m pretty sure that if I ask X if they took the paper they will say no.
By writing this post there is, I hope, an opportunity for the paper to be returned anonymously. And I suspect that the chance of this happening is higher than by confronting somebody.
Ross.. As a work around, have you considered making your own wallpaper based on photos of the peacock wallpaper? I found one bespoke wallpaper vendor here: https://www.contrado.com/bespoke-wallpaper
I am absolutely sure that “mylar peacock wallpaper roll” has seen an unprecedented spike in Google searches today with all the good-intentioned people here hoping to find a roll to send to you, if such a rare thing is to be found!
I know I did!
I know it is so rare that a replacement is unlikely to be found through a mere Google search, but, at least somewhere in the world someone is looking to help make this right!
True. I did quite a few searches.
Should I ever find one, it will be sent to Kansas post haste.
Reading this turned my stomach. I certainly hope this approach gets the paper returned to you!
Oh, Ross. This is so sad. I’m hoping that the paper turns up soon.