Thoughts from the chickens' auntie...

Moving Day

2011-01-19T16:55:00.002-05:00

I began this blog in February, 2006. I intended it to be an outlet for sharing my thoughts (as a middle-aged, empty nest mom) about life in general. Now, almost 5 years later, I'm moving off in a different direction and want my blog to reflect my new focus. I might still post here from time to time, but only occasionally.

If you've been following this blog (or have stumbled onto it by accident), please visit my new one!Be sure to follow it (PLEASE!) so you don't miss a single exciting post! There's only one follower right now (boo hoo) and I'm sure she's feeling lonely. Besides, it would give my confidence about my new ventures a real boost!

So, dear readers, today is moving day! See you at the new place . . .

Stepping Out in Faith!

2011-01-07T22:54:00.005-05:00

Well, my friend Bargain Hunter and I signed the papers today to get a booth at our local antiques mall! We're really excited and have lots of ideas for making it work, but it's pretty scary, too. We take possession on February 1 (a Tuesday) and hope to have everything in place by Friday, February 4, so we don't lose the weekend traffic. Needless to say, that will be a VERY busy week!

I'll keep you posted on our progress as February 4 approaches and hope to have pictures to post, too.

This is REALLY scary!

2011-01-05T18:54:00.003-05:00

About 6 months ago, I radically cut my paid work hours to be available to help my husband with his new business. Since then, I've been trying to find ways to earn money, while still being flexible in my hours -- not an easy task in this economy!

I've done lots of thrifting and estate-sale-shopping with my friend, Bargain Hunter. I've bought and sold on Ebay for years (okay, so I've bought more than I've sold -- who's counting?) but started selling on Etsy in October. I'm having so much fun! I find that I enjoy doing this more than just about anything else.

But, here's the scary part... My friend Bargain Hunter and I were talking about our dream to have a booth in an antique mall. She found out that our favorite local mall, Livingston Antique Outlet, has a few coming available in February and March. BH wants to get one of them and share it. We figured out that we'd have to sell just 13 items each to make the monthly rent. And LAO gets great shopper traffic -- you can hardly find a parking place there on the weekends and there are always lots of shoppers at other times of the week, too. The idea of doing that, though, is REALLY scary to me -- but exciting, too!

What's funny is that, in her last post, BH blogged about how scared she is to sell on Ebay and Etsy -- that's a piece of cake! I'm totally freaked out by the idea of selling in a mall! How can two friends who have so much in common have such different points of view?

So what do you think, dear readers? Should we give it a try for 6 months or so and see what we can do with it? Is it too late to begin doing something you've wished you could do for 20 years or more?

Pretty scary stuff!

Quick Trip to Salvation Army

2011-01-03T16:26:00.006-05:00

On the Wednesday before Christmas, I made a super-quick trip to the Salvation Army, just to see what was new. I found a real treasure trove of thrift!

All Christmas items were 75% off and I found lots of older holiday items plus a few other vintage deals:

An oh-so-beautiful, handmade ceramics cookie plate
A red sputnik ornament (free, because it has no hooked end)
A large boot candle
A singleton candle salt shaker (Lefton-like)
3 packages of wired tinsel - I'm thinking of lots of projects...
2 Tin 1960s trays
Mirro cookie press + bin of cutters -- $1.99!

Knitting needles & knitting gauge
Presto pressure cooker user's manual from 1946
I *love* this picture at the back of the book (it's worth the whole thing)!
The kitchen here is the National Pressure Cooker Company's 'cheerful, modern' kitchen --

Here's the caption:
Closeups of the 'cheerful, modern' kitchen

I'll never do THAT again!

2011-01-03T16:23:00.003-05:00

Looking back at my '24 Days of Advent', I see that I only managed to post on 19 of the 24 days. I don't think I'll ever do another daily theme unless I do all the posts at one time and schedule them to post each day. It's just too much pressure!

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas, a very safe & happy New Year's Eve and that 2011 has started off well for you!

24 Days of Advent - Day 21 - Christmas in the Kitchen

2010-12-21T23:21:00.000-05:00

We have lots of Christmas in our kitchen -- probably because, like most people, we spend a lot fo time there! Here are some pictures of our kitchen Christmas

A large bottle brush wreath
A shelf with old gift boxes and various Christmas kitsch
The shelf over the stove -- more kitsch
(I wonder how many tinsel trees I have?)
Handmade Christmas tea towels - not easy to find

The top of the hoosier cabinet -- more kitsch
(do you sense a theme here?)

A little pennant from Christmas, Michigan
Lots of angels -- mostly Gurley candles

24 Days of Advent - Day 20 - Too Much to Do!

2010-12-20T23:32:00.004-05:00

Yes, dear readers, I've missed another day of my advent blogs. Which brings me to another time-tested Christmas tradition -- having just too much to do! How does this happen? Christmas falls on the same date every year and I know exactly what needs to be done to get ready, so how do I end up so overwhelmed at the end?

There are just a few things left to do . . . baking, icing 3 batches of cutout cookies, wrapping gifts, cleaning, doing laundry and running errands (while still keeping up with work and scheduled meetings). And, oh yes, leaving time to stop and live in the present (NOT two or three days ahead) and think about what we're doing this for. As a special friend said in his Christmas letter, we celebrate "a humble Birth that blesses us all". That's a good reminder to me (and all of us) to keep our celebration humble, as well.

24 Days of Advent - Day 18 - A Christmas Baking Miracle

2010-12-18T23:03:00.002-05:00

A few years ago, we redid the kitchen and put into motion a Christmas baking miracle. I have just 4 words to describe it:

KitchenAid mixer & convection oven!

24 Days of Advent - Day 17 - Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland

2010-12-17T23:30:00.002-05:00

If you live in the lower penninsula of Michigan, you think Christmas when you hear 'Bronner's'. It is, without a doubt, the 'World's Largest Christmas Store' -- their website states that the store is the size of 5.5 football fields!

When I need a special ornament for someone, I head to Bronner's. That errand took my friend, Bargain Hunter and me to Frankenmuth and Bronner's today. These pictures are all compliments of Bargain Hunter, who couldn't stop snapping them the whole time she was there.Want more information about Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland? Visit the website of the World's Largest Christmas Store!

24 Days of Advent - Day 16 - Christmas Lights

2010-12-16T23:47:00.001-05:00

Remember when you were a kid and your parents would bundle everyone into the car and you'd all ride around and look at Christmas lights? (Think choruses of Oooooohhh and Aaaaaahhhhh)! We all loved the gaudiest, brightest and most tacky displays -- there just couldn't be too many reindeer, elves or snowmen!

That was always one of my favorite Christmas activities (and, truth be told, still is). Our own display is modest by comparison to lots that we see, but that's okay.

The wreath on the front of the house was made by my dad about 30 years ago.
The candles by the front door are from the 1960s -- I have 2 sets, but only use one. It's too bad I can't figure out a place for the second set!

The lights on the gate (affectionately called the Divorce-Gate around here because my dragging it home almost led to our divorce!) look great, but aren't very bright because we're good green citizens and they're LEDs.
I made the star out of bamboo sticks, zip ties and lights from directions on Martha Stewart's website. Of course, like everything else here, Santa and the Snowman are old -- both thrift finds that turned out well.

The trees ( to the left) were made by my dear friend Kally out of tomato cages, lights & grapevines (many *thankfully* cut from my yard) and given to me when she moved.

And there is the unwritten (but still mandatory) rule that the Christmas tree MUST be visible through the front window! Okay, so it's over to the side, but you can still see it . . .

24 Days of Advent - Day 15 - Baking

2010-12-15T23:28:00.000-05:00

Every December, the Kitchenaid comes out to stay on the counter and the baking begins. I love to bake, but we live in a 'heart-healthy' household, so the good stuff is made only once a year. My sons say I'm 'in the zone', because baking becomes an almost daily activity.

This year we won't be seeing the big family groups that we usually do, so I'm really cutting back:
a triple batch of cutout cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, a double batch of Mexican Wedding Cakes, Spritz cookies, Hermits and some kind of chocolate cookie to be named later.

My grandmother's Hermit recipe -- still great!

A few cut-out cookies, waiting to be iced!

24 Days of Advent - Day 14 - Precious Friends

2010-12-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know that I went from Day 12 to Day 14! I'm having a hard time keeping up with my daily Advent blog posts.

Today I was able to spend several precious hours with a precious friend whose undergoing chemotherapy. She thought that I was doing her the favor by driving her to her chemo, but really it was the other way around. I was the one who was blessed!

She and I have been friends for 10 years -- we used to be co-workers who shared a cubicle area (cellmates, so to speak), but now work at different places. Since we no longer work together, we just get to spend time and catch up on one another's lives over an occasional lunch (which means there's NEVER enough time)!

Anyway, we got to spend hours and hours together today and I'm just overcome with gratitude! I'm so thankful for my friend and happy that I could help her out, even though I felt like my contribution was just small potatoes.

I always get sad a Christmas time, remembering all the dear ones who have passed away -- parents, grandparents & friends -- but I'm also reminded of how precious relationships are.
Call up an old friend and catch up . . . Write a letter (yes, by hand -- gasp!) to someone far away . . . Tell someone close how thankful you are to have them in your life!

24 Days of Advent - Day 12 - Snow

2010-12-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

This weekend we had the first significant snowfall of the season. It's a good thing because, while many people don't like snow (then why do they live in Michigan, you might ask), almost everyone wants a 'white Christmas'!

I watched 'White Christmas' last night (and would have watched it again tonight, if it wouldn't have seemed excessive). It's one of the items on the must-do-or-Christmas-isn't-Christmas list, along with watching 'Meet Me in St. Louis' (which I also watched last night), listening to Christmas from Kings College and baking cutout cookies.

What's on your must-do-or-Christmas-isn't-Christmas list?

24 Days of Advent - Day 11 - Gurley Candles

2010-12-11T23:12:00.001-05:00

Every kid who grew up in the 1940s and 1950s played with Gurley candles at the holidays (Christmas, Halloween, Easter). They were inexpensive & colorful and easy to find -- sold a Woolworths & Kresge's and all the other five-and-dimes.

The candles were first made in the 1930s by Franklin Gurley and marketed under the name Tavern Novelty Candles, commissioned by Socony-Vacuum Oil Company (now ExxonMobile) as a way to use the excess paraffin byproduct of their refining process. If you have candles with a Tavern sticker or Tavern box, they're older than Gurleys, as Tavern became Gurley Novelty in 1949.

The most collected Gurley candles are the Halloween & Christmas lines, but there are also Easter and Thanksgiving that are gaining in popularity. The candles sold for as little as a dime to a dollar or more -- now you can expect to pay anywhere from $3-15 and as much as $30 for a set, all depending on the rarity and condition. I've been collecting them as I find them for years and never care if the wick has been burnt or they list a little to one side or another -- I just think that shows that they've been loved and have a history!

Angels of all kinds!

Trees, churches, choir singers & elves

Snowmen of all kinds!

Nativity set (not set up right now -- no room!)

Carolers (not set up right now - no room!)

I've intended to sell both the caroler and the nativity sets on Ebay (which is why the pictures look like they do) but every time I get ready to list them, I just can't bring myself to do it! Hopefully, I'll have a place to display them some day...

24 Days of Advent - Day 10 - 50s Stuff

2010-12-10T18:28:00.001-05:00

I just can't seem to get enough of old Christmas decorations! Every time I see them in at an estate sale, flea market or antique mall, I'm drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

This shelf is all from the 1930s - 50s, but mostly the decorations are ones I remember seeing when I was little. Very few of them (if any) are from my childhood.

The top shelf is mostly trees -- I really like the bottle brushes.
The tall one on the left is a truly tacky one that winds up and plays 'Santa Clause is coming to town. I think it's a home-made job (which always makes it better, to my mind) with really tacky elves and decorations glued all over it & glittered.
The light-up Santa is just like one that was my favorite decoration when I was little. He's still one of my favorites!

Santa in his sleigh was my husband's when he was little.
These are all old candy containers and gift boxes.

The building in the center below is an old bank
and the snowman in the corner is a wax candy container.

The light-up Santa belonged to my father-in-law, who loved Christmas as much as I do,
and I was so pleased when he gave his Santa to ME!
I have such wonderful memories of Christmases at their house!
The cardboard Santa & sleigh is from my husband's house, too. I remember when my mother-in-law gave me boxes of old decorations and Christmas bulbs and just laughed and laughed because I was so excited to get them.

24 Days of Advent - Day 9 - Friends

2010-12-09T23:15:00.003-05:00

I'm a 'church lady' -- I've worked in the office of our church for the last 10 years and have developed dear friendships with the other 'church ladies' there. Yesterday I had the blessing of hosting our annual church ladies' luncheon at my house. We had such a good time! It was a potluck and all the food was great -- no one left hungry. There were lots laughs, lots of talk, lots of food and even a trip out to the barn to visit the girls. (Linda K. was the only one brave enough to hold a chicken and found out that Betty could be very gentle & almost friendly). Thanks to all who came -- I'm honored & blessed to be a friend, as well as co-worker, with each of you!

A special thanks, too, to my friend, co-worker & fellow estate-sale-shopper, Bargain Hunter, for coming early to help me get ready and then staying late to do most of the clean up herself!

24 Days of Advent - Day 8 - Family

2010-12-08T23:48:00.001-05:00

Continuing the Christmas family picture theme, today I'll share some from my husband's childhood.

Christmas, 1954
We still have his Christmas stocking
just like the two you can see here on the mantel.
He's one year old here (with his dad & grandmother)
Christmas, 1957
He's 4 here, with his mom, dad, grandmother, uncle & his 2 year old sister
(along with 4 people I don't recognize)
The quintessential Christmas picture, with every 1950s boy's dream --
a toy train and a tommy gun!

I just love this picture
(and wish we had that chair...)
I'm not sure that the kitty looks very happy

24 Days of Advent - Day 7 - Family

2010-12-07T22:47:00.002-05:00

More pictures from Christmas Past. Yes, I know they're all pictures of my sister. Isn't she stylin' in her cowgirl vest and striped shirt? Where am I, you might ask? Not born yet...(but there aren't any pictures of me later on at Christmas, either).

My grandma, Ningle, and her father

Aunt Gene & little Cindy
Great-grandma, both grandmothers, grandfather & little Cindy

Little Cindy with a firetruck & doll I wish we still had!

Little Cindy with Santa Claus

24 Days of Advent - Day 6 - Family

2010-12-06T23:42:00.002-05:00

Family! I cherish the pictures taken at Christmases past. I think I'll just focus on these for the next few days...

From one of Uncle Lloyd's rare December visits --
he usually came earlier in the year.

Christmas 1980

Charlie's Angels
(you had to be there to get it!)

24 Days of Advent - Day 5 - Mend a Quarrel

2010-12-05T23:01:00.010-05:00

A friend gave me this framed print

when we lived in Chicago and I put it out on the piano every year. I don't know who wrote it, so I can't give credit. I know it's a bit obvious and simplistic, but as our pace of life becomes more hurried and society becomes less civil, these small acts of social graces are forgotten. So each year, as I get it out of the storage box, I read it over and try to remind myself of them. Here's what it says:

this
christmas

mend a quarrel
seek out a forgotten friend
share some treasure
give a soft answer
encourage youth
keep a promise
find the time
listen
apologize if you were wrong
be gentle
laugh a little
laugh a little more
express your gratitude
welcome a stranger
gladden the heart of a child
take pleasure in the beauty
and wonder of the earth
speak your love
speak it again
speak it still once more

24 Days of Advent - Day 4 - Make an Ornament

2010-12-04T23:31:00.001-05:00

I went to the Christmas open house at Williamston Antique Mall today with some friends from work. We had a great time and I got some neat things (more on that after I take some pictures) .

Anyway, at the open house we saw ornaments made from old Christmas cards that we might want to try to make at the staff Christmas party this year. I remember making these in Brownies a LONG time ago! If 7 & 8 year olds can make this ornament, how hard could it be for adults?I have a feeling that, if the rest of the month turns out like the first 4 days have been, this is the only project I'll get done this season!

24 Days of Advent - Day 3

2010-12-03T23:12:00.003-05:00

Today's picture is an Econolite Christmas tree -- one of my favorite things! Heat from the light underneath warms the tree and makes it turn. It's simple and nowhere near mint, but lovely (and hard to find).

24 Days of Advent - Day 2

2010-12-02T21:07:00.007-05:00

This is the second day focusing on Christmas at our house! I've always loved reading and books in general and began collecting antiquarian books when I was in high school. So it's no surprise that I'd like to collect Christmas books, as well. These are just a few of them -- we put them on the music stand of the piano (out of reach of the dog's mouth)!

The one on the left is a small book from 1913 with beautiful illustrations of the verses of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, published as a gift edition.

The 1912 book on the right is Let Us Go to Bethlehem, a book of essays about the Biblical chapters dealing with Jesus' birth. It's a gift edition, too, but it would be pretty heavy reading!

The blue Christmas Carols book is from the 1952 and each carol page has a great illustration to go with it.

My favorite one, though, is The Golden Christmas Book! If you've never seen it, try to find a copy and check it out. It's full of stories, puzzles, carols, coloring pages & games, as well as the story of Jesus' birth. We had this when I was little and my sister and I worked through every page and activity. I still have my original one, but it's pretty well 'loved'.
My favorite part of this favorite book is right inside the front cover: a tissue paper Christmas tree! Okay, so it doesn't look like much to our tech-savvy eyes. It was pretty exciting when you're just a preschooler, though!

24 Days of Christmas - Day 1 - Nativity

2010-12-01T17:58:00.008-05:00

I'm shamelessly copying another blogger by doing this but, hopefully, she won't mind -- imitation is supposed to be the highest compliment! I'll have a Christmas post each day with pictures from my home or items I'm making for Christmas (if I ever have time!)

Because Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus Christ, my first pictures will be of our nativity set. This was a gift to us from my in-laws for our first Christmas -- it's something they did for each of their 5 children. Just as Christ was the cornerstone in their lives, they wanted Him to be the cornerstone in ours.
I've added lots of characters to the set -- one a year for many years. Especially dear are the chicken & other fowl and the dog who follows the shepherd.

The gold glittered pine cone in the stable's loft was a 'gift' for baby Jesus from my oldest son at age 3. The ivory soap, painted cone & pine cone trees around the stable were all made by one of my guys in preschool. As the ivory soap 'greens' and glued on stars have fallen off over the years, each tree has become more precious because of the little hands that made it.
If you look back at the first picture, you'll see that baby Jesus isn't in the manger. It looks a little odd for the whole month of December, but it's our family tradition to put him away and then get him out on Christmas morning and say a prayer of thanksgiving for Him before we do anything else. As a matter of fact, that's not a bad thing to do every day!

Another Etsy First!

2010-11-27T13:31:00.006-05:00

I received an email today from an Etsy seller, silkwormvintage, who was including one of my shop items, the vintage strawberry tin tray, in a treasury she created (I Love Strawberries for Christmas). I'm really pleased (and excited) to be included!

What's an Etsy Treasury? Etsy defines it as an "ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery comprised of lists of items" and it's usually based on a theme or their favorite items. Any member can create a Treasury list and edit it as often as they like. Members can use treasuries as a great way to shop (for example, by search of 'strawberries'), click through to the items and leave comments. The number of views your list receives as well as the number of clicks the items featured in your list receive are displayed in the list's Stats section. The cool thing is that Etsy then features some treasuries on the home page!

When my life slows down a little (when will THAT be?), I plan to create a list or two myself!

Popcorn!

2010-11-24T14:24:00.005-05:00

A while ago, I got a bee in my bonnet to get a vintage popcorn popper (and use it, of course). What fun is it to have old stuff if you don't use it?

Well, we had our first old-school popcorn (no bag, no microwave) this past week and it was pretty good, too. It would have been better if I hadn't put in too much popcorn -- there were lots of unpopped kernels. Next time I'll follow the directions -- and, yes, there really were directions!

Am I the only one out there using vintage small appliances?

Fresh Pickings!

2010-11-24T14:16:00.004-05:00

I know that there are people who won't sink to picking things out of the trash, but I'm not one of them! Yesterday, I went south on our road instead of north (which is my normal route) and saw this little table sitting at the curb under a tree. It had obviously been there a few days -- water from the recent rains had pooled on the top and the veneer on the cutwork sides (what was left of them) was all separated.

It's nice and heavy and has good old bones, though. It just needs a little love. . . okay, and a little veneer -- and cutwork added to the sides -- and paint -- or stripper and stain and varnish. I'll post pictures when I'm finished working on it!

A Tale of Three Sales

2010-11-19T20:41:00.006-05:00

Sale #1
My friend Bargain Hunter and I went to a local sale at lunchtime on Wednesday. It was at the home of a former librarian and there were books in every room (which I was really looking forward to), but I think most of the really good stuff went out the door early that morning. I did manage to get a few things:

2 small pie or tart plates -- one Pyrex & one Fireking
A vintage Christmas tin

A turquoise Melmac serving bowl & 2 mugs

Sale #2 - A real Frog
Bargain Hunter and I have a standing joke-- she gets so excited about yard sales advertising things like "60 years of accumulated treasures" and I finish the sentence with "all on 3 card tables". This sale was actually just that! It was advertised as an estate sale with household, kitchen and some antiques. It was literally a long table & 2 card tables in a garage with the saddest (smallest) assortment of junk I've seen in a long time. Oh, well. As Bargain Hunter says, "you have have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince."

Sale #3
The next sale I went to was billed as a "Pickers' Sale". I got there 10 minutes after they began giving out numbers and I was already #39! There was one man there (#1) who had arrived at 10 last night and slept in his truck in order to be first. It was, indeed, a picker's sale, but was nothing exciting, either -- everyone picked through plenty of junk! I did get a few things, though:

9 old hankies -- we'll see how they look when they're washed & ironed!

2 pretty funny photos -- A New Year's baby from 1951
and
'Bertha and her friends' from 1957
A small yellow hemstitched tablecloth with 4 napkins,
a glass sugar bowl (a criss-cross look-alike)

and 4 green striped napkinsAll in all, this week's purchases aren't bad for less than $10 total!

First Etsy Sale!

2010-11-17T23:27:00.002-05:00

I posted my first two items in my Etsy shop last night and one of them sold before I could even get the other one up! That told me that I'd absolutely priced my item too low. It's okay, though -- it was a good learning experience and now my 'opening night jitters' are behind me. It's odd to be so intimidated by all the great things I see on Etsy, because I've sold so much on Ebay.

I also didn't charge enough for shipping. Rather than allowing the buyer to calculate the exact shipping cost from my location to theirs, Etsy forces the seller to charge a set amount. That can be a real bargain to a buyer in California if I only charge enough to send it Ohio, but if the buyer's in Ohio and I charge enough to send the item to California, that's not fair either! I wish Etsy had a 'calculate shipping' option like Ebay's -- it's SO much better all around!

I worked it out by offering to refund any overage in shipping that comes to more than $1. As a Christian, I can't allow people to pay more than it costs and that system seems fair to me.

I'll keep you all posted on how the sales are going. . .

Opening the Shop Soon!

2010-11-16T17:23:00.004-05:00

I spent most of the day photographing, wrapping and boxing up items for Ebay and my Etsy shop. I had so much fun going to estate sales and flea markets with my friend Bargain Hunter all summer, but all the treasures I found have to go somewhere. One of my son's friends, when he came to our house, walked down the basement steps and said, "Wow! This looks like an episode from 'Hoarders -- Buried Alive'!" Personally, I think he was exaggerating, but nonetheless, I got the message.

A Capri Cream & Sugar Set

A light blue Lu Ray Creamer

It's HARD to get rid of things! I always have a hard time at sales buying things I don't particularly like but know will sell well, so most of what I buy, I'd love to keep. These are just a few of the items I'll be listing soon -- you'll be able to actually SEE something when you click on the link to my Etsy shop!

A Holt Howard Cat Salt & Pepper Set

Shafford Black Cat Redware Cookie Jar
Tin Strawberry Tray

I'm getting into the selling spirit, though and have been reading lots of great blogs about how to display, how to photograph and how to wrap items for my shop. I have to admit that it's really intimidating -- there are some truly creative and interesting people out there in the blogosphere and on Etsy! I don't think I'll ever be one of them, but my creative muse has been awakened.

First things first -- the hoarder's pile must go. Then I can start making some things I've had on the drawing board from the vintage fabric, findings & buttons I've been collecting. I think these days 'they' (whoever 'they' are) call a person's second career the 'encore' job. Well, maybe this is my encore -- an it should be a fun adventure!

The weird and the bizarre. . .

2010-11-08T17:07:00.006-05:00

Have you ever wanted to see the world's largest chair?
Or wondered where the world's largest horseshoe crab is? If you think this is by the ocean, guess again!
Or just had to visit the world's largest strawberry?
Or the world's largest teapot? (I've actually seen this one and it doesn't look this good in actuality.) All this can be yours at the Roadside America website!

I was looking for something on the internet and found this gem of a website. I got so entranced by the bunny-trails it took me down that I have absolutely no idea what I was looking for in the first place! If you like road trips and odd local attractions as much as I do, you'll find a treasure trove of minutia there. You can enter a state name and find all of it's weird & bizarre claims to fame (or not). Visit it and have some fun!

2010-10-25T20:57:00.003-04:00

My favorite quote from the "News from Lake Wobegon" on A Prairie Home Companion last Saturday, October 23, 2010:

"Those chickens had a look of moral disapproval in their little yellow eyes"

Flea Market Finds

2010-10-24T18:35:00.011-04:00

I had such a great time this summer, hanging out with my friend, Bargain Hunter, and going to flea markets and estate sales. You'll see some of the the great items I picked up in my Etsy store or on Ebay in the next few weeks; but there were some things that I just had to keep! Here are some of the treasures I found:

A Homer Laughlin Kitchen Kraft look-alike cookie jar

A great recipe tea towel (you just can't have too many tea towels!) --
check out the recipes below...
Yet another vintage clothespin bag with clothespins
A homemade sock clown with the cutest look on his face.
Normally, I think clowns are scary, but he's cute --
maybe it's the polka dots.

A pair of Holt Howard cat salt & pepper shakers --
too bad that the 'meow' mechanisms are broken in them.

A chef grocery list and pencil holder -- too cute!
Bargain Hunter and I will no doubt go to more sales this fall -- I'll keep you posted on my flea market & estate sale finds!

Franciscan Coronado Salad Bowl

2010-10-20T14:00:00.004-04:00

Some of faithful readers have asked how the 'reconstruction' of my broken Coronado salad bowl is going. In case you don't remember, I got a great bargain ($8) on this salad bowl on a trip up to Traverse City. The bowl was broken just a few weeks later.Well, here's what it looks like now! It took many days to glue it back together -- just a few pieces at a time -- but I think it turned out well.

I'll Fly Away!

2010-10-17T19:58:00.012-04:00

I'm pretty excited about this! I got a great bargain at the resale shop on this beautiful twin size airplane quilt. I've seen the airplane pattern, but never have seen one of the old quilts. The fabrics are mostly stripes and almost all different. It has a few holes and some fraying on the edges but, to me, that just adds character.
As I looked at this quilt I got really curious about the history of airplane quilts. Obviously, they didn't date back to the 1800s, but I know that this one is pretty old (probably from the 1st half the the 20th century) so I started doing some research.

The first airplane quilt block pattern appeared in 1930 to commemorate Charles Lindbergh's solo transatlantic flight in 1927. I think my quilt might be later than that time period, but was probably sewn within the next 20 or 30 years. The more modern airplane quilt patterns I've found are much more 'arty', and have a more contemporary rounded shape in applique. I'll be interested in finding out more about airplane quilts in the future.

DC - Last Roadtrip Before Winter

2010-10-16T23:23:00.008-04:00

Two weeks ago, we took a long weekend roadtrip to visit young Jim in DC. We had a great time, got to see his house & hang out with him -- even saw the Tigers play the Orioles at Camden Yards (a first time there for all 3 of us).

Here's a slideshow of pics from our trip:

What a Nickel Will Buy

2010-10-15T23:45:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, I went to an estate sale that was just 5 minutes from our house -- a pretty unusual occurrence. The house was an old one (fairly run down) built in the 1850s and I got to go. Since it's surrounded by subdivisions and is right on a main road, I imagine it was probably the old farmhouse for all the neighboring area.

Usually the owners of the estates that are for sale have passed away. I always feel sad that they're lives are laid open for strangers to see as they paw through the owners' things. I paw through them nonetheless (what does that say about me)! In this case, though, the owner was actually there (and alive). She looked like she was in her eighties and she was selling to move somewhere else. Back in the late 1800's, her family had bought the house from the people who built it. It was such a pleasure to talk to her, to see the gorgeous woodwork & the original dining room set (which she said was in the house when her family bought it) and to imagine what life was like for the farm family who built it. It was such a pleasure to go to a sale & not be sad about the 'poor old soul' who lived there!

What does the title of this post have to do with all this . . . all I spent was 5 cents and here's what I bought -- 1 4" tall swanky swig!

Eggs!

2010-10-06T18:42:00.004-04:00

Here are today's eggs -- what a variety of shapes, colors & sizes they are!

The tiny white one is the first egg laid by PeeWee. You can see her in the picture of all 13 girls below -- she's the little meanie marked with the red arrow.

The olive colored egg at the top is from the Aracauna marked with the green arrow. I've named Olive (short for Olive Oyl) because of the color eggs she lays.

I have no idea which of the old girls is laying the GIANT eggs (the one at about 3:oo in the bowl, but they all have double yolks.

The robin's egg blue Araucana eggs are almost round.

I just included this picture because I think the look on her face is funny -- her name's Marie (after Marie Antoinette). She's very friendly, likes to be held, is really curious & thinks she's the queen of the world.

Earning Their Keep in the Coop!

2010-09-26T23:40:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, my friend the Bargain Hunter pointed out that I hadn't updated my blog in 6 weeks! I knew it had been a while, but had no idea it had been that long. I know everyone's been waiting to find out how my summer was so I'll be updating more soon.

First, though, is the happy announcement that the new girls have begun laying -- in the last 34 days we've gotten 105 eggs! Soon I'll be able to start selling them again.

The Red Stars started laying at about 4 months old & are really reliable. That great laying power, combined with their friendly, easy dispositions makes they a great breed to have.

The Araucanas finally started laying yesterday -- so far we've gotten 1 misshapen, strangely colored blue-green egg.

Look at how much smaller the little 'pullet eggs' are than the big girls' eggs (actually, than Thelma's eggs, since she's the only resident of the old hen's home who still lays an egg every once in a while).

Here are the eggs from one of the first days -- all different in size & color:

A Nighttime Visitor

2010-08-12T23:37:00.005-04:00

For the past 3 nights, this little green tree frog has been on our front door. He's just a little guy -- 1" long -- and he's so cute! The first night he visited, I tried to pick him up (if you know me well, you know I can't resist holding frogs and toads) but he hopped away -- about a foot per hop -- pretty good for a little guy! Now when he comes to visit, I just look at him and leave him alone.

The little frog from inside the house

Not the best picture -- the chair is a reflection; he's not King Kong!

Boo Hoo!

2010-08-11T20:39:00.005-04:00

I'm not a 'lucky' person. . . I never win anything and seldom find bargains. When I was up north, though, I found the most lovely off-white Franciscan Coronado salad bowl (the big serving bowl, not an individual one) for $8! It sells in most places for $45+. I was so excited and snapped it up! We've been using it as a fruit bowl on the kitchen table . . .

. . .until Sunday afternoon. I picked something up off the table, it got caught in the tablecloth and the cloth and the Franciscan bowl ended up on the floor.

Here's a stock photo of what it used to look like (only in matte off-white):
Here's what it looks like now:By the way, the table in this picture is the old kitchen table from my growing-up house (my parents replaced it when I was little with a MODERN fake wood formica table and black upholstered bus-drivers' chairs). I mostly remember it being in the basement and my grandmother and parents using it as a work table. I found it in my aunt's basement last year & grabbed it (though my family all thought I was nuts). I so love it (complete with one of the old red plastic upholstered kitchen chairs) -- it makes me happy every time I see it!

Anyway, back to the point. I'm gluing the bowl back together one piece per section per day (so the glue can set). I've already joined 7 or 8 pieces, but it's a painstaking process -- it's a good thing that I have lots of patience and enjoy a good puzzle! I'll post a picture when it's all finished. In the meantime -- BOO HOO!

I like cicadas

2010-08-07T20:59:00.004-04:00

I know that lots of people are creeped out by cicadas (17 year locusts) -- both the way their shells look and the way they sound. I like them though!

I'll never forget climbing in my favorite tree in the front yard when I was bout 8 or 9 and putting my hand on a cicada shell. I was so freaked out that I almost fell out of the tree! Ever since then I've been fascinated with them and the sound of their droning takes me right back to my childhood.
Every year, a few of them emerge at the base of the pine tree right next to our house. We hear them for a few days and sometimes see the shells. Two days ago, I got to see an adult right after it had emerged! It was so cool that I had to take pictures and share it.

The just-emerged adult

The shell, left on a leaf

I don't know why I do it, but I always save the shells that I find. I think it's a little sad that a creature lies dormant for 17 years, only to emerge and live for 6 weeks. Maybe it's a throwback to the shell that almost drove me out of a maple tree all those years ago.

One woman's trash...

2010-08-07T20:13:00.004-04:00

Last weekend Jim and I made a fast trip to a sale at a home I'd been to before, where the lady had lots of vintage items, priced well. It turns out that her husband passed away earlier in the year and she's getting rid of lots of stuff, on the way to selling her house & property.

I got a great little toy sewing machine that will go to Crit (and, hopefully, little Lil will learn the joys of sewing on it).
I also got an old (1960s) quilted plastic sweater box for $1, that I really like.
Jim got a director's chair with Pioneer (like the sound people) on it that the lady said was only given to the roadies and performers of rock bands like the Who. When I asked her how she got it, she smiled (quite coquettishely) and said "that's a another story".

The greatest treasures of all, though, were absolutely free! I saw some swan planters outside of her barn and asked if she'd sell those. She said, "Oh, honey, you can have those! There area 5 of them and they're all cracked because I keep hitting them with the lawn tractor. . . I'm not very good at that. . ."
So I took them! There was a male swan, 2 females and 2 babies. I used the male and one of the females in my flower beds. You can't tell they're plastic (and not cement) until you get close to them and you can't see the cracks at all. Here's the way they looked before and after:

Before

After This is the ultimate in GREEN (reuse, repurpose, recycle)! What have you rescued or repurposed lately to use at your house?

Old Stuff - New to Me!

2010-07-25T19:54:00.010-04:00

When I went to Traverse City, I had lots of fun digging through old stuff and found a few treasures:

At the Granary Antiques in Beulah, I got this wonderful children's table with chicks painted on it. This table combines so many of my favorite things -- it's red, it's for children and it has chicks on it. If anything I find is red, has polka dots or chicks on it, I'm drawn like a moth to a flame! It's just the right size, too, to go with the old Sunday School chairs I already have. It's just waiting for that visiting child (Lily or Gus) or grandchild-yet-to-be to have the perfect coloring project or tea party!

Also at the Granary, I got the Ladybug book about England's churches & cathedrals (I know, no one would like that book but me...but I think it's great!)

At Black Horse Antiques in Beulah, I got the 'Garden Adventures in Winter' and an' H' (for Hen) child's block. In Traverse City, I got the 'More Rupert Adventures' book and the TOTALLY cool postcard of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne & the corgis came from the Elk Rapids Antique Warehouse. I find that I just can't have too much QE2!

In the picture below, the swanky swig with an elephant on one side and a chicken & duck on the other is just like one we had when I as little. I remember getting jelly or jam or spread cheese in those little glasses and then getting to keep them as juice glasses.

The Mackinac Bridge glass is one of the souvenir glasses that I've begun collecting. There was an article about them in Country Living, so they must be the new new thing -- I just like to get ones from places I've been to. I added another tea towel (this one with red morning glories) to the many tea towels I have -- though I use them all! The Fiesta mixing bowl is more in keeping with what my friend Bargain Hunter looks for, but it was in such nice condition I couldn't resist it. It may end up on eBay yet...

When we got back into town, I went to the Royal Oak parking garage flea market and got the find of the week! This wonderful retro lamp was just waiting to go into my living room! It's aqua (to match my sofa) and has a green-flecked rice paper shade and great gold atomic trim on it. Isn't it fantastic?

While I was there, 2 other people tried to buy it, but it was already MINE! Now I need to find another retro lamp, because this one puts my other regular lamp to shame...

Fun in Traverse City, Part 2

2010-07-23T00:00:00.018-04:00

I had such a good time exploring around the Traverse City area! Though I went in search of antique stores, it gave me an opportunity to see some of the nicest little towns. My friend, the Bargain Hunter & Treasure Seeker, blogs about all her (our) antiquing adventures and always takes pictures. So when I was going to TC, she made me promise to take my camera!

Each day started with an iced tea and a scone at one of the little tables outside of the Good Harbor Coffee & Bakery.

On the first day, I drove northeast to Elk Rapids. I went to the Elk Rapids Antique Warehouse, which is one of the nicest antique malls I've been to in a long time. The booths were arranged with lots of attention to display -- not the 'tossed in' look we see from time to time. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera inside, so no inside pictures. I really recommend a stop there, though, if you're up north.
Next I drove into the harbor area of town. It was a beautiful day -- just perfect for exploring! It was sunny & in the low 80s and there were lots of people swimming and boating.

Hmmm. . . I need to check with our pastors -- is this what it means to be on sabbatical?

I don't know what little river of creek this is, but it was really pretty.Next stop was Harbor Antiques, in town. . .
The outside was great with lots of interesting stuff, as you can see. The inside was really cluttered, though, and I thought most of the prices were a little high.

The other antique shop was also downtown, but I never caught the name of it. It was a small shop and had nice items, but I had to hurry through and move my car, as they were getting ready to close the street for an 'Evening on the River' festival.
The next day I went to the southwest, down to Beulah & Benzonia, on Crystal Lake. It began as another beautiful day, but rain quickly moved in. Beulah has several nice shops -- the first one I stopped was my favorite, Black Horse Antiques. The owner had lots of vintage metal chairs which had been powder coated (I don't know why I never thought of having that done to all of mine -- they looked as good as new). The shop was jam-packed with great stuff and the prices were good, too. I'm already looking forward to going back next time I'm up there.
The other big place in town is the Granary Antique Mall, in an old (what else) granary, complete with the machines still in it. You can see how long it is with all the booths arranged on either side.
In Benzonia, I visited the Gwen Frostic Studio, which is a wonderful place! Gwen passed away several years ago, but her block prints are still sold on notecards, calendars and prints, etc. She loved the wildlife & outdoors in Michigan and that's reflected in the studio itself, as you can see from these pics:The printshop where it all happens . . .
On my way back to Traverse, I stopped at the Cherry Hut in Beulah. The food there was so good -- it was even featured by Jane & Michael Stern on Roadfood! I had the special of the day -- a ham salad sandwich and cup of clam chowder, and had to skip the cherry pie because I was too full -- too bad, so sad. I took a picture of the sign, but drew the line at taking a picture of my lunch, as the Bargain Hunter would have!

On the last morning we were there, I stayed in Traverse City and visited the local shops. The first one was Wilson Antiques, which has a basement and 3 floors of antiques. There is a lot to see there, but I didn't find anything I couldn't live without. My favorite booth was in the front window, pictured below -- one side was all red & white kitchenware & the other was all red, white & blue boating & nautical stuff.

I stopped at Union Antiques, also very nice, and filled with great booths that had a lot of variety & good prices.

My last stop was right next door to Union Antiques -- the Bookie Joint. I can NEVER resist a used book store! This one was charming, as you can see by the pics.
Then it was time to go home, and we said goodbye to Traverse City!

Tomorrow: cool stuff I picked up on my trip north!

Fun in Traverse City!

2010-07-20T19:01:00.020-04:00

Last week, Jim had classes for 3 days in Traverse City and I tagged along. While he spent 8:30-4:30 snoozing his way through interesting seminars such as 'Lease Agreements & Additional Insureds', I was out playing! I had so much fun that I'm going to divide my adventures into 2 posts -- one of all the great antique shops and towns that I visited and one about the places Jim and I visited together in the evenings.

Jim thinks it's funny that I've lived here in Michigan 16 years and have just now fallen in love with the northern part of the lower peninsula (I've loved the UP -- Cedarville & the Les Cheneaux Islands -- since I was little)! I just kept saying over and over, 'Who knew that all this great stuff and beautiful country was up here?', to which he replied, 'Most of the people in Michigan and lots of people from other states!' Now I want to get a cottage up there (like we can afford that)...

We took a small trip up the Old Mission Peninsula and visited the wineries that were open. It's so pretty there -- these photos don't do it justice!

Hop Bines - learn more about them
A mechanical cherry harvester - watch one work!

We had dinner at the restaurant at the top of the Grand Traverse Resort and had a great view of the surrounding area and the Grand Traverse golf courses.
and watched the sunset over the bay...

On our way out of town, we stopped at the Cherry Street Market in Kalkaska and bought lots of homegrown cherries, apricots, plums & corn. Yum Yum!

Home grown produce?

While we were up north, Turner the Crazy Dog was at the kennel. When the dog's away. . .

. . .the cat sleeps in his nest!

Hmm. . .Do you think Leo misses Turner?

Tomorrow...my days exploring!

Nobody here but us girls!

2010-07-09T16:44:00.004-04:00

There's peace in the hen house again! My roosters (2 Araucanas and 1 Red Star) were lovely to look at, but getting to be too much for my girls. On Wednesday I took all 3 roosters to a lady in met at the feed store who finds home with 4H kids for unwanted fowl. She assured me that the kids would continue to raise them until next year's fair, where they'll show them as 1-year-olds.

One of the Araucanas -- the baddest man in the coop!

I won't miss the Araucanas at all -- they were both already mean, aggressive and loud and making everyone's lives miserable. The Red Star, though, was a real sweetie and I was very sad to give him up. He was so gentle -- when I went out and sat by the chickens he jumped right up into my lap! I know, though, that sooner or later his rooster nature will come through, so keeping him would just be putting off the inevitable. What's disappointing, though is that Red Stars are 'sex-linked', which means that the male chicks are a different color than the female chicks -- there shouldn't have been a mistake made at the feed store! I'll just be more careful double checking that the lady there picks the right chicks next time.

Mr. Nice Guy and his girls

Now it's time to wait for the eggs to come & the girls to earn their feed -- maybe in September!

Movin' On Up...

2010-06-27T20:41:00.016-04:00

Cue The Jeffersons' theme song, 'Movin' On Up'. . .

Today the babies moved in with the old girls, and it was an exciting day, indeed!

I haven't updated about them in a long time so here's a quick catch-up:

Remember these little cuties
and their two-level chick-o-miniums?

Well, they quickly outgrew their brooder bins and
we put the Aracaunas in a cardboard box home
(Turner found this FASCINATING).
Then they outgrew that and we put them in a chicken wire circle in the barn.
When they started having nightly (and then daily) jailbreaks,
we decided that it was time to move in with the big girls.

Today, we created an open chicken wire playground beyond the chicken run so that they could all meet on turf that was no one's territory. Then we allowed the babies access to the door of the chicken coop. You can see how that went!

Belle was very interested in them, but they were afraid to leave familiar territory.

Finally Jim got into the circle and chased them all into the chicken coop. When they finally went outside, I'd expected the big girls (especially LaVerne, the Black Australorp) to pick on them, but there was no bloodshed or fighting (at least not yet -- they haven't all had to find perch space yet!

As you can see below, they keep themselves in 3 flocks!
The big girls are in the foreground,
the Araucanas are in the middle
and the Red Stars (and PeeWee) stayed in the run.
They've stayed almost exclusively in their flocks all day.
In the end,
after an afternoon of sweeping and scraping chicken poo off of lots of surfaces,
we got our barn back!
Now the next step is to find a home for the 2 Aracauna roosters
*****
Anybody interested?

What's Blooming?

2010-05-06T15:52:00.011-04:00

Spring has finally sprung (though it's still too early to put out the tender plants). Here's what's blooming in the garden -- though a few of these actually bloomed in the past couple of weeks.

The forsythia I got for Mother's Day 2 years ago
bloomed for the first time this year!

The cherry tree (not that we'll get any of the cherries)

Apple Trees (I love standing under them & listening to the hum of the bees)

Lilacs

Ferns

Bleeding Heart (both pink & white & fringed, as well)

Creeping Phlox

Bluebells

Flowering Almond

Brunnera "Jack Frost" (one of my favorite)
guarded by Artie Mosquito, a Tom Coates creation

Dead Nettle

Trillium

The first Irises

Weeds, weeds & more weeds...

Thanks for going on my garden tour!

As Angelica used to say, "You Babies -- Be Quiet!"

2010-05-04T00:02:00.006-04:00

With 13 chicks in our guest bathroom (in the bi-level chick-onimium), there is a constant din of peeps, baby squacks & tap-tap-taps as they peck & scratch at the floors of the brooders. The sound is starting to drive me crazy!

The chick-onimiums

I can hardly wait until these little girls have their feathers and/or are big enough to go out to the chicken coop to live next to the big girls (not exactly with them yet, but near). That will bring the next challenge -- integrating 2 flocks of chicks into one and then integrating that flock into the flock of 3 old ladies (including 1 mean girl, LaVerne).

All this for fresh eggs and the fun of having chickens!

Chicks - Catching Up

2010-04-29T22:19:00.016-04:00

I haven't kept up with 'baby pictures' of the chicks. It's amazing to us how big they're getting -- it seems like you could watch them grow before your eyes!

Here they are at 6 days old:

and here they are at 2 weeks.
They're starting to look less chick-like and more chicken-like.
They're already getting their adult feathers:

Today I picked up 6 new chicks...oops, make that 7! There was one little girl (I hope) I just couldn't resist. More on her in a minute. The six new girls are Red Stars. 3 are 1 week old and 3 are newborns.

Here are the newest chicks (the video is whacked and they look like they're doing head-bobs or something):

You'll notice that there's one very tiny brown chick. She's a Mille Fleur bantam -- she'll be very small and lay tiny eggs. The Red Stars will weigh about 7 lbs. as adults, but she'll only weigh about 1 1/2 lbs. She's so tiny and so sweet, I just couldn't pass her up! Here's a picture of Jim holding her in one hand a large egg in the other.
Oh, did I keep referring to her as 'her'? Well, there's a chance that she might be a he...the hatchery tries to make sure that they ship hens if you want hens, but there's always a chance you'll get a rooster. I want to name her Precious, but may end up calling her Elvis...

Here's what she'll look like grown:

And now, on to the housing problem! How do you put newborns in with 2 week old chicks? We didn't want the bigger chicks to overrun or pick on the tinies. We tried an apartment:
A problem arose, though, when the little ones stuck their heads through the chicken wire (that's why chickens don't rule the world).

So, we ended up with condos:

Now we have 13 chicks in the guest bathroom, and there are constant little 'peeps'. Lucky Charlie and Sarah get to share that bathroom with the girls when they come next month!

Here are Laverne, Belle & Thelma just waiting for their 13 little sisters to come out and play!

It's a girl...and a girl, and a girl...

2010-04-15T18:55:00.002-04:00

I picked up the first six of our new chicks today. Here's a slideshow (including videos)!

Customize your own digital slideshow

An Easter Memory

2010-04-04T09:39:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter! I've always loved this picture -- taken in 1987 (our first Easter in Columbus, Ohio). The guys were 7, 4 & less than a year old. Good times!

Happy Hens

2010-04-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

I don't collect chickens, but I tend to pick up interesting vintage chicken items. I spent the remainder of my Christmas money (thanks, Aunt Gene!) on this gem -- a large square chicken tablecloth. I especially like the hens on their nests in the corners and the circle of eggs around the center.

Then there's this little hen toy -- when you turn the crank it makes a sound like a hen clucking. It drives Turner crazy, which is a bonus to an otherwise cool old toy!

Happy hens make a happy coop!

Fun Stuff from the Memphis Trip

2010-03-17T23:38:00.013-04:00

We just got back from a long weekend 'mini-vacation' to visit our dear friends Mark & Kally in Memphis (more pictures and *hopefully* a video will follow later). We had a GREAT time and went through every state possible in a direct trip there and back: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and (thanks, Kally, for the 6-mile round trip so that I could say I'd been there) Mississippi.

We visited a few antique shops on the way down, mostly in Indiana and Illinois. Thanks to my friend 'treasure seeker', I've gotten in the habit of taking my camera along and snapping a picture of the shops. I really liked Markle Antique Mall in Markle, Indiana and got a few things there.
I got to put the lessons I learned about 'boopie' glasses and candlewick from 'treasure seeker' to use at this booth.
My favorite Illinois antique mall was Rend Lake Antique Mall outside of Benton, Illinois -- it was great. That's where I got the tumbler and Kitchen Parade cloth below.

The booth in this picture was my favorite one & displayed really well!

Then I got to go to Kally's favorite shop, Sheffield Antique Mall in Collierville & we had a wonderful time (as we always do when we're together). There's no treasure you can buy that's as precious as a true friend!

Here are the treasures I came home with (and I don't think I even spent as much as Jim's one round of golf!)

An orange chenille rug decorated with big, bright pom-poms
A 'Kitchen Parade' small tablecloth or large towel
A vintage dishtowel decorated with vegetables
A wire holder for my swanky swigsA tumbler from a feed store that says
'Egg Atoms' for 'Mountains of Eggs'
(the hen is shown on an egg mountain to prove that it's real)
A barkcloth pillow cover large enough for one of my old metal lawn chairs
When I got home, I went back to Livingston Antiques and got a little yo-yo man that I'd had my eye on and was afraid might be gone. He's really a clown, but since he doesn't have a scary face, I don't have to be afraid of him!

Now, with my new austerity program, I have to get rid of as many things as I brought into the house +1 more. We'll see how THAT goes!

A Freebie Treasure

2010-03-05T18:16:00.005-05:00

My friend Kathy, whose mother is down-sizing her home, offered to let me have anything I wanted from the give-away stuff. I got this wonderful item! Kathy and her brother really laughed at how excited I was about it -- they just don't know a treasure when they see it.

Now all I need is a little bird to go in it. . .

Prairie Home Companion in the D!

2010-03-01T19:59:00.007-05:00

On Saturday night we went to see A Prairie Home Companion at the Fox Theater in Detroit. It was WONDERFUL, with everything one would expect from Garrison Keillor and company. If you're not familiar with PHC, it's hard to describe it -- it's a live radio broadcast in the tradition of the old ones from the 1920s and 1930s (complete with corny commercials, sound effects and radio 'drama'), but with current entertainment and humor. If you love it, you love it . . . if not, oh well.

We got our tickets back in November (my Christmas present) and the show's been sold out since then. When we were in line to go in, one of the Fox doormen asked me "What radio station plays this?" I answered "NPR -- WUOM -- Michigan Radio." He wanted to know when it would be on and if many people listened to it, so I explained that it would be broadcast live that night and rebroadcast on Sunday. He said he couldn't believe all the people that were there and that Garrison Keillor must be a big deal (Yes!) to sell out the theater! Of course, the Fox is just beautiful. I'm including downloaded photos since none of ours (taken with a cellphone) turned out well. It makes the evening special just to sit there and soak up the atmosphere.

The show was great, with everything I'd hoped for (we got 'Guy Noir', but NOT the 'Lives of the Cowboys') and, as usual, great musical guests. We saw "Sir" Mack Rice (who wrote Mustang Sally), the Steele sisters, Bettye LaVette (not my personal favorite) and John Lauter (who played the Fox's pipe organ) and we heard some great Motown songs. The humor, radio stories and sing-alongs were a little bit corny, but LOTS of fun!

Of course, it was all topped off with the 'News from Lake Wobegon'!

We ended up at Buddy's in Livonia for a salad and a pizza -- altogether, it was just a GREAT evening! Thanks, Jim, for my Merry Christmas in February!

What is Barkcloth?

2010-02-26T14:29:00.008-05:00

In a previous post, I let everyone vote on whether they liked some vintage barkcloth I'd just gotten. One of my readers asked what barkcloth is. Here's a brief explanation:

Originally, barkcloth was actually made from the inner bark of certain trees, beaten flat and made into fiber.

What we think of as barkcloth, though, is cotton, linen, rayon, polyester, or fiberglass fabric made from the 1930s on and really popular in the 1950s & 1960s. It was fairly thick and sometimes nubby and had a texture to it. Even though it's thicker than a clothing cotton, it's soft and was used in throw pillow, upholstery & cushions and draperies. Here's a picture of a cornice I built & covered in a soft floral vintage barkcloth. The big curlicue pattern used to fill the blank space was common in barkcloths.

It had all kinds of patterns from big florals to tropical themes to sputnik-era designs like the one I just bought, pictured here:

Here's a very typical color and pattern I picked up a few years ago. The burgundies, pinks & greys were really popular. In the second picture, you can see the pattern well.

This is another floral I've gotten. This type of floral always looks upside down, because there are flowers going both ways on it. The pattern, which you can see in the second picture, is totally different from the one above.

Barkcloth is being manufactured again in a variety of retro patterns, but most people really like the vintage ones the best. The fabrics can be pretty expensive (up to $40 for a good-sized piece) and often are stained or imperfect -- you just learn to work around the imperfections (just like we do with our friends)!

People are using barkcloth to make all kinds of things -- especially purses & totes. Go to www.etsy.com and type in barkcloth -- you'll see the variety! You can check out different patterns of barkcloth and shop for them here or at http://www.buybarkcloth.com.

New Yarns :: New Projects

2010-02-25T23:36:00.009-05:00

I've been busy knitting bowls (I now have 5 finished and ready to felt -- pictures later when they're completed). I want to knit something more useful than a felted bowl, though, so today I ordered these 3 new yarns:
I'm planning to knit all three of them into 'Booga Bags' -- one to keep and two to give away as gifts. What's a Booga Bag, you might ask? It's the really cool purse shown below, knitted up and felted. The yarn on the left will be stripey, like the bags below. The two to the right will be more mottled.Who knows -- maybe two of my faithful readers will be the happy recipient of a Birthday or Christmas Booga Bag! Anyone interested?

The next project I want to take on after the Booga Bags is a pair (or several) of French Press Slippers. These lovely little slippers were designed by Melynda Bernardi, who just happens to go to our church and just happens to be a fantastic knitter and a fantastic pattern designers. Who wouldn't want a pair of these SO CUTE little slippers?

So many projects, so little time! I'll keep you posted...

There's NO place like home...

2010-02-20T00:02:00.005-05:00

I recently updated from Photoshop Elements 2.o to 8.0 (there are LOTS of improvements) and have just completed my first slideshow with audio. I know it's a little rough and that many (if not all) of my faithful readers could do better, but I'm pretty excited about this. Check it out and see what you think!

Vote on my Retro Fabric!

2010-02-05T17:04:00.006-05:00

I went antiquing with my friend Kim last weekend and got this great 'mid-century' barkcloth. Kim later described it in her blog as 'funky retro fabric' and implied that it really wasn't as cool as I though it was.

So...you get to vote, faithful readers! Here's a picture of the fabric and a poll (in the left panel) -- you make the call, cool or not cool!

Bowl

2010-01-12T21:33:00.003-05:00

I've finished the bowl -- I needle felted the polka dots onto it tonight. I think it turned out really well, especially for a first project. Isn't it cute?

Knit, Knit, Knit!

2010-01-11T20:26:00.003-05:00

I finished my first knit bowl and felted (fulled) it last weekend. It came out perfectly, which gave me the courage to full the purse I knit last year. It also is perfect! I'll need to consult with my friend Kally about jazzing it up, as she's the reigning queen of embellishments. I'm not going to post pics, though, until I needle felt the embellishments on the bowl tomorrow evening. Check back to see the pictures of both -- I know my readers will hardly be able to wait!

I'm really enjoying knitting -- maybe more than sewing, as it's more portable and one has INSTANT gratification, row by row.

Catching Up

2010-01-03T12:34:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in a LONG time (as all 3 of my faithful readers already know). I've decided it's time to catch up a little.

2009 ended in an ugly way. In October my mother-in-law (whom I dearly loved!) passed away and things went downhill from there. We didn't have a family Thanksgiving, though there was a definite bright spot by having Thanksgiving at our house with Danny, his girlfriend Angela and her sweet little boy, Owen. That was a real pleasure!

We had no family Christmas Eve or celebration the week after, as we have in the past, but rather went to Cincinnati the weekend before for Christmas with my family and, sadly, ended up not seeing Jim's family at all. The change in routine put a definite pall on the holiday. Again, though, there was a bright spot -- Jim and I went to Florida with Dan & Jim 5 to celebrate with Charlie and Sarah. We all had a great 5 days together and had a lovely family vacation -- precious time shared!

So what's on tap for 2010? Who knows! Lord willing, it will be better than 2009 which, overall, I'd put down as a pretty bad year... One of my friends, who also had a bad 2009, said she hoped 2010 would be gentler to them -- I like that turn of phrase!

I've begun knitting again and am still sewing, crafting and antiquing (though I'm getting rid of more now than I'm buying). You might see more pictures of projects I'm working on, links to sites I like and, perhaps, field trips I'm taking.

Here's the first one: I'm knitting this bowl to be felted and then decorated with needle felting.

'Reading Rainbow' is no more

2009-08-28T11:04:00.007-04:00

I'm really sad about this! 'Reading Rainbow' is coming to an end after 26 years on the air. I have so many memories of that show and my 3 guys sitting STILL for RR -- it was a great showcase for children's lit.
But you don't have to take my word for it . . .

The Living Room's Done!

2009-08-23T21:38:00.006-04:00

After a couple of weeks of what feels like non-stop work (and shopping and returns), the living room is finally *almost* completed! With Charlie & Sarah arriving tomorrow, Sarah's mom & stepdad coming on Tuesday and the Gilmore clan coming on Sunday, we REALLY felt the pressure to get it finished this weekend. I felt like I was on 'Design Star' and I could hear people shouting "just 15 more minutes. . ." as we hurried to get the last drop cloth put away and the last picture or pillow in place.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out (although it still feels like someone else's room). Here are some pics:

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

2009-08-05T18:11:00.001-04:00

It seems like I just post birthday greetings on my blog. Perhaps under the sidenote "What I blog about..." I should just put birthdays.

Anyway Charlie, I hope you have a happy, happy day! I love you!

Happy Birthday, Danny!

2009-07-23T17:11:00.004-04:00

It's your golden birthday TODAY!!

I love you . . . and wish I could be in GR to give you a real crown. Please accept this virtual one, instead.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2009-07-16T23:49:00.003-04:00

My dad would have been 90 today! All of the press about the 40 year anniversary of the walk on the moon brings back memories of his 50th birthday. We were up in Cedarville, Michigan -- one of my favorite places -- and we celebrated his birthday there and then watched Apollo stuff on TV. Cindy didn't come with us because she was getting ready to get married a few weeks later. She and Don sent a shoebox full of silly 50th, 'getting old' gifts. 4 days later, we watched the moon walk (no, not Michael Jackson's - Neal Armstrong's)

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad, taken in Cedarville a few years before that. He looks so young, relaxed and happy and that's just the way I want to remember him! If I could have just one day to live over again, it would be one of the Cedarville days, I think.

Facebook & other stuff

2009-07-12T22:07:00.003-04:00

I haven't updated in months! I've been sending more time on Facebook and less blogging. For some reason, I really DO care about what all my friends are doing, even though I don't think they care about the minutia of my daily life. Facebook is a great way to communicate something with lots of people quickly, though.

In March, I was able to learn about an urgent prayer need for the son of a couple we had known when we lived in Ohio. He had a flesh-eating Strep infection, lost both legs and had an absolutely miraculous return from what the doctors were saying was certain death. Blake Haxton is a living miracle & a witness to the power of prayer and an awful lot of people learned of his prayer need through Facebook. If you're interested, you can find the Columbus tv stations' and Glenn Beck's stories about him on youtube.

On the lighter side, Facebook also allows me to know what my friends eat for breakfast and when they leave to go grocery shopping.

Oh well...

This weekend we were in Cincinnati for Don's annual golf tournament. Cindy, Crit and I were also able to go with Aunt Gene to tour the living arrangements available at the retirement residence she'll be living in. What a wonderful thing to find a 2-room suite with a great view! She's genuinely excited about it and, rather than look at her broken hip and new home as the end of something, she's looking at it as a new beginning.

Our entire family got to spend time together at a cookout at Paul's house & it was wonderful to see everyone and just hang out. I hope we can do things like this more often, but since we're spread out over 4 states, I don't think that's likely.

When I get some pictures from the weekend, I'll post them.

Dance, Snowball, Dance!

2009-05-02T21:46:00.004-04:00

Wow -- two posts in two days! If you didn't read about our very old oak tree, check out yesterday's post.

Anyway, I heard this story on Talk of the Nation Science Friday and had to look at the video. Apparently, Snowball was a youtube sensation, but I missed it (of course). Some scientists didn't, though, and decided to find out if Snowball was really dancing by changing the tempo of the music.

You can see the video results and read the rest of the TOTN Science Friday story here.

Old Oak

2009-05-02T00:02:00.005-04:00

We've always wondered how old the big White Oak tree behind our house could be. Today I measured the circumference and, based on this chart, the oak is about 275 years old! That means that it was probably started from an acorn dropped or buried by a squirrel in the 1730s. Here's a picture of it (to give you an idea of its size, the swing attached to it is a 2-person swing -- about 3 feet wide).

Pictures from Florida

2009-04-06T21:50:00.006-04:00

I've finally put together a slideshow of pictures from our trip to Florida. They're mainly pictures of birds taken at Corkscrew Swamp and pictures of our afternoon at the Everglades. If you're not into birds and alligators, you might be bored, but check them out anyway!

Thanks for visiting!

2009-03-16T19:26:00.002-04:00

For those of you who think I'm a weird trekkie, here is a couple who put me to shame! By the way, the new movie opens on May 8 . . . 54 days (but who's counting).

News from Florida

2009-03-07T22:29:00.003-05:00

Well, we're down in Naples. Actually, we're in Bonita Springs in a condo with a lovely view of the gulf -- we're about a block away. When the traffic noise dies down we can even hear the waves.

Last night we had dinner with some old friends -- Robin & Bob -- from Illinois and it was so good to see them! We were REALLY close to Robin when we lived in Crystal Lake and her son John & Danny were great friends, but we'd all lost touch somehow over the 14 years we've been in Michigan. We didn't even know that she'd relocated to Florida. We reconnected through Facebook just a few weeks ago.

We had such a good time last night -- it was like we'd never been apart! I know we could have sat & talked for hours. Reconnecting and spending time with her was just the lift I needed. We got a chance to get to know Bob better, too -- they married 6 or 7 years ago, after we had moved.

The only bad thing about catching up with old friends is that you miss them that much more and we're now about 1000 miles apart instead of a few hundred! We'll be sure to keep in touch from now on.

I remember all the gloom and doom predictions of how computers would isolate people and render them incapable of relationships, but I have found that (at least in my case) computer networking has fostered relationships and made it easier for me to keep in touch with people I care about.

Happy Square Root Day!

2009-03-03T20:43:00.002-05:00

Have a great day & party like it's 3-3-09! There won't be another square root day until 4-4-16.

2009-02-25T20:11:00.001-05:00

I saw a bumper sticker I liked the other day -- on a car with a big shaggy dog in the back. It was just a small oval that said "Wag more, Bark less". I need to hear that these days.

2009-02-10T22:57:00.007-05:00

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner should be very logical in handling our money. . .I think he's a Vulcan.Live Long and Prosper!

The Agony of Defeat

2009-02-02T19:43:00.003-05:00

Okay...get ready to laugh at me.

I have never liked football or understood anything about it.

After years of having a fantasy football team and watching to see how my players were doing, though, I've gotten to know some of them (like 'my' Hines Ward) and have even come to understand the game a little.

So last night I watched the Super Bowl for the first time ever (except for the year that I had to watch it because the Bengals were in it) . . . and my team LOST! I was so disappointed that the Cardinals didn't win! I really drank the underdog and wonderful-Kurt Warner-comeback-story kool-ade and now I'm very sad. I thought it was a really exciting game -- who ever thought they'd hear ME say THAT!! There were even some times that I was yelling at the TV and Unc wasn't. Strange times. . .

Snow

2009-01-29T18:07:00.004-05:00

I like snow. We've had so much this winter -- it's like living in Minnesota! We get a little bit (1-3") almost every day or two and then about once a week several inches more. Out in the yard (where it doesn't get shoveled or plowed) it comes up to the tops of Turner's legs -- about 14-16" -- and that's after it contracts down! We're already 17-20" ahead of the amount of snow we had by this time last year. Yea!!

Check out Beldar Claus!

I Love America!

2009-01-20T23:58:00.003-05:00

Presidential elections and inaugurations always fill me with pride and a real sense of patriotism. I know that America takes a beating from many people throughout the world (and many in our own country). It's become fashionable to hold our system of government, the principles we were founded on and just national pride in disdain. Patriotism is uncool!

We have a great country, though. The peaceable resolution of the controversy over the election 8 years ago and the transfer of power that followed was one example of that. The smoothness of the transition from the Bush White House to the Obama White House and the spirit I saw at today's inauguration are others.

I wasn't a Barack Obama supporter and will never agree with him on some of his core beliefs -- abortion, to name one. Most of the people I know aren't Obama supporters. They are, however, (and I am) President Obama supporters. I've heard diehard pro-life 'religious right Republicans' pray, sincerely & from the heart, for Mr. Obama and for his success in the next 4 years. I've heard them be sincerely pleased that racial differences here have diminished to the point that we have elected our first black president.

I watched the inauguration today and saw people who are political enemies and who were trash-talking each other during the election smiling, laughing and greeting one another. I saw everyone there in a mood of celebration at this watershed event in our nation's history. Am I naive enough to think that they've all become best friends or have stopped disagreeing (and possibly disliking) each other? Certainly not. It was, however -- as it always is -- a civil (even gracious) and peaceful transfer of power. That's remarkable, it's American, and it never fails to make me proud.

Why doesn't anyone update?

2009-01-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

I have many blogs I check every day (mostly friends and family). None of them have been updated in a while! Where is everyone? I've updated. . . I find this mildly amusing, as I am by far the oldest person among all of us and I've updated the most lately. So much for the younger, blogging generation.

Could this mean that I don't have a life?

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T22:42:00.005-05:00

Well, the cookies are eaten and all the houseguests have left. . .Buehlermas 2008 is history. We had a really good time and lots of laughs, met some new people and played some crazy games of Balderdash and Mexican Dominoes (both Carla and Sarah learned how to play this week, though one of them has been playing for months).

After his Steinmetz-Award-winning Bucket last year, young Jim was given the honor of building the 2009 bucket and he didn't disappoint. While it might not be tagged 'the best bucket ever', the rockets fired and not many went sideways -- always a good thing.

Here's a photo album of the week. E N J O Y!

Happy Birthday Jimmy!

2008-12-31T07:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Jimmy (my child of the 70s)! It was so good to see you this week -- we had a wonderful time. As always, the entire world celebrates your birthday in a big way.

On a less serious note, the final vote is in and cut-out cookies have won the poll, even without Christy voting more than once. I guess I should believe that since we (along with our friends and families) managed to eat over 300 of them this Christmas. The final cookie count was just shy of 1100 cookies baked (not counting chocolate pretzels, which everyone knows are NOT cookies).

The diets start now.

This is for you, Crit!

2008-12-16T22:24:00.003-05:00

Sorry, but you may only vote ONCE for the cookie of your choice. You can't stuff the ballot box like I know you always do for the All Star Game! You can always try logging in under an assumed name or from a different IP address...

In the meantime, think on these (308 cutouts -- so many it took 2 pictures to get them all in!):

In search of...

2008-12-09T22:53:00.005-05:00

Anyone from my family can vouch for the fact that I'm fanatical about baking at Christmas!

For years I have searched for the perfect springerle recipe, which would produce fluffy, puffy masterpieces with crunchy tops (like the ones the German bakery used to make in Cincinnati). Each year I try a new recipe and each year I'm disappointed with the results.

Don't know what a springerle is? Here's a picture:
The goal is to have the design sharply cut on the top (like these) and the bottoms puffed out and soft & chewy (like the photo below).

I have high hopes for this year's candidate -- a recipe from a website called springerlebaker.com. How much better could it get? I'll let you know how they turn out by the end of the week.

Roseanne Rosannandana

2008-12-05T00:05:00.004-05:00

We're getting pretty handy lately!! Last week we replaced a pendant light AND an under-cabinet xenon light, both of which were (surprisingly) not hard to do. Then our dishwasher broke and we got a new one. Our friend Mark helped us take out the old one and showed us what to do to install the new one -- which we did ALL BY OURSELVES!! That's the good news.

We finished the install and turned the water back on. The new hose we'd just connected was great, but the hot water (which had just been working fine) started gushing water as soon as we opened it up! So now we have to call a plumber to fix the leak that developed for no reason at all!!

As the thought went through my head "Well, it just goes to show you -- it's always something! If it's not one thing, it's another", I thought of Roseanne Rosannadanna. . . Enjoy!

Goodbye Uncle Lloyd

2008-11-13T21:51:00.004-05:00

My uncle Lloyd died on Tuesday. I really loved him and I wish I could write better so that I could express how deeply sad I am at his passing and how much I'll miss him, even though we seldom spoke and saw each other every few years.

He was always (and always will be) larger than life to me. Having settled in the LA area after World War II, he would come to visit us in Cincinnati once a year when he came to the midwest for the Worldbook Convention in Chicago. It was always in the winter and we'd all go to the airport to pick him up. I remember how his wool overcoat (certainly only worn once a year for that trip to the land of the cold) felt on my cheek as I snuggled next to him in the back seat on the ride home. We would usually not even make out of Kentucky to come home before he and my dad would have a heated 'discussion' about some political or religious issue neither would ever back down on. Sometimes I think that confrontation was something they both looked forward to -- a verbal step back in time to being 'brothers' .

We'd go to Graeters and Lloyd would buy a pint of chocolate ice cream and ask for a spoon -- I'd just wait for the look on the cashier's face as the realization dawned that he was just going to sit and eat it all.

He always had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face (and great dimples)! He had a beautiful tenor voice and I'd love to hear him singing scales as he got ready in the morning -- that always made Uncle Lloyd's visits real.

He'd send us See's suckers every Christmas and I can never see them without thinking of him.

Lloyd was one of the most passionately caring people I've ever known and was actively involved in the community well into his old age, working on Habitat houses and volunteering at food pantries. He was a champion of 'everyman' and every time he visited we'd hear about the new things he was involved in and the problems in the country he saw and most wanted to be solved. I have to admit that I got my first taste of Liberal thinking from my uncle Lloyd!

In my adult years he's always sent us lovely, long Christmas notes in beautifully hand-made and lettered cards, always signing them 'Lloyd Henry'. Each New Year's Eve we'd call him to say hi and catch up. I'm really going to miss that card and phone call this year!

Though he lived in California, he knew everyone we did (a strange thing to a little girl). He looked so much like my grandmother and my dad, yet he lived in an exotic place where Santa wore shorts and my cousins could go to the beach on Christmas day. He was one of us, but not exactly. When he'd come to visit and he and my dad & Ningle would talk about the people they remembered and the 'old days', I'd get a rare glimpse of my dad as a child and our family as a larger unit. Because he looked so much like them, having him around in the last twenty years was like having Ning and my dad back again long after they had died. With his passing, I feel like my last link with them is gone and I know that something precious has slipped away forever.

He was the only person in my family to call me Annie.

Never forget

2008-11-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, the 'war to end all wars' was over.

This is the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day, now called Veterans Day. These days, WWII is becoming a dim memory, some people are even denying the Holocaust, and few people alive even remember WWI. Most people in America are totally unaware of the loss and suffering it caused worldwide, but especially in Europe. Last year, I quoted some great poetry about WWI, but this year I think I'll leave it to the images (don't worry -- no stacks of corpses) & numbers.

The United States suffered 57,476 casualties, Britain lost 703,000 and 1,663,000 were wounded.

Worldwide, both military & civilian, over 20,000,000 died and 21,000,000 were wounded.

We can't even imagine numbers like that and, God willing, won't ever have to again.

Remember remember the fifth of November

2008-11-05T23:10:00.007-05:00

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!
(Made known to millions of Americans in the movie V for Vendetta)

Guy Fawkes & the Gunpowder Plot
Words of "Remember Remember" refer to Guy Fawkes with origins in 17th century English history. On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason.

The Tradition begins...
The following year in 1606 it became an annual custom for the King and Parliament to commission a sermon to commemorate the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot Sermons. This practice, together with the nursery rhyme, ensured that this crime would never be forgotten! Hence the words " Remember , remember the 5th of November" The poem is sometimes referred to as 'Please to remember the fifth of November'. It serves as a warning to each new generation that treason will never be forgotten. In England the 5th of November is still commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires culminating with the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes (the guy). The 'guys' are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man. Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".

Credit to: www.rhymes.org.uk

2008-11-02T23:10:00.003-05:00

If there was ever any doubt that a dog can truly become part of the family, check out my photographic proof. Aunt Cathy, get ready for Turner to line up with the kids at Thanksgiving for his squirt of whipped cream!

Have a Happy Mole Day!

2008-10-22T23:40:00.005-04:00

Having missed 'Talk Like a Pirate Day', I vowed not to miss Mole Day! Mole is 6.02 x 10^23. I'm no math-head and I can barely understand what that means, except that it's a big number and mathematicians use it to calculate big things. Mole Day is (for obvious reasons) October 23 from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm -- that much I can understand.

To celebrate the occasion, here's a cheerful, geeky video for you:

Happy Mole Day to You!

Canning Applesauce

2008-10-19T22:53:00.005-04:00

I just had to post something because I couldn't stand to have my most recent post be one for a handbag contest . . . it's just so shallow!

I spent the whole afternoon canning applesauce made from the apples off our own trees. Since the economy's been so volatile we've been half-joking about how we could live off our land (raise livestock in the barn, eat fish from the pond, plant the entire front acreage in garden) if we had to. I suppose if Obama decides to be 'fair' and re-distribute the wealth of everyone who he thinks has too much (everyone who makes more than the poverty level - not including himself, of course) and the entire economy collapses because all the businesses can't be productive any longer, we'll be okay! There -- that's as political as I'm going to get.

Walking the Bridge - Labor Day 2008

2008-10-09T16:50:00.020-04:00

Well, I finally have put together all the pictures from our trip up north to walk the bridge. I'm still waiting on a few pictures, so some might be added later.

On Saturday we went across the bridge to St. Ignace and, as a birthday treat for me, Kally, Carla & Mark W's mom, Jean, decided to go up to Cedarville. We used to go there every summer and rent one of the cottages at Patrick's Landing in the Snows Channel (the Les Cheneaux Islands). That area ranks right up there with London and Hawaii as a favorite place for me! Anyway, visiting Patrick's again (and going to have a cookout at Mark W's parents' campground later on) made it one of the best days I've had in a long time. Patrick's hadn't changed much at all and the whole day brought back many really happy memories of wonderful vacations going there and then (at the campsite dinner) camping with my family. The pictures from Patrick's will really bring back memories for Cindy (make sure she sees them Christy -- I know I can't count on Don) but no one else will care about them at all. Thanks for looking anyway, though!

The rest of the pictures are from the ferry to Mackinac Island and walking the bridge on Monday.

Thanks for visiting!

Wanna Fight?

2008-09-10T16:48:00.000-04:00

The Brits can be strange people. I think the chicken will win...

Credit must be given where credit is due:
many thanks to Ham at London Daily Photo -- go see his original post.

Strange Days Indeed!

2008-08-26T23:55:00.006-04:00

These are strange days! I never thought the day would come when I would:

Intentionally watch a Hillary Clinton speech
Applaud part of the Hillary Clinton speech (she DID do something historic for women in politics!)
Feel moved by Bill Clinton's obvious pride in and affection for his wife
Admire Hillary Clinton for her determination and class
Believe that Hillary Clinton would have been the right candidate for the Democrats to nominate for either president (which should have been their first choice) or vice-president (which should have been their second choice)
Feel bad for Hillary Clinton because, after garnering 1/2 of the Democratic votes, she's being discarded and forced into 'unity'
Believe that Hillary Clinton should have stayed the course and NOT conceded
Dislike another woman in politics more than Hillary Clinton (I'll leave my 2 or 3 readers to guess what woman that is)
Publish a political post on my blog

Yet all of these things have come to pass. Strange days . . .

Roadtrip to visit Jim

2008-08-10T23:02:00.007-04:00

As promised, here are the pictures from our recent roadtrip to go see young Jim in DC.

Click on the photo to link to the slideshow. If you want to see the captions for the photos, you'll need to click 'back to full album' on the slideshow page.

We started in Cleveland, going to Jacobs Field to see the Indians play (beat) the Tigers. Then we went on to DC. We stayed in a posh Westin in Embassy Row, right off of Dupont Circle and the Metro. Saturday was spent sight-seeing around Washington (you'll know where we went when you look at the pictures) and on Sunday we went to the Nationals new ballpark to see them play (beat) the Reds. We were in the second row right behind the Reds' dugout and had a GREAT time!

It was so good to see Jim and get to spend time with him. We had lots of lively and non-confrontational discussions, too. Thanks for showing us around, Jimmy!

I love Detroit (Part 2) or Where did they find an orange jumpsuit big enough for the big guy?

2008-08-08T00:04:00.009-04:00

I know that I have a couple posts I should be working on -- like Christy's long-overdue HAPPY BIRTHDAY THAT ENDS IN A ZERO (August 1) and putting up our pictures from the trip to DC.

I can't pass up the newest development in the continuing story of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick: his first night in jail. Tomorrow he'll appeal the decision, but State Attorney General Mike Cox will probably charge him with a felony assault on an officer of the court.

The whole thing has become an embarrassment to the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. He really should resign!

As to those other posts -- I'll catch up on them this weekend.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

2008-08-05T18:32:00.005-04:00

Well, since I had a current pic of Danny for his birthday last year and a toddler pic this year, I thought I'd reverse the process for Charlie. Look back here (under August 5) to see his toddler picture.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!! I'm so happy that you're loving your job and you're really feeling good about life right now. I'm also REALLY happy (and blessed) that you're back in Michigan!

I love you, Char!

iPod

2008-07-25T21:09:00.002-04:00

Listening to: Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Donovan

Young Jim gave me his iPod, loaded with 800 songs, and I've been having such a good time playing with it. I've added a lot of my own and have been going through the ones already there to see if I like them or not. In the process, I've learned a few things:

iTunes is so much fun (and I think it could get expensive if I'm not careful)! I've downloaded lots of songs, including the essential Donovan collection and Quinn the Eskimo (the Kinks' version, not the Dylan one). I didn't know you could get that crusty old stuff on iTunes.
My newest favorites are Robert Plant & Alison Kraus -- I love Raising Sand (especially Please Read the Letter, Killing the Blues and Gone, Gone, Gone! I can't get over how beautifully their voices blend and I never would have expected it. I'm really in danger of listening until I'm sick of them.
In the end, most of my favorite music is the stuff I listened to in my teens and twenties. I've added some new artists I like very much, but Crosby, Stills & Nash (and all their bands before and after) and the Beatles are still the best! I also still like everything Dylan did, but he REALLY can't sing -- his Quinn the Eskimo is painful to listen to!
For the most part, everything Elvis Costello does sounds the same. I really only like 3 of his songs.
For some reason, most of the music I listen to lately makes me sad -- either because it's inherently so or because it reminds me of the passage of time. The saddest song for me in the entire collection is one of Jim's -- Iron & Wine's "Upward Over the Mountain." I don't think I'll ever listen to it again.
It's a funny thing that I'm just now getting an iPod, when the rest of the world is moving on to iPhones. We didn't get a laptop, either, until Charlie gave us his old one. It seems that I always depend on the kindness (and electronics) of family members!

Thanks for the iPod, Jim!!!!