Love, empathy, tolerance--also puppies, flowers, and laundry

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Black and Orange Review

It's time to close up the
for another year. There's no more

 
to hand out. I'm happy to say that I wasn't as much of a
 
as usual. I don't want to be one; it's just that as a
 
I get so busy that I get a bit grumpy sometimes.  Now that it's late, all the costumed kidlets are home and only the 
 
are prowling about.  Along with some
 
Hey, you can't scare me!
(Actually you could, I'm a bit of a fraidy cat. Shhh, don't tell anyone!)

The best thing about Halloween?  My favorite black-and-orange team is up three decisive games to one.  Bwaaa-haa-haa-haa!
Go Giants!

My Guideposts - Week41

"It's not brain surgery."

~Clerk at a quilt store in Truckee, Calif.

Quite possibly the best advice I've ever been given!

The back story:  A group of us were inspired by a pattern at one of the quilt stores in Truckee and were asking endless questions about the finer points of how-to when the lady who was waiting on us uttered those fateful words.  We looked at each other and commenced laughing (the pattern was for a shopping bag which makes it even more apt).  

As a group we've used this phrase many times since when we've gotten caught up in minutiae.  I find myself muttering it when trying to choose between "good" and "equally good" or when I'm frustrated because a project isn't going perfectly.  

There are times for brain surgery and then there are times for "git'er done."  While lovely to aspire to, perfection belongs to the Lady Goddess, not us mere mortals, anyway.

Perfectly yours,

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

October Garden Wind-up

October Twenty-Ten: The rainiest on record for our piece of the High Desert.
Two weekends of downpours followed by gales stripped the peach tree of all but a handful of leaves. Guess it's time to haul out the rake.

I'll spare you the sad, sad, SAD sight of tomato plants ambushed by our first killing frost. Instead you can enjoy the rescued Moonstone roses gracing our table.  (The silver pitcher isn't a photo prop, it's my secret weapon for drinking enough water daily!)
That's my lone butternut squash from this year's garden. Seeing all the other teensy squash at the grocery store made me feel a lot better about its small size. I was looking forward to squash soup this winter. 

This October has been good for color--check out the burning bush.
Worth the wait every year!  Our three goldfish are "pond"-ering the merits of moving south for the winter.  (They don't know it but I've already made reservations for them at the Queen Mother's pond.)

These large yellow chrysanthemums are the glory of the garden right now.  Thank heavens for perennials!
They harmonize nicely with the sugar maple leaves swirling around the lawn.

You've reached the end of my October garden tale.  (Um, better make that the end of Kharma's tail swishing some purple mums.)
I always hate to see it end, but my garden is going out in a blaze of glory this year.

Now I'm heading over to the Tuesday Garden Party.  You're invited too.

Punnily funnily yours,

Sunday, October 24, 2010

My Guideposts - Week40

 
Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
~Elizabeth Lawrence

Raking and bagging and bare branches will come soon enough. Right this very instant, the leaves are bragging outside my window...

Carping the autumnal diem,

Thursday, October 21, 2010

You're Invited

I love girly tea parties; don't you? 
 
The kind with linens and silver and fresh flowers. And an array of teacups. 

 
You can choose which cup you like best.
 
Because tea from a special teacup always tastes better, don't you think?
 
All I need are some friends to join me on this autumn afternoon.
 
You don't have to dress up unless you want to.
 
You can sit in the sunny spot and we'll chat...I'll pour.

(I think "grown up" tea parties like this one are even more fun than the ones I had as a child.)

Fondly,


Come see more Show and Tell at My Romantic Home!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Trug Transformation

Once upon a time there was a little wooden trug. 
The wood was kinda ugly, but it did say "Fleurs"...and you know how I like me some Frenchiness. However, have you ever seen a less French-looking font in your life? This trug definitely needed a makeover.

Voila! A little apple green paint that just happened to be available and a stylish font showcasing the address of a Parisian florist.  Things are looking better.
Then I made the error of extreme sandpaper over-exuberance while distressing it, compounded by painting the inside black. Black! What was I thinking?!

Sometimes a mistake clarifies my thinking though.  I quickly realized my little trug actually wanted to be distressed white with an apple green interior. We're all much happier now.
I can just picture how darling it's going to be filled with grass and Easter eggs...or pansies...or summery annuals.  (Something that wasn't just grabbed for a photo op.)  It's no huge change, just a simple tweak that makes me happy.

One more thing checked off my to-do list,

Sunday, October 17, 2010

My Guideposts - Week 39

There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent (instead of his portrait of RLS) has always seemed to me to be the visual definition of simple happiness...a friend, a garden, white cotton, a balmy night.

Anonymously yours, 

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Hopalong Jack and the Blue Bunnies

Bunnies are a bit of an obsession with me--wooden bunnies, ceramic bunnies, lop-eared bunnies, rex-coated bunnies, stray bunnies--I love'em.   Peter Rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit, and Brer Rabbit have an honored place on my bookshelf and in my heart. So I knew right off that I'd enjoy the wonderful blog called Hopalong Hollow Gazette. The Hollow's creator feels like one of those kindred spirits that the Fates sometimes grant us--she loves her critters, her garden and art.


Jeri, however, takes art to a level to which I can only aspire AND she's also a published author and illustrator. If you love books, especially richly illustrated and clever storybooks, hop on over to the Hollow  right now and enter to win a copy of Hopalong Jack and the Blue Bunnnies. But hurry because Fionna Goosefeather the Second will be picking the winning name out of her bonnet on the 19th and it's almost here!

Even if you don't win her book, you won't be a loser because Hopalong Hollow and its inhabitants --two-legged and four-legged, real and imaginary--are all delightful, so make sure you take some time to ramble and stroll about while you're there.

Tell Jeri I sent you,

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Beds and Roses

Isn't it horrible when your computer breaks down? No blogging, no photo downloading, no Google Reader, no email, no Netflix, no driving instructions, no weather.com.  I felt like my life had come to a grinding stop and I was out of touch with the universe.   But thankfully The Big Guy possesses the nerd gene and brought our hard drive back to life! And will I be backing up my photos sometime very soon? You betcha! Lesson learned and disaster averted.

The repainted bedstead, after four days of rain followed by below-average temps followed by sinus headaches, is finally in residence in the guest room.  I love the extra storage room underneath, although I notice I need to rehang my sampler a bit higher.
 
The color is Rustoleum Apple Red although it looks a bit like fire engine red in this photo. Not that it will really matter--I had to remove the extra pillows to even see the headboard for my photo shoot!

Autumn has brought a resurgence of roses to the cottage, especially my favorite--Moonstone.
 
The cooler temperatures intensify the colors.  Not that Oranges and Lemons needs any enhancement!

My Midas Touch is so yellow it lights up one whole corner of the garden.

But nothing can compare to Moonstone.
 
Don't you love her blush?

I could sit outside and take her photo for hours.  (And then I'd make sure to back my favorites up promptly after I downloaded them!)

Meanwhile it looks like my sweetie is returning sooner than planned (giant grin of joy) which means I'll be logging some serious time with my hand sander to complete my desk refinishing project before he reappears.  No photos yet, but ebony black paint with brushed nickel pulls looks as fabulous on the drawers as I'd hoped!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

My Guideposts - Week38

Love sometimes wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.
~Hafiz

Appreciating the basics,

Sunday, October 03, 2010

My Guideposts -- Week 37

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.
~Colette

I've always loved this quote and was delighted to find the author--and then realized I could have just looked on my little plaque--too funny.  Joining friends at Notes From A Cottage Industry--come be inspired!


Saturday, October 02, 2010

My Vintage Iron Bed

So in spite of the fact that I have a perfectly wonderful maple twin bedframe in our guest room, I decided that it was time to strip and repaint my old metal bedstead and use it in the guest room instead.

Why?
  • because the cat's away
  • and it needed refinishing--oh did it ever!
  • and there'd be more storage space underneath
  • and you all encouraged me to do it when I could have been removing the popcorn from my closet ceiling instead.  
Just remember, I'm not the one responsible for this project.

Here she is, almost completely naked except for some old yellow primer and paint in places that no one will see. 
I like doing a good job, but there's no sense going overboard. 
I'm not into the industrial look so the bare metal is about to disappear.

Fifteen minutes and one can of spray paint later...
Lovely and white.  But a bit generic colorwise.  I have to admit that was just the primer coat.  I used enough spray paint this summer to know that one coat of white serves as the perfect base for

Apple Red 
Without the white base, it would have taken at least three coats of red and I still might not have been happy.  This is just one coat and a bit of touchup in the areas where the paint was thin enough to let the white show through.

It looks nice on the lawn, doesn't it?  I'd love to set it up next summer to enjoy the starlight and welcome breezes.
She's ready for a protective clear coat tomorrow afternoon.

Tomorrow--because the sunny afternoon progressed from a fifth day of record heat to a downpour worthy of a New Mexican monsoon--and the red bed is just a tad wet right now. 
 
Not to worry--I'll dismantle the bed as soon as it lets up, bring the pieces inside and wipe them dry.  Tomorrow (the DIY gods willing and the creek don't rise) there might be a new look in the guest room!

 Anticipating,