April 19,2018

On this date, in 1775, the American Revolution began.

I hope nothing so monumental happens today.

Actually, today I am sitting her thinking about the blogs I read and how much information I derive from them.

I love blog reading and have made some good friends from reading those blogs.  As well, they are chock full of useful information, funny stories, sad times illustrating the human condition and lots of ideas for our own lives.
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One blog I read is about fashion -- it is titled susanafter60.com.  It is written by Susan who decided her life needed a change and she set about reinventing herself.  Her original blog was called fiftynotfrumpy and has now evolved into the current incarnation.  I am not a fashionista although I used to be much more interested in clothes than I am now.  Now my focus in on shoes that don't make my feet hurt but that is another whole post.  While the things that Susan wears would not suit my body type her approach to clothes buying and fashion is very helpful and I have taken her points to heart.  It makes sense to me.  As she is aging (aren't we all?) she is discussing ways to embrace that age and continue forward in a way to feel good about yourself.  One of her key words is "soft".  I am learning a lot from Susan and I would suggest that anybody visit her blog at least once.

Another blog that I read is g.donna.com.  For some reason it won't let me link but you should seek it out anyway.  It is written by Donna who, along with her husband, has created an experience of living in different time periods by adjusting her home and activities to reflect a certain decade.  Right now they are living in the mid-1940's.  They research the time period they are interested in and outfit their home to give them an idea of what it is to live in that period and they stay there for a year.  I believe that the year they are in now, 1944, is where they would like to stay permanently.  Now, her way of life is a bit too labor intensive for me -- I would probably be healthier if I could live like that but I don't think this old girl has it in her.  Plus, 1944 was before my time so many of the things I hear her talk about is reminiscent of things my parents spoke of.  However, her home is delightful, her gardens heavenly, and reading her blog does take me back to a simpler time and it is like a great big "sigh" to just look at her photos.

On a daily basis I read "Frugally Challenged" and "Trundling Through Life" written by my penpal, Mary.  I just delight in her posts -- we are approximately the same age which means we have memories of the same time periods and it is so interesting to see her talk about her life in the UK and I can compare my life in the US.  She has guest posts -- most notably from her caretaker Jack.  Jack is a character of the highest order and I have developed a great liking of Jack and his posts -- such fun! So sorry about your knees Jack but glad you are on the mend. 

Tracing Rainbows is another along with Jenny of Elefantz.  I love the needlework ideas, the gardens, the cooking -- it is just like I have good neighbors who like to get together for a chat over a cuppa.

Joysweb and A Little Reading are also regular reading for me.  Of course, Joy is my cousin so Joysweb keeps me up on what she is doing.  A Little Reading, also by Joy, is a good source for reading material as she is an avid reader/reviewer.  We all know, however, that I do judge my books by their covers!


I read many others as well, equally as charming and informative (they are all listed on my blog sidebar) and I look forward to seeing what is going on with my bloggy friends.  It has become a highlight of my day to check in on these folks and see what is going on in their worlds.

So, do you read blogs regularly?  If you are reading this, then you must.  What do you look for in a good blog?  Are you looking for an escape?  Information?  Or just a nice place to spend a few minutes out of your busy day?  I would like to know.

Doodling

I am finding that I am having great fun with doodling.  I decided to sit and doodle some more last night and this is what I came up with after my cousin said I should draw some fruit.

So, here is some fruit.

Garden Chaos

Our new house has a large yard.  In fact, the whole lot is about a half acre and the house sits to the front of that so the back yard is large -- wider than deep.  The previous owner had done a lot of landscaping according to the neighbor but not much of it remains -- seems the things she did really weren't good for the house, like piling dirt in flower beds above the foundation line.  So, basically, the yard is a blank canvas and will stay that way, I think.  I rather like the serenity of a large, sprawling lawn.

 

Our neighbor's yard has been designated as an Audubon Society site for songbirds and we do have a lot of birds around.  On Friday I counted five robins in the yard.  I have never seen so many at one time!   I tried to get a photo but I wasn't quick enough.

So, to do our part with the birds, we moved our birdbath and birdfeeders and put them outside the breakfast nook window where we could enjoy watching the little sparrows.  They aren't going to be little for long because they have emptied those feeders twice and they have only been out there for a few days.

We haven't done anything with that flower bed yet because it has been too chilly but it will be cleaned out, the soil lowered away from the house and mulched.  If I put in flowers they will be in pots.  I can handle that.

I have rambled away from the point of the post here -- the crisis.

Well, it seems the former owner had hung a live wreath on the wall that had dried up and was needing to be discarded but we hadn't gotten to it yet.  The other day, while mowing, Hubs discovered a dove sitting on the dried up wreath -- clearly on eggs.  It was a great place for a nest -- under an eave, up high, well hidden. After watching her a couple of days we realized the eggs had hatched and there were two little hatchlings in the nest. 

However, yesterday, Hubs came in said he thought maybe something happened to Mommy Dove as there were feathers all over the ground below the wreath/nest and no bird in sight.  I went out and searched the whole yard -- the babies were screaming their heads off -- and no mommy to be found.

I panicked.  I Googled how to care for baby birds and the best advice was to get in touch with a "bird re-habber" or rescue.  So, I located one or two in the area and went back out to look.  There was Mommy Dove behind the shrubs on the ground.  She didn't appear to be hurt so we left her alone.  She moved all over the ground but didn't get back up in the nest.  We felt sure she was ok so we went on about our business but kept an eye out because we do have a very large, ginger cat that makes it's way through our yard.  As we retired for the night, she still wasn't on the nest but we felt confident that she was close-by.

When I got up this morning I checked and she was back up on the nest with everybody tucked in nice and snug.  I went out to take these photos and I checked -- Mommy is gone again but I did capture a baby sticking it's head out of the nest.  It seems to be the same color as the wreath so see if you can see the babe!

Crisis over!

Spring Break -- Installment Four

We decided to extend our stay in Savannah an extra day because there is just so much to see.  An extra day could have turned into a week for me but we did need to move on since we only had a week.

The second day was full of shopping and food and looking at all the gorgeous architecture.

There are no tall buildings in Savannah, no skyscrapers -- I think the tallest building is four stories.  The tallest thing you will find in the city are church steeples -- this being one of the best examples. This is the Independent Presbyterian Church.  It has a rich history and you can read about it on the website at http://ipcsav.org/

Another  outstanding example of Savannah churches is the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

The exterior of this church is breathtaking but the inside is even more so.  You can visit their website as well at http://savannahcathedral.org/

This is just a drop in the bucket in regards to the architecture. The mansions and row houses around the squares are gorgeous and the ironwork is so beautiful.  There is a lot of iron work on the homes and the story is that the wealthier you were the more iron you had on your house so there you go.

the famous Mercer House -- owned by the singer John Mercer at one time

We ate at two places while there -- The Cafe at City Market and The Six Pence Pub.  The Cafe at City Market was a very popular place, rustic in style and the food was great.  The Six Pence Pub, however, was fabulous.

It is authenic, the food was wonderful -- I had the shepherd's pie and salad -- and if you want to see it in action it is one of the locations in "Something to Talk About" with Julia Roberts.  I would go back -- right now -- I wonder when the next flight is?

And, then, of course, you have to do a little shopping.  There were great shopping places -- one called Silver Silk and Beads had gorgeous silver pendants that were designed reminiscent of the elaborate iron work you see around the city.  Gorgeous but I decided to go to Twinkle  and buy a cute little turquoise cross body bag with matching bi-fold wallet (tiny but it works!) and pom pom key chain which I really needed -- I really did!

It was a wonderful day -- the weather was gorgeous -- the citizens were excited about the upcoming St. Patrick's Day festival and everybody was decorating and feeling the festive atmosphere.  Personally, though, I am glad that we were gone before St. Patrick's Day because apparently it gets really rowdy -- people actually travel to attend so it isn't a totally local 'thing'.

The first day we used the trolley and my knees were thankful -- sort of -- climbing on and off those buses wasn't easy -- but the second day we walked everywhere and decided to take a Ghost Tour that evening.

It was a grand tour that included dinner at The Pirate House -- a restaurant housed in a building that was built in 1734 making it the oldest building in Georgia.  The meal was lovely -- although a LOT of food --my meal alone could have fed all four of us -- and it was ended with  a tour of the basement -- the very haunted basement.  Do I believe in ghosts?  Yes.  Did I see or feel any?  No.  With that said, the entire atmosphere of the city seems charged with excitement.  Does that have anything to do with the paranormal activity that is supposedly strong or was it just St. Patrick's Day?  I don't know but next time I go I definitely want to go to the CVS that is built on the site of the original jail -- seems that the spirits like to turn over shelving on the customers. Sounds like fun!

The next day saw us sadly heading out of Savannah toward Birmingham Alabama.  While there we visited the  16th Street Baptist Church which was the site of the 1963 bombing that killed four little girls.  We learned that two of these girls were Girl Scouts which made it even sadder -- these girls were apparently strong examples of what we all want our daughters to be -- smart, leaders, caring -- what a shame.  The whole area was sad -- the park across the street that was dedicated to these girls with statues and plaques was just so sad. I remember the events at that church but it seems much more recent than 1963.

Leaving there we headed to our hotel where we discovered that we were just too tired to go eat.  So, the Hubs and the Daughter walked across the street to a Publix and bought the makins for a picnic in our hotel room.  It was a great change from restaurant food -- even as lovely as it had been.

Finally, the morning found us rising and shining and heading out for the 12 hour drive back to Fort Worth.  It was a long, hard drive (it rained the entire way across Mississippi) and I was so glad to see a Whataburger!  Exhaustion set in, and we were glad to see our own bed.  It took me about three days to recover.

Would I do it again?  You bet -- with some changes -- I would choose to go to Savannah -- on an airplane -- and stay in downtown where I could walk to everything.  But yes -- and I probably will!

What Does One Do When Restless? Art!

Last night I was restless. I think I was tired and my knees were hurting and I wanted to do something but not too much of something.  All my sewing was upstairs and I just couldn't be bothered to climb the stairs so....

I decided to draw.  Now, you must understand that while my father was a very good artist and made a living at it, I didn't inherit the gene.  I knew this so I never even tried.  However, as many people do as they age, I have a new appreciation of art and enjoy a number of aspects of it.

Obviously fine art, painting, sculpture, etc is all art but I look at quilting, cross stitch, and paper crafts (i.e. cardmaking) as art as well.  I love the complexity of mixed media projects and have worked on a couple of those as well.  I was right on board with the new adult color book craze and love it -- I am going to indulge myself in a full set of prismacolor pencils as soon as I can find a full set someplace!

But, what I would really like to do is be able to draw.  I used to marvel at my father's ability to just sit and draw effortlessly.  The detail in his work was amazing (he was a cartoonist) and I would just shake my head not really knowing how he did it and being a bit resentful that I couldn't.

I will never be an artist but I have discovered that is ok.  Art is in the eye of the beholder and while I will never have the talent that my father did I can still play with it.

So, last night that is what I did.  I opened the internet and searched for sketching ideas and found a couple of things and gave it a go.  I was surprised to find that it was actually relaxing and not stressful because, after all, art is in the eye of the beholder, right?

So, here you go--Art -- MY way!

this is a vase in my kitchen -- this was done a few weeks ago

again with the vase

just the posy

a duck I copied off the internet

A penguin I copied off the internet

a fantasy flower and a magical bee from my imagination

more of the same

So, that is what I did last night -- huge waste of time but it was very relaxing -- I  might do it again tonight!

Made in Savannah Series 1-3

I think by now everybody has figured out that I was completely smitten with Savannah, Georgia.  I was.  I am not ashamed to say so.  I would love to go back.

But, I can't right now so....

I have watched "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" so I could at least look at parts of it again.  I did some research on books set in Savannah and have read the first three books in a series called "Made in Savannah" by Hope Callaghan.

I obtained the first three books as a boxed set for my Kindle -- for $.99.  How could I lose with three books for less than a dollar. I didn't know what to expect but I was anxious to read them.

I have finished all three and have purchased #4.  These are clean, cozy mysteries about Carlita Garlucci, her husband Vinnie, a crime boss, and their four children.  As the series begins, Vinnie has died and left Carlita with more than a few things to figure out, including an envelope, a key and a deed to some property in historic downtown Savannah.

All of this leads to a new life for Carlita and her family -- one away from organized crime but chock full of mystery everywhere she turns.

These books are quick reads, not terribly complex but great fun.  I recommend them and will continue to enjoy the series.

You Are What You Eat? I Don't Think So

While I am working on my next Spring Break installment I decided to post a small little snippit here about food.

You are what you eat?

I don't think so.

After the Girl Scout cookies were gone I decided to break myself from the cookie habit. It is the last bad eating habit I have.  I don't generally eat cake or pie and never bake them and with a diabetic hubby, I don't buy candy, so my bad eating habit is cookies and they needed to go. 

I didn't eat a cookie for a full month.  I felt so much better -- noticeably so.  Then I fell off the wagon.  I have eaten cookies again -- not in the same amount and not as often but I have eaten them in the past and I could feel a huge difference in how I felt.

So.......back on the wagon.

And you know, with all those cookies you would think I would feel all sweet and nice but no, I felt all grumbly and cross and bogged down. 

Therefore, no more cookies.

Back to Spring Break and the new book series I am reading!

Spring Break -- Installment Three

We pick up leaving Nashville and its rain and snow -- yes, snow.  I wasn't thrilled -- and head toward Savannah.  My daughter assured me that I would love Savannah and what can I say -- she knows me well.  Three days was not enough.

Our goal in Savannah was to visit the Juliet Gordon Low birthplace since it was Girl Scout Day the day we were there.  We joined another group and took a tour of the Low home and learned about her life and how she started the Girl Scouts of America.

monument in one of the squares

 

gate in the back garden of the Low home

Veranda of the Juliet Gordon Low birthplace

I don't mind telling you it was an absolutely gorgeous home and was furnished with many of the Low personal effects.  The bathroom was over the top -- for the time.  Who doesn't want a toilet that looks like an elephant? I think the photo is on my husband's camera.  Sorry.

After spending quite a bit of time at the Low home we visited the first headquarters of the GSA which was housed in the carriage house owned by Juliet Gordon Low's father-in-law.  It was very interesting because it was a bit of a museum with examples of past uniforms (oh, how they have changed) and many marketing items like dolls.  They even had a copy of the handbook that I had, as well as my uniform.  The handbook could be contemporary but the uniform was really dated.

plaque at the GSA headquarters

After leaving the GSA behind we did a bit of walking around the various squares.  Savannah is made up of sixteen squares, each named after a person significant to the history of the city.  Each square has monuments to something or somebody, benches and the most gorgeous foliage you have ever seen.  The azaleas were blooming profusely and the moss in the trees was swaying in the breeze.  It sounds ridiculous to say, but it looked like a postcard.

I was a bit hobbled with my knees and all but thanks to their lovely trolley tours I was able to see many sites and get dropped off at various places to explore and get back on the trolley to go to the next stop without excessive walking.  It was a godsend.

We decided that ice cream sounded like a lovely idea since Savannah is the home of Leopold's -- an ice cream shop that has been around for almost a hundred years.  There is always a line and this day was no different.

So, as the rest of the group stood in line, I decided to wait it out at one of the outdoor tables where I struck up a conversation (as I am so apt to do, much to everybody's chagrin) with a lady who was also sitting it out.  We chatted until her companions arrived and I went to leave and they told me to stay so the chatting continued.  One of her friends was named Barbara.  We talked about why we were there visiting and where we came from and we were surprised to learn we both came from San Antonio.  The conversation, of course, veered to school and who knew who and we said -- at the same time -- that we went to Edison!  Seems she graduated in 65 and I in 68.  We started naming off people we knew and yes, we knew the same people.  This is such a perfect example of what a small world it is.

So, after all that and getting the ice cream we set off walking again.  At this point we decided to revamp our plans and stay an extra day in Savannah and forgo our stop at Vicksburg, Mississippi. In retrospect, we should have done it differently still but I just wanted an extra day in Savannah because I wasn't done!

More to come about Savannah, Day 2.

  

 The photos above are just random offerings by the Bean.  She commandeered my camera and she wasn't very selective about what she snapped! So, I have to thank my daughter for letting me use some of her photos.

A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor

I just finished reading "A Memory of Violets" by Helen Gaynor.  It was recommended to me by a friend a few weeks ago and after reading a snippit of it I had to acquire the book and read on.

It is a book about sisters Florrie and Rosie who were part of the flower selling community in the East End of London in the late 1800's.  It is also a book about Tilly and Esther, sisters as well, who lived in the Lake District and even though the four girls came from different backgrounds they all had severe burdens to bear and their stories were entwined to make a compelling story.

It was a very sad story of loss -- lots of loss -- and hardship -- much of that as well but also the story of a benefactor so benevolent that he saved the lives and made homes for hundreds of homeless, destitute, crippled and blind girls in the area.  It was heartwarming.

This is clearly a period novel based on the life and work of John Groom -- Albert Shaw in the book.  The other characters, Flossie and Rosie, Tilly and Esther and a whole host of others were fictional, based on knowledge of the flower girls that had been written about previously.

I had a hard time putting the book down because of the delightful twists and turns -- letters written, diaries kept. It was interesting and I learned a bit about the Eliza Doolittle's of London.  It was sad all along but the ending was poignant and very satisfying.

I recommend.

Spring Break -- Installment Two

After we left Little Rock we headed to Memphis.  We saw the Mississippi River but we didn't see Graceland.  We did, however, see Margie's 901 Ice Cream.  It was really good and really expensive but not as expensive as the parking -- $13 to park the car for about 30 minutes.  That is highway robbery!

It is a locally owned shop featuring homemade ice cream and cakes.  It was delicious and I would recommend it if you are in the Memphis area.

Leaving Memphis we were back on the road to Nashville.  We got there in time for dinner which we ate at Jim 'n Nicks -- a really nice barbecue place with these ---

These were the most luscious cheese biscuits I have ever tasted.  The food overall was exceptional and I would definitely go back to this place if I am ever in the area again.

Shortly thereafter Bean fell asleep at the table and we headed off to the hotel for a good night's sleep -- I love Marriott's beds -- I always get a good night's sleep there.

The next morning we set out to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and what fun that was! It was raining and miserable outside so this was a great place to spend half the day.

Entrance to the exhibit

The main exhibit was Loretta Lynn

In the Taylor Swift Educational Center the kids could do crafts -- Bean did a backstage pass!

We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the Country Music Hall of Fame and it was rather odd -- Mexican food in a very American museum and all they were playing was 60's British rock music!  Very odd, indeed!

So, after lunch we headed to the Tennessee State Museum.  It was a lovely museum that reminded me of the Institute of Texan Cultures.  However, by the time we got there my knees were done and I sat most of the visit and missed quite a few things, like their quilt collection. 

When we finished with the museum we decided to look for dinner.  The weather was horrible, flooding, deluge rain.  It was not a pleasant day -- it only got worse.

Headed back to the area of the hotel we had a car accident -- a person lost control of the car in the rain, slid in front of us, my daughter was braking but hit them anyway, they did a 360, bounced off the retaining wall and came back to hit us two more times.  We were fine but there is damage to the car. Unfortunately the driver of the other car was taken to the hospital.

We finally found dinner at Olive Garden.

Returning to our hotel room we learned that there was a chance of snow that night.  I figured it wouldn't.  I was wrong.  It snowed.

We left the next morning and I have to say I couldn't get out of Tennessee fast enough.

Next installment -- Savannah!

Spring Break -- Installment One

The hubs and I went on vacation.  We actually accompanied our daughter and granddaughter on a Girl Scout Badge earning venture across the deep south.  My daughter chose a few patches that required historical research to accomplish and off we went.

We left Fort Worth on Saturday morning and headed east on I-30 toward Arkansas.  Our first stop was Little Rock, Arkansas.  My daughter, being the history teacher she is, wanted to visit Central High School which was the focal point of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957.  It is an absolutely gorgeous, and rather huge,  school with a historic background and I was glad to see it even though there was so much sadness there.

 I remember those times well even though I was quite small because my aunt lived in Little Rock at the time.  My mother and I, grandparents and cousin took a road trip to see my aunt in 1956 and we went to this very apartment house.  It looked much as it did at the time -- I have photos, I will find them one day.  But, for now, I managed to capture this one off Google maps.

It was a lovely apartment right across the street from a school with a playground.  Wonderful for us.  The back of the apartment houses opened into a back yard of sorts where you could go down and grill or sit and read.  It hasn't changed much at all -- this is exactly what these houses looked like in 1956.

We had a bit of lunch at The Root -- a sandwich shop with an Austin vibe --

Then, we were Nashville bound.

Installment Two coming soon.