Monday

This green glass vase was one of the treasures that I picked up with some other goodies at Goodwill.  The vase goes here:

Today was a complete whirlwind.  I woke up to thunderclaps and two scared dogs trying to jump inside me, that's how close they wanted to be. 

Little Bit and Lulu, these were the culprits during the thunder storm!

I had medical appointments, picked up prescriptions, cooked a great dinner, and ignored a grad school paper which is due soon.   I was so busy I ALMOST didn't have time for STARBUCKS!  I KNOW!  How shocking is that.

Oh yes, and I also have a Civic League Executive Board Meeting and I need to write at some point today.  Other than that, I sat around all day long and ate bon bons.  Like always.

Spring Fireplace Mantel

I'm always changing up things for the seasons.  Here's the Spring mantel:

I have this odd thing happen from time to time with the Goodwill a half mile away.  Sometimes I just get this strong feeling that I need to go there immediately.   Each time I answer that siren call, there IS something there for me!  Earlier this week it was the picture in the middle of the mantel.  The frame matched the yellow wooden bird I've had for quite years.

Here is a close up of the picture:

The dresser scarf was thrifted and set me back a whopping 55 cents  Here is a close up of the hand-worked detail:

The squarish blue pitcher came with my Grandmother Dunn's "ice box" when she bought it.  I've always loved the shape and the color.   The word Westinghouse is stamped on the bottom.

I love the yellow pitcher equally. This pitcher arrived four years ago with an arrangement of roses.  Love the vintage shape.  I doubt anyone would guess it wasn't the real McCoy or, in this case, real Fiesta.

The sentimental old picture you see to the right with the flowers is an antique.  The Scripture verse reads, "The entrance to Thy words giveth light.  Psalm 119:130.  Amen to that and happy Sunday.



Saturday Slice of Life

I spent some time today in the little town of Cape Charles on the Chesapeake Bay on Virginia's Eastern Shore.  Cape Charles is about an hour's drive from my house on Route 13 across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, one of the engineering marvels of the modern world.

All the trees aren't budded out quite yet, but the weather was relatively warm and sunny.   Here are some trees already decked out in new spring dresses.

I loved this firehouse which is now a restaurant:

Here's an Irish pub to make me feel at home.  Check out the celtic knot in the little round window:

Cape Charles is in a largely rural area.  It is a town of about 1200 people which grew originally because it was a stop on the passenger railroad:

Many charming Victorians, Craftsman bungalows, and good old sturdy American Four Squares dot the the little downtown area of Cape Charles.  Some are listed as vacation rentals.  Residents and vistitors enjoy the Cheasapeake Bay at the edge of town.    I was fascinated with the detail on the houses, particularly the gingerbreading and fish scale siding.  Dig the dragon flies, too.

The downtown business district is adorable:

 Don't miss Oliver!  "Please sir, may I have more?

I heard a lot of local color when I went into Watson's Hardware.

I picked up some grass seed and had a nice talk with the man who ran the hardware store. 

Then Tony from New York sat in a rocker next to Lulu and me.  That's Tony  in the pic below with the jaunty blue cap.  We talked about New York. For two years during the Deparession, Tony lived in an orphanage in Syosset, a town on Long Island, NY.  Things folks tell me like that can haunt me for days.  I wondered how he ended up there and who adopted him after two years.  His new parents were from New York City, whoever they were. There's  a book in there somewhere.  

Tony was just telling me that he'd like to go back to NY to visit as the gentleman in the orange shirt stepped out of the hardware store and pulled out some bills from his money clip.

"I'll give you this if you'll make it a one-way ticket," he said good naturedly.  "I'm sure I can get people to donate the rest."  Tony said, "He hates me.  He's a county selectman."

Rough words, but when I turned around to take the pic, they were sitting companionably on the rocking chairs reading the newspaper

I had Italian wedding soup for lunch...

At this Italian restaurant in a town not far away from Cape Charles.

Happy Spring - The Beatles Said it Best

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever)

Did you know that St. Patrick used the abundant shamrocks of Ireland to teach Irish pagans about the Holy Trinity?  Consider the leaf, three distinct parts, yet one. 

In honor of my Irish grandparents,  Jimmy Dunn, John Robert Galvin, Esquire, Arline O'Toole, and Helen Beausang, I wish you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The Prayer of St. Patrick
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me

Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation

23 Wind Road

Ahhhhhh two nights in a row of sleep.  I slept until 9:10 this morning.  I'm feeling nearly human again.

As my grandmother, Helen, used to say, "I feel drunk with power!"  Helen never worried too much about not sleeping.  When we thought she looked tired and would urge her to take a nap, she would say, "I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I am six feet under!" 

Actually, I don't think that's true, because I'm sure she's enjoying hanging out with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and interfering with all of our lives by praying without ceasing.   She had a bunch of colorful sayings, like "a blind man wouldn't know the difference" and "here he comes, sled and all" if you were coming in the door laden with packages or grocery bags.  The Irish say things like that. 

I think of her around St. Patrick's Day.   I see her in my mind's eye, talking to her sister Kit at the end of the day.  Not your typical old lady, she would sit on the red-carpeted  bottom riser of the staircase and have a good chat, left elbow on her knee, leaning her head on her hand.  The receiver of the rotary phone she never replaced was in her right.  Then they both solved all the problems of the world in 10 minutes, two old ladies in slippers, one in East Hartford and the other in West.

Her house was my refuge with beatiful Victorian things that belong to me now.  The silver service on the banner of this blog was hers.  When I am very troubled, I go back to 23 Wind Road alone inside my mind and walk through those rooms.  Every room is imprinted exactly as it was when I was a child.  I know every creaky board on the floor.  In real life, I will lie down on her bed with the pineapple carving.

Sometimes, I dream about 23 Wind Road.  Suddenly, she will walk up the basement stairs with some laundry in a blue basket as if she had never been gone at all.

When my Dad first came here to visit, he looked around and said, "I love this house.  I feel so at home here.  You've created Wind Road all over again!  It was the best compliment I could ever have.

The pic above is one painted of 23 Wind Road.  My trees out front look just the same right now at the tree on the right.  My bedroom was at the right second hand window.  I still miss it.

Lovely Tuesday

I've been on a "lack of sleep" jag since last Friday.  Ohhhhh, how I hate it.  There was nothing specifically wrong, but I was getting about three hours a night.  In a new and dismaying development, I can't seem to nap either.  ICK.  In graduate school, I had one problematic team member who was so bad that it actually would have been easier to do the work without her.  She was reassigned to another team after we finished the project yesterday.  At least we will not have to work with her on the next one.  Finally, I slept last night!

I had lunch out this afternoon, picked up some groceries, and did some thrift store shopping. I had read someone's blog (I forget whose) that said that Tuesdays are the most fruitful day for thrift stores.  The idea is that lots of donations come in from folks over the weekend.  By Tuesday, everything has been processed and shelved.  I have found this to be just right at my local haunts.  I picked up two wonderful tea pots, a hobnail milk glass mirror (!), a really upscale outdoor birdhouse that I'll use indoors, and a green glass vase for the dining room collection.  I'll get some pics up this week.

Enjoy the pear blossoms from the tree in my front yard.  I think they are perfectly perfect in lacey exquisiteness.  I would rather have the blossoms than the pears!  The beautiful ironstore pitcher was a birthday present from my thrift store junkie friend, Nancy.  It is one of the things I'd grab as I was running from the house in a tsunami.

So even though today was cloudy in Portsmouth, Virginia, it was still a lovely day because my mind started working again.  Never mind milk, sleep..it does a body good!

Seize the day!

Spring outside, Spring inside

Greetings from sunny Virginia. Here I am with a cup of chai and the wash on spin cycle in the laundry room.  Light colors, in case you were wondering.  I switch between chai and Earl Grey, sometimes Irish Breakfast tea...in case you were wondering about that. I doubt you were, but just in case.

On Saturday I posted about Spring arriving in Portsmouth on the outside.  Now you can see Spring arriving on the inside. 

So you can see that I love ceramic birds, right?  I'm not sure what it is about them.  I'm not wildly enthusiastic about any kind of inside bird, like a parakeet.  I do love cardinals and other outside birds.  I always have some sparrows that nest starting this time of year in a trumpet vine and trellis I have out front.  When I used to brush my husky, who is in heaven now, I would take his abundant fur and leave it near the trellis for the birds.  I could see it peeping out from their nest.  I do love the sound of my mourning doves cooing outside the bedroom window in their plaintive tones.

I have a little rule about various collections.  I have to be able to buy them for $5 or under. This helps me be selective and increases the thrill of the chase for me.  I try to keep the birds under $3, if I can. 

I had a turkey burger at Red Robin for lunch yesterday.  I'm not wild about chain restaurants but I do like Red Robin...yum.  And then the siren call of Michaels drew me in to the store. I was powerless,  assure you.  I found three sets of birds which met my specifications and, well, it was like I'd just discovered King Tut's tomb, trust me.  I found the biggger blue and yellow birds and the sweet little pair with the rosebuds.  The other ones in the picture came from the Dollar Store years ago.  

Naturally I had to come home and set up a vignette with a vintage bird cage.  This whole bird cage thing is all my mother's fault because she decorated with one in 1970, long before shabby was chic or anyone else thought of it. Mom is like that...a trend setter.  She also owns well over 200 pairs of shoes in every color of the rainbow.  She has very tiny feet, so she buys all the cool shoes that no other adult woman can wear when they go on sale.  Don't you hate her?  Now most women don't have a pair of green shoes.  I think Mom has three pair of green shoes, at least that I've seen. One never knows. 

I bought another pair of birds that I'll show you later in the week.  There's been a crown decorating trend for all of us cottagey shabby chic'ers, as well as a ceramic bird trend.  This white pair with a lovely finish have crowns!  Crown them with many crowns, the birds upon the nest!  I don't know...

Portsmouth Spring

Tsunamis and More Mundane Matters

For a variety of reasons, I couldn't seem to fall asleep last night.  Perhaps it was my caffeinated Starbucks too late in the day.  My writing has been pouring out and I've reached a critical juncture.  Every time I close my eyes, I only see Westchester County, New York and the characters dance around on the movie screen behind my eyes.  There's a relationship on my mind.  Whatever it was, I was still awake with cable news on when the information on Japan and the tsunami headed for the US was broadcast.

My beloved Hawaii.  All I could think of was my friend Snow Jade.  I checked to see if she was on line, and then sent an email with love and prayers.  It was so good to have her email back in a few hours that she is fine in her high rise condo in Waikiki.  Snow Jade and I were Red Cross military caseworkers at Hickam Air Force Base so many years ago.  She was there the day a crazy woman came in and threated to "shoot fire out of her finger tips" at me if I didn't get her on a military flight.  I couldn't think of a reasonable response.  Snow Jade said, "go ahead" and picked up the fire extinguisher, just in case. Taiwanese people are not easily ruffled.

What does this have to do with Norfolk County Seed and Feed?  Nothing.  But this was the blog entry I'd planned before the devastation halfway across the world.   Norfolk County, the county, that is, existed from 1691 to 1963.  Norfolk County used to include the city of Portsmouth until it became its own city and county during the Kennedy administration.  And Norfolk County Feed and Seed was there long before JFK.  It is another thing I love about Portsmouth, with a resident cat called Skittles, wooden floors, and local spuds and eggs for sale.  We worried it might close when Walmart moved in across the street, but it thrives selling indoor and outdoor plants, odd hardware items, and yes...feed as well as seed.

Twelve years ago, a dog who is now in heaven broke the china shade of this antique brass lamp.  The lamp has a key feature to turn it on and off that I really love.  For all these twelve years, I've been looking for a replacement every where from New York to Atlanta.  Where did I find it?  A half mile away at Norfolk County Seed and Feed.

Thursday Morning

Greetings from cold and rainy Virginia, where a small, wet, white dog sits beside me hoping that a morsel will drop off my plate.  I'm eating a whole grain Thomas' English muffin with almond butter and Simply Fruit, raspberry. Sublime.  Lulu is a cute vulture with fur, I don't think Darwin could explain her. She's also waiting for the dregs of my cinnamon and cardamon-infused chai tea.  Good luck on that because I drank it down to the last dregs. 

You do know about the spice cardamon, right?  It is much more popular in Scandinavian countries.  Cardamon is lovely in any kind of baked goods instead of cinnamon, like apple pie or banana bread.  It has a lighter, almost citrus-y scent.  Sometimes I open the bottle and just sniff, as I do with whole vanilla beans and freshly-ground coffee.  Yes, I know, I need a life. Strangely, I also like the smell of gasoline.

I've got a pot of split-pea soup cooking.  Just that kind of day, I think.  I like mine spicy, with red pepper flakes, fennel seed, and cumin.  I start it early, because it tastes better after it sits a bit.

So my Dr. Pepper crate up there.  I've had that out in the garage for ten years.  I had no idea what to do with it, but I knew I needed to keep it.  I'm always fiddling for a pen and something to write on in the kitchen, as well as for the remote...et tout voila, an organizer.  I started thinking about this when I saw the link below on Junk Market Style:

http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/10012/great-crates

Why I Love Where I Live

There are many reasons why I love my little city, but here's one of them.  I heart my city police department. Wondering why?  Check this out.

So this morning I'm running to Starbucks for a vente three equal sugar free vanilla six pump soy latte before an appointment.  I have my go juice with me in the car, leave the drive through, turn right onto Green Street headed for London Street.  I look to my right to see:

This kind of startled me.  I know that the law says you need to leave a lot of room between your car and an emergency vehicle, but I wasn't too clear about a horse.  Okay, now I'm more than sure that not one of you saw something like this next to the Red Cross building in your town this morning.

Or this:

Because it is important that Pam's Hair Designs with the red marquee, and yes, ALL of Green Street is safe from varmints, rustlers, women of ill fame, horse thieves, and other malefactors.  I've seen some interesting things in my city concerning my police department, but this tops even the time that the transvestite counterfeiters were arrested by PPD and the Secret Service on Chesapeake Avenue in my neighborhood. I was never sure whether it was a lifestyle choice or a disguise.

Quite seriously, police horses do important work. NYPD depends on their horses for all sorts of things,including patrolling Central Park.  All horses  need exercise.  It is important that police horses become used to traffic vs. being exercised in a ring or a rural area.  Our equine friends are highly effective at crowd control. They are used here for big football games and other community events. 

Another officer on a different horse named Knightmare (I think this horse's name is Max.  Knightmare is a cooler name) once caught a bank robber hiding in the bushes with the bag and the dye pack leaking all over the place.  Cops have a great vantage point on top of a horse.  Horses and their humans also serve during parades, particularly Portsmouth's Memorial Day Parade, the oldest in the nation.  I love Portsmouth's police horses, one of the wonderful things about living here.  Seriously.

Living Room Corner

I love this sunny corner of my living room.

March Marble Top

The marble top decked out for March.  The china you see is Franciscan Ivy pattern which once belonged to my parents,  It also once belonged to Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in their New York apartment. 

Faded Roses

I will live with the roses Where the sea of mem'ry flows
And each time I dream then a tear will gleam
On this petal from a faded rose