REDNESDAY

Thanksgiving greetings to all you U.S. citizens! Enjoy your food 'n football tomorrow!

Hey, don't forget about my Christmas Swap! Sign up in the post before this one.

Hello, Sunshine! I went outside early this morning before school and snapped a photo of the frost that covered everything. It was so beautiful! Of course, pictures don't do it justice. (It was so thick that Becky thought it had snowed out!) I cropped this photo but, then afterwards, noticed on the original pic that there was a pretty little rainbow down in the corner . . .

The sun reflecting off the frost! And there's the red - in the rainbow! God's promise that He'll never cover the entire earth with a flood again.

I filled a shoebox for the annual Operation Christmas Child. I was feeling all pleased with myself as I left it on the table at church but then when I was going to the parking lot in walks a family carrying 6 boxes! Well, that humbled me pretty quickly!

My sister always gives me a bag of little goodies for my birthday each year. Last week she included some cupcake papers - Mary Engelbreit and cherries. Made my day!

Here is an Autumn vignette on my craft table. Except for the spotted feather, they are collected on the ground under and around the bird feeders.

I guess that's enough for one week! Enjoy your holiday!

TAG! YOU'RE IT!

Two little chipmunks playing tag, or hide and seek, in and around the stone wall today!

VICTORIAN SUMMERHOUSES

Do you like any of these: arbors, summerhouses, gazebos, or pavilions? I have a book called The Classic Garden by Graham Rose, that has a chapter on Arbors and Retreats, and I'm enjoying it immensely! These structures are so dreamy! I scanned a few pages of illustrations for you, so you can dream with me!


Here's some of what the book says about "Inside the Victorian Summerhouse":

"Normally, reading was an activity confined to the library, study or drawing-room. Taking tea was a ceremony that usually took place in the parlor. Therefore in the belle epoque [this time period], merely reading a book or taking tea in a summerhouse had something akin to heresy about it and it induced an exciting sense of mischief. This was amplified because the weather in those northern regions where summerhouses were most frequently built was only rarely kind enough to make using them a pleasure.

"But even when the decision to use the summerhouse had been taken, the ripple of anticipation of a more relaxed feast in the garden was mitigated by the fact that a large element of ceremony still had to be preserved. Flawless, well-starched linen would cover the table. Genteel cutlery and crockery would be used and a maid in a pinafore and cap would ensure suitably deferential service.

(photo from sissymaids.groupsite.com)

"To stage such a tea party, a summerhouse had, in many ways, to be designed to resemble a parlor. It had to be large enough to seat up to eight people in some comfort. So that they could all enjoy the garden view, it had to have large windows on most of its sides. In very hot weather it had to be suitably ventilated, which meant that the windows had to be capable of being opened to create a through draft. Adjustable roof-ventilation was often provided to allow rising heat to escape. Under adverse conditions on windy days the summerhouse had to be suitably snug. Apart from the main table and chairs, there also had to be shelf space for such paraphernalia as kettles heated by spirit lamps to provide hot water to replenish the tea pots. By modern standards, tea in the Victorian summerhouse was hardly a spontaneous affair."

Phew! That sounds like a lot of work to me! Give me my Diet Pepsi and a sandwich any day! But, it would have been wonderful if you had the servants to do everything for you. Which is your favorite of these illustrations? I think mine is the Gothic Summerhouse - love those windows!

REDNESDAY

Happy September Rednesday friends! It's almost time to get out your cosy sweaters and sweatshirts for the Fall! I've started getting out some of my Fall decorations; or, should I say back-to-school dec's ~ my display thermoses, and also my Royal China Memory Lane dishes with acorns around the rims. I don't know if the smallest thermos, on the right, belonged to a picnic set or something ~ it is a Thermos brand, but it says "Happy h Home" and has W's all over it (which I know stands for Wickett!)


I finally found something to do with my big, wide, red rickrack. I'm displaying "the Queen's jewels" on it right above my computer!

Cookbooks and a vintage little wheelbarrow!

This was a nice treat a few nights ago ~ male Oblong Winged Katydid! They don't like to be found. I don't know what he was doing up on my deck, but I sure surprised him when I let the cat in!
This one is 2 inches/5 cm long. If you don't know what the Katydid sounds like, go to this page, scroll down to "Some Memorable Songs" and click on the graph for common true katydid.

ABANDONED SHED

This little abandoned outbuilding sits on the side of my (long) driveway down near the road. I just love how those vines grow over and hang down! This pic almost reminds me of a tropical island! (I've been to Haiti and rural Jamaica.)

Although not in bloom yet, those tall plants in front of the shed are Jewel Weed, or Touch-Me-Not, and they really look like a tropical flower! (Google photo)

REDNESDAY

(above photo courtesy of Two Crazy Crafters)

Happy Rednesday everyone! Mister and I went to our semi-annual auction Saturday and had lots of fun, as usual! It runs from 10 - 3. Mister helps out and usually, by mid-day, I'm helping out, too! Here are a few photos.

See the red arrow pointing to a round basket with lid? I have no idea what kind it is, but it sold for around $80!

The thrift store that I frequent (the one beside the post office) is run by nuns, and they are the ones who put on this auction. They use various groups who volunteer with holding up the items and carrying them to the winners, like the Boy Scouts, etc. This time there was a group of men from one of the local correctional institutes - it's a pre-release program.

We have a minimum security prison in the next town over (I grew up in that town); beside that is a maximum security; and a few towns in the other direction is the women's facility. My mom worked as secretary in the school of the maximum security prison - she said the inmates that came to the school were all very nice, never a problem there. Of course, they all maintained their innocence!

This photo is of Mister (gray shirt) with the fellows in orange. They seemed to enjoy being there and were quite funny! The security officer with them was female and I asked her if they got to do things like this often. She said they usually get trash pick-up details, so this was a nice change for them, and her.

I didn't get too much this time. My best score was this wonderful vintage linen table set with cherries! (Yes, Cheese Boy - more cherries!) A table runner or centerpiece; four placemats and four napkins.

Alas, my lovely vintage table isn't wide enough for the placemats on the sides, just the ends.

Here is a huge patriotic tin tray (19" across) that I got for only 50 cents! It has some dents that need to be knocked back into shape.

Teen was up early Monday morning (actually, all night!) and shot this sunrise at 5:30. I've never seen such intense reds before - of course, I'm never up that early, lol! In the afternoon, as predicted, we had a thunderstorm even though the temps were mid 40's (7C). It wasn't bad except for this one crazy extra loud thunder clap that was right over us - scared the bejeebers out of us, and the cats!

LEMONADE - WITH ICE?

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

When life gives you ice storms, you take lots of pictures!



Isn't this cool? I took this pic of a robin through the heart-shaped wreath on my door! Mister threw out a handful of raisins for it to munch on.

VINTAGE WOODWORKING PATTERNS

I ran across this advertisement for woodworking projects in some of Mister's stuff and thought I'd share them with you. This is 8-1/2" x 11" when folded up, so that makes it 17" x 22" (43cm x 55cm), printed on both sides. Feel free to copy any of these images! (right click to open a larger image)



Here are some dramatic photos of storm clouds at sunset, taken by Teen.

"The heavens declare the glory of God"!