Thursday, December 31, 2009
Under a Blue Moon
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Deck The Halls
The tree has been up & lit for over two weeks now, but still only has two ornaments that managed to stay on from last year. Yikes, there's only ten days till Christmas. I really need to get going on the holiday trimming and deck the halls.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Time to Decorate the Christmas Tree
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Giving Thanks and Black Friday
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Affordable Luxuries #6 Flower Bulbs
Monday, November 23, 2009
Haramaki = Happy Warm Tummy
Friday, November 6, 2009
Inspiration for Operation Pare Down
I'm really trying to pare down these days in so many ways. I'm on a campaign to eliminate stuff we don't need or really love and to find homes for those things others might treasure. Thank goodness for the Salvation Army or Sal's as my friend Susie calls it. I remember the first time she told me she'd been shopping at Sal's. I thought it must be the newest boutique and that I was out of loop. No, Sal's was not another Jeffery's, it was the good old Salvation Army. She had hit our local one for some cheap work t-shirts. I was definitely out of the loop in terms of frugal shopping.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Green Tea and Habit Versus Ritual
I have been trying to incorporate a cup of green tea into my daily routine and it has proven harder than I imagined. It certainly doesn't come as naturally as that first cup of coffee in the morning. I have thought about swapping my morning coffee for green tea but can't imagine that it would suit me or get me going. My morning coffee is a habit bordering on an addiction and not subject to tampering. Also, I think that a cup of tea is more suited to ritual than habit.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Enchanted by the Moon
Friday, October 23, 2009
Halloweenimas
Looking at the level of decorating that now seems the norm for Halloween, I have decided the holiday has morphed into Halloweenimas. I'm not sure whether I should be amused or horrified by the large blow up ghosts and full light displays that are proliferating. I love Halloween and its aesthetic but I guess I'm used to the old fashioned paper scarecrow on the door and a few pumpkins on the porch approach to decorating.
Maybe it's because this new hyper Halloween decorating seems driven by something more than holiday spirit. A marketing scheme to sell more Christmas perhaps? I can just imagine some ad agency brainstorming ways to make people feel the need to use twinkle lights year round. When I get past that image I can almost enjoy Halloweenimas in all its orange twinkle light glory.
What I Wish I Was Wearing
I would be very happy to be out and about in this outfit instead of slogging around in my yoga pants. I'm always a sucker for a great black and white stripped shirt. Check out the great collection of stripes at the thinking tank.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Pick Up Sticks and Back to Blogging
I know it's fall (I've been in a deliberate denial) because the leaves are starting to really pile up. Oddly they have seem to have decided to just wither and fall off this year rather than turning pretty colors first. Perhaps they are not happy with the early cold either.
Accompanying the leaves are a mass of sticks that need to be piled for pickup. While living in the heart of Brooklyn I gave sticks very little thought. Now like a city kid learning that steak comes from a cow (or rather cattle) I am realizing trees make sticks. Trees and blustery days. It seems pretty elementary, but when you pick up a stick to play with as a kid you think of it as a discreet object rather than a former branch.
I would not be giving sticks so much thought if I were in my city apartment or just had one or two trees in the yard, but the small patch of woods that edge the house are a stick factory. So as I lug the sticks, I think "chop wood, carry water" and try to be zen. I also think it's sad that my stick piles don't look like the art of Peter "Beetle" Collins. How lovely what artistic intent can make of even a pile of sticks. Now back to blogging regularly.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Recession Fun #6: Country Roads
One of our simplest pleasures this summer has been driving on country roads and stopping at the various farm stands. My favorite stand is not actually part of a farm but a little stand run by a couple who sell vegetables and beautiful bouquets from their garden. It consists of just a table, an umbrella and a hand-painted sign in their driveway but the bouquets are better than any you could get at a florist. They overflow with bicolor zinnias, black-eyed susan, and forget-me-nots. The stand operates on the honor system and has a sign that says you can leave an IOU if you need to. How lovely is that?
A Touch of Paris
While I’m completely content to be soaking up as much summer sunshine as I can in the good ole USA these days, I was craving a touch of Paris the other day. Maybe it was one of the thunderstorms that sent me indoors that caused me to daydream about a walk in Paris. I used to live in the 15th arrondissement and my tiny apartment was just a short walk from the Champs du Mars and the Tour Eiffel. I would take walks or jog in the early evening with the tower beautifully lit up above me. It was a luxury to be sure.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Flights of Fancy
Monday, June 22, 2009
Rain, rain, ...
I won't even bother saying go away, because I know it isn't listening to me. I feel like I took a break from blogging because I was down from all of the rain. In the back of my head I was thinking when the sun come out I'll get motivated again. Well, no sign of the sun, so I'm forcing myself to get past the inertia I've been feeling. It's a little sobering to realize how easily affected by the weather I am. Shouldn't I be able to determine my own state of mind rather than being a victim to some clouds?
Okay lot's of clouds and days and days of just gray skies and rain. Argh! I feel like I'm in some weird sci-fi movie where the sun disappears and it takes a while, but people finally begin to realize it's not coming back.
These photos by Carl Kleiner are inspiring me to put the color in my own days. Come on rain, I can beat you. Oh. wow a hint of sun out side!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My Words in Color
Wordle provided a playful diversion and some much needed color to an otherwise grey day. You can create your own word cloud based on your blog, a favorite text or words you type into the application. The above word clouds are based on this blog and my other blog Joy Bucket.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Where's the Rain?
I changed my plans today because of the torrential rain we are supposed to be experiencing. So where are the April showers? Paris maybe? This photo is proof that Paris makes even inclement weather look good.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Reading Wish List: Script and Scribble
I'm the kind of person who would be very happy curled up and reading a good book for hours. My life however does not accommodate such singular pursuits these days, so I find myself compiling a Reading Wish List.
I did manage to read the latest issue of ReadyMade from start to finish the other night (Domino substitute) and came across a blurb about Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting by Kitty Burns which peaked my interest. I often look at my handwriting and think what happened? I learned penmanship before the personal computer hit and was taught by nuns no less, so there's really no excuse for the state of my handwriting these days. The answer may lie in Ms. Burns' book which goes beyond blaming computers alone and looks at our modern lifestyle for an explanation. I personally hope there is still hope for the art of penmanship.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
April Showers Deserve a Good Trench
This afternoon I looked out the window and the sun was reduced to a diffused glow behind the grey clouds. I felt as if I were in some weird sci-fi movie in which the sun has devolved into a Red Giant and can only partially illuminate the sky. Hmm, maybe the less than stellar weather has me down?
I'm sure I'd be happier if I had a great trench coat in my wardrobe to throw on and looked as pulled together as this woman from Lucky's Fashion Copycat. In Style magazine featured a surprisingly great trench from London Fog this month (may be that shouldn't be a shock from London Fog). Unfortunately the extra 20% off from InStyle's April Deals seems to have depleted supplies. Only XL is still available. Wah, no retail therapy for me.
Thank You Forsythia
Here's a little shout out to all the forsythia bushes trimmed and untrimmed that have provided a much needed bit of sunshine these past couple of grey days. Now if the sun would just get its act together!
Photo via The Dessert Years.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Great Scotts and Tartans Too
As NY Tartan Week comes to a close I'm reminded of how much I love men in kilts and a good tartan. I'm pleased my family name has two tartans associated with it, a rather bold district sett and a more subdued family sett. I'd love to order a few yards one day to cover a comfortable old chair. It would be nice to settle in with a good book engulfed in the family tartan.
Not to worry if you don't have a Scottish name or tartan to match you can create your own at Tartan Maker.
Moffat district tartan top, Moffat family tartan bottom.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
My New Wierd Obsession: Willow Hurdles
Maybe I've just watched too many episodes of Midsomer Murders and have become enamored of the English garden aesthetic through osmosis. That would explain my love of willow hurdles and why when I think of how my garden is going to look, I can't get the image of them out of my mind.
Realistically, I think my still to be dug garden is going to be have to be much more modest at first. I have yet to find a source of hurdles on the east coast and have limited funds to work with. This year's garden will likely have more in common with the Victory Gardens of WWII than an English garden but I can still dream. Either way I'm looking forward to getting some dirt on my hands.
The lovely willow hurdles pictured above are by WonderWood.