Indulge Your Shelf

I don't know anything about this Vera scarf, except that I saw it on Etsy, loved it, put it on my wish list... and was surprised with it for Mother's Day! I loved the jewel tones of purple and blue against the black black background!  There is a shiny kind of paint to make some of the pieces sparkle. Just looking at it makes me sigh!  I wonder if I'll ever get over my love of Vera, or of vintage fabric design in general? There is, sadly, nothing very creative going on in my life these days.  I seem to have lost my muse -- either that, or she is as busy and tired as I am.  Either way -- she's not making an appearance! I'm hoping to find it again, next month at the beach.  For now, I hope you will forgive me for being the Most Boring Blogger!

I'm still waiting for Spring; even though we've had a couple of nice days, this is what it looked like in my neighborhood on Tuesday night: It's hail, not snow.  Several inches of it.  So when I walked into JoAnns Fabrics and Crafts yesterday and saw their beach-y theme, I had to sigh in anticipation of warmer days ahead. This sign made me really happy. Dennis and I have a special anniversary coming up: 25 years. And we've planned a trip to the Caribbean that I'm really looking forward to. I've never been to that part of the world before! I'm counting the days until I can put my toes in this sand! We haven't take a trip like this in a long, long time. I've been shopping for swim wear and clothing for a tropical climate, and day dreaming about the trip. I really want to bring along some art to do, since we'll have so much time at leisure. I was thinking of buying, or creating, a special, beach-themed travel jo...

We are being tricked and teased by Mother Nature this "Spring"...once again indicative of this time of the year in the Rocky Mountains.  When I was in California two weeks ago I had a taste of the season: roses in bloom, hydrangea bushes bursting with flowers, and all kinds of color.  I came home to my own tender bulb flowers frozen in the ice and sleet. Then, on Cinco de Mayo, we had a beautiful weather day -- highs in the 70's and sunshine!  I sat on the lawn chair in the backyard for the first time since last fall and planned dinner out of doors.  By dinner time, though, we were huddled in blankets, trying to brave the chill that had floated in with the clouds! The same thing happened yesterday: Rebecca and I went to A Paris Street Market for the kick-off to the summer outdoor market season; it was sunny in Falcon and I wore a sundress.  But as we headed North to the market, the sun disappeared and the cold wind picked up; after about an hour of s...

Yesterday we drove north in the sleet and rain, on icy roads, to help Ben bring some of his stuff home from college.  It wasn't all going to fit into his small car.  He will follow next weekend; we can hardly believe his freshman year is almost over already!  I'm looking forward to having him home for the summer. On the drive up, we stopped in at an antique market.  I enjoyed myself immensely, while my husband paced around and tried to be patient, and I tried to ignore that he was so I could continue to enjoy myself.  I'm sorry there are no photos to show you, but the market had a "no camera" policy -- which is a shame, because there was so much fun stuff to see there, all beautifully displayed. I have a real love of antique and vintage sewing notions, and I saw a lot of that at this market.  I especially loved a pincushion I saw: a tiny round pillow with a metal bird on top of it.  The bird opened on top to reveal that it was a thimble holder; th...

in San Francisco.  This time, for real.   Margaret's final resting place is lovely, and quite close to my parents. The priest said all the right things, and I was comforted by his words, and by her family and friends.  My friend Judy took great care of me.  The night of the funeral, we went to dinner and, at the request of Margaret's ex husband... set a place for Margaret, with her favorite drink at it. We toured around SF the next day, quietly remembering times with Margaret. We also remembered Jane, who was a friend of Margaret, Judy and mine, and who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge when she was 20. I'm back home now, and had hoped to feel some peace after the funeral, but it's not working out that way.  I should know by now that grief is unpredictable, and takes its own time. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who wrote words of comfort on my last post. I appreciate all of you.

A few days ago, I got the terrible news that my oldest, dearest, best friend Margaret had passed away.  It was actually only by chance that I found out: an email I had sent her was returned as undeliverable, so I called her to see why.  Her family was so torn apart and in shock that they hadn't managed to organize themselves to begin to notify people like me. This is the last photo I have of Margaret; it was taken on her 50th birthday, almost 2 years ago.  I haven't seen her in person since my last trip to California, in 2008.  I wrote about Margaret once,  here . Margaret and I have been friends since we were both 11 years old.  For our whole lives, my nickname for her has been Piglet; I only started calling her by her real name a few years ago -- because, at our age, Piglet had just become too silly and childish. Even living so far away from each other these last 14 years, we have kept in close touch by phone, email, and visits. I wouldn't dr...

If you're my age, or a little older, you probably can't read that line without getting an ear worm; it's the first line of a folk song that was very popular during my childhood. If I had a hammer I'd hammer in the morning I'd hammer in the evening All over this land And I'd hammer out danger I'd hammer out a warning I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters All over this land Last night we went to see Peter and Paul -- but not Mary, as she passed away in 2009 -- the folk singers who made that song so famous back in the day. It was a treat to go; at work, we are sometimes offered free tickets to local events that take place at venues the hotel is associated with. They are first come/first served when announced via a company-wide email. I normally don't see the emails for these giveaways in time -- but Friday, I did, so Dennis and I found ourselves at the Pikes Peak Center last night for the show! We had really great seats....