MIA, Thoreau

Hi Dear Folk,

I do seem to have been MIA, just all sort of lose ends to tie up.

Don't you think one should have some reading matter for such a long trip?  So besides my book on Norway, the discard from the library I have decided to read Thoreau, also a discard from the library, and since it's in paperback circa 1980 edition, should be just right for packing in my backpack.

I have never read Thoreau so it seemed the appropriate time to do so.  I have only read the first five pages and I'm already enjoying it enormously.  I would consider it an American classic along with The Scarlet Letter.  If you have never read The Scarlet Letter you really must, especially if you are an American.  My goodness that is a very potent piece of writing.

Thoreau says.

"Men have an indistinct notion that is they keep up this activity of joint stocks and spades long enough all will at length ride somewhere, in next to no time, and for nothing:  but though a crowd rushes to the depot, and the conductor shouts 'All aboard!'  when the smoke has blown away and the vapor condensed, it will be perceived that a few are riding, but the rest are run over- and it will be called, and will be, a melancholy accident.'"

Doesn't that remind you of your 401K plan?

Here are my prairie bonnets, I just fell in love with the name.  One thinks of Little House on The Prairie, and settler bonnets just when you say the name.

They love all this rain, every day we have a rain storm.

My old lady seventeen this month.  When you look at her closely you can see she's getting older, but as my son says she did catch a mouse this week, so she's not so feeble.

All my cats live to quite an age and we have come to the conclusion it is because we let them outside in the garden.  They get a lot more exercise and it stimulates their brains.  I remember Tinkerbell the Himalayan, used to do circuits of the house and check out anything that was new.

I had to make a few returns today, one being to the dreaded Walmart, yes the line was yet again a mile long and there dangled a sign to insight me to riot, "Fast Service" really?  Take that sign down.  I get right to the front and my customer service person had to leave.

I did have interesting company though.  In front of me stood two black ladies, I at first thought they were friends and were there together, but it just turned out they were in line like me.  The one lady started to talk about her husband, how he always phones and checks to see how she is.  She said and what's more he's Jewish.  We've been married since the seventies.  The other lady said she'd been married 38 years and I didn't get to say how many years I'd been married.

The one lady married to the Jewish man, said he doesn't do a stroke of house work, but makes lots of money.  She said Jewish men don't clean.  Well I had to say something since a best friend I have Martin, who I've known since I was eighteen is Jewish and he even had a cleaning business at one time, and does clean, so I did mention this.  She said her son didn't do a stroke and was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  It seems her husband's family have had a bar in Mt Airy area for well over 60 years.

She showed us a picture of her son, and we said he was a good looking boy, and she said she'd had him at 40 and was an only child, in turn I said I had my one and only at 40, then she said do you know I'm 82, well she looked about 72, I've always looked young for my age. She proceeded to show us photos of herself at 38 and her son.  She said he was born looking quite white and people thought I was the maid, although as he grew up his features were like mine, so people then knew he was my son.

She said I asked my husband why he married me?  And he said to look after me and so that I could live in the way I should.

It's amazing what people tell you.  She did forget her keys on the counter, and when I looked at them they were to a new Cadillac.  The line did seem to go quicker than usual.

Counting down now, up, up and away on Sunday.

Christine

What a Scorcher

Hi Dear Folks,

What a scorcher Sunday was 98F.  This was a set I found in the trash probably about ten years ago.  I actually crammed it all into my PT Cruiser and got it home, that's why I like a hatchback, and not so thrilled with the car I have now.  But I guess it will stop me filling up the garage again.

I would think it's from the sixties, and these are the original seats, the cushions were from Ikea.

I used to have a garden tent sit in this position, but after several years it fell to bits, and Mr. B. laid the patio.  I did enjoy the tent while I had it.  The problem with being outside is that the cushions need to come in when it rains.

I do like the sofas in the corner here with the Ikea table, all out of the garage.

Along with this octagonal table which I want to sand and put Danish oil on it.  Also this candle chandelier was in there too.

Plus these little oil lamps.

As you can see Tupp is totally done in with the hot weather, and even she couldn't take it outside any longer, came in the house and flopped on the stool and we don't even have AC, but it is ten degrees cooler in the house.

Christine

Pink Flowers and Pets

Hi Dear Folk,

I think I made the wise decision and stayed home on Thursday.  Friday I was feeling under the weather told my boss and took a PTO day.  I was able to get some paperwork done.  Wretched bills that need sorting out, double charged for the anesthesiologist $700 instead of $350 which is what I have to pay.  Plus more medical bills, sometimes I wonder why I pay health insurance when on top there is so much to pay.  Still I have health insurance, but won't when I give up my job.

I'm watching Dr. Finley's Case Book, and the episode touches on the beginning of the NHS National Health Service in the UK, 1948. How many opposed it, how if you were poor and couldn't pay you didn't get any help.  I personally benefited from it as a child in the fifties, having two operations on my left eye, one when I was three and one when I was six to correct a lazy muscle, regular visits every month to St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London until the age of eight and free spectacles. You don't even have to be poor not to be able to afford health care in the USA, and we're 70 years on from when the UK got NHS and the USA is still bogged in the quagmire.

The older I get the less I like doing paperwork, in fact I'm getting a total aversion to it.  I used to be the Excel spread sheet queen, double entry book keeping the whole bit.  The philosophy I live with now is the only thing you can do is not spend it, be frugal.

Here is something that bought a smile to my face, Rob's friend brought me a bouquet of flowers to thank me for Thursday night, movie night the boys have here can be rather loud.  Mostly I'm out on Thursdays, so it doesn't really bother me.  Andrew works in a florest shop.  Such a thoughtful gesture.
   

Miss Tuppy, found herself three comfortable places to sleep.  The bag I keep a lot of paperwork in.

By the fire.

In one of my fabric baskets.  Cats do make you laugh.

Christine

PS:  Think I need to do a little brass polishing

Favourite Gadgets

 Hi Dear Folk,

One of my favorite little tools to use in the kitchen is this.  My friend gave it to me because she had never used it, it was a 1980's wedding present.  The colour of the time cream and brown.  It's just the right size for a dinner for three or four.

I made this on a Saturday. Mr. B. got out of work early and we went over to a new shopping, restaurant and apartment complex, they have built on an old golf course. It's been there several years but we had yet to visit, even though just a few miles down the road. There is a Wegman's there too, my big splurge a $0.99 box of Stash Acai Berry Tea on clearance, which is very good and wish I had bought more.  Mr. B. treated me to a chai latte and coconut macaroons, just for me, he hates coconut.  I found a take out Indian Restaurant called Choolaah, it has these giant kettles which I assume are full of curry, you can sit and eat there it has seats in and outside.  Will try it out another time.  Have to go with Tierney and The Boy, because Mr. B. does not like curry.

It was nice to come home to the smell of a cooked dinner.

My intense little girl.  I have never known a cat who can so stare you out, I know she's working on her mind communication skills.  I like this photo, her little paws are perched right on the very corner.

Christine

Catch Up

Hi Dear Folk,

Off to work with the dreaded black boot on.

Still enjoying my flower bouquet.  I moved it into my Simla room to enjoy it as I sit there.

My Tup goes through different phases of her preference of where to sit and sleep, this is her most recent finding.  I had left the ironing board sitting out, as one does and had used it to cut out the leather cover for my journal.  She really likes sitting up here, I think she especially likes the smell of the leather.  I hate to disappoint her but it will be coming down soon.

I liked the old file I used for my Cape Ann journal, but have not been able to find anymore like that, so while looking around eBay I came across this.  I'm going to ask Mr. B. to work his magic on it.  It's not that heavy.

Must have been used in Flint, Michigan.  March 1943 during WWII.  I expect their water was better to drink then than it is now see here what happened to the poor people in Flint Michigan.

The Boy working on his car., before his cruise.  Last Sunday he said I'm going on a cruise with the Miata Group, it's a drive out west for an hour and a half, I'm thinking where's he cruising, what body of water is out there, the Susquehanna River?  Then he said we're driving the Dragon's Tail, then I twigged.

Happy weekend,
Christine

Poured on Monday, Popped up Tuesday

Hi Dear Folk,

It never ceases to amaze me as to the fungi that pops up around the old roots of our chopped down ash tree.  It's always different fungi.

Monday it poured with rain all day and this had grown by Tuesday.

What was so amazing is that when you looked closely it was puffing out spores, like tiny dust clouds, but could not catch it with the camera.  Mr. B. said they are studying this expulsion factor.  How does it do that?  Maybe it can be copied.

Tuppy also popped up for a little sunbathing.

These appeared too.  So beautiful, such forms and colour.

Christine

Pop BackTo The Weekend

Hi Dear Folk,

I'm going to post some sun from last weekend as at the moment we are into most autumnal weather and not the Indian Fall autumnal weather, but the rain and squalls autumnal weather.

This is such a busy picture, I'll never be a minimalist  I just keep finding things that I think need saving and can be used and they can.  My bougainvillea at last bloomed, it took all summer to do so, I'll have to find a corner to bring it in for the winter.  My memories of Cadiz are of long shadowed narrow streets that burst out at the end into a sun drenched square of orange trees and bougainvillea.

I wanted to read about knitting in America.  The traditions here in knitting as in so much of what makes up America came over with its immigrants.  Design however can be said to be truly the images of the Inuit people, or the Indian tribes, they stamped knitting with their unique designs.

Fashion designers have even stolen some designs such as here. where a Nunavut, Inuit family design was stolen by a European high end fashion house.

This bag design calls out to me and was the reason for this thrifted book purchase.

In previous posts I have referred to the book Miss Grief, and Other Stories by C. F. Woolson which has recently been reprinted in paperback.  "Solomon" was originally published as a story in the Atlantic Monthly on October 1873.  When I saw the Zoar Mittens above I thought I know about that community.

"Soloman"  takes place in the German separatist community Zoar, founded in 1817 on the banks of the Tuscarawas river in eastern Ohio, a region rich in coal.  Zoar was named for the Biblical town that God spared when he sent fire and brimstone to destroy Sodom and Gomorah.  The separatist community's first residents fled Wurttemberg, Germany, due to oppression for their refusal to acknowledge religious authorities.  The village that grew up in Zoar resembled a traditional German town and became a popular tourist attraction in the late nineteenth century.  Woodson often visited the Zoar community, during her young adulthood.

When I saw the Zoar mitten pattern it meant so much to see the work of those German settlers.  the mittens are made up of nine different colors of yarn, a good way to use up odd bits of wool. Circa 1880.  I love it when what one reads collides with what is read elsewhere.

The shawl that came with my thrifted shalwar kameez, the colors of India with the Paisley design, two favorites.  I thought why not wear it with this dress; which a seamstress friend made for me, and I had the earings.

This bun is so simple, bring your hair up into a pony tail, loop it up, catch the ends with a more circular shaped hair claw and pull the loop of hair down and around the hair claw, voila!  That's it.  I wear it to work when I'm in a rush.

Speaking about work, it's reminding me, more and more of that poem "Ten Little Soldier Boys"  Or "Ten Little Indians", yesterday someones else got let go, so in five years we have gone from fourteen people to four.  If it wasn't for the fact that we have already signed a lease for new offices in Philadelphia I would think that we are being "Rolled Up."  My movie watching is getting the better of me.

Just the night before I had watched on Acorn TV "And then There Were None" by Agatha Christie and a while ago "Restless" about spies in WWII, and in the film they used the terminology "Rolled Up" which means a spy cell is being liquidated.  I rather took to the expression.

Well must go I'm on one of my nocturnal stints and need to get some sleep before going to work.

Christy

The Lighting of The Fire

Hi Dear Folk,

Another day at home, with a pounding head, runny nose and a wet tissue.  So I am appreciating light and heat.

Light and Heat the key essentials of winter that keep that cozy feeling in ones home.  Little creatures appreciate this, although maybe they're more into the heat than light.

After Tink died it seemed that Tuppy had a personality shift, as if she felt a need to step up to the plate and take the position vacated by Tink.  Spending more time around us and taking a great interest in all we do especially related to her comfort.  The clink of a cup on the saucer, denotes that milk will come out of the fridge.  The bringing up of wood from the basement, denoting the ritual of starting the fire in the wood stove.

Tuppy taking a great interest in the lighting of the stove, she's a very intense cat.  If anybody could levitate her dry food off the top of the fridge into her bowl, she could.  She sits on the very edge of the kitchen stool just looking at it, no doubt as to her meaning.  Since I bought her a new china cat bowl she can no longer bang it up and down like she used to with the plastic bowl.

You have to wonder what is on their mind.

 

Christy