And so it begins...

With our first snowfall, my winter begins...although many have already had their firsts and seconds and thirds, not unusual this time of year, we're lucky we haven't had more by now.

So I sit and ponder the days to come, will it be a rough one or a mild one, no one knows for sure...but I still think I'll sacrifice a goat to the 'Gods of Weather' for a mild one. Just kidding, I can't even smash a wretched spidey...GROSS!!!

It won't be here long...this time...so I'll enjoy it's beauty and silence as long as 'snow' sees fit.

A first breath or sigh...

you touch a worried shoulder

with a sweet, white kiss.

A Traveler...SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY

We cross seas

and bridge rivers

searching for this hope

this craving...a glimpse...

of freedom

of passion

of owning perhaps...

What is this yearning

that pulls a heart

from homeland

to heartland.

A discovering

of fertile field, perhaps sanctuary,

perhaps only a longing.

Is it this freedom that calls...

this subdued uttering,

a whisper of breath,

a rustling in a travelers feet...

a Gypsy course of unending proposal,

am I free...I am free...

this is your course

the winds speak...

I will find you

matters not where you are

or how far...oh ye traveler,

I will find you.

On my weekly journey to Sister's Garden, this shadow figure follows me cross river and field, everywhere I am accompanied by my sister shadow...drive along to shadowland at Hey, Harriet ,

you will see many other travelers there.It is Sunday in Australia so please sign up and join our fun.

It was happenin' at Sisters' today...

The signs of Christmas are everywhere at Sister's Garden, lights and word signs made by Elaine, she has a wonderful flair for calligraphy and has sold many of her signs, she is just one of Barb's right arms, she has several you know...lucky girl!

This desk really surprised me as I walked into Bloom, with a huge nest of bittersweet on top of it, it looked like a grand old piece that had been neglected and the vines had taken over...what a beautiful piece, even with it's mirror missing. The unusual style makes it unique and very desirable, it won't be here long.

I had a brilliant idea of how to display my necklaces...I had this great old door with original faux-painted finish, it came out of an old home that I once owned, so I attached braces to the bottom and several old iron hooks to hang the necklaces on and 'voila' a super display...well it was until the jewelry started selling off the new piece. Even had one woman beg me to sell her the door...sorry, it still has sentimental meaning to me...so now I'm on the search for old doors to make for the store, she wanted it to display her old hats on...hmmmm....

SOCK MONKEYS...who doesn't love 'em, somethin' about them that just takes you back to your childhood, I don't think I had one as a child, but made many sock dolls, to be sure.

Now this is a birdcage...talk about retro and this lil' birdcage has it's own mini Christmas tree...very funky and all the parts are there too.

Barb and I usually have time to talk when I come up on Fridays, but not today...it was packed and she had a steady stream of shoppers all day and they weren't just buying gifts, they were buying for themselves, which was a good sign for us. This is going to be such an uncertain year for sure, we are all holding our breath to see how we make out with the economy as it is. But at least the gas price is low, for now anyway, $1.68 in our neck o' the woods.

Black Friday...not at my house...

As the beautiful sun peaks through the old elm tree in my back yard...another dawn. I'll be driving to Sisters' today with another load of goodies, in hopes there will be tons of shoppers out there willing to spend a little before the Holiday. New candles, Bayberry and Twigs and Berries...yummm, perfect for the season to come. This Bayberry smells so Christmasy, imagine, if you will...the day you put up your live Christmas tree and that wonderful scent that wafts through your home. The scent of fresh greens and a hint of berries...oh so into the season!

The Twigs and Berries is a yummy green/berry scent that is a favorite this time of year AND of course I have soaps to match. The Bayberry is popular with the guys, woodsy man-scent.

So I'll be back later to post pics of the goodies up at Barbs', ever-changing, I never know what will be new...always a delight! Stay tuned...

Save the turkey...eat the other white meat...

I have decided to give the turkey a rest this Thanksgiving...we are having Pineapple glazed ham, candied sweet taters, smashed taters with red-eye gravy, cornbread dressin', buttered (lots) white corn, home-grown string beans, bakin' powder biscuits with punkin' butter, cranberry relish and punkin' pie from scratch, with fresh whipped cream. A simple fair, but more than adequate.

This is the first Thanksgiving that I have been able to have at the Chateau and I am really looking forward to it. I didn't have a dining room table...well, one just happened to stumble my way a couple o' weeks ago...go figure and thank you Salvation Army...so it was all prearranged, I just had to wait.

But here's wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and try to remember... you have much to be thankful for, no matter how insignificant...

Ye Old Winter

As times fade to dust

my longing of green pastures,

lush fields,

and fruit on the vine

is hushed.

Ye Winter of crossroads

soon trace my course,

blocking journeys.

Appearing trustworthy...

you are faithless and ready to foil,

but my hope,

my desire,

my expectation...

is that I shall succeed,

where you have failed...

to move forward,

to journey

on promise

and faith unmuffled...

Hush...be still, ye old man...

Winter...shhhh...

Of Olden Days...

Many thought the picture in my SSS was my kitchen, but in fact, it's a vignette set in Manley's Antique shop. LeeAnn and Dave have the most incredible gift for taking you by the hand and walking you through the past times and the morning sun was perfect shining through the windows. Their settings just make you want to come inside and have a cup of coffee and just sit a spell and visit. Although my kitchen is very similar, it is spoiled by the look of modern appliances...the fridge and the stove and a washer/dryer...but I think I will allow them to stay, as I'm not fond of hauling ice from the frozen river, though I do hang clothes outside on a line hooked to a tree, but there's nothing like a ice cold brew on a hot summer's day right outa the fridge.

I wish my kitchen looked that nice, I'm stripping my wood floors and my soap factory takes over my table and stove, but such is the life of the artisan...and it's just alright by me.

Shadow of Toil...Shadow Shot Sunday

As a room apart,

this world of mayhem

steps not into this pantry.

A room of orderly chaos,

simple necessity abounds...

tater smashers

and griddles

and queen of the cache,

the ol' butcher knife

and cleaver to slice...

all standing sentinel

and ready to pace.

As dialogs of wit

and gossip to share,

report current events

of news from afar,

well, the farm 'cross the glen...

well, as the crow flies,

each tells the tale

as I work through the day...

not the laborer scorned,

but the the Mother of faith,

soul of the hearth,

the keeper of calm.

I lean toward the man

of the union,

the mate,

the keeper of peace

the rock of my strength.

This fragile realm of soft kisses

and touch,

meeting hands rough

'gainst frail hopeful brow.

Your strengths, my companion,

are my strengths, as well,

in this room in this hearth,

this room that is family...

this room that is faith.

Shadow Shot Sunday is upon us again, check out Hey, Harriet and catch all the other shadows...there's some neat stuff over there, join us won't you...

Old homes in my Burg...

Let the drooling begin...these wonderful, old river city, architectural masterpieces grace the bluff overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River. This is our version of Knob Hill. These grand Victorians tell of a time when homes were status and a graceful, romantic period had taken over in the states...the Victorian era.

Our little village once hummed with the clang of trolleys and people swarming the storefronts, they would've rivaled even downtown Chicago. A vast sea of people wondering the streets, horse-drawn buggies and Model T's clambering for a space to park. Grand hotels, opera houses, saloons and brothels(ahem), industry, mercantile and banks on every corner and riverboats crowding the riverfront. Oh, the wonderful buildings I have seen raised in my lifetime...the 60's were brutal on old architecture.

Where has it all gone, thanks to a preservation society, many old structures are being renovated. But alas...the traffic has moved on, more money to be made elsewhere, yet we stay...loving the slow city life of the small, Midwestern burgs.

More Toys...

Ok...I'm sick...can't help it...it's an addiction, you know what I mean...but like it or not it's part of my job and I have to shop, I'm tellin' ya...it's a real job and somebody's gotta do it...right? If we don't keep a constant flow going, people lose interest, so we gotta shop...all the time.

This load is going to The Candle Shed, my daughter's shop. The little wash stand has had new white porcelain knobs put on it and is adorable, the fruit picture now has glass, happened to have a piece that fit perfect, the two chairs have been stained to remove scratches, the trunk stays as is and the bed stays home, awaiting it's new coat of black paint. All in a day's work and yes, I love my job and I didn't keep a single thing...even though I do collect fruit pictures, this one is moving on, cause it will be a part of a setting that is rolling around in my hayloft (brain).

Click if ya wanna see 'em close...oh yeah and the lil' planter is wicker with plaster Barbola roses and is very old and desirable to those Shabby Chic gals...and it could be yours...HA...but please ignore the bumper sticker...

Grey Misty Moods

We saw the sun today...yayyy! But short lived it was, so I started playing with tones, as the season greys, it will soon be a monotoned negative of a world in a seasonal rest. Soon all plants will die to the Earth, to rebuild root and bulb for the future season. Why is it you can't quite accept the finality of it all...because I want to be able to walk bare-footed across my floors...run outside to hang clothes on the line, chase the ball with my little furry heathen and drive my truck with the windows down.

But the back roads I've driven have uncovered beauty in all shades of grey. Old weathered woods, crisp dried grasses and rust in all forms make for beautiful composition, sunny or not. All you have to do is shoot...ahhh, memories for a lifetime.

Of the Earth

A new piece...my love of Nature is exhibited in all I do, a love that has been with me all my life, always a Nature girl (Tomboy). To live harmoniously with the planet as was intended...how did we stray so far?

The simple, yet elegant stones of the Earth, polished and shaped, bring fantasy and memory of past lives...perhaps. I love using the muted colors of the Amazonite stones, pale colors of a misty morning in the garden, a garden of herbs, healing herbs of a lost art and a raspberry branch...wonderful fruits of it's labor and a leaf so packed with nourishment, known through the ages. Why would a pharmaceutical industry try to stop the sale of it's natural healing powers...the 'God of the Dollar' perhaps...false idol of the rich and famous.

But I have also incorporated vintage, amber glass beads and pendant, hung by twill 'herb' ribbon, crowning the sacred herbs.

This new piece is available on my website and at Sister's Garden.

Colors of passion,

a garden of miracles...

my heart strings, Gaia.

Shadow Shot Sunday~My Path of Old

Simple my path, my path of old...
you may think it odd, the olden way,
but think again, your eyes half open
to the beauty of my world.
Family is all...
deep, committed and full...
family, community,
tribes of neighbors
using only what is gathered,
harmony, balance and solice for the whole,
the whole is the one.

Oh, to be so free, to require so little,
asking only a respect for a thing so humble...
I'll take not your space,
I'll ride not your road,
I'll wait...wait till you pass.
Not wanting to steal your moment,
for mine is an hour
or a days journey...
but it is mine
and it is fleeting.
But as my trusted stead turns wheels
into the paths of my Fathers of old,
I will smile at my journey,
a journey unhastened by yours.


Time to visit Hey, Harriet again for Shadow Shot Sunday...come check us out...it's fun...really!

Golden Moments at Sister's Garden

Dim the lights and walk into the magic of Sister's Garden...golden hues envelope you as you gaze into the world of Christmas...sparkles and spangles treat your eye to the sugar plum delights of the season. The smells of Christmas waft through your senses bringing 'the remembering', the delights of a child and this golden spectacle...fulfilled every year...ahhhh...Christmas...be the child.

Everyone at Sisters' and Bloom are working overtime with the elves making sure this open house is a delight to the senses...trees smothered in lights, grand stagings of fairy tale proportion, spectacular exhibits 'round every corner....walk slowly...you may miss out.

Hot chocolate and mulled cider is the favorite of the season...all we need now is the bonfire, bringing friends closer together, not only for the warmth, but the warmth of the heart and the hearth...a season to share the joy at Sister's Garden and Bloom...I'll be there, how 'bout you...

To Capistrano

There are just not enough hours in the day, especially with the time change, it takes a couple of weeks to adjust, then I go into a different, sorta dark mode...well...cause it's always dark! It's dark when I get up, it's dark early in the evening, my thoughts are dark (because of the recession we don't have) yeah right...I worry about people losing jobs and homes and lifestyles, so I draw nearer to the hearth...if I only had a hearth, it's just a figure of speech in my comfort zone. My lil' pink shack is my hearth, it ain't much, but it's full of character and an unusual charm and it suits me just fine, as my aspirations in life have reached a mellow medium.

I can stay up as late as I want...creating, reading, writing or just sitting with Scratchy on my lap watching the winter weather as it's moods transpire...and that's enough. How did I ever have a full time job, where was the time for that...I amaze me, but, I'm alot like my Dad, can't sit for too long, there is something somewhere that surely needs done, although he is starting to take this retirement thing seriously...finally!

So when I relax, I turn on the music, a glass of wine and sit and twirl wire for another project Du Nature...my love...my heart and soul.

A swallow returns,

circling iridescence...

home, Capistrano.

Plight of the Honey Bee

So sad that our little friend the honey bee, is suffering so and I believe we are the culprits...as usual! Having read up on many of the issues about this problem, it seems the most likely is cell phone use. Communication waves going from tower to tower has interrupted flight paths and caused bees to get lost, just aimlessly flying till they drop dead.

What is the answer in a world so polluted by man's very existence? We take, take, take, never thinking of the consequence, all in the name of science and technology. Some day the world will wake up and realize that we are over-populated and can't control ourselves in the natural order of things. In the wild, animals and insects have natural population controls in effect. We think it cruel when a female animal kills her own young, it's natural selection, to keep the population healthy and strong. And you wonder why disease and cancers are rampant...we are no longer of healthy stock...think about it.

My little bee necklace is yellow turquoise, who woulda thought, but I absolutely love it, it's just a beautiful stone. Looks a bit like pollen, in my eye anyway. With the little bee charm and the words 'bee free', this little piece will appeal to the Nature lover in you.

Oh, my little bee,

I think not of your demise,

only your freedom.

SCORE!!!!!

Ahhhh...I love the smell of musty in the morning...old treasures for the not so faint of heart, chipping, fading, wobbling, tattered and torn...welcome to my world and all the crazies that will comment on this heap. We are a bunch in deed...but with the holiday today the antique shop was packed...it was a feeding frenzy at our favorite booths, thank you very much Liz and Mark...you two are the greatest, we can always depend on you for the best trash...and that's a compliment!

I love the aqua chest, just needs a switch in handles and it will be perfect. The parlor table I believe is walnut, but I love it just the way it is, stripped with no finish on it...this dealer says he has more in his warehouse and gave me his number. Cool frames as always, tall demi-lune table and for those of you that have asked what a demi-lune is, it's a half circle table, small moon, lunar. But this one is really cool, it's painted old gold and is unusually tall and is staying as is...no painting. An old clothes drying rack, a sweet,chippy,white rocker, old wooden cheese boxes, wood chair and a strange piece of gate iron...cool stuff aye...

Now the smalls...how about that porcelain cherub, is he not the cutest and tall, an old lamp base perhaps, has a small ding on his foot that's been repaired...and what hasn't, chippier the better.A heavy, green, plaster elephant, cool old books, spoons, porcelain tray with raspberries, silver plate salt n peppers and lots and lots of silk scarves. I am gonna play around with some funky lampshades with these.

So Barb...be prepared...I have scored...let's play switch the furniture...a game we love to play, it hurts but we love it anyway...ha! See ya Friday Barb!

Legend of the Blue Angel

I can't help it, I just have this fascination with cemeteries and mausoleums. This beautiful marble statue rest atop the tombs of one of the more notable families of our city and since the day is a gloomy, rainy sorta day, it seems fitting.

But this statue also holds a legend...it is said that if you gaze into the tomb on the eve of a full moon the lady will glow blue and you will be cursed for disturbing the dead...Well, such are the tales told by teenagers down through the annuls of history, but I can attest to the fact that she does glow blue. As the moon shines full in the evening sky, the blue stained glass window reflects on the white marble, giving an other-worldly appearance. Also, my daughter lives directly across the gully from this mausoleum and in the fall when the leaves are off the trees and it's a full moon, she can see a blue glow from the window of the mausoleum...well, let's say she is easily creeped out...a case of 'the willies' fer sure.

There is no history on the books of the curse being fulfilled, so we still go to the cemetery to gaze, albeit a little creeped out, of what might be and to scare the crap outta each other. This cemetery also sits high on a bluff and the family plots are on the edge of it, making the sunrise and sunsets beautiful from this vantage point over-looking the river valley. There is also a stairway at the bottom of the bluff leading all the way to the top of the cemetery...it is long and a real thigh-buster to walk, but has been closed due to deteriorating conditions and you will be reprimanded by 'the law' if you are caught climbing it...but that only instigates the challenge...ahhh, sweet youth. Well, they also vandalized the tomb and stole the hand holding the rose, hence the chain at the gates of the mausoleum.

But what a beautiful testament to the love of a family and the wealth of a forefather. One who gave history to a growing community in a difficult time, a lumber industry on the Mighty Mississippi.