The rich hues of wood...

Have you ever lusted after a piece of furniture so much, it just made your skin crawl...well, I have always wanted a Victorian organ, not to play, unless you want to be bored to death with chopsticks, but just to enjoy the workmanship of the piece...well, Manley's has this most wonderful piece, an organ turned computer desk...isn't it just FAB!!!

I'm also a sucker for those tall kitchen cupboards, this with it's original finish...pine.

This cute lil' built-in medicine cupboard is another original finish piece, with bits of alligatoring to the varnish.

Old work tables filled with the tools of the trade...homemaking...

What weary hunter or sportsman would like to kick off his(or her) boots in this warm lodgey environment...
A once grand Victorian chest of drawers...now this is what I'm talkin' about...I love this look of dark varnish in an old house...perhaps a pink chateau...

That's what I love about Manley's, each piece is move-in ready...rubbed down with a fresh coat of oil, giving them that 'new out of the showroom' smell. What a grand bookcase this one is...

And lastly, a sweet setting of table and chairs, perfect for that nook that will only hold a small grouping, or perhaps a place by the door where purse and keys are laid.


Whatever your needs...Manley's Antiques will make you drool and start questioning the need for change. It's pure torture for me to live so close...but I manage...LOL...

By dawn's early light...

We knew it was coming...the last of a season grasping bits and pieces of the legacy it is known to bestow, but us hardy Nor-thuners aren't fooled by it's frozen spectacles...we know the sun is rising higher and higher in the Spring sky and we continue to plan gardens around the inconvenience of the last of the season snows... .

Go ahead ol' man Winter, you don't fool me...your strengths are about to be over-taken by the gentle Spring rains that will fill aquifers all over the North, replenishing supplies, filling wells and nourishing soils.

Spring is a hardy season, determined to flourish regardless of your plan to deceive...so go ahead...blow your stack...your white security blanket is all but gone today and my spring desires shall be met by my plans of the days ahead...


Yup...this gnarly piece will soon wear shades of black. It's Oriental flare is just screaming 'PAINT ME'...as is this old piece, an old seamstress of bygone days. Old sewing machines hold little value today, almost everyone has Granny's old Singer...but an Albatross to be sure, where do you put them. Sorta like the old radio cabinets, beautiful workmanship, carved intricacy dating a piece...

But are good for only one thing...conversation...is that a bad thing...?

Shadow Shot Sunday-Arise

A humble cottage shelters it's shame,

a mass grave of forgotten beauty deep in shadow,

a forlorn image of what once was...

oh, will I ever walk in beauty again.

I pass through this barren plain of sorrows

knowing what hearts lie deep

in this earthen tomb.

A chamber excavated

to bury lost dreams

or perhaps to shelter the new hope,

as seeds await intervals of light,

germinating harmonious luminosity.

Yes, this hope chest

of anticipated glittering charms

will again please mine eye

and I and my cottage will again

adore beauty in my field.

Flourishing and flattering

a plain humble heart

with golden gems and rainbow-hued platoons.

Wee, little soldiers of enlisted, perennial beauty,

we await,

my cottage and me.

To don aprons of floral'd embellishment

and to burden buckets of gastronomic booty...

my one wish to you

my sleeping pirate of perennial bliss...

GROW DAMMIT!

As it's Sunday again in Australia, my friends from all over the globe, share shadows. As one unit in this simple meme, we thank Tracy and Hey, Harriet for bringing friends together. Making this one planet a small neighborhood of artists and dreamers alike.

As you can see from the photo, my yard was shredded for the installation of the new septic system...argh...but, as I always see my cup as half full, this will be easy diggin' for my new Victory Garden. An addition to my already bulging veggie garden and the strawberry plants that have taken command. This will be the new home of string beans and tomatoes, snow peas and Brussels sprouts, peppers and onions, eggplant and zucchini AND if I'm really lucky, I will get my hen house built...my chicky-condo for the free-range eggs that are packed with vitamins for me and the furry heathen.

So yes, though it looks rather forlorn at this time, my gardens will soon flourish with promise...a new look and a new venue...

peace and harmony in my little corner of the world.

Goodbye Sweet Garden...

What is this great beast of burden invading my space...harbinger of destruction, dragon ripping the hearts out of spring beauty...oh the horror...please be gentle, oh rider of the beast, for you know not what dwells deep in my garden realm...there are secrets only known to the keeper of the bees...beware devil...

Goodbye lily of the field...

Goodbye grand dame of the prairie...

Goodbye faithful friend, owner of the current Sears and Roebuck...

Farewell, one hole wonder, your memories lies frozen in time...you shall ne're be forgotten, my friend of tales past, oh wooden wonder, your cold seat and spidered curtains shall remain in my heart for an eternity, oh, these modern times of burying past lives...farewell...adeu, adeu, friend...

Welcome Spring...

Welcome to the restfulness of Spring...ahhhh, to welcome those lazy days of summer into our lives once again, Sisters' is pulling out all the stops and bringing the garden inside with bright airy ambiance...and textures of the outdoors that will make your humble heart soar into the season full ahead...

The summer whites pull in breezes of of warm fresh air, lulling along the scents of fresh made soaps of Daisy, Lilac, Linen, and Clean Breeze...ahhhhh...

Black furniture is still a best seller at Sisters', two of the three pieces I took up yesterday sold while we were still arranging them. I have four new pieces I'm running back up today...ahhh, the suspense...

Sorry...this wonderful birdbath is also sold, which proves that if you don't come frequently, the good stuff just floats out the door, as quickly as it arrived

Robin's egg blue is also a harbinger of spring and a very popular color this year, isn't this table just the cutest, it reminds me of the one Granny used to shell peas on in the summer porch...yummmm!

As always, the doors are open to welcome the seasons and the wonderful friends that have taken Sister's Garden to heart...WELCOME ALL...

I had a Dream...

Didn't you want to be a cowgirl when you grew up...to roam the high prairie, ridin' herd, fixin' fence, scouting for Injuns...well...yup, we all grow out of those childhood fantasies sooner or later...right! Those dreams turned to reality, those Injuns now become friend, as you learn of the atrocities, you ponder...is this really my dream...


Well, it was a dream...I wanted to study ancient horses, paleontology was the word...the study of fossil remains...I didn't care what it was called, I just wanted to wrap myself around the world of Equidae in any form.

Plastering my walls and desk with pictures and stories about horses..I was addicted...a dapple grey Arabian mare, was the horse of my dreamland. A regal,stately mount, who once held kings and sultans on their quests...one of the most beautiful visions I ever beheld, the sight of one of these steads running full ahead into the winds was magic to be sure.

Well, as a young girl, I saved every cent I earned cleaning my Brothers room(argh)and helping around the house...50 cents didn't go a long way, but, back in the day, it was a fortune and my parents said if I saved enough, I could buy a pony...well...much to their surprise, I DID...so we drove to a farm that had ponies, as promised, but...NOBODY HOME...dreams squelched, Mom said, well I know somebody that has puppies for sale...my dreams were dashed, much to their relief and my little poodle puppy 'Bridgette', was my new BFF.

The dream has long since passed...at least until old age sets in, when I can sit in my rockin' chair on the front porch and dream of a time that once might have been...

Ahhhhhhh.....

Anxious for those spring temps...just anxious to open the windows...just anxious for new blooms and baby birds...and just plain welcoming in the new day. As we wait, so does Barb at Sisters' Garden...her daughter will soon be delivering a baby boy into their wonderful family. I haven't gotten the email yet, they were hoping for yesterday, so we'll see...soon.



I'm going to Sisters' tomorrow, with a truck load, so be prepared for the new stuff. Spring at Sisters' is always so magical, with the new blooms and new merch, but the way the girls display, is just a treat for the eyes...who woulda thought to do that or that...that's what I'm always saying to myself, as a wonderland unfolds before my eyes...ahhhh, the magic of Sister's Garden.

Update...Mason Sterling has arrived...Barb is a Granny!!! The little dark-haired 7 pound, 14 inch bundle of joy is doing great, as is Mom Britt and Dad Caleb...CONGRATS all!!! Sterling is Barb's Dad's name, I love it...welcome to the world Mason, hope you like it here!

The Itchy and Scratchy Show...

The answer to many a question, was there an 'Itchy'...yes there was, this is my beautiful Itchy, shortly before she died while we were living in Florida. She had heart failure and at age 13 left my home. She was the sweetest little Cairn terrier, unlike her successor Scratchy, who's been a heathen from the beginning.

Itchy was true to her terrier lineage though, fearless and hating cats. But a face that would launch a thousand ships, we were inseparable, my little shadow. I don't know if she liked living in Florida as much as Iowa, I do know I always had to carry her when we walked to the lake, she sensed the gators and wasn't having any part of being on the menu. Unfortunately, most of my pictures of her were lost to computer malfunction, but I treasure the ones left.

Then there's the heathen...Scratchy has been a course in patience from the get-go...always the neighborhood terrorist, barking and bullying. I always had compassion for Itchy, as Scratchy took over the territory, but as you can see from the first mugshot taken of her at the vet, she is a charmer, soon growing into the collar and ruling the roost.

Scratchy, however loved Florida. Chasing lizards was her reason to live. She would spend hours staring at bushes, waiting for the hapless creatures to run 'cross her path, many losing a tail in the process and her covered in moss and stuff continually. But what a hoot to watch, truly the 'Scratchy show'. I'll never forget the time she chased the neighbor's two dobermans out of the yard...NO FEAR!!!

But now Scratch is content to ride shotgun(sometimes)on our forays to the land beyond the pink chateau. Partner in crime to the adventures she seeks in 'The Land of Vole', her special place in our world, as she diligently chases(and catches)the hapless creatures that frequent the chateau. But it makes for great sport and plenty of tall tales in "the Chronicles of No-Scratchy'...stay tuned...

PS...both Scratchy and Itchy were and are females, I know she looks too bad to be a girl...but has the heart of a she-wolf...my bud!

Shadow Shot Sunday...Companion...

Welcome to Shadow Shot Sunday, Sunday in Australia you know. For those who adore a musical backdrop, due to blogger complications, you must click on my playlist pop-out and it will direct you to my music, then minimize to hear the works of masters as you surf through the shadows of friends all over the globe through Hey Harriet's meme.

A vision of ornery, my sweet heathen Scratchy...my bud!

In shadow

a wee hope awaits

companion

spirit generating

love

trust

duty

faith immeasurable

complex emotion

binding heartstrings

scheming innocence

love without guilt

testing my stride

wrangling my mental discord

seeking your path

to contrary ends

our pack of two

a ram'bling course of constants

I will always come home to you

you will always be there for me

companions.

Life without music...what if...

How lonely would those beautiful horizons be without the music of the masters to guide your path, to inspire your being...to put you in the groove...

Now go to my sidebar and click on the pop-out button of my playlist, my list will pop up, click the play button, then minimize to the bottom of your screen...

Ahhhh...I told you, now let yourself go...imagine a world without the sounds of beautiful music...

Such an inspiration to me, to be lulled by the notes and rhythms of passion into sunrise and sunset...I couldn't do it without it.

It guides me to the simple beauty of a hillside, the genius of creation, the fulfilment of sensations broadcast to my psyche every moment in my time.

To view horizons in someone else's genius is what my music does to me...it gives me cause to write and to paint this world I adore, as the song of a house finch sings a melody of nature so sweet and glorious to mine ear.

Why..............

What is going on with E Blogger these days??? I just can't convey a message totally without my beautiful music...what will the Shadow Shots be without the inspiration of delicate tunes to guide you through the poetry? It seems to be a problem all over the blogs that have a Playlist.

Not only that, my paragraphs disappear, making it one huge blob to read...see, it happened again today...I hate that. Has the blogging system gotten too big, I worry that they will start charging us at any moment, as more and more turn to the Internet for their information. Our local newspaper has shrunk to invisible size, making the print impossible to read, but I have noticed that the articles aren't so biased to one side or the other, desperation for readers I guess.

But I'm so thankful for the Internet and the blog community...it just goes beyond infinity...where Will it end...probably in the pocketbook of the middle class, just like everything else.

I haven't been blogging as much lately, as I'm preparing for a new septic system...argh...which will plow right through the middle of my flower gardens, so like it or not I've been relocating my posies to a more secure area...you know men and their big toys, when it comes to a woman's garden, there are no boundaries, so praise the Gods for the warmer weather and easy digging.