Photo shoots...and saying goodbye...

Ki Nassauer of 'Junk Camp fame, dropped by Sister's Garden yesterday to check out the shop...what a hoot...and you thought we were just a nobody lil' ol' shop somewhere in Iowa...sometimes you just have to give out the information...Iowa...the lost continent is found...

In this shot we are saying a fond farewell to the 'to die for' glider, as it will be living in Minnesota with Ki...lucky girl...Barb and Ki clinch the deal...you know Ki, that was supposed to go on my porch...

Now there's a crew of trash pickers if I ever did see one Jane and Sara are partners in crime with Ki, having just raced here after the What Cheer flea market, fun was had by all, as the intrepid junkers oooooed and ahhhhed their way through the shops...full truck and bags they're on the road again...who knows where they'll strike next, long way back to Minnesota!

As Billy Bob rides in the back seat enjoying he/her mint julip...ahhh...life on the trail...hope you got your brakes fixed girls...

Come to Iowa and see the hidden treasures that abound in the serene countryside of the lost continent...IOWA...

Iowa, the new Texas...

Can we talk SUMMER...things that make ya drool...

Can we talk comfort furniture...I had see this glider without it's cushions...and thought what an unusual piece...then when Brent put on the cushions...let the games begin...or rather the drool...this is soooooo me!!!

...and the summer whites never end at Sister's Garden...Barb asked for a fabulous piece for her entry...YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND...is this chest not to die for...could you see this in a bathroom with a fabulous sink basin in it...let your imagination run free...it's summer you know...

...and I just restocked with white, white frames and a wonderful white Madonna, with her crystal rosary...you can't get much more magical than this...right...

...a tiny lil' vanity for the princess in your palace, with wonderful crystal knobs to impress her Royal Highness...

...and last, but not least, a rusty relic of the past...the lowly yard chair...what would our yards be without all the memories they tell of a summer's past...in Iowa...shhhhhh...it's a secret...

SWEET...

I was over at Sue's blog yesterday and she was having a time debating whether to paint or not to paint...well...here's my debate, though I'm not really concerned with this piece, 'cause it just speaks to me 'as is'...a little bit of Bri wax and I think I'll leave it alone, booboo and all. I just love the patina...

...as you can see the booboo is bad, from a drippy flower pot no doubt, but I'll play with it and see what I can come up with and post another pic later...but can't you see a setting focused on the cool red of this old frame and other red accessories...me too...

...lots of white frames n stuff goin' to Sisters'...

...however, this grand dame is staying with me...I love to collect vintage shots of grand old hags...this is a compliment...women of an age where knowledge is supreme...women who have survived and their knowing is taken to heart by the youngers...they hold the knowledge we all seek.

...and lastly I'll keep this photo of a happy couple and their dogs...however, the frame will be going...going...gone...have a wonderful day friends...

A journey...I never tire of...

Come on...I'll race ya...

...down a country highway...a step back in time in my world...why I love driving to Sisters' and Palo...it's a journey in a day that I wouldn't trade for 'all the tea in China'...don't ya just love those ol' timey sayings...

...let's take a moment...remember that 'woosh' of new can of home brew being opened...with that lil' key that you always hoped would never break off in mid-can...but sometimes you had to rewind...I will soon be 60, as a matter of fact, it falls on Labor Day this year...but imagine how lucky my generation of baby-boomers were to have these simple mem'ries...black and white TV, pen pals, diaries...and fresh Folger's coffee...out of tea cups no less...ahhhhh...

...see the bluebirds of happiness in every day of your life...they are there with you always, you just have to notice...

...imagine back in the day, everyone gathering the hay in fields together, singing songs, children playing, blood, sweat and tears of an era long past, but still embraced by a culture that has chosen to live a day in the life...the Amish...

...and of modern giant bales lining a fence row...

I hope you never tire of seeing my beautiful Iowa countryside...down hilly dales and vast green horizons, my quest for a day in the life is a never ending journey...I'll take you along too...if yer not in a hurry...

Bright summer whites...

Yup, we're back at Sister's Garden and Bloom...enjoying the cool summer whites and the fresh country air...that's if the wind is blowing in the right direction...cows...

Sweet country tables and white, white chairs, fill every room, waiting to go to yours...

Time to bring the outside inside and decorate those summer porches with all things country...

Garden rooms are always HOT at Sisters'...we live for the summer and want to feel it and see it all 'round the house...

Don't be shy...come have fun in the country, let our fantasies be yours...Sister's Garden and Bloom...Kalona, Iowa...

Shadow Shot Sunday...An Ordinary Day...

Nothing special awaits here
just an ordinary day where
words are not to be found
as crisp morning mists arise
and greet another
summer song
in an uneventful day...

Maybe another cup of Joe
and a few more rocks
in my new old chair
will somehow croon to my heart's
desire for poetic license
and a mood setting moment
in an ordinary day...

The evening's dragons
now still and humbled
were perfectly timed
as a needed rain quenched
a parched thirst
in withered produce and posies,
just a summer storm...

But beauty spreads
it's sun drenched shawl
all crossed my har'bring soul
as crickets serenade
in harmony with the wren
and the still
of a typical day...made in the shade.


s.wilson





Do you think the weeks are flying by...I think the people in the Midwest tend to mourn the days of summer passing by so quickly...we know what's in our future...WINTER...it's a dragon and we fear it's scorn.

However, just for now, it's Sunday in Australia and we want to play a game...it's Shadow Shot Sunday won't you play too...

Of red hats and a summer morn...

The Red Hat Society girls...you can spot 'em a mile away...matriarchs flaunting their love of life, giggling and joking their way into your heart...free spirits. Some widowed, some divorced, some happily married to the loves of their lives, all women living life to it's fullest...fulfilling a summer's day trip...in high society style...

Mmmmm....corn on the cob and fresh cherry tomatoes...since this portion of the plantation has never been planted and the soil worked over, my ears are quite small...but boy do they scream IOWA...oozing with butter and salt, a fare fit for a queen...and cherry tomaters is about all I will get out of my 6 plants that I planted this year, due to heavy rains and little scorching heat...but not complaining, I love fried green tomaters...I love summer...

A sit in the sun on the porch of our home, my lil' furry heathen will grab any chance to sit with 'Mom' and guard her kingdom from on high...not allowed to wander the tall prairie grass for vermin right now, due to her grass and mold allergies, she is content to sit a spell and enjoy summer's heat till the cows come home...

Those lazy, hazy dayz that we all want to last forever...are limited you know...as fall progresses and we start to squirrel away for the coming cold...enjoy each day, each hour, each minute...a day in the life...till the cows come home...

New friends and connections...

Someone complained on a friends blog the other day about how sick they were of seeing shop pics and people's homes and kids...how sad to awaken every morning to the doubt and confusion in one's mind as to what you wish to complain about in the course of a day...

I enjoy hearing about what Willow had for breakfast and how Charmaine's deck is coming along and walks on the shoreline with Gemma and Theresa's next shopping trip and Deb's lil' Bella's progress and Cathie's gardens and Marnie's roses and Barb's new settings and the 2 Chippys next fling and TOT's next creation...it's all in a day in my world...why would I complain...

I hope this person will see the sun rise in a different shade this morning, as a day in the life is way too short...and a baby doll head is just a head...if you're creeped out, I'm sorry, but don't steal the moment from the ones who care...shut your door and turn off your computer...we have lives to LIVE, however just know that you are loved!

My brand new old chair awaits the sun on a hazy summer morn...this chair faces the East so I can watch the sun start it's day over my lil' piece of paradise, as the birds sing their sonatas to a new day's dawn...in my world...

A young Katydid tries to hide from my peering lens...then scared the crap outta me when it jumped on me...in my world...a simple thing...

...and once again, I never tire of my Iowa country roads and the paths I follow in a day in the life of a woman with a simple plan and the words of a friend...JUST BE...

Thanks for the coffee Robin...

Till next time we meet...

Well, the time worn gypsies are on their way back to Kentucky...booty in tow, they(Theresa) conjures up visions of what her next venture will be...Marburger Farms perhaps...Texas bound in just 6 weeks, Craig has got to empty the truck and prepare each item, as Theresa paints and prices and envisions each setting in her mind...so the stage is set...

Y'all know what that is all about...plan, plan, plan...she'll be posting soon...goodbye friends!!!

Camp Junk...

Well here we are at Camp Junk...after a long day of trash pickin', a couple of beers n burgers and fresh-picked sweet corn from the Chateau's own patch...don't git much better'n this...right...

But a trip to Manley's Antiques was first on our list...isn't this just the most to-die-for pink chest...and the lil' pink fern stand...how SWEET is that...

Love the blues in this sweet country setting...LeeAnn just does the best displays...

Well, today Palo and Sisters'...we're on the right track to Junkville...stay tuned for more high adventures...in Ioway...

...and they're off...the race is on...

Yesterday Barb and Brent from Sister's Garden rambled into the lil' burg of Palo...Barb's first time to the new shop...naturally she was amazed at our abilities to cram stuff into such a small space...like her ability to cram stuff into the back of their convertible...

Well, I'll be delivering the rest of the stuff today...Barb also visited the other new shop in town Griffin's Antiques and grabbed a few goodies in there too...who knew...

Then our intrepid dealers from Kentucky, back from their successful show at Brimfield are here to shop Iowa...eat your hearts out Lauri(Chippys) and Deb n Cat Daddy(Talkin' Trash) we're on a mission...so get outta the way...TOT comin' through...as Craig reloads the truck for the goodies she'll be draggin' in the next two days...eeeeeeee...are we havin' fun yet...

...as another day dawns in good ol' Ioway...the lost continent...

Shadow Shot Sunday... I Remember...

The moon and the stars glow
on the eve of my becoming
bright beings peek
into my dreams
reminding me of another home
what if my Father was Zeus
what if my Mother Athena
what of other worlds
and legacies of mere mortals
what if...
what if we were not
of this terrestrial plane
what if great ships
greeted Aboriginal kind
what if star seeds
were me
and I shared grace with the dolphin
what if...
what if my Mother
what if my Father
came home
would I run away
or would I
remember...


s.wilson


Shadow Shot Sunday is upon us once again...and again I wander to my world of 'what if'...always seeking answers to questions unknown, my mind takes a celestial turn, as I look to the stars on a starry night...or at least on the pattern of moon and stars on top of this old camel back trunk, as the early morning drifts quietly into my room.

Check us out for other terrestrial shadows...Hey, Harriet...you wanna play too...

Yard gone wild...

A butternut squash rambles through the mint untethered by nets and fence...

Ol'timey garden varieties never let me down...just look American don't they...

...gateway to the chateau, a welcoming mix of wild and tame...sorta...

What's left of my garden after the drain field was laid, we'll deal with those issues next year, now that I know what's stayed with me...

...the owl and the pony guard the entry in wildlife fashion, can you imagine a field full of Queen Anne's Lace...me too...next year perhaps...but for now she lines my drive welcoming a traveler 'long side a country lane...

Finally...my Turk's cap lilies have started to bloom, they are at least 6 feet tall...what grand nectar for the hummers...

...even if I don't see a kernel of corn out of my wee patch, tis fine with me...the sweet scent of corn tassels wafts through the air and provides a natural, Iowa born fence to keep out the meanies...I will be pleased...it is a simple thing...