Autumn at Manley's Antiques...

Yes, Autumn in all it's glory is in full color at Manley's Antiques...a beautiful day filled with vintage treasures...can it get any better'n this...

What I see in the mornin'...

...all morning glories to me, as the harvest season takes it's tole on my purdy posies...Autumn is here and frost looms on the horizon...where did our summer go...now we dig in and clean up before the first snows...nuf said...here we go again...

Friend's Candle Shed...a proud Mommy...

TA DA... my daughter Pipers' shop...yup...you might say I was proud...come on inside and play with us...you might wanna come back often...

...the entrance to the 'candle garden'...how cute is this...I have to say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...right... Piper's shop is just adorable and folks come from all over the place to see it and to experience the candles...all soy, they are wonderful to burn...



I know, I know...but it's not that far away...time to plan ahead and have Piper fill these sweet snowman jars with your favorite fragrance of choice...

...this is just the cutest one ever...'Birdie Cafe'...TWEET!!! Piper has picked up on her Mommas' mission to buy and sell only American made products, made by local artisans. I think people are sick of the shabby, cheap Chinese made products...not only that, but TOXIC!!!

...the time and creativity Piper and Rick are putting into the production of these lil' gems, is unbelievable, but just like anything else that's made at home, you can't apply the hours spent to the final price...it just don't work that way...

...margaritas and a Tiki bar for birds...how cute is that...

...my antiques figure into all of this stuff too, you just gotta have cool old stuff to display on...right!...

...it's the berries...strawberry, blackberry...and the Muscatine Melons...we're famous for that you know...all yummy scents that are to die for...

...bring in your own clean jars to be refilled...recycling, right...you can also pick up Swirly Girl Pies at the shed...

...the refill list, constantly changing with new scents and not so popular ones out the door...

...pillars and votives in wonderful colors and scents...and potpourri...

...more adorable birdhouses, lined on a fence...

...gourds and punkins call into season...FALL...everyone's favorite time of year...come and play at 'The Shed'...

MADE IN THE USA...

Shadow Shot Sunday...Changes...

changes come over me
I seem so far away
green seas recall
stolen dreams
in empty houses
sheltering thee

strange winds sing
as I resolve
into it's golden voice
a voice of history
beckoning me
set her free

set her free
and face the sea
of green sonnets
as summers flee
and don't forget
you're missing me

I'll ne'er let go
it brings to me
peace
of times past by

are you following me
to a greener sea
shall I step away
and let your dreams
fly free
as

I'll ne'er tire of your olden ways...

s.wilson


Shadows again fill our days...go here to see them again...

Playlist had a power failure last night...what will I do without my tunes...EEEEEE...

PRACTICE PATIENCE...

I want to move back time...

...and who doesn't, as the Autumn season fills our days with scarlet leaves and misty morns...the sounds of school buses whining down the lane...and the silence, as most migratory birds have flown to warmer climes...we sit and wait...having battened the hatches for the torrents ahead, our hot coffee settles our nerves, as one more season of summer fades into memory...winter, the time of rest and regrowth...

IN THEORY...

However, this winter we have reason to worry...will the income be there, will people get out and shop as the cold winds and snows bury our dreams of summer...I so want to be where the summer clouds float high above my green pastures and promise of bounty. This is why people turn into snowbirds...fleeing the frozen knowing of what lies ahead.

But this year...again I stay, helping my daughter in her shop making ends meet, as folks are still losing their jobs and their homes, as a country faces financial crisis, us little peeps, keep dragging our shackles so we can dutifully bale out wall street once and again...

What happened to the dream...

We're off...and who didn't know that...

n
Well, the 2 Kewpies are on to a new adventure...leaving Palo has weighed heavy on our minds, but moving on to greener pastures is something you just have to decide to do...we are now in one of the Amana colonies and it has already proved profitable...we are seeing sales and that's what it's all about.

We are also seeing sales in our other location at Grasshoppers in LeClaire...so all in all, we are pleased with our decisions, so now all we worry about is who's driving...but one thing is sure...there will always be chocolate ice cream!!!

We only have one load left to procure, then we say adieu to Palo, with heavy hearts, but adventures and freedom on our minds we're saying...LOOKOUT, we're on the way!

The 2 Kewpies-Bubbles and her other sister Bubbles...The 'White' gurlz...

I care...

• One quarter of all mammal species face extinction in 30 years. (United Nations, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

• For every person in the world to reach present U.S. levels of consumption we would need 4 more planet Earths. (Wilson, p. 23)

• Humans currently consume 50% of the Earth's available freshwater, leaving what's left over for all other species. (World Wildlife Fund, http://www.panda.org/)

• Humans currently consume 40% of all organic matter produced by photosynthesis on Earth, leaving what's left over for all other species. (Wilson, p. 33)

• Every species of great ape on the Earth (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos) is in imminent danger of extinction. (United Nations, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

• Every species of tiger on Earth is in imminent danger of extinction. (World Wildlife Fund, http://web.archive.org/)

• The number of lions left in Africa has fallen 90% in 20 years -- there are now only 20,000 remaining. (BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

• 90 percent of all large fishes have disappeared from the world's oceans in the past half century. (Nature Magazine, http://www.cnn.com/)

• Human population is expected to increase by at least 50% over the next 75 years. (United Nations Population Division, http://www.enviroliteracy.org/)

To me, having a blog is being able to express ones feelings on issues you are passionate about, not everyone will agree and I expect that, we all have our opinions and should express them freely. For me, it ain't all about antiques and soap...I have a passion for ecology and cry inside daily at the demise of species because of man's inability to control himself...dead zones in the oceans from pollution and over-fishing for growing populations...we can't blame the third world populace, it is us in the well educated, long-lived countries that have created the problems...we want more and we NEED more...why???

Yes, it is about over-population...we have to take control, but it is our children and grandchildren that will bear the burden for all of us in old age. Many children means more old people to care for, with dwindling resources, the issue is people are living longer with advanced medical technologies. Pandemics are a natural culling of overpopulation, we are just scared to face death and want to keep our loved ones alive no matter what the consequences. Factory farms built to feed these masses are spreading disease, runoff is polluting our waterways and destroying the ecosystem.

I don't want to hear the cries of a mother whale as her infant is harpooned or the bawl of a hungry baby bear whose mother was slaughtered for her bladder and paws, to see shark carcass washed ashore with only the fins cut away, mountain tops blasted away, old-growth forests gone, glaciers melting...and 3 million children starving in the US, not all children and grand children are from happy homes...for me it is way more than a blog of antiquing adventures and soap orders, it is about the meeting of like minds agreeing or no...it's called freedom of speech...and saving a wonderful ecosystem...there is no Planet B...

I have just one question...where are we all gonna park...?

Lifespan/Quantity vs. Quality
One thing which must be taken into consideration is the amount of time, money, and effort we have spent toward saving and extending lives. Billions of dollars have been spent in this field, and successfully. However, something that we also must look at is the effect this has had on our own number. How much have we contributed to birth control, family planning, and preservation of the environment? Nature is a balance of existence. In order to coincide with nature, we must balance the saving and extending of lives with controlling the number of lives which we produce. We mustn't use resources any faster than they can be reproduced. We need to respect ourselves by learning to respect the environment which we depend on for our own existence. If not, we will cease to exist.

By James Hopkins

Yup, I'm a tree hugger...

I just can't resist the magnificence of an ancient oak, the lifeblood of our planet, yet we continually harvest them to sell overseas for huge profit, to an over-crowded planet...we need to stop...over-population. What ever happened to just having two kids???

Eighteen and counting, octo-mom, Jon and Kate plus eight...think of the footprint these families have on our fragile ecosystem, not to mention the welfare system. Now their children will buy into the money pit and grandchildren and on and on...look around at what we have done...sorry Jim Bob...put a sock on it!!!

Olden days and derelict homes, recall days when families were large because there was no birth control and you needed lots of hands to eke out the living for the whole.

Today there is no excuse for a huge family, we don't need to go forth and populate the planet, or build an army, we need to consider our neighbors. What if my Grandson wanted a child...and a Grandchild, but he is too conscientious of the impact on the environment...how sad we've become and so uncaring of others.

Having a child today is a luxury...it cost $100.00 to have my daughter 41 years ago, what is it today, I'm afraid to ask, with medical costs so high...I even had a man the other day bring his dog in for grooming and commented that we won't be able to afford dogs anymore with vet costs skyrocketing...

Yes, it's scary what we've done to our home...we should to take long hard looks into the future for our kids and grand kids...and Scratchy's relatives...

THINK GREEN...

Our new digs...

This is the new location of our 'junkin' soiree'...The Noe Haus...the charm of the Amana Colonies is everywhere. The history really fascinates me, the settlers chose the fertile Iowa River valley to set up their colonies...you should Google this and catch their history, a fascinating story for sure.




...more exploring needed...come early and wear yer walkin' shoes, cause there's lots to see...

...the theater company sets many a play and musical in this old barn, so picturesque of days gone by...

...iron works galore is set up in this shops yard...we got to visit this place!!!

...what a wonderful old stone home this must've been back in the day...

...and like Lorie and I, these junkers know how to stack junk...

We are almost totally out of Palo, a bittersweet moment in our travels...this darling lil' house will not sit empty long. Anyone with half an imagination will be able to pull her vintage charms out once again...we love the peeps there and plan on going back to visit often, as an artists colony is in the works...you should see our old shop...is it cute or what. When she gets it finished, I'll go back for a visit and take lots of pics...

So don't be sad, just wait for the next adventures of the "Crazy White Gurlz"...and their traveling junkin' soiree'...