I forget, because I hardly leave the house, that it is indeed a new color!
I saw this ad the other day, the same color as we painted the house.
I have been cleaning out my photos. The girls have taken 100's of photos and videos of themselves. But here a few documenting our lives.
The cats love Murphy and he loves them. And this is the newest cat Bri snuck into the house.
Collecting! I get an email about estate sales in my area and my mouth starts watering. Window shopping via my phone. I mean I saw a quilt the other day for $21 bid that I squealed. I see vintage work cabinet drawers that I would die for. But ... I don't collect, buy, purchase, lust after anything anymore. My house is full. I am giving stuff away that I love. But it IS HARD TO LET GO.
I tell the kids every year (and I told David), please just get me some feathers to go with my collection. I have a few that I have picked up or my friend has mailed me from Texas. But I could use a few more. They aren't expensive and I even sent them a link! I have a small Indian vase of them. This year I might just buy my own.
I ventured out of my house yesterday. Hardly ever do that anymore. But it felt good. A little scary! The sun peaked through the trees and shone in my eyes, a cold breeze came through the car. I felt good.
My main reason was to go for birdseed and something for the squirrel. We have a virtual zoo in the backyard. I think we are the only people in our neighborhood feeding them. Bri has a whole set-up in the front yard and we have one in the back. I spent $100's at ACE hardware... always feels good to support our local businesses. This little guy was caught on the bird cam ... I thought I heard him say ... hey, hello in there ... do you guys know we need food out here?
The Camilla next door has it's bud set to bloom soon! And very very soon the Sweet Box, Sarcococca will bloom and the entire yard will smell so sweet. We have them planted all over the front yard now too. If you do not have a couple of these in your yard, you should!
The flowers may go unnoticed as they are rather small and hidden amongst dark glossy leaves, but their scent will grab you. On sunny winter days (yes we do have some of those in Portland) the sweet fragrance they are named for fills the air.
Sweet smelling flowers are enough to make us love a plant forever, but Sarcococca keeps on giving. It’s dark, glossy, evergreen leaves, bird-attracting berries, comfort in shady gardens (even in dry shade!) and pest-free nature clinch the deal. We’re all in.
White flowers in January, red berries in fall turn black. Grows 3-5’ x 3-5’ if left alone but it can easily be pruned into a lower hedge (see below). Shade-part shade, Z7 (0-10f).
I have TWO bowls of kale, blue cheese and balsamic vinegar! Yum! My stomach is gurgling now, should I be worried? My coffee maker met its maker this morning but I managed to make some coffee and still drinking it.
I am soooo frustrated. Helping my SIL format her Christmas poem and have forgotten every little thing about Adobe Illustrator. A program that could master with my eyes closed, now can hardly open a file. I have hardly logged on to my computer in years, except to print some art out for the girls. It is all a mystery to me now and I can't believe it.
I want a cuckoo clock for Christmas. I love the modern versions.
KOOKOO BirdHouse modern cuckoo clock, modern design wall clock with cuckoo or 12 natural bird voices (field recordings)
The Iranian American artist Asad Faulwell works with formal as well as thematic repetitions and symbolic attributions, which in its artistic execution is based on the patterns and decoration movements of the 1970s, but above all emphasizes the artist's interest in his family roots. The background of the large-format works is covered with small-scale painted ornaments, whose aesthetics are reminiscent of woven carpets or wall ornaments, and which stand out three-dimensionally from the picture carrier with spun threads, needles and sequins. The collage technique is in the tradition of Persian craftsmanship, which in Faulwell's case is symbolic of his personal connection to the culture of the Middle East.
I just polished off the last of the Thanksgiving Dressing! Have had it every meal. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was very quiet and small, full of good food that I did not cook.
Having run out of Hallmark Christmas movies to sleep through, I have moved on to Emily In Paris.
Emily in Paris follows Emily Cooper, an American from Chicago with a master's degree in communications, who moves to Paris for a new job opportunity. She is tasked with bringing an American point of view and social media presence to a venerable French marketing firm. Cultures clash as she adjusts to the challenges of life in Paris while juggling her career, new friendships, and active love life.
I had started watching this ages ago and gave up after a few episodes, but have returned. I think I slept through season three last night and have had it on all day through season four while I paid bills, changed over my insurance, worked on a poem layout for my S-I-L, did dishes.
This twenty-something, living in an expensive apartment, has an endless wardrobe of designer dresses (which even has it's own Instagram account). Your never see her or her boss or her friends wear the same exquisite outfit twice. What a life, you might think to yourself! Which is why I had many eye-rolling moments. Not to mention all of the beautiful, mostly wealthy French and Italian boyfriends. I should just enjoy the fantasy and quit being such a stick in the mud, old curmudgeon but it is hard for me.
It has that Sex and the City feel about it, fantasy TV series. Season 5 coming in a couple of weeks. Of all her boyfriend choices, I would have stuck with Gabriel, the French chef.
Oh, did David and I have some good laughs watching Keeping Up Appearances. I hated to hear of Dame Patricia Routledge passing. I almost always yelled out to David, while I was back-seat driving "Mind the lorry!", for a good laugh. Makes me miss David.
I am looking out to the sky, and Gosh, it is a beautiful sunny day! We got lots of rain yesterday. They still have the back of the house to paint, but I they will get it done, before winter sets in, I hope.
I did find something to take my mind of the shit show for a day or two. I happened upon a series called 9-1-1, season 6. Watched it and enjoyed it. Decided to go back and watch the previous 6 seasons. It didn't get too silly (you know every TV series gets silly after so many seasons). It did have a lot of fires, building collapsing, deaths, car accidents, airplane falling from the sky, a holiday cruise ship sinking, just enough silliness to keep my mind off of the present mess. AND now I will need to go back and catch up on all of my Acorn British mysteries.
I wake up every morning with words in my head to write for this blog. With a point of view, a rant and by the time I have enough coffee in me to blog ... the words have left me in exchange for tears. I follow what this administration has done in the morning, have a quiet weeping session and then move on. Aware that is little I can do about it. But today with the announcement of TrumpRx and Hegseth's little lecture to highly qualified military officers, my crying-spell was a little longer. After watching the disgraceful behavior of The Ryder's Cup MAGA crowd, throwing a bottle at Rory's wife ... everyday we sink lower, just when you thought we can sink any lower. Now he is sending in military force to quell the radical left in the PNW. ') Oh and did you see that his granddaughter was selling her Sweatshirt merchandise using the White House as a backdrop of her commercial. The GRIFT NEVER ENDS. The new Saudi Arabia Trump Org resort project. Jared's $55 billion of Saudi backed money for a new gaming venture? Farmers are going broke and need a bail-out because of Trump's tariffs.
Torben Gammelgaard, loving the bigger-than-life vases.
