We are Strong! We are Rebuilding! But we won't Forget!

God bless America!

A Quick Re-do and a Quirk in Canning

It's been awhile since we've had a new puppy in the house so every time we sense an unfamiliar odor we turn our attentions toward Sam.  I mean, does this look like an "Honest, Mom, it wasn't me!" look or what? 

But, alas, this time he was actually innocent. 
I've been canning tomatoes and I canned one group using an unfamiliar canner.  (I'm one of the strange breed of women who prefer the cold pack method) A couple of the jars I canned "failed".  It's been several years since I've had that experience - probably about 30 years.  Wish me luck on my next batch!   



Look what my hubby found while mowing:  Isn't it too cute?  Of course, when it's all grown up and nibbling in our gardens, the cuteness has a tendency to go away. 

Anyway, it was missing part of one foot.  We never know how the animals we find get injured - it could have been trapped in something, attacked by something - or, it could even be a birth defect.


How's this for a cheap makeover?  We all have an idea of how expensive chaise mattresses can be.  We've had these for at least four years. 

 They're still in good condition (comfort-wise) because they really don't get much use.  But, the colors have really faded and they look pretty haggard. 

I've had a large fabric bolt of this wonderful Waverly fabric for quite awhile; it came in a box lot and was so pretty I knew that (eventually) we'd have a use for it.  I did a quick cut and sew (a simple 3-sided sew, shaped like a super-huge pillowcase) and voila! 

 A new look for the patio!  I had enough left over for a table cover, too. 

 We had just painted our patio and it sure freshened it up.  The cost of the makeover?  Less than $1, since it came in an auction box lot!



Shoulder Spurs, Surplus and Sewing Patches

Shoulder update: Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts.  The diagnosis my orthopaedist gave me was pretty much what I anticipated - I have shoulder spurs and minor rotator cuff damage.  He did give me an injection to help with the pain but it turns out that the numbness I've been experiencing in my arm, hand and fingers have nothing to do with my shoulder and everything to do with my neck.  Several years ago I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease (along with, sadly, several thousands other people). I was told that my spine had quite a bit of damage and the damage seemed to be excelerating fairly quickly. The numbness I'm feeling is from those pinched nerves in my neck.  I'm doing some exercises that will hopefully help to alleviate some of the pain and tingling. An MRI will better define what's going on or, more specifically, what treatment paths we'll be taking.  Continued prayers are appreciated.

Anyone who knows me knows I've been diligently working  trying to use up and otherwise get rid of my miscellaneous mess extra supplies of fabric and needlework supplies for the last four or five years recently.  Believe it or not, I'm actually starting to see success somewhere in that dark hole I call my sewing/art studio.  But, as I was sorting through dresser drawers, I started seeing another hoarding trend that I didn't even know I had started.  

 Pillow cases. Not sets or pairs of pillow cases, mind you.  Just pillow cases.  One at a time, no matching partner, no fabulous story, just single pillow cases.  Lots of them.  A few of them are vintage (very few) with some pretty embroidery work or trim on them.  I can probably recycle and turn some of them into potpourri pillows or the like.  But others are just plain ugly.

I have no idea what to do with them.  Do you have any ideas? Aside from donating them to Goodwill or trying to hide them in a box and send them to the auction, I mean.  (By the way, I didn't include the ugliest of them in any of the pictures.  Yes, they are THAT ugly.)

Speaking of ugly - does your husband insist on keeping a certain pair of jeans?  (Not accusing your hubby of being ugly, just a possible given pair of his jeans.)  Sweet Hubby has a pair of jeans that I have patched and repatched so many times that the only original part of them is the zipper.  Why do I patch them?  Because he would wear them anyway and the holes are, well, in areas that could cause him to be arrested.   And no, I won't show you those particular areas!  I'd love to hear your favorite jean stories.  They don't have to be YOUR favorite jeans, as obviously the above pair are not mine. 

My Hubby Hates our Property

No kidding.  He's been wanting to move for years.  I think it all started when I fell down our hill  and broke my ankle.  That was the first or second year we lived here.  And, today, I took another hard fall.  He blames it all on our property, which is mostly situated uphill.  (or, downhill, if you're falling...)

Most of you know I have RA (rheumatoid arthritis).  You may not know that I have almost all the other "itis"s, too - osteoarthritis, tendonitis, bursitis - and as each summer approaches I find it more difficult to give proper attention to all my flower gardens.  As a result, I seem to never get all the work accomplished in the "big garden".  The west end (above) is a sad combination of weeds, some perenials, vines and more weeds.   

Today I decided that THIS would be the day to clear out said weeds, vines, etc.  Well, it sure is easy to fall when you're pulling stubbornly-rooted weeds while standing on a hillside.  The good part is, I already have an appointment with my orthopaedist for Tuesday morning.  The bad news is, it's for the shoulder I fell on.  The area between my neck and right shoulder has been sore and swollen for about a month and lately, my entire right arm, hand and fingers, have been numb.  (Crazy-bone hit kind of numb.) 

Anyway, Sweet Hubby and youngest stepson had just returned home from running errands.  Hubby made sure I had no broken bones and insisted I let him and s-son work in the garden.  (Sure, Honey, if you insist...)

I did manage to pick up a broken flower (phlox) on the way to the house.  Don't you think it looks nice against my lace kitchen curtains?





Shop Talk, Garden Stuff and (more) Sam

Two posts in two days?  Wow, I'm on a ROLL! 

I was going through some of my photos this morning and thought I'd share some shop photos with you.  But first, get a load of this bumper sticker:



Can you read it?  It says, "Peace Hon".  Southerners are so friendly.

This is one of our booths (Hubby and mine).  I bought the little white cabinet at a garage sale, brought it home, cleaned it up, painted it and Hubby replaced the drawer front for me.  The original drawer front was (we thought) too thin and cheap-looking.  I had the teapot drawer pull in my stash and voila!  Cute, huh? 

 Would you believe I found a supply of these plates at another garage sale? 

These are only a few - some of the sayings were too funny or too true to pass up.

This dress form is to die for - but it's neither for sale nor is it mine!   It's the creation of Gail Schmidt of Shabby Cottage Studio.  I love her creativity!   She made the skirt out of paper that she rolled into cones.  She said she bought the wings off Etsy.  This table isn't ours, either; I saw it in another area of the shop.    I've seen similar on HGTV but thought this was just adorable.  It didn't last long - it sold within a couple days.  Now, this sofa IS one of ours: 

It's in absolutely beautiful shape!  We have a price tag on it of only $399.  I'm surprised it's still in the shop, as merchandise there sells so quickly.  It sits like a brand new couch, looks like a brand new couch but it is antique!  I told some friends that, if I didn't have a husband and parrots, I would keep this piece.  (I obviously chose my hubby and birds over the couch)

Now for a few photos of my cottage garden - these are all of the largest garden:

I never get tired of taking pictures of this angel.

  Puppy Sam seems to really enjoy running into the garden through the gate and out of it under this corner border, trampling my plants and everything else in his path.  I resolved that by "planting" a few boxlot plates that nobody wanted.  This fence is a recent addition:

Actually, it's an "unfence".  Sweet Hubby scored them at an estate sale.  They were twin beds in their previous life but the rails were nowhere to be found. 

Sam, by the way, loves to "help" me pull weeds.  (I do have fingers on both hands, by the way.  The angle from which this pic was taken looks otherwise.)

Problem is, he generally tries to pull the weeds out of my hand.  But, surprisingly enough, sometimes he gets it right on  his own! 





Puppies,Potatoes and Ponderings

Okay, so this little shed doesn't fit into my post title. I couldn't find a synonym for shed that starts with a "P".

Did you know that the words "want", "covet" and "desire" don't have "p" word synonyms, either? (I really want a shed like this one!) 

  
I saw it at a yard sale the other day. No, of course it wasn't for sale and I was by myself so I didn't have anyone to scheme with me on how in the world one of us could distract the owners while the other one loaded it onto the top of my van without being noticed. So, instead, I just complimented the older gentleman who had built it what a cool looking shed it was. Don't you agree it would really look at home sitting next to one of my gardens?

Speaking of gardening: I was tending to our veggie garden the other day and thinking about the first time I followed my former mother-in-law into her garden. I watched in awe as she stuck her shovel into the ground and unearthed a crop of beautiful golden-brown potatoes. We had a small garden when we were growing up but everything we grew happened above ground - you know, tomatoes, green beans and the like. I was so impressed that she knew exactly when to harvest something that couldn't be seen. I was later told that you delay the harvest until the green part of the potato that grows above ground dies. So...would someone like to tell me what in the world happened to my crop?

It would be difficult to find a pebble smaller than this!!!

Thank you for your cards, comments, emails, etc.of condolences you sent when I told you about losing Frankie, my pal and furry child of 17 years. I now understand the pain one goes through when a beloved pet dies. I still tear up when I think of him; we literally traveled alongside one another for the past 17 years. I told my husband I would never have another dog. Not ever. And then... We had to go to Knoxville for my rheumatologist appointment. It was on a Friday and we stopped at a flea market on the way home. It was there we spotted a young man carrying two very cute puppies that he had to sell. The mom was a full blooded pug, the daddy a combo pug and bulldog. Did I mention how very cute those puppies were? Long story short (okay, so the story isn't so long), we brought the black puppy home with us and named him "Sam". Here is Sam and Doc Jones. You can't even tell Sam is getting his first puppy shot; he's being so good. Yep, Sam and I are now an item!

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Gardens, Goodies and Good-byes

Isn't this a cool old door? The large middle pane and the bottom pane are broken out; the others are green with mold. Hubby said it was useless. Aren't men silly? After cleaning the glass, I painted some "fantasy flowers" on one side of the panes and lightly sprayed the opposite side with white. (I knew I'd be using it outdoors and didn't want the wild birds to injure themselves flying into the glass.) Once the paint was dry, I took some clear packaging tape and adhered it to one side of the glass - that way, if the glass gets broken we won't have a lot of shards to clean up. ...and - voila! A new door to replace the old screen door that had long ago served its purpose. Remember that box springs frame I put in my big garden a couple years ago? It serves a great purpose as a large trellis and for hanging baskets and items used for dressing up the garden. This coffee pot and cup were added this morning. How do you like my special hooks? I twisted an old spoon into an "S" hook; works great! We went to an estate sale Saturday and came out with a lot of vintage China and some great figurines. I especially love this old powder box/trinket holder! She's cleaned and tagged and on her way to the shop! The three figurines in front are all from occupied Japan. They've been cleaned and are waiting for their turn for tags.

The Colonial figurines were my Hubby's find from a thrift shop! I've said it before: He's a Keeper!

Our one large purchase for the day was this dining room table and chairs. We also bought the dinnerware, tablecloth and napkins at the same sale. On a sad note, my Hubby and I had to say goodbye to Frankie, our Chow/Collie mix. I pulled him out of a crawl space almost 17 years ago. He was only 5 weeks old when he came to live with me; I could hold him in the palm of my hand. We knew something was really wrong the night before he died. The next morning, I put him in our van and headed to the vet. I was stroking his head when he died. He didn't make it there alive. He's now buried in my biggest flower garden next to the angel. We put a solar light over his grave; he was always afraid of the dark. RIP, sweet friend and furry partner.