Count My Many Blessings, Name Them One By One...

Miss Emma came home! Miss Emma is a gypsy, coming...and going...at will. Some years ago, I was a participant on a boomer women site and someone excoriated me because I allowed my cats outdoors. I attempted to explain my situation wasn't remotely similar to her situation (she was a self proclaimed phone sex worker in Las Vegas...count my many blessings!...) yet she refused to believe her opinion could be wrong. Yes, I did leave that group...are you surprised? Dave had New Yorker magazine note cards...a drawing of a dog, sitting at a computer with the caption, "On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog"; click here for the cartoon, printed in 1993...so very long ago. Let's face it, sometimes, in internet groups, one is thrown together with people with the faint smell of sulfur; it pays to be ultra cautious.

These lads are on their way to work...Charles, the middle rider, knows me and wasn't too surprised when I swerved to the ditch, jumped out and began taking pictures. They pulled up and stopped as I said, "One of these days I might get my clocked cleaned but I want this picture!" They were on their way to gather up cattle; see their big smiles? I'm thinking the smiles were for the camera and not laughing at me...ya think? lol

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore... November's super moon is the first in decades and the last until 2024. It was lovely!

The gift of getting oldER means when I over-exert myself, it takes longer to bounce back regain strength with reduced pain levels. Within the past two months, I made the comment my body was about 90%; I've since had plenty of opportunity to regret making that particular comment. Ahem.

A great blessing is the nephew of a friend who has been helping prep the farm and house...particularly the house. When Dave and I moved here, the house was in dire straits...several broken toilets stored upstairs as well as other debris. (I've continued to ponder storing broken toilets...I mean WHY?) The house was, probably, five years from being uninhabitable so we got here just in time to start re-claiming the house and farm. As soon as my desktop is fixed and returned, I'm going to start blogging Thistle Cove Farm Epistles (with photos and from newsletters and journal) but in the meantime, the house is warm, even without the wood stove which may, or may not, be put into use this year. I've been trying to caulk the space between bedroom toe molding and floor but E. was able to do the job better. God bless him! He's also done things to make the house safer so more blessings.

This Pottery Barn pillow was purchased at a thrift store and while pretty, I decided to tart it up a bit.

This crochet piece was purchased at Noravank Monastry in Armenia but I've never known quite what to do with it. In 301 A.D. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its national religion, a very rich tradition!

The big yellow button was added, but not so sure it adds very much except texture, then, everything stitched down.

The finished piece is now living in Thistle Cove Poppet; with her dining room sunflower theme, looks right at home. Next, I'm working on Poppet's kitchen theme which is roosters. The bedroom theme is luxe comfort and, having my priorities in order, is complete.

The sunsets have been beautiful and today we have rain...thank you, Lord!...with an expected 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight. Winds are howling at plus 20 mph, outside temps are dipping into low 40's and my contentment level stretches for the horizon. The American Legion is serving Thanksgiving lunch and I'm braving the storm to partake; blessings upon blessings upon blessings. To count only three per day seems churlish so I don't.

Ponder this ~ "Beware the barrenness of a busy life." Socrates ~

Beautiful Things

~ tea pot lamp ~

Last month, I took a AAA trip to Charlotte, NC to see Sister Act which was great except, every so often, the language turn a south turn. The bus went early enough so we were able to stop at Northlake Mall. Now, that might not seem like big doings to you but to me...HUGE and I'm not a "mall person". I took photos of some beautiful things, thinking I might duplicate them, eventually. but, really...probably not -smile-  Isn't this tea pot lamp the cutest thing you've ever seen? I adore it! I so want to make one! Thrift stores, beware, I am on the hunt for tea pots but they don't have to be white. I'm thinking colors would be cute as long as they complimented each other. Or, maybe a couple of colored tea pots with one white one? I like the lamp shade but think it could be better, somehow. Hmmm, I'm not sure, this one just doesn't quite work for me. What do you think?

 ~ beautiful chair ~

This fabric is heavily textured and, again, another piece I just love. I've got similar fabric and am looking around the house for a chair that it would fit. 

 ~ Indian style jacket ~

The back of this jacket has been removed and this knitted piece substituted. It's nubby and fabulous; I'm pretty sure I adore this jacket.

~ tree branch lamp ~

This lamp has a base of tree branches that are nailed together, starting inside, going to outside. I couldn't tell if the lamp was sitting atop the branches or went straight to the bottom but I like it, a lot. Not to sound trite, but the organic quality is so nice...the texture, the brad nails, the way some branches are straight and others curvy...the whole piece is great.

The quality of the photos isn't wonderful but as good as possible, considering I was sneaking around taking them at either Anthropologie or Pottery Barn...I think that's right.    Walking through the stores was interesting; it seems a lot of the stores are selling things that look like they are supposed to be aged but aren't. In other words, new stuff that's been distressed; it's beautiful but I'm chuckling. The newest piece of furniture in this house is from 1972 and the oldest could be the roll top desk Dave's grandfather used when he was in either the Virginia Senate or Legislation (I can't remember which). Then again, the oldest could be the Victorian horse hair stuffed sofa and matching chair. When Dave and I married, we each brought more than twenty years of household belongings to the farm and, later, when his mother moved in with us, she brought fifty years of household belongings. So, every room is packed with history...Hoosier cabinets, tables and hutches, Emes chair and ottoman, roll top desk, maple, cherry and pecan bedroom suites, Victorian sofas and chairs, treadle sewing machines, hand crank sewing machines, Singer Featherweights, iron frame bed...the list goes on and on and on. I'm sure an antique dealer is salivating by now smile but all this "stuff" fits our my 110+ year old home just fine. We're all old here, it's just a series of degrees smile.

Now do you understand why I chuckle when in those high end home furnishings store?

"There are two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~ Albert Einstein ~

Today's Miracles ~ laughter ~ a sun shiny day ~ laundry drying on the line ~ smiles ~ a healthy delivery for Sara ~ a healthy pregnancy for Sarah ~