Friday's Favorites-Buffet

Here's another new reoccuring category - Friday's Favorite Things. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I love my "things" passionately, obsessively, and compulsively!

When I left for college in June 1966, I only took what a young college person needs - very little other than what was needed to set up a dorm room. When my adoptive dad came up to see me that next May to tell me he was divorcing my step-mother, anything that was left at our house, all my youth and teenage memorabilia (including high school year books and a charm bracelet that covered almost every important event of my life) was gone. I went to the house to get my things, but my step-mother and her mother kept me from entering, and apparently either before or after that day threw everything away - because they were angry at my dad. (We won't go into the emotional impact of being blocked from going into my home, even if I did hate the woman.)

Hence my obsession with my things. I hoard them, display them, love them. Friday's Favorite Things will include things collected or given to me from that day on, as well as favorite photos, books, quotes, people, colors, etc.

Today's favorite thing is this beautiful buffet. When David and I were setting up a home together in 1973, we found this buffet at a salvation army type store. It was a shocking pink with gold antiquing that was popular at one time. We stripped it, stained it, and loved it. Who'd have thought that there was such a beautiful walnut underneath all that paint - look at the grain on the top drawer! And those legs!

From that day forward, this has been the center of our home. Anytime we move (and we've moved nine times since 1973), this is the absolute first thing I set up, and it has almost always, in the 36 years since, looked the way it does now. (Except with more clutter and things on it. And not quite so clean.)

The first thing to go on it are the photos of my favorite people, with a few favorite objects, some old books, and a favorite lamp (which was purchased from a neighbor in about 1986, and they'd had it since WWII).

I think that favorite things make a house a home, that they add texture to our lives and our psyche, and keep many of our memories alive. (Of course, the clutter control people will counter that with "just take a picture and toss the object".) (And yes, I realize that I've showed four shots of the same buffet...I just couldn't decide which to use, and I love the way the morning sun spotlights it in the first one.)

What is the first thing you put out when you move into a home (besides toilet paper and sheets), that thing that says now it's gone from a house to my home? Is it a family heirloom, or a gift, or something you purchased yourself?

Wednesday's Wander to the Wayside

Every other Thursday I babysit in the infants room for a church Mom's group fifteen minutes from my home. These photos are taken on one stretch of road between here and there.

I'm taking these photos out the car window, as opposed to stopping and getting out of the car. This can get dangerous, because most of these roads have ditches instead of shoulders! In most cases, I stop in the middle of the road, watch my rear view mirror closely, and try to quickly take the shot. Although this isn't a major thoroughfare, it is quite heavily traveled during the day, so I don't recommend this technique!

I'll try not to do all barns, fences, cows and horses on these wanderings, but there are a lot of them around here, and they're among my favorite things! They have so much character, and are such a nice change from the cookie cutter neighborhoods.

I was especially excited that the photo of the horse revealed the laundry in the background, which I then shot by itself. And I had stopped to take a photo of a barn when I noticed the old house or shed next door-with the coca cola cooler on the porch! I thought the tractor in the barn looked like a giant bug.

Thanks for joining me on this drive today. We'll have to do it again sometime ... how about next Wednesday?

Bluebirds 2 : It's an egg! "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"

Today's Musical Monday selection is Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, in honor of our first bluebird egg! (You know, "Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder..."). Mama has probably laid another egg or two by now, as I checked it early Sunday a.m., and she's looked busy since then. This egg is about the size of the end of my thumb, and oh so delicate.

I had worried as I hadn't seen either of them for a day or two, thinking perhaps that a fierce wind we had on Friday had swung the bird house so violently that it had sent them packing. So when she showed up late Saturday afternoon, I sighed deeply and ... well, don't laugh or roll your eyes, but I actually got a lump in my throat and tear in my eye and said "oh, thank you for coming back, Mrs. Bluebird!". (Ok, so I'm getting a little too emotionally involved with this bird thing.) Also saw Mr. Bluebird swoop from some vantage point above and dive bomb a dove that was feeding beneath the bird house. I'm so proud of them both for hanging in there!

I love that I sang this song to Melody when she was little, our "isn't this a beautiful day" song, and now I sing it to and with the grandsons.

Hope you have a zip-a-dee-do-dah day! (Am I the only one who thought it was "zippity doo dah"?)

Spring Flowers

These are just a few of my Spring flowers. The clematis - pink, purple, and white - were absolutely gorgeous this year. I planted them two years ago, and it's taken a while for them to finally take off.

The bottom photo with the snail is a hellebores from an antique garden in Madison, Ga. The man my husband worked for bought a house in the historical district with the most incredible garden you could ever imagine. And they were going to tear out ALL the flowers, bushes, bulbs and trees - turn them under, actually - to put in the usual neat row of landscaper bushes. So we ran over with shovels and plastic bags, in the rain, and dug up as many as we could of everything. A man next door had come over earlier when he heard/saw what was happening and had tears in his eyes at the atrosity being committed! When we moved here three years ago, we brought this and one other with us, and they get bigger and more beautiful every year. We had to leave many other varieties because it was winter and we couldn't find them!

Hope your Spring gardens are up and running. Is there a more wondrous and anticipated time of year? Especially if you're lucky enough to have your own garden! If not, come on by and I'll be glad to share mine with you!

Wednesday's Wander to the Wayside

Welcome to my first "Wednesday's Wander to the Wayside"!

I have always noticed how many awesome things I see on my way from the house to the store, and how lucky I am that it's such an enjoyable and scenic fifteen minute drive. So, I thought to myself, why not take advantage of my blog title, and the letter W in Wednesday, and turn it into a re-occurring theme! It'll be like we're out for a drive together, wandering around the wayside!