Heirlooms

We've been working on the family's genealogy for the past year. As part of that project, we've begun taking pictures of family heirlooms and the stories behind them. Although not of any great value, these bottles brought back memories of my childhood and early marriage. Do you know what they were for?Answer: Many years ago before no-iron clothing, clothes were wrinkled once washed and dried. In order to iron them without creases, bottles were filled with water and you would sprinkle your clothes that were to be ironed. (You could purchase a sprinkler head that would fit in the top of the bottle.) After sprinkling your clothes you would roll them up, place them in a plastic bag and then put them in the refrigerator until ready to be ironed. Voila, no wrinkles! This seems rather silly in today's world, but it worked!

Life's Blessings

Happy Parents Day!"A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be your friend." (Author unknown)

Trip to Edisto - NOT!

The last two times I have visited the Victorian Parlor, I had wanted to take a day trip to Edisto, SC. So the following is a photo tour of our trip.

Leaving town, I took this picture of the new city hall that is under construction.
On our way out, we stopped at the Antique Show which was part of the Water Festival. Although there were only about 10 dealers, and it shared the space of the Omni Gym, the show turned out to be most enjoyable. Dealers were friendly and they had some very interesting pieces.
Our next stop was Fletcher's Finds in Yemassee. Whoaaaa, that's not on the way to Edisto; that's the opposite direction! Fletcher's was quite interesting and had some unique pieces. My hostess was asked to perform in the fall at the local country club which I'm sure you will hear more about later. Hmmm, now to Edisto? I think not.
Heading back home, we stopped for lunch at a Thai restaurant, called "Yes, Thai Indeed," but sadly not in Edisto. The food was absolutely fantastic!
While sitting at a light, I grabbed this picture of a new condo building that's going to overlook the waterway. Apparently, although approved by the council, the building turned out to be 6' taller than was agreed on. Not sure how you make a building a that much taller - where were the specs?
Our final stop was at the Antique Mall, and again not in Edisto. This is a great place, there are wonderful finds, and prices are very reasonable.
Well, I guess my trip to Edisto will have to wait another year. Maybe the third time will be the charm:) Although we didn't make it again, we enjoyed our day and doing what we like best - antiquing!

Cassie's Expanded Domain

While my beloved Sweeti was living, I had to keep her and my feral kitty, Cassie, separated. Cassie spent most of the time in the garage (it has HVAC, carpet and all the comforts of home) and would come into the house once in the morning and again in the evening. Since I lost Sweeti, Cassie now has free rein of the house all day. At first she was a little hesitant about it, would stay glued to the sofa, and constantly alert.

Last night was the first time she seemed to relax. I took this photo below (sorry, it's a bit fuzzy) while she was sleeping, although she might have been peeking.
My next assignment is to get her to let me pick her up. I've been working on it the past week and I can carry her from one end of the couch to the other, or pick her up and put her on the floor. But once I put her down, she immediately turns around and gives me a sharp 'meow' as if to say, 'Don't do that!' We'll keep working on it:)

Giving...

My Victorian Parlor hostess and I spent a day last week going to Blufton, SC, thrift store shopping. We stopped at numerous stores on the way and took advantage of items that other people had donated. The stores we visited were sponsors of charities.

My find of the day was this lovely lamp, maybe 1950's, with a Dresden-like china figurine. I purchased this from the Habitat Restore, which is associated with Habitat for Humanity.
Unfortunately I did not think to take pictures until it was too late, but other thrift stores we visited included:

• The CAPA Closet, which helps the Child Abuse Prevention Association
• Cancer Thrift
• Red Door, which helps a local Hospice

On our trip back, I tried taking pictures from a moving car. These are pictures of the water and marsh while going over a very long bridge.

The road in front of us...
Our final stop was a consignment shop which had two floors of items for sale.
Our thrift store shopping trip was very successful! Thanks to all who gave their "no longer wanted or needed items" to these organizations. Everyone benefits from these thrift stores -those who purchase items at massively reduced prices, and those who are helped by the charities that are associated with them.

Morning at the Victorian Parlor

As I stated on Friday, I would spend this week blogging about my vacation to the Victorian Parlor. Morning there is quite leisurely for everyone. The hostess would fix a pot of tea and we would either sit on the front porch and enjoy the view and the early morning air and sounds, or we would sit inside. On this particular day we chose to stay inside.

Following are pictures of some of the residents preparing for a long exhausting day. Kasey, the wonder pup, prefers the pillows on the living room couch.Calvin peers out the living room window contemplating the day.
Lizzie chooses to spread out on the sofa.
My hostess spends time blogging.
And Kramer, well, he prefers stretching out in the library, doing the infamous "Kramer Crouch."

Life's Blessings

Giving

"If you have much, give of your wealth, if you have little, give of your heart" (Arab proverb)

"You get the best out of others when you give the best out of yourself" (Harvey Firestone)

6th Folder 6th Picture

Queenmothermamaw (http://queenmothermamaw.blogspot.com/) suggested this fun thing to do. For instructions go to the above website.

This is a picture (although pretty dark) of me backpacking in the North Georgia woods back in the late 1980's. Yes, I'm carrying about 30 pounds, which I couldn't do today if I tried. I still remember how beautiful the woods were, the sweet air, sitting next to a babbling brook, and the great time I had with my friends.

I've always loved the outdoors and backpacking is a great way to enjoy it!

Calvin

We went on vacation to the Victorian Parlor this week, which I will post more about next week. The Victorian Parlor has several residents including three dogs and a cat, which most everyone who follows their blog has met. One of the residents, Calvin, is sort of like the middle child and may often seem insecure. He appears to be a follower, but this may just be a disguise. For example, if the ladies of the house, Kasey and Lizzie, begin barking or attempt to gain attention, Calvin joins in. However, I believe him to be a much more complex dog and so I followed him for a day to gain proof.

In the picture below, Calvin is contemplating his day, making a mental to-do list.
This is the philosophical Calvin. He is intently considering the nature versus nurture debate.
Here Calvin is testing his latest theory on the state of nature.
Finally, Calvin ponders tabula rosa and its application to dogs.
As you can see, Calvin is a very serious and pensive dog and not the insecure follower he pretends to be. If only others knew...

Life's Blessings

"Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose" (The Wonder Years)

A Loving Tribute to Sweeti (1994-2009)

Sweeti came into my life in 1995. She was a stray kitty and my neighbor, thinking I needed a cat, fed her outside my front door. One day, I invited Sweeti in and the rest is history.

It turned out that Sweeti was a ragdoll kitty. She was very affectionate, purred continuously and would hug you when you picked her up.

Following are a series of photographs that I have taken over the past few years and not in any particular order. The first is a picture of Sweeti with her favorite toy. She loved carrying it around the house in her mouth, meowing as she went. Of course her favorite time to do this was in the middle of the night. I would awake to hear the muffled meow, smile and turn over.
Sweeti was known for her blue eyes and on occasion would allow me to take her picture.
A few years ago Sweeti came down with skin cancer, which ultimately took her life. She was very patient as I applied cream to her lesions and then placed her little shirt on her to keep her from licking it off. Yes, she was not happy with the shirt.
Sweeti laying on the back of the sofa, watching while I worked on my computer...
Sweeti's favorite place was the back porch and she spent a lot of time there.
Here she is avoiding the flash...
Sweeti, ruler of the house, perched on the dining room table
Sweeti laying on my desk
Quilts are in abundance in our house, and Sweeti always found one on which to settle
It seems that whenever you lay down a piece of fabric, a magazine or piece of clothing, a cat will find it instantly and claim it as theirs
It's all about cattitude...
I am so grateful that the Lord brought her into my life. My beloved, my friend will be missed...

Life's Blessings

Our founding fathers...Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety (Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790)

Remembering Sweeti (1994-2009)

Sadly, I lost my Sweeti kitty today. She was one of the best housemates and friends a human could have and she will be dearly missed. Once I recover from the shock and sadness I will build a better tribute to her on my blog, but for the time being I just wanted the world to see and know how beautiful and loved she was.