Old Cards On A Bathroom Wall

It's just plain wierd to grow up. Things you take for granted, people you depend on to be in your life, can disapear. Things change and shift and continue to do so. Some for the better, some for the worse, that's just how it is. My grandmother has reached the point where she can't anymore leave her home, so family events have since been anchored there for gatherings. In any rate, I took these pictures from off the walls of her bathroom. I've never given them too much thought, except they've been there as long as I can remember, and I don't know any of the people who sent them.

It seemed the perfect grandma mix of eccentric cat lady.....a practical approach to decorating...and an appropriate level of sentimentality for a tough old English lady.

Old standbys...English flowers

In a range of seasons

The cat that looks like he has his tail in his mouth & the cross eyed Siamese

A Birthday Wish from long ago, and Greetings from someone named Devon

Kittens, birds, a handrail and a clue above the light switch.

And here, almost 10 years later, this card just aching to tell it's tale. Ironically, this is one of the few cards that has the back message still attatched. I don't know why, if you were going through the effort of taping old cards to the walls of your bathroom, you would first cut off the message. Someday, these cards will be removed from the walls, and they, like my Grandmother, will take their secrets with them. I suppose that only adds to the mystery, and, mystery, swarms around my Grandmother like bees around Old Garden roses.

Taking Time To Look

Cobblestones peeking thru the pavement, a photo by acornsfromelms on Flickr.

It's times like this, in pausing to catch my breath up a hill, that I especially don't mind that I've never been one to live in a hurried way. And no one in their right wits would tell me to stop and smell any roses, or investigate a leaf, or pick up a stone. But in cases where a little daydream is close enough to live, Why even pretend that I've only fallen 3 steps behind you?

So here we are. Cobblestones peeking through pavement. Times when history is so closely intertwined with the present it's reaching out to grab someone's attention.

Are the gears of your Imagination turning yet? Visions of businessmen in suits and hats checking pocketwatches dangling from the end of gold chains...elegantly dressed women in beaded dresses and tightly wound curls going shopping...a couple or two all dolled up for a night of fun at Mechanic's Hall.

What do you think?

Delicate Petals

I've been cleaning out and organizing my Flickr....an arduous task to be sure...but found these flowering maple pictures from a few months back.









There's something about these petals, looking like crumpled tissue paper that's maddeningly cheerful.

Nature reclaims

Scenes like this, always take my breath away. Green is the greatest, it can slip in unnoticed and continues to grow until it replaces ugly with subltle, soft beauty. It's funny but when I see a house or building taken over by nature, it has the same appeal and loveliness, but I always feel a bit heartbroken too. That was built by someone's hands, that was someone's dream, and now it's falling apart. Can you tell I'm a history buff's daughter?

For My Alexander

Home, what a beautiful thing! I listened to this song about 80 times yesterday while giving my dining room a scrubbing I doubt it's seen since 1935. As My Alexander lay sick in bed in the other room, this song seemed especially appropriate. As grateful as I am to live in the place I do now, as enchanted as I am by dark woodwork, french doors, and things that take up space; it really doesn't mean anything. I could give it all up in a heartbeat, because my real home is in him; his heart, his soul.

A lovely hazy video, perfect for this June heat wave. 

Newport bound!

Tornado warnings with heavy rain and lightning, but we're heading to the ocean. Can't wait for some wine and lobster! And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to have 7 hours to myself between Thursday & Friday while Alex is out sailing. I don't even know what I might do with myself!

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A night blooming flower of my own

Moonflowers. Every year, for three years, I've tried to grow them. And Every year, for three years, I've been unsucessful.

This year as soon as I saw the seed stand go up, meaning that spring was somehow close, I grabbed the Moonflower seeds. After they'd had an overnight soaking, I planted them. Lo and behold, Two have sprouted! This might just be my year!

Winter

While I'm well aware that I live in (and love) New England, this winter was intense! We had snowstorms, Every Week! Our solution? Invite people over and have snow parties. Wine was involved, since driving was obviously out. And since we now live in a central location it was great to see other humans- walking in the streets, pushing cars out of snowbanks, ice skating in Elm Park...

Jersey sums up our winter.....