Who Could Not Love a Daisy?

Daisies are wonderful.

They are perky and pretty.

Just looking at them makes me smile.

At a beautiful inn in Western Massachusetts,  The Red Lion, there was the biggest bunch of daisies I've ever seen in my entire life, shown in the photo above. They were in a brass container.

Yeah! Brass!  Now regular readers of this blog know I love brass, even though modern decorators say it's obsolete. So I was very happy to see the daisies in brass!

Outside on the patio, where a dear friend and I had lunch, more daisies adorned our table. So cute.

Now, I know I've written about daisies before but because they are such darling charmers, I'm doing it again.

I even love the song "Bicycle Built for Two" where the girl being wooed is named, what else?  Daisy.

    "Daisy, Daisy give me your promise true."

Now, can you find the daisies in the inn's front lobby?

HAVE YOU EVER KNOWN ANYONE NAMED DAISY?

Stargazer Lilies---Fragrant and Fabulous

 

   

       One of my all time favorite flowers in the whole wide world is the Stargazer Lily.
     
      Honestly, the first time I walked into a room and smelled its exotic and sensuous fragrance, it was a powerful experience. 

      Just one stargazer can fill a room with the absolute loveliest of perfume.   

      Even the name is beautiful, isn't it?  Stargazer. What image does that conjure up for you?  Imagine looking up to the heavens and seeing a host of twinkling stars, as far as you can see.

      Stargazers are in the Oriental lily family.  According to Wikipedia, (and what would we do without Wikipedia? That website knows a little about everything!),  Leslie Woodriff, a Californian lily breeder, created stargazers in 1978.

      This lily is a dazzler, a showpiece, and has spectacular blooms in my absolute favorite color, pink.

      Imagine how I felt when I saw the vase, pictured above, filled with stargazers and placed in front of a mirror?

        It was in an upstairs hallway in the mansion of the late Edith Wharton. (Sorry, got some tourist's ear on the right hand side of the photo.)

      Edith Wharton was a writer who lived for about 9 years in Western Massachusetts.  Then, she left for France and never returned. She is buried in Versailles.

     Wish I had a stargazer in a vase near my computer right now.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH STARGAZER LILIES?  

Mansion Dining Room of Writer, Edith Wharton

Recently, on a tour of the late author, Edith Wharton's New England mansion, The Mount, the sumptuous dining room made me stop in my tracks.

Painted an extremely light pastel shade of salmon, it offset the room's white decorative touches.

Feathery plumes in a vase decorated the center of the table, along with a (fake) fruit-filled bowl.  Elegant glassware and china with touches of amethyst and gold adorned the table that was covered with a crisp, brilliantly white cloth.

It has been noted that Mrs. Wharton kept a cushion beneath the table for her dogs, who she adored. Cats, on the other hand, she disliked. She even called them "snakes in fur."

Large paintings, such as the one shown in the photo above, decorated the walls.  Sconces hung on either side.

Oversize windows filled the room with sunlight, making it a most pleasant place to be, with or without food!

On a side table stood very different looking adornments near some candles. The tour guide said they had been fashioned from an old chandelier.

This is a room I could have gladly stayed in all day long. If we ever decide to paint the dining room in our own home, this will definitely be the color combination.


DO YOU LIKE THE STYLE OF THIS DINING ROOM?

Yard Sale: One Person's Trash Becomes Another Person's (Treasure) or Trash!

Yesterday, while every television and radio show blasted warnings and news about Hurricane Irene, a friend of mine carried out her plan to have a yard sale. 

True to my word, I joined her in this lunacy.  Up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning, I downed a quick bowl of Special K with Berries mixed with maple nut granola and a sprinkle of whole pecans, plus a cup of strong coffee, and I was off.

First of all, additional junk had to be hauled to the car, which was already bursting at the seams with plastic storage bins, also filled with junk. 

Once at the yard sale venue, the bins had to be hauled out and onto the lawn. Then, long, very heavy folding tables had to be carried from the back yard to the front. That was no small task, especially the trips where I walked backwards. 

People began swarming the sale before everything was unpacked. Some nervy people dug into bags and bins with the unpacked merchandise.  It was a little freaky for me.  I felt like ringing a bell or something to signal the beginning of the sale, once
we finally got set up.

The funniest sale I made was of a set of shark's teeth. Not knowing what table to put them on, I opted for a Halloween decoration set up. A guy with tattooed arms really got a kick out of the shark's teeth and immediately bought them. I watched him smiling all the way to his car.

Things I thought would be a sure sell didn't and other things that really didn't seem that great, sold. Such is the uniqueness of human nature.

After lunch, with skies darkening and the air thick with humidity, we began packing up the leftover junk. More hauling of bins back to the car just about did me in.

By the time I got home, fatigue wracked every fiber of my being.  Muscles that I didn't even know were there began to ache.

After a long soak in the whirlpool, hot water soothing the screaming muscles, I felt a lot better.

Perhaps this is the last of  the yard sales for me.  Going to them is one thing, participating in them is another.  But I do have to say, they are fatiguing fun! 

True to form, before I left, I spent $10 of my meager earnings on things my  friend had for sale. And that is the nature of yard sales.

DO YOU HOLD YARD SALES OR JUST ATTEND THEM (OR NOT?)

Hurricane's A-Comin?

Yikes!  Everyone around Western Massachusetts is buzzing about Hurricane Irene.

The expression "batten down the hatches" has been said over and over again today.

While strolling through Walmart for the usual household supplies, there was an astounding number of people.

    "What's going on?" I thought, then realized, oh, Hurricane Irene. People were filling their shopping carts to the brim with emergency supplies.

    Savvy Walmart even had a special display area with supplies people might need during a hurricane, with candles being among them.


     Looking up at the absolutely gargantuan pine tree in our yard, I asked my husband if he thought wild hurricane winds could ever topple that tree onto our house.  He said if that happened,  the insurance would cover it and we could get another house! He's the perennial optimist.

    He's also been going around the house singing "Goodnight Irene."  That was one of my Dad's favorite songs.

     So what am I supposed to be doing tomorrow morning?  Well, believe it or not, I'm supposed to be joining a friend at a yard sale.  My car is stuffed to the top with junk and I plan to have an early rise.

    If it's raining upon getting up, we are canceling. Otherwise, the yard sale will go on.  Every time I think about it, I crack up.

    "Worried about the hurricane?  Awwww, come to our yard sale first."

    As for Hurricane Irene, just like the song, "Good night Irene, good night Irene, (hope)  I'll see you (only) in my dreams."

HAVE YOU LIVED THROUGH A HURRICANE?

Mahogany TV Cabinet at Long Last!

       Today we are joining Show and Tell Friday at Cindy's My Romantic Home and  Diann's Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove.


       For quite awhile now,  a tv cabinet with doors, to hide the tv when not in use, has been on my dreamy "wish" list.

      The cost of a nice quality piece like this can run into the hundreds and that is out of the realm of our budget's possibilities.

      While reading the daily newspaper's classified section, one of my very favorites in the entire paper, guess what I saw?  Yup, an ad for a mahogany tv cabinet with Queen Anne shaped legs. 

      When I called, there was no answer so I left a message. Later in the day, the lady who owned the cabinet returned my call.  It was still for sale, she said, and then added, "You were the only caller." Ya hoo.

      A dear friend, who is my partner in yard sale and thrift store finds, and her daughter, came with me to the house where the cabinet was for sale.   The piece was, indeed, quite beautiful, in terrific shape,  and horrendously heavy.

     The three of us, plus the man of the seller's house, got the cabinet down the steps and across a sidewalk and hoisted it into my friend's van. Once we got to my house, we had to repeat the operation.  That tv cabinet was one heck of a heavy haul but, with the help of a dolly, used for our garbage cans, we got it across the lawn, up the front brick steps (arduous), into the front hallway, and then, finally, into the living room.

     Talk about faithful friends, those two gals fit the description to a "t."

      Using turpentine, I removed the hideous silver paint that covered the brass hardware. I know, I know, in the modern decorating world, brass is supposed to be obsolete and passe. Who cares?  I still love brass and think it's rich looking and classy.

      Even my tv is the old-fashioned kind. The flat screens are nice but pretty expensive for me. Of course, if someone buys one for me, I'll switch tvs, but for now, my old clunker works just fine.

     Here's Honey Cat. Naturally, she had to check out the new cabinet.

      On top of the cabinet, I placed a crystal based lamp, topped with a pink satin, tasseled shade. Also put my favorite fringed piece of cranberry glass on a pink doily, at the suggestion of my friend. She's an interior decorating whiz so I do what she tells me.

      Tonight, my heart is filled with gratitude for the "new" cabinet, the good price of $100 that I paid for it, and two dear friends whose backs are probably in need of massages right about now.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF BRASS?

Summer's Greenest Pleasure

Joining Dayle's Simple Summertime Pleasure party at A Collection of This and That.

Today's  Simple Summertime Pleasure is simply seeing lots of green as well as waterfalls.

Sometimes it's nice to just sit and look up at the giants that have been around for hundreds of years. 
When sunlight filters through the millions of leaves, leaving a mosaic on a forest floor, it's quite a sight to behold.

The green of summer is rich and bright.  Seeing trees in their summer finery is better than looking at a sea filled with emeralds.

When sitting, looking at trees, and listening to the birds flitting among the branches, one can almost feel the presence of God.  Is that Him whispering to us when the wind sways the branches?

We are so blessed to see the green of summer, don't you think?

Do You Ever Think About the Green, Green Grass of Your Childhood Home?

Very Berry Nutty "Pruney" Corn Bread!

The night air last evening had a real nip to it.

Immediately, a nice warm corn bread came to mind.  Admittedly, when I make cornbread, I use Jiffy corn bread mix.

However, in addition to 1/3 cup of milk and 1 egg, I also add a can of creamed corn. Most of the time, I double everythin, except for the corn....two mixes, 2/3 cup of milk, 2 eggs, and the can of creamed corn. (I think it's 15 ounces). 

Well, last night, after mixing all the ingredients together, I cut up some prunes and added those. Then, I sprinkled in about a cup of pecan halves. 

Remembering there was a bag of "very berry" berries from Trader Joe's in the pantry, I added those, too. There's a variety of all kinds of dried berries in it.

Popped the whole thing into a 400 degree oven and baked it about 40 minutes. The whole house smelled wonderful and we will have this very berry nutty "pruney" (made up word)  corn bread with coffee for breakfast!

DO YOU LIKE CORN BREAD?

Terrific Throwaways Enhance Backyard Space

Today we are joining Metamorphosis Monday on Susan's blog, Between Naps on the Porch.



A couple of years ago, on a sultry summer day, I participated in a yard sale with a friend and her friend. 

The sale was an immense amount of work, but we really had fun.  I made a few bucks and sold a brass fireplace cover for many times over the price I paid for it.  All in all, I was pretty happy.

As the sale wound down, fatigue started to set in. My feet hurt and I was ready to call it a day. Yard sales, I determined, were good to have, once in a blue moon, but definitely were a heck of a LOT of work.

My girlfriend grabbed a couple of extremely pretty wicker designed headboards that had not sold and put them into the "trash" pile.

     "Oh my gosh," I asked. "Are you going to throw those away?"

     "Yup,"  came the answer. "I'm not bringing them home again. You want them?  Take them."

      I flew over to the trash pile, retrieved the gorgeous headboards, and stuffed them into my car. When I got home, my husband stored them in a backyard shed.

     There they sat, for two winter seasons. Then, this summer, I asked my hubs to dig them out. I'm always afraid to go into the shed in case spiders (or something worse) took up residence in there during the long, cold winter.

      So hubs retrieved them and set them up against the fence near our backyard fountain. I loved the way they looked, just as they were. Didn't even have to paint them.

      I know it's an old cliche that one woman's trash is another woman's treasure but it sure is true of my wicker headboards.

    Just to think they almost ended up in the dump, blows my mind.

    He added a plant holder that was also saved from the trash.  It seemed to provide the finishing touch.

     Cost? Zero.  I love  treasures from the trash.

WHAT WAS THE LAST TRASHED ITEM YOU FOUND?

    

Sunday Thoughts from Me to You

No matter where the road leads you today, my wish for you is peace.

May a smile find its way to your face.

May a laugh or two bubble up and spill over.

May you see something around you with new eyes.

May kindness touch your life today.

May you touch others' lives with kindess.

May forgiveness find its way to your heart.

May this day, on whatever road you walk, be filled with gentleness.

(Today's photo was taken at Steepletop in Austerlitz, New York,

near the home of  the American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. You
can read a post on it here.)

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WANT TO DO TODAY?

Farmers Market Offerings Delight the Eyes, Nose, and Taste

Summer's bounty cannot be equaled when it comes to the offerings of local farmers markets.

This is the time of year when fruits, veggies, and flowers are plentiful.

Luckily, in New England, farmers markets pop up like dandelion weeds. Almost every town around sponsors one and it's great fun to visit a variety of them.

The yummy produce and gorgeous blooms shown in today's post came from a market in a small town in Western Massachusetts. 

The location is ideal.  One can stroll from vendor to vendor with grass underfoot.   If the day is perfect, like on Friday, it makes such an excursion even more wonderful.

The maple nut granola purchased at this particular market is to die for. It's a little pricey but worth every dime.  Oh man, talk about yummified.

Let's  hear it for local farmers who work very long hours at this time of year. Thanks to them, trips to farmers markets are a highlight of sweet summer. 

Farmers markets also make my heart fill to the very brim with gratitude for such abundance and variety.

p.s. Can you tell how much I love the flower bouquets?

NAME ONE THING YOU WOULD ALWAYS BUY AT A FARMERS MARKET.

Friday: Picnic on a Rock, Waterfall, and Ice-Cream, Oh My!

There's nothing like a one-day getaway in the summer to spark  feelings of adventure and fun.

Yesterday was that kind of day.  Friends, including two adorable, curious, and spunky little people, grabbed some picnic food and headed for Wahconah Falls in Western Massachusetts. You can read another post on the falls here.

The pristine beauty of Mother Nature did not disappoint.  The falls were as beautiful as ever and sun poured down through the forest trees, making thousands of patterns on the ground.

After eating a picnic lunch on a gigantic rock for a picnic table, we carefully navigated the giant rocks near the falls.  Quiet filled the air, except for the laughter of the children, and a lone, chirping bird.

When we left the falls, we headed to the Creamery in the small, quaint New England  town of Cummington.  Now this place is so cool. It's filled with interesting pottery, assorted teas, home baked bread, fruit, grocery items, books, and, joy of joys, delicious Barts ice cream.

How about "Three Geeks and a Redhead?" It's coconut ice cream with coconut flakes, semisweet chocolate chunks, fudge brownies, and red raspberry swirl. Doesn't that sound amazing?

The Creamery also has lovely pottery.

And a giant cow on the roof!

WHAT WAS THE LAST FUN THING YOU DID THIS SUMMER?

Simple Summertime Pleasure

Joining Dayle's Simple Summertime Pleasure Party at A Collection of This and That.

For me, a supreme simple summertime pleasure is wearing sandals.

It's so easy to just get up in the morning, slip on a pair of sandals, and start the day.

I usually have several pairs to choose from. None were particularly expensive.

It's very true that I like "lah lah" sandals, you know, the kind with sparkling doodads and jewels. Yeah. That's my style.

The gold sandals shown at the top are referred to as my Cleopatra sandals. They make me feel decadent.

Then, here are my fancy shancy silver ones. Too bad the stones aren't real diamonds. ha!

 

These are black with sparkles.

My all time faves, being worn for the second summer in a row, are multi colored sequined ones. Ooooo, they have been sooo comfy. 

 You've heard the expression, "As comfortable as an old shoe?"  Well, as comfortable as a well worn sandal is true, too.

These have been worn a LOT and I still love them. Don't know how much longer they will hold out, though.

So, that's it. Sandals are a true simple summertime pleasure for me, and I'll be sad when the weather turns blustery and they will have to be put away til next summer.

DO YOU LIKE WEARING SANDALS?