Italian Vase Does Double Duty

An old thrift store that was frequented many times while living in a certain Western Massachusetts city is still there!

It has stood the test of time.

While in that area this past weekend, it became possible to stop in the old store for a trip down memory lane. 

While loving recreational thrift store shopping, purchases these days are fewer and farther between.

However, when eyes latched on to a gorgeous transparent vase adorned with gold embellishments, it was love at first sight.

So what if someone doesn't need another vase?

The answer is easy. Just turn it into a candle holder.

Because of strict rules about burning regular candles in the small apartment, all candles here are faux. 

However they look like the real thing with even moving flames!

The vase is a beauty.

The long piece of colorful material being used as a buffet runner was found in a thrift shop years ago.

It's perfect for autumn. 

How about you?  How are you enjoying these September days?

Another Chance at Life on a Rainy Day

                        Yesterday's late afternoon sunshine lit up the vase of fall flowers. So pretty!

Today is a very dark, rainy day.

It's very easy to slip into a mood as dark as the outside, on a day like this.

However, that's not going to happen.

Each new day of life is a precious gift.

Where there is breath, there is hope, as well as possibility in every moment of life that we are given.

So out into the rain one must go, make the best of the rain pelting the earth, and cherish the gift of being alive!

Remembering the Pain and Sorrow...

Yesterday's many celebrations, concerts, gatherings, and public memories of 9/11, had tears flowing.

9/11 was such a horrible day in our country's history and almost 3,000 innocent people lost their lives in tragic ways.

 Lives in the USA, including mine, were changed forever.

On that day, two planes, hijacked by Islamic terrorists, flew into  into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, N.Y. Another plane flew into the Pentagon and a fourth plane was diverted by passengers and crashed in Pennsylvania. 

The mayhem filled American hearts with disbelief, fear, and shock.

The planes were powerful and caused huge destruction.  

Hundreds of families lost loved ones that day and thousands of lives were forever altered. 

Some children never got to really know their parents who died. 

The Metropolitan Opera, condcted by Yannick Nezet-Segin, performed Verdi's Requiem and it was shown on PBS Friday night, in memory of all the people who lost their lives.

The voices in the choir presented a  heart-wrenching hour and a half of fabulous music.

Oh, those voices just filled hearts and souls with glorious music. 

The entire day, with untold memories revealed, made it virtually impossible to not cry.

So those of us left behind go forward and try to live the best lives we possibly can.

Hopefully, we can do our part to spread love, rather than hatred, and seek peace in place of chaos.

We can also always remember 9/11 and forever grieve so many innocent lives that were lost because of hatred. 

Birthday Month

A very dear friend in Arizona surprised me one year when she told me she celebrated every single day of her birthday month.

She would do small things to make herself happy, even if it was as little as taking a mini nap or going out to several birthday celebration lunches with friends.

Ever since then, I decided to do that, too, and it was been sooooo much fun.

A very dear friend invited me to her apartment for my very first birthday month celebration dinner.

She decorated an adorable marble cake with blueberries and raspberries.  

She also added chocolate ice cream!  Decadent.

A delicious dinner of salmon, green beans and lima beans, corn on the cob, and salad was also thoroughly enjoyed!  

My friend also handed me a wrapped box that included truly splendid earrings that were sooo exactly my style.

  Yowsers. Wearring those earrings will make me feel like  Queen Elizabeth!

The best part of the night, for me, besides the delicious dinner and earrings, was spending precious time with my dear friend.

Life whizzes by and it's imperative to nurture friendships for the treasures they are.

Onto the rest of sweet September!

Autumn Arrivals

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, it's time to continue bringing out the autumn decorations.

Little by little, the kitchen rack is filling with harbingers of fall.

Some of them are welcoming events in October, too, so it's a little too early to show the whole rack. 

Some people may wonder why anyone should decorate at all for autumn in the winter of one's life.

Why?  Because it brings joy to the decorator!

That's the first reason.  And just maybe, it will also bring a smile or two the the face of visitors, even if they are few and far between.

Whenever we can make a person smile, we should do it because life goes by in a jiffy.

So welcome to the little vagabonds that are hopping up onto the knick knack rack this week.  

Here's to a great week for you, too!