Life as We Know It

Sometimes it's so nice to just have a normal life. No holidays. No heavy schedule, just time to "be."

As I type this, Lizzie is laying on her desk pillow (she is so spoiled), purring up a storm. I think she missed me! Rick and I spent a couple of days with our friends, Suzanne and Jim, in London, Ontario this past weekend. We enjoyed several games of Sequence, ate wonderful Indian food, saw "Victoria and Abdul" and the National Theatre Live production of my favorite Sondheim musical, "Follies," and did a late Christmas celebration.

Suzanne and I have known each other since we looked like this.

It's nice to imagine we still do. She kind of does!

I loved our drive through Canada. I always get a little entranced when we pass the wind farm near Strathroy. One wind turbine after another. They look especially striking in the snow.

Strathroy is a small town about a half hour from London. Rick had a client visit there so I hit the antique store. Let me say, I so appreciate it when I see a well-designed booth, like those Rita shares on her blog. (I wish I lived near her antique mall!) There were more than a few booths that were too stressful for me, though this one wasn't bad.

But I did see some fun things -- like this tilt-a-whirl car (Every home needs one) ...

And this, whatever it is...

I loved this teapot.

And if we had a bigger car and I had more room, I would have walked away with this!

And there were some nicely designed booths, too! Unfortunately, I had all the royal china they had.  I was hoping for a bit of a score in Canada but not this time! I have way too many quilts, too!

But I loved these typewriters!

Rick has been swamped with work and family stuff, so this was a well needed break for him and fun for me with plenty of team cooking...

...and presents, too!

The road home was a tad harrowing. These photos aren't manipulated.

Yes, the fog was this thick!

 

It was kind of beautiful, assuming, of course, there was no pile-up before us where we'd have to slam on the brakes!

By the time we got to the border, things had started to ease up a bit. Home sweet home, safely.

Before we left for Ontario, I made another visit to my favorite bookstore that is closing and came home with another pile.

I think I'll have to live to 95 just to read these! I've been plowing through -- nine books so far, but three of them were very short!

This one is my treasure.

I have coveted this book ever since the first time I saw it -- not in a book store but in a gallery shop. I've always been one of Beatrix Potter's biggest fans and this had been on my list for ages. But it was just too expensive.

Until it was 35 percent off. Paintings and photos and oh, such joy!

I've been doing some painting, too, and if you are Valerie, Jenny or Bella and won my anniversary blog giveaway, I hope to get to the post office this week. I'll post photos when I'm pretty sure that two of the three have made it across the pond.

I'm also pulling some things together for a Valentine crafternoon with friends. We may end up doing our own thing but I'm prepared for teaching/overseeing candy boxes and more! This is a box I did several years ago and I'm lots better at it now!

The Oscar nominations came out, as you know. This means that I will make a somewhat hearted attempt to see something that might be nominated so I can have a dog in this race. So far I've only seen Dunkirk, which I loved. My list is long.

 And yes, Lizzie and I are continuing our bird watching.

This female cardinal took my breath away.

Yes, it's been a good week. Now Rick is off on another work gig. Perhaps I'll be productive this week!

I need to be sure to add that this is a photo of Beatrix Potter's art from the book. It's not Lizzie, but I wish I HAD drawn it! I should have mentioned earlier!

Or, maybe not!

Sharing with Let's Keep in Touch on Let's Add Sprinkles /  Share Your Cup

Junking -- What Caught My Eye

About a week ago, I actually set foot into an antique shop after far too long an absence. Although I didn't come home with anything other than a postcard, these are a few things that caught my eye.

I love packaging -- and this one worked for me!

This blue transferware china could have been an easy sale if there was room in the cupboards!

This little Tyrolean outfit was awfully cute!

Mickey never fails to enchant!

Linens? This green tablecloth would have looked very nice on my table!

And while we are ready to head toward St. Paddy's day, I couldn't resist the cheery face on this Valentine!

As for fun things -- this worked for me. I'm not sure how to use it. But I loved the colors! Do you think it's a calculator?
Here's another fun packaging bit! My mother didn't look like that...

Well, not sure what you thought about the my excursion, but overall I'd give this shop a rating of...
Two things -- First, Jenny at "An English Travel Writer" has a giveaway going on -- and it's fabulous! Even if you don't want to enter, check out her blog if you are into travel! Much to enjoy!

And, there's a new book over at Chopsticks and String called "Madresfield" -- a grand manor house in the tradition of "Downton Abbey" with a long history, one that ties it to Evelyn Waugh and "Brideshead Revisited." Come on over!

Gray Skies, Sunny Heart

It's a gray Saturday morning and I'm in the car, cruising down the highway toward Ann Arbor.

Everything is gray, black or white. The charcoal-gray stretch of pavement beneath my car is anchored by expanses of white snow. Rising from the snow are stark black trunks of trees, with branches spreading like tangled spider webs. The sky is only a half-shade darker than the snow, the overpasses somewhat darker.

Even the cars are all silver, white, gray, black, pewter. The only colors present are occasional green mileage signs and the goldenrod signs that say "Watch for Ice on Bridge." A lone bright blue sports car whizzes by, a welcome relief.

But my mood is as sunny as the other bit of color in this scene -- two bunches of yellow daffodils, resting on the car seat. These are for my luncheon companions.

But before lunch, a couple of stops. First to Hollanders, an amazing paper and gifts store in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown district. And while I'm there, an unexpected farmer's market beckons.

At this time of year, most of the vendors carry things like artisan bread...

Pretzels...

Some craft items, like these hand-made rugs, kissed by the snow...

And even ice cream -- no cooler required.

There's still time before lunch, so a quick trip to Treasure Mart -- the most overcrowded resale shop on the planet. (You may disagree; I'm sure there are others!)

I leave with a few treasures myself -- more on those at the end of the post.

Then I reach my destination -- Amadeus. I've written about this restaurant before, when I met blogger Anno in the past. And today we will meet again, along with blogger Becca, whom neither of us have met before.

Ah, but don't think that means we don't know one another well. In some ways, I know both these women better than people I see every day.

As we sat at this table right in that left window, wonderful light spills onto the table, warming us against the winter chill. We laugh, we smile, we eat!

Between bites of the Amadeus pancake, dill pickle soup, tasty rolls and lots of tea and coffee, we talk about family, blogging, writing, and so much more.

I feel very fortunate to have a lot of wonderful friends -- both locally and out of town. they are people in whom I can confide, laugh, enjoy a great night out. Some are extraordinarily special and have provided a wealth of support during the most challenging times of my life. They are sounding boards on the phone, at tea, on a road trip -- and I do the same for them.

Yet bloggers form a unique bond. You may well have experienced that -- in writing a post about something deeply personal, you are amazed by the outpouring of support. A surprise in the mail. An email off-blog that continues the conversation.

We may not spill our guts in full on our blogs (well, sometimes we do, but that's because we feel safe), but we share our dreams. We share our work and our creativity, our art and our poetry and photography. For some of us, the blog is the first, gentle foray into sharing our work with a wider audience.

And we share our hearts as well.

So, when I met Becca, I felt -- as I did with Anne before -- that I was meeting up with a friend I just don't get to see so much. One who has listened to my rants, raves, problems, concerns and dreams and who has shared hers.

But the Napoleon above, elegant, beautiful, sweet, delicate, beautifully textured is a fine representation of our time together.

I think we could have talked for hours, but we parted and I went off to Trader Joe's (where I proceeded to leave a bag of groceries on the bottom of the cart -- and had a terrific experience with their customer service when I called them from home) and here...

Yes, one of the closing Borders bookstores. I wondered, as I stood in line for 45 minutes to buy books I could probably get for less on Amazon, how our world will be with fewer bookstores. For me, there's nothing like feeling the page under my fingertips.

I told you I'd show you my Treasure Mart finds -- a small pink Depression glass for my bathroom; a silver-toned (not real) jug, also for the bathroom and this apple pitcher.

A story about this apple pattern -- my mother had this dish pattern; it was sold when my dad moved from our house. Years later I regretted I didn't keep it -- or a piece (preferably the teapot!) Marilyn at Delights of the Heart suggested I might someday find a teacup, and I liked that idea -- it was the memory that mattered, not eight place settings. So when I saw this -- perfect for flours or juice, and only $6 -- well, I was happy!

I found this, too. Silly, isn't it. But it made me happy.

A final word -- this is my 700th post. Not a milestone, I suppose. It seems 750 or 1,000 will be more so. But things with two zeros seem important -- so it seems fitting I should share this post with you, speaking about the bonds of blogging. It has meant a great deal to me knowing you -- and I so look forward to much more posting in days to come!