Furry Friends

Here comes Gracie...this is how she rolls...fun of energy and flying ears. What a treasure she is.  Those who know us, know that we rescued Gracie, but more importantly she rescued us.   She came with the name of Gigi..but really, look at her, does she look like a Gigi to you.  Not to me...to me we found her by the Grace of God and goodness and so she is Gracie..

So this week in BB we had to shoot our Furry Friends...and I could have chosen lots of furry friends but why stress out over this when I have the best furry friend living with me.  She is smart, loves to play ball and is so sweet and cuddly I could not begin to go looking for any other fur...

Gracie is a dog for all seasons...she might be little at 6 pounds but she doesn't know that...she thinks she can run with the big boys and I say, more power to her. In the summer she loves the boat...and the wind running through her ears..her favorite spot is on the very back bench where she can see any ducks or loons that might float by...and if they do, she gives them a few barks...to say hello.

In the winter Gracie loves going walking with her Dad every morning...sometimes they go to the park here at home or if we are in Maine...she just grabs her pink polar fleece and heads out to the woods there...and when she comes home from walking she does yoga with me...now that's a cool dog.. 

Yes Gracie loves all kind of outdoor activities but being a girl, she also does not mind being pampered.  So as you can see, she has wonderful spots for napping and primping...the luxury of a down comforter and a pillow that speaks of a good life...but then, these are things that all girls deserve but especially those that have been rescued or those who rescue themselves...

Oh, and don't be afraid to every once in awhile throw yourself a good party.  Gracie loves to have her cousin Riley over for treats and they always wear their party hats...Oh come on, you know you all love a good party...now get your good party pants out before it's to late to wear them.  Remember good friends are hard to come by so when you find one, love the fur off of them buy giving them big hugs and lots of love...

Final words from Gracie...always remember at the end of the day to bow down and give thanks for all the treats in your life...Gracie knows life isn't easy but she also knows that it can get better and that now that she has a forever home...she is so grateful...and everyday at 4 p.m. when we have tea together...well I have tea, she has a dog bone...we know that we were brought together for a reason..Furry Friends Forever...

Simple Things

Simple things..and a simple post.  I love simple things, neat and orderly. Because I love it does not always mean that's the way it is...but in some parts of my house I can achieve this. One place is my downstairs bathroom.

A few years ago my son did the entire room over, start to finish, just like this lesson.  Walls went out, bead board came in.  New everything, and best of all white with a bit of grey.  I just love this space.  I found a big porcelain white sink, with hugh chunky legs.  Awesome.  On the sink I keep this favorite photo of my daughter from our trip to London, my favorite hand cream and always a little flower of some sort.  The floor is white tile with just a speck of light grey running through it and all the photo's are my own, done in black and white.

It is a small space but it is a space that I love...just to go in and look at...and while I'm there, perhaps a bit of hand lotion just for the smell of it.

Happy Weekend...enjoy your own special things...

Bob and Stellar

It's not often that two birthday's, of importance, collide in the same year. That is what is happening for me today and so I must recognize both because they are so uniquely and lovingly connected...

The above photo is very old...as a matter of fact it is probably 60 years old...that birthday boy is my brother Bob and of course, that girl is me...we are sitting very close..because growing up we were very close...I am only 18 months older than him and my older brother was only 13 months older than me...we spent a lot of time together..

Today is Bob's 65 birthday...a milestone some would say, except Bob is not here to celebrate...When he was a bit over 50 he died from cancer...it was the single most devastating event I have ever experienced. It took me many months, maybe years to wrap my head around the fact that my "little brother"...left, not because he wanted to, but because he had to..

As we grew..like any other family, changes happened and we both lived in different states so we didn't see as much of each other as we did growing up...but we were never really far off either. Holidays, special events, we always connected as a family.  I never dreamed that he someday wouldn't be here.  That is not the order of life.  The young don't go first...but in my family that fairytale vanished on a January day in 2000.

Over the years Bob became a big collector of things...I did the same.  Maybe it came from not having much when we were kids, I'm not sure. One of the things that he loved was antique cars.  He had several beauties and took very good care of them. He also knew how to pick a good one.  When I was 17 years old, I got my first real car.   I had a junk to start with.  It didn't even have a break pedal, just a stick coming up from the floor, so when I got my "new car", only two years old, with brakes and so much more I was in heaven.   My Mother never drove and never had a driver's license so it was a bit hard to convince her that I should own this car.  My brother's came to my rescue and assured her that I was quite capable of taking care of the car but more importantly, that I could pay for the car.   So she co-signed for me on a loan.  She always said she owned 4 cars..(between all us 4 kids) but she could never get a ride anywhere...that still makes me laugh.  The car I got that day, that I loved with all my heart, was a Ford Falcon Future Convertible.  Today that car celebrates is 50th anniversary...The Ford Falcon was born in 1963.  I kept that car in perfect condition for 10 years before moving on...but oh how I enjoyed my time with her.

In the fall of 1999, I got a phone call from Bob..by this time he was really failing but still fighting.  He was so excited when I answered the phone.  "You have to come to New Hampshire as soon as you can."  I have found something for you and you are going to love it.  One thing I forgot to tell you about Bob, he was a master of joking and lots of time plain trouble. Many a time he drove me nuts and I'd shake my head at his antics, but this time, he sounded serious.  So off I went.  We met him in some crazy run-down yard, in the back woods, and there he was, with the biggest smile on his face.  That smile filled the space between us as I stared at a bright red, 1963 Ford Falcon Futura convertible.  Can you imagine he found my car...again. And although it was a bit pricey for us at the time, I have never, for one moment, regretted buying her.

Meet Stellar...the last gift my brother ever gave me.  Stellar is a beauty.  I have had her done over and buffed up.  She is beautiful and smooth, a real Chick car.   My original was black but I love the red so much more..hot, hot, hot.   My brother would be so proud of how well I've taken care of her.   I am so proud of this gift. Everytime I go riding in Stellar, Bob is with me.  If every bolt fell of this car, I would put them in a bucket and save them, knowing Bob found them..for me.   All gifts are lovely, some have more meaning than others but then there is the gift that comes with pain and sacrifice and a genuine heart because the person knows how much pleasure that gift will bring to the receiver.   Bob knew this and in his last months he found a lasting gift that I will hold closely and take care of.  Really, though I love the car, it's not about the car. The car is a symbol of all that a life accumulates and then what you give in the symbol is your time, your effort, your knowledge of another person and your love.   That what Stellar is, she is the love of a brother and sister.   She is what is tangible when he is not...and she is Powerful.

So today I wish them both HAPPY BIRTHDAY...and I celebrate their time here with me.   I wil continue to drive Stellar in joy and with the music loud...and remember always when I was a CHICK...and how I loved that wind in my hair...thanks Bob...you keep me forever young.

"Life is short...so don't grow anything but love".

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."  Marc Brown

A Reflective Moment

A quiet, reflective moment.  I don't have many moments like this but when I do,  tea is my buddy... Sometimes,  when things don't feel right it is good to just sit and sort.   That's what I was doing this day..Normally I would not post a photo of myself like this and I'm really surprised I even took it...but today's lesson in B2D24 was to take a self-portrait or use one we already had and to show the emotion in a dramatic black and white.

This is what I found in my Lightroom stock pile.  I'm not a big fan of self-portraits and I do find them rather difficult to do but I'm always willing to try to get the lesson done.   The black and white had to be a recipe and not just a conversion from RGB. I processed it in Lightroom and then took it into Photoshop for the text...

Funny about things we are sometimes afraid to try...when we do it, when we put the effort in, the results can sometimes be a surprise, and a bit freeing. We all have many emotions and why not share a different side of ourselves. I stretched for this one and in the end, I rather like it..this is how I feel sometimes and this is what it looks like...not so bad..

“When the color's taken out of your world, and all you see is black and white, is that what's left? The absence of color, of everything near and dear to you? Or is it the essence of your very being, the truest representation of yourself?” 
― Emily Dana

Lazy, Hazy Book DaysI

I'm thinking screened porch, bench in the labyrinth garden, a lounge chair on the deck...a table with lemonade, perhaps a glass of wine or a cup of tea, depending on the time of day...I'm thinking, summer is here and that must mean more quality reading time...time to just sit back, gather up the pile and work my way through all those books I meant to read last winter. Today I want to share with you some of my favorites that I have recently read that would make great summer reads.   I am truly a bibliophile and I read every day, even if it's only the packaging on a new roll of toilet paper..so here we go.

The photo above is a mixed bag but that makes for interesting reading.  One book really surprised me and that was The Tea Rose.  My husband had given this book to me several years ago for Christmas knowing that I loved tea and anything English...It was a big hardcover, over 700 pages, so I didn't give it much merit these past few years...then one day, just on a whim, walking by the bookshelf, I grabbed it and it sucked me in. Those 700 pages few by me in a nano second.   I think anyone who likes Downton Abbey would love this..They are not the same, in the sense of the story, but they are equally compelling with marvelous characters that grow on you.  I love this discription of the book.  "The Tea Rose is the kind of book that calls for a rainy day, a cozy chair, and a good steaming cup of tea, It's strong and satisfying, with a taste that lingers in the memory." That is a quote from Paula Cohen, author of Gramercy Park.   I loved the book so much that after finishing it, I went to Amazon to see if Jennifer Donnelly had written anything else and what a surprise...this book was the first in a trilogy...oh happy day.  I have now read the second book, much more comfortable in paperback and yes, another 700 pages but The Winter Rose was equally as good..I also have the third book in the series, The Wild Rose...ah but I'm saving that for just the right time.

Moving on to a much shorter book but a most beloved story is Astrid & Veronika.  If you have ever had the experience and love of an older, wiser woman in your life...you will feel this book to your core.  I did have a lovely lady like Astrid in my life, and at times she saved my life, so this book had special meaning for me...Aside from the writing and the story line...A dreamlike evocation of the power of Friendship, the cover for sure will draw you in. Maybe that is what pulled me in the beginning.  It is a beautiful photo, the kind of photo that I have been working on in my classes with Kim Klassen.  With this book you are invited to "dance with the mist." 

One of my all time favorite authors is Anne Lamott.   I admire her courage to fight her own demons and become a believer in her own way.  She write about the everyday things that we all deal with from time to time and speaks her truth.  What a wonderful gift it is to know your truth and not be afraid to claim it.  Help, Thanks, Wow..get right to the point about keeping prayer simple.   "Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior."  I think that's quite true...Bonus, it's only 102 pages..So not only a summer reading book, it just needs a couple of days..and it might just change the way you think.

For those of you who have never read Paul Auster, give yourself the gift of his literature.  An amazingly talented writer and I suppose because of my age Winter Journal was a terrific read for me.  I also think it's a terrific read for any age, looking at life through the eyes of someone who has lived more than 60 years..A lot of understanding of those around us and for us who are there, a book that understands us as we age. Paul wrote this book exactly one month before his sixty-fourth birthday. The interesting twist here is that he wrote this book as seen through the history of his body.  I just loved it.  His writing is brilliant and that alone makes it a good, funny and genuine read.

Last but certainly not least in the general reading group is a book by Morgan Callan Rogers called Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea..The Book is set in Maine (a place near and dear to my heart) and is the story of a young girl whose Mother disappears and her childhood is turned upside down.  It's also the story of the "year rounders" and those that visit Maine each summer..set in 1963 it's a story full of voices as crisp as the New England air they breathe.  Red Ruby Heart in A Cold Blue Sea is an extraordinary snapshot of a bygone America through the eyes of an inspiring girl blazing her own path to womanhood.   I loved it.  As the summer moves on and I try to fit more reading time in, if something else really good comes along, I'll let you know..

Before finishing though...I do have two lovely books for kids that I would like to share.

I know I said these were children's books and technically they are but oh how I love them...I love them for their beauty and for there very wise words...one a real story book and one that can be picked up at any time and just read a few of the quotes...it's all good, even if you don't have little ones at your house..

Miss Rumphius is a Winner of the American Book Award..A New York Times Best Book of the Year.  Once, a long time ago, Miss Rumphius was a little girl named Alice who lived in a city by the sea.  When she grew up, she wanted to travel to see faraway places and then come home to live by the sea, just as her Grandfathter had.  But there was one thing more she had to do.  What is that? Alice asked her Grandfather.  "You must do something to make the world more beautiful", he told her.   Enjoy the words and the illustrations.

My go to, feel good book and one my Grandson #1 loves is the Teddy Bear Philosophy.   Who can argue with a loving Teddy Bear.  Things my Teddy Bear Taught me About Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  Some books you just have to have in the house.  This is one of those books.  "What's Up and What's Down...largely depends on your perspective."

 Two really great cookbooks for you to enjoy...the recipes are wonderful but the real attraction here are the stories and the photo's...the photo's are just magical in both books but completely different.  What Kate Ate is like looking at great photo's with a twist...you could actually make these recipes.   Another set of photo's that reminds me so much of Kim Klassen and her photography style. The  Back in the Day Cookbook..really captured my heart though..because I just love the South and they are the best cooks...or bakers mostly.   I loved this book so much that someday I plan to visit their restaurant.  How they met and how they share the business is great reading also and I've even marked up some of the pages so that I can try to make photo's just like theirs..so I highly recommend both of these...No need to buy them, just visit your local library to try them out.

For those of you who are fans of Kinfolk or The Art of Blogging you might like to give Sweet Paul a try.  I just came across this recently and I have enjoyed the recipes and photography very much.  This is my first issue and I haven't finished it yet but it sure is good porch reading.  Amazing how many magazines are now coming out with sturdy paper and beautiful photo's...almost book like...this one was a bit difficult to find but I'm sure you'll come across it in your travels as it's readership grows..

I know this post turned out to be way longer than I intended but that's what happens when "BOOKS" come up with me...I just love to share what I love.   And for sure, if you have any that you think I might love please add them to the comment box.   Amazon is like going on a picnic to me...  Happy Summer Reading.