HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

THIS N' THAT

I have totally been neglecting my poor old blog.  I meant to write about my visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater," my new camera, my husband's trip south on the completed boat.  So here goes -- I will make it brief:

In early October my sister and I drove out to Pittsburgh to visit our Uncle Bud.  We had made this trip a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Nothing better than a sisters' road trip.  We so enjoy each other's company.  Uncle Bud is 86 and loves to travel and is always active.  He is one of two of our mother's only remaining siblings and he was our mother's favorite brother.  He insisted on making the reservations in advance (which you have to do) to get into Fallingwater and he drove the two hours to and from his house to Fallingwater.

Fallingwater was built in  1937 for the Kaufman family of Pittsburgh as their weekend retreat.  You probably have seen pictures of it.  If not, here is one of the house behind us.  It has to be seen to be believed.  It is built cantilevered out over a waterfall amidst deep woods.  Stone floors, rustic throughout, totally integrated with nature, extremely contemporary for its time and even for today.  Frank Lloyd Wright also designed much of the furniture in the house.  One question presented by the guide -- "Could you live here?"  My answer is a resounding "YES!"

Now my new camera:  I researched cameras for a month, going between spending a lot of money on one, or being more reasonable.  I knew the things I wanted in a camera.  My previous camera was a little Fujifilm which still works, but the USB cable connection is done for.  I had pretty much settled on a Canon, but finally ended up with another Fuji because it was more reasonable and had everything I wanted for under $200.  I am a very mediocre and inexperienced photographer, so I am happy with what I got.  Here is a picture of it.

The Great Boat Trip South:  My husband and boat partners left November 4 to take their 65 ft. trawler south via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).  This has been a four year project to totally gut and rebuild an old fishing vessel.

As you can see the photos are miniscule thanks to the downloading features of the Kodak EasyShare from which it was downloaded.  Kodak Easyshare is NOT Easy Share!

We had a huge nor'easter or as they are calling it Nor'Ida because it was the remnants of Hurricane Ida.  The beach here is totally eroded, roads were flooded -- it was a mess.

All the best to you, fellow bloggers,

Violetlady

HOLIDAY SWAP

I have joined in a Holiday Swap. Go here to read about it and join in, too. You have until November 12. I did this one year on someone's blog and it was a lot of fun.

I want to tell you about my visit to Fallingwater in Pennsylvania with my sister and uncle, but will leave that for another day.   I have a new camera which I will show you.  I haven't tried it out yet.  And the biggest news yet is that my husband and his friends are leaving tomorrow morning (if all goes well) on the big boat trip down the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida (after their four year boat building project).  More on all this news to follow in a few days.

VIOLETTE CAT

This is our old lady cat, Violette.  For months now we have been having trouble with her refusing /forgetting to use the litter box.  (We now have four boxes.) We took her to the vet and after all the blood tests and exams, they determined that she was a healthy old cat, especially since she is 16 years old.  Five oriental rugs have been ruined, hardwood is smelly and I am getting ready to have wall to wall carpet torn out in a bedroom.   I now have a complete arsenal of cleaning supplies and anti-cat urine products.  I finally had reached my breaking point and made an appointment to have her put down this week.  The vet had told me that even though there is no physical reason for her habits, if she can no longer fit into our lives, then we could have her "put down."  I made the appointment, but my husband and I were so upset that morning, that I cancelled it.  I continue with the numerous puppy training pads all over the house, cleaning up constantly and now trying to limit her territory.  And no, nothing has changed in the house over the last four or more months to cause this.  I researched it online and have made my own diagnosis (with no help from the vet, thank you) that she is suffering from senility.  Yes, cats can have this when they are old.

We are trying to be patient with Violette and give her love and attention since, of course, she is not doing this on purpose.  I remember when Beau was a puppy and all the accidents he had.  The difference is that we knew he would learn to go outside.  Violette is just old.  Wish me luck.

VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD

What a beautiful weekend we had so I decided to take a little ride around the area and take a few pictures from my car window.  Since my camera hasn't been working right, I used my cell phone camera and they turned out just fine.

The first picture is of a spring along the canal.  The third picture is the unpaved driveway leading to the boatyard where my husband's boat is and the sixth picture is the boat.  The fourth picture is of a ladies entry in the annual "Punkin' Chunkin Contest" right here in Sussex County, Delaware.  It is a strange event, but people come from all over the country (maybe even the world) to participate.  People create giant machines that shoot pumpkins into the air and whoever shoots one the furthest wins.  It is very competitive and I have never attended one of these events, but it is a real big deal here.  Sussex County also has a Scrapple-Apple Festival.  Do you all know what scrapple is? 

Has anyone besides me had difficulty moving pictures around on their post?  I have been trying for two days to do this post.  Apparently Blogger has a new way of posting pictures and it won't let me move things around with any accuracy anymore.  It is a real pain.

I am leaving tomorrow for Pittsburgh with my sister.  We will be visiting an uncle who will be taking us to see Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater." I have wanted to see this for many years and am really looking forward to it.

See you next week!

SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY

Cindy at My Romantic Home is hosting Show and Tell Friday.  Stop over there and take a look at her blog and also all the others who are joining in.

Since I used to do "My Favorite Things"one day a week, I am resurrecting one of my old posts for this Show and Tell.

Today I am sharing with you something that is very precious to me since it was a baby gift for me over sixty years ago. Yes, I said 6 - 0!! This sweet little dish was handmade for me by a friend of my parents. It says "This is Meryl's dish" because Meryl is my first name (after my mother).  I have never used the name Meryl - I have always gone by my middle name so you know this is old.

What astounds me are the things I have that are breakable and have survived all these years. My mother was protective of these things, as I am. I think it is a female thing: to treasure and to protect. After all, we do this with our parents, our children and with our friends. It is our most important "job" in this world.

THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX - One of two times a year when the Sun crosses the equator, and the day and night are of approximately equal length.
At the autumnal equinox (Sept 22, 2009; 5:18 P.M. EDT), the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. (from Wikipedia)

Yes, it has been slightly cooler here in coastal Delaware, but we still have beach days into the autumn.  Actually, this is the best time of year to visit this area or for locals to hang out without the summer crowds.

It always amazes me that Fall seems to arrive on September 1.  Oh, the weather is still warm and sunny, but it is something that is just felt in the air.  The colors are suddenly more golden, the sky is a clearer blue, sometimes there is already a faint smell of woodsmoke.  Everybody comments on it.  I have had my homegrown pumpkin on the front step for a month or so.  It is the first time I have grown a pumpkin from last year's Halloween pumpkin.  He was early, but he survived.

The Fall is a busy time here in this resort area.  October brings our annual Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival.  There are main events at the local convention center (sometimes big names like Chris Botti!) and the restaurants and bars offer their own jazz groups.  The following week is the Seawitch Festival which is the Halloween celebration in Rehoboth Beach.  There are lots and lots of things for kids of all ages to do on the beach and in the town.  November brings our annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival .  Some people stay throughout an entire day watching movie after movie and leave bleary-eyed and tired.

Autumn is my favorite season for many reasons, but primarily because it is the season of my birthday.  I was born on Thanksgiving!

REMEMBERING

I am sure we are all remembering where we were at this time eight years ago -- actually about two hours ago.

I forget a lot of things, but there are two things I will always remember--  Where I was as I watched Katie and Matt announce on TV the crashes into the towers and then watching them fall and where I was when I heard JFK had been assasinated.  I had been getting ready to leave the house for work on 9/11/01 and watching a few last minutes of the Today Show when the announcement came on.  On 11/22/63 I was in Philadelphia walking to the train station from a class and it was my 18th birthday.

We all live in gratefulness that we have been kept safe on our own soil since September 11, 2001.  We all live in hope that our safety will continue and we bless those who continue to defend us and those who have perished.

ANOTHER MOSAIC/Things That Make Me Happy

click to enlarge

 

I have had so much trouble making these mosaics, and Cindy at My Romantic Home (see her link in my sidebar) helped me finally figure it out since the way Big Huge Labs set it up just wasn't working.  So now I am on a roll and I am posting another mosaic today.


Always,

ANIMALS IN MY LIFE MOSAIC

click to enlarge

Always,

ELECTRONICS, ETC.

I was finally able to get my pictures off my memory card by taking it to the drugstore and sticking it in one of those machines so now I can download them from the disk into my computer.  I can still use the camera, but it just won't download into my computer.  I am thinking that the USB cable is bad.

And now my printer at work doesn't run at all.  It won't turn on.  The computer guy was in and looked at it and said, "it's broken."  Duh.  I bought it in January of 2008.  So I am shopping for a new computer.  I want one that is inexpensive that prints, copies and scans.  I don't need a fax.  I will probably end up with another HP although this last one was certainly bad news.  I found one at Staples for only $99 which I think I will get.  Walmart had a similar one, too.

I just can't stand it when mechanical or electronic things don't work.  I am a very patient person with other people and with life in general, but when something doesn't work it just sends me over the edge.  I used to believe that if something didn't work, if you dropped it on the floor or desk, it would jar it into working again.  Maybe I should try that with my printer before I buy a new one!

I went to an auction on Sunday and brought home a few things, one of which is one vintage snowshoe.  I thought it would look cute hanging on a wall somewhere.  Also a little "gold encrusted" demitasse tea set and a Limoges china tray handpainted with violets -- twenty dollars for each.  I may try to sell the little tea set on ebay.

That is the news here -- hope you are all well and happy.


Always,

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

I know I haven't been here for awhile. I thought I might end this blog, but now I have decided to hang on for awhile longer and see how I feel about it. I don't usually like to ramble on and on about little, mundane things in my life because (1) they are pretty boring and (2) I don't usually want to share personal things with everybody out there. I like the blogs that have a particular niche, like books or cooking or decorating, but I don't usually have enough to say in these areas, so I am left just with my opinions or problems and sometimes joys and that is where I get into the problem I have with rambling on and on and on......see what I mean?

Ok, this is the latest: my camera no longer will let me download my pictures. I went to my Aunt Grace's funeral last week and took pictures of family members I haven't seen for a long time. Now they are stuck in my camera unless I want to remove the card and take it somewhere.

Last night there was a serious fire in my real estate company's annex office (two doors down from my office). It was a total loss and today the agents in that office are relocating into our building. They have lost computers, files, everything. The smell of soot and smoke was everywhere. It was awful, but at least no one was hurt. I was asked to move my desk location from where I have been to a smaller desk in order to accomodate another agent. At first this made sense because I am not in the office a lot and although I am technically a full time agent, I really only work part time at it. But the more I thought about it, the more irritated I was because this is supposed to be a temporary move (but could be pretty long term) and why should I give my spot to someone when they could just as easily move to the smaller desk. Of course, that agent is in the office full time and is a bigger producer than I am. It all comes down to money and politics. Well, it is just one of those things over which I have zero control and I hate that.

So this is my long overdue post and as I said at the beginning, I have rambled on and on and on and complained about personal stuff which I don't like to do. But, we're all friends, right?

Always,

TUESDAY BLOG HOP

I decided to join the Tuesday Blog Hop!



A proud capture! Grandson Cooper holding his prey.

Here is my grandson Ian who took this self-portrait while we were on vacation last year. Look at those eyes!

BEST WEDDING ENTRANCE EVER

I found this on youtube. This is the best wedding entrance ever. Enjoy!!!! ( Make sure your speakers on for the full effect of this video.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&feature=player_embedded

MY CRAFT PROJECT

Here is the tray I made after following Cindy's directions on My Romantic Home. I put a vintage doily under the glass. It is supposed to look "distressed", but I didn't have the right color to do it with. But I think it looks pretty good considering I am certainly not "crafty." I think I will make another one and put old black and white photos under the glass.

Always,

MOSAIC MONDAY

I found this great idea at Mary's Mosaic Monday. She gives great directions for doing this. It was fun and creative.

Always,

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

ONE thing I am not is a gardener. But a lot of years I do try a few tomato plants and maybe some herbs. Even still, my tomatoes look like they spent some time on Mars. This year I am truly excited, though. Last year I put our Halloween pumpkin in a sunny spot and waited. I have done this before because I heard that if you let your pumpkin rot away on the ground, you may get pumpkins the following year. I have tried it before without any luck. But this year, VOILA! I hadn't looked at the plant for awhile and suddenly there was a long vine traveling rather menacingly towards my neighbor's yard.

I researched pumpkins on the internet and learned that a pumpkin plant contains both male and female flowers. Each flower blooms only for a day. The female flower is fertilized by the male flower by way of our wonderful friends the bees who are gathering pollen. I learned how to identify the female blossoms by the bump that appears at the base of the flower. I immediately checked out my pumpkin plant and at first thought I had no female flowers, only male. As I looked under the giant leaves, however, I was thrilled to see that I have two little green pumpkins growing. I am a very proud mother!


The tomatoes are another story. This one is the only one turning red, but I do have a few green ones. Generally, the three plants are pretty scraggly looking.

This is my mint. I had mint a few years ago in another spot and it was pretty prolific for awhile and then (through my neglect) it died off. Suddenly it appeared again this spring so I moved a little of it to another spot and it has taken off. I know mint can grow like a weed. I don't use it for anything, but maybe some iced tea once in awhile. But it does smell wonderful. I also have some lavender and oregano and basil that is doing so-so.

I know a lot of you out there are wonderful gardeners and I truly admire you. It is so thrilling to see something growing that you can eat or use and you know that you planted it. Obviously, it can be done even on a very small scale as I have done.

How does your garden grow?

Always,

A LITTLE PROJECT

I have been trying to keep from visiting our local thrift shops, but today I gave in. I was looking for a frame to use to make a tray like the one Cindy at My Romantic Home made. Stop by her blog to see her directions. (I tried to put a link directly to that post, but it didn't work. Just click on the highlighted words here and check out her post from Tuesday.) I also have a link in my sidebar to her because I visit her blog everyday. Cindy's blogging story is pretty amazing. She started like we all did, writing a little about what we like to do or our families and our hobbies and interests. But her blog really took off! She has had over a million visitors! She has decorated her rented apartment in a lovely, shabby chic style and it has even been featured on HGTV's "Rate My Space." She always has great ideas and the photographs are lovely.

So I have my frame. I need to put the little knobs on the bottom for feet, paint it and decide what I want to put under the glass. Maybe a few vintage hankies I have, or maybe postcards or photos. I will take a picture of it when I am finished. This might take a few weeks, though. I am not very crafty and I am certainly a procrastinator. But this project seems fairly simple, so I may be able to do it.

Oh, by the way, if you haven't already, would you "follow" my blog as it shows on my sidebar? It is a great way to keep track of everyone. Thank you!

Always,

A DAY AT WORK

Nothing much new to report here in coastal Delaware. I was on the Sunday schedule to work today from 10 to 4. (I am a Realtor.) Since this is a beach town there are lots and lots of vacationers here now and a lot of them stop in for information about properties for sale. Many people are here for only a day or two or a week and think, "Wouldn't it be fun to own a quaint cottage by the ocean?". The problem is that those quaint cottages run about a million dollars or more. I had a customer in today who swore that there were houses for sale for $400,000 just a few blocks to the beach. I pulled up our search screen on my computer and showed her that MAYBE she could get a small condo for that price, but not a house. She had her husband waiting outside the office with their bicycles and only had a few minutes to get information (that certainly takes more than a few minutes to get together and discuss) or he would get mad. I suggested that I get a package of listings together for her and that she stop back in a little while for it. So I prepared a very nice package, pertinent things highlighted, a highlighted map, etc. She never returned. Sometimes that is the world of real estate sales.

I must admit, however, that when I vacation in a charming location, I often think, "Wouldn't it be fun to live here?"

Always,

GRAMMY TRAVELS

I spent a week visiting with my daughter and her husband and my two grandsons in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the weather was generally awful -- raining almost every day, but two. Nonetheless, it is always good to spend time with them. Beth and I visited our favorite consignment shop and, of course, I ended up lugging an extra bag home with me on the plane.

We spent an afternoon in Rockport, Mass. which is a wonderful historic seaport town. Here are some photos.

Always,