To Make a Long Story Short . . .

We didn't get the new chairs. The delivery guys arrived, but the chairs were not what we had ordered. In fact, after a whole afternoon of working things out with the furniture store, the chairs that they told us we would be getting are not even made. They had told us that if we paid for an upgrade charge to top-grain leather then the whole chair would be covered in 100% leather. Turns out that the company doesn't make anything but "leather match" and "leather touch" stuff. So, we took a refund. The funny thing about that is that we sold the love seat from the TV room yesterday morning! So, now we're in the market for a couple chairs. I'm sure that God has some waiting out there --- now to find them!

We're planning on going to the auction tonight. Several things there that would be great to pick up. We went to a local thrift store today, and Elizabeth and I got some Beanie Babies. Some bears and a really cute cat. We also went to a rummage sale and got a pair of curtains for the TV room. They are long and have old English town scenes in browns and greens on them.

Tomorrow is going to be a salsa making/canning day. We've got all of the ingredients here, so we're going to make that and freeze some peppers and onions. Elizabeth and I are going down to Buddy and Kay's on Friday for a jam session and just to have fun. Not to mention that they need Lizzy's help on hooking up some electronic stuff!

Well, I've got to go meet up with an ice pack. Some mean, nasty little bug bit me six times on the back of my thigh, so it's driving me bonkers!!! More later.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Long ago (26 years to be exact) and far away (in New Hampshire) --- Mom and Pop got married. Two years later, we were born. Life has been a barrel full of fun ever since!

Dad gave Mom a little silver charm for her bracelet. It's a set of wedding rings that look almost exactly like her rings, except that her rings are gold. Here is a picture:

Mom and Elizabeth spent the day up in town running errands. I stayed home and got all kinds of things done around here --- laundry, vacuuming etc. We're having a couple new chairs delivered tomorrow, so I was also moving some furniture around upstairs. Right now, Mom and Dad are out to dinner by themselves, so the two of us are going to have dinner upstairs and watch a show or something. We're probably going to see a Wagon Train, but we haven't decided.

Well, I'll post some pics of the new chairs tomorrow! More later.

Needed: DVD Case Designer

Elizabeth has put me to work designing a DVD case for her. Some of the old VHS movies that she's turning over haven't got cases, so she wants me to make a few in Photoshop that she can print out. Since we came home from church she's had me making a case for Thunder on the Hill --- a Claudette Colbert mystery film from 1951. This isn't too bad, as she said that she'd help Mom make lunch if I made a case. Not a bad deal, in my opinion.

Claudette Colbert plays a nun who has to prove a young girl innocent of murder. Not the hardest mystery to slove, but the film is very well done. The other star of the film is Ann Blyth, so we left a blank space on the case. Elizabeth wants to send it to her to autograph. We have autographed pictures from her, but we're planning on sending some sheet music soon.

We spent yesterday working in the yard. Mom and I got a ton of weeding done in the flower garden. Some of the plants were so big that it felt like something out of a Jules Verne story. We also got the mower fixed, so the grass is nice and short today. Yay! Buddy and Kay stopped by to pick up some chain saws. We haven't seen them in ages. Hopefully, we'll get together soon.

Well, it's about time for lunch, so I better get going. We're going to watch the last couple shows in the first season of Wagon Train tonight. I'll be kind of disappointed to finish them. They've been really enjoyable. The Dan Duryea show is still the best!

The price of tomatoes . . . and the lack thereof.

We spent most of today driving around the surrounding counties looking for tomatoes at canning prices. It's amazing. Here we are, living in one of the largest Amish/agricultural areas and only one farm was selling tomato seconds for $1.50lb. We found one little old gentleman selling some from his garden for $0.75lb, so we bought some from him, but not enough to can much.

We stopped at Sandy Hill and a local stand to get some melon, corn and peppers. We also drove out to pick up a new belt for the lawn mower. It broke the day before we left, so the yard looks like a prairie. Dad's out putting the belt on --- so guess what I'm doing in the morning?! Mom and Elizabeth are going to make a little batch of salsa with the stuff that we were able to pick up today.

We're having two new chairs delivered this next week, so it looks like we're in for a little furniture rearranging over the weekend. The cats are all little cling-on love bugs since we've gotten back. I think they missed us. I can't think of anything else to write at the moment, so I'll post more later.

Over the hill . . . to Gramma's house we go!

Here we are in Central Florida! We're at Mom's Mom's house today and heading off to Dad's family later. Gramma took us to the most amazing pizza place you've ever eaten at. Wow! It's called Pizza Gallery and Grill. There is only one of them, too, and that's here in Central FLA.

Dad and Elizabeth are out boating/fishing (she's boating and he's fishing) this morning with a guy out in a wonderful spot . . . "Mosquito Flats". Sound like a good place to visit? Not. Elizabeth made sure to take a whole bottle of mosquito repellent. She's hoping to catch sight of a dolphin and/or manatee while they're out. The guy that they are going out with is a marine biologist, so she's looking forward to having an educational experience.

Well, it's about time to eat Breakfast, so more coming up later!

2011 APS Stamp Show / Trip to Florida

I haven't been doing much blogging lately. We've been so busy having fun that there just isn't time to write about it. Last week was the 2011 American Philatelic Society Stamp Show. In other words, the American National Stamp Show! This marvelous event was held in Columbus, so we were able to attend all four days. What an experience. We met some really nice vendors from all over the country (and some from all over the world). We made friends with some from Kentucky, Michigan, Arizona and Oregon! And we got some amazing stamps. God really blessed us with some amazing finds. My favorite addition to my King George VI collection is a Hong Kong definitive (Scott #166). It took us two days to find a dealer with one of them, but it's a real beauty.
Another thing that was really cool was that I got to see the Stanley Gibbons collection binders for the British Commonwealth during KGVI. I'd seen a couple pictures of the set online, but never for real. Wow! One day, I'd sure love to have those . . . so maybe in the future. They're made with hingeless mounts already attached to the papers, which would sure be nice.

We're getting ready for our trip to Florida, which is coming up soon. Dad and Elizabeth are planning on going out on a boat for a half day while we're at Gramma Gail's house. Dad to fish and Elizabeth to see all of the local wildlife. That is Lord willing and weather permitting of course. Mom and I are planning on going shopping with Gramma.

For the last couple weeks we've been watching some of the old Wagon Train TV shows. Our library has gotten them on DVD, so we're working our way through. They've really been quite enjoyable --- a few shows that aren't so good, but in general they're pretty cool. Major Adams and Flint are great. We just saw my favorite one last night. Dan Duryea was the guest star in a show that centered around him and his old pal, Flint. Boy, was it great. Dan Duryea had some of the best one-liners ever. I've got to watch it a couple more times just to memorize a few of them. They'd be likely to come to good use at some point in the future!

Well, it's late, and it hasn't been the best of days. The lawn mower broke down. A belt on the PTO broke --- with only 93.3 hours of use on it. Man. Even when you buy something that supposed to be quality, it isn't. They won't even stand behind it as the mower is two and a half years old. Never mind that the dealer has never seen one of these belts break. More later.

Off to Collect the Ribbons!

Hi! This is a short one, but we're off to collect the State Fair stuff today. Mom and I are going to make a day of it, and Elizabeth is staying home. She's trying to get in a day of "alone time" before all the upcoming socializing. :)

There is a Whole Foods grocery store down at Sawmill, so we're going there after we've picked everything up from the fair. Might stop at a few other places, too. It's very hot here today, but it looks like there's some cooler weather coming later this week. The Stamp Show starts on Thursday! How fun is that?! More later.

Sights and Happenings at the State Fair

The fair opened on Wednesday, and we decided to go down that afternoon. So, Mom and the two of us packed a little cooler and headed out. I was able to get most of the lawn mowing done before leaving and finished what was left in the evening, so I didn't even have to worry about that!

Wednesday was (according to the weather stations) the coolest day in the near future with a high of only 86'F. Some friends of ours called to see if we would meet them down at the DiSalle Building. Great! That is where all of the "Creative Arts" are displayed --- just the place we wanted to go. Besides, the building had air conditioning --- of a sort. We arrived and were directed along the parking lot by what must have been almost every State Highway Patrolman in the area. We parked pretty far out in the boon-docks, so it was a nice hike to the fair entrance!

We hadn't been to the State Fair since 2003, so we didn't really know what to expect. It seemed to us that the entries were really down low, but that would make sense considering the lack of entries at the town fairs and county fairs around here. Dad won second and third place in the woodcarving category! I'm so happy for him. We found his with no problem, but the felting was harder to find. It was in the display cases in the second room. Mom found them, and guess what?! They won first and second place in the needle-felting category and Best of show for all of felting! That is pretty exciting. I can hardly wait to pick them up. Pictures of them to come in a later entry. :)



We walked through a bunch of the other buildings, too. There were a lot of cows --- which I love! Amazingly, all of the sheep looked alike?! One of the "famous" attractions that is a recurring exhibit is a full-size cow carved out of butter (see picture). Mt. Vernon Naz College recycles the butter as fuel in some of their vehicles. Well, that's all for now. More coming soon.

We finally saw 'Gone with the Wind'!

This was the weekend that CAPA in Columbus showed Gone with the Wind. We've been really looking forward to this one, and I have been reading the book --- trying to get it finished before going to see the picture. Well, I managed to read the last page just nineteen hours before the curtain went up. Nothing like making it in the nick of time, right?

I'm certainly glad that I read the book, as it has been years since I've seen the whole movie. The book is definitely better than the film and really goes a long way into enhancing the viewing. Rhett is a nicer character and Scarlett is different in the book. Particularly during the last quarter of the story. Clark Gable is great! Of course, he's always great. :)

The audience was interesting. They actually laughed their way through the whole film. They laughed when Scarlett receives the letter saying Charlie Hamilton died. They laughed when Scarlett and Ashley had their love scene. They laughed every time anybody had a drink. They laughed at almost every line delivered by Clark Gable. They even laughed when Scarlett is crying after Frank Kennedy's funeral and says that she's afraid of going to Hell. When intermission time came, about half of the theater got up the minute "I'll never be hungry again" was out of Scarlett's mouth, so that you couldn't see the ending shot. Then again, at the end of the film, the minute "Tomorrow is another day" was out of her mouth they were up and running for the door. You couldn't even see the final shot of Scarlett at Tara, read "the end" on the screen or hear the final music. Society today is just quite rude.

On the way home we got stuck in a huge rain storm. The roads in Columbus couldn't drain and the sewers were backing up. We actually had to pull over to the side of the highway twice. God was really protecting us though, and we all made it home without mishap. Once we got about ten miles from our exit, the rain pretty much cleared, but boy! was that a downpour.

Mom and Elizabeth's computers both had problems this morning, so they took them into the shop. Poor little things. Looks like the power supplies may be gone on both of them, but we'll see what the diagnostics turn up.

The State Fair opens tomorrow! We're not sure when we're going to go down, though it will most likely be on the weekend --- unless the weather is nicer on another day. It seems that they have a Civil War encampment this year, not to mention a 500lb pig and piglets made out of chocolate!

Hotter than Florida without Air-Conditioning

It's official. Apparently, Ohio's weather (and that of the mid-West) hit the National News. We're beating out records for heat. Toledo actually measured 100'F the other day which gives them a new all-time high! Two days ago our thermometer outside of the kitchen window went over the max of 125'F. It's so hot that weather advisories are out, and even people who like Summer are wearing out.

The power companies have been doing rolling black-outs and rolling brown-outs. From Mansfield down to Loudonville lost their power completely yesterday, and it's not supposed to come back on until some time today. We put our AC window units in four or five days ago, so it's been nice to sit up in the TV room all cooled off. It made it up to eighty-nine degrees inside the house the other day.

Our Gramma called yesterday to see how we were doing. She suggested that we come down to visit her just to cool off! So, we're headed to FLA next month. Well, not for that reason . . . but it will be nice all the same.

Only three weeks to go until the National Stamp Show. I finally finished the list of my stamp collection, so I'm almost all ready to go. I can barely wait, too!

Well, I'm just too hot to go one writing, and I've got some laundry to do, so I'll be back later!

State Fair Entries are In!!

We took our entries down to the State Fair on Sunday. It was a fun day, as we also went to the Ohio Theater to see The Sound of Music. I like that movie, but I always forget just how nice it is. It was huge on the big screen, too! The puppet show part was one of my favorites . . . as always. This weekend we get to see Gone with the Wind. Which reminds me that I need to finish the book. I'm almost done, and it would be so nice to have finished before we see the movie.

Dad made some bases for the felted dolls that I entered. Here are the Pierrette and Pierrot dolls on their base. Dad put pins in the bottom of the base with their sharp ends sticking up. The feet of the dolls are then stuck through the pins. Pierrette had to have a little rod put up her back as well, as she is so thin. Her weight isn't enough to hold her steady. "Pat and Mike" is the other doll that's going in, so he's on a little square base and ready to go!

The Fair doesn't open until next Wednesday, so I'll post more pics then!

The Swallows are Back!

Joy, joy, joy! The swallows finally came back today. We always have lots of barn swallows, and they are my absolutely favorite birds. They are so beautiful and fluid in motion --- and so tiny. Only two have been around all Summer, which was sad as there were twenty-two last year. I was so happy, though, because there were twelve out there today! They stay all around the mower and just swoop down at all of the bugs. They make the softest chirping noises as the fly around you. I actually stopped the mower and just sat there listening to them. I didn't actually take these pictures, but these look just like my little friends.

Today was a cool day in the middle of a bunch of scorchers, so I was out mowing this morning (that's when I was with my swallow babes). Our neighbors are on vacation, so I did their lawn as well. They have a little over an acre (which is half of what we've got), and it was funny to mow, since our tractor is a bit over-kill for their yard. They have a lot of really gorgeous trees though!

It's almost time to take entries down to the State Fair! We're going down on Sunday, and I can hardly wait. Dad is working on making some wooden bases for the dolls that I'm entering. They are going to look cool. Dad is entering two wood carvings that he has made. It is the big fish and a frog that is sitting with some mushrooms. Both quite beautiful! Of course, I'm a little biased.

June rain brings . . . July weeds???

We've had a very nice and rainy year. This is great after the last several very dry years that we've had, but it means that we didn't have any chance to work outside before Summer arrived. That also means that the weeds are growing like . . . weeds! Mom and I are really trying to get things nice as far as our landscaping goes. After not being able to do any yard work last year it is all looking pretty scrubby and all around "ugh". Over the past few days I've been spending some time pulling thistles and crab grass --- not to mention creeping ground ivy.

Yesterday, I weeded some more of the area out the back door. I was able to put some rocks and flowers in there today, and it's looking pretty cute. I was also able to go on a sort of thistle patrol in the big garden. Wow! Those things are sure prolific. It looks like the "Guacamole" hosta is finally taking though. It's huge and beautiful all of a sudden.

We all spent part of the afternoon washing the cars yesterday. That was really fun. We got to play in the hose and get ourselves all wet, too! The two cars weren't hard at all, but the pickup truck was a bit more tricky. Elizabeth got up on a step ladder to wash the roof.

Only one week until we go down to take our entries into the State Fair!! I can't wait. This should be lots of fun. We're also going to see The Sound of Music on the same day. It's the first of this year's CAPA films that we're going to, so that should make for a fun day. More later.

'On this day of Independence, on this Independence Day!'

Another 4th of July has come . . . and gone. This year we celebrated with Buddy and Kay and Kay's family. Buddy and Kay are having a pretty busy Summer, so between their schedule and ours over the next six weeks it looked like we wouldn't be able to get together. So, a holiday came just in handy! We went over there about noon, and figured to stay a few hours. Guess what?! We ended up staying eight hours.

Mom and Kay worked with some of Kay's brothers and sisters on their family tree. Dad went fishing in the pond. Lizzy and I played music and sang with Buddy. It was really fun, as we sang through tons of the old songs that he has written and a bunch of new ones. We even sang through When Dragons' Hearts Were Good --- that's the song that convinced the two of us that Buddy was really great. It's also the first song that we ever heard him perform.

Buddy pulled out his whips and tomahawks later in the afternoon --- by this time all the family had left. He's got targets set up on the edge of the woods for them, so he taught Pop how to crack a whip. Buddy even snuffed out a candle for us! Elizabeth has always wanted to throw a tomahawk. She's great at it! She took to it like a fish takes to water. It was pretty cool. She could hit about every four out of five throws.

We watched a show with Buddy that he's working on. Really cool. And we all had dinner together! All in all, it was the best 4th of July ever.

A Trip to 'Stan Hywet Hall' in Akron

Yesterday, Mom and Dad took us out for our birthday. It wasn't actually on our birthday, but the weather yesterday was much nicer. We ended up going to Stan Hywet Hall in Akron. The two of us had been dying to go up there for ages now. We had gone on a field trip with TLC about ten years ago, but that was a long time ago. So, Mom figured that this would be a great surprise. Elizabeth actually didn't figure out where we were going until we pulled in! :)



They let you take self-guided tours now. That was really nice as we could go through at our own pace. Mom and Dad got a year-long pass up there, so we are really hoping to go back soon. It was nice and inspirational for our novel, so Lizzy is going to take her sketchbook next time.

The house was built by the co-founder of Goodyear Tires for his family to use as a Summer home. They began construction in 1912 and finished at the end of 1915. It is a Tudor-Revival style Hall furnished with reproductions of Tudor style furnishings --- most of them made around 1915. The family that built the place was keen on British style, so they paid for an architect, interior designer and gardener to reproduce what they liked in England. They actually bought much of the furnishings and decorations in England and shipped them to Ohio.

One of my favorite things in the house was the carved trim work in one of the front rooms. It was made of a dark wood and carved like forest leaves and berries. Squirrels and birds were all over the trim eating the berries. We couldn't take a picture of it, so that's one of the things that Elizabeth is going to sketch next time. Another of my favorite things was a spot in the library. Mr. Seiberling (the man who built the place) sat in this certain chair by one of the bookshelves to read. All the while he would be smoking a cigar, so he would lay his burning cigar on the edge of the shelf. There was a whole little row of burnt shelf edge. It was kind of cool to see it. Sounds funny actually writing it down, but it kind of made the house more "real".

One of the things that was so cool about the whole Hall was the fact that it was so "lived in". All of the furniture had obviously been well used and loved, so it gave the feeling of real people living there --- not just a showcase house that you can't imagine anybody living in. As far as rooms, the Breakfast room, the Billiard room, the Office and the "Older Boys'" room were my favorites. I just love the dark wood that was so common in Tudor style --- not to mention the leaded glass windows. In the Billiards room there were the most amazing window seats that were probably almost three feet deep. Window seats were actually all throughout the house. They had gorgeous velvet pillows on them that have faded over time. It made them look nice and inviting.

It was quite interesting to tour a house that was lived in from the 1910s through the 1950s. We owned almost all the same "things" that were in there, particularly the framed prints and the kitchen utensils. Quite funny really to see so many things that we take for granted displayed as old "museum" pieces.

The weather turned out to be just perfect, and we walked in the garden for a bit --- and took some pictures. Mom and Dad had found a perfect place to take us to Dinner. It's called Mulligan's Pub and Grill. Very much like a Ruby Tuesday or Applebee's. The big difference was that this place had a vegetarian menu! Wow. It was really fun. We had fried mushrooms and cheese sticks, french fries and loaded veggie burgers. Boy, was it fun.

That's Elizabeth in the photo on the left. Isn't she cute?! I don't know why some of the above photos appear out of focus. They look fine if you click on them to see them full size.

Happy 110th Birthday, Nelson Eddy!

Another year is half gone and it's Nelson Eddy's birthday again! He would have been a hundred and ten years old today.

Well, I'd write more, but we're going off for our birthday celebration today. Okay, so it's not really our birthday, but this is the nicest day of the whole week . . . and it is Nelson Eddy's birthday. Dad's taking a half day off of work and we're going somewhere. Mom and Dad are keeping it a surprise, so we won't know where we're going until we get there. ;) Can't wait! They are even taking us out to dinner some place special. Hey, it's not everyday that we turn twenty-four, right?

Another Needle Felted Doll (Gnome) Finished!

This one's named "Pat and Mike" --- after the old Irish jokes. "Pat" is the squirrel and "Mike" is the gnome! Together, they weigh 1.875 ounces and stand 7-1/4" tall (to the tip of Mike's hat). They took approx. 35 hours to complete. They are made from a mixture of wool that includes Corriedale, Merino and a "Briar Rose" blend. I used .40 and .42 gauge needles on them, and the feather is a real feather --- not a felted one! ;)

It looks like they are going down to the State Fair instead of the Hercule Poirot doll. I'm still not totally decided though, so we'll see. I started "Pat and Mike" about a month ago, so I'm really happy to have finished him by now. I don't think that I'll have the same amount of felting time this Summer as in the Winter. Ah, how sad. The next needle felted doll is going to be a present, so it will be a little while before pictures are up of that one.

'Gnome Sweet Gnome' or . . . 'Gnomehenge'?!

The name is up for grabs, but Mom and I made a "gnome garden" today. We turned the area right out the back door from a weedy mess into a cute spot. This is an area of the yard that we've never really done anything to since we moved here over twelve years ago. Finally, Mom hit on this idea. I really wanted this big, metal garden gnome that was on clearance at JoAnn's, so this is his new home.We worked out there for about four hours with satisfying results!

I've been collecting rocks for a couple years to make a fancy garden, but we hadn't had a chance to use any of them, so this was perfect. I got Pop to help me haul them in from different areas of the yard (some of them were quite buried!), and we set to work. These pictures show the results. All of the bushes were in place. We bought the hostas last month and the astilbe just this evening.



Standing opposite the end of the garden (down by the little "gnome sweet gnome" sign) is a locust tree, so I'm going to clear out all of the grass from around the base and we'll continue the gnome look there. Pictures to follow, of course.

We haven't been up to much besides that. Mom and the two of us picked up a cold last weekend, so we've been fighting that off. These super bugs are pretty miserable. Hoping to feel better in time for our birthday next week. Dad's been getting this Winter's firewood stacked. It's beautiful! I can't believe that in four months we'll be using it. Wow . . . time flies.

Reading 'Gone with the Wind'

The cool spell has arrived! In fact, it's been great since Saturday. We've actually had two nights that made it down into the high forties. That was pretty nice. We had a huge storm on Friday night that had to have a tornado or two in it. There was hail coming down and really, really strong wind. It was worth it though, as this has been great weather since. I just mowed the lawn this morning, and we're planning on working in the garden this afternoon. I got the cutest little sign to hang on the fence. It has a little gnome and mushrooms on it, and it says "Gnome Sweet Gnome". :)

We got a fan mail reply last week! This one was from Joan Leslie, the 1940s actress. We sent some sheet music to her which she signed for us. She also sent us each a large photograph of herself. Pretty cool.

I started reading Gone with the Wind a couple weeks ago. We thought that it would be something good to read to get ideas of writing style, as I am about ready to actually write our story. Though I am not necessarily a fan of the story really, I am certainly enjoying the novel. It's a fascinating look into the mindset of the old South and the consequences of the Civil War. I'll post more as I finish the book. I'm only about a quarter of the way through, but it's very good. We're going to see the film on the big screen this Summer in Columbus, so I'm hoping to be finished with the book by the time we go!

A Nelson Eddy Paperweight. Cool, huh?!

We went out to Kohl's yesterday and I got the coolest thing: a "customizable" paperweight! Of course, there was no doubt in my mind that it should have a picture of Nelson Eddy in it. Logical, right? So, I finally picked out a picture and had Elizabeth print it off for me. Hooray! Here is a picture, though it's not too great a one. It's much cooler in real life!

Very hot weather right now. It feels more like July than the beginning of June. The peonies came out with tons of flowers, but they fried in the sun and got beaten off by rain, so no pictures of them this year. More later.

The Joys of Summer (i.e. A Cold Stone Creamery Milkshake!)

Time marches on . . . and I haven't been blogging. Hmmm. I just realized that I haven't posted anything all month! Oh no. It's been pretty hot this week, and we've been busy bees. Dad's been getting lots of yard work done, and I've been helping him weed. Most of the Spring plants are dying back already, so there aren't many flowers out right now. We had a lot of irises bloom this year --- this is the first time that we've seen some of them.

I finally got some of the upstairs closet cleaned out. Sorted through clothes, and we got rid of a ton of stuff that we don't need. We took Dad out on Sunday to Lunch. We figured to that we'd do our "Father's Day" thing on a weekend when everybody else isn't going to the same places. It was really a banner day, as we decided to get an ice-cream cake to take home. We hadn't bought one in ten years or more, so we remembered that someone had told us about Cold Stone Creamery. So, we went in and picked out the cutest little chocolate cake --- then it happened. Mom convinced me to get a milkshake. A chocolate milkshake. I was a bit skeptical as we getting a cake already. Never mind. Make Mom happy. I'll get one if somebody shares it with me. Take it out to the car and, reluctantly, try it. Joy! Wow! Amazing! Okay, so if somebody wants a drink out of it . . . I guess that I could spare one. Just one. That was the best milkshake ever. Wow! Can't wait to try an Oreo one next time!

"Springtime, Lovetime . . . May"

It's the last day of May. It's also the hottest day of the year yet. It hit 91'F in the shade, which beats out the old record heat on this day of the year. Amazingly enough, and sad enough, it is 88'F inside the house!! Less than three weeks ago we were still burning wood to heat the house, now it's so hot that the refrigerator is not working right. Oh dear.

With thunder storms every few days, and record lows followed by record highs, it's not a good year for flowers. Here are some pictures taken over the last few days. Dad spent yesterday weeding, and I was mowing, so things are beginning to look nice. Most of the flowers are fried today, though.






We haven't planted very many new flowers this year, but we were able to get a few more things --- including two shades of "Sweet Williams" (see the fifth picture above). Elizabeth and I thought that it was a great coincidence, as we got them the day after the Royal Wedding, so they were quite appropriate. Next year, in honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, we are planning on buying two "Queen Elizabeth" rose bushes. Cool, huh?!

We're trying to come up with things that don't take a lot of baking/cooking (to keep the heat down) and getting it done in the early morning. This afternoon we went up and watched Maytime. Fitting for this month, right? I love Nelson Eddy. Oh, did I tell you that I love Nelson Eddy? Well, I love Nelson Eddy. :)



It has now taken me so long to upload all of these pictures that Dad is home, and it's about time to eat Dinner. Dad's got the fridge and freezer pulled out from the wall, trying to clean them off and check the gaskets. Of course, leveling them off again is a the tough part. That gave me a chance to wash the decorations that were on top of the two units. There are some old lamps and cookie jars up there, so they had their winter "dust coats" on. They are sparkling now!

I've been working on felting a little gnome. More on the cartoon side like some of the first ones. This is another present, and he's not based on any picture --- just right out of my head. Elizabeth wants me to work on "Hastings" next. We'll see. It's between that or Flavia and Rudolph, so . . .

Back from the 2011 Wooster Fiber Show

Yesterday was the start of the Wooster Fiber Show, Mom and the two of us spent a few hours going through all the buildings there. It's held at the Wooster Fair Grounds and fills four or five buildings. I didn't need a ton of wool this time, but we still managed to do pretty well --- including a bag of stuff for Dad's fly-tying!

I didn't need natural colors (black, gray, brown or white), so we were on a "color" hunt. We were pretty shock that the prices had doubled in the last year and a half. They've gone from $1.50/$2.00 an ounce to $3.50/$4.00 an ounce. Not to mention that most of the vendors were only selling roving by the half or whole pound. If you found 4oz. balls, it was pretty good. That is not a great situation, as a felter, considering that one doll takes one to two ounces all together. Felting (other than the "quick and easy" applique-type stuff) seems to be a bit out.

My favorite ball of roving is a blend of 80% pink-colored wool and 20% white-colored silk. It's unreal looking and will make a perfect dress for a Princess Flavia. Eventually, I'll get to Flavia and Rudolph . . .

The most useful thing that I picked up was the 14oz. of skin-tone --- already dyed! Up to now, I've been carding two different tones together to make the skin, but that is a bit hard as there are still the two different colors of fiber. They tend to show up a little bit as you're felting them, so I have to be really careful to make sure that one or the other does not dominate the face. This stuff looks really similar, so it should work out. If I have to, I can always card a little something in there to change the shade.

One booth was run by a farm down in Indiana that raises "Cotswold" sheep. I'd never heard of them, but it was really interesting. Wow! They are a breed that comes from the 1st Century sheep that the Romans brought into England. Basically, no hybridizing has been done to them, so they are still remarkably similar to their long-ago ancestors. They are huge and have a staple length that can reach 12"! I got a bunch of colors to try out from there, so I'll post more about them later.

The Poppies are in Bloom Again

It's that time of year again! All of the plants are really doing well, and they are very happy for all of the rain that we've been getting. A few poppies opened up yesterday, but it seems that they doubled this morning. There are still a bunch to come, though, so I think we'll be enjoying them all week. Here are some other pictures from around the backyard. That is the hops plant that is growing up the clothesline pole. It's more than tripled in size since last year, so I actually think that we'll have to split it soon. We've had sunshine for five days in a row this week, so Mom and I have really been working on hanging laundry out on the lines. Isn't it beautiful when they are so full?!



Dad's been gone on his fishing trip since Thursday. We heard from him once, but he's due home later today some time. We girls have been busy having fun while he's been off on vacation. We spent Thursday down in Columbus. Mom had a follow-up appointment down there, and we met Aunt Darlene for breakfast. Believe it or not, we hadn't seen her in seven years! She brought pictures of her grandchildren --- they are some of the most beautiful children ever. We also went to some stores (they have Whole Foods down there!) and out for pizza, so we didn't get home until nine.

On Friday, we went out garage sale-ing and then down to see Buddy and Kay. We were only going to stay an "hour or two". Well, guess what?! We stayed seven hours. That meant that we didn't even leave their house until nine, so it was another late night. Fun though. I love visiting with them.


We went to a couple more garage sales yesterday, and I was able to mow the lawn. It's been up in the eighties and sunny, so I even got some sunburn. Hmm. We're all a bit tired today, so it's been an easy afternoon. Our DVDs of the Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy films, Naughty Marietta and Sweethearts, arrived earlier this week, and Lizzy and I are dying to see them. It's the first time that any of their movies have been fixed up and released on disc.

We were also thrilled that our "Royal Wedding" postage stamps (in the form of a presentation pack) came in the mail. They're really cool. We were also able to get some photo-filled magazines with all of the pictures from the wedding day. Hooray! Here's hoping that the DVD and the music album arrive in the near future.

Having Fun Arranging My Collection

We've finally had warm weather here. In fact, it's been in the eighties (in the shade) for the last four days. I've had to mow the lawn three times in the last week, and the red maple in the front yard is completely leafed out. Mom said that she saw the first poppy open this morning, but it's raining now, so I didn't see it.

We took Dad out to breakfast at Panera this morning. After that we went to a couple antique stores. I managed to find five new French figurines for my collection, so I've spent the evening rearranging them. They are in the hutch where I keep my violin. It's on the bottom shelf and they are on the top two shelves. There are a few King George VI things in the middle there. The breakable things that wouldn't survive in the suitcase with the rest. I'm expecting a KGVI vase in the mail this week. It will match the little mug that's in there.

This evening we made a fondue for dinner and then froze some butternut squash. Boy, was it beautiful?! Dad is leaving for his fishing trip soon, so he's getting his gear packed up and all that. We'll have that time to do "girlie" things. Nothing else much to say, so I'll end for now.

What's been going on at our house?

After eight months of burning wood to heat the house, and having to spend most of that time in the "Winter mode", I was finally able to mow the lawn this Thursday. The grass was actually twelve inches high in some spots towards the back of the yard. With this tall (and very wet) grass I was amazed that the mower only "konked out"once on me. This new Snapper is great --- and a super work horse. Here is a picture of for you all to admire! :)



A lot has been happening around here lately. Last week, Dad brought a friend of his home from work and they cut down a Maple tree from our backyard. It had been sick for a year or two, so we'll be using it for firewood next Winter. Dad's already got it cut, stacked and drying out for splitting.

Poor little Oliver. He did something to his paw on Saturday night. We thought that maybe he had broken it, as he couldn't walk yesterday and it was really hurting him. Today, though, he looks like he is doing much better and is only limping a little. He must have just smashed his paw somehow. Elizabeth took this picture of him yesterday, so you can see how irresistible he is!

We spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday out garage sale-ing. It was Fredericktown's community sale weekend, so we found bunches of places having them. Though, there weren't as many as there used to be. It's almost like garage sales are going out of style around here. We found some great things, including the coolest 1950s table lamp for my end table upstairs. My favorite "thing" that we found is this mid-1920s chocolate box (it's a tin with hinged lid) for Whitman's Salmagundi. There is a painting of an art deco woman on the top and this whole mosaic looking design. It was still filled with mending and darning supplies that look like they are from the '30s and '40s. Cool!

Being that yesterday was Mother's Day, Elizabeth and I made a cake for Mom. This was a spice cake with cream cheese frosting, and we decided to "spice" it up! Elizabeth did the writing and all the little hearts. Isn't she good?! We've already got plans for the Father's Day cake. It's going to have a trout stream (with trout, of course). That'll appeal to Pop more than hearts!

Happy Birthday, Der Bingle!

Bing Crosby. The best singer. Ever.

His birthday seems to be clouded in just a bit of mystery. Was he born on May 2 or May 3? Was he born in 1903 or 1904? After looking into it a bit, I figured that May 3, 1903 looks to be the most likely birthday. So, this is just a quick entry to say, "Happy Birthday, Mr. Crosby"!

Nobody ever sounded like him and nobody ever will. He's such an amazing singer with a fabulous gift. Those velvet tones. Ahh. He could sing every kind of song and make them all sound wonderful. One of my favorite Bing films is Blue Skies from 1946. The plot is a bit slow, and the story isn't that great, but the songs are the best. It was made as a follow-up to Holiday Inn, so it's another Irving Berlin songfest! My other favorite is Going My Way, where Bing's smooth tones are shown off at their best. Well, every time that he sang he was "at his best"!