buncha random

Some new things for the house...

A large wine rack from Amazon that takes up less space than the two small wine racks I had before.

The two empty spaces on bottom were filled today with a Malbec and red blend I found at Trader Joe's. I love crisp, white wines and roses (ugh, that's not roses as in the flower...it's "rohzays"...I don't know how to get the foreign accent marks in Blogger!) in the warmer months and then heavier reds in the cold months.

Last Friday, I took a drive out to Woodstock, IL ~ the town famous for the filming of the movie, Groundhog Day. It was a beautiful day, I wanted a little escape all by myself, and the town square is a beautiful place to take a walk and stop in some independent shops. Besides, a few of the shops were participating in a Vintage Shop Hop.

Recognize this gazebo in the town square from the movie?

I came home with a couple of small things ~ this tin bird bath...

and a vintage bowl in one of my favorite colors.

I follow a young woman on Instagram that I used to know from when she was a teenager and we went to the same church. She's now married with a baby and living in the Portland, Oregon area. I've been enthralled by her macrame work ~ she's so talented! ~ and she's now selling it through her Instagram account. I finally decided on this piece for my guest room wall. So pretty, right? She uses driftwood that she finds on the beach.

If you're old enough to remember, macrame was all the rage in the 70's. I took a class with my mom and made plant hangers and even a purse with a Lucite handle. 

I love supporting independent artists, too. If you're interested, her Instagram account is @heatherswebbs. 

Some freebies for the house...

An elderly woman down the street recently passed away. At least, that's what I'm assuming because I haven't seen her and her house is up for sale. A few days ago, Brian and I were taking a walk and there was a Dumpster in front of the woman's house. It was filled to the brim with relics of her life: old-fashioned lamps and torn lampshades, rusty toolboxes, a huge stereo console, a couch that looked like it was from the 1960's with that stiff, brushed polyester finish, lots of junky odds and ends, and ooh, some old ladders.

I also found a huge, vintage pottery crock. The only marking on the bottom is "USA". It has a couple of small chips on the back, but I don't mind. (I found a vintage bean pot too, but it's currently in the dishwasher so it hasn't been photographed yet.)

I guess I officially Dumpster dived! Though I didn't go INTO the Dumpster. Ick. These items were on top. Made me kind of sad though to think this lady lived her life in this house all these years and had all this furniture and things that made her house a home and perhaps made her happy, just like we all do. And then she's gone and all her stuff is relegated to a Dumpster and hauled away. She's gone, her stuff is gone. Like nothing ever mattered. I silently promised the elderly lady that I would take care of her few things and thanked her for them.

My sweet Clementine...

She was diagnosed with kidney disease a few years ago. It's unfortunately very common in cats, especially as they get older. She was young to be diagnosed - only eight or nine years old at the time. She's been doing pretty well since the diagnosis and has been on medicine for high blood pressure which helps the kidneys and a prescription diet. But her latest blood tests show that certain levels are climbing. It's time for subcutaneous fluids. The vet said she needed them one - three times a week to start out. I panicked because of the time and money involved. Long story short, I talked to the vet and we agreed she could start with one treatment per week. From what I've read about and heard from other cat owners, you can get the supplies from the vet and do the IV fluids yourself at home. That way you don't have to keep taking the cat to the vet plus, of course, it's much cheaper to do it yourself at home.

That's all fine and dandy except that IV needles ~ and the thought of sticking them into the cat's skin ~ totally freaks me out. I honestly don't know if I could handle that. Last night as I was lying in bed, I was picturing the whole set up at home and trying to insert the needle into Clementine's skin between her shoulder blades. And it actually made me feel like I was going to vomit. My anxiety was skyrocketing and I couldn't fall asleep. Brian said he couldn't do this either. So I don't know what we're going to do. We certainly can't afford anymore than one treatment per week through the vet. But as she progresses with her kidney disease, she's going to need more treatments. Has anyone out there been through this with their cat?

Gorgeous weather...

We've been blessed with a warm-up in temperatures, plenty of sunshine and brilliant blue skies. As I do every year, I photograph the maple tree across the street almost every day. It's amazing how quickly it changes. This photo was taken today in the late afternoon. 

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days."
(John Burroughs)

Brian had the day off work yesterday and we went for an afternoon hike in the State Park. We are so lucky to have this gem close to our house.

If you look closely, you can see a sandhill crane taking off out of the water.

Getting ready for the new couch...

Last month, I told you that we finally bought a new couch from Crate and Barrel after looking for one for over a year. It had to be built - they didn't have the couch we wanted in stock - and it will finally be here on Friday. I'm so excited! The other day when our furnace tune-up guy was here (the son of a friend), he helped Brian move our old couch out to the curb. Luckily, it was snatched up within a few hours.

Our old couch was up against the wall where you see the now-blank space. I packed up the books and pottery from the black shelves, took the two big pictures off the walls and we moved the black shelves and the white table into the basement. Our plan for the new couch is to put it on an angle with the back facing the corner. If that arrangement doesn't work out, we will put the couch in the same place the old one was. 

I love this coffee table. It was my grandma's and it's made by Lane. It's a high-quality, solid (heavy!) piece of furniture. It's too big for our small living room though. Eventually, I want to move this coffee table downstairs into the family room and find a smaller coffee table for the living room. There's other plans I have for the living room too, but one step at a time.

Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay safe and healthy and wear your mask!

💓

thank you ~ and meet petunia

Thank you for your kind words on my last post regarding Phil and his death anniversary. I truly appreciate the support. It was 11 years on September 25th. Seems impossible he's been gone that long. Forever 21. This year was a bit easier than last year...maybe because ten years is one of those milestone dates. Or maybe because I put my needs out there to a certain group of friends and they responded with nothing but love and encouraging messages. It helped carry me through the extra hard day.

Phil, Brian, Tim ~ 1997

This past weekend, Brian and I visited Ginger Blossom ~ a farm in Richmond, Illinois where they sell ethnic and traditional crafts, rugs, furniture, sweaters, textiles and antiques from all over the world.

The property is beautiful and serene, with little buildings dotted here and there filled with all kinds of ethnic goods.

The main barn is filled to the rafters with all kinds of cool stuff...

Wait. They have CATS? 💓

The blue one kept calling my name. We walked around for awhile, thinking and talking about it, and came back to it twice. And finally decided we needed to bring it home with us.

Here she is in front of the fireplace.

I named her Petunia. She's well-behaved and doesn't cost a fortune in vet bills.

Until next time ~ stay safe and well.

xoxo

women supporting women

Hi friends ~ I know it's been awhile since I've written a blog post. It's been a busy month for me and I'm also consciously working on limiting my time online and on social media. I find that's much better for my peace of mind and anxiety.

This month has been filled - gloriously filled - with the company and encouragement of my women friends.

There have been coffee dates, patio-sitting/talking, gatherings around backyard fire pits with smoked maple bourbon and wine (separate events; we're not total lushes 😉) and...

a trip to a local pumpkin farm.

I belong to a women's circle where we meet at the start of every season. For the past nine years that I've been in this circle, there has been nothing but love and support for one another. We have all bared our souls to one another, have seen each other through divorce and loss and grief and illness; caring for elderly parents and relocation and job loss and problems with children. We have cried together and held each other while doing so. But oh...the laughter and the love. That is what sustains us.

When I told this circle of women that this week was going to especially hard because of a dentist appointment (I have dental phobia) but much more importantly, because of my son, Philip's death anniversary date on September 25th, I have received an outpouring of love and support via text and/or email every single day this week. 

The difference these messages have made in how I'm coping this week are nothing short of amazing. At first, I was hesitant to share my needs with this circle of women. I'm not used to doing that. I don't want to impose on anyone and I've never been one to like a lot of attention. I'm more the quiet one in a group (I'm an INFJ) and used to absorbing everyone else's energy and emotions. I guess I finally felt safe and secure enough to share what I needed without feeling too vulnerable.

I currently am seeing a female physical therapist for a medical condition. She is not only super intelligent in her field and has helped me physically, but she is super compassionate. When I explained to her at my visit today about what happened at my last physician's appointment, she was appalled. She actually told me that she wants to accompany me (if she can rearrange her schedule) to my next physician's appointment (it's a minor procedure) since she knows a bit more about my physiological condition than they do. She wants to be my advocate. Can you believe it?! Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty! I did call the physician's office today and get permission for her to accompany me to the appointment, due to COVID. 

The world is so topsy-turvy right now. COVID, hurricanes and wildfires, the upcoming election, riots and protests, police brutality: all have taken their toll on our mental well-being. Anxiety and depression have sky-rocketed in our country. We all need each other ~ and to meet each other with love and compassion ~ more than ever. 

I am incredibly grateful and humbled by the love of my friends, including the friends I've made here through my blog. 

Women supporting women.

💓

still in summer mode

Here we are in September already. While I'm not in any way ready for fall and technically it doesn't start for almost another three weeks, I see the signs all around me. Dry leaves are falling to the ground and crunching underfoot. The morning light is softer and filtered in the way it falls across the front yard.

 One of my favorite plants this summer has been this black and blue salvia. I am endlessly fascinated by the color of the flowers. I see hummingbirds on the flowers at least ten times a day. Of course, bees love it, too.

Just this morning as I was sitting on the front porch with my coffee, a dragonfly came to visit on the salvia.

My son who now lives out-of-state, was just here visiting for a few days. I dropped him of at the airport a couple of days ago and when I got back home, I saw this in the guest room. An empty, messy bed. Made my mama heart break a little bit.

Because, of course, this is what my heart always sees and feels...even though he's now 29 years old. 

I haven't read as much this summer as I usually do. According to my Goodreads reading goal, I'm nine books behind schedule. (Quit judging me, Goodreads!) This is the book I'm in the middle of reading right now. You might recognize the author's name...she's most famous for "The Secret Life of Bees", "The Mermaid Chair" and "The Invention of Wings". She's also written some non-fiction: "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" and "When the Heart Waits". I've read all her books and loved them. So far, this story ranks up there with all her other books. It's historical fiction from the days of Jesus told by a female perspective. Kidd's brilliant writing pulls you right into the story and there's an amazing connection to the characters because she brings them to life.

I discovered Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest on Instagram and have been obsessed with her recipes. Literally everything she makes looks so good. I've tried a few of her recipes and they're as good as they look. When I saw that she had a new cookbook out, I got it from my local library to check it out before buying it online. I ended up putting sticky tabs on so many pages, that I knew I had to buy this cookbook. This cookbook basically covers everything: Breakfast and Brunch, Appetizers and Sides, Salad and Soup, Pizza and Pasta, Vegetarian, Poultry and Pork, Beef and Lamb, Seafood and Fish and Dessert.

 I'm seeing people all over Instagram talking about fall decorating already. I can't even go there. It is still summer!!

I'm leaving my cheery, bright, light decor up for at least another two weeks.

All too soon, I won't even hear the beautiful chirping of little birdies all around my yard. This pretty, colorful pillow will be replaced with one with stupid pumpkins muted colors.

The big change that will be coming to my living room in October is...
a new sofa!

Finally. 

This 15-year old one is long past its prime. We'd been looking for over a year in stores and online. 

We finally decided on an off-white slipcovered sofa from Crate and Barrel. I have to say that the saleswomen at the Crate and Barrel store were very helpful with working with our needs (color, length, material, style). The bonus was that C&B was having their annual sofa sale, so we saved some money. The sofa is being made in North Carolina so that's why it'll take awhile to get here. I guess there'll be one good thing to look forward to this fall. 😉