Now, while you may say that Merryville isn't a real place, you can't really say that it doesn't exist. A simple place in a simpler time, Merryville is as real to me as any place on earth. It dwells in my heart and in the spirit with which I try to approach living.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recent Posts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Etsy Shop
October 23, 2009
October 01, 2009
September 22, 2009
The First Day of Autumn
The first day of autumn has arrived! I awoke to a beautiful, but a bit of a chilly morning, and I have enjoyed seeing the sunshine fill our rooms with a cheerfulness that only comes with this particular time of year. It is the season of pumpkins, of cider and the harvest. Of candlelight, and of soup bubbling on the stove. The scent of cookies, and bread baking in hot ovens is a treat for the senses, and I love the sights and sounds of children waiting by school bus stops and kicking at soccer balls. I so enjoy the quality of the light both inside and out, this time of the year. It is a real pleasure indeed, to have sunshine streaming into every room of this old house of ours, and I revel in it. I sometimes feel that the house does too, as I feel a happier energy within it, as the too hot summer days are finally gone, to be replaced by a nip in the air and the pleasures to be found in readying ourselves, and our homes, for a change in the seasons.
This morning I was sitting with my morning coffee and enjoying my breakfast of toast spread with some of my good friend Beth's homemade fig jam, and enjoying the cozy sight of Miss Luna curled up asleep upon her quilt, when I felt tears come to my eyes, at the thought of how good life really is . I don't know how it happened, but this particular jar of jam had become pushed to the back of the pantry closet, and instead of being opened and consumed quickly, as Beth's delicious jams usually are, I had the lovely surprise of finding this treasure to start my day with. Beth makes the best jams, and she has occasionally won a few ribbons at the state fair for them, so they truly are special. Anyhow, there I sat with these simple pleasures, on this first morning of my favorite season, and I thought of my friend Beth, and how fortunate we all are, if we have such a friend, and a sweet kitty to keep us company. Tears seem to come to my eyes easily these days.
Last week, Young Mr. Staggs was home to visit with us for a few days, before the new school year starts, and we enjoyed his visit very much. Even though he often visits, for some reason, this go around felt particularly poignant, and I cried when he left, though I managed to wait until he'd driven off, thank goodness!
My great uncle, Jim, passed away last week. Thinking of him, brought tears as well. I remembered him as being so kind to me when I was a young girl. He recognized my shyness and need for quieter moments, and he often invited me to keep him company as he worked in his garden, or in his garage when he saw that I needed a break from the more social members of the family. Often, he would give me a chore to do, and we would work quietly together, side by side, seldom saying a word. It is a special person who sees that part of a child and respects it. I remember his raspberry wine too. Clear, and beautiful, it had the sweet, but not too sweet taste of raspberries, and was the color of rubies. I wish, I had learned to make that, along side Uncle Jim. As sometimes happens, as families change, we grew apart, as I grew up, but I hope he knows, that I appreciated having him in my life. Too often, we don't say those words, until it is too late.
I guess that is all from here today. Thank you everyone, for all of your kind comments. I appreciate them, very much. I don't always have the energy for lots of blog visiting and commenting these days, but I do think of you all, often, and want you to know that I do appreciate you, even when I'm less visible in the blog world.
Oh, I almost forgot! A few people have asked about drying hydrangeas. I only have one real tip to share, and that is to wait until the stems of your flowers have turned somewhat woody, before picking the flowers. That seems to bring me the most success. I didn't seem to see much of a difference when I dried them upside down, versus just sticking them in a basket, or a vase, so I don't bother with that anymore. I just fill the container and let them dry. Be sure though, to allow for shrinkage, as they do shrink quite a bit. Pick a few more, than you think you'll need, and you'll have a lovely arrangement to see you through the fall. I hope this helps.
All my best to each of you.
....'til next time in Merryville.
September 14, 2009
This and That and a New Book Too
I always find the few weeks between the end of August and the first days of autumn, a bit disconcerting. One day, the rain seemingly falls from buckets, while a cold wind blows the first of the new season's leaves against the backdrop of a charcoal colored sky, and the next day, we wake to a bright blue sky, and temperatures that climb into the 80's requiring shorter sleeves and cooler drinks than the hot tea that accompanied our afternoon break, of just a day ago. Maybe, it is because I love autumn best, that I feel a bit anxious to hurry along these last days of summer. I shouldn't feel this way though. I still have much to do, to ready the garden for the winter, and the inside and the outside of our house, too. Windows still need a good scrubbing, and the front porch too, before I start to decorate it with pumpkins and mums and other welcoming signs of the bounty that is autumn's gift to us. I'm pondering a wreath for the door, and thinking about a new color combination of plants for the window boxes, and I've been cutting hydrangeas to dry for baskets that need filling inside, as well. Sunny and dry days are best for activities like these.
I have a new book that has me thinking other thoughts of decorating and rearranging too. Inside our house. When you've lived in the same house for as long as we have in ours, you do tire of things looking the same all the time. I used to decorate and rearrange things often, but I haven't done so much, in these last couple of years. This new book, titled New Farmhouse Style, by artist Terry John Woods, and photographer, Kindra Clineff, is full of page after page of my favorite decorating style. Simple, country, and accented with my favorite kinds of old things,along with flowers from the garden, and handmade folkart. It is inspiring me greatly.
If you are a fan of Country Living magazine, and the now gone, Country Home magazine, then I'm sure that Terry John Woods rooms and artwork are familiar to you. He's been a big favorite of mine, since I first saw photographs of his farmhouse, Needham House, decorated with his artwork for Christmas on the pages of both of those wonderful periodicals. I'm thrilled by this new book.
If you would like to see more of Terry John Woods work and his home and gardens, visit his wonderful and inspiring website, by clicking on this link. I think you'll enjoy your visit there, very much.
Take care everyone.
....'til next time in Merryville.
September 08, 2009
The Butterfly Project
I always think of Labor Day weekend as the last weekend of the summer, but there was very little of our weekend that seemed like summer. It was mostly filled with rain and wind and cooler temperatures. It has been a very dry summer in our part of the world, and we needed the rain badly, so I didn't mind a bit. The stormy weather made for cozy days, and I spent most of the time indoors reading, watching sports on TV, and crafting.
I've been making butterflies for a special project that the Houston Holocaust Museum is planning to host in the spring of 2012, called The Butterfly Project. In memory of the 1,500,000 children who perished in the Holocaust, the museum is hoping to collect 1,500,000, or as many as possible, handmade arts and crafts butterflies, to create an exhibit that was in part inspired by a poem written by Pavel Friedman. As a very young man, Pavel Friedman was taken to Terezin Concentration Camp and he later died at Aushchwitz in 1942. His poem is a part of a collection of stories, poems and pictures that were created by the young people who passed through Terezin. The collection has been collected into a book called "I Never Saw Another Butterfly", which is a line from Pavel Friedman's poem, The Butterfly. You can read his poem here.
When I first read about this project on my friend June's blog, I knew right away that it was an effort that I wanted to participate in. For a number of reasons, but the first thought that I had, was of a very dear friend, who is Jewish. In another place and time, she could have been one of the children who was taken away to live in a concentration camp or perhaps killed, because of her culture, her heritage and her religious beliefs. We think we have come so far in the world, and yet, hatred, bigotry and persecution still exist. I sometimes read now, of people who don't believe that the Holocaust existed. As horrible as such an event is, we must remember that it did, we must continue to talk about it, and to teach history and its lessons to our children and to future generations, and we must pay attention to the world around us. It is only by remembering history's lessons, that we will grow the world into a beautiful place, for each of us.
Because The Butterfly Project is one that commemorates children, I wanted my butterflies to be whimsical, and something that I thought would make a child smile. When I drew a picture for my friend Liisa, at her studio the other evening, she immediately started gathering materials from the huge stash of supplies that often come her way through donations. When Lissa saw that I wanted my butterflies to have little faces, she brought out the wooden beads, with the faces painted on, that were passed on to our craft group, by a very dear friend named Carol, who passed away a few years ago from cancer. The chenille stems were from Liisa, and the vintage fabric was a gift to the studio as well. When Liisa saw the butterflies that I created with the gifts she shared, she smiled and said, "Carol would be delighted". I hope so. I know she certainly would have appreciated them being used for a good cause, and that makes me feel happy, in memory of her, as well.
Take care everyone.
....'til next time in Merryville.
