Wednesday, February 29, 2012

What's in Your Purse?

Those that carry one! I remember when I would run out the door and not even take a purse...footloose and carefree. Now I carry a large purse and within it this small plastic case, that believe it of not has at least twenty small items in it ...just in case I (or anyone else) might possibly need something. I am good in any type of emergency. Anything from a headache, allergy attack to a  small cut. Need to measure a piece of furniture, remove a spot , sanitize your hands, or even pick your teeth....I am your gal!( Sorry, you have to do your own picking).

I don't know why I am not proud of this .. Is it a sign of aging, being responsible or the fact that I am a Virgo? Sometimes I would like to see what it would be like to throw caution to the wind...and not be so sensible.....
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Spring?


My Meyer Lemon tree has some buds on it. Could Spring be on it's way? I really don't know much about gardening. Which is strange for such a nature lover.
I actually won this tree. It was a door prize at an event several years ago. Have I ever told you how lucky I am? I need one day to make a list of the things I have won. It's rather amazing. There are actually people who buy a  raffle ticket and ask me just to touch it. I would like to think it is Karma .
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Monday, February 27, 2012

I See You!


It was beautiful weather yesterday and I actually got out in the back and worked in our flower beds. So many of our shrubs have dead leaves from the summers drought. Hidden in this shrub was an Anole Lizard. We have a lot of Anoles in south Texas. We have green ones....that can change colors (to brown) when stressed and we have brown ones that stay brown. This one must be a brown one because... I was surely stressing her trying to get her to stand still and pose, and she stayed one color. I say her because the females have a prominent stripe down their back. Several people call these Chameleons and they really aren't. I think she was enjoying the sun too.
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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Brunch


One more cute idea from the baby shower brunch I attended yesterday. The eating utensils were wrapped and cleverly presented in straw doll bassinet!
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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Baby Shower

I went to a baby shower "brunch" this morning for one of my friends daughters. Sarah is having a little boy in April. I thought the centerpiece was so cute . They had large  glass cylinders filled with animal crackers, surrounded by little demitasse cups  filled with a cold blueberry soup....
The petite fours, topped with little blue slippers, melted in you mouth.
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Friday, February 24, 2012

I Like Your Dutch Painting


I promise that's all I said:
" I Like Your Dutch Painting". Which was my way of  making polite conversation, in a room full of grieving relatives, straight from the the grave site. One of my husband's golf buddies had died, and we had stopped by the family home to pay our respects. "You're the only person who has ever recognized that as Holland!" replied his widow.. Then to my horror, the eighty something senior took off her shoes, climbed on the sofa, almost stepping on  the two folks sitting there, and struggled to get the painting off of the wall. There was a hushed silence that fell over the room , and more than a few raised eyebrows as she said "Tom go put this in your car, I want Janey to have it." No no no! I exclaimed with my husband also chiming in..but she wouldn't take no for an answer. I have never been so embarrassed.....

The next morning  my husband called one of her grown children and tell him that we would be by and drop the painting off, as  we had no intentions of keeping it. To which he replied" Please keep the painting. If Mother wanted you to have it...then you need to keep it"

So, that is how we came by this Dutch painting that I know nothing about. Except, that they bought it on their honeymoon, in Holland, just after World War II.
You should have seen the look on my face when I ran into another of Tom's golf buddies a few weeks later, and he asked if I had been to any other funerals !
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Thursday, February 23, 2012

My Dutch Village


It is no secret by now that back in the late seventies, we lived in The Netherlands. I don't have a lot of souvenirs around here, but if you look closely you might notice a few; like my tiny Dutch Village. These little jewels were actually dug out of a large bin, in a toy store of all places, in a shopping center in The Hague. I was amazed that these little clay replicas were actually representations of the different architectural styles in the country. My favorites are the house with the stair stepped gable, the castle, and of course the thatched  roof cottage  To my amazement they were the equivalent of 10 cents apiece. My only regret now, is that I didn't dig deeper and get one of each!
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

All Aboard!


No, it's not a photograph of baggage claim....it's the luggage department of a local department store. Do I have cabin fever?...I guess so. Along about this time of year I find myself wanting to hit the road (or in this case the sky). Now that we are discussing it....luggage that is. Have noticed the changes over the years? I think the biggest change has certainly been the addition  of wheels. At first, we all had those little contraptions we strapped onto the bag so that we could pull it...then they got smart enough to attach some wheels. Eventually, wheels became spinners so you could push the bag in any direction without tilting it. Now, they all seem to be advertising how little they weigh. Well, I have another suggestion....baggage tags with GPS's so that your bag arrives where you do! That's about it folks. I am ready to pack one of those light weight spinners.....just wish I had somewhere to go!
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Ann

Recently we saw the stage play: Ann written and acted by the talented Holland Taylor.

Ann, was Ann Richards  (1933-2006) wildly popular governor of the state of Texas 1991-95. Ann rose from the ranks of home-maker to the states most powerful office.

This straight talking tiny lady with her heavy Texas accent was famous for speaking her mind. Considered by some as the queen of colloquialisms. She will forever be remembered   for her now famous remark about George H. Bush at the 1988 Democratic Convention. "George can't help it. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth".

The play solely acted by Holland is an uncanny portrayal of the witty straight talking much loved politician..Worth seeing....even if you are not from Texas!
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Monday, February 20, 2012

Crepe Murder


No, that was not a typo....that is how some gardener refers to the act of cutting back your Crepe Myrtle Trees.....Crepe Murder. We have Crepe Myrtles all over the south. They provide beautiful color in the hot summer months, with blossoms that resemble clusters of grapes . For years we, like everyone else I know, have always cut ours back. . My husband and I gauge  when to do this by the professional yard crews. These, pictured above, were trimmed this week....prompting my husband to get out our heavy clippers and cut ours back as well.

Well, now I read that some gardener, called by the way..... The Grumpy Gardener..... said that  there is no reason to do this and it is actually bad for the tree! I wonder, do we sometimes follow suit without checking into things....or should we call this guy The Lazy Gardener? Any thoughts on this?
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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Only in Texas

Only in Texas would a black tie event include your ten gallon hat!
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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Nuffs Enough!

This is the view from my kitchen window early this morning; before day break. No, I don't have a waterfall outside of my window.That would be heavy rain!

My sister who lives three hundred miles north of here sent me a short email yesterday. It said : Get a boat!

Please send the sun my way!
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Friday, February 17, 2012

Retention Pond


This eye catching retention pond ( or lake) is along my daily route. A beautiful  rock formation was installed  in order to have a waterfall, adding to the serenity....and if you'll look closely you'll notice that  they have "pretty" ducks!
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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Ooh La La


Looking like a red headed damsel from the Disney/Pixar movie Cars, this little cutie will make you blink, I mean look, twice!
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Here Comes The Sun!


After what seems like weeks of clouds, rain and gloom....the sun broke out yesterday. I say broke out because the morning commute  was treacherous for some due to heavy fog. This young lady has the right idea...maybe she knows it's her only chance since clouds and rain are in the forecast for today.
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's


Happy Valentine's to all of my blog friends and family.I hope that you have a "beary"special day!
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Monday, February 13, 2012

What Would You Choose?


A fellow *blogger posed a question this week. She asked what souvenir you would bring back from a trip to Paris? My first thought was," I don't collect anything"....but that's not entirely true. I don't seek them out, but when traveling, if I run across little rooster cream pitchers...I have to have one...After all, they are easy to tuck into your carry on since they are barely 3" tall. You would think they are only found in Italy, and the one with the red comb is actually from San Gimignamo; but the blue plaid one was purchased in the gift shop of the Biltmore Mansion in North Carolina!

I had a Great Aunt who collected small cream pitchers. (not necessarily roosters). She had so many that she had floor to ceiling little shelves built that ran around the entire room. I don't think I am in any danger of needing special shelves at this point!

What do you collect?

* www.parisandbeyond.blogspot.com
one of these days I am going to learn to link a web site!
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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Texas Live Oak


Although not the state tree of Texas (that would be the Pecan Tree). the Texas Live Oak would certainly be on the list of one of our favorites. Called "Live" Oak because it is an evergreen. It produces new leaves in the early Spring. The new ones pushing the old ones off. It's a hearty tree that ,when left untrimmed, has low hanging limbs making it a fun tree to climb.

This one happens to be in my front yard and I was so happy to see that it had survived the drought when we returned in the Fall.
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Saturday, February 11, 2012

No One Is Complaining


It's been dark and dreary around here this week, with lots of rain, but I haven't heard anyone complaining. They don't dare! You see, we had the hottest driest summer on record in south Texas. These are just a few of the dead trees piled up in a local park where upwards of a thousand died. It is the same story all over town. People are so thankful to see the rain and are dreading the return of summer. Surely it won't be a repeat?!
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Friday, February 10, 2012

The Ugly Duck Relocation Committee


Many of our housing areas (which we call subdivisions here) have retention ponds. New home builders like to refer to  them as lakes, (getting more money for a Lake Front property). We have a lake in our subdivision, but I believe it really is a natural lake. Our lake, sports a nice size population of ducks. Fun to watch and the kids get a kick out of feeding them. A number of people suggested....not saying they did it...that we round up all of the Muscovy Ducks and relocate them. Why you ask.?..Well, for no other reason than: they are ugly.

This fellow, by the way, was photographed a few miles away from here...I've thought about this long and hard...and have come to the conclusion that I need to rethink going out to the curb, to check my mail , in my tattered green robe with pink rollers in my hair...
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Thursday, February 9, 2012

A Waste of Money?


A neighborhood in our town used excess money, from the home owners association fees, to give this bridge a face lift. The original bridge, that spanned this drainage ditch, was old and rather plain. I think the addition of the flagstone , new gas lights and landscaping are a pleasing addition.
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

It's Cold in Europe


The freezing weather across Europe has been making the news this week. A favorite blog that I read is from The Netherlands: www.biebkriebels.blogspot.com. you can find a daily photo there  from that part of the world. My blog friend Marianne, published a snow picture  on Feb. 5th that reminded me very much of the scene above.

The crude painting pictured here was an attempt by me ( about a year ago) in a watercolor class, to paint a snow scene. Proof positive that I will try anything!....Hopefully Europe you will have an early Spring. .
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Where's Winter


Sitting in the afternoon shadows is this pretty little flowerbed at the entrance of a nearby grocery store. Looks like Spring or Summer to me, but it's February! We just haven't had much Winter weather here in South Texas.

I think sometimes we rush around in what I like to call our pig trails and forget to stop and appreciate the beauty around us..
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Monday, February 6, 2012

Who is This?


Sarah, one of the cousins on the cemetery restoration committee (see prev. posts) mailed me a batch of old family photos she found when cleaning out her grandmother's attic in Mississippi; in hopes that I could identify someone. The only one we were sure about was this one.
Meet my great grandmother Julia. Julia was the tenth child of Boley and Annie and she married at age twenty and moved to Texas.
She is pictured here, with her is her first child Tennie (1881-1966). I never knew my great grandmother, she died before I was born. But, I did know my Great Aunt Tennie. Aunt Tennie grew up to be a dedicated teacher of the blind; almost going blind herself because of the habit of reading braille with her eyes.

Let's follow her descendants:

Tennie had two children, a boy and a girl.Her daughter Elizabeth was also a teacher. Son Paul was a war correspondent for the associated press, in the south pacific, during World War II. His son Bobby played for the NFL, and has not one ,but two super bowl rings. Bobby's son was signed in 2011 with the Seattle Sea Hawks (yes he's an NFL football player too). His beautiful daughter is an anchor for a national television network, and is a weekend co-host of a national News Talk Show. (in NYC).

I will bet that those two young people, my third cousins, (or is it first cousins twice removed?) have no idea where this little cemetery  in Mississippi is, or that Boley and Annie Conner were even their ggg-grandparents. Should I contact them? Nope...you know my track record of getting a hold of celebrity relatives. Maybe one day they too will be fifty and wonder... Who came before me?...or hear that same "call" I did.
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Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Momento

Remember the huge tree that toppled Boley's tombstone? (see prev. posts) Well, Sonny the family member that tried to care for the cemetery,who has since passed away himself, made a paper weight for several of us out of that very tree. The tree was either there when Boley was buried back in 1898, or planted at that time to shade his grave. Etched into that polished wood, which is in the shape of the state of Mississippi, is a map to the cemetery.It really means a lot to me.

I have to tell you something funny, (those that have followed this cemetery saga). Sometime during the year and a half that we were trying so hard to accomplish the restoration. I attended a luncheon in the city I live. There was a professor from some prestigious university giving a motivational speech. I was, I must confess, more interesed in my chocolate gnash cheesecake....until I heard the word genealogy. She said " You folks  that are so absorbed in genealogy, may  think you  just became interested in your ancestors; but, let me tell you... It is actually someone calling you from the grave".. Not only did she get my attention...but a chill ran up my spine!

Come back tomorrow and I will share a picture that was found in a Mississippi attic.....
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