A Sign of the Times

A few Sundays ago my husband and I drove through a forest area near our community. Miles and miles of scenic beauty on either side of the road. However, for my husband the drive was bittersweet. He remembered when Shelby Forest was meticulously maintained...when old and young came to the well-groomed picnic sites...when the whole park was well-kept. The grounds we toured by car showed neglect.

 

 

There's natural beauty in Shelby Forest, but its heyday has passed. What a shame! 

Sunday Snippets

 

I added a little accessory to my desk...this small brass basket. It was dark and dingy when I bought it for a dollar. Now it glistens ready to hold rubber bands, paper clips, or stamps. 

 

The other small brass basket I've had for years. Now I'm on the lookout for that third one. 

 

 

In the new Flea Market Style magazine Ki Nassauer has this question on the editorial page, "What is a collection?" She writes,

"Some folks say it's at least three of an item, while others say it's five or more. I think you have a collection when you absolutely, positively know you want more of a certain thing, whether it's vintage ironstone or old canning jars. It's when just one simply won't do." 

 

 

Today I may have spurred a little one toward the collecting bug. Instead of a bow I attached a set of keys to his birthday gift.

 

 

 

I added this small volume to my book collection. Loved it! It makes you think about family and the chances we miss. 

 I'm not going to miss this chance to say thank you for coming by Bits and Pieces. I'm happy that you were here.

Little things...big memories

I know I save too much stuff, but most of it is locked up with memories.





See that key with the M6 sticker. Very first apartment as a young single adult... shared good times there with my close college friend Carla. The wedding bands. I was so in love and happy when I wore that plain gold ring. My high school ring...amazing that it still slips on my finger. Daughter's hairbows, cuff links, locket, knife that belonged to my dad, and an assortment of odds and ends. 

These little things that only have meaning to me are kept in an old jewelry box. Someday most of it will be discarded. But until then...


every once in a while I peek at the past and I sigh remembering
the way it was.    

Shops on the Square

It was a perfect day to shop on Covington's downtown square. The Hadley House is the newest addition to the antique shops on the square. Right upon entering there is a display of dangling old-fashioned school learning cards. Lots of interesting arrangements line the walls and center of the store. It didn't take me long to spot something I liked. Because it was on a high shelf and the price was not within view, I asked the person in charge to take down the oil painting and check on its price. Twenty dollars was the asking price, and I was delighted by that.  





My friend Linda and I headed to Upscale Resale next. We scoured both floors in this shop. Here it was easy to spend a couple of hours.

        

We took time out to eat a late lunch. It was good to sit down, listen to the live piano music, and munch on our tasty sandwiches.

                                     Loved the tiny lights on the branches...a note on the arrangement explained that the lighted branches had been found in Franklin, TN.

Hats off to the merchants on Covington Square. They have made the square a fun destination for antiques, unique gifts, art, and more. I've shown you a few special shops, but there are others to be explored.  Shopping at a big mall may be nice, but I prefer small town quaint shops that offer all kinds of treasures.

  

Ancestors

Today is my dad's birthday.

Elmer Ward Crum 1920-1979

His great grandmother Catherine Smith came from England in 1840 when she was a small girl with her parents Edward and Elizabeth Smith and ten siblings. They brought their belongings across the Atlantic Ocean in an old blue sea chest. The initials E. S. were on the end of the chest. The chest is currently in the possession of Clara Belle Crum. Clara is the widow of my dad's older brother Everett Crum.

Catherine Smith Reynolds Hancock 1833-1918

Back Row - Third From Right

Several years ago my cousin Ellen had scanned many old family  photos and had given me a disc. I chose this photo to print on paper and use inside the bottle.

 

In the jar from an earlier post I shared the stairstep pose of my dad with his older brother Everett, his older sister Lois, and his younger sister Mary Ruth. Later there would be another sister Jane.

my dad with his mother 

I keep some mementoes of the past out where I can see them. They remind me to be thankful of the people in the generations before me who lived, loved, and worked hard to see dreams come true. All families have interesting stories with successes, failures, heartaches, and joys. My dad's Indiana family tree is certainly intriguing to me. 

This corner of the guest bedroom is where I have these keepsakes of the past.

Let me know if you decide to display a photo inside a bottle.  I highly recommend it!  

Wood and Glass

If I'm not searching for oil paintings, books, small statues, and pottery, it's wood and glass objects. Actually it's anything that speaks to me and preferably at a bargain price. I picked up this wood piece at Goodwill for three dollars. It still had its MaLeck Woodcrafts Wingate, N. C. , tag on it. If I remember correctly these woodcraft pieces were rather popular in the seventies.

 I knew how I wanted to use this wood piece with the slanted shelves. It would work as a storage unit for some under-the-sink toiletries. It would probably look more feminine if it was painted, but I'm inclined to stay with the original design.

My other find was a glass bottle. A paper print of an old family picture may get tucked inside. I like putting something inside bottles or under cloches.

The grandkids are back in school so it has been quiet around here. I started a Danielle Steel book. I haven't read one of her novels in years. This one came out in 2009. So far I'm enjoying Matters of the Heart.

Young and Old

For most of the day I enjoyed the company of this little guy. He will be in his kindergarten class every day starting tomorrow. I'll miss my little sidekick.

Later in the day I saw my mother. Although tired she smiled sweetly for me for this picture.  

I miss our long talks at her kitchen table, our shopping trips, our sharing of ideas, our years of close companionship.

 A few days ago I hung this note on her closet as a gentle reminder about her clothes and as a daily reminder that she is loved. 

We have such a short time here on earth. We don't realize that when we're young and healthy and carefree. We believe we have all the time in the world.

As we age we give more thought to the next life. Our faith in eternal life is put to the test. Yesterday at our small church it was Homecoming. We had a special song and word service by The Finchers, a well-known gospel group.  The message was like those I heard when I was growing up. Simple yet powerful. For the young and old.



Puttering

I spent some time over in the studio. It's a favorite place to putter.

But I did want to create something.

I decided to cover a small terra cotta pot with some of the broken pieces I've been saving. There were not enough green pieces to cover a second pot. I hate that I broke those dishes in the first place. However, I'm glad I can use the broken parts in mosaic pots.

Thanks for coming by. Please know I appreciate your visits to my little corner of the world.

Sincerely, Sandy

Writing Styles

This is a Pinterest project that I liked and finally got around to doing. It will be a handy message board in the kitchen for reminders, grocery items, and other notes. Vis-a-Vis markers on glass clean off easily.

This next part of my post is a visual record for me and may not interest anyone else. I've noticed that my handwriting has undergone several changes through the years.

In grammar school I loved to sign my name. My music pages and sheets were labeled again and again.

high school

college

Teaching cursive writing to third graders improved my writing.  

current  handwriting