Deciding What Stays and What Goes

Some things here at the house were carted to the booth. Spring cleaning!!!

Also weeded out my supply of paints. Two wooden boxes worked great for their storage.

It's almost time to turn the calendar page. See you in June.

A Visit With Me

 from our yard a view of cornfields and a red barn 

 

Come in and stay awhile.

 Have been glancing back through simple journaling and art notebooks...

I remain shy about sharing art attempts.

Also feel the same about sharing my poems of long ago.

But it's now or never. Here are two without titles.

Thoughts of you come to me

when I least expect

On a crowded bus

In a secondhand shop

At a matinee

Painful thoughts too dear to ignore

Stuffed-away thoughts 

like old outgrown clothes

that push into my workaday world

Thoughts of you come and refuse to go

They linger

inside, protected and secure but

desirous, are feelings

Fragile-firm, sensitive-strong

They long to burst forth

like the sun at dawn

with fiery force.

Suppressed within

awaiting release

before all tenderness dies. . .  

Here At Home

Most of the time I am very content to be here at home, surrounded by familiar things. I was able to work my recent purchase of the old pitcher in among dishes in the dining room. This pitcher was like "the needle in a haystack" on last Thursday's antiquing day. After much indecision I made up my mind I wanted it, but by not paying attention to aisle numbers, it took me awhile to find it again.

 handwriting from a friend's letter

books of poetry

cherished objects from friends

special photos from past Christmases

Globes, wooden toys and blocks, and miniature children's books 

and

 pictures of Ryan, Lester, and Lauren

So many great memories are made and kept alive at home.

Browse, Shop, and Dine

A friend invited me to a shopping day at this mall in Collierville, Tennessee.

With 365 booths there was a great mix of "antiques, chic and unique."

I got to view lots of art, but most pieces were out of my price range.

I did, however, find a few treasures.

 old white pitcher

a piece of brown pottery to join the others

 a woven picnic basket

I like to use this type of basket to store bundles of letters, cards, or magazines.

a green bottle

My grandfather's name was James Palmer Barnes. 

The color and name appealed to me.

I have a wedding shower to attend on Sunday. 

This decorative tin piece is going to adorn my gift package.

There was no way to see everything in this building with 75,000 sq. ft. But we certainly tried . We took a lunch break in the Italian restaurant on the site and rested our feet before scoping out more booths. 

Since Thursday was the antique mall trip, today was local errands day with business at Walmart, Plantation Antiques, post office, and drugstore. If you're like me, the weekdays fill up fast, and then the week is gone before you know it.

Good Morning

What a lovely Wednesday! Perfect spring day. Spotted this greeting outside the doctor's office.

My office visit was short due to lab work only. Because of fasting I headed straight to MacDonald's for coffee and an egg and sausage biscuit. 

Next I decided to check out a small indoor flea market on the highway. Came away with two finds that were less than my breakfast food. The problem is I   like what I find so much it's hard to put them in my booth to sell. The geranium print is nicely framed, and the other scene has parts painted onto glass.

This was my first Mother's Day without my mom. On my Facebook page I wrote the following: Although I can no longer physically touch or hug my mother this Mother's Day, she is with me always. This photo of our hands is a favorite of mine.

I was glad on Mother's Day that I heard from all six(Chance, Jo and Olga, Jason, Ryan, Les and Pennee, and Lauren) in different ways. I believe Ryan surprised me the most by posting a picture on Instagram. I didn't even know he had this photo of us from years ago.

Oh, one more thing...I'm reading a book that Les and Pennee sent me. It's by Katrina Kenison - the gift of an ordinary day 

                                           A Mother's Memoir

I find myself underlining in pencil some touching passages.

Well, that's it for now. Take care until our next visit.

Green is a happy color

Whether I'm outside or inside, green is very visible these days. 

My husband enjoys mowing, and I enjoy gardening. He is outside far more than me. Today I delighted in seeing these:

 pretty pink primroses                                                         peonies about to open

                                                        

another iris

Oreo was also checking out the garden.

Hopefully I can fill a few more containers on the porch and patio.

But with prices being what they are, it's doubtful.

Since the large furniture around here stays in place, I content myself with moving smaller objects. You will recognize some of these dear old pieces, and 

a few happen to be green.

Bottles, flower frogs, and oil  paintings remain favorite things.

 My paternal grandmother gave me the cobalt blue vase when I was a little girl. I have it displayed in my guest bedroom where there is more green than blue. The butterfly was a piece my brother gave me years ago(back in the time period of hippies). Later I added the chain.

 One day when I wore the necklace, Ron was amazed that I had managed to hang onto that butterfly. On that particular day we had been visiting Mother and sharing sibling memories of the past. We talked about the items we save and the stories behind them. 

While looking through a Somerset Studio art magazine, I ran across this message on a piece of artwork -

l i v e 

h a p p i l y

Whether inside or outside, I'm going to try to do just that.