title explained

Onward and upward! something that you say in order to encourage someone to forget an unpleasant experience or failure and to think about the future instead and move forward.

My e-mail: jjmiller6213@comcast.net

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Cool

Today's high temperature was:  73 degrees
Today's humidity was:  39%
Partly sunny and nice
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Neatest thing happened today.  A month ago I posted that on my way out to The Farm, I had stopped in to visit with a friend of Pam's who had beautiful gardens.

Of course she is not just Pam's friend--I have also known her all her life--small town remember?  We all know each other most of our lives.

So today, I am sitting in my recliner, cats on the end sleeping, cross stitching while I watch the Detroit Tigers beat up on the Yankees and I hear a knock.  It is that girl--Becky!!

She was in the area, taking photos of the huge fields of sunflowers that a farmer plants every year.  She decided to look me up and try and get a picture of the hummingbirds nest in my tree.

She also brought along some photos that she wants to enter in the Birds and Blooms magazine's contest.  I have been encouraging her along the way--telling her she has a real "eye" for taking pictures and the way she crops and finishes them.  Her Mother died twenty years ago and she is from a family of 8 kids, so I figured she probably doesn't get a whole lot of attention and I am going to be her guru, LOL.


This is one of her recent photos--a tree frog in the cup of one of her lilies.

We had a great chat and then she went out trying to get pictures of the Momma hummer in the nest.  I don't think the Momma was in there.  I think Momma has a baby and they are off learning to fly and to drink from the many humming bird feeders in the neighborhood.  She take a lot of photos though, so maybe they will reveal something.

She apologized for just dropping in, "I was afraid I might be keeping you from something,"  Yeah--like I have all that much to do?  I thanked her for stopping in and making my otherwise boring day into a lovely day and told her to please come by again--anytime!!

I felt badly thought, just moments after she left I took these pix:



She would have taken much better pictures with her neat camera!!
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I don't know if I told you, but along with my vintage wooden box collection and my cobalt blue bottle collection, I also collect carved wooden figures.




These were on our Thanksgiving table when I was little
Then Mother gave them to me and they were always on
our Thanksgiving, and now...if I go to one of the kids
houses, or my sister's for Thanksgiving, I take them with me and put
them on their table.

My mother bought these on a trip to Canada--Ontario and Quebec.
They are called Canadian Folk Art.  I have another coming from
E-Bay, like these.  An old woman sitting in a rocking chair.

I got the little Amish couple in Bird-In-Hand, PA when Fred and
I made the trip out there.
The two little people on the right, I purchase in
Sturbridge Village, MA, when I went out for Jen's wedding.

...and this little guy is from Germany.

I love how he has his right hand, through his suspenders and
stuck in the top of his pants.  I have seen my great
grandpa stand just like that.  
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I have been on another mission to find an old, wooden box large enough to hold my cross stitch and knitting projects, but not too large.  Susan has lots of trunks I could use, but they are too large for this area.

This is what it looks like by my chair---
Cross stitch project in a basket by the right side of my chair

Knitting project to the left and behind my chair
Notice the towel to keep cat and cat hair off project

So--I measured and I needed a box about 24 long, 18-20 wide and 12-14 deep.  I wanted a box with a lid so that the cats can't get in and so I could close it from view and it would just look like another old box to go with my box collection.  

Bethie gave Susan an old dough box and Susan uses it to hide her projects.  I thought that might work for me, but boy--the lids on those things are heavy, as is the box and when I went searching on E-Bay--they cost a small fortune!!

I have looked each night for the last ten days.  Last night--I think I have found just what I wanted!!!
It is 22 1/5 x 15 x 12 deep and has a hinged lid.  It is only 16.00!! Of course, the shipping is like twenty bucks, but I think it is going to work exactly for I want.  And...if it doesn't, I will put it somewhere else in the house.  I am in love with it already.  The inside is nice and smooth, so nothing to catch my knitting or cross stitch material.  AND the cats can't get in and if they claw the sides--it won't matter a bit, LOL. 

Then I can take away those baskets and that area may look neater--the operative word here is "may".  I am too lazy to keep my projects in another room where I would have to get up off my a** to get them, work on them and then put them away again. EVERYTHING I might need for the day, seems to reside within reach of my recliner!!!
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The day ended perfectly when Pearl came down to watch the "Cedar Cove" movie with me tonight.  She can't get the Hallmark Channel on her TV service.  Merle was napping in his chair, so she came here.  It was so nice to have someone to watch with and comment on and say things like, "I don't remember that from the books!"
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Tomorrow I am NOT going to church.  I have had diarrhea all day and my stomach feels pukey--and while I probably will be all right in the morning--the Youth Group is giving a talk on their mission trip to Baltimore, MD and, while that is wonderful and all--I really am not interested.  So next week--I will go back to continue with the sermons of "Detours" (detours in our life, that is.)  I am looking forward to sitting in my night shirt and watching CBS Sunday, yes, yes--I know.  I am not a very good Christian--but then--you don't have to go to church every Sunday to be a good Christian--just sayin'.
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11:00 p.m.

I just got these photos from Becky---WOW--shows what a good camera can do.


Click on the picture so you can see the spider webs holding
the nest together and lacing it to the tree limbs--amazing!!!


This is close as my camera could take the picture










12 comments:

  1. I love all your carved figures and the new box! And that photo with the frog in the flower...that really great.

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  2. She did get some great pictures of the hummingbird nest! I never knew they used spider webs to hold it together. Very cool! Love all of your collections!

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  3. The pic of the frog in the flower is beautiful. My niece sent me pics of little baby frogs in her roses. She lives in Florida. And that pic of you standing beside that beautiful flower bed is really something.

    I bet your box will do the trick. What a good idea. Love the way it looks.

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  4. Glad you had a good day. All the pics are lovely!

    xoxo

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  5. I love your collections
    I have several old wooden boxes
    that are special to me
    Hope you feel better today.
    Horrible night for me
    Will not share anymore but hopefully
    I will feel better today.
    My little girls are visiting...

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  6. How nice that Becky stopped by! Her photos really are wonderful, and yours are, too. I really love the tree frog in the lily.
    We are sharing your wonderful clear dry weather, and trying to rest amidst cleaning out my car - bought a 2014 KIA yesterday and will pick it up tomorrow.
    Hope your tummy is feeling better.

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  7. We "olden" folks are pretty much alike. I like to have my projects nearby and Joe's table by his chair has everything he might need for a week...I swear.
    I used to collect statues of old couples. I have several downstairs stored away. Wooden boxes were something that I collected too. I still love them and when I see one it always takes my eye. I think that your new "find" might be just the answer you are looking for.
    As for your camera...at PicMonkey you can crop the picture then zoom in on the picture to get a pretty good closeup...by clicking on the faintly marked percent on the far right. I'll try to take one of your pictures and do some work on it at Pic Monkey.( I don't know if this is going to work or not.)..Look at my blog today.
    Balisha

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  8. Just checking to see if you are alright. I know that you mentioned not feeling up to par yesterday...and just wondered how you are?
    Maybe you're just taking a day off and lazing around...not if I know you.
    Be well...
    Balisha

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  9. I too am checking up on you....very unusual to not see anything from you in a few days...hope you're ok

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  10. We are mother hens out here in blog land...we worry and we have a feeling that something is not quite right. Please let us know how you are..
    Balisha

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  11. agreed, I'm concerned by not hearing from you!

    Julie

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  12. I'm concerned as well, but perhaps you just can't post for technical reason as it seems that you are still following your blog roll. I hope that's the case!

    ReplyDelete