• Two more morning glories have opened over the past couple of days. They’re coming slowly, but that’s fine with me. At least they’re blooming, something I wasn’t sure would happen given the munching deer.
And the tiny sunflowers are still blooming:
I love the color, but I’d like something bigger next year. They don’t last all that long, either.
The gardens contain a few late blooming coneflowers and some day lilies and roses, as well as sedum autumn joy, which puts on a show this time of year, but most everything else is done for the season. And today is the first day of fall – a day, by the way, when it’s going to reach 88 degrees. Yesterday was just as warm. That’s a bit too warm for my taste and I’ve had to water everything in the chicken wire fence and memorial gardens, as well as all the porch plants. But then again, I’m not going to complain too much as it will be cold out there all too quickly.
• Thanks for all the comments on the IGMA show. It’s worked its magic on me; I’m starting to look forward to getting back to work on the dump dollhouse. (I never know what to call it – someday, when I’ve done more, I’ll call it the English cottage.)
But some of my favorite miniaturists on Etsy haven’t had anything in their shops for a long time. And one – the guy who made the kits for the Adirondack chairs that I used in Don’s studio – isn’t even there anymore. How I wish I had acted on my urge to buy two more kits when I still could. His chairs were the best I’ve ever seen.
So I find myself wondering: will they come back? Are they just tired, or overwhelmed by other responsibilities? I have no way of knowing. Many of them have the same message on their shop page that Meredith and I have on ours: Taking a short break. In our case, it’s most likely a permanent one since I haven’t crocheted anything in at least 4 years, which is what alarms me when I think of these absent miniaturists. There’s a lot of great stuff on Etsy, but there’s also a lot of crap. Ah well.
• I want to share something that Margaret, a longtime reader of this blog, sent me.
A British edition of Claudia. It’s quite lovely and, bonus, it was published by The Book Club, which was based on Charing Cross Road.
I love it.
I have one other edition of Claudia and a copy of the play that Rose Franken also authored, as well as a program from the Broadway production that is framed and hanging in my office.
There they are, on the shelf in the den.
Thank you so much, Margaret! I am thrilled with this lovely edition.
Monday: grocery shopping day. Don had a very good day yesterday at the Farmers Market – but it was really hot! Anyway, that’s our big chore for the day, a trip to our local supermarket.
Happy Monday.
You’re more than welcome, Claudia. As soon as that book came into our library’s donation sorting room, I knew where it’d be going. I enjoyed rereading it before sending it north.
I’m glad you got a chance to reread it, Margaret. Thank you so much! xo
I remember reading the Claudia books — all of them — and loving them. The movie was just on TCM a few weeks ago. Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young if I remember right. What a lovely gift.
Do you still have contact info for those kit makers? Perhaps they have some in back stock they’d sell to a former customer as a one-off but just didn’t want the Etsy traffic for a bit. I hope you can find them.
Yes, it starts Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young. She starred in it on Broadway as well.
No contact – the only contact was through Etsy and now the account and page is gone. Sob.
I don’t think we exchanged emails, but I can do a search. Thanks, Jeanie.
I really like your play on words. Before I looked at the spelling I thought your title read ” A Summary First Day of Fall”. In my mind I put in the words “of the”.
The flowers are wonderful. The last gasp, but maybe not.
We haven’t had a frost here, yet but all the trees are changing and the leaves are falling. My driveway (which is 450 feet long) is carpeted with autumn golds and reds.
Yes, ours is too! The trees really started turning color in the past week and as we drove up the driveway after grocery shopping, I gasped at the gold color of the trees in the back, which has happened almost overnight! Thanks, Trudy.
What a generous gift from Margaret. The leaves here are starting to fall but have not turned color. We need rain and have not had any in a few weeks here. The grass is starting to turn brown.
Marilyn
We were supposed to get rain last night, but it sure doesn’t look like we got any! Thanks, Marilyn.
I dearly LOVED the Claudia books! you can hardly find them anymore at all.
I did find the movie with Robert Young and Dorothy Maguire. not sure if I spelled her name right.
it was quite good I thought.
Yes, it was. I love Dorothy McGuire – she is extraordinary in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Thanks, Tammy!
Is that your hand with the fabulous ring? Beautiful!
I haven’t worn my wedding ring in so many years I’ve forgotten. I am SO hard on jewelry. I lose jewelry. I knock it around and even with multi prongs, I still lose stones out of rings. The scary thing is that I’d lost track of it in all the moving/relocating/packing/purging/decluttering over the past years and I’ve only just now found it last week, so it’s going directly into the safe deposit box unless I decide to get it enlarged. My finger is too fat with arthritis swelling now. But it sure meant a lot to me at the time, from my beloved. I’d waited a long, long time for a ring on my finger!
This is a newer ring because my other ring no longer fits. The one you see is a design called a ‘Flex’ ring. It’s made in such a way that it gives a little and is perfect for those of us who have swollen knuckles for whatever reason.
Yep!
Hi Claudia,
I think I can help you find some of your favorite miniaturists who were once on Etsy.
Sign into your Etsy account
On the upper right click on the “You” icon.
Scroll down to “Purchases and Reviews”
It’s possible you might find the invoices for purchases you have made.
If a shop is inactive it still should show the town and state. Use any information (the name of the shop, town, state and item) and find them through Google.
Or… When you have the date of purchase search your email account associated with Etsy where hopefully you could find an address or email contact info there.
Unfortunately, many beautiful shops have left Etsy for happier greener pastures. Some have opened their own websites or began selling on other venues.
Thanks Jay, but I already did that. (I have an inactive shop as well, so I understand how it works.) I’ve messaged a couple of the shop owners. But some accounts are deleted and there’s nothing more available as to furtherinformation.