dollhouse — Page 65

Moonflowers, Miniatures and My Dad

September 28, 2016 at 8:32 am by Claudia

Our local guy who takes care of our oil burner and our plumbing stopped by yesterday to look at our well pump, which has been coming on when we use water (that’s normal) and then continuing to stay on for an hour (that’s not normal). He tweaked some settings and it’s better now, but eventually, we’ll have to replace it.

And by the way, the water table in our neck of the woods is low. It’s been very dry around here and last winter was virtually devoid of snow. If you have a well, that is not happy news. We have four days of rain coming up, but what we really need – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – is lots of snow this winter. Suddenly I’m cheering for snow.

Anyway, while I was going up and down the outside stairs to the basement, I noticed something. As I ventured closer to the moonflower vine, I saw this:

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What the heck? A moonflower had opened overnight! This flower had been torn by the rain that was falling overnight, but look! I’m thrilled. The scent is wonderful. I had been watching this vine like a hawk, and had convinced myself that I wouldn’t see any moonflowers this year.

On closer examination:

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Hello!

There’s more, including a few tiny buds that I didn’t photograph.

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So last night, I kept going outside during commercial breaks to see if a flower had opened.

No, not yet. Maybe tonight?

My Squint Box arrived yesterday. This month’s theme is Petite Boîte – Little Box.

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A decoupaged wood serving tray, a bouquet of roses, a cheeseburger and fries, a caramel apple, a lovely enamel water pitcher, and a signed and numbered print by miniaturist Mad Missy. Let me show you the print more clearly:

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I really love it and think it would work perfectly in a contemporary room setting.

Today is my dad’s birthday. He would have been 93. It’s the first birthday where I can’t call him on the phone to wish him a Happy Birthday. And next month is the first anniversary of his death.

Missing him. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Happy Wednesday.

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Wooden Furniture for Little Z

September 24, 2016 at 9:47 am by Claudia

Since that horrible dream left me feeling rather melancholy yesterday, I took control and sought refuge in photography. I find that if I can get outside and take photos, I see the world differently. I see my own situation differently. I captured lots of lovely images yesterday which I will be sharing with you over the next several days, including a treasure trove of birds at the birdbath. Goodness, they were active!

Also contributing to my mood change was a package that arrived in the mail for Little Z’s dollhouse. As you know, I’ve been contemplating what furniture – and it needed to be sturdy wooden furniture – to buy. Z is five years old, smart as a whip, and as determined as can be. He also walks with canes because of his disability and is working on using both hands equally. I wanted the furniture to be effortless for him, nothing that can break.

One day, I searched on Etsy and found this shop: upperairs. It’s David DiBenedetto’s shop and he handcrafts this dollhouse furniture. It was reasonably priced and was just what I wanted. And I love to support small businesses.

I was thrilled when I opened the package.

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It’s as if it were designed by IKEA for this house.

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The living room. Sofa, chair, fireplace, table, grandfather clock and television. I laughed out loud when I saw what was playing on the television! That’s Z’s favorite. He loves, loves, loves Mickey.

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Kitchen: None of the doors open. Did you notice the faucet? It’s a cup hook. The table might be a bit too tall, I’ll have to think about that one.

Just like the kitchen in my dollhouse – the hardest room to photograph.

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Bathroom.

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Bedroom.

Don thinks I should leave the furniture unpainted because it goes so well with the house. I must confess, I’m not sure what to do. I am planning on making some cushions for the furniture and the bed.

Do I paint the furniture? Do I leave it as is until he decides what he wants? Do I put temporary wallpaper up that he could pull down if he wants to?

Meredith says that either way would be great, but she suspects I’d have more fun painting the furniture.

I’m going to think about it for a day or two and then I have to make a decision.

This furniture is so well made and it’s sturdy. Z can handle it, knock it around, move it in and out of the house without any worries about breakage. I want him to be able to do whatever he wants with the house.

Your thoughts?

I have one bird photo to share with you today – I saw this guy looking for food at the entrance to the big corral:

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What a beauty!

Happy Saturday.

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Assembling, Walking, Listening & Reading

September 16, 2016 at 8:58 am by Claudia

The heat went on this morning. I don’t mind telling you, I was shocked!

NO! I’m not ready yet, thank you very much.

Yesterday was gorgeous, a simply lovely day. We took a two-mile trail walk late in the day. Earlier in the day, I put this together:

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It wasn’t hard – once I got into the rhythm of it, the construction ran very smoothly. I really love it. The wood is beautifully finished. The two holes you can see are there in case you want to hang it on the wall.

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Now I’m on a furniture finding mission – that will be fun! I want to gather enough pieces together to give Little Z a choice. I’m visualizing them in a big box with his name on it, where he can reach inside and sort through them, picking what he wants on any given day.

We wrote our little letter yesterday morning and sent it off to Zachary’s school. We won’t be there for any celebration, that is happening in the next week or so. Mere and I were laughing during our phone conversation yesterday – if I know Little Z, he won’t even be listening to the letter when it’s read aloud, he’ll be thinking or doing something else entirely. That’s how he rolls.

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Here’s the little Bose wireless speaker. It’s seven inches long and about 2½ inches high. Great sound! It sits on a charging station.

I finished reading Martha’s Vineyard: Isle of Dreams yesterday and I felt like I was ending a visit with a very good friend. I didn’t want it to end. Susan Branch has that wonderful, warm quality to her writing. You feel like you could plop down on a chair in her kitchen and talk the day away. That is no mean feat. Are you following along on their journey to England? They should have docked by now. I’ll have to catch up today.

Actually, we have a lot in common, Susan and I. We’re both late bloomers and we didn’t meet the loves of our lives until later in life. Both of us thought that the chances of that happening were nil. And then, when you least expect it…there he is. We’re nesters. Gardeners. Romantics. We love Fred Astaire (I used to be rather expert in all things Fred Astaire.) We love old standards and the Great American Songbook. We love birds and animals and vintage and collecting. We love old movies; many of her favorites are also my favorites.

I feel like she’s a sister I’ve never met. I bet lots of you feel the same way, because she writes about things that are important to so many of us. I’ve followed her a long time. Maybe some day, I’ll get to meet her.

P.S. If any of you are being redirected to an update Adobe Flash site, please let me know. It’s been happening on my end and my suspicion is that it’s due to an ad. I’ve also got my security guys checking into it. If it ends up being an ad, I’ll disable them until we get to the bottom of it.

Happy Friday.

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Moonflowers, Miniatures and My Dad

Wooden Furniture for Little Z

Assembling, Walking, Listening & Reading

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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