flowers — Page 169

The Mystery of the Pieces of Transferware

July 24, 2017 at 10:12 am by Claudia

It’s raining today and it looks to be an all day long rain. I have some little projects to take care of here and this weather is a good excuse to take care of them.

There’s something about the shape of a coneflower that just makes me happy. I think of them as one of the best flowers for a country garden.

A slightly ruffled edge on this day lily. Old-fashioned and romantic.

The endless summer hydrangea in the memorial garden.

If you follow along with me on Instagram, you’re aware of this story, but for those of you who don’t, let me share it with you.

We live in a house that was built in 1891 and from evidence around the property, it was a farmhouse. Many years ago, it was routine to bury trash on the property as there was no other way to dispose of it. Over the almost-twelve years we’ve lived here, I’ve encountered all sorts of things, among them a tea cup handle, part of a Homer Laughlin Harlequin plate, bones, paper wrapping, hose nozzles, a handle for a plastic toy phone, etc. After some time – because of erosion or rain or whatever – things rise to the surface.

A day or so after I got home, I was walking in the corral – I must have just finished mowing – and I saw the edge of a piece of pottery protruding from the ground. I pulled it out and quickly discovered two other large pieces and a couple of very small ones.

This is what I found:

Red transferware. I oohed and aahed and shared my discovery with Don and placed them on the kitchen windowsill.

Yesterday, I tried to piece them together, not knowing if they were random pieces or belonged together.

They fit. I also have that smaller pieces that is missing from the bottom left. I’d say this is a salad plate/bread and butter plate, given the size. Isn’t it beautiful?

Well, I got online and spent hours looking at transferware patterns and, so far, I haven’t found this particular pattern.

Don and I were so intrigued that we went back to the same area and dug a bit. In addition to a chain and some old paper, we found one more small piece of the plate and a couple of pieces that turned out to fill what were shallow chips on the bottom of the plate. I haven’t found a piece that has a marking on it. And darn it, I know they’re there! But they could be anywhere in the corral. However, since these pieces were next to each other in the ground, I am led to believe more are nearby.

This must be what an archaeologist feels like. Sort of. There is a ‘dig’ going on in the corral.

I’ve sent a message to Nancy of Nancy’s Daily Dish – a blog/website that focuses on her extensive collection of transferware – maybe she might know the pattern.

Does it look familiar to any of you?

I love a mystery and I am so intrigued by this one. How old is it? What owner, long ago, used it? Is it in the trash because it broke one day? Are there more pieces out there and where are they???

Happy Monday.

In Bloom

July 23, 2017 at 9:47 am by Claudia

A peek at the garden. Mid-July always brings the most intense blooming period of the summer.

I like it.

Day Lilies on the far side of the house.

Liatris in that same bed.

Balloon flower in the Memorial Garden. I planted this last year and, to be honest, when it was first emerging from the ground this year, I thought it was a weed. For some reason, I thought it had been planted further to the right. Thankfully, I didn’t yank it, because it was the balloon flower, aka Sentimental Blue. It’s three times as big as it was last year and it’s blooming profusely. By the looks of it, lots of blooming happened while I was away.

In the chicken wire fence garden, blue morning glories (and a fence that needs to be replaced).

In that same bed:

Smaller purple morning glories. I vaguely remember thinking of buying more than one variety and I clearly did!

This gives you an idea of the difference in size.

Some zinnias have also started to bloom alongside the morning glories.

In the big garden bed, phlox is blooming – despite the efforts of the deer. He did eat my hostas over by the shed, though. Dang it!

And brown-eyed susans are blooming alongside the red bee balm.

Coneflowers, both white and purple, are everywhere.

It’s pretty beautiful around here. I’m so glad this is all happening while I’m still at home. I can lap it up and really enjoy it before I have to leave in a few weeks.

And for Linda, a photo of my new mug (it’s huge.)

Happy Sunday.

Flowers, A Stop in Cleveland, and Our Hero

July 22, 2017 at 8:39 am by Claudia

The payoff for a very, very rainy and wet spring seems to be lush flowers in the garden. My coneflowers, which have spread throughout all the garden beds are the largest and lushest (is that a word?) I’ve ever seen them.

For goodness sake, these coneflowers are volunteers that sprang up out of somewhat rocky ground!

I’m really enjoying the garden, which has gone crazy in my absence – but in a good way.

Yesterday, we went swimming in Lake Minnewaska, which is part of a preserve that is nearby. We’ve been here almost 12 years and it’s the first time we’ve visited the lake. Go figure. It was so lovely! Since the temperatures have been in the nineties with high humidity, we needed a refreshing break. I grew up with lakes; my dad’s family had a cottage on a lake and, of course, being a Michigander, I was surrounded by the Great Lakes. Don is a salt water guy having grown up in San Diego.

I do believe he’s becoming a “laker.” The ocean is wonderful, but a lake is smooth as silk.

Back to our trip – after we left Iowa, we drove through the mess that is the greater Chicago area on I-80 and once we emerged we headed into Indiana. I’ve spent a fair amount of time over the years in Indiana and it’s a lovely state, but all I could think about was Mike Pence. If you’re a proud resident of Indiana, forgive me. I know how truly lovely your state is – I do.

It’s all a blur now, but somewhere around there we stopped for the night and on Tuesday, we drove through Ohio. I was tired and a bit cranky so when Don asked me how I was feeling later that morning and I said I was feeling better, he suggested we detour to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Much to his surprise, because I was definitely in “I want to be home” mode, I said yes. I’m so, so glad I did.

Spontaneity, remember?

Right outside the entrance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s situated on Lake Erie, where we used to sail on my dad’s sailboat.

This marker is outside.

We sort of screeched when we saw the entrance.

It’s utterly fantastic. I mean…FANTASTIC!!

So beautifully designed, it is an experience I won’t soon forget. There’s so much to see (we didn’t have time to see everything, but we saw the major exhibits.)

It’s full of memorabilia and information on the history of rock and roll, from its early influences to the present. I learned a lot. It’s really an all-day experience, but we didn’t have all day. We’re definitely going back someday. It was amazing.

Ringo’s drums – I have to say I was staring at them for a long time.

We also had the best veggie burgers we’ve ever had there. And we bought t-shirts, of course. Don has amassed quite a collection of shirts since he took off for California last March. I managed to almost catch up to him on this trip. As you know, I’m a t-shirt and jeans girl and I love a cool t-shirt commemorating some experience or place I’ve visited. T-shirt, jeans and Birkenstocks. That’s me.

Finally, a big round of applause for our 2001 Honda CR-V. It made its first trip across the country in 2001 (we were moving east) with me driving and our dogs Winston and Scout in the passenger seats. In 2017, at 250,000 miles+, it made two trips across the country!! It is the hero of this journey. We kept patting the dashboard and saying how proud of it we were. And we are.

It’s old, it’s rusty, it doesn’t like steep inclines, but it comes through every time. Now, that’s a car!!

Happy Saturday.

The Mystery of the Pieces of Transferware

In Bloom

Flowers, A Stop in Cleveland, and Our Hero

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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