A little tour of the porch today. I took these photos this morning. You can see the autumn sunlight in some of the shots. It was cold out there!

The view of the seating area and the morning light coming through the trees.

You can see how much the calibrachoa has grown.

Facing in the other direction; the maple tree and a couple of the hanging plants, the picnic table and potted impatiens.

The impatiens are huge!

I’ve had this Boston fern for 8 years now. It overwinters upstairs in the office/studio, eventually looks bedraggled and dry, then it moves outside and recovers.

Most of these plants will hang on through October and into early November. The setup is basically the same every year. These plants work well with our climate, and the little microclimate on the porch.

Makes me happy.

I leave on Friday morning for New Jersey and I’ll come back home on Sunday. I’ll be back with you on Monday.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

The purple loosestrife that grows by the culvert. It’s supposed to be invasive, but it’s never been invasive here. It usually appears in damp places, near water. The culvert is where the rainwater flows, so there it is. I love it. Even Don remarked on the beautiful color.

I should have said “it’s never been invasive here in the 20 years we’ve lived here” as we celebrated 20 years of living in this cottage on Saturday. We moved in at the same time Hurricane Katrina hit and we had no idea of the impact and damage because we had no cable for several days. Such happiness for us and such devastation for Louisiana. Forever linked in my mind.

I go back to NJ on Friday, so I won’t be blogging Friday and Saturday. I’ll head home on Sunday morning. There will be one more Friday/Saturday the following week, and then I’ll be done. I love the coaching; it’s the driving there and back that’s a bit of a drag. But I’ll be reimbursed for the mileage put on my car.

The Mets are imploding at the moment. We just couldn’t watch yesterday afternoon – it’s so frustrating! I suppose they could still pull off a wild card bid, but it’s looking less and less likely.

Modern Art Barbie. She arrived around 9 pm on Saturday. I had given up on her but the FedEx driver was dealing with a lot of deliveries. She’s really beautiful! This is a doll and dress that was issued in the 1960s and she’s been recreated for this Silkstone Barbie. I love her curly bubble cut and the combination of her red hair and green dress.

The two Barbies – both Silkstone reissues. The painting came with Modern Art Barbie. This Barbie is an artist and she signed the painting. I’m keeping them on the desk as they look too small next to the Gene Marshall and Ellowyne Wilde dolls – they’re 16 inches tall and Barbie is just under 12 inches. (I filmed a little video and it’s on my YouTube channel.)

Don is extremely good natured about the various dolls popping up all over the house. I have rules; no dolls on display in the kitchen or the living room or the bedroom. And not in Don’s area of the office/studio. But he’s a good guy – he really likes the newest acquisition.

Okay. I have to do some work on the script. There have been lots of changes and I have to record them all so I’m not thrown during the run through on Friday.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Another gorgeous day today. The temperatures are moderate with no excess humidity. It’s really been a beautiful week. Very, very thankful.

I have a reproduction Barbie arriving today. She’s a Silkstone Barbie, made out of a hard plastic that mimics the look of porcelain. They also feel heavier. Anyway, the Silkstones were made for several years and then discontinued in 2020. As of 2024, they’re being made again.

I have one other Silkstone and it’s this one. She’s a reproduction of an early Barbie; she has the ponytail and those shoes we all remember. “Busy Gal” is her name. I love the face on the original Barbies, which was more angular and stylized. This face is based on the original 1958 mold. Of course, this is what my bubble haircut Barbie had and what I grew up with. I really like the Silkstones. They’re highly collectible.

I’ll share her with you on Monday. (I’m excited!) I ordered her just in time because she sold out right after that. Silkstones are always limited editions.

Speaking of dolls, I have two newish videos on my YouTube channel: “New Blythe Custom” which takes a longer look at my new Blythe, Miyoshi, and “Details and the Story behind the Gene Marshall dolls.”  They’re not long and you just might enjoy them! Here’s the link. I’ll attempt to film the unboxing of the new Barbie later today. I purchased a little stand for my phone camera and I’m crossing my fingers that it works.

And speaking of dolls, Pru was found climbing on the vintage folk art dollhouse yesterday. That girl doesn’t have an ounce of fear, unlike her mother who is afraid of heights.

We’ve been having quiet and calm days here at the cottage. Then, at night, we’re watching the Mets play, hoping they get a wildcard slot. Lots of cheering and screaming and exhaustion.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.