The last of the poppies opened up yesterday. So gorgeous.
Later in the day, I noticed the stem wasn’t holding it up very well (this is a tall one) so I staked it. Even though the blooms only last a couple of days, it should have its day in the sun, don’t you think?
And the bane of my existence, the brambles, have morphed into wild roses.
They’re starting to bloom all over the property. Between the wild roses and the Dame Rocket (wild phlox) it sure smells pretty around here.
I mowed the corral and the back forty yesterday, ran some errands and then I just drank in the beauty of a sunny day after so much rain. I need to appreciate these sunny days because they are all too rare lately. More rain on the horizon for Sunday and Monday.
I haven’t bought any Roseville pottery for a long time as prices have been on the high side. The other day, I was searching on eBay and saw a piece that was starting at a modest amount – a vase in the Dahlrose pattern. I don’t have any Dahlrose and I’ve always liked it. In the end, I won the auction – a bit more than I had planned on spending but still very reasonable.
It arrived yesterday. It’s in pristine condition. I really love it.
There’s a coda to this story. I felt a twinge of guilt when I bid on it and won, you know the feeling: Should I have bought this? The day after I purchased the vase, I got the standard email saying it had been shipped. And then I got a personal email from the seller in which he thanked me and said that the money was going to go toward his dog’s cancer surgery.
Guilt gone, only happiness that I can contribute to the cost of a dear pet’s surgery.
I’ve decided that I’m going to go to the Country Living Fair today and I’m heading out early. I don’t go every year and when I do go, I like to go on Friday before it gets crazily busy and crowded on the weekend. I’ll take some pictures.
I can’t even begin to talk about the despair I felt yesterday when #notmypresident withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord.
Happy Friday.
Wow! Your vase is gorgeous! Yes, that very persona thank you note took that guilt away for sure. How cool that you don’t live far from the Country Living Fair. I’ve always wanted to go. Your property is so pretty so enjoy every moment of the glorious flowers back there! Yesterday was a sad day for #45. I can’t even mention his name. It baffles me how so many folks still think he’s the greatest. Have a wonderful day Claudia!
Thank you for your kind words, Sandy. I live about 40 minutes away from Rhinebeck, so it’s an easy drive. It is lovely – the fair – but it’s very crowded and I find myself wanting to escape rather quickly!
I’m like that, too, when it comes to a big crowd; it exhausts me. Same thing would happen to me as a kid when Mom would take me to a mall in another town to shop for school clothes once (sometimes twice) a year. I could only make it about halfway through and I’d begin to grumble. We’d break it up by going to lunch at a little cafeteria there but I was ready to go home then, so I’d dread the second half of the shopping day. Even now, if I’m in a lot of traffic somewhere else, fighting lots of lines in stores, etc., I breathe such a sigh of relief when I can head toward my own town and the back roads that only the locals know, where I’ve got green and a view and few, few cars.
Smaller stores, smaller exhibits, smaller displays have always worked better for me than, say, some huge swap meet, like the one I went to once at Dodger Stadium here in SoCalif. I just don’t need so many choices. I can remember, with Mom, going into a large anchor store, like a Macy’s/similar, and seeing row upon row of blouses…a sea of them…and it was like, okay, show me five and I’ll be fine; I don’t need 75. My husband is the opposite; he likes all the bells and whistles, many options, many test drives, price comparisons, the best deals, etc. He likes variety and choices! I always remember my friend, Sheryl, who took a year just to wallpaper her formal dining room because she had to look at I-don’t-even-know-how-many samples before she could make up her mind. When I went to pick out new eyeglasses recently, which is kind of a hassle because I have a complicated prescription (AND a cataract AND glaucoma; lenses can only fit and work well in certain kinds of frames because the lenses can only be a certain shape), I took one look at those walls and walls of sample eyeglass frames and said, “Greta, just pick something; whatever works right for my prescription and my face; I can’t sit here and go through a hundred frames when I can’t even see my own face without my corrective lenses!” Fortunately, she’s the expert and always picks well for me. I know I’m weird; I should have some degree of vanity over these things and, like everything, somewhere in there should be a happy balance. (As someone once said to me, “We all come out differently out of the gate.” [out of the womb!])
Many fantasies over the years of living in Manhattan or the like; seems such an exciting life to be in NYC where so much is going on. I know people retreat into their apartments and homes right off the sidewalk, and the rich folks probably have good soundproofing, but I’ve wondered if the constant background noise of sirens, vehicles, people (in a 24/7 ‘happening’ kind of place) would eventually get to me, or not…and if I’d get itchy around so many people walking the streets, like I’ve seen in movies where they’re a dozen abreast, packed in like sardines on the sidewalks…
I find that more and more, I can’t abide being in a crowd for too long. NYC is full of crowds but I always maneuver down less traveled streets to avoid them. I’m tall and I walk quickly and don’t have patience with people who take up the whole sidewalk or, even worse, are oblivious to those around them while they’re texting.
I could only live in Manhattan if I was wealthy and had a soundproof apartment! Or if I was wealthy enough to own an apartment and a place in the country to escape to on the weekends.
Yes, so many New Yorkers seem to have a weekend home, not just Hamptons but Montauk and other places I guess on Long Island, or up in Connecticut.
Glad it’s not just me about the crowd claustrophobia; methinks you and I have gotten too used to the country, Claudia (more open space).
Speaking of Montauk, I was just recently looking at those photos there of talk show host (of other years) Dick Cavett’s longtime home he’s putting on the market. I guess his wife died; he’s getting up there in years; he may not have kids; I don’t know the story. Except that the home was completely rebuilt about 15 years ago after a fire, although totally copied from what it was/had been as if restored…well, I mean that’s what happened, it burned and they made a genuine duplicate of what was there before (I think it hails from the 1800s). Millions of course to buy such a spread; at one time had a few hundred acres and is still very large and with a private cove. Ah, to be wealthy…but must be very costly to maintain such a huge place.
His wife, Carrie Nye, died several years ago and he is in his eighties, I think? They didn’t have any children. I imagine it’s too much to keep up!
Beautiful vase (and a great cause!!). Enjoy the fair today.
Thank you, Vera. I enjoyed the fair but I’m glad to be home.
What a pretty pattern! I love my Roseville so much and like you haven’t bought anything new in a long time. Still I collect other pottery and find things to add all the time! Oh my! Enjoy the fair, I think I need a fun diversion today. Not sure what I will do. We might be having more rain and that limits my choices. I am just so discouraged at ‘his’ choices for our country and yes, embarrassed. Have a good day Claudia!!
This piece is in excellent condition. I really like it. We have rain coming on Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow, I’m just going to hang out at home and enjoy the flowers and the gardens and the porch.
glad your guilt was relieved, but ohh … best wishes and prayers for that pup needing surgery!
the vase is pretty. glad you treated yourself!
we have “junk bonanza” a few hours north of here twice a year and that’s fun, but i’ve long wanted to go to a “country living” fair. always enjoyed that magazine and the online photos/ reviews make the fair look great. hope you find something there that you’ve always wanted!
and claudia … because i don’t think you will mind (thanks) … i’d like to ask vicki how she’s feeling after that awful hit-and-run car accident. hopefully already much better!
kathy in iowa … who is looking forward to # 46 (maybe joe biden?!?!)
I just saw your comment when I was scrolling back after leaving my own, kathy in iowa. Thank you for thinking of me. The worst is laying down; I can find no comfortable position with my neck and I’m just so sick to my stomach although a lot of it could be all the meds they gave me in the ER. I’m sure I’ll have a better regimen and some good instruction after I see my primary care physician today. At least I seem to be done with the crying jags which means, I guess, that the ‘shock’ is lessening, although it’s hard to lose the sound in my ears of that other car crashing into mine. It’ll all just take a little time yet.
I hope you have a nice weekend. And, I have to say, when I saw Joe Biden interviewed once by Stephen Colbert on TV, I fell a little in love with Joe. I have felt so badly for him to have lost the adult son he loved so much. He appears to have always been a very devoted father to his children.
vicki …
hope you can get comfortable and heal quickly!
while i don’t know all about his voting history, etc., joe biden seems to me to be a kind, decent man. and while we need our leaders to be strong and healthy, i appreciate that he didn’t push down his tears about his son or when he received that (surprise) medal from president obama. that was a great example to men and boys (women and girls, too, of course, but it’s more socially acceptable for us to cry).
anyway … hope you feel better soon, vicki, and have a peaceful weekend.
kathy in iowa
Junk Bonanza looks like fun. The fair is nice and there’s lots to see but it is unbelievably crowded and this year it was crowded even earlier in the day than usual. I lose patience with it after a while.
Of course I don’t mind. I like it when you chat with each other!
and claudia …
i was at a barnes & noble bookstore last night and saw behind the cash registers some green tote bags with nancy drew art on them … looks like one by the artist you like. in case you’re needing a tote …
hope you have a nice weekend and not too much rain!
kathy in iowa
I have that bag! I think Don gave it to me.
good!
hope you had fun, enjoyed a favorite beverage and treat as you walked around. did you get anything at the “country living” fair today?
You’ll see in today’s post!
My husband just said “as if this a**hole Trump is against the entire world”. Indeed, he is. There’s nothing great about anything he says or does. How nice to know that your vase expenditure is going towards a good cause. Have a good weekend.
He’s a petulant child who makes decisions based on what??? That Macron pissed him off? That Merkel has no respect for him? Who knows. He is the least informed or articulate person I’ve ever seen in public office and he is sure to go down as the worst President ever.
Oh, I’d wondered some time back if you’d go to the Fair; can’t wait to hear your observations and maybe see some photos.
I am so bewildered by what’s going on in the world and reading the headlines that I can’t even describe what it does to me inside but, for the time being, I have to put it somewhat aside to concentrate on my own survival since I was hurt this week in the car accident although I’m actually looking forward to my first doctor’s appointment today to see ‘next steps’ and, thankfully, my insurance company came through and we’re getting a rental car today although I haven’t been able to drive yet anyway. When I see a photo of Mr. Trump, and it happens every single time, it makes my nausea from the neck injury even worse. It’s hard for me to say that because I don’t WANT to ever say such a thing about the leader of my cherished country. I want that person to be my hero, my champion…
I didn’t take many photos. It’s crazy busy there. I went before it opened and it was still so crowded that you often couldn’t get into a booth to look around.
I hope your doctor’s appointment went well today, Vicki. I’m thinking of you. Any news on the hit-and-run driver? Have they identified him?
Thanks for asking. The doctor did a rather extensive evaluation. She said my neck and upper back are completely locked up so, to work on the muscular part of this, she adjusted some medications and I’m only going to take the muscle relaxant to try to sleep because I don’t like being groggy on my feet and during the day. And she really ratcheted up the ice regimen…ice for the trunk of my neck; heat for my shoulders. I need to be very disciplined about it. Set timers. Don’t miss a ‘treatment’. The new thing, besides the low-back pain which MIGHT be a result of laying on that hard body board in the ER for a couple of hours, is that I am hurting across the the upper chest which she said is probably because of the seat belt, which thankfully was rigid (something that always bothered me in that car, like being in a strait jacket or something!). She says I absolutely cannot drive but I knew that, of course; not enough range of motion yet. She suspects that the neck whip has brought the head hit from last September, when I did the face plant on concrete, back to the forefront (double trauma to the head in just 9 months); I’m so headache-y and nauseous (but I’ve lost 5 lbs…yay for that…which is called ‘not eating’…).
Oh well, I said I wouldn’t talk so much about this; we’ve all got our issues! I’m just very impatient; I need to get to ‘my life’ and not be sidelined like this, so a big part of me is p.o.’d (as in pi**ed off). My husband thinks I’m walking strangely, as if I’m somewhat dizzy, which I’m wondering, “Is he overthinking this?” I dunno. Clearly, I’m walking differently because I hurt all over, so it’s halting/hesitant.
Our insurance/claim file has been transferred to some special unit in San Diego because it’s now a criminal case. I don’t think my own insurance company is going to wind up shelling out a whole lot on our behalf but even if they expend a dime, they’re going to want it reimbursed from the bad guy, his insurance company or whatever (good luck; I fear he’s long gone and the car is probably stripped by now or hidden forever in some old shed out on a farm). After the doctor appointment, we went by the police department to get a copy of the police report but were surprised they’re not releasing it, the officer rep saying it was an ongoing investigation which makes me wonder if they’re closing in on the bad guy (but, after all, it’s only been 4 days). A friend of mine said she’d read of hit & runs…that it’s happening so frequently…and even if they locate the car, the car owner will swear up and down that their car was stolen, that they didn’t report it because they thought it was their fault because they’d left the keys in it (or some such story); that it wasn’t them but the car thief who caused the accident. That they have no details of where their car has been since such & such date. In my case, were that the scenario, he’d probably certainly have an alibi by now.
But what my husband and I have to do is let the insurance people and law enforcement do their jobs. Ours is to try to find a car to buy that we can afford because at some point the doctor WILL release me to drive and I’ve gotta have a way to get to physical therapy, which is in another city. (Awaiting the HMO authorization; could take a week or two; it’s a lot of delays when you have a HMO and are trying to get to a specialist for your care. Another reason why my home care, what I do for myself at home [like the ice routine], is really, really important right now.)
I would say I’ve lost JUNE to anything but all this mess. I guess my car is getting towed to the junk yard early next week and as soon as they cash us out (not enough money, but that’s what you get for driving an older model vehicle) we have to give up the rental car. I don’t even know why we have the rental car now, if I can’t drive it! Ugh, I feel like I’m talking in circles. The bulk of our insurance premium goes toward bodily injury/property damage (liability coverage) to protect US and our assets if we hit somebody ELSE. I wish now I’d beefed up the medical portion, for our own selves, but it’s sort of a miracle we even still had comp & collision on the car due to its age. (If we weren’t carrying collision insurance, we’d be getting no cash out at all.) Our claim can’t go under uninsured motorist’s coverage…because the other motorist can’t be found; he ran. There IS no motorist, insured or uninsured…
But…small blessings…perspective…we’ll get through this…I’ll lose June to medical stuff, but at least I didn’t lose my life.
I’ve always been a small-car person but dramatic change of thought on that now because I know that big car of ours…I once detested driving it!…saved me from getting hurt a lot worse. I hope we can find a good, used, mid-size car at least. No more compacts for me.
Thanks for the update, Vicki. You’re going through so much at the moment! Sending you a big hug and you wend your way through this process. I’m glad your doctor is on it and that you’re finding a regimen to help with the healing.
Thanks, Claudia.
xo
I felt so discouraged and ashamed of my country last night. Then my sister called and asked me to meet her at a local coffee shop where her son & a friend were performing for open mike night. It was good to get out and just be with people sharing their music. In between sets, we talked about the sad news and decided our best response to the idiocy of our government is to be even more mindful of our personal impact on the environment and try to make choices consistent with the Paris Climate Accord.
And thankfully, many, many cities and states are vowing to uphold the Climate Accord, which, to my mind, makes T look even more foolish. It’s a wildly unpopular decision.
Beautiful piece of pottery. I’m glad the seller privately emailed you to let you know what he was doing with the money. That would erase my buyer’s guilt, too.
Can you believe it’s still sunny, here? It’s been about a week of totally sunny days in a row. Seems like a miracle after all the rain we’ve had. However, since we planted so many new perennials and annuals, I’ve been having to water every morning. Oh well, gardening is good therapy.
I’ve always wanted to go to a Country Living fair – have wondered how they are – but none in my area. Have fun!
We have rain coming on Sunday. Lately we get 2 or 3 days of rain, then a couple of days without it and then back to rain.
Sticky things, those wild rose brambles, but I love the roses. :)
Very sticky! But the flowers are so pretty!
I love the Poppy. The pottery is so beautiful. Enjoy. Have a great week end.
Marilyn
Thank you so much, Marilyn!
Hi Claudia,
Love that flower so very much and I think the story about the vase would cheer my heart up plenty!
As far as “he” goes with destruction of our Nation, (piece by piece) it is hard to believe some citizens do not get the gravity of this situation. When I heard the French president’s speech, I cried. It will be part of History forever. School children will read about it…. if our country can get it together and survive this reptilian man. America needs to rid ourselves through the right government channels of this low class hoodlum dynasty taking up space at the white House.
First time I have been afraid of a president and I was a teenager when Nixon came on the scene with Watergate. My late father like so many of our daddies was a Veteran of WW11. I can not imagine his disdain he would have for this man/boy. My father did not suffer mean spirited leaders very well and all our good guys deserve to serve a more decent leader for helping guide our Nation. I sat there clutching my pillow on the sofa thinking about how far we have fallen~~~ sorry to be negative but we are living in a time that we can improve with our gumption and desire for good. Right?
love Katheryn
Macron’s speech made me tear up, as well. That’s the kind of leader we need. He’s a statesman. I was in my early twenties during Watergate and I was no fan of Nixon, but frankly, T makes Nixon look like a walk in the park. Nixon was dark and troubled, but he was also intelligent and well read.
I’ve often said here that my dad and I talked about T early in the campaign. Dad despised him and was on to him years ago. I’m glad he’s been spared this travesty. It would upset him enormously. He was also a Vet of WWII.
A beautiful addition to your collection, Claudia, and I agree with everyone who says it’s for a great cause.
It is. So I can relax now and enjoy it!
I forgot to congrat you on the score of such a nice piece of Roseville, Claudia. Enjoy every minute you have it. Gosh, I can’t wait to EVER unpack our Roseville; I miss seeing it and I want to take photos so that you can some day see our own small collection; we can compare notes! Maybe you can identify a few pieces that I can’t, since I don’t have your knowledge.
I look forward to seeing it, Vicki!
That vase is lovely I think I would have sprung for it myself. Love the colors. You are so lucky to have those wild roses. We used to have them in green belts around our neighborhood but then people started pulling them out as an effort to keep drug dealers away from the neighborhood. And ferns. Apparently plants encourage drug dealers.
Really? Is it because they can hide behind them?? Go figure.
The good thing about Trump leaving the Paris agreement is the courage so many have shown in opposing him. Being reported here that many politicians from Mayor up are saying they will honour the commitment made, and Bloomberg spoke well and used his wealth wisely. Remember your country is full of wise , funny responsible and compassionate people. …..Trump is the exception and not the rule.
Your garden looks glorious. As does your pottery. And knowing your are helping a beloved pet….just perfect
Siobhan
I love that more and more cities and states are speaking out, saying they will honor the Accord.
Pretty flowers Claudia!..I am also enjoying that beautiful scent from the combination of wild roses, dames rocket and honeysuckle!..Heavenly!…I hope you had a nice day at the fair…
I did. It was tiring, but it was very nice!
Dear Claudia,
Thank you for your response to my * response. You are so careful to answer us with a clear and thoughtful way. I appreciate it. I looked at my dates and I was indeed 20+ a few when the Watergate hearings grabbed attention on my TV. Seems like such a long time but for we baby boomers have quite a lot of social history to remember starting as children with the assassination of our President Kennedy and then on and on. But I agree,Trump takes the cake and the mental state is breath taking in the depth of how bad a problem is present.
(I am typing at my desk in my tiny office and can hear him now being shown making his damn speech from this latest stupid and hateful thing he has done being “effin “huge”.
I border on being a friendly, talkative recluse~~ haha but at times like these, I wish you were my “across the country road neighbor,” for a chat or two once a week or so!
Katheryn
Same here! Friendly and talkative recluse! But I know what you mean. Talking bout it helps!