Finishing The Sewing

The first glimpse of day came

with bright sunshine peeking

through lace curtains,

and the aroma of

Eight O'Clock coffee.

Saturday's to do list came to

mind and I sat straight up in bed.

Finishing  the sewing I had

begun the day before, was

 first and foremost

on my mind,  as I walked

toward the kitchen. My sewing

was where I left it, scattered

about the table,

 but in my own recognizable order.

Breakfast was finished quickly 

for the Mister had errands to

run. This meant the house would be

quietly mine.

 

So, remembering and  listening to 

 Andy Williams singing

 Moon River,

I began my sewing, making

 stuffed door hangers

to match the towel sets.

 

 

My sewing plans were

finished by mid day and I

had that "working steadily

until finished feeling of

sheer contentment and

satisfaction." I can't wait to

make my deliveries and see

the smiles on those

sweet, sweet faces.

 

"Choose a job you love and

you will never work a day

in your life." ~Confucius

 

Have a blessed Lord's Day! Dee Dee

"Towels"

I've always been a project sort

of person.  I look forward to the

seasonal changes and the holidays.

Gives me good reason to bring out

my sewing machine and create a

little something. Indications of fall

on the calendar have me thinking

mums and scarecrows.

What to make?  What to make?  Hmmm......

"Towels!"

Not your normal sort of towel, uniquely

different and sure to please the recipients.

 

So, I've been sewing away today, and

I do like what I'm making. I hope to

finish up and make deliveries tomorrow,

and transport a few to far away places, by mail.

Stop by again, if you like.

I'll be posting on my humble efforts.

 

Have a sweet ole' day! Dee Dee

 

Fishing Takes Concentration

 

We drove out to Weaver Park today.

It's a lovely place to walk, overlooking

inland waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

We soon realized, it was just us and

"the bird".....

A Blue Heron, was standing

all alone in the low tide, shallow waters.

 

 

Oblivious to the rest of the world,

the young Heron was focused.

 

 

Seemingly a bit young to be on

it's own.....I wondered at the bird's 

ability to survive.

 

 

But then I thought of one of

my favorite websites....

www.birds.cornell.edu 

It is here I've watched

nesting birds and learned how

 the parenting duties are

not taken for granted.

This little Heron has had

ample training on how to

find food and survive in the world.

From what we could see

fishing methods for feeding himself,

had been accomplished.

I'm thinkin' Mom and Dad Heron

would be proud.

 

Have a sweet ole' day! Dee Dee

 click on photos to enlarge

More Signs Of Fall

Several years back, we took pleasure

in watching our neighbor's

Banana Palm tree. During Florida's

winter months, it stood sadly

stripped of it's once lavish green

leaves. An unpleasant sight

to behold, after it's leaf pealing

fall ritual.

 

 

And then one day, we were quite

pleasantly surprised to find a

Banana Palm tree growing in the

midst of our garden,

beneath the  Philodendron plant.

The roots from the neighbor's

tree had traveled beneath the fence.

For a good many years we have

delighted in it's large frond

leafy grandeur.

Last year, for the first time, it

produced bananas and then promptly

and oh so sadly

"gave up the ghost."

 

 

But ah.....the continuity of plant

life gives us a continual feast of

pleasure. Early this past spring, a young

Banana Palm tree grew upward,

from it's

"ancestral  roots."

We watched it grow this

summer, flapping it's large leafed

appendages in the warm coastal

Florida breezes.

Now, in the Banana Palm's

traditions, we are watching as

it begins the

"leaf pealing fall ritual"

prior to winter's dormancy.

 

More signs of fall, indeed, here

in my part of  the world.

 

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

 

Cottage Fall Mums

There's nothing quite like

a pot of fall colored Mums

to give a nice look of welcome

to our  cottage....

 

 

I had trouble deciding on the

colors this year....

 

So I got a nice variety....

These are on the porch for now

just taking my breath away......

Did you ever?

 

 

I'm  thinkin' about the

Creator again....and how

amazing His work is.  I'm

so thankful for color......

With a hint of cool in the weather

today, seems  I'm right on target

with my fall decor.

 

Have a sweet ole' day now!  Dee Dee

"Imperfectly Beautiful"

I pruned this little Knockout Rose

about mid summer.  It had grown

completely out of proportion and

desperately needed attention.

 

Earlier this month I noticed new

green leaves, and watched as it

continued to grow.  This past week

the first of many buds came on the

little Rose bush.....and they began

to open into blooms that looked

like this.

 

 

They were small and scraggly and I

felt sorry for the Rose plant.  What

had happened to cause this?

 

 

 

I watched them each day, and

found that eventually some of

the blooms had order to them......

 

The colors were exquisite and

they reminded me of Roses one

might see in a dried arrangement,

or Victorian painting.....

 

I brought my camera out and

found by using the Macro setting

I could get up close to the tiny

Roses.  I  found that what

I was seeing, was  "imperfectly beautiful."

 

Have a sweet ole' day! Dee Dee

click on Roses to enlarge 

It Is Fall .....Afterall

They're called Jonagold apples.

Have you tasted them?  If not, perhaps you might......

 

 

They're a cross between a

crisp Golden Delicious

and the blush-crimson

Jonathan.....

developed in 1953

in New York state. They are  deliciously

sweet and thin skinned.

Smaller than usual this year,

they fit in a small child's hands just right.....

 

Have you had apple tea?

It's a lovely

fall treat,

 simply made with

a nice black tea, cinnamon,

apple juice

 and

a bit of lemon, if you like.

 

Oh glorious fall......

~

"The breezes taste of apple peel.

The air is full of smells to feel-

Ripe fruit, old footballs,

Burning brush,

New books, erasers,

Chalk, and such.

The bee, his hive

Well-honeyed hum,

And mother cuts

Chrysanthemums.

Like plates washed clean

With suds, the days

Are polished with

A morning haze.

~John Updike, September

 

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

 

Precious Life Reflections

 

It's not often that I find

this kind of treasure....

vintage sewing notions.

They were tucked into

a clear plastic box, awaiting

my arrival at the

 antique store.

 

I brought them home,

handled them, admired them

and pondered at how I could

use them. 

 

I came up with all sorts of

ideas.

My best idea was to give them

away, to a sweet young lady.

 

I took photos of them for

memory sake....the best

memories of all are the

expressions on her little face,

as she thanked me.

 

Having precious life reflections today and

I hope for each of you a blessed Lord's day.....Dee Dee

White Bougainvillea

I planted this pretty thing in

a terracotta clay pot back in

the spring.....

 

 

When fall comes, it will

be placed in the ground.

The Bougainvillea needs

the good earth and plenty

of space to grow.

 

 

Is it just me, or is this one of

the prettiest things you've ever seen?

 

Think on this.....

Not one day in anyone's life is an

uneventful day, no day without

profound meaning, no matter how dull

and boring it might seem.

Because in every day of your life,

there are opportunities to perform little

kindnesses for others, both by conscious

acts of will and unconscious example.....

even just words of hope when they are

needed......

From the Corner of His Eye~Dean Koontz

 

Have a blessed day, everyone!  Dee Dee

Big Sister

Baby sister is two weeks old......

 

 

"We're dressed alike....we have

the same shirts on .....and flowers in

our hair," said big sister.

 

Hush-a-Bye, Baby

 

Hush a-bye, baby,

on the tree-top!

When the wind blows

the cradle will rock;

When the bough breaks

the cradle will fall;

Down will come

baby, bough,

cradle and all.

 

New grandchild gave me

 good reason to

take my Mom's Book from

the bookshelf this morning.

I'd  forgotten so many of the

old fashioned good things

it contains. Sweet

activities.......like garden,

 sweet potato vine.

Oh my, I remember my mother had

one growing in her kitchen window.

Small children love this kind of thing.

They like Apple Crumb Pie too, and

this book has lots of kid friendly

recipes.

I read "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" today.

The goats in this story were Italian,

having names like "Vinny."  They

speak with Italian accents, prompting

questions from the nine year old. Made

us smile.  Reading with children

brings on smiles and also conversation.

 

Enjoying these sweet times, and so

glad you stopped by.

Have a sweet ole' day.....Dee Dee

 

 

 

Fall Colors?

We fear that summer will be short,

but when we have had our swing of pleasure,

our fill of fruit and our swelter of heat,

we say we have had our day.

~John Donne 1620 

 

From my cottage window, I see

Robellini palms, Crotons,

Pink Hawaiian Ty Plants  and

variegated Schefflera.

 

This time each year I post

about all the fall colors in

my garden.....

though not your normal

fall leaves....

 

 

Things are looking more

beautiful than ever.  The

warm summer  rains have

come often......

 

Seemingly we are living in

a tropical "rain forest."....

 

The pink Hawaiian Ty plants

begin with colors of green.....

later turning lovely shades of

pinks and purples.  They spread

beneath the ground and before

long they come popping up all

over the place.  I love how they

blend with our Crotons and

Scheffleras.

 

A few of each placed

in a large vase sure give the

impression of a nice fall flower

arrangement.

 

Have a sweet ole' day everyone!  Dee Dee

 

"My Doll Is Broken"

In an odd sort of way, these words

"My doll is broken"

are music to a grandmother's ears.

 

She had spent the morning

tidying up her bedroom and

wanted me to see. A large

dollhouse stands on a table

in the center of the room.

Throughout the room, in carriages,

high chairs, cradles and on

her bed,  are dolls.

I'm fond of her bookcases.

They are filled with her favorite books

and I continue  adding to her

collection.  Now reading

a Laura Ingalls series, we

talk of the characters she likes best.

Some books she likes so well, she

reads them more than once.

 

"Hand me your little porcelain doll,

and I'll repair her."  I'm thinking

a new dress for her might be nice.....

she has no clothes.

 

Porcelain dolls are not made well

and I've noticed a tear on the

arm. I suppose they are mostly

made to be seen and not handled.

I'm glad she was handled and

perhaps loved a bit too much.

"Yes, little one, your doll is

broken, but not for long."

 

These are such sweet times.....Dee Dee

 

My Ballerina

 

 

Have a beautiful day!  Dee Dee

Sunday's Garden Images

"Genesis"

In the beginning, God created

the heaven and the earth.....

 

 

.....and the earth brought forth grass

 

 

and herb yielding seed after

his kind....

 

and the tree yielding fruit, whose

seed was in itself after his kind......

 

and "God saw that it was good."

 

Have a blessed week, everyone!  Dee Dee

Apples and Apple Cider

 

The kitchen has an old

fashioned and familiar

 fragrance drifting

about.....the candle

burning is called  "apple cider."

 

Close by,

an old chippy white porcelain bowl

holds  "Granny Smith" apples.....

 

 

 I'm thinkin' apple pie making time.........

 

and using the apple peelings and

cores to make a bit of

sweet apply jelly.

 

Did you know that we just might

be eating apples, thanks to

Johnny Appleseed?  He was a

real person that traveled around

 planting  apple orchards

wherever pioneers were settling?

 

Just thinkin'

 

Have a blessed Lord's Day!  Dee Dee

 

September Showing

You can look at the

Mexican Sage

in our garden and

know the time of year.

 

Seems the Sage gets a

growing spurt about this

time, and the blooms

get  pretty white  tips.

 

This begins gradually......

 

Perhaps this is how they seed.......

 

By summers end, they look much

like what you see here.  Tall

and wispy.  The slightest breeze

causes them to sway, and together

they are a beautiful sight to see.

Having  been in our garden for a

number of years, we see they are

right on schedule for their

seasonal September showing.

 

Sweet ole' blessing for all....Dee Dee