Bronte's Agnes Grey

On a coastal highway,

stands a beach cottage.

 I fell in love with the pale blue

color of it's clapboards,

the live oak trees and

palms that cozy up beside  it.

I thought of

Bronte's writing......

"And then, the unspeakable

purity...and freshness of the air!

There was just enough

heat to enhance the value

of the breeze."

~Anne Bronte, "Agnes Grey"

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

"This Book Is A Gem"

I spent the morning and much

of the afternoon  tidying up the

cottage. Linen changes, laundry

and dusting, food preparation......

all necessary chores

were completed by noon.

With rain in the forecast, my

efforts for rainy-day relaxation

included some serious reading,

in my treasured book.... found

in our  library bookstore.

While searching the bookshelves,

Heaven in the title and

South Carolina caught my

attention. Having lived in

South Carolina for a number of

years, I too consider it a

"little bit of heaven."

"Heaven Is A Beautiful Place"

A Memoir of

The South Carolina Coast

by Genevieve C. Peterkin

In this intimate and moving

and sorrowful and funny account

of the century just past, we have a

remarkable window on the way the

world used to work; with love and

tenacity and grit and patience and,

again and always again, love.

"The book is a gem."(review)

l3  rave reviews on Amazon....all 5 stars.

Written in conversation with

William P. Baldwin

"........this book is "about striving

to serve the common good and

about loving people and losing

the people you love."

This is a book about surviving, and

enduring, and finding the joy at

the center of creation, finding that,

indeed, heaven is a beautiful place.

Can't wait to get started!

Sweet blessings for all.....Dee Dee

"You Have No Idea"

When I hear all the grumbling

today, I just shake my head and

think to myself.....

"You have no idea"

how fortunate you are,

to have never

worked as a "secretary"

typed on an old manual

"Underwood" typewriter,

using carbon paper for

the three copies needed.

"You have no idea"

how fortunate you are that

you've never

made a typing error and

had to use

correction tape

on all three typed copies.

So when you feel like

complaining about how

bad things are these days.....

just remember

manual typewriters,

carbon paper and correction tape....

and you'll

 feel much much better.

Have a blessed day.....  Dee Dee

Think On This

"Teach Them To Sew"

"I wish I could help you with your

needle work. I have two hands and

a new thimble that lead a very easy life."

~Jane Austen, in letter to her sister.

                                                       Cassatt

Thankfully,

sewing is not a lost art,

as I see it.

The fabric stores are filled with

women of all ages.

The"take-a-number" line at the

cutting counter is always

exceptionally long.

It is there, I see

shopping carts filled with

bolts of fabrics.

This is

a good thing, considering

the days we're living in,

for more reason, than one.

Teach them to sew and

they will have a sense of

accomplishment 

in creating

good things for themselves,

their family

 and their home.

Imagine it, and you can make it! Dee Dee

Thinking These Simple Pleasures

I suppose a womanly thing

when it comes to white

cotton lace.....

White cotton lace can be

sometimes more than a simple pleasure.......

when placed together

with a darling handmade

bracelet ..... momento

from the birth of my first

granddaughter......

I'm up to my "knees and elbows"

with yarns and baby fabrics.....

more "sweetness" on the way.

Have a beautiful day!....Dee Dee

Peaches......A Summertime Tradition

Grown in the good ole'  USA....

That's what I look for on the tiny

stick-on labels found on fruit.

Some of the peaches seen here,

 are from California and some

are from east coast.  Seems the

South Carolina and Georgia

peaches are smaller this year,

yet still sweet and delicious. 

 We are anxiously awaiting the

best of the crop....

and my favorite,

South Carolina's state fruit

the Freestone peach.

These pretty peaches made a

mighty fine "peach cobbler"

enjoyed with a nice scoop of

vanilla bean ice cream.

Another favorite summertime

tradition.

Have a blessed Lord's day, everyone.  Dee Dee

A Natural Sea Grape Arbor

 Another photo from the north

beach of Honeymoon island.....here are

lovely Sea Grapes growing on a

plant that is struggling to stay alive,

having grown dangerously close to

to the water's edge.

I cannot believe there is a

more lovelier place to walk and

ponder all that is life's

happenings.

Think on this.....

Above all else, know this;

Be prepared at all times for the

gifts of God and be ready always

for new ones.  For God is a

thousand times more ready to give

than we are to receive.~Eckhart

Sweet blessing for you all.....Dee Dee