How did they survive?

 Fascinated by these devastating photos from the 1930s that capture the poverty and hopelessness of the decade. 

Can't believe this was the era when I was born.  We didn't have much but I never wanted for anything as a child.  Lived in a rental, no car but luckily lots of relatives and friends, enough food, and a roof over our heads.

These photos from Pinterest show the poorest of the poor after the market crashed in 1929.

Dashed off a greeting card

 Thinking it's easier, cheaper, and much more personal to make a little card for a friend or relative than to go out and buy one.  So I quickly made this one for my granddaughter this morning.

What takes the most time is going through my stacks of papers to find just the right ones!

Lost and Found

 Yesterday, while searching for something else, I came across an old oak box forgotten since moving here.  I've been looking for my good prescription glasses for months now. A little light went off in my personal head computer and thought of another place I hadn't looked before.  So, digging through all the old quilt tops and scarves on the top of the dresser in my closet, a little treasure appeared.  This box contains old letters, photos, newspaper articles, a love letter and so many other clippings and memories going back to the 70s.

I intend to savor each piece . . . one a day to make them last

Letters from my Mom going back to 1970

and from my cousin Sue, Aunt Patsy and Aunt Ruth

and my sweet dear Grandma Laura a letter and Christmas card

Photo of my Aunt Inez being visited in the care center from her husband Clif, plus memory of her death in 1996

My sister's graduation notice (1961) and a sweet letter from her namesake Candy

Newspaper clippings of Dad as City Clerk and Mom with my cousin Craig in our local Crosby Courier

I will keep the love letter to myself.  The old oak box will come as a future blog post. 

Never did find my glasses!

Scavenged Fabrics From Mom

 Years and years ago, while visiting my Mom in Minnesota, I was allowed to look through the trunk that held her fabrics.  And she said I could pick out what I wanted.  That included as much as could be taken home with me on the plane.

I have put to use so many of those vintage fabrics that she sewed with most of her life.  Been saving these pieces ever since . . .

They are printed cotton samples.  The colors are reminiscent of the 50's to me.  Remember pink and brown together and that certain shade of green?

Since it will be a rainy week as predicted, I decided I would make small heart pillows with yo-yos.  Each piece is just under 10" x 13" and there are two in the groups that match.  So maybe a pair of similar pillows.

Here is the first one made this morning . . .

Ruffles and yo-yos and rickrack . . . all vintage from my stash!

Thanks Mom ♥

Dreaming of warm sunny beaches

 Way back in the 80s, in order to escape Minnesota winters, my parents flew down to the very southern tip of Texas. When I could get off work and family obligations, I would fly down to visit them. Mom and I loved to go to Matamoros, Mexico and shell all day. Of course all our treasures came back with me to Spokane, and we've been hauling them from house to house every move since.

 Asked t.o.b. if he knew where that box of shells might be, and he knew exactly where it was in the garage, brought it in and the memories rushed back.

 Here are a few photos I took using the light of new snow outside my slider.

Pastels so soothing to the eye

Clam Shells ... I couldn't get enough!

Some were almost colorless

And I wish I had a dollar for every sand dollar we picked up

This is about one/tenth of my collection.  What oh what do I do with all of them?

 

Memories of Fall at the cabin on Agate Lake, Minnesota

You can have the hot, humid, mosquito summers of Minnesota's Lake Country 

and you can have the cold, icy snowy winters that never seem to end 

but

I do miss Fall in Northern Minnesota with crisp cool days and glorious colorful woods 

  Looking up

Looking down

At the ready!

A Garden Surprise!

 Rocks can be a brand new canvas for art and I've been dabbling with it quite a bit lately.

Simple stuff like small decorated hearts and messages on the back, but my most detailed is this frog ~

I hid it (in plain sight) at one end of Derek's koi pond near a place where a real frog took up residence a few years ago. Haven't heard yet if he's found it. 

Feeling a bit sentimental today

 Today is my mother's birthday and it got me to thinking about her gardens.  One of her favorite flowers was the gladiola.  I remember her sending me to school with a bouquet of glads for my teacher while in grade school.

I have never attempted to grow that type of flower.  Usually stick to the tried and true petunias, alysum, and other easy to grow annuals.  But this year I expanded my horizons with three new and different perennials.

Several years ago, my mother~in~law gifted me what has become my favorite vase ~ a 1930s Tiffin Poppy Black Amethyst satin glass jewel!  It is perfect for my little front porch with the brightly colored "new-for-me" variety of brown~eyed susans, Indian blankets and cone flowers that adorn my back yard today.

The colors make me so happy!  Thank you for the memories Moms ♥

 

Rocks ... you gotta love 'em

 Kim and Ben purchased a claim in Idaho where they spent a lot of time this summer.   With gold fever, and EPA/government permission slips,  they are just beginning to dig in earnest.

Since they are near a river, I asked her if she could find some smooth river rocks for me to paint on. She found them 6 feet deep in the soil.  Yesterday she brought me two rocks ~ one is a heart shape.

  When I picked it up, ore dust transferred to my fingers.  I know ore dust; I grew up in a mining town in Minnesota.  I was about to run my dishwasher and figured they would come out spotless clean if they went in with the dirty dishes.  Problem solved?  No!  

It is actually a solid piece of iron ore and will rub off forever.

Won't be painting on this one but the other has possibilities.

She looks good among my succulents

Old family letters

 Written in beautiful hand with what looks like a crowquill pen, these letters and envelopes go all the way back to 1891 and trail off into the early 1900s.  Sometimes my husband's obsession with saving everything brings forth some mighty interesting items. They are part of his family's history which started in Norway and ended in the farmlands of Southwestern Minnesota.

Don't I wish I could read these sweet letters, mostly written to Christi and Nels Bakke, whose family changed their names from Birkebakken when they came to the States.

Part two Summer Brunch

 You have to be there to believe the gardens of Dawn.  There are paths in and out of her flowers and she has pots overflowing with her beautiful arrangements both front and back.  Too too many for me to show you here.

Just a few of the many roses that dot her gardens ~

and she knows the names of every one of them all!

one whole length of this part, leading up to her French Room, are floral plantings with a gorgeous Japanese maple spreading across the fence in the back

 

A cozy corner 

Dawn and I overlooking the roses

A centerpiece

She thought she could hide!

~

And when weeding and trimming get too hot, she has a shaded cabana and a big above ground pool

What I'm showing you here is a small portion of her gardens.  When asked how she keeps her plantings so healthy and full every year, she says "All you have to do is water it!"

I know there is more to it than that ... a lot of work and love goes into it.  She probably talks to each and every one of the flowers while she's weeding, don't you think? 

  

Summer Brunch at the Ds

 We got to spend a morning at Derek and Dawn's home and gardens.  Haven't photographed their amazing back yard for a long time.  It just keeps getting better and better.  Took 47 photos and tried to pare them down to a manageable few but it was almost impossible.  I decided to split them into two categories ~ bushes, trees and pond first.

Dawn (fabulous flower gardener) and Derek (pond, trees and bushes)

Derek had to criss~cross cords to keep hawks, herons, raccoons from getting to the koi

t.o.b. checking out the pond

boulders and river rocks not natural to the area!

Koi pond dug by hand by Derek. So proud of his accomplishments

Front of house

side yard

Yummy brunch was quiche (and gravy for topping), fruit (melons and strawberries), juice, hash browns, Danish and coffee.