Birds

It was 72 degrees here and Sunny yesterday!

Did I take a photo?

Of course not.

I did today.

When it was raining.

I am bright that way.

The birds are feeding like if someone put chocolate in my cereal!

In the winter birds need extra starch so I put graham cracker crumbs or stale bread crumbs on the feeder. You could crunch up old cereal, anything with starch they would appreciate. If it had weevils in it that would be an extra bonus for them but yuck.

Weevils love to hatch into our food at the old house so almost everything is kept in the freezer.

Did you know that the US Food and Drug Administration sets a maximum limit for insect fragments in flour: 450 per kg so it is likely that we eat insects all the time.

How is that little fact to start off your Monday?

Just doing all I can do for the birds and you my sweeties.

That is a woodpecker and I could not believe I caught him at the sunflower seed feeder.

I was zooming in from the deck and it was pouring rain cause apparently when the sun is shining Joe and I are easily distracted.

grace surrounds us

Olive

No No

Do you ever feel that life is filled with mixed messages?

I do.



grace surrounds us

Olive

Lemons On My Mind

I made lemon cheesecake on Thursday with Meyer lemons.

The cheesecake was so much better on Saturday.

I have spring colors and lemons on my mind.

This is on the table today.

Plain and simple.

An old crocheted multi-colored table runner and a Williams Sonoma bowl I got at 60% off.

 The Meyer lemons were cheaper than regular lemons for once!

I will be joining the energetic Marty for Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life.

grace surrounds us

Olive

Behold Clovis

How to dry a sweater or cool off a cat.

Behold Clovis.

Asleep on my wet sweater.

 On the picnic table in the cold October air.

He looks sleepy and grumpy.

I was disturbing his tenth nap of the day.

Joe asked did I need a lint roller.

Why?

I am linking with the darling Debbie of Debbiedoos for her Pet Party.

grace surrounds us

Olive



~the flea was closing~

Do you ever buy something at a flea market and you know it is a fabulous item at a fabulous price?

Such is the case with my dough bowl.

It was the last day of the flea before winter and the flea was closing.

I paid twenty four dollars for this hand carved bowl and it has a faintly carved signature on the bottom.

It comes from Dillard, Georgia.

This is the living room of the yellow house for those of you who have not seen it before.

We have moved the rattan sofa. I am not sure I like it here against the wall.

All the furniture in this room, except the three drawer chest, comes from garage sales. I just realised the three drawer chest does not appear in these photos...yikes.

Not sure about the brown chair either. Hey, I can move all of it.

The throw on the sofa is a vintage one given to me by my cousin, thanks K. The needle point pillow is from an estate sale. It was sixteen dollars. I would never buy one new...they are too expensive.

Joe always marvels at my readers attention to detail. Did you notice the modern art print over the sofa?

It is Joe's and he likes it and having it there and that is love.

I move stuff around all the time and have him help me and that is also love.

There is a whole funny story about buying that print that I might share another time.

I am linking with Debra for Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground.

grace surrounds us

Olive



Our Friend, My Mini, Our Monday

A  friend of ours has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.We love her dearly and felt her to be indestructible and are having a truly hard time with this news. She is forty nine years old for goodness sake. Praying is the most and best we can do. She has a splendid family and is receiving the finest medical care possible. God is in control and this is another area where faith matters.

Treasure those you love my friends and tell them how much you love them today.

♥♥♥

Joe and I traveled to Greenville, South Carolina yesterday to obtain repairs on my Mini. Those repairs come at maximum cost...imagine that!

We built some fun into the day by walking some three miles and a tiny bit of shopping.

Plus they lent us another Mini to drive. A key less entry one. Joe and I were like two country bumpkins trying to figure out how to start it!

This is my Mini.

Isn't she darling by that big truck?

Choosing a Mini is like picking out a cute puppy. They are all cute.

grace surrounds us

Olive

My Childhood Library Is Having An Auction

The library my aunt took me to when I was a child has closed because they built a new one and the furniture is being auctioned off. It is all Mid Century Modern. Not exactly my style but you will recognize the designers. It is very good stuff. The Antiques Road Show has purchased some of these chairs pictured here I am told.

A diamond shaped chair, Harry Bertoia for Knoll.

I like this bench! Nelson Slat Benson by Herman Miller.
They also had some good looking large face analog clocks that I saw in the newspaper.

The auction ends January 31st. and you can go to bid.ecgrl.com to see many more items.


All images from the Augusta Public Library.

Edited: Many of you have asked if I am bidding. No I am not bidding on any items. I could not find the clocks on the online site:(
grace surrounds us
Olive



Our Weather Vane at the Old House

Snow is on the ground in 49 out of 50 states.

Which one is the exception you say?

Florida

I finally left the house late yesterday afternoon and captured these images of the roof line of the old house.

I am now able to zoom up 32 feet to the weather vane.

Joe walks around up there much to my distress.

We love this weather vane and do not know it's age. We have a piece of this red glass. Joe found it, intact, on the roof. Perhaps a twin weather vane was on the roof and was struck by lightning.

This chimney is one of several, all have damage. We do not use the fireplaces.



This is the part of our roof that is leaking.

Old houses are a character building challenge.

Ice is all we have left on the ground.

The storm is now converging on the northeast.

Hunker down friends and stay warm.

grace surrounds us

Olive

Blue Monday, Blue Chest

Happy Monday!

We have loads of excitement going on here at the old house.

I was walking in the big drafty, unheated hallway and IT WAS RAINING INSIDE.

Good morning to me!

The rain was all over a very nice antique oak wash stand. Moving furniture before coffee is never good.

That is one of the joys of this old house. The roof leaks when the wind blows a certain way.

Since it rained/sleeted/snowed apparently at intervals during the night a part of the tin roof blew off.

Then Joe slid into a ditch, with his four wheel drive Jeep, while at work. Someone pulled him out with a chain. Yay.

What I have planned for today has nothing to do with the above. Just sharing my Blue Monday issues. I thought I would show snippets of our bedroom at the old house.

This blue lingerie chest was purchased from a local antique store and works with Joe's paint colors. It appears gray but trust me it is turquoise blue. The lighting is poor today due to the Winter storm in full fling. Joe is not afraid of color. The plaster walls are peach, the trim is turquoise, and the base boards are purple! All painted before we married. His dad had painted the entire house battle ship gray in 1976 and these colors were a welcome relief I imagine.

The milk glass bowl was given to me by my dear cousin. Every item scattered on this table has meaning for me.

This gives you some idea of the original bull's eye molding we have on the windows and doors downstairs in the old house.

I will be joining the fabulous Marty for Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life.
Do check out the others for more table tops.

grace surrounds us
Olive

How I Ended Up In A Camera Store Today

See this girl?

She gets the credit or the blame for me being in a camera store today.

She is holding a 35mm camera that she will be using for a Photography class.

 B&W 35mm film is quite difficult to find in this digital age.

That is how we ended up at Cokes Camera in Macon, Georgia.

It is an independent family owned store with superb customer service.

B&W film and 8x10 glossy sheets for the dark room are not cheap y'all.

All that to say I BOUGHT A NEW CAMERA.

A Canon Power Shot SX30IS.

WOO HOO!

Mr. George Coke put it together for me and showed me all it's features.

It is similar to the Rebel, a little slower but not as expensive.

I must stay true to my thrifty beliefs especially while that cutie above is in college.

Look at these images of an old bridge and a railroad track. Some have zero editing. Some I cropped a bit.

I can Zoom Baby Zoom now!

Y'all know how I adore arches. These were kind of charming with the hauntingly beautiful vines all over them.

So now I have started a new journey and I have promised Joe I will read the manual (on CD) about the new camera. Pinkie swear.

I leave you with my favorite photo from today.

Have a splendid weekend friends!

It is going to snow in Georgia, again on Monday, but I have much to occupy my time. *Wink*

grace surrounds us

Olive

Old Chimney

I drive by this old brick chimney often when traveling between houses. I like that it is majestic and the last part of the house that is standing.

Close by it is an old shack of sorts. I crept up to it, past the "No Trespassing" sign to take these photos.

Joe will get me out of jail if I get in big trouble taking pictures with my wee little camera.

If I could I would roam the Southern landscape all the time. These chimneys and old shacks are fading fast.

I am joining A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday.

grace surrounds us

Olive

The Color of Winter

The color of winter is in

the imagination.

                  ---Terri Guillemets

We do love our birds in winter.

The cardinals frequently tap on our windows.

I wonder what they want?

The deer visit and tip the feeders and eat all the seed.

The back yard is very exciting.

Do you want to come wash my dishes and bird watch?

The master bedroom paint project grinds slowly.

Thanks to all of you for your wallpaper comments.

I am looking forward to getting back to a regularly scheduled irregular schedule.

grace surrounds us

Olive