Clean Curtain in My Bedroom

You have all heard of selective hearing, right? Well, this is selective photography. What you can see looks perfect but in reality the bed is unmade and all my pillows are piled on the chair at the other window. My down comforter is usually folded accordion-style on this drop leaf table in case I get cold in the middle of the night. Anyway, I wanted to show you one clean and ironed curtain in my bedroom. I keep fiddling with the gathers trying to get them to hang just right. I was tempted to use my spray starch on them but I didn't. Right now, they are very soft to the touch and hopefully will develop a memory of the way I want them to look. They are on a tension rod inside the window casing.

I am so pleased with my domesticity lately but I have only dealt with the tip of the iceberg so far. There is still much to do. I have to assign myself certain tasks and try not to think about the big picture or I would surely go mad. The reflection you see on the right is my flatscreen TV on a pile of books so I can watch from my bed if I can manage to stay awake. 

Thank you all for your concern about my car. They will look at it on Monday. Have a great weekend. xo

My Bedroom Curtains Drying in The Sun

I washed my bedroom curtains today in the tub and put them on a drying rack in the sun to drip dry on this windy day. Ironing was a snap and they look so nice and fresh in my room.

They are hanging wrong side out on the rack and the back sides are somewhat faded in places. The fronts are still bright as new. I made curtains for a big double sliding glass door in 1972 and have remade curtains from that fabric for every place I have lived ever since. There is still a lot of life left in these curtains made from 46 year old fabric. It is woven with no right or wrong side. If it were a printed design, they wouldn't have lasted this long. Blue and white checks forever.

I am shadow waving hello to all of you and hope you have a nice weekend. They won't look at my car until Monday. xo

The Creaky Shed: Fresh Produce Greenwich UK

I love the name of this shop and the hand-drawn font they used for the sign. The Creaky Shed is a green grocer in Greenwich UK. The gallery of photographs with seasonal displays outside the shop plus more can be seen here. Looks as if they are all set for Halloween decorating with all the pumpkins. See you later with news of my car. Fingers crossed. xo

My Car: Still Not Fixed

The dealer couldn't fix my car. I found my favorite mechanic after he quit the garage near me. I called his sister and he's not that far away. Today, I had a friend take me to the dealership, thinking I could drive my car home and do some errands before taking it to my friend's garage. I left my phone at home too and felt quite lost without it. She waited until I waved her on and then the man I had been dealing with on the phone said he wasn't sure the car would start. Too late, my friend was long gone. Then I had to call AAA from their office phone to arrange for another tow truck. I was hoping the driver could take me home first and then take my car to the shop. Wrong. He said he couldn't. Luckily, I had befriended the men in the repair department and they allowed their driver to take me home. And guess how much my total bill was? Zero. $0.00. That was the best surprise ever. The driver was so nice too. I was so encouraged by all the kindness shown to me today.

I found the money car on Getty Images when I was researching which is better, leasing vs. buying a car. I have never leased. I am hoping I don't have to do either and the source of my problem can be fixed. My friend Greg is an absolute genius and if it can be fixed, he's the one that can do it. He seemed confident when I called him this morning. Fingers crossed.

It rained quite hard today and I got soaked outside while my car was being flat bedded. AAA man was very nice too. Will keep you posted on what transpires tomorrow.

xo

Animal Illustrations by Chris Dunn

Everyone knows by now that I am fascinated by the interiors of animals. This Wise Old Owl by Chris Dunn is a fine example of the kind of detail that pleases me the most. I love how he has decorated his hollow tree and filled it with antiquarian books and scientific instruments. via

I dug a little deeper and found the artist's website and related immediately with this image of Mole's House Getting a Bit of TLC. It is from Wind in the Willows illustrated by Chris Dunn. Is fall cleaning on everyone's mind?

Beautiful Book Cover - Two Views

If you think this one is beautiful, you won't believe the next one.

There are so many talented and creative people out there that make moving gifs to delight me. Isn't this amazing? via

The technician will look at my car today and give me the news later. I'm fine at home today on a dreary day, far away from Hurricane Michael. Be safe if it's near you. I only watch BBC News America and they say the Gulf Coast and the Florida panhandle are in great danger from high winds and waves. All we can do is hope it is downgraded before hitting land and hope for a beautiful sunrise like this one soon.

xo

Washing Dishes: Jessie Willcox Smith

Thank God for dirty dishes;

they have a tale to tell.

While other folks go hungry,

we're eating pretty well.

With home and health and happiness,

we shouldn't want to fuss;

For by this stack of evidence,

God's very good to us.

~ Anonymous

I found this image and poem while searching on Pinterest. I love the beautiful blue and white Canton that this little girl is washing. Just look at the wear on the bottom. Maybe it wasn't valuable back in 1925 but now it's prized. I have quite a few pieces in my corner cupboard.

JWS is one of my favorite illustrators from the first quarter of the 20th century and this image is new to me. This little girl doesn't even have a step stool but has to balance precariously on a little ladder in old blue paint. I've been doing a lot of this lately but on a larger ladder, both outside and inside, dealing with my windows.

I have been a little distracted lately, since Sunday afternoon. I opened my car door for an errand and the car alarm started going off and I could not start my car. It completely shut down because it thought I was trying to steal it. I am still trying to figure out what to do. I stopped using my clicker about 10 years ago and never replaced it when the battery died. I have been using my key ever since. I am depending on friends for rides and will decide today what I should do. Will keep you posted. xo

Tennis: Katharine Hepburn in 1981

She was 74 in this tennis photo. I recently watched part of a movie on TCM entitled PAT AND MIKE with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. I didn't finish it because I thought the plot was too silly. I started watching it because the host who introduced the film said she actually played all the athletic parts, mainly golf and tennis and she was so good at both in real life. She also was an excellent swimmer and sailor but I don't know if she did either in the movie. Her father stressed the importance of exercise and she followed his advice and was active almost to the end of her life at age 96. 

I don't do any sports these days and I try to stay out of the sun. Walking, gardening, lawn work, and housework are about the only things I do with any regularity. Have you ever heard the old saying, "Housework, if done correctly, will kill you." That always makes me laugh. I haven't done mine correctly in a long time and I can see the wisdom behind the quote.

xo