Rainy Days and Rainy Nights

It's been raining here since last night. It's beautifully foggy today. We were supposed to get a little freezing rain or snow but no deal. Think we all were hoping for a little more of the white stuff before we go into full-fledged spring fever mode. After taking this photo of one of the hollies on the side yard, I noticed there is not one berry. Wonder what the migrating robins are going to eat during their pass through? They are normally the ones to rid the hollies of all their berries.

I'm getting a little antsy about getting out and cleaning up the beds. They look a little dishelveled, don't ya think?

I went out this morning to run some errands and came back to oily pawprints all over the countertop. I had oiled the soapstone sink before I left, and I suppose Dave (I know it was him) had to investigate. lol. It takes about three products to clean the countertops of any prints. Fun.

I am still struggling to get this kitchen finished, if you can believe it. The countertop folks come back on Thursday to "seal" the Silestone. Yep, seal it. Isn't that why you get Silestone vs. granite? So there's no upkeep? On this particular style, you can see every little fingerprint. It's almost as bad as black stainless steel! Ooooooof! Anyway, the rep swears this new chemical will seal it and make it so it won't absorb oils and such. Fingers' crossed. This kitchen is going to be the death of me. The second icemaker was delivered today, a full four months after it was decided that the other had the wrong door to sit flush. Do you think the new one sits flush? Nope. The cabinets weren't made deep enough for a flush door, come to find out. Same ol' same ol'. Shoot me now and put me out of my misery. grin.

The good news is I got just about all the Christmas stuff put away, hurray! There's still a couple of pieces that need to be boxed--somehow everything didn't fit back like I had it. Hmmmmm. lol. I am glad to have it out of sight. It was beginning to wear on my nerves, what little nerves I have left, anyway.

When I got home last week, I started conquering my desk (which has been relocated to the study). I'm like a gypsy, I can't stay in one place too long. ha. It's been moved at least three times in the last year. Go figure. Saving grace is I have to clean it each time, so it's all good. I decided to move it into the corner so I could see everything going on in the house. Better feng shui not having your back to any doors. I'm all for better feng shui. I'm loving it in its new spot. I do have to squeeze a tad to get into the corner. Not sure if I like the two chairs together; but they'll stay that way for a while. The rocking chair is non functional under the big horn of the old Edison but it too will stay there until someone knocks their head on it then it will retire to a new spot in the house. And guess what? My printer is on the other side of the room with NO wires! Woooohooo! I think everything these days should be wireless, don't you?

And here are the new views I have; I can see the front of the house, I can see the back of the house. How about that? Too comfy.








Well, you know what happens when you start moving stuff around. What do you do with all the junk? It just gets moved to another spot--say the dining room table--to sort through. I'm in the middle of ordering the teenager's senior photos. Oy. What a joy that is, NOT. In actuality, they're not as expensive as I thought they would be. Big surprise there. It's just difficult choosing from like 20 shots in four different locations. I do have to say, 15 of the 20 are junk. I can't believe they call themselves photographers. Geesh. Anyway, it's kinda fun, regardless. I can hardly believe this time next year, he will be finishing up his first year of college! Oh OH OH!! He was excepted at University of Tennessee! Wooohoo. I think I had mentioned that University of Alabama had accepted him way back when. We are now waiting to hear from Auburn; and then he will make his choice. So proud of that "boy."

And so, it's about dinner time. Looks like it's just me and the kid tonight--hub still in NYC. Hmmm, what will it be tonight? Leftovers!

Celebration!

I received a phone call last night from Rosemary, my brother's nurse, and she told me to hold on a second. Then it was Johnny on the other end! He had his breathing tube removed yesterday and he is able to talk again! How fantastic is that! (I have tried to make my rounds and thank each and every one of my blogger buds for all of your thoughts and prayers. At this time, I am totally lost and don't know who I have thanked and who I have not. So, if you don't get a personal thank you, know I am thanking you in my little noggin. If you got two thank yous, you deserve it.)

I had taken lots of pictures of Sunny, my SIL's kitty, who made me feel absolutely at home at "their" house. It made me not miss Bella (shhhhh) in the least. He is the sweetest kitty; and if I could, I would marry him and Miss Bella. They would make the best couple in Catland.

I'm slowly waking up from last week's bad dream. The key word is slow-ly. The hub has been in Las Vegas, leaving Friday and returning today. Gee whiz, we are just two ships passing in the night, it seems these days. Then he's off to NYC tomorrow for more hot fashion scenes and new fabric unveiling's. With him not here, you know what that means. I have done absolutely nothing. I haven't even unpacked my bag yet. How pathetic is that? I did straighten up the kitchen this morning, not knowing what time he arrives home. lol.

Here are some pictures I took while leaving DC on Thursday. I don't think I have been in the new B terminal at National Airport (I REFUSE to call it Reagan National Airport! What in the world did that man do for DC?? Absolutely NOTHING! Why didn't they name a California airport after the man? Lord only knows. Ok, rant off.)

Beautiful Snow

Anyhoo, I have to admit, that area sure does raise my blood pressure any more. I even had a conniption at one point. I never have conniptions (outside the privacy of my own house, anyway). Without going into any details, I went off on some poor man at the Popeye's' drive through after waiting 20 minutes for some STUPID idiots couldn't decide what to order, first at the little speaker thing and then AGAIN at the window. He should have told them to drive around again after they made up their minds. The line behind me was going out to the street! I kid you not, I sat behind them for over 20 minutes!!! All I wanted was some beans and rice, go home, eat and go to bed. It was already 10 pm and I was tired; and I admit I snapped. Suppose I just needed a release. That poor man got it. I have never yelled like that in public before. After I yelled "WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT ALL ABOUT??!!!!!" (all I could spit out in my anger), the poor man answered, in his broken English "I just try and make every body happy." Grrrrrr.

After New Year's, I was missing my fresh flowers so I ordered myself flowers of the month from Flowerbud, which sweet Pammy tuned me in to. My first bouquet arrived the next day, beautiful lilies. They arrived in buds and open slowly. Upon my return from DC, most were opened and absolutely gorgeous. The smell is amazing. They are the most fragrant lillies I have ever smelled. Yum. The pollen sure is a mess to cut out though. I had that stuff everywhere! My amaryllis is still blooming. The sun was shining through the flower and I couldn't resist capturing it. The colors are so pretty.


I went out Friday and bought a new fish. One had passed right after Christmas. I figured I better get a replaced before I messed up the good chi in the "travel area" of the house. I thought Mr. Nu (new) was blue when I bought him but somehow turned red by the time I got him home. Go figure. I think I was just imagining things now. grin. Anyway, he seems happy with his fellow mates close, but not too close, by. (Can you tell I am loving the closeups my new camera takes?)



Thursday, after arriving home, I received a box on the front stoop. I wondered what in the world I had ordered. Well, I hadn't ordered anything. It was a gift from Natalie Sarabella. When I saw the return addy, I just squealed. As I opened, layer upon layer of beauty, this is what was inside. To say it it absolutely breathtaking is an understatement. She sent the sweetest note along with it. She is one of the most thoughtful persons. I can tell you, it definitely raised my morale. Just home, still feeling guilty for leaving my brother, it was a welcome lift. Tucked inside her note was a sweet little piece of mink (from one of her projects). I have been carrying it with me every since--my rabbit's foot, so to speak. So precious. I can't wait to display my Kissing Ball in a most appropriate place next year! Woooohoooooo. We all need lots of kisses.

Well, word around the house is that the hub is back on Tennessee soil. So I best run and make the bed. lol.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Dead Fish

I'm happy the hub is home. One of my three lucky fish in the travel area of our house died. No wonder. Bella sticks her nose in there every day and drinks water from the bowl. Poor little fellow. I'll have to go and replace him tomorrow to keep the Feng Shui mojo going right.

Speaking of China , relatively, the hub made it home safely. He was given a lovely gift from one of his colleagues there. He's so sweet, he gave it to me to hold my ATCs in. Awwww. It's a beautiful box, made for business cards I suppose, with lovely angels on the front. I had never heard of The Flying Apsaras of Dunhuang. Of course I looked it up and this is what I found:

Feitian in Dunhuang

In the flourishing age of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), mural art achieved such a high level that feitian embodied the national characteristics in Dunhuang, Gansu Province.

The Sui and early Tang emperors (581-755) were obsessed with feitian: They constructed mechanical devices in their palaces so feitian could raise curtains to recreate the Buddhist paradise. During this period the art of feitian at Dunhuang reached its zenith. It was also a period of China's greatest control and involvement in the Silk Road trade which snaked through Dunhuang. Early Tang-era caves depict feitian in large numbers and various postures and moods. Many were depicted as heavenly musicians or as dancers. The features of the early Tang feitian became more refined and more Chinese: The figure is lighter and the drapery, more subtle, although the color intensity remains the same.

The feitian of the middle Tang Dynasty (755-845) neither had wings nor rode on clouds -- it flew gently and danced in a carefree manner with a long scarf. The trends of feminization and refinement of feitian continued throughout the mid Tang. Feitian became increasingly detailed, losing much of its color intensity.

There are more than 4,500 fei tian in the Dunhuang caves distributed throughout more than 270 of the remaining 492 caves. Feitian in these caves are depicted as young girls with slim figures and plump faces, an unstrained manner and gentle mood. Interestingly, feitian in Dunhuang are bare without wings or feathers. Instead, a moving scene depicting a group of girls flying and dancing freely in the sky can be found here. Some girls are seen weaving through the clouds and rivers, carrying fruits; others are playing musical instruments. The Buddhist picture of feitian is a vivid representation of ancient people longing for freedom.

After reading about the flying apsaras, I knew I had found the mystery behind two of our Chinese rugs. The one I have here in our study actually has the feitian flying about. I always wondered about them. I thought they were angels and is why I was drawn to it. We have a smaller version in our family room. Now, I have the complete story behind them. Fascinating.


And, while still on the subject of China; several weeks back, the hub had another colleague visiting from Beijing. We went to a bbq at one of the office's co-worker's house who was nice enough to invite everyone out. My house is completely out of commission, obviously. Everyone in the hub's office is so nice. A great bunch of folks. It was a wonderful time. I'm always so reluctant to go to these functions as I am so terribly shy, almost to the point of phobic. But, as always, with a little push, I go and have the most wonderful time. It was a great day. The next evening, we took Allen (his American name) to a big dinner at Maggiano's, a great Italian restaurant where they serve family style. We thought he would get a kick out of that. We were even able to coax the teenager to meet us there so we had the entire family with us. It may be the last time were are able to entertain as a family. Soon, he will be gone. Sniff sniff. Anyway, Allen had brought a nice gift for the hub. It's a beautiful souvenir pen set from the upcoming Chinese Olympics next summer. (Yes, everyone is pushing me to go. Do I think I could handle that long on an airplane??? Uh uh.) We'll see.

The guys are here (yes!) putting in cabinets. I can't wait for them to leave so I can peek in and see at least some of my cabinets in the kitchen. They've been in the garage all summer long. I am so excited. Of course, I will keep you posted.

And, before I forget, a big thank you to all who have expressed concern regarding my mother. You all are angels to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you, dearly. She's doing great!

Fall Decor . . .

. . . in the middle of Indian Summer! Kinda late, I know, but it sure is warm here. "We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave (singing)." It was a perfect 70s kinda day. Wow. I have the doors flung open, allowing all the freshly hatched bugs (again) to fly in and take residence (again).

I found these acorns at Pottery Barn! Amazing. Since I can't find any real ones, I had to have these. It was such a tease playing with them in Bremen, Germany, and then coming home to none. I don't know why you don't see that many old oak trees any longer. Growing up, they were everywhere. I've heard that the pin oak has taken over the American oak because it is less susceptible to disease. Guess that's why. But, I sure do miss the acorns. (Don't miss the mess--hmmm, could that be another reason they're all gone?)

Since I've been in thanksgiving mode, I've been putting little fall things out. Finally put the Halloween stuff away, everything but the witch garland. Too lazy to bring out the ladder.


These are the two arrangements mom threw away two years ago. I have to laugh every time I look at them. I purchased them half price after Thanksgiving two years ago. When I started decorating for Christmas, I asked the kid to take them to mom's apartment and put them on the coffee table. He thought I said her kitchen table. The next day, when I went down to see her, (laughing here) there sat the containers with nothing in them! I just gasped! "MOM! Where are the dried flowers????!!!" She thought they were dead (yea, they were, hehe) and had cut them all off and threw them in the back yard! Thank goodness she did that and didn't throw them in the trash. I was able to gather up all the filling and take it back to the florist I had purchased them from and had them rearrange it again. By the time I was finished, I had paid full price for the things! So, each year when I bring them out, I giggle at the memory of both of our faces--pure shock on both of our behalves! I tell her, "We're both just dumb as dirt!"

This is my front foyer. I've scattered the acorns about on my old tin tray. I probably should change the green arrangement here, but I probably won't. Grin. It does the job.

This is in my living room. Can you tell I love to celebrate birthdays? hehe. I have the kid's and my birthday presents sitting and waiting for us. giggle. I have been receiving lots of birthday ATCs from the ATC Yahoo group I'm a member of. How fun is that? The middle one is from non other than our Daisy Lupin! Isn't it fab! As I get new ones, I rotate them on my little easles that I purchased in Zurich. Aren't they great! They only had four, so I bought them all. They were only like $2.00!!

One of our fish died, Big Momma. She wasn't too nice. She chased Blackie and Goldie around and around all the time; so we weren't too sad to see her perish, sorry. You know, in feng shui, you can read all types of different takes on things. But, I have heard that if one fish dies, it has taken a blow of bad luck for you. Phew. Glad I dodged that ball, whatever it was. And so, the kid and I are off to get a replacement for Big Momma. I cleaned their bowl out today and Goldie and Blackie seem real happy without being harassed. I'm hoping I get another good one that gets along with the two others. (I haven't forgotten about the Feng Shui Post, I just need to gather some info before I delve into it! So, don't you fret my little pretties. Be patient with the old broad.)
I'll leave you with a pic of Dave dressed in drag. This is actually a feather toy (not boa) that he's (kinda) playing with. Wouldn't he make a beautiful female! hehe.

Update: And. . . here's Molly! Alone and with her new peeps. Now this gal has personality! Even B & G perked up when she swam in. They are normally just slugs. I think we have a good team here.

Helpful People/Travel Area A-OK

I have my "helpful people/travel area in good order now. I went out today and purchased three fish for my bowl--two gold and one black. I also placed a wind chime on each door knob going into this room (the study). They sound so peaceful when I open the doors. I'm loving it.

I also moved some angel figures and a pysanka into the northwest corner. Also placed up high is the Madonna with baby Jesus. I've written my affirmation and placed it in a small red envelope and hidden it under one of the angels. Gray candles are burning (gray is a good color for this area). I have also asked for their special guidance and security for our little family.

I feel better now with the hub half way around the world (in feng shui territory)! Bob Dylan is singing Hard Rain. Yep, I'm feeling pretty good right about now.