Barn Red, and Other Stuff...

I've been thinking about my mom's barn red houses, the color she painted most of the homes she lived in, even her double wide mobile home. The memories were triggered by watching a House Hunters International set in Europe, and seeing the red house in the Jesse Stone movies. I love a barn red house!

Love the red against all that snow.

This is the back of mom's last home and her three beloved dogs.

Mom even had the garage painted barn red!

Over the weekend, I went through a couple more storage boxes. Found cameras which belonged to my father-in-law along with history books and a few photos. It's odd how picking up one item will evoke so many memories.

There's not much else to share today. Our front window is scheduled to be replaced tomorrow. It cracked from top to bottom during the coldest part of winter, but thankfully it was just the inner pane. The temperatures will be in the 80's tomorrow, while they have our front room wide open. Not looking forward to that, but it is what it is. I need to shift some boxes of photos and negatives from that room for safe keeping. Looks like it's going to be a long night. So, until another day, wishing you joy and peace!

Forgotten Treasures...

Yesterday, I spent the day going through a couple of large boxes,  "picture frames, etc" is what they were marked with. In one box, I found 8X10 photos of myself as a baby, my grandparents, my dad, a wedding photo and more. In the other box were my dad's obituary, death certificate, honorable discharge from the army, funeral book, his stories and poems, and the stories and poems of a cousin. There was also political memorabilia from the Reagan and Bush years, including a sympathy certificate signed by President Bush. My grandpa Mike's obituary was also there, along with photocopies of old pictures. Mom was very big on photocopying.

My dad...

The timing of rediscovering all of this, just before Father's Day, added to the emotion. I had a good cry, then I turned on House Hunters International and started prepping the final ingredients for the Chicken Enchilada Casserole, I'd started earlier in the crock pot. The chicken had to cook in the sauce for 4 hours before adding the tortillas, olives, and cheese. Everyone was happy to have a hot meal, but we all agreed it would have been better without the olives or maybe a different brand. I love olives, but they were very strong.

Speaking of forgotten treasures, I ran across this old photo. It shows some of my favorite things. The picture was taken years ago, but I still have most of these. Seeing them showcased like this somehow made me appreciate them more.

Books and other lovely treasures!

Well, I suppose it's time to think about dinner. I'm not too excited about leftover enchiladas. I guess I can pick out the olives like my 5 year old self would have done. Haha!

If you still have your father, hug him great big! If he's gone, like mine is, take a moment to revisit the happy memories.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

My Favorite Kind of Day...

Today is a perfect day for me, sunny but cool! I'm loving it! I know the summer heat is coming soon, but until then I am reveling in this gorgeous weather!

Due to the heavy rains this spring, our gooseberries and rhubarb have gone crazy. More than we really need, but a nice addition to the freezer. Autumn will be rich with pie!

I made an impulse purchase earlier today. I've discovered the comfort of LulaRoe clothing. My favorite is the Carly dress, but today I bought the Perfect T to give it a try. This is the one I chose.

It looks roomy, which I love, and the greens and blues are so pretty! I think it will be cute with slacks or jeans. It might even work with a denim skirt I have.

Over the weekend, I began a Jesse Stone mystery marathon, which I'd recorded from Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. I enjoy the stories, but I think I'm more in love with the red house he lives in and the beautiful scenery of Nova Scotia, where it is filmed.

Over the years, I've saved some images for possible art projects. I've been going through them for inspiration. Here are some from The Graphics Fairy.

Old fashioned floral bouquet

Deer edited with a pink/red hue

This image was labeled Shakespeare

Just imagine what you could create using these images. Everything from greeting cards to pillow covers.

Well, it's time to get off this computer and get started on a project I have waiting for me.
Until next time...

What Will This Day Bring...

I had a long, mostly sleepless night, though I did catch a few after 3am, so the alarm had no effect when it went off early this morning. I'm now enjoying my cereal, OJ, and coffee, with Hallmark Movies & Mysteries providing ambient noise in the background. Wondering what this day will bring. A nap, for sure.

The past couple weeks have been unusually stressful. My husband was recovering from a surgery, a friend passed away from cancer much too soon, I had to miss the wedding of a young cousin, and on it went.

Yesterday, we had another duck incident. A mama duck who had nested, unknown to us, in our overgrown front garden, was hit and killed, along with three of her ducklings, in the street by our home. We rounded up the remaining five terrified ducklings, and my husband carefully transported them to a wild bird refuge about 15 miles away which is at least a 30 minute drive, mostly through city streets. About 20 minutes, after he left, my son told me he'd seen another one, but it got away into the heavy vines. I didn't dare try to step in to look without risking stepping on the tiny thing, so we went back inside. Before long I heard it calling for it's mother. Over the next hour, I'd listen for it, go out to look, and spot it briefly before it disappeared again into the greenery. Finally, success! I placed it into a box with a small bowl of water. The bird lady had advised us not to feed ducklings, but to make sure they had water, and bring them out as soon as we could. My dear husband loaded it into his car and headed out for the long drive for the second time, two hours in the car to spare the lives of 6 orphaned ducklings. Next spring, I'm posting a No Vacancy sign in our yard! This neighborhood is no longer a safe nesting place like it was when we moved here years ago.

Cuddling together

"I've got  my eye on you"

The straggler, safe at last.

The refuge is called the Ruth Melichar Bird Center. Here is a link, if you are interested in learning what they do and perhaps donating to help them in their efforts:

Ruth Melichar Bird Center, Idaho Wildlife Rescue

Here is a photo of the center. Most of the birds scattered when my husband approached, but these two were intent on their waterhole. They are cared for and about 70% are later released back into a wild habitat.

It was an unsettling, but exciting weekend. I believe it's now time for an afternoon nap, or maybe another Hallmark mystery.