Pics Fix

After 18 months in storage, and after living 18 months with blank white walls...WE HAVE PICTURES.  Oh, how I've missed you!  Everything that I hang has a special significance. 

A tiny (and only remaining) photo of my great-grandmother's house, where I spent many happy afternoons playing in her garden.  A photo of my landlady from my college days, a wonderful surrogate mother to me, along with her daughter.  A Western Union telegram from the Navy to my great-grandmother in 1945, asking if my grandfather was old enough to enlist.  And a children's art piece - bears and bees - both great loves.

I also added a quilted wall hanging to that corner.  It's so bright and cheerful now!

A photo of the grandparents who raised me, with the "surprise!!" letter from my grandpa to his parents, informing them of his sudden wedding.

A hallway lined with my favorite children's art...a trio of framed Victorian bird puzzles in the entryway...and lots of other beloved nature prints in other areas of the house.  Other favorite family photos, too, like this one, which shows my grandpa and his siblings riding in a goat cart in 1926 (note:  my great aunt is still alive!).

Lest I seem like a wall hog, Todd is happy with whatever I want to put up.  :)

It's also been so wonderful to see my pottery again!  My Emma Bridgewater mugs and dishes pair nicely with my navy-colored German pottery.

There are still some stacks of things that don't seem to fit anywhere just yet, like on the bottom shelf of this cabinet...

...but things are slowly falling into place.  It's amazing! 

Now that these things are done, I can turn my attention to some seasonal tasks.  Dahlia tubers don't do well in our cold winters, so they must be dug up in the late fall...

...and stored in some water-retaining medium, like compost, until spring. 

Mice are loving our slightly-warm barn, and the live animal traps have to be checked and emptied daily. 

Todd walks them out to the edge of the property and releases them.  They'll find another place to live, or become food for one of our beloved outdoor animals. 

This season brings such beautiful sunrises.  Winter is my absolute favorite with creams, peaches, and pale blue.

We get some bright colors too!  I can see the sunrise from my office window, and it's amazing how every day is a bit different.

Meanwhile, the cats stay blissed out on their heat mat.

But they're also kissing on the couch...

...or participating in fabulous late-afternoon group naps.

Have I mentioned that I love this season?  There are no group naps in summer!  :) 

Have a great week!

L.A. Woman

So we just got back from a two week trip to California.  The first few days were the 'vacation' portion. 

We hiked in the San Gabriel Mountains...

We went to the coast, too.  We played in the tide pools and watched the surfers.

We did a lot of walking along the shore, and even took some corny selfies.  Ah, vacations!

We visited some of my family members that live in the area.  I got to pore over old photo albums.  I only have one or two photos of my dad, and no photos of that side of the family, so it was really exciting for me to see these old pictures.

My dad, graduating from college:

My grandma with my dad in her lap:

My grandpa in his Navy uniform:

It was such a treat to thumb through those albums!

The real reason for our California trip, however, was Star Wars Celebration, where we set up a booth.  Life is funny.  I do have a college degree, and I certainly never thought I'd sell Star Wars (and other vintage toys) for a living, but I have to admit that it's a pretty good gig.  It's taken me to a lot of interesting places, and I've met some really wonderful people.  But these conventions...phew!  It's really hard work! 

Here I am, sunburned, sleepy, and armed with my Exhibitor's badge.

So...many...boxes.

Finally, some semblance of order...

It was total, complete chaos from the time the doors opened until they closed at night.

Of course, Todd was in seventh heaven.

I missed all the celebrity panels, but I did see several people in character...

Look!  Anthony Daniels (aka "C-3PO") signed the ceramic tape dispenser that I sold to "Mike" - "It's the ugliest thing in the galaxy."  Ha!

The whole time went by in a blur, and it's taken me a week to completely recover!  I'm looking forward to getting back on track with normal life. 

Have a great week!