RULES OF CHANGE...

This was last week... 

Picture taken from Pinterest

As I was watching a re-run

 of Fixer Upper

 for about the 100th time 

(I guess you could say I am obsessed.

 I think these two

 might have been my kids

 in a different life 

so I like to show them off).

 I noticed that Joanna

 had styled an over mantle

 with two windows. 

 Of course, 

her's were actually mirrors

 that looked like windows

 and were very elegant looking. 

 But, it reminded me

 of two windows 

that we occasionally hang

 on the front porch.

We started out

 hanging them at the end of the porch

 at the beginning of summer

 a few years ago. 

 Before we knew it,

 summer was gone 

and the winds picked up 

and we had to take them down.

  Then we forgot

 to put them back up 

until the next summer was nearly over,

 then the winds returned,

 so you know how that goes.

 Now

they have been sitting

 in the garage gathering dust..

until I had

 a light-bulb moment!

When I threw my idea

 out to the Captain,

 he was totally against it. 

 He still hasn't quite

 gotten the idea

of the "old" 

not looking like brand new, 

as in the eye of

 a furniture refinisher, 

in the 1980's and 90's, 

when everything was oak

 and finished in a

 pristine manner.

 But,

 we have a chalk board worthy attitude

 in this Cottage...

I didn't 'heart' Jake's signature in upper left corner until after I had taken the photo.  Once a little boy, always a little boy!

...and you know the rest of the story.

So now, this is today...

I finished

 the new pillows 

and am pleased how the colors match

 (which was not planned BTW)

 the patriotic sign

 that I have had for years

 and which has also come off

 of its usual place on the porch

 at this time of year.

I am really liking this new arrangement.

  I think

 there will be many possibilities

 for decorating 

to my little heart's content.

  As for the Captain

 when I ask him

 if he has changed his mind 

about the windows,

 he just turns away 

and grumbles!!!

 I just make sure 

that he turns

 toward that blackboard!

It has been so hot here

 and I'm trying really hard

 to stick to my motto

 of not wishing away time 

and to enjoy everything 

in the here and now.

 So far it's working...

"Ah, Summer

What Power You Have

To Make Us Suffer And Like It."

Russell Baker

Have a wonderful week...

...Judy...

Sharing today at:

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AVERTING DISASTER...

This past week started out

 as most weeks do...

with simple ideas to accomplish, 

the usual daily lists of projects

 to start and,

 hopefully, complete...

...a trip to JoAnn's

 for some fabric to make

 sofa pillows...

...an expected visit 

from the kids 

to celebrate

 Father's Day.

Life was good

 and going along

 as planned

 until...

"Don't you dare ever do that to me again"

...we noticed that Lucy,

 one of the two cats we had inherited

 when their drug dealing, wife beating,

 child abusing owner abandoned them,

 was scratching and 

most likely had fleas.

 We thought a good idea 

would be to put a flea collar on her.

  We took her by surprise

 as she was eating

 and slipped the collar over her head.

 Well, you probably get the picture! 

 She was hissing and jerking around,

 trying to shake it off. 

 I swear she jumped six feet up in the air

 and took off running down the sidewalk,

 under the front gate,

 down the middle of the street 

and out of sight.

We spent a few hours

 looking for her in the neighbor's yards and bushes

 but to no avail. 

 We were just sick

 and telling ourselves she would never come back

and we should have foreseen

 how she would react

 and thinking of how innocent and trusting she is

 and how badly she had to have been treated in the past.

We thought she was surely gone

 forever

 but she did come back a few hours later,

 we removed the collar,

 and she was fine.

Two days later,

 she didn't show up in the morning 

for breakfast like she always does,

 nor for dinner or breakfast

 the day after that.

 We looked all over

 and couldn't find her any place.

  That evening we heard mewing

 coming from our neighbor's garage

 and found she had been locked in there

 the whole time.

She has pretty much

 used up two of her nine lives

 so, hopefully, 

she'll have better luck from here on.

Sunday afternoon

 we heard planes flying low

 over our general area

 and knew that was a signal that a fire was close by.

As it turns out,

 one was burning

 just about 1/2 mile

 from our house

 and from town...

as the crow flies...

...fortunately

 we have well trained

 and well staffed firefighters

 in our area and

it was dealt with quickly.

Usually

 the fires are further out from town

 as we are surrounded by

 outlying areas of forests

 but as you can see above,

 as evidence by the pink fire retardant

 on the ground and road,

 every place is vulnerable now

 due to it being so dry.

 FYI: If you can imagine,

 to the first, single, tall tree

 behind the telephone pole, 

at middle right of the picture...

we live about two blocks

 behind there!

We have certainly had 

enough excitement,

 if you want to call it that,

 for awhile 

so now I am just going 

to concentrate on getting those pillows made...

...and helping the Captain

 put together his new

 Father's Day toy.

Hope all the wonderful dads' and husbands' out there had a great Father's Day...

And HAPPY SUMMER.

...Judy...

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SUMMER...ARE WE THERE YET?

Photo edited in PicMonkey. Thank you, Celestina, for the idea but couldn't get it right, so did my own thing. 

"Summertime and the livin' is easy"...

Excerpt from Summertime by George Gershwin

It's not quite summer yet.

 We still have

 a few days left 

of spring...

...and while the sun is

 shining brightly overhead,

 there is a soft breeze 

moving the wind chimes...

...and even though

 the cotton may not be high in our area,

 the hydrangeas are reaching tall

 and putting on their

 coats of many colors.

The butterfly bush is

 almost in full bloom

 and is already enticing

 these beautiful creatures

 with its jewel tones.

...and the busy, buzzing bees

 just can't resist 

the sweet smell of lavender.

The mystery flowers, 

which we have finally come to know 

as vintage summer phlox,

 are bursting upon the scene

 and will forever be known

 as the 'mystery flowers'

as no one knows 

where they came from.

In case you haven't heard,

 our dear and talented

blogging friend, Diana,

Nana Diana Takes A Break,

  is a published author. 

 She has written a book called 

"The Mystery of Lucy and the Dark Woods."

I am about half way through

 and find it hard to put down.

It is a fascinating story 

with twists and turns,

 set in an era of simpler times.

  I won't tell you anymore,

 but I know it will be an

 enjoyable summer read,

 and if you have

 followed Diana's blog at all,

 you will know that it is a story

 told with humor, joy and compassion.

  It is available through Diana's Etsy shop on her blog.

The summer is starting off

 with another piece of the puzzle 

fitting into place

 in the sitting room re-do.

  Our new area rug has arrived.

To refresh your memory

 here is how the room looks 

with the rug we

 "borrowed from the library"...

...even though

 it adds a little spot of color

 to the space...

...I prefer this one

 as I like the different textures

 and I think it 

warms up the room more.

With a bouquet 

of alstromeria in place,

 I'm thinking I like

 how their colors liven up things

so might pick up some pillows

 in those shades.

 What do you think?

Summer

 has come

 a bit early

 this year...

It's a beautiful thing to celebrate.

...Judy...

Sharing today with

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What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

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