PLAIN OLD SPRING FEVER...

 

A simple Easter display in the entry.

This has been a lost week. 

 A lot of TV watching,

 a lot of looking out the windows 

at all the sunshine,

 a lot of dreaming, 

and a lot of setting up appointments.

The Captain served in the Navy way back between 1957 and 1961. 

 He was always told that he was not eligible for veteran's benefits during that time 

so he just assumed that was true. 

 He has since found out

 that wasn't the case 

so now he is taking advantage of 

what is due him. 

 He was onboard a ship 

where drills were practiced 

and he started losing his hearing 

sometime after that.  

He is very lucky that he has remained otherwise healthy since then 

and has never had

 to take many medications.  

In the last few months he has applied for VA services and has been approved. 

 We have to drive a ways to take advantage of these services but it is 

worth the time it takes. 

 During last week we have made two trips 

and he has a appointment 

for early May with an ENT doc, 

which is required 

before he can get hearing aids. 

 It seems that most of our time is taken up with planning 

and going to these appointments,

 so I haven't done much more in the way

 of having anything interesting to show.

Another simple display on the parlor mantel. After seeing this photo, a few of the dried hydrangeas should be removed.  The arrangement looks too heavy and should be scaled down but I ran out of time.

If I had it all to do over again, 

I would decorate the Cottage with nothing but what I have come up with here. 

 The old ironstone pitcher

 that belonged to my great-grandmother, 

a chipped picture frame
  all mixed in with gold and the
 color of nature stripped of its brightness. 

 Color has always been 

a part of what I love, 

but there is something to be said for an easy place to rest your eyes.  

I find these days that I need some of that.

I ordered this string of ornaments 

around last Christmas 

but did not receive them 

in time for decorating.  

I included them in this arrangement 

as I thought the color 

reminds me a bit of Easter...

...they look like pretty glass ornaments 

but are only plastic 

but they have an

 old world classic appeal to them.

I moved the old books 

from the parlor mantel

 to the library table.

I painted one of the camellias

 blooming in the garden...

  ...this is not exactly what it looked like 

but it is my best version...

This flower was part

 of an anniversary arrangement 

we received 

and I had taken a photo of...

 ...after tracing around it, 

 I again painted my version. 

We received a nursery catalog 

from Green Acres Nursery. 

 Something about the cover shot

 caught my attention 

and my version follows.

This is the first painting I have done where it was drawn free hand.

We are still waiting for them to come finish the blacktop on the driveway

 but the process has gotten us thinking

 about what we are planning for the 

front garden this summer.  

We are dreaming up plans so we won't have so much watering to do.  

It won't be a big change 

but enough to make it

 a little more low maintenance.

We had our second booster shot

 for Covid yesterday. 

 Our counts here have gone down a lot 

but we still need to be careful 

and getting all the vaccinations offered 

and wearing masks out in public

 is something that we are happy to do.

Hope everything is going well for all of you and that you are enjoying everything spring has to offer.

...Judy...

"Just now the lilac is in bloom

All before my little room".

Rupert Brooke

Spring is really here

 and before long 

the lilac , as seen from the kitchen window, 

will make a lovely bouquet.

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda