Let's Talk Strawberries

I bought this decal in a package as well as a red geranium, originally 10 cents, now $2.50, adding a little color to a lingering-a-little-too-long winter.  I love how it looks on my depression glass.  It sits on a little clock shelf in my kitchen.   ;)

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Can we talk strawberries?  We have to plant a new patch and I would love to hear your tips, tricks and the type or variety you like.  Although we didn't have any last year, there's still plenty in the freezer!  Yum!

Back Road Beauty: I Shoot through the Windshield!

This is what you get when you go out on a cold, frosty, foggy morning and you shoot through the windshield on your truck.

The lesson is brought to you free, by the girl who refuses to read her instruction manual that came with her digital DSLR because I am sure they would say this is a no-no.

I am Nostalgic for ... Sam's Country

I just thought I'd share one of my vintage school books with you today.  I get lost in the pictures in this one. Totally lost.

I collect these sort of books, and I can tell you why I love them so much.  It's because they take me back to the way things used to be in this country.  

Sometimes I get unspeakably sad when I think about where Sam's Country is being taken, and how so much of what she is made out of is being snatched away.

Do you ever feel that way, too?

Longing for Spring...

My pansy platter ... makes me long for spring!

Back Roads Beauty: An Ethereal Morning

I looked out the window Saturday morning to find this:

a hoarfrost and a fog, the sun was rising quickly so I brushed my hair, got my boots and grabbed a coat and my camera pack and left the house in the sweats I slept in!

And it was magic, ethereal, and quiet except for the sound of the snow squeaking under the tires on a morning that registered exactly ZERO on the truck's digital thermometer.

The heater on high, a window open and oldies on the radio, and the magic lasted for nearly two hours.

On one road, the fog was so thick, the road so remote, I got out of the truck and I stood in the road and just listened to it.  It was just me and the birds, and I thought I heard the sound of spring in their song.  I enjoyed every second of it.  

I have so much thankfulness for these little treasures handed to me, and if I look and I act, I can preserve just SOME of the magic for us to share.

Back Roads Beauty: Hello....!

See my new friend?

I went wandering the other day after a good snow that stuck to everything, 

whipped up by a good stiff wind.  

Took the back roads and had a grand time with a friend.  Two barn-shooters!

All Things Bright & Beautiful: Vintage Quilt

I have happy place in my house I like to go to sometimes when I need a nap, or when I'm feeling down.

There are happy faces everywhere...

There's a friendly little gal that sits on the bed.

It's our vintage toy guest room.

In that room are little reminders from childhood, 

when peanut butter came in tin buckets with handles.

There are little creatures with winsome eyes...

And now...

I finally have found the vintage quilt I've been watching for ... 

for quite a few years.  AMAZING, because it's just what 

I've wanted, in the right colors and at a decent price.

And I found this one with all the right colors... 

in the double wedding ring pattern.

It matches all the toys...and it matches the bed, too.

There's enough of the apple green in it that matches the bed...

And all those lovely intersections that make me woozy...

and if I was a little kid, 

my Matchbox cars would be going in circles all over the place.

Isn't it perfect?!  

All hand pieced and hand-quilted, in perfect condition, 

just a bit of yellowing on the muslin from age.

I love the border pieces with the tiny squares.

There are so many different quilting patterns 

that you can see on the back.

Making this red-gingham room an even sunnier place...

And we have had such a run of cloudy days, 

and I found a puddle of sunshine, 

so I laid on the floor in it curled up like a kitty cat, 

but I was snuggled under a quilt as the sun shined on my face.  And as the sun moved, I moved with it..

And as Uncle Si on Duck Dynasty says...

 I was ... "Happy, happy, happy!"

So God Made A Farmer: Best Commercial Ever.

Best of the night, hands down.

I'm telling you, this one made me cry.

It made me miss Paul Harvey, and the men of that generation.  

It made me remember his commentary, soothing, calming commentary.

As each one ended, it made you realize what a good place you lived in.

The photos on this are absolutely stunning, heart-breaking-ly stunning.  

And you know photos are the way to my heart.  

The truck was almost immaterial.

What a great country we have.

What great people we have.

What a sad thing to watch it being dismantled.

But for a minute, I forgot about all that, and my heart swelled with pride 

for those that work hard, 

and work well, and sacrifice to successfully feed and clothe us.  

THANK YOU, farmers, thank you.