A Spring-like Respite

 

 Respite:  An interval of relief.



Ahh...so what's not to like about today?


Balmier breezes are blowing in and the mercury on the old farmhouse thermometer is almost at FIFTY! 


Now that might not sound great to you, but for having ZERO registered on there just one week ago, well, it feels like spring has arrived.

The grocery store had bundled tulips 3/$10 so I splurged (I really wanted three bunches but talked myself out of it and just nabbed one) and brought some bright sunshine home to live with me while it lasts.


The house is dirty, and the snow outside is melting, so I've decided today turn off that furnace and to throw open the windows and let this old house breathe in some fresh air!  I'm going to sweep and mop.  

And...

When I walked to the mailbox, in addition to the sounds of birds singing above my head in the old silver maple tree,  there was another bright and springlike surprise awaiting me there! 

Victoria, I think I'll have a little time alone with you later after I mop up all that mud the dogs have brought in!  

You will wait for me, right Victoria?

The Kid in Me....

Sometimes, the kid in me says:

"Joni, go ahead and...

reach for the old Flint Stone juice glass,
skip the cracks in the sidewalk...
make faces at yourself in the mirror,
eat candy that's really sour,
skip across the yard,
(and that feels a little more jiggly now than it did then!)
blow bubbles with your gum",
or
"It's okay, step right into that fresh puddle."
(And when I do, that little kid in me giggles.)

Because really,
all I am
is
a
little
kid
who
time
made
to
grow
up
up!

In what little ways do you enjoy the little kid that's still left inside of YOU?

Three Little Kittens...

Three little kittens....

Had lost their mittens....

And couldn't tell where to find them...



So we dressed them in clothing instead!

My grand niece, McKenzie puts a pink frock on this kitty...


Did you enjoy "dressing up" the kittens when you were little?

Craving COLOR!!!!!!!

Winter doldrums....they're here! They are a MOST UNWELCOME visitor!

Now, I keep too busy for them to bother me much, but I can tell you that I would rather the snow was covering the ground this time of year for the brightness. I can accept cold. I can accept forced air heat for months at a time. I can take it when there's no sunshine for weeks...but give me snow!

And for those of you who live in states blessed with perpetual sunshine...well, you may not know what I'm talkin' about here...but those of us in the upper midwest and the midwest, this time of year can be trying. Especially when the snow melts.

You see, this weekend, we had our "January thaw" and oh, my. The snow's gone, and so is the brightness in our world. We now have dead grass and muddddd....

(And with two dogs of our own and two puppies of my son's...oh yuck!!!!)

So...I took off on a journey in my photo files and thought I would pull out some color to brighten our world today....I hope this helps some of us who are looking out our windows at rain, dead beaten down grass, mud, and piles of dirty snow! The sunshine in some of these pictures is most welcome and you can just tell it's spring in this particular one!

Won't be too long now and we can see this happening in our world again, hyacinths pushing their way up through the warming dirt, reaching to the sunshine!

Oh, excuse me, just a minute, I think I have to go find a hankie....sheets hanging on the line? I think I'm going to cry now.

June berries. Sigh.

It

will

be six months

before you see this in your back yards...(swallow that lump in your throat).

We CAN do this. We CAN go through the rest of January, February, March and April.

We can.




We can?

And, please hold on....for blue skies, freshly cut grass, and puffy, puffy clouds. Don't cry.

Thunderstorms and quenched, happy smelling earth, flowers almost vibrating with happiness after a good rainstorm....you can do it, you will make it. We WILL.

Lushness, greenness...oh.
(Hi, Junebug!)

You can wait to rock on the porch, and listen to the crickets and watch butterflies.

And it's only about seven months until it's time for the county fair....

And the smell of dewey grass on a warm summer night with the moon shining sweetly over your head. Only seven. Long. Months.

Until it's time for all things breezy like the flag flappin' crisply in the wind.
And for the simple, like flip flops and shorts, grilled meals and picnics.

And car shows.

Walking hand in hand just looking and dreaming....

But for now, I'll have to take what I can get from inside.

Yes, these days, I'll take it anywhere I can get it...COLOR!

Cozy?

Soup's on?
Tree lit?
Windows frosty?
Cozy footies on your feet?
Hot cuppa somethin' in your hands?

Home...
we long to be within its sheltering walls.

The Bing Crosby Show....Wartime Radio

Every now and then, I get a chance to browse on PLAYLIST.COM for new or seasonal songs for my blog's play list. Sometimes, while I'm browsing, I'll find a little treasure hidden among the songs there.

(By the way, did you know that, if you prefer NOT to hear music when my blog loads, hit "end" on your keyboard, and then scroll up just a hair or two and go to "What's on the Record Player?" click on the largest round button on the play list box and that should stop the music for you. Unfortunately, you would need to do this each time you log on to my blog page or you can just hit mute when you log in.)

Recently, in an effort to load some Christmas songs onto my play list, I accidentally came across a BING CROSBY RADIO SHOW that shows a date of 12-24-1942! This, of course is a Christmas eve radio show and is it ever GOOD.


If you are like me and love all things vintage and you'd like to listen to the whole broadcast, you'll need to leave the computer on my blog page for awhile because it lasts almost an hour. Just hit number four down on my play list and let the fun begin.


Keep in mind that all the music and everything is done live!

In this broadcast, you'll hear sentiments from the war years and inspirational readings, banter between cast members, and of course, good old Bing singing all kinds of Christmas songs sometimes in duets. I enjoyed it immensely and think you will too. Even the commercials were fun, done live.

There was also a patriotic edge to the whole show; and the reading at the end was especially poignant. I like the encouragement that was given to both the listener at home and the soldier abroad....truly thoughtful.

Here's our old vintage radio. We once had it restored to work, but it's getting harder and harder to find the old tubes and right now it isn't in working order. When it has all tubes working, it can pull in radio stations from literally everywhere, some in languages we don't even understand.

While researching for this post, I found this website for more old-time radio shows to listen to from your pc: go to Old Time Radio Network where you can hear Lucile Ball, or Bob Hope, just about anyone from the old radio days. What fun!

This little treasure is something I hope you are able to enjoy sometime this Christmas season, perhaps while you bake or decorate. I am so glad someone took the time to upload it to Playlist's website. Listening to old radio transports us back to a simpler time.


This is how the show ends:

"MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE, FROM HOLLYWOOD. THIS IS THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY."





More old time radio on the internet here. And here.

Another Bright Smile Just For You....

I'm letting a rosy-cheeked friend of mine show you his cute smile today. It's super cold outside, (hovering near zero this morning!) thus the red, red cheeks. He seems to be saying, "CHEER UP! Winter doesn't really last forever, it just seems like it!"

I've had this little "relish" container for at least twenty years, and of course, was vintage at the time I got him.

He's always held spare buttons that come on my new blouses. Then I always know where to find them.

Although he's meant for relish, and is always licking his lips in anticipation, I've never used him for the table. Strangely, he seems to consistently smile anyway even though he's not allowed to be doing his proper job.

He reminds me of a Howdy Doody doll, that's why I picked him up. And my oldest son, who is very much creeped out by clowns has never said this little guy bothers him at all, in spite of the fact that he rather resembles a clown.

So Mr. Relish face says HAVE A GREAT DAY!

A Smile...or Two....

The sun is shining brightly today. However, for days it has been rather gray and dark and this time of year can get pretty long for those of us in the midwest. The countdown to spring seems to begin as soon as the Christmas tree is put away! So, I hired a few friends to come and model their best smiles for me, to help cheer my friends who may look in today.

*

I, on the other hand, would love for nothing more than to lay down and take a nice, long nap under a cheerful and warm quilt, and wake up about the twentieth of April. I know, I'm dreaming.

*

So here are a couple sunnier friends to smile at you and say hello! The rotund red apple has a cheery sound, if you could hear her, Happy Apple would be jingling her little chime bells for you!