Nothing to say. Nada. Zilch.

Posted by goodoldgirl

You may or may not have noticed that I’ve not been blogging lately. Either way, I guess the best explanation for my absence from the bloggosphere is to just fess up and admit that I’ve run out of things to say.

To get ideas, I spent the last hour or so reading posts from some of my favorite blogs. They’re fresh, funny, interesting, and full of bits of wit and wisdom and insight.

Me?

I got nothing.

No insight into the way of the world.

No ideas about how to live long and prosper.

Not even a wise crack about the presidential debates.

What to do?

Hmmm?

I know … fake it!

I’ve been on a quest.

I put my house (really a townhouse/condo) on the market about three and a half years ago. I managed to get three offers and even two contracts but, alas, no sales. So, I decided a couple of months ago, finally, to finish unpacking and forget about selling for a few years.

Since that momentous decision, I’ve found all kinds of things I forgot I had. For example, an Oster Food Center that my mom gave me for Christmas about 25 years ago. She borrowed it from me about two months later and returned it about three years after that. Not being a domestic diva, I stuffed the big old box of food fanatic tools in the closet and forgot all about it until last week. Which is when I discovered that some of the pieces had gone astray, got melted, whatever. Anyway, it still works so my quest has been to find replacement parts.

Enter eBay. I can get a new turntable for the mixer part for about ten bucks. (Apparently, that part got too close to a stove at some point.) Not too much to spend to get this combination mixer/blender/chopper back to perfection. After pulling all the bits and pieces out of the box, though, I realized that the chopper bowl is missing.

Can’t help but wonder what happened to that. Is it stuck in some cabinet corner at my mom’s? I doubt it. She’s moved about a gazillion times in the last twenty years so I might as well look for that part on eBay as well.

Not so fast!

Both my sisters got the same gift from Mom that same Christmas. Last night’s chat with baby sis revealed that she has the chopper bowl and never uses it. So, it’s mine for the pick up. She also has the instruction booklet. Yeah! My daughter will be pleased.

You see, that’s what this quest is all about. Becky is really into domesticity. She makes pickles and jams. (Don’t worry. She’ll get over it eventually.) So, the almost vintage food center, once I have all the bits and pieces again, is going to her house. She can chop and mix and blend to her heart’s content.

And last, but not least, the food center can live long and prosper.

Yes, I really am this goofy. 🙂

Every Picture Tells a Story

Posted by goodoldgirl

Just when you least expect it, someone reaches in and grabs your heart and just won’t let go.

That happened to me a few decades ago when my baby sister was born. It happened again a few days ago when she gave me this birthday gift.

I’m not sure when she first started making collages, maybe in her teens, but she has for as long as I can remember. She creates them for loved ones and puts much of herself into every one she creates.

Making collages, when done well, is a painstaking process that takes hours of time and requires an artistic eye, as well as a spirit of adventure. Rosie is a talented artist with a husband and children and just starting her own business so just knowing that she took all the time needed to create the collage shown above — just for me– means more to me than I can ever adequately express.

And, then there is the content of this collage, I am amazed! In fact, it warms the cockles of this old girl’s heart and will for many years to come.

Thank you, sweet Rosie!

Garden Art …

Posted by goodoldgirl

I’m lucky in that I get to work at home a couple of days a week. One of the nicest things about working at home is the view — my garden. Granted, it’s not the biggest or best looking garden in the world, but it sure beats the heck out a gray office wall.

You see, I live in a condo that’s a townhouse with a small garden area that is mostly my patio with a couple of small flower beds on either side of it that is wedged in between my house and carport. My love of gardens was a gift from my mom and my small garden is precious to me.

The flowers …

I supplement the flower beds with containers of flowers scattered all around.

I like my garden. It’s peaceful. It’s sunny during the day and shaded in the evening. It’s homey. It’s mine to do with as I please. (Well, technically, the bank owns a small part of it, but it’s mostly mine.) One of things I like most about my little garden, and gardens in general really, is the art folks place within them.

The art …

We all have our preferences for garden art. Some of us like statues of Greek gods and some like little bunnies.

Me, I like them all. For example, I like vintage plant stands and almost anything done in wrought iron, especially wall art. I like kitties, and bunnies, and turtles, too. I adore my St. Francis statue and my rusted tin cat.