Trust the Tree

Imagine the scene ... it was June 2002, and my husband and I were at the end of our third trip to this house with our realtor.  In addition to the purchase price, we did what we could to mentally tally up a list of the renovations that we thought the place would need ... roof, paint removal, plaster repair, floor refinishing, masonry, HVAC, electrical, kitchen, bathrooms, the list goes on ... I think both of us were overwhelmed at the prospect.  

As we stood on the deck that day and talked about it, knowing that we had to make a decision, I kept looking at the huge tree in the yard ... imagining what that tree had seen in its life, how it sheltered the house with its dominating presence, and picturing how (or if) I would be a part of its next chapter.

View from the deck today at about mid-morning.

How could we be sure that this would be our forever home?  The tree whispered to me, I swear it did, and I knew that this was home.  

Thirteen years ago, during the first week of January 2003, three months after settlement, I put the first hammer and pry bar to this place.  I like to think that the tree had no way to know about all the additional things we would find that the house needed ... how our two-year plan to renovate and move in would stretch to five years, with a nonstop parade of projects continuing since then.  If it did know, it wasn't letting on.

It is, after all, just a tree.

Sunday Snapshot ... A Winter View

In the morning, while I drink coffee and eat breakfast, I am often in this spot at the end of the peninsula counter between our kitchen and dining room.

From here, this is the view that I have to my left, through the west-facing dining room window.

The ancient pecan tree you see has shaded the back of our house since the beginning, I imagine.  (our house was built in 1848.)  At any given time, we see a large and varied number of birds, and a squirrel or two, doing something within its branches.

My Rambler Fence rose garden is on the left, just past the driveway.  There's nothing to see there in winter, because the roses are sleeping.  In the distance, you see the winter view of our barn ... 200 yards from the house. 

The stained glass (which is where my Hartwood Roses logo came from), ironstone pitcher, and cat bed (where cats sit to watch the birds and squirrels in the tree) complete the scene.  A perfect little snapshot of so many of the things that I love, all in one image.

Used the Waterlogue app to do something artsy with the image.

Today is chilly, winter-like at last.  I plan to spend a little bit of time outside in the sunshine, tidying up one of my gardens.  After that, the afternoon will be devoted to football watching.

What are your plans for today?

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Sunday Snapshots are posts devoted to moments in time that represent glimpses into everyday life in Hartwood, or wherever else I happen to be at the time. 

Downsizing ... Slow, Steady Progress

I made only one resolution for 2015.  At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to remove one item from our house for every day of the year.  Sounds like a lofty dream ... but it turned out to be much easier to do that I thought it would be.

Donation made in October.  Those gold lamps are the ones that were on our dresser before I found THESE lamps to replace them.

I keep a large moving box, that we call The Donation Box, in an out-of-the-way corner of our living room.  Any time I move something, put away laundry, rearrange a cupboard or closet, I subject the items to a simple test ... Is this item useful and does it bring me joy?  Answer "Yes", and the item is kept, put to use, or stored away till it's time to use it.  Answer "No", and it get dropped into The Donation Box.

When The Donation Box is full, I catalog the items, load them up, and take them away.  My most favorite place to donate things is to Re-Tail, a thrift shop on the other side of town, whose proceeds benefit an all-breed animal sanctuary.  

This is what The Donation Box looks like right now.

Today is New Year's Eve, the 365th day of 2015.  Without including the items that are currently in The Donation Box, which will probably go to the thrift store next week or later, 374 items left our house and went to outlets that support causes that benefit people and animals in our community!  374 isn't a huge number, considering how much extra stuff we still have to deal with.  But, it's a start ... and that lofty goal that I set for for 2015 has led to a habit and a system that will allow us to continue to make progress toward living with WAY less stuff in the future.  

... Not a Creature Was Stirring ...

Please accept my most sincere wishes to you and your family for the happiest of holidays ... Christmas, it is for us.

Thank you for spending time here with me, reading what I write, sharing stories, offering advice and support, and contributing to this community that my little blog has created.  I am grateful for every one of you.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

The 24-Hour Quilt

Thirty-plus years ago, when I was pregnant with our first child, I made a little quilt for the new baby.  At that time, it was rare for parents to know the sex of their baby before its birth, so I used red fabrics to make a bright, gender neutral quilt.  Simple pattern, six-inch squares and a diagonal pattern, tying the layers together with yarn, nothing fancy ... made to be used.  Use it we did, for all three of our daughters.

Daughter #1.  Hard to imagine that this little cherub is all grown up, with two children of her own.

When Drew (grandson #1) was born, he used this quilt, too.  Caleb (grandson #2) has it now, and he takes it along with him everywhere he goes.  It's a bit threadbare now .... the fact that Caleb picks at it has accelerated the decline.  

This picture is about two years old.  The old quilt is a lot more worn right now.

Because the old quilt is now little more than a rag, I decided to make a new quilt for Caleb for Christmas.  Like the original, I wanted it to be simple ... shouldn't take too long to make a small quilt like I had in mind.  A quick trip to the fabric store, and this is what I decided ...

Rainbow colors, in a mix of patterns ...

Six-inch squares, with a diagonal pattern, and half squares on the border.

As with most important projects, I had help.

Dorothy holds down the layers, as I sandwich the top, batting, and backing.

Pinning the layers, with Maggie's help.

I used yarn to tie the layers together, just like I did with the original.

Alice and Maggie supervise while I mark where the yarn ties will go.

Four knots per square.

A quilt hoop helps hold the layers straight while I tie them.

With all the ties in place, I trimmed the batting and backing, then used the sewing machine to attach the binding.

It took a couple of hours to carefully fold the binding to the back and stitch it in place by hand.  Dorothy kept me company while I worked.

After a quick trip through the washer and dryer, the quilt was finished.  

24 hours, start to finish.  I even surprised myself with how well this came together and how little time it took to make it.

I know that Caleb will love it ... but I don't hold any hope that he will agree to replace his old quilt with this one.  My vote is that he will now carry both quilts wherever he goes.

Christmas This and That

I really like our prelit artificial Christmas tree.  It's shaped as much like a real tree as I have ever seen ... perfect size and shape ... no muss or fuss with putting on lights every year.  Simple and beautiful ... except for when stuff like this happens ...

For some unknown reason, the top string of lights stopped working.  All the connections appeared to be correct and tight, no missing bulbs, no explanation.  

Solution?  Remove this defective string of lights (which took FOREVER!) and replace them with new ones.  

Problem solved ...

... sort of.  There are still a few places here and there where portions of other strings of the original lights aren't lit.  

My plan is to buy a LOT more new lights, taking advantage of sales after Christmas, and to completely remove and replace all the old lights on the tree.  Not a job that I am looking forward to, I assure you.

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When I was at Monticello for the wreath-making workshop, I spent a few minutes in their gift shop.  Saw this on the counter by the cash register.

That Ben Franklin sure was a wise one!  Just another reminder that it's better to do things today, instead of putting them off till tomorrow.  (Speaking of which, I HAVE to finish my Christmas cards this afternoon.)


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Last year, I couldn't resist buying a potted Amaryllis.  I do the same thing almost every year.  In theory, one can keep an Amaryllis over the spring and summer and have it flower again in the fall/winter.  I have never succeeded with this ... until now!

Last year's Amaryllis spent the spring and summer on our deck with some other potted plants.  When the weather got cold in October, I brought it inside to my basement workshop grow room, not expecting it to do anything.  To my surprise, the a bud began to appear last week and another one sprouted a few days ago.  In a few weeks, we should have flowers!


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This meme has been making the rounds on Facebook and via email.

I normally only glance at stuff like this, but this one struck me in the heart.  

1.  I have been practicing this one for a long while now.  Most of what tries to pass as news is actually commentary and opinion for the purpose of influencing viewers, not informing them.  Don't even get me started on Presidential debates (which I have completely ignored).  I listen to news only for as long as necessary to be informed, then I turn it off.

2.  Be positive, in attitude and in your vocabulary.  Give compliments whenever you can, to friends, family and strangers. 

3.  Make sure that your most precious people feel that way.  Call someone just to say that you love them.

4.  Decluttering and downsizing frees space in your home and your mind and gives us room to breathe.  I will talk about this more another time.

5.  My break has been to try to think of things differently, react to situations in ways other than I am used to, and to chart a new path whenever I can.  At 56 years old, it's easy to fall back on old habits and skate through life.  

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Now it's your turn ... what sort of This and That have you been up to?

Sunday Reality

Today's weather is perfect, if this were October ... low 70s, sun in and out of light clouds, comfortable breeze.  Hard to believe that it's actually mid-December.  

The practical part of me keeps hinting that I should take advantage of the amazing day and be out in the garden, planting the last of my fall bulbs.  The weather outside may be perfect, but I believe that this is the best way for me to spend the day.

Winnie and I are watching football.  Okay, not exactly ... I'm watching football and Winnie napping in my lap.

I can play in the garden tomorrow.