822 MONDAY MUSES

Just in case you might wonder why I am a kookoo bird

I am going to re-create this old day bed with my own two misbegotten hands

in my own crowded living room...

something to do inside in the 104 degree heat

I sure hope nobody thinks they're coming to MY house for a meal

(before Thanksgiving!)

We still might be having carpet picnics!

We purchased this chandy when we were in Savannah--from Circa Lighting

it's been in my garage in a box for over a year

it goes over my tub at which time it will go out of my living room

I was disappointed to find the tarnish

am I going to have to get on a ladder and polish it?

I didn't mean to sign up for that

or is the tarnish part of the character?

this old school light came from an auction in Oklahoma

it's huge and will hang in the hallway

$1

silver polish is $4

I left Mr. Cleaner Man a loaf of homemade bread

so he wouldn't bring B the wrong pants anymore

Grace driving down the street

she might get a ticket for driving too fast

I could barely catch her with my camera

 scales (for Libra Hubs) they found in his Granky's basement

a gift from his brother while he was in Greece

We love the Olympics

Flags everywhere to prove our loyalty

the rock fence is almost done

our formal garden will go in here...next to Mike's bedroom

thinking I might get some peacocks again teehee

or a mynah bird that says Heil Hitler

the big election is tomorrow

and I do mean

BIG

The turret is almost done too...those guys are my favorite so far

not a single flaw in their plan of action

It is so dang hot..don't let that nice cool looking ivy fool you

that thermometer says 104...in the shade

so I got my hubby a sussy

I got me one too

the August 1st bills

how I pay for sussies

and yes....I still hand address my envelopes

so they won't know they're bills and open them

No..this is not me...I found her in my dad's attic 14 years ago and am going to have her properly framed

the blue is my paint chip for my bath

I might tell everybody it's me..she's pretty cute

the squash set that I wore to the art show this Saturday

that

FEATURED

Artist Amy Winton (above nude)

it's a small

amusing

rocky

artsy

dang hot world

around 822

Go USA!

IT

If you have never felt 

it

no words can explain

if you have

no words are necessary 

OUR KID'S PETS

The newlyweds have joined pets

The older newlyweds have joined

????

you be the judge

The divorced mother of a 4 year-old

has the pet thing 

totally figured out

and I can tell you from experience

Poppy can handle  this one

I babysit "Irene" all the time

AMARILLO BOTANICAL GARDENS

We are so lucky to have a wonderful place such as this to visit.  Thursday was spent with two of my favorite girls looking at my favorite thing...a garden

I don't know if Grace understands that having Betty is just like having her

only better...because I have them both

Betty and the white kitty made friends first thing

There was a sweet little wedding taking place while we were there

so we sat and watched it from a distance

Bob Hatton is my friend who writes a weekly garden column for my HPOs

I try to visit his brainchild at least once a year

Below is a photo show of the tour if you care to see it

CHIMNEY POTS

Do you love chimney pots?

This is our latest purchase 

They will arrive next week..they are from  the 1800s

and will go here, although I have not a clue how they will get up here or by who

822 has 3 working fireplaces and we are adding one in the master and one outdoor

The other chimney not seen here is the same for two fireplaces

I would like to have 3 different chimney pots here

again, the roof is so steep it's scary to think of someone hauling these 60 pound things up something and placing them there

birds!

Fiddler on the Roof-ish

I like them all different and that moss is perfect

no moss here--way too dry

 wonderful examples (via google)

I think it could be one of the most charming things we could add to the house

I've never seen them around here and feel sure that they are taken quite for granted in Europe

It also makes me wonder how they will hold up in our Panhandle wind which can be so strong at times

one of those purchases( like the fabric)

that I made before I thought

the description that had me at Chimney

Two, nearly matching, Antique Chimney Clay Pots bought at an exclusive Estate Sale in England from a 1800s Chateau. These antiquities are the most desired the Crown Style. The pots have a distinguished variations in tones of a brown hue shades and are very pronounced in the natural light.
It is hard to imagine the hands of the maker ever knowing they would cross the Atlantic 150 plus years later. It was the "top" showing of stature in the communities that showed ones prominence and at one time based the royal taxation on the number of them and style to the resident of the estate.

FAB FABRIC

Do you ever purchase fabric just because you like it?

Two times in the last few months, I have gone into Hobby Lobby with a big list in hand, passed through the fabric department and been totally seduced.

Last week I was on task, looking for glass jars for my sea shells

minding my own business

when I looked up and saw this

I walked by

and then around

and to the front

all the while talking myself out of it

as I headed back toward the fabric department I was

saying things to myself like, 

what if it all gets sold I would be so mad

I'll just get a couple of yards...

it's 33% off all the time

So...I bought it

A fabric that I love and have no earthly idea what in the world I will do with 

I purchased 2 yards 

 I love the 54" fabrics that have the color circles on the side so you can mix and match

so helpful

As I look at the colors in this happy little print, I realize so much of the art I have (currently being stored under beds, in the cellar, in the garage)...have these same colors in common.

I'm drawn to them no matter how much I like the all white look

Anna Razumovskaya

One of my favorites..hubs bought it for me when we had a 

granddaughter to call me "Poppy"

I can't wait to hang it

A Plan?
I think I will paint the walls of my art loft a soft buttery yellow...the antique buffet the wonderful juicy raspberry and the inside of the turret some kind of deeper yellow hue...leaning toward gold.  I think I will find some kind of artsy phrase and free hand it on the wall.  I also found a cute little glass mosaic mirror at Pier 1 that looks like a sunflower.  Yep...

That will be the basic.  Then I'll put all kinds of fun fabrics in the purples and greens on the gypsy daybed.

but I really like that brown 

that would be unusual...a different plan?  No.

The loft will become a fun light space in which to create and while all I've been doing these days is wall paint, that can sometimes allow for a little creativity too.

Believe it or not...I'm not that far from paint on the walls!  And then...look out...I am going to be doing some projects!

like making me a pallet table

That Mr. Hobby Lobby sure knew what he was doing when he put the fabric in the back.

Like the bathrooms in a casino

MIKE

It just hit me.  The lady that lived at 822 before us was named Mike.  My next door neighbor is named Mike.

Two days ago I saw him at the grocery store and we chatted a bit.  He then told me he had a huge favor.  It seems my alarm going off at 4:45 am had been disturbing him for a few months now, he even had to move into a different bedroom.

This house is solid rock.  His house is solid rock.

I don't get up at 4:45..that's usually the time I'm falling back asleep as an insomniac.

He added that the alarm was some kind of Nazi propaganda.  And it was very loud.  Every day.  For months.

He grows wheat and mint and hemp and I heard he has potbelly pigs in his house, though I have never seen them. And the mushrooms growing wild in my yard....hmmm....I just assumed it was the summer sun making them disappear.

He  is alone...no wife, no children, no parents, no siblings...

I figure one of these days soon we'll chat at the grocery store and he'll tell me that he noticed a fat naked lady in my pool....

now...that... might not be...an hallucination

via http://scshisler.blogspot.com/

ROCK UPDATE

I wish I owned this handy little blue lift

I might put balloons on it and get in our parade

see the matching bucket?

who is going to wash these windows?

Don't you like how the border is looking?

The rest will be stucco

The crew made good progress in just one day

A lot of time is spent in picking out the right size and putting up the scaffolds

we were so lucky to find a rock that matched our existing rock which is from 1923

the original rock is about 4-6 inches thick and is very heavy

I can't even imagine what our house weighs

I will have so much room in my yard when these boxes go to the trash

space to rake my dirt

ZEN

This is day 2...I'm impressed!

Day 3 should complete the part that shows to the street

Then we can do the porch which will look like the other ones

round wedding cake style

it will also bring the turret into perspective

we will also install the door

I wanted a washed out French Blue

Hubs won...I'll show you later

one soldier row on the turret

this will take a little longer to cut all the stone

the 4 windows are diamond beveled thermal

and I think they will be so beautiful on the rock turret

kind of a cozy little corner hidden in the trees

from the inside it seems like a tree house

I am having the hardest time on paint color

I think typical is the beige that is seen here, but the first time I saw it it screamed

WHITE 

and I said

NO NO NO

this is the only part of the house that will have paint

and could prove a big mistake if not careful

the stone is really showing so much orange 

so I'm kind of leaning toward some kind of grey?

I've never had trouble with this before

the stucco is called river rock and matches the rock pretty closely

the only part that will be painted is what shows white right now

suggestions?

when I was taking these photos I walked down the street to get a look from a distance

I am so sad the number that has been played on our huge old elm trees

drought is not good

The very first thing we did when we bought 822 was trim back all the trees

and now you can't even tell...it feels like a huge waste of money because they will need it again

but...we have come a very long way