birds & berries

cool dusky air settled over the campus today. everybody seemed a little sluggish and unperky, except the birds. they were swooping all over the campus as i walked out of the cafeteria. birds mostly are silent during the middle of the day, but these were chirpping here and there as they swarmed from one tree to the next. maybe it was the chill signaling that they needed to be packing up and leaving. one funny shaped juniper that had been topped out by lightning and now has two tops and is filled with clusters of frosty blue berries. after standing still under the tree for awhile, i could see that the branches were filled with young robins, their breasts just turning to rust, gobbling up berry after berry. there was such a glut to choose from they would pick the best from one bunch and then flit to another to rob that bunch of the prime berries. they were either chirpping from just being happy or maybe the berries had ripened a little bit beyond perfection.

water

if you look closely you can see the green grass floating around the lighthouse in the middle of the plates which matches the green glasses. every since my sister visited her son in maryland and witnessed pony penning, she has been pining for the sea.

there is something about the smell of salt in the air and the feel of water settled in space, and the sound of lapping water against the shore that calls to the soul. evolutionists would say it is the cradle calling us home. maybe. but is only soothing when not storming. tourists probably remember the gentle waters and sweet sun. most are not around when the tropical storms whip in. so in the middle of the prairie - which some say--probably true--was once a sea, my sister's house is inhabitated by shells, lighthouses in various guises, and other things nautical; but not fish. she doesn't like fish. i however like their looks, colors, designs, and i have to admit, how some of them taste. they are designed so beautifully. on the other hand she is a swimmer, once she belonged to a sync swim team. but i am afraid to be in over my neck. we will have to make some comprimises when we live together, but that is just like all people living in the same space. i will probably have to keep my fish in my room. i will have to try and convince her to eat fish as it is better than chicken and beef in a thousand ways.

paradoxically, people who have lived on the prairie--true prairies--most of their life, make very good sailors. they are used to waves (of grain) and wind and being able to see for miles. the life on the ocean is more like life on the praririe than moving to anyother part of the country. where you live also influences how you look at things in your life. being able to look forever helps you see the the overall picture, you become less focused on minutuia. well, maybe that is a bit much, it doesn't matter where you grow up if you grow up poor and with second stuff--you want all the minutuia you can get---stuff and more stuff. but that is another whole discussion.

waterpark fun without water

when i was young a long time ago i went to a small school in a small town. shop was downstairs (really a half basement similar to the one in the picture), the first floor was four rooms -> 1&2, 3&4, 5&6, 7&8. Then the 9-12 was the next floor up and a half floor up was a little castle like turrent where the principal lived. Outside of a boy who was sweet on my sister (5 years old in first grade) running down the picnic table at the end of the year celebration, i remember sliding down the fire escape once a year for fire drill. of course back then we girls had to wear dresses. i remember somebody sort of waxing it before the drill so we could actually slide down and the teachers at the bottom to catch us smaller ones. it was quite a trip trying to get down and your dress down too.

i am not sure if they still use this one. it looks well kept, but if there was a real fire would someone have to run around to the back of the school to unlock the grate? not a problem if it is a drill because you can do it ahead of time. maybe they have a kick release so the first one down can push it open. or perhaps it is just there for reunions so the old folks can slide down and remember trying to either keep your dress down or sneak a peak at the girls coming down.

the last time i took a trip down one gas was 16 cents a gallon. entertainment is lot pricier now!

outside

hopefully, we will have grass next spring. we plan to put rose bushes in front of the porch. easy to care for ones with great fragrance. probably reds and pinks.


there are two steps up to the deck/porch. the inspector said not to put anything on the wood until next fall. guess the wood has to season. there is no step into the house. just right for two old ladies. :)



the two chairs on the deck are my sister's. my two are still in nebraska in the back yard next to the fire pit. you can see a little bird house sitting on the railing. in the back is part of the landscape we see. deer still come out there to graze. i don't know how long that will last when the rest of the houses are built.

getting comfy for a good read

above left is the chair that once belonged to my great grandmother, nanny. my sister own's it now (i have nanny lapel watch) and had it recovered in a whitesh tapestry that is called snowflake.

to the far right is the chair that i saw in the second had store, although i am pretty sure it is an overstock from somewhere. i laughed at it when i first saw it, but then sat in it and it is perfect for watching tv or reading a book. comfy first class. besides it has funky legs and above all it is GREEN!


this is the free green couch that goes with t he navy blue color scheme for our new house. notice the little kitty scratches right under the curl of the arms. it is chunky and comfy. just in case you didn't notice the glasses on the table are green, the receipe on the bookcase is framed in green and the plates on the table have green grass growing around the lighthouse.

we found the bar stools at Martha's place. the end tables are on loan from my nephew.

house chairs

So I get easily distracted. My sister gave away her nice walnut table and chairs because of the memories associated with set. With no money to really buy a new one, her son offered her a "classic" from the 50's. Well, the chairs were from the fifties. The chair on the right shows original condition. The grease was so thick on the plastic you could cook fries for a year. ugh. The padding was so old that it was like sitting on the wood. There was no way I was going to sit on that even for a minute. So I bought some padding, vynal, and tacks at wally world and spent a day and a half redoing the chairs. Probably should have thrown them out and just bought folding chairs. Would have been less time intense and probably a little cheaper.



The bookcase behind the chair is my sister's ex. It is on loan for the occupancy of the house. Notice that it has a drawer in the bottom which mine does not.

We bought some black folding chairs at Martha's place to fill out the set. We had eight people around the table and two sitting on bar stools at the center counter for our first meal. I made colcannon and my sister made a lentil loaf.