My House ....Friday Foto Friends

Joining with Debbie for Friday Foto Friends once again.

Here are some photos around my home you might like to see.

It is a very tiny house needing repair. Things are old, worn and used but it is my home and that's fine with me.  As long as it is clean and neat I am satisfied.

You can click on the photos to make them full size.

Our House

𝄞 ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ " I'll light the fire
You put the flowers in the vase that you bought today
Staring at the fire for hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me

Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good
Such a cozy room, the windows are illuminated by the
Sunshine through them, fiery gems for you, only for you

Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you"  ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭

 Crosby, Stills & Nash

I put a pumpkin on the buffet and the bittersweet colored runner.There's a tablecloth to match and a runner for the piano.Side chair are from an old set I no longer have. The Samovar is from Russia. The glass basket was my mother's and is filled with little tea spoons.

Behind the Amish picture is a hole in the wall for a stove pipe.  It is covered by a bunch of  paper plates made stiff and hard by layers of paint. It once housed a coal stove.

Things in the house reflect our heritage.

The chair needs a new seat cover again. The seat cushions are an addition since the actual chair seat was not separate and is uncomfortable now, so I put some foam on it.. I am looking online for fabric to match. Its hard since the fabric is a real Civil war era pattern.
This is the gentleman's chair. The lady's chair has wide sides for hoop skirts and is in the office.

I like this corner. I put fall flowers in the metal envelope on the wall.

The clock on the wall needs to go in for repair.

An old martini set ,alabaster and silver. I like looking at them .

 My mother's Hummels from Germany interspersed with my china. More china is stored at my daughter's house. I need to get it back and put it in the China Cabinet soon.

 I like these little golden birds. They keep watch on things.

My Thanksgiving china waits patiently for the big day.It was bought cheaply at Home Goods. Home Goods and TJ Maxx are wonderful!

Hanging around on the wall

I put some flowers and an owl in a basket on the dining room table.

The sign are the towns in my county. Boxes on the floor contain photographs.

Moose in the front Window...Lights on the lawn. I love the warmth.

I have had this clock since I was 20 years old .  It runs by weights like a grandfather clock and chimes on the hour and half hour.  Can you read what it says?

"Hark, whats the cry: Prepare to meet thy God today"

This is the other living room clock. It strikes hours, halves and quarters.

I grew up with chime clocks in the house and can't do without them.

In the evening it is nice to see warm yellowy lights in people's windows. So warm and cozy.

 My dresser houses another chiming clock. It has triple Chines. Whittington , Westminster and St Michael's.  I saved for a year to buy it when I was 20 years old.
I think you can see I really love perfume. There's more in a drawer.

 A nightstand in my bedroom holds just a few things.

On the side of my dresser is a photo of my mother and my uncle at a Tom Thumb wedding back in the day.. long ago. 

I made a shell wreath and hung it in the hallway . The giant rabbit covers my vacuum cleaner.Her ears need ironing.  She is sewed by hand since I don't have a sewing machine. Her apron and cap are in the laundry. Poor thing, Ive neglected her!

My mother did the needlepoint on the bench. She was very good at
needlepoint and tatting lace.
 The bench is over 100 years old or more and was from my grandmothers piano. She was a professional Pipe organist and piano teacher.

The side chair is from the Civil War era. I have a couple like this and they were my mother's as well.

The picture was from my daughter and is an original Leonid Afremov.

The piano is something I love very much. I have played all my life.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of my home and I hope you will take some photos around your house to show.

September's Challenge Day 28 and a Thankful Thursday

Continuing with McClendon Villa's  Back Where I Come From Day 28:



28:  Was your hometown like one big family or just a group of strangers?

 Everyone knew everyone. Neighborhoods centered around people with similar backgrounds, etc so it made for closeness. 
Extended families lived in my town. Your grandparents and aunts, uncles, etc all lived in the same  town. 

Thankful Thursday:

I am thankful for the great outdoors which always makes me feel better.
 
I am thankful I got to live in Utah for a big portion of my life.

The Salt Lake valley  where I lived for a significant  part of my life.

Downtown Salt Lake  and Temple Square which I loved.

West Jordan where I once lived.

my favorite view was out the front window down into the valley at night. Mountains really do turn purple.  "For Purple mountains Majesty above the fruited plain.. America, America God shed his grace on thee..."

Onward with the September Challenge

Autumn is here and the weather is now more summery than summer. Today is cloudy, drizzly and humid and it has been downright hot the last few days. It was cooler in August. I finally put a centerpiece on my table and a pumpkin on the buffet.

It is high time I continued with the Back Where I Come From challenge at McClendon Villa.
I am not usually so lax with things like this but plans to add a question to each post didn't always happen.  The reason is oo much on my mind this month.
Now to catch up.

9.  Do you plan to move back to your hometown area in your older years? Why or why not?
I don't have plans to do that.

10. How do you feel about the place that you came from?

my home town

It was okay. i have very mixed feelings actually. 

11 Were there a lot of churches in your hometown? What about where you live now?
Yes and yes.

12 On the opposite side of the fence, did you know of anyone engaged in an illegal activity? (In the song, they mention moonshine.)
I really don't know for sure.



13.What color were the eyes of your first date?
Oh, I don't have a clue! He didn't make much of an impression on me I guess

14 Do you tan easily or do you burn instead?
I tan but I avoid tanning like the plague.

15 When did your family get their first color television set? Do you remember the first show that you watched on it?
I don't recall at all. I wish I did!

16  Was your hometown a “backwards” place or do you feel that it was progressive?
Well, that depends on the definition. These are really political terms today. It was an average NJ town. I don't like backwards as it implies they wanted to regress to the middle ages or something.  Progressive means that you must be constantly changing and I don't like that either.

17. Was your hometown an economically advantaged or disadvantaged area?
People did alright over all but no one was super rich or very poor.

18. Did you like your childhood home? What did you like or not like about it?
It was okay. Not a bad place to grow up. It could be clannish which I don't care for. But if you mean house, then absolutely yes to each and every one.

Buttons looked just this way. She loved eggs!

 19.  Did you have any pets in your childhood home? If so, please tell me about them. If you have a photograph of any of your childhood pets, please share.
I had a dog I got in kindergarten. I was given him after school one day by a girl who had several puppies to give away.
I walked home with her in my arms not really knowing my way home from her house. I was barely 5 years old.

She died 12 years later  in the summer of my junior year in high school.
My boyfriend at the time was unsympathetic about it. I should have kicked him to the curb right then and there, but I didn't. How I wish I had!
 Why do we ignore red flags with people?

In the spring brides have photos taken here 

20.  Did you have a neighborhood park/playground?  Did you play there?
Yes.  But this requires explanation.

photo found online of park by my hometown

I  really have two home towns. One right next to the other and sharing one name.
For a long while I lived in one and went to school where my parents business was.
In that town I lived across from the park designed by  Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed Central Park in New York.
I learned to ice skate at age 3 on that lake. I got pretty good too.

21  Were there any flowers growing in your yard back home? What kind? Were you or your parents good gardeners?
Yes and Yes!
My mother was a great gardener.
She was great with roses especially.

a street in my hometown

22. Did you have chores when you were a kid? What were they? What did you think about having chores? What was your least favorite chore? Is it still?

I had no chores at all. My grandmother wouldn't allow it. She said I would do enough of them once I was on my own!
In spite of that my house is always clean and I keep it pretty neat.
I did paint the backporch every year for my Daddy and I kept my room neat and clean.  But I was never required to do things.


 
23. Are you ever homesick for your hometown?
In a way,  but mostly homesick for an idealized version of things. 

 24. Does your hometown have a website? Please share the link.
It does but I will not share it.

 25.What is your hometown known for? In other words, what makes it special?
It was the first town to have electric lights.  Also it was home to a large maker of Persian Rugs.  Marconi had his laboratory in my town and Edison had another lab there as well.  A signer of the Declaration of Independance lived in my hometown as well.

26.  Does your hometown experience all four seasons? If not, which ones does it skip over?
Yes. All four are very defined.

27. If there were no restrictions such as money or employment, where would you most like to live?
Massachusetts by the seashore, Maine by the sea or even Prince Edward Island in Canada.
It would be lovely! 

Puerto Rico ..Devastated by Maria

Please send whatever help you can to Puerto Rico.

Hurricane Maria devastated that part of the United States and yes, Puerto Ricans are our fellow citizens even though it is not a state, they are part of us.
They serve in the military, they are loyal and beautiful people and the island is wrecked!
They are in desperate need of food and water. They have no power and their argriculture is not as great as it should be anyway, so they need food shipped in.
I am told the airport is  destroyed and San Juan is a mess.
What with the filhty spoiled brats of the NFL taking up the news headlines people are forgetting that there are people out there in need of help.
Texas is still in need but they are receiving a lot of help I hear. But since Puerto Rico is not on the mainland people tend to forget.
Don't forget them. Send or give what you can.
And remember, one of the greatest gifts you can send are your daily prayers for people.

Here are some photos of Puerto Rico from better days this July when my family were there visiting dear friends:

A Romance...

First, I want thank Toni for another Creative Adventure.
I just love them!

The European Castle...

Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Germany

...I have made this a romance...
1.   While visiting in Europe and driving along the country road you spot a famous castle that has long been empty. Excited you decide to check it out. Your curiosity getting the best of you, you drive through the large iron gates to the castle and get out of your car and walk past the large fountain in the court yard to the main enormous door and notice the huge door knocker.  You raise it up. It's heavy solid brass. You knock it against the solid doors and hear it sound within._
You'd been sent directions and an invitation to tea from Jack,an author you'd met some months ago.
The butler answers  the door and  leads you inside
You're thrown off a bit as it is Collier, Jack's butler and personal assistant.
"The master is waiting for you in his library," Collier says. 
Why is he grinning like the Cheshire Cat, you wonder.

2.   Entering the castle you are in a large completely furnished hall and a room with two large sliding doors closed on your right, a beautiful spiral staircase ahead and another room on your left also with closed doors. You decide to forget your nerves and follow Collier to the room on the right.
It is all very odd. What in the world is going on?
He slides back the paneled pocket doors and you see the lovely big room ahead of you.
It is a beautiful English style gentleman's library done in leather and wood. There are Scottish plaid drapes on the floor to ceiling multi-paned windows They are pulled way back allowing the sunlight to stream in across the polished dark cherry floors.
It is a man's room and the scent of leather and freshly polished wood fill the air. 
There is no frou-frou , the room is as straightforwardly masculine as the man himself.
Suddenly you realize that Jack owns this place. His little weekend trips to "over see some business" were the renovations on this place.
It was most decidedly his own now. Everything was so like him.

3.   Much to your surprise you find a beautiful tea set out in front of the fireplace. 
The master of the house is sitting in a large leather chair waiting for you. 
His smile is broad and welcoming. There is no mistaking that he is happy you have come.
"How lovely it all is" you say looking around the room.
"Good morning" he says. His voice is deep and warm.
"Good morning sir" you reply. You have known him awhile, but there is a formality you maintain with him. He is just the kind of man who commands respect above the ordinary.

"Sit down and have tea with me. Do you like the new house?"
"House? It's a castle!" you tell him.
"It's home now. What do you think of it ?

You sit in the chair opposite him by the fireplace whose dancing flames remove the chill from the room. He has placed a lamb's skin on your chair to provide you with more comfot. He has thought of everything to make you feel welcome.
Outside autumn leaves swirl past the window into a pile on the ground in a  pretty riot of color. 
"It's wonderful, Jack. Just amazingly wonderful." Your eyes never stop gazing around the room. It's hard to take it all in.
Your favorite current scones are piled on a plate, warm and buttery. On this chilly day they taste as good as they look and the tea is perfect, hot and steaming.
The conversation is light and sweet. He knows how to make you smile with his little inside jokes and teases. He always seems to know you so well.
As you round a corner he always seems to already be there waiting, so to speak. 
 When tea is finished  he becomes more serious and introspective.
"I have something I want to talk to you about."
"Of course" you answer.
"This house is for you. I couldn't live in it without you. It wouldn't have any meaning."
Your mouth is slightly agape and you can't quite take it all in.
"Do you know that I have fallen in love with you? Have you felt it?"
You want to answer but you have no words. 
 " I want to spend my life with you. I can't imagine a life without you."
 You loved him the moment you set eyes on him at the book signing for his latest novel.
And when he spoke you knew this man was not the ordinary. He was special. 
Tall, strong, handsome, capable, intelligent and rock steady, the attraction was quick for you. So quick it took you by surprise.
You had a million questions for him after his lecture and when others had left you stayed on to ask more.  Your interest in his work was genuine and he sensed that.
 But though you have been seeing him for several months now you never allowed the thought that he would love you to enter your mind.  You knew that you loved him though. At least you knew it when you allowed yourself to entertain those kinds of thoughts. And that was not often because generally you tend to steer clear of romance.

Your times together were wonderful and filled with everything from laughter to deep discussion. 
 You feel safe and fulfilled near him. He is concerned for you and your life as much as for his own and you appreciate his intelligence and quick wit. He is a solid, steady man of determination.
"Yes" you answer simply. It is right and there is no doubt. You've waited your whole life for a man just like this.

4.   Upon leaving and driving off, you know you will never forget this adventure and think to yourself that this was an autumn day you will remember as long as you live. 


I am happy to say, that, unlike a joking prediction, I did NOT turn this into 50 Shades of Goofy at all!    At least, I don't think I did. You might beg to differ but since it was written in less than 5 minutes,it could have become very goofy.
I think it is only about 10 shades of goofy romance at the most! ;)

Photos for Friday Foto Friends

Happy Autumn Friends

I  really like Friday Foto Friends and sharing and seeing other people's photos, etc. If you haven't joined in, you might really enjoy it and I am sure everyone would love to see photos you have taken or found.

I don't know who took this photo to give credit for it, but it was taken from a boat I know that much.  This neighborhood is one of my favorites as I love the boardwalk that goes along in front of the homes . It is such a lovely photo.

Taken off the back porch. A view of water and leaves

The bay. Tranquil but always in motion.

This photo above was taken by my friend Daniel.   It was a plain photo taken on a sunny afternoon in Central Park in New York.  I decided to spice it up (with his permission several years ago) and made it a dark rainy day. I added water to the fountain, lit up the lamps, added lights in the lamps in the park and in the building in the background.  I then added rain and lightning.
See? You can make photos anything you like  with Photoshop.

I hope you enjoy this first day of Autumn.