Friday, September 30, 2016

Quote Of The Day

Floris van Schooten, Breakfast

Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly arranged and well-provisioned breakfast table. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Settling In


Sheba's adjusting.  Minnie (grey tiger) is still hiding in the basement.

Reserve Cat has been hissing so much I'm surprised he hasn't run out of saliva.

Updated to add:  Sheba has already learned -- perhaps it's instinct -- that a cat's place is between a human and her book.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Sewing - An Egg Cosy from 1953


From the March, 1953 Workbasket, an chick egg cosy that uses rickrack for a comb.  I have no idea if egg cosies are still in use but I'm open to suggestions for other uses.

Two pages of instructions can be found on my Flickr account.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

The Horns Of A Dilemma


We can only keep one.

Update:  we kept both.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Tatting - A Cross from 1953


Just in time for your Christmas tatting -- a cross from the March, 1953 Workbasket.  Two pages of instructions can be downloaded from my Flickr account.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Vintage Magazines -- .44 Western


From July, 1943. A bottle, a Festus Hagen hat, and a pearl-handled six-shooter.  Too bad we can't see if he's got muley ears on his boots.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Crochet - A Hat From 1953


From the March, 1953 Workbasket, a hat in crochet. Two pages of instructions on my Flickr account.

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Friday, September 9, 2016

Quote Of The Day


“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.” ~ H. L. Mencken

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Regrets, I've Had A Few

I gave Batdog a ball that squeaks.

Crochet - A Stole from 1953


From the March, 1953 Workbasket, a stole in a stitch that "looks like knit." Two pages of instructions on my Flickr account.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Notes On Yet Another Wedding

image from Pinterest

Family members are spread out across three tables at the reception, telling stories about our childhood that for some odd reason always seem to involve trips to the hospital.

Me (smugly):  I’m the only one who never had to go to the emergency room when we were kids.  I’m also the only one who never had her nose broken!

Youngest Sister:  It could still happen.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sibling: Remember when (Brother #1) was shot in the back and the first family member to make it to the hospital was Uncle Fred*?

(note:  our late Uncle Fred* was a mortician).

Family Friend:  Wait…(Brother #1) got shot in the back?  Who shot him?

Sibling: (Brother #2).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Brother #4 is an adrenalin junkie with poor decision-making skills (years ago he was featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel called Real Life Medical Miracles).  At the end of a long and complicated story about him, three dogs, and a skunk, one of the nieces is shaking her head in disbelief.

Sibling:  It’s true.  You know that little voice that we all have in the back of our brain – the one that tells you not to do dumb stuff like stick a fork in the wall socket?

Niece: Are you saying Uncle (Brother #4) doesn’t listen to his little voice?

Sibling: I’m saying his little voice was dropped on its head as a child.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dinner is delicious; it’s also Southern. Barbecue, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans cooked with onion and a ham hock. The wedding cake is red velvet. There is a lonely-looking salad, included perhaps to keep the entire menu from being blackballed by the AHA. 

Out of town guest (poking the chicken dubiously): Maybe if it was baked…

Local guest: Oh, honey.  This is Missouri.  We don’t bake anything.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Westward Ha

Off to a family (mine) wedding in Missouri.  Best wishes for a great Labor Day weekend to those of you in countries where you're going to get Monday off.

Thursday, September 1, 2016