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April 27, 2005
Bling, Bling
What fun a little sparkle adds to a girl's life. A "ladies night out" in the same old fashion of Tupperware of the past we nibbled and shopped at church last night. Good nibbles as the ladies always do their best to share their culinary skills and shopping well that is a no brainer. The two ladies brought forward their bling bling wares and the sparkle was just too intoixicating and the ladies did buy. Carol and I had a ball laughing and trying on, cajoling, and encouraging to get that one for????? Well the best is Carol found a darling bracelet to work for her lovely trips to Hawaii...tropical colors and tropical icons will make for a lovely statement on her wrist. I am happily sporting my very tres chic Eiffel Tower with sparkles of course!
Posted by Gloria at 6:09 PM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2005
Nearly Lost...
...was George's Ballroom in New Ulm. A beautiful 32,000 square foot Art Deco ballroom, it saw some of the famous Big Bands play there along with well known Minnesota polka bands such as Whoopie John Wilfahrt, The Jolly Brothers, Chmielewski Brothers, Frankie Yankovic and others. When George died, his heirs closed the doors in 1991 and it sat vacant until it was about to be demolished. Just in the nick of time, a contractor bought it for a song (!) and pretty much single handedly has restored it to it's former glory. This past Sunday 1,200 people attended the first dance to be held there in over 15 years - my folks included. I guess they had several different bands playing at the six hour "Spring Fling". By the sounds of it, George's Ballroom has been "found" again!!
Posted by Carol at 12:19 AM | Comments (0)
And finally found!!
I am happy to report that after 17 years I have been able to replace the Imperial crystal cake stand that Taylor accidently broke when he was 8 years old! Thanks to online antiques stores and my internet use the past two years, I have been able to do more searching. It finally paid off when I saw a photo of the exact cake stand at the website of A & W Antiques in Lewisville, Texas. Today I received it in the mail and it is as beautiful as I remembered it! Let's see, whose birthday cake will be the first to sit upon it? Steve's I guess!
Posted by Carol at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)
April 21, 2005
Don't Fence Me In
Today I have been de-fenced. What a sense of freedom I now have when I look out my kitchen window and no rusty fence offends my eyes! I can cross all boundaries unimpeded, and so can every stray dog, cat, rabbit, raccoon, coyote etc. etc. Anyway, the fence was successfully extracted and I made two new friends whose life story I now know. Mike and Jamie are fantastic workers and have been retained to put in a little stone floor in an area next to our house. This will become my little garden potting space. And I am entertaining all suggestions for the beautification of the fencelines!!
Posted by Carol at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
Devoted we are
Today we devoted at Katerina's minus Carol and how she was missed. Carol was supervising the fence removal to carefully protect all the new spring life springing forward in her lovely gardens. One never knows if a fairy while resting could be disturbed by such demolition. I am most assured that Carol was firm in her resolve and kept the yard in tact for all living things.
Yet we three devoted well as we thought about how the Creator can be honored by our creating within the confines of our living spaces. We had a lovely time of it and then giggled and chatted about all kinds of artistic endeavors. Alas, alas Carol we missed your smile and wisdom. We are such a lucky lot to have lively conversations about almost nothing and make the words into something as dear as the friends that speak them.
So my dear friend..how is the back forty now that it knows no bounds?
Posted by Gloria at 8:46 PM | Comments (0)
Sunny for sure!
"Building a garden is the best way to keep a sunny outlook on life."
Brilliant Gloria!! That will forever be my summer's creed! Maybe we can design a product line around those words...
Also - a great new garden/bird/nature website I have found is:
Garden Artisans
(By the way, I am feeling crunchy because I figured out how to insert the link to that website!!!!)
Posted by Carol at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2005
Pope Benedict XVI
A new pope or Papa as the Italians like to say. I am not sure I am warming up to this rather staunch looking deep eyed fellow. I am not seeing the kindness in his face that was so forward in Pope John PaulII. His smile is strained and his gestures robotic, I am not consoled but wary and so I will wait to see what he will feel led to say. I pray that he is of humble heart and will bless the many faithful that are waiting to learn what he is all about.
Posted by Gloria at 10:06 PM | Comments (1)
How does this garden grow?
I am skipping with pure joy day to day as I peruse the success of my garden. I planted and prayed and waited for this day that I would see the little plants wake up, branch out, reblossom and be bold in their statement that they have found a home! The birds flit from tree to tree and feeder to feeder as if the hunt is on to find the best morsel or resting place. My soul is made captive to all the wild abandon, what fun spring is, a real giggle. I am encouraged and energized to dig some more and plant some more in any little spot that is bare and in waiting. Building a garden is the best way to keep a sunny outlook on life.
Posted by Gloria at 9:56 PM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2005
In My Glorees
There are only two TV shows that I watch with any regularity - both on PBS. One is Masterpiece Theatre and the other is Mystery. Tonight began a two part dramatisation of Agatha Christie's Death at the Vicarage starring Miss Marple!! It is set in fictional Saint Mary's Mead which is the epitome of the quaint English village complete with cozy cottages, gorgeous flower gardens, eccentric characters and of course the unflappable Miss Marple. Almost exclusively "Made in the UK", I think these two series top most all TV shows "Made in the USA" these days!!
Posted by Carol at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2005
Another Poem
Spring Wedding
I took your news outdoors, and strolled a while
In silence on my square of garden-ground
Where I could dim the roar of arguments,
Ignore the scandal-flywheel whirring round,
And hear instead the green fuse in the flower
Ignite, the breeze stretch out a shadow-hand
To ruffle blossom on its sticking points,
The blackbirds sing, and singing take their stand.
I took your news outdoors, and found the Spring
Had honoured all its promises to start
Disclosing how the principles of earth
Can make a common purpose with the heart.
The heart which slips and sidles like a stream
Weighed down by winter-wreckage near its source -
But given time, and come the clearing rain,
Breaks loose to revel in its proper course.
Andrew Motion, England's Poet Laureate
(Written for the wedding of Charles and Camilla, April 9, 2005)
Posted by Carol at 1:03 AM | Comments (2)
April 7, 2005
Hummer sighting?
On the strength of a possible hummingbird in Gloria's back yard, I have swung into action. The sugar water was boiled (1/3 cup of sugar to 8 ounces of water),the feeder filled and hung up outside within an hour of her news. I have checked my records and found that the last 3 years hummers have arrived at the end of April but maybe this year they made better time on their return from the south!!
Posted by Carol at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
Close Call
Yesterday Matthew called and reported that the apartment complex in Orlando that he had moved out from only two months ago was burning down. His late evening update brought the news that his old room mate was ok, but the apartment had extensive water and smoke damage. Arson is suspected. I am thankful Matthew was no longer living there, but I feel so sorry for Phil. Another reminder of how fast our daily existence can change.
Posted by Carol at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)
April 2, 2005
Pope John Paul, the poet 1920-2005
Her Amazement at her Only Child
Karol Wojtyla
Light piercing, gradually, everyday events;
a woman's eyes, hands
used to them since childhood.
Then brightness flared, too huge for simple days,
and hands clasped when the words lost their space.
In that little town, my son, where they knew us together,
you called me mother; but no one had eyes to see
the astounding events as they took place day by day.
Your life became the life of the poor
in your wish to be with them through the work of your hands.
I knew: the light that lingered in ordinary things,
like a spark sheltered under the skin of our days --
the light was you;
it did not come from me.
And I had more of you in that luminous silence
than I had of you as the fruit of my body, my blood.
JOHN PAUL II'S CHRISTMAS POETRY
Poem from his 1950 Collection, "The Mother"
(ZENIT - Taken from "Easter Vigil and Other Poems," translated by Jerzy Peterkiewicz.)
Posted by Carol at 11:13 PM | Comments (1)