The Colors of Spring....

The colors of spring mesmerize me....

The chartreuses: 

 

(Note:  Blackish/brownish blob = bear.....)

Emerald greens:

  

(Note:  Blackish/brownish blob = humming bird....)

Glorious pinks:

Seas of yellow:

(Definitely liking the pinks more than the yellows....)

And orange and yellow:

And reddish-orange:

(RIP mailbox....)

But some of my favorite things are still black and white:

 

Wishing you all a colorful spring....and a blessed holiday weekend....

 

Remembering.....

Collections ~ Part Four (I Think???)

A long (LONG) time ago, I undertook to share some of my collections on a monthly or so basis....Then "it" happened (you know, the part where I fell into the Great Abyss, never to be heard from for months on end???)  Well, since I'm trying to pull myself back up and outta the big, black, hole of nothingness, I thought it would be a good time to revive the tradition.  

Le'see....I think I left off on Part 3....so this makes Part 4, no?

Books....

Old books....

Wanna distract me for hours and hours on end?  Plop me down in a place with old books (or an old cemetery!) and you're good to go...for a good long time.

Anywho.....here are a few of the ones in my collection.  I do have separate collections of old Halloween books and children's Christmas books - but those will have to wait for another day....

 

 

I tend to gravitate toward old bibles, catechisms, and other religious books:

 (Leather teacher's edition bible - undated)

 

 

 (Heidelberg Catechism - undated, but inscribed 1885)

I have a particular fondness for old leather bounds:

  

This is one of my oldest and very favorites:  The Christian's Manual - 1801

  It is bound in leather like a fabric covering and hand-stitched.....

 

Little red leather bible - 1852

 

I also love old school books and readers:

 

Particularly those that retain their old calico and homespun fabric coverings (hearkening to a day when books were treasures to be kept and cherished):

  

 

 

  

Old medical books:

(Gray's Anatomy Descriptive and Surgical - 1870; Maternity: A Book For Every Wife and Mother - 1887)

 

Old cookbooks:

 

 (The Housekeeper Cookbook - 1894)

 

Large books:

(Catholic Truth - 1897 - It measures 12" x 10")

It has some gorgeous illustrations:

Note crow-like bird over his shoulder.  ;o)

 

Small books:

(From the Little Leather Library Collection)

Just plain, old, good reading books:

 

Well.....uhmmm.....yeah....I guess you get the idea.

Books.

Love 'em.....

Wishing you all a wonderfully blessed Mother's Day!!

What's New Pussycat?

Ummmm....Well, to be perfectly honest, absolutely nothing.

I wish I could say I've been off visiting the royal heads of Europe....or hobnobbing with fellow wizards....or even just making strides by leaps n' bounds in what needs needing-done 'round here.... But, alas....it would be fibbing.

I'm not sure what happened....when....or why....but I seem to have fallen into a place called limbo and am having a hard time pulling myself out of it.  With nothing noteworthy to blog about, my imagination and willingness to communicate also fell into the abyss.  And so days became weeks...and now, almost a month.  

But, it's a new month....a new week....and Lady Spring has finally chosen to show her glorious face even here in Nod.  (Hey, we're on Day 3 with no snow....Woo Hoo!!)  So, I am vowing to check back in, and try once again to pull myself up out of the deep, dark, never-neverness.....

As I said, nothing is new.

 The bath "redo," as modest as it is (nothing structural) is still dragging on.  I cannot even begin to count the "have-gone-wrongs" but, trust me, the process hasn't been pleasant.  We do, however, have the walls finished (I think)....and Bath Cat thinks we did them to match him.....

 

 

 

I bought a new treasure:

  (Please excuse the glare....)

This is by the talented Janet Erbe....

Janet is probably best known for her watercolor frakturs - many authentic reproductions of old book plates, birth certificates, etc.  But she also has a mad talent for drawings:

 I don't believe Janet has a blog, but she has a wonderful Facebook page if you would like to visit:

Farm Folk Art.

About the only other news is that I cleaned off the top of my refrigerator.  Nasty job, but someone has to do it.  :o

I had to make room for my other new treasure:

 

 (Don't tell, but Daddy Crow hasn't noticed yet.... ;-) )

So that's it, Pussycats....a whole lot of nothing....but a promise to try to get back to some kind of normal here.  I've missed you all....