A Week from Now...

A week from now, the hoopla will be over (for the most part).

I have always left my patriotic up until Labor Day anyway but, this year especially, I think the celebration should continue all year long.

(I won't keep my decor out that long because...well, you know, Halloween!)

I said I might try to post more photos of Americana decor and, since it's hotter than blazes outside, I'm wasting time inside and decided to share more.

There are a LOT of photos here so be forewarned. I'll keep the commentary minimal...with just a brief description under the photo if I think it helpful. If you have questions on anything, let me know. I'll be happy to try to respond if not in a direct email or in a reply comment, in a follow-up post.

Not all are the best as the windows and design of my home make photographing entire rooms/areas difficult.  

First off, Janice (Prims By The Water) mentioned she thought she saw a "Chessie and Me" cross stitch pattern. Yes, Janice you did.

It was done several years back and is called 1864 House Sampler.

Back to "other photos" - in no particular order.

{Vintage blue and red transferware nestled among excavated English meat pots and lids}

{"Centennial Eagles" - a design by Tina Woltman - also stitched years ago}

{Old chicken cage hung on my entry wall. I have a very large, funky, folk art Uncle Sam that I replace the Red Robin Farm barn with and sports and add a red, white and blue bunting or banner along the top, but I didn't make that far this year.}

The next two photos are close-ups from the cage:

{My vintage sparkler collection}

{Sculpted clay Uncle Sam on stretcher board with flag (by Folk For All Seasons), Vintage cross-stitched flag in the background and antique betty lamp on the side}

{Saltglaze Uncle Sam in a little niche of my kitchen counter...and, yes, I know the word "coffee" is upside down on the little canister. You know I love misfits.}

{More misfits: Excavated broken bisque dolls and figurines from Germany...well, I added the hat and flag...}

{Another of my folkart Santo-type angels...this one wearing a vintage (WWII era) "We Support Our Sailors" sash}

{Little wagon filled with vintage ammunition caps, poppers, tops, etc.}

{Vintage eagle snow catcher - used to catch snow from falling off roofs - on top of my mom's kraut cutter}

{Vintage Turtle Creek Pottery Plate}

{One of my only two patriotic hooked pieces...so as to not disappoint Saundra}

I'm leaving it at that.

I promise.

Nary a Hare Anywhere

 ...well, almost.

{Vintage/Antique Rabbit Candy Containers}

Here we are...four days (plus or give a smidge depending on when I actually finish this post) before Easter, and my bunnies and other other Easter accoutrements are, for the most part, still staring at the inside of their dark totes and boxes.

Blame the tax man...and any other man you can find.

So, before I run out of time completely, here are a (pathetic) few that managed to be liberated for the season.

{Spun Cotton Bunny Child}

{Folk For All Seasons Sculpted Rabbit}

{Saltglaze Bunnies}

(Ok, ok...I cheated on that last one...those bunnies live there all year long.)

  

And that's it.  C'est ça!

As far as my pastime endeavors go, I have even less to share.

 I don't know what made me look this up, but it cracked me up....until I realized that what I have to show for my "pastime" really fits the definition of "past time" more aptly:  Something that should have happened or been done by now. 

I have stitched some, but it's too wrinkled at this point to share...and, no, I'm not pressing it.  

I have hooked some too, but you really probably can't tell.  (And there's even less hooked now since I did a bit of reverse hooking after this photo was taken.)

And, yes, it...and my stitching project...should have been done by now.

*******

Last, but not least in the pastime department, my book report for those of you interested:

"The Woman Who Smashed Codes" is quite a ways out of my typical "lane" but it was fascinating.  It is the, until now, untold story of a remarkable woman who played an integral part in our country's history.  Elizebeth Smith Friedman was a young Quaker poet with a true enthusiasm for Shakespeare.  She was lured to the extraordinary and sometimes magical estate of an eccentric tycoon to assist in deciphering codes he (and actually many others) believed were hidden within the texts of Shakespeare by Francis Bacon, the "true" author of the texts.  (Ok....)

When World War I broke out, Elizabeth's language skills were put to use by the government and, ultimately, she, and her husband, developed the modern science of cryptology (code breaking).  

These skills were honed over time and she assisted not only in apprehending smugglers during Prohibition but breaking the leading Nazi spy ring and shaping the course of the second world war.

{Elizebeth Smith Friedman and her husband, William Friedman}

While the book is filled with a great deal of history and technical background to the art and science of codebreaking, Elizebeth's fascinating life and the author's adept skill at non-fictional narrative made for an enjoyable read.

Again, not for everyone, but a nice "break" if you find yourself in a reading rut.

*******

Now back to taxes...and macaroons.

   

A Different Kind of Christmas....

It truly is....  For many of us, I know.  It seems that the song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written for 2020.

Someday soon we will all be together

If the fates allow

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow...

These were the original lyrics of the song written in 1944.  They've been changed up...and several times...since. There were changes to more than the above lines...most changes reflecting the times...so do some comparing if you're curious.  Yet, somehow, it's the original version that is most fitting in these times I think.

Yes, that could be an entire post in itself...but not now, not here.  That's not the kind of "different" I am talking about.

  And it's not even the lack of snow here in Nod....unheard of for this time of year.  No, that's not the kind of "different" I'm talking about either.

(This was last week. We did get a little dusting last night, but this is unheard of in Nod....)

And it's not my complete lack of Christmas spirit.  THAT, unfortunately, is becoming a "norm" it seems.  Once again, no baking here, no Christmas shopping here, no Christmas tree here.  But that isn't the kind of "different" I am talking about either.

There are a great many differences in Christmas this year that I could mutter ramble on post about, but since my decor in Nod is severely lacking this year, I am sharing my "Christmas" (such as it is) at the lake.

There isn't much...and I warn those primitive souls out there that this is truly different from what you expect of me.  But the lake house has a completely different soul than my home in Nod and I have to listen to it.

(I had hoped to add some greens and perhaps some lights to the mantel, but like many things this year, THAT didn't happen.)

(I do have a  tree...wee as it may be...and it has lights!)

(Sign Blocks by Mel and Mark of Back Forty)

(Santa by Lisa Evans of Folk For All Seasons)

And then there's this guy:

And, if you're wondering (I'm sure you are 😉), this is what's on my hoop:

("The First Snowflake" by The Primitive Hare...but with different linen, and different floss...Are ya proud of me Marly??)

I hope to manage a post in the upcoming week.  If not, or until then, keep on muddling through...and have yourself a merry little Christmas.

**********

More Halloween....

Real original title, eh?

Well, I'm not feeling real "original" today.

What I wouldn't give to sleep like a normal person.

Heck....to sleep at ALL.

 But I digress.

I want to thank everyone for their gracious and kind comments on my previous post....and since there seemed no objection to seeing more Halloween, that's what you're getting.

{This actually IS new this year....my crow one was getting a bit faded....}

There's really no rhyme or reason to how I'm decorating at this point.

As I said, I usually start with my papier mache jacks and apothecary cabinet, then it's what strikes my fancy...or, more likely, which tote I happen to grab.

{Ghoul Gal by Lisa Evans ~ Folk For All Seasons}

I have a bit of a rodent problem.  I just wish someone would tell my cat that they are already dead. Every time I look he has taken them.

{This is my little hearth witch}

It is very difficult to photograph in our house because of how it is configured.

There is a spiral staircase that goes between the living room and the hallway, and there are railings along the hallways, so it seems something is always "in the way" when it comes to photos but, hopefully, you get the idea.

{Sculpted witch on old wooden ironing board....by Lisa Evans of Folk For All Seasons}

{This is at the top of the circular stairway.  Thanks to Lori Rippey of HomeSpunPrims for lending me the pattern.  It was by a pattern by Cheri Payne, a wonderfully talented artist who left us too young and I could find the pattern nowhere.}

{Boxes covered in vintage Halloween fabric}

{Kitchen...The pieces on either side of the refrigerator are again by Lisa Evans of Folk For All Seasons. Hmmmm...I sense a theme here LOL}

{Mohair Bear by Lori Ann Corelis of The Spotted Hare}

{"Scaredy Cat"....Freebie pattern by Lisa Bowles....and hooked by the ever-talented and gifted Lauren from Rugs and Pugs .  I loved it...and her finish on it....so much that I cajoled, begged and pleaded for her to sell it.}

And speaking of hooking, look what I found!  My black jack mat with the braided edge!  Somehow it didn't end up with all my other rugs and mats that were packed away during WWR ("When We Remodeled") and it's been MIA for the better part of 5 years.  And, no, I'm not going to tell you where I found it.

Now, if I could only find my hooking mojo.  But I guess that's ok because I have lots of decorating left to go....so stay tuned for even more Halloween (unless by some miracle I finally fall asleep and sleep until then....)