The Fullness of Summer....

I see it....I smell it....I feel it....I hear it.....

Autumn....

Creeping in on the shirttails of Summer's winds....

But before she arrives with all her golden and many-hued fanfare, I thought I would share some of Summer's footprints around the nest....

  

(Note camouflaged raccoon trap....)

 (Volunteer sunflower in my herb bed....just for Kim.....)

 

  

 

(Where'd that goat come from?)

(This one's for you Granny Trace....)

(What we caught in the raccoon trap.....)

 

Oh...and look who came back for a swim in the "big pond:"

Perhaps I should get him his own towel.....

Collections - Part Deux

Last month,  I revealed to you one my hoarding compulsions introduced you to some of my "girls"....I warned told you then there might be more to come.  So, this month, I'm sharing my antique toy top collection.

First, your history lesson:  Toy tops date back to the beginning of time, and have been known to virtually every civilization of mankind.  In fact, tops have been found on every continent except Antarctica. In medieval times, most parishes had a "parish top," frequently located in the town square, for all to use.  (Hence Shakespeare's reference in Twelfth Night to “…turn o’ the toe like a parish-top.”) (Stick with me long enough and you, too, will have bunches of useless information stuck in your head.....)

Anywho....There are different "kinds" or classifications of tops, dependent upon the manner in which they are spun:  Twirlers (spun with hands or fingers by twisting the stem - the Jewish dreidels are twirlers); support tops (spun by a cord while the top is held upright with a support); whip tops (spun by whipping the top to give continuous motion); and throwing or peg tops (spun with a string or cord on the body of the top and thrown causing it to spin). (Most of my tops are throwing or peg tops.)  They are known by different names in different parts of the world: trompos, turbos, trottolas, les toupies, kreisels, strombas. But, whatever you call them, they please me well.

 

Blue tops:

  

Green tops:

Red tops:

 

Used-to-be-red tops:

Striped tops:

 

Plain tops:

Really old tops:

Big tops:

Wee tops:

Lots of room for more tops:

The Bond....

The bond between a mother.....

and child is one of uncanny and unrivaled strength......

Even when the child is old enough to "leave the nest."*


*Added Edit:  For those who have inquired, no, Little Crow is not "leaving the nest."  Sorry to have misled or confused.  

Little Bit of Christmas in My Heart

Early, the past few mornings, before the summer sun crept over the hill behind us, I have laid very still in my bed....willing myself to believe that it was frigidly cold outside....and that the silence surrounding me was that muffled, pure, quiet that only a new blanket of snow can bring.

Why you ask?

Because I was the winner of Sweet Steph's (from Front Porch Primitives) Christmas in July giveaway celebrating her one year blogiversary....and I knew my package would be arriving any day.....

And arrive it did - as surely as Christmas morning - and every bit as delightful.  I felt like the Who's in Who-ville must have felt when the Grinch returned their zing-tinglers, ta-tinkers, galooks and gar-dinkers! A whole sleigh full of wonderful Christmas goodies hand crafted by the talented Steph:

Homespun and muslin wrapped candy canes (BIG candy canes!)....Steph's own ingenious design:

  The cutest dang gingers I ever did see:

Two wax-dipped candles (that were rolled in cloves and smell heavenly!) and a precious Santa tuck that Steph lovingly stitched (and, yikes, was even brave enough to use metallic thread on):

And, last, but certainly not least, two of the sweetest little pantry cakes that smell as amazing as they look:

Thank you so very much dear Steph! I am so very blessed that our paths have crossed on this journey.  You are as talented and as sweet as they come.  The gifts of your hand warmed my heart and will warm our home for many Christmases to come.  The gift of your friendship and kindness knows no season.