Things on my dresser

Hopefully, no more dizziness for me for a good long while. I am feeling much better. Thank you for all the nice comments. I appreciate your friendship so much!

Sitting at the dresser putting on a little make up this morning, I thought, why not post about, well, about my dresser.

There is almost a story behind everything here. The black vase was a gift from a favorite boss of mine back in the 1980's when I was a secretary. Yep, we were secretaries back then. I actually enjoyed bringing my boss his morning coffee.

The black glass candleholder came from the home my husband and I bought back in the 1970's.

Have you seen the lovely brooches my daughter Lynn makes.

Lynn sells these when we do a craft show together and she also sells them in her Etsy shop..."a bit of birdsong". I love the old fashioned Victorian look of these pins. I enjoy wearing these pins. One here has a thimble charm. Oh, and those on the right with Mama's picture are very special to me.

Remember when a pretty ashtray made a nice gift?

This lovely glass ashtray was a gift to me back in the 1970's. It even has my initial etched in the glass. Yep, I was a smoker back then. I have put out many a cigarette in this pretty little ashtray.

This drawing sits on a table near the dresser. I found it a thrift store several years ago for nearly nothing. I think it is absolutely beautiful. Who would throw this out!! It is signed KFB.

So that's a look at the dresser.

And funny! Here's the first picture taken when I came up with this great idea...not even thinking it would be a picture of me and Eli.

Better get going. I need a few groceries and the weatherman is calling for storms today. Timing is everything...walking around in the grocery store with other shoppers, you hardly even notice the thunder. :)

Thank you for visiting. I will be around to catch up shortly.

Love,
Henny

Ever suffered with vertigo?

It was a busy last Thursday morning and things were fine here...Poppy was off work and we both had stuff to do and errands to run. 

Around lunch time I began feeling awful. Simply awful. Had this strange feeling behind my eyes, I felt nauseated, and everything seemed to be bouncing up and down. This got worse as the day wore on. The only bit of relief came from closing my eyes pressing my fingertips on my forehead. This feeling stayed with me overnight. As soon as my doctor's office opened yesterday I called. Come in at 10:30 said his receptionist. Poppy drove me...I was too dizzy. After a quick checkup, he decided the problem was vertigo. Sure hope he knows what he is talking about. Poppy and I got the prescription for Meclizine filled and came home. I am feeling a little better today but moving very carefully. It's a feeling like any quick or jerky movement would put everything to spinning out of control. What a miserable feeling. The doctor talked like a number of things could bring on vertigo; the heat or a virus. So this my second time this summer feeling sick enough to see a doctor...and this is enough!

The pond seems to be clearing up a bit. This usually happens in July.

I don't have a big interesting post here...mostly wanted to say why I've been away for three days. Focusing on a computer screen didn't seem like a good thing to do with vertigo. I do have a bit of news to share with you. 

Remember the little hillbilly bantam couple my friend Nellie gave me a while back. "Festus" and Lucille".

Well finally! Lucille has hatched one tiny baby chick. I was just before taking her off that nest of eggs she had been sitting on for a month, when out popped this baby chick from under her wing. He is tiny and he is cute! Now if we can just get him raised!

Thank you for visiting.  Hope to be back soon. Things are still popping around here so maybe there will be something worth posting a little later.

Love,

Henny

Making Aprons and other things!

Remember the aprons cut from the red and black and green and black print fabrics? The ones I mistakenly cut the trim out of navy blue instead of black. Well, I got it all straightened out and finished those two aprons.

I've been trying to sew a little at night after supper is done and the dishes are washed. But then at the edge of dark, the rooster has to be let in the goat lot, BunBun has to be put back in his cage, and the chicken house door has to be shut for the night. Thinking I am done and can sit down at the sewing machine, Poppy asks, are we going to have a bowl of ice cream tonight? Well yeah, what kind do you want?

Last night I started on another grocery bag holder, got it about half finished and thought to myself...I simply cannot sit here and sew another stitch. Not another stitch! I turned off the iron and the lights and got out of the sewing room!

This is our one Stargazer Lily that blooms in the back near the ditch. Those six bulbs I planted in the spring finally came through the ground and were beginning to grow when this volunteer vine pops up from out of nowhere and absolutely takes over. 

Can you see the puny little lily standing there behind the vine? This vine grew here on its own...it was meant to be. I can't move it. The stargazer lilies hopefully will come back bigger and better than ever next year. And, I have the one pretty lily to enjoy this summer.

Look who's watching.

Our neighbor Ann said yesterday, when she stopped for a minute, this is the only place I go where a rooster comes out to meet me. And he does. Big Boy remembers that Ann brings old bread and table scraps by for the chickens, so he rushes out to meet her.

Okay, I've cooled off and rested a bit from the mowing...it is hot and humid today! Better get busy again. Thank you for stopping by. 

Love,
Henny

Eli and I finished off the Turkey Hill vanilla...

Little update on the garden and thinking of Mama

Look what opened up in the teeny tiny garden yesterday, and this one is not a volunteer! Nope, this is from a pack of mixed sunflower seeds I bought back in the spring and sowed a little row inside the garden fence. Wish I could keep this bloom forever, and look, a honeybee! 

This sunflower opened today. It is pretty too, but that first one looks like sunshine.

Seeing a honeybee is a good thing. But, honeybees scare me. Mama, bless her heart, used to call me to say, "please tie up your hair if you are going to be working outside today. Did you hear about the woman who went to the mailbox and a swarm of bees lit in her hair and stung her to death. Bees are attracted to dark hair", mama would warn me. Mama sure worried about me. Wish she was still with us. I miss her every day.

These were in the teeny tiny garden today. First time EVER growing onions. I am so tickled over these...and the squash! Where have all the squash bugs gone?  Reminds me of a song. :) We are getting lots of squash!

By the way, that first big tomato from the garden was not that good. It had a watery taste. Maybe too much rain? Hopefully the taste will improve with the others.

Okay, let me show you my kale. Promise you won't laugh?

Probably whatever ate up the row of kale also ate up all the squash bugs.

And, those yard long green beans...well there is probably miles of beans to be picked...miles! I am overwhelmed with long beans. When it cools off a bit late this afternoon I plan to pick all those beans.

Thank you Debby Ray for being my newest follower! :)

Better get busy. It's time for Poppy to get home and as hard as I've worked today...mowing in this hot humid weather...I'll be darned if he is going to catch me sitting down, like I have had nothing to do. (Something else I inherited from mama). 

Love,
Henny

A few pickles and a stack of fabric

Tired out after a nice long walk around the pond in this hot July weather.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Like most holidays Poppy is working so we won't be doing anything special today. I kind of enjoy watching all the celebrating and fireworks on TV anyway.

Reading the words "sweet land of liberty" this morning reminded me of a funny story. Many years ago my first cousin came home from school and asked, "mama what is liver tea"? "I don't know", she said, "I've never heard of it, why"? "Because", said my cousin, "every morning we have to sing a song about sweet land of liver tea".

Yesterday, I made my one jar of pickles from the cucumbers off my one cucumber vine in the teeny tiny garden...

Actually, the pickles are not in the jar yet. I do not claim to be a pickle maker, but I do like this easy way to make myself a jar of pickles.

Slice and layer in a mixing bowl...cucumber, onion, garlic, and fresh dill.

Bring to a boil...two cups white vinegar, two cups water, one cup sugar, and three tablespoons of salt. Let mixture cool then pour over cucumbers. Cover bowl and put in refrigerator for three days. 

Pack in jar(s). Will keep in refrigerator for three weeks.

Our neighbor Ann stopped by a few minutes ago and gave me this stack of fabric. She surely did! I thanked her over and over and then said, "stay right there"! I ran inside, got two dozen eggs out of the refrigerator and put them in a bag, then ran them out to her. I mean, this is a lot of fabric! There are at least least four yards in some of the pieces! I am tickled to death over this fabric!

Need to get busy. While Ann was here, our other neighbors from down the path stopped by for a visit. Good to have nice neighbors! 

Love,
Henny

Looking for teacups in Henderson

While in Henderson Tuesday I stopped by my favorite little rinky-dink thrift store. Rinky-dink it is, but I always find something special there. On this day however, nothing caught my eye. Glancing through the last rack of skirts, I noticed something on the floor under the rack. Raking it out with my foot I'm thinking, this looks right pretty...is this skirt not totally me, up one side and down the other??

The green price tag was marked $2.99. But wait, the sign on the front door said, "all green tags, 50% off today". Wow! Just my style and only $1.50. I drove home feeling pretty smug. 

I have been searching searching searching for pretty teacups and saucers and seriously, there are none to be found in the thrift stores around here. Could it be that folks here aren't tea drinkers? Well, except for those big sixteen ounce tea glasses filled with ice and that Southern sweet tea which is a must with a meal! 

My daughter Lynn loves tea and at one time had a collection of beautiful teacups. Each of her four children, boys included, had their own pretty teacup and saucer. Late afternoon, Lynn would sit down with the children and they all would have tea. Now that the boys are grown I wonder if they ever think about those afternoon tea parties with their mother. I wonder if the boys would even drink a cup of tea now.

The old sugar bowl, center top, is from my Mother's set of china. It's all I have. Anyhow, I do enjoy one cup of tea in the afternoon. Tea with honey. I use the same tea stained teacup and saucer day in and day out. Have you seen Granny Marigold's teacup collection over at grannymarigold.blogspot.com. Have you seen Deb's teacups over at  justcats-deb.blogspot.com...well they put my little teacup to shame. :) I love their teacups!

Looking into my little cupboard today I was surprised to find a teacup or two...sitting right there in front of my eyes. 

Not too sure if I am happy with this post but Poppy is waiting for the computer. Thank you for visiting.

Love,
Henny

Is it a pumpkin?

Dumperoo (look at that little mouth) posing in red and gold. Makes a right pretty picture for my red blog, don't you think? :) I like the color red, if it's a dark rich red, but not so much for clothes. I rarely wear anything red. Red and gold are pretty colors in the cabin.

Got that trip to Henderson done yesterday, which pretty much used up the day. 

Looks like this volunteer vine has turned out to be a pumpkin. What do you think?

Peeping under the vine at the flower.

Citron Melon seeds from last year.

Remember the volunteer citron melon vine that grew up at the teeny tiny garden last summer? Volunteer, mind you!  Well that citron melon made delicious preserves so this year I actually sowed a few citron melon seeds around the fence at the garden. Not even one of those seeds have come up!

 Citron Melon

Citron Preserves

Guess there won't be any citron preserves made this summer. Well, unless my friend Nellie brings me one of her melons. Nellie stopped by last summer in her raggedy old truck. She had been in somebody's field pulling citron melons, with permission, of course. Nellie makes citron preserves too.

Need to go up to the teeny tiny garden this morning. Not much of a post here. Hope to be back soon.

Love,
Henny