Another misty, moisty morning...

Wed. dawns another gray morning, but I do have the windows open, and can hear bird song.  :-)
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The man from the Security Co. came on Mon.  Lots of parts were basically worn out.  And he replaced them.  We've had this Security System for more than 12 years.  So guess one should call for checks on things, perhaps after 10 years...  This "stuff-worn-out" thing, happened with the cable too. 

How did we exist, before A/C?  I saw that question posed, and I wonder it, myself.  

Actually, I do remember summer days, when I could not do a thing!  It was just too hot/humid to move.  And it was awful.  And I was younger then, too!!!!!!!

What I wonder is how people carried on, in the South, way-back-then???  The rich could sit around, and have servants do everything.  But what about the servants?  And the people who did not have them, and had to keep their own lives running, themselves?  How did they manage...?

Do you think, that my changing my Blog Look, from all the references to "What To Do When It's Hot, Hot, Hot"....   Will change my weather pattern?  -grin-  I doubt it.  If only it were that easy, hu?

  Went out the patio door, and noticed "BK" on her porch, next door.  She was cleaning her front paws and looked sooooooooooooo cute.   I ran back inside to get my camera, to take another pic, for Sandra.  ~~~  When I got back, she had ceased cleaning her paws.  -pout-

No amount of cajoling by me, would convince her to wash her paws again.  In fact, she lay down and turned the other way, to watch something going on, on her porch.  

Hehhhhh...  So much for my convincing abilities.  ,-)

Cone Flowers are coming into their own, now...  But you can still see the drops of rain, on the leaves.  At least these flowers are a bit stronger, and can hold up better, to rain, rain, rain.  So far anyway...

Read my 40th book of the year.  Who could resist that cover art????  Not I!  :-)    To read more about this book, please click here......  And go to my book reviews blog.

Imaginative decorating........

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Oh my gracious!  I want to jump into that illustration, above.  -happy sigh-  And follow those Faeries to the 'Pixie Dust Tree'.  Oh I do.  I do.  I do.

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I love all such....  Fey, Pixie dust, Faerie dust, sparkles, fireflies, lace curtains, lace table cloths, sheer white curtains, blowing in a breeze, magical, imaginative, more sparkles, garden paths, deep woods (without mosquitoes), etc., etc., etc.

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 But ordinary reading of my blog, one might not know it.  MY home decorating, doesn't have aspects, of many of those things. Unlike the lovely blogs, I am showing you pictures from...     

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 And I don't think, that many of my Dear Readers share such likes.  :-)   Yes?  No?  Maybe?  Please tell me...
  

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We each have our own tastes.  It's interesting to see how our tastes, match up (or not) with our Dear Readers, though.  

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 Not that I am creative enough, to do much "Magical Decorating" in my own life.  Nope, I'm not.  I love it, in the blogs of others though...  -sigh-  Like in the lovely and magical blogs, from which I borrowed these pic.  With click-able links back to the blogs, of course!  

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So how come I don't try to incorporate more, into my own home?  How come?????  ~~~  Well for one thing, one has to consider the tastes of others, living in our homes.  I'd love more, more, more Faerie Lights...  But 'Uncle A.'s' eyesight, makes them difficult, for him to live with...

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So I have one string of Faerie Lights, on the mantle.  I'd have more of them, hanging here and there.  But they would bother his eyes. 
    

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 So, do I need a separate blog?  Where I could *drool* over such?  :-)  A blog for all-things-Fey-and-shimmering-and-softly-white-and-twinkleing...?  And with the separate blog, go out to find other bloggers, who love such...?

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Oh sigh...  Separate blogs can get so difficult though...  -pout-

I have one now...  My "Auntie's Reads 2013" blog.  But I simply post reviews on it.  No comments allowed, so I don't have to deal with checking comments for SPAM, etc., all the time.  ~~~  But that (no comments) feels cut off, from Dear Readers...  -sigh-  -pout-
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What to do?  Go for more lace myself?  Even without more Faerie Lights?
~~~ 

Your ideas??????????

Please?

And thank you...

Moon~~~Growing~~~Cooking~~~Eating~~~Etc.

♥

(Source)  Not mine...

The Full Pink Moon was gorgeous last night.  And this morning, it is raining gently.  Perfect timing.  Although weather guy said we will get a wee bit of snow too.  Which won't last, of course.  "Old Man Winter" is just not, not, not going away quietly.  -chuckle-

Dear Readers who live in the southern part of our Beloved Country........  Is this following, a Southern Saying?  "She's out there, where the trains don't run."  I'm up North.  I never heard that (great) saying, for someone who sounds a bit daft.  So, perhaps it's said-in-the-South.

It was said yesterday on the news, in regard to how "The Shoplifting-Boston-Bomber-Mama" sounded, at her Russian news conference.  Shep Smith, who is originally from Mississippi, is the one who said it.  Sooooooooooooo....   Is it Southern?  Is he perhaps remembering it, from his growing-up in the South time?  :-)

Old pic of mine, of hosta...

I'm getting gardening books out of the library for 'Uncle A.' and his gardening info is expanding, by leaps-and-bounds.  -grin-  Like, when handling seedlings to plant them in the ground, don't handle them by the stem.  Handle them by leaves.  Leaves can die off and grow new, but the stem is the stem is the stem.   And you don't want to bruise it.  :-)   Ever think of that one?????????????????

My plate of "Uncle A's"  home made spaghetti and meatballs!!!  All organic and etc.  He used local area grown (VT.) beef, for the meatballs.  Local area hot/sweet sausage...  Cans of organically grown tomatoes.  All of which, we bought in the new Natural Eating Store.  :-)))))))))))))

We are done with grabbing a jar of manufactured Spaghetti Sauce.  Home-made, you made to your own tastes.  Plus, we froze plenty, for another meal.

And!  He made the meat balls with ground G/F pretzels, instead of regular bread crumbs.  So, at long last, I could eat meatballs again!!!!!!!!!!!!.....    :-))))))))))

Yes, there is more time-spent-in-the-kitchen, with trying to eat in a more healthy way.  But luckily, he enjoys cooking.  It's one of those long-time-hobbies, which he loves being able to devote more time to.  :-)

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Brrrrr... And this and that... ,-)

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NO!  It is NOT snowing this morning.  But the other day, I took these pics-of-falling-snow, and don't want to waste them.  ,-)

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We have "been-going-to-get" a few smaller-than-dinner-size plates, since we only seem to have 4 left.  "Going-to"!  "Going-to"!  "Going-to"!  You know how that goes.     ~~~~~~~~     Well, I was waiting for 'Uncle A.' to get his hair cut, after I had mine cut...  Wandered a bit, and found these on sale.  Very simple, with a bit of scallop and pale gray edging.  Hooray!!!  We now have 7 plates (a mix of 2 together), and don't run out, as quickly.

Another "been-going-to-do"   ...........   Marked off "The List"!  :-) 
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A SNOW  EASTER  BUNNY!  ,-)))
In the newspaper, this morning.
Pretty cute.  He even is carrying a bag of Easter Eggs!
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Please play this tiny video.  It was sent to me, by a daughter in law....  Someone in the publishing business and a fellow-lover of real BOOKS!  Please click on it.  It is precious.

"Paper Is Not Dead"
http://vimeo.com/61275290
:-)))))))))))))))))
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Please read about "The Blue Zones" by clicking here... 

My 22nd book this year.  :-)

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Quartz...Views...Books...Blahhhh...

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We found this quartz half, down cellar...  Something which survived the "big clean out."  "Uncle A." washed it well and it's lovely, again.  :-)  The holder is gone...    He'll have to make another 'thing,' to hold it correctly.  Out of wood.
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(Just a light-shadow, on the kitchen floor...)

Our heating system quit, Wedesday morning.  So Wes (our long time plumber) came over and got it going again.  A couple more things have to be installed, but that will be another day was done on Thurs.  I'll tell ya', tiss way too soon, to be without heat, in the house.  -chuckle-
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Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, I had been "pushing the envelope" on dairy consumption.  And today, I "paid the piper."  With a sudden and long trip to the "looooooo."  lol.  Too much information, I know.  But just letting you know, why I do NOT  EAT  many things, which I DO  NOT  EAT.
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My gut has a way of keeping me *on the straight and narrow.*  Which is a good thing.  If I could consume loads of "bad-for-me-things," and get away with it, would I be as careful, as I am?  Don't know.  But don't have to find out.  :-)
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 Do you Dear Reader, have any health necessities, which your body insures that you *keep on the straight and narrow,* about?????????????
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"When asked to explain the brisk pace of his novels, Elmore Leonard said; "I leave out the parts that people skip.""  (Written by George Will)    Sadly, that's what I feel like I have to do, when composing blog posts.  Leave out a lot, because Dear Readers may just skip words/thoughts, if I don't.  

Do you get this feeling also?  Do you sometimes begin, with a plump paragraph?  And end up, with 3 sentences?   Do your own eyes tend to "glaze over," when you open a post, with lots and lots of words?

A tiny detour here, for a mention of a fav peeve of mine.......  Writing, which is not broken up into paragraphs.  Eeek!  Eeeek!  Eeeek!  Please people, begin a new paragraph, when you move to a different aspect, of your over-all topic.  IN Comments too...  Please and thank you.  
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You can see my review of "Swamplandia"
by clicking here.......................

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It's still cold here in my neck of the woods.  I'm not feeling particularly *Spring-eee*.  But so many bloggers are, feeling *Spring-eee,* that I thought I'd add a pretty picture from a Net source. 

Actually, I really need to PERK  MYSELF  UP!!!  I'm getting tired of blogging,  tired of trying to do a wee bit of art, tired of doing even a little baking, etc.  Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh kind of covers it.  And I DO NOT HAVE A REASON to feel Blahhhhhhhhhhh. 

So snap yourself out of it, "Auntie"!!!  

Hip, hip, hip!

Get to it!!!!

Perk up!!!!

NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:-)

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Cold! Books... Chair!!! :-)))

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I am so tired of being cold...

I repeat, I am so tired of being cold...

But I shouldn't complain too loudly.  This latest NE storm, has not even moved our barometer. Nor dropped a flake of snow.  I'll take it!  Although the Weather Report says it's still coming.
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Upstairs, I found a book which I got, when our oldest "Grand" was a little girl, and I was taking "Nana-Day-Care" of her.  "The Fantastic Drawings of Danielle," written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock.  From the art work on the cover, you can see why I loved, loved, loved this book.

Soft!  Imaginative!  Precious!

You know where I'm going, with this, don't you?????  Such perfect illustrations, to try to draw myself!  And water color...  :-)

I readily admit, I just don't have the imagination, to think up interesting drawing topics.  And neither do I have the particular talent, to look at reality, and draw it on paper.  (As Susan Branch seems to have)  So, I do a form of copying.  A form of!!!!!  If I laid tracing paper over the pic and copied it and passed it off, as my own, THAT  would be really COPYING.  I simply look at an illustration, and try to do it, myself.
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I've been working my way through a few books, which I don't read-cover-to-cover.  So they don't go on my "Auntie's Reads 2013" blog.  These books, I skim over.  Reading here and there, gathering the information, which I want.  Non-fiction, of course.  For me, it's fun to have a couple of those, to dip into, when not in the mood for deep immersion into fiction.  :-)
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The Chair!!!  "Uncle A." looks like a happy man, does he not???  :-))))))))))))))

It's Mission Style and I dislike Mission Style.  But that doesn't matter!  The only thing which matters is, that he sat in many, and this was the most comfortable to him.  !!!!!!!!
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Finally, moving along...! ,-)

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Today's post begins with *Artful Studies* Of a Wine Glass.  Port, actually.  -grinnnnn-

I poured a glass of Port last night, and thought!!!!!  Photo Op!!!     ,-)

Yes, I'm done now.    ,-)

Yesterday we did have snow....

Some nice BIG flakes, which I was actually able to *capture*!!!   But it turned to rain, and it's a wonder there is any snow left.  There is, and it's just soggy snow and gray-wet-looking out. 

-chuckle-  What would we bloggers in Blog Land do, without our Local Weather Reports, hu? 

On Wednesday, we finally got the old couch, out of our Den.  We've had it for a long time, but it is still in fine condition.  So our son (on the right) got his friend (on the left) to help him bring it over next door.  It's now down in the kid's play room, down cellar.  And will give lots more years of wear.

"Uncle A's" recliner in the Hearth Room, which he uses every evening, is no longer comfortable.  Sun. we FINALLY went and ordered a new one.  His old recliner will move into the Den, but the couch had to go first.

My Dear Readers know that our family does not seem to do-things-quickly.  lol.  So all this, has been in the "we-are-gonna'-do-it-stage", for months.  Finally!  It's commencing!  ,-)   

I finished "Einstein's Dreams," and you can read more about it,  on my book blog,

by clicking on this click-able link.

Please may I ask...?  Have you Dear Reader, gone to my book blog ("Auntie's Reads 2013"), and checked on any book(s)?

I have No Comments Setting there.  To make it easier, on everyone.  But the Site Meter shows that some people are Visiting. 

They could be people, who usually read here.  Or they could be people who just found it, by searching for books/reviews.

So, I ask...   Please and Thank you...