Friends

 A couple of weeks ago the Mr. and I went to a pool tournament in Colorado and I got to spend the day with a really good friend and we went "junkin".  Of course, we had lunch too and we had such a great day.  I was able to score a few things on my ever changing list but at the end of the day when we had to bid adieu, she gave me this beautiful wreath.  It so reflects our way of life and our decorating style!!!  It will hang year 'round here.  Thank you dear friend.

I also got a call from a niece who was at a flea market and she let me know that she had found a small rolling pin for me...I posted a picture of the ones I have collected earlier on, but I found one too so again, pieces that remind me of days gone by.  Simpler days for sure are gone, but do little girls even use rolling pins any more?  There is a quest for some new moms to find a healthier lifestyle for their families and blogs now to actually do more of the things their grandmother's did, but do they make pie crust from scratch and do their daughters use little wooden rolling pins?  We did.

My other dear friend came over last week and we had lunch and junked a little bit.  For our craft retreat we plan a project to put lights in bottles, etc. and we found old glass blocks for $6.00 each.  We were only able to get 4 but that will be enough with the other items we have. New blocks are available, but for crafting, they are expensive and we are into "cheap" and recycling is even better.
I will be posting some of the projects later.

"True frinedship comes when silence between two people is comfortable." ~ Dave Tyson Gentry

Saying goodbye

It is with a heavy heart that I have had to say goodbye to a dear friend.  I worked for a wonderful man for nearly 15 years and now that red-headed Irishman has gone to meet his maker.  We were born in the same year, in the same month, a few hours apart and from the day I began my employment with him, it was evident that I would be his confidant.  I had never met him, never even heard of him before I applied for the job as his secretary.  Never has there been a man with a bigger heart, more compassionate, or more lust for life.  He had his demons though and somehow I know as I witnessed his battles with them, they took a toll on his life.  I am witness to others who are struggling with these demons and know that until they are honest with themselves and chose to do something about this fight, I can do nothing.  May they find peace.

"Junk"

 If you know a lot about me, you will understand my attraction to things that are old, can be re-purposed or just plain remind me of things from my past.  This little ol' child's stroller for her dolly or maybe a playful kitten, with the wheels long gone and the original paint missing is my latest treasure.  What makes some of these things special to me is that they were given to me by dear friends who also like "junk", and know that I will find a new home for them.  Yesterday, I dropped by my lunch buddy's home and saw this little gem sitting outside in the snow.  It just screamed "take me home".  It was just the perfect piece of junk to be outside because of its durability.  She graciously offered it to me and I was thrilled. (doesn't take much to make me happy?)

 I don't remember if my sisters and I had a similar piece when we were little, but it seems familiar for some reason.  I can just see it with blue paint and a few decals on it can't you?  I cleaned it a little and for now it sits in my dining room with a plant--also a gift from a friend's mother..and I am debating about trying to recreate the "look" it had when being pushed by a little girl.  However, for me I have a little bit of history to accompany it.  I was told that it was found in an old mine in Nevada and that makes it a bit more important to me.  Thank you Ginger!

Coalette is napping on the small secretary a few days earlier, and resting her chin on the little blue birds, dreaming of spring when she can actually get outside.  The secretary is also a very special piece.  My mother-in-law, rest her soul, gave this to me nearly 50 years ago.  It was in a garage when they moved into a house and had been in a fire.  Unfortunately, back then, I did not realize that old furniture should not necessarily be refinished.  This piece is entirely "pegged" together and I put at least 12 coats of hand-rubbed finish on it in the early 70's.

The gals and I are still trying to come up with a date for our retreat and so far, nothing definite.  But my dear friend has a piece that intrigues me and I may have another project if we can ever set a date.

"He who makes room in his heart for others, will himself find accommodation everywhere."
~ Anonymous

Sewing Machine Saga

 I have a friend who once told me something after I told her how thrilled I was to have a new sewing machine. She said "If anyone gave me a sewing machine, I would not be happy."  She did not use those words exactly, but I cannot print what she said .  This is the machine that I picked up for $75.00 a couple of weeks ago.  Never having worked  a treadle machine before, I had to learn all about this and thankfully for the "WEB", that information is there for the taking. The first thing I did was try to clean all of the gunk from the top and 3-in-1 oil was recommended.  So when the Mr. and I got the leather belt back on, I tried to lift it up to look at the "inards" and promptly broke the belt. (these are leather) We had to order a new one which took several days..more than a week.  In the mean time, I proceeded to learn how to thread it and cleaned the bobbin case as it was rusty. When the belt arrived, it had to be cut to an approximate length,( not too tight???) and holes punched in each end for the staple to be slipped into and pressed shut.  Not having any idea what "too tight" meant, we got lucky. But we did not have it installed correctly at first. Then the treadle kept locking up on us and we discovered that it was hitting the framework in the back. Something called "set screws" had to be loosened and tightened for it to clear the frame and the Mr. is soooo smart and handy to realize this. We also had to oil lots of moving parts below the cabinet and on the treadle.  Then I could not get the one and only bobbin to wind as it kept slipping.  I knew what was wrong, but didn't know how to fix it...simple..call the Mr. Just a small adjustment where a piece had gotten mashed down and I was in business again.  Not being very mechanically inclined, I couldn't get the treadle to make the machine go forward and I couldn't keep it working smoothly.  The Mr. patiently explained how the mechanism with the belt on it worked and I practiced without thread. (My grandmother would have just stood and shook her head at me I am sure!)  But I decided that I was ready to see if it actually would sew after all the time and work. I carefully threaded it according to the directions, put the bobbin in and it sews like a dream.  My NEW machine is 97 years OLD.  The cabinet needs some work, but LATER.

I collect some, but not lots of sewing related items, which include my Mom's darning egg, an old needle case that belonged to my grandmother, and old pincushion that was my dear aunt's and some old patterns from the 40's.  A friend gave me 2 wall candle holders made from old wooden bobbins, and a square yard stick and I just picked up an old wooden hem marker.  The wooden spools in the larger jar were given to me by a friend of a sister of my other dear friend years ago and I have actually used up some of the thread as there was a huge box of it.  I don't even know what thread costs for the most part as I order large spools on line now for quilting, but some of these are marked at 15 and 19 cents.  Few people share my love of sewing, so if this bored you, too bad!  I find it extremely relaxing and great therapy and with 6 machines in my sewing room, I have one for nearly every purpose.  YOU CAN'T HAVE TOO MANY SEWING MACHINES.

More visitors

 Where does one go for a nice salad....my front lawn of course!!  These two fluffy babies were part of a herd yesterday late afternoon who ate and then lay down for a nap.  All of these pictures were taken through my dirty windows.  (I won't be washing them until warmer weather folks.)

So then they were back just now for breakfast grazing off the back yard and the lower picture was taken yesterday afternoon of this doe gazing at me through my dining room window.

This herd is about 14 and there are at least two small bucks in the herd, maybe more.  Some are shedding their antlers so who knows.  With so much grass and sagebrush, this herd is fat and healthy.