Worth Sharing: The Merry Month of May

 

Here it is May 1 and I gave in this morning to curiosity and began to research the practice of May poles and May baskets.  I was prompted to study it further after starting The Honor Girl by Grace Livingston Hill.  Mrs. Hill in the opening pages of Chapter 1 of the book.

Most of the programme was over.  The tall, white robed queen with flowing hair, and wreaths of smilax  and asparagus fern, like emerald frost-work over her white garments, had marched in with her fairy attendants dressed in all manner of fantastic costumes.  They had place her upon the throne, crowned her, danced about her and the Maypole; danced separately and together; danced with pink, blue and white ribbons around and around the pole until it stood sheathed in its woven rainbow.

Worth Sharing: Photographic Memory

                                                  My great Grandmother ca 1920

Quite unconsciously this week I fell into looking at old photographs.   There is a shoe box full of photos which Mama gave me a few years ago.  Many are old enough to date back to the 1870's or 1880's, some from WWI and WWII and a few modern day polaroid type photos plus those purchased as a photo package.   As I looked over these faces, both familiar and unfamiliar I wasn't really thinking of the medium of photography.  

But later in the week, I found a most fascinating YouTube vlog that also deals with photographs and I started thinking of the advances we've made in photography over the years.

Worth Sharing: Hazel Dell Brown

 

                                                    The iconic, 'nap in kitchen' design

Over the past few months I've been sharing vintage kitchen images with you.   Many are from the Armstrong collection over the years 1925-1957.  Quite by accident Friday night as I worked up 'This Week in My Home' for publication this week, I discovered that many of the kitchens I've shared were all designed by the same woman, Hazel Dell Brown.   I was fascinated.  I mean what's the likelihood that 9/10ths of the rooms I share with linoleum type floors were her designs?  Obviously I am as drawn to her work as I have been to other artists...This one just happens to be an artist in home design.

Worth Sharing: Fireside

 

Don't you stay at home of evenings? Don't you love a cushioned seat in a corner, by the fireside, with your slippers on your feet?

— Oliver Wendell Holmes

Worth Sharing: Lovely and Wonderful Things

 

                                     Sunshine In The Living Room by Carl Holsoe

Not too long ago, I was trolling around Pinterest and an image caught my eye and made me stop and simply stare.  It was a lovely portrait, and the artist's name listed was Carl Holsoe.  I found the image above as a stumble upon last night and again I was completely captivated and simply sat staring at the painting.   When an artist's work makes me stop dead in my tracks and causes me to feel I am in a familiar room, I pay attention to the artist!

Worth Sharing: New Year Thoughts

 

Resolution:  the firm resolve to do or not  to do something

Do you make New Year's resolutions?  

I was determined to make resolutions for the year tonight  but got involved instead in finding out the origins of New Year celebrations.

The Babylonians were the creators of New Year's celebrations but for them, the New Year began in March during the planting of Spring crops.  It was a 12 day celebration, and was the time when new kings were crowned, or  ruling kings were acknowledged.  As well, they made offerings to their various gods.  They made promises to friends and neighbors that they would repay debts or return borrowed objects.  These good deeds would earn them favor in the eyes of their gods. The favor of the gods was sought in order to have a prosperous and blessed year at a time of year when all life was seen as beginning anew.

Worth Sharing This Week: Wonderful Things

 

                                          1892 

Years ago, when I was in late elementary, early junior high, I became quite fond of reading Barbara Cartland paperback romances.  Truth, I learned a great deal from her about history, since her novels were always set in different periods and she did impart more than the 'gasp...sigh...' form of romance to the reader.  One did come away feeling that something had been learned.  One of the books I remember most for what I learned dealt with a European (English?  French? No clue) who painted in the then controversial Impressionistic style.   I can't tell you now what I learned but I can tell you that once I was old enough to research art on my own, the Impressionists have always drawn my attention first and foremost.  

Worth Sharing: Turkey Talk

 

Let's talk turkey.   

Talking turkey is a slang term, meaning, "Let's speak frankly and honestly.  Let's talk openly and directly."  Well, all I want to speak honestly about is turkey.

We Americans have all heard how Benjamin Franklin lobbied for the wild turkey to become our national bird instead of the Bald Eagle.  I kind of see his point.   We live in an area with a lot of wild turkey and it's not uncommon to see groups as large as twenty turkey at once in the fields this time of year.

Worth Sharing: Candle Light

 

One of the things I've loved most about our Messianic journey was that we began lighting Shabbat candles each Friday evening.  I recall the very first time I saw a candle lighting performed on some movie watched as a teen.  I found it incredibly lovely and longed to perform such a ritual in my own home.  It was not however, until I was in my 50's and we began that portion of our spiritual journey that I began to kindle the lights on Friday evening.

 

Worth Sharing This Week: Send Me Orchids and Pumpkin!

When I was a young and romantic pre-teen, I loved reading those junior romance novels, like Fifteen by Beverly Cleary and oh gracious, I can't think who all else.  There were loads of juvenile fiction authors I read back then.   But I was always curious about what an orchid looked like.  Every girl who ever went to prom or a Homecoming dance in those novels were given orchid corsages by their best beaux.  I was a full grown adult before I saw my first orchid.  I had always heard how difficult they were to grow.

Worth Sharing This Week: Magical Things and Memories

I don't know exactly what era every one finds the most memorable.  I'd have to say likely mine is the 1970's. Bell bottom pants, platform shoes, peasant blouses and leather wrist bands.  I'm amazed these days to walk through an antique store and find dishes and decor that Mama had in our home at that time.  I mean, they aren't really antiques yet...or just barely!

Worth Sharing: Let's Have a Cool One

While a dip in a pool is the nicest thing ever on a hot summer's day, there are many ways to take a dip and feel restored.   Wading in a lovely little stream.  Sitting in a lawn chair within reach of a sprinkler (a bit of a shock to the system but awfully nice all the same and besides I'm far to lazy to dance about jumping back and forth over said sprinkler).  Going swimming in a lake...

Worth Sharing This Week: The Science of It All

It's all well and good to be grateful in November for Thanksgiving, but it really ought to be a year round thing.   The Frugal Girl shared this article on her blog last week and I thought it worth sharing, too.   I love when we know something but then researchers and scientists study it and then we know why we know it.  I'm planning to mark the end of each day with what I'm grateful for this month.  I do believe it's key to good health, mental and physical health.

I know I'm providing links to the articles in each post but I've found from long ago posts that sometimes those links become dead ones.  And then the whole post is rather moot isn't it?  So I'm going to give a quick synopsis of what each article has to say.  

Worth Sharing this Week: Randomness

I went to Josh's sixth birthday party this afternoon and I don't know if he and Isaac are aware of how very blessed they are.  In the room was his Gammy, Gramma, Grand Nessa and one great grandmother, Nana.  

And while I'm talking of his party, Josh gets first prize for being equally enthusiastic and excited over every single gift.  I happen to know for a fact that the first gift he opened (From Grand Nessa and Papa) happens to have been the top item on his wish list.  Did he stop there and let all else fall aside?  No.  That child emceed his own birthday party and exclaimed and 'sold' every single gift he received from that moment on.  No one felt they'd done less than bless him because he made sure of that!  And his happiest moments were when the gifts he opened included a second item that could be shared with Isaac.  I know he's my grandson, but he really is extraordinary.

Worth Sharing This Week: Keep Your Cool

I think one of the loveliest of all things is those unexpected things that you stumble upon.  Just so was this post.  I was looking for photos to use on the blog for this week's first post and came across this little blurb with a pretty little bedroom as the photo.

Doesn't that look refreshing?

Worth Sharing This Week: Random Things

I don't usually share our church service but I really enjoyed my Pastor's take on Jonah's story this week.  Maybe because he shared some similar thoughts to my own: that some people are only meant to be in our life for a season.  I've always felt that myself and being a cultivator (To Everything there is a season...), I had long ago grasped this.  I know it's not everyone's thoughts but Pastor Yarborough brought home why it should be so in a way that I'd never been able to express.

I've shared often how inspiring I find the quotes on Becky's Frugal Measures blog.  This from a couple of weeks ago is simple but full of truth:  "Bad days come to an end." Jeffrey R. Holland

But it's what she said after that really filled me with inspiration:

Eventually we will get through this. We will be stronger. Hopefully you will have found a better you and more compassion and love for others.

Surely an "Amen!" should follow that statement.

Worth Sharing This Week: Living Hard and Easy

I found this link for five free reading sites.  I'll be the first to own that I really like holding a book in my hand and turning pages.  It's a whole different thing to read in an online format.  However, I am currently in a state of wanting so many books of so many different genres that I cannot afford myself.   Online reading to the rescue!  Some of these, like Project Gutenberg, I was aware of.  Others are new to me.  I'm going to look up a few books this weekend and see what I might enjoy reading.
  

The rest of this week's post is all about the pictures.  I'll try to explain those that need to be explained and the rest will likely speak for themselves.

Worth Sharing This Week: Taking it Slow

Southern Living shared this list of  classic childrens book series.  Some of these I think I'd like to read or re-read.


When we look far and wide or spend too much time focused of the enormity of a problem, such as many are doing with the worldwide pandemic right now, we soon begin to miss the small things that our hearts need to ground us in the here and now, the gentle everyday things which display beauty to the eyes and plant seeds of calm in the soul. ~ Jenny of Elefantz blog.

That was her opening in her blog post .

Worth Sharing This Week: Strawberry Season

This past weekend would have been the annual Strawberry Festival.  It's been ongoing for about as long as we've been here in this county and it's the one thing we usually attend.  It's pure small town festival stuff.   A couple of city blocks of bouncy houses, pony rides, live music, craft booths, the aroma of BBQ and cotton candy, popcorn and Fried Chicken in the air, along with a load of screeching children.  People crowd in from out of town.  There are lawnmower races, a teddy bear parade, classic car show, picnics in the park, and my favorite thing of all, the annual Women's Club book sale.

Not this year.  Not the first time it's been cancelled either as weather has shut it down a few times but you know it wasn't weather this year it was Covid 19.  We'll mark that one in the history of our little annual festival.

Worth Sharing This Week: Tapestry

tapestry
a piece of thick textile fabric with pictures or designs formed by weaving colored weft threads or by embroidering on canvas, used as a wall hanging or furniture covering.

used in reference to an intricate or complex combination of things or sequence of events.



On Sunday, John and I began a simple enough discussion at lunch time.  We talked about pivotal songs that totally changed music for us.  Now I have to say, modestly, that I have a wide musical genre range that I like.  Old hymns, Hebraic music, pop, rock, bossanova, new age, country, blue grass, classical, jazz.  Likely genres too that I don't even know I like.  I love music that speaks to something within and have always been deeply moved by music.  My dad was, my Granny was and both taught me to be open and to really listen to the words and the music.