Laura

"It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong." Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

I told you in my last post not to hold your breath waiting for a new post from me : )

I'm really getting bad about posting regularly. I promised myself that that was one of things I was going to work on this year, but life just seems to get away from me. And, well, I really struggle to try to find something interesting to write about.  What I really want to do is vent (actually, more like a rant) about my job: about the customers who are so stinking crabby, and the managers who speak to us peons like we're idiots; about the 18 year old co-workers who think that I'm old and useless at 51; about how frustrating it is to have to work a job for which I am grossly overqualified, both in terms of experience and in education; about working for minimum wage; about irregular work hours and not having enough hours; about my feet and back and knees that are just KILLING me!!

 

I could also vent about how hard it is to make friends in this town.  It's an odd place; everyone is friendly on the outside, but they don't want to be your friend. The natives are clannish and, come hell or high water, they're not going to let you in to their clique. The only people here who are becoming my friends are not native to the area. 

 

And I could vent about finances (or lack thereof), although, the relatively mild winter climate here in California makes my winter bills quite low (can't say the same for the summer bills, though).

 

I could go on and on, but I won't.  What I will talk about is one of the things (actually a person) from which a derive a great deal of comfort in the hard times. 

 

One of my heroes is Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I'm not talking about the Laura in the "Little House on the Prairie" TV show.  My apologies to all the fans of the show, but that wasn't Laura. And, I'm sorry, but Michael Landon was definitely not Pa!  I know it was a fictionalized version of the Ingalls' life, but once you know the real story, the TV show is a disappointment (at least it was for me). 

 

I'm talking about the real Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 

 

I first read her books when I was a child and loved them, although, the books that described the hard times weren't my favorites. I wanted all sweetness and light, like most children, so my favorite stories about Laura were the ones about the good times.

 

 

But now, I love the stories about the hard times.  About the long hard winter when the Ingalls nearly starved; about Mary going blind; about the grasshoppers and the failed crops; about the blizzards and the prairie heat; about the financial woes; about the oftentimes grueling work.  When I read Laura's Little House books, I read about a family who faced life's challenges with dignity and grace, and an awful lot of hard work.  It gives me great comfort to know that tough times can not only be faced head on, but can be overcome as well.  There are great lessons to be learned from Laura's writings: that there is no great loss without some small gain; that all good things come from some sort of sacrifice; that family and friends are more important than wealth and things; that hard work is good for us; and (although it is sometimes hard for me to hear this) that adversity is good for us.

 

 

In spite of all their hard times, in spite of all the loss and pain and struggle and tremendous disappointment, the Ingalls still believed, all through their lives, that God is good. 

 

"Suffering passes, while love is eternal. That's a gift that you have received from God. Don't waste it."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

So, if you've never read the Little House books as a child, pick one up.  If you read them as a child, but haven't picked one up since, read them again, with fresh eyes.  You will read about a remarkable family and a particularly remarkable girl, who grew into a great lady.

 

 

That great lady not only wrote children's books, but also wrote articles for Missouri farm papers and national magazines.  Those articles are collected in this volume:

 

 

This is a good read, as well:

 

 

 

And, by the way, if you ever get the  opportunity to visit Laura and Almanzo's home in Mansfield, Missouri, do it! I've been twice, and it was wonderful! Pa's violin is in the museum, and their houses (there are two on the property) are just darling.  The farmhouse was left pretty much the same as it was when Laura died in 1957, so you get a fairly good idea how Laura and Almanzo lived.  You can visit the website here.

 

Thanks so much for your visit.  I hope you leave a comment; I love reading them.  

Ladies and (a few) Gentlemen

This is a house of mostly girls.  There's me and Tallulah, of course, but also these girls:

And these:

And there are a couple of guys thrown in:

These two are my favorites:

I just noticed that my fingers and camera appear in the mirror. Sheesh!

Most of them have been thrifted, a few came from Tuesday Mornings, of all places, a few others from antique stores here and there.  I love them posed in front of the 1940's mirror I thrifted a month or so ago.

I pair them with my collection of airbrush pictures from the 40's and 50's.

My collection started with these:

They hung in my grandparent's house for as long as I could remember.  Now, I hunt others down at antique and thrift stores, but it's hard to find them in both good condition and at affordable prices. 

This one is one of my favorites:

I saw it at an antique store in Orange County, fell in love with it, but it was priced at $75, and that was a bit steep for me.  Fast forward six months, and I found the same one for $25 at an antique store in Kentucky, when I was travelling with my sister and brother-in-law.  Of course, I snatched it up, begged my bro-in-law to pack it in his suitcase amidst his clothing, and prayed that it wouldn't break on the plane trip back. It arrived safe and sound (thanks, Mark!).

 

These are my latest find:

 

I love the pink background, with the daisy border.

 

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted, and almost that amount of time since I've even read anyone's blog.  I've spent that time doing some thrifting, and working on craft and decorating projects that I've been putting off for months.  Hopefully, I'll be self disciplined enough to get a post up this weekend, but I wouldn't hold your breath on that : )  I'm not famous for self-discipline.

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Thank you for your visit, and thanks, in advance, for your comments. I love reading them.

Baby Steps

Hi to all.

Remember those projects I talked about at the beginning of the year? Well, one of them hasn't been going too well.  Yup, that one about growing this blog and posting more often.  Yeah, I'm already a failure and it's still January : )

But, I have been successful at a couple of other things.  First, I have seeds and bulbs for this year's garden already, and will be starting them next month in my laundry room/mud room (believe me, Tallulah is making darn sure that there is ALWAYS mud on that floor). I've been saving cardboard egg cartons for the past year so I have little planters for my seedlings, and I'll be able to just transplant both planter and plant.  I've also put seven rose bushes in the backyard (all pink, different varieties), and two in one of the front yard planters.  Right now, they barely have leaves, but I'm sure hoping for fresh roses in my house this summer.  Roses do very well here in Central California.  Remember my next door neighbor's rose bush? 

 

It was gorgeous last summer.  Too bad the new owners let the bush die.

 

I've also finally started with obedience training with Tallulah.  I was VERY nervous before the first class, because, quite frankly, sometimes Tallulah can be a royal pain in the butt.  I had visions of her running amok in the dog treat section, getting the two of us banned for eternity from PetCo, but it's actually going well.  Her first class was this past Tuesday, and I didn't have to apologize to anyone for anything.  Believe me, that's a first.  I have to say, Tallulah was quite impressed with PetCo.  When we walked down the aisle that has the huge bags of dog food, I swear she genuflected. 

 

 

Waiting for my commands.  We do homework every day.

 

 

 

So, two of my goals for 2013 are underway.  I'm taking baby steps.

 

The rest of the time, I've been on a laundry binge, because I just acquired a wash machine.  For FREE!  I've never owned a washer before, so I've been gleefully running the machine every day for the past 2 weeks.  I don't own a dryer, but a couple of rolling clothes racks from Walmart do the trick.  I'm just so thrilled I no longer have to go to the laundromat.  When spring comes, I can put up a clothesline in the backyard.

 

Isn't she a beauty?  Yeah, I know I'm a dork for being so impressed with a washer, but when you've done without one for as long as I have, it's a BIG deal to finally get one.

 

Thanks so much for your visit.  I look forward to reading your comments.

It Was Just Mom and Me

My favorite kinds of music are Big Band and pop standards from the 1930's to 50's, and I'm convinced it's my mom's fault.  From age 2 to almost 5, I had my mom all to myself mornings and afternoons, Monday to Friday. My older brother and sister were in school full time, and my younger brother wasn't born until I was nearly five, so for nearly three years, from 8:00 to 3:00, it was just Mom and me.  Although I missed my sister (didn't miss that pesky big brother), I have very fond memories of being the center of attention, of going everywhere Mom went, of helping Mom hang clothes on the clothesline, of listening to the radio with Mom.  She listened to a station out of LA, KMPC, which, at that time (early 60's), played Big Band and pop standards from the 40's and 50's.  So, while everyone else my age was growing up on rock n' roll, my first and most vivid musical memories are of listening to Perry Como and Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Patti Page, Glenn Miller, Jo Stafford, Rosemary Clooney . . .  Who else my age knows the lyrics to "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (listen to it here) and "A - You're Adorable" (listen to it here).  Of course, after I went to school and realized that that kind of music wasn't hip, I pretended to hate it, but deep down inside, I still had a fondness for it.  It took a lot of growing up before I was able to simply be myself, and love what I loved, regardless of whether or not it was considered stylish or cool.

 

Since I love that old music, I consider it a natural extension  to have a fondness for old radios.  I even have the 1950's radio that Mom and I listened to, and it still works!

 

 

 

But I've always wanted one of those big old radios from the 30's or 40's, the kind that you see in an old movie.  I love how the radio was a piece of furniture in those days. And I finally found one, in an unlikely place.

 

When I initially moved to the Central Valley, I was VERY disappointed with the thrift stores here.  I was accustomed to finding at least one treasure (and often many more) every time I visited a thrift store in Orange County, but here, I rarely have any luck when out thrifting. Everything is junk. And not even old junk. Or junk that could be transformed into something better. Just junk. So I was shocked when I found this 1930's radio for $20.

 

 

  

It doesn't work, and one of the tuner knobs is missing, but it was a great find anyway!

 

 

 

I enjoy listening to vintage radio stations and old radio shows on my computer, so sometimes I'll pretend my radio works, it's 1940, and I'm in my living room, listening to another adventure of Boston Blackie, or to the swinging sounds of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.  My favorite site to find big band music is vTuner Internet radio, which you can find here. You may also listen to old radio dramas here.  I always think of my mom when I listen to that old music, and I fondly remember those days when it was just Mom and me.

 

Thank you so much for your visit. I really enjoy reading the comments, and look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

A New Year

Happy New Year to everyone!

2012 was a very difficult year, so I'm looking forward to a better 2013.

 

I spent most of last year in survival mode.  Most days, all I could do was get through the day.  Money was extremely scarce, the roommate (and son) were crazy, and the job was miserable.  It was pretty depressing and sometimes scary.  I was beginning to wonder if I needed to change the name of this blog, because I was beginning to think that the best was behind me.  It's kind of hard to dream and plan for the future when all you can do is survive the day.  And I'm a person who dreams big, and always tries to have something good to look forward to. For me, the anticipation is often better than the event, but I enjoy them both anyway.  So, it was tough not being able to plan for the future, not having anything to look forward to.

 

So, I've decided that in 2013, I'm leaving survival mode behind, and making some big plans.  Luckily, my autumn and winter bills are extremely low, and I'm getting more hours at work, so if I shop carefully, I'll have enough money to implement at least a few of my plans.  I always have a huge list of stuff I want to accomplish, but I'll only share a few of them with you:

 

1. Blog: Grow and improve this blog and my photography skills.  I started blogging almost a year ago, and I'm often surprised and touched at the kind and encouraging comments I receive.  I really appreciate my followers and enjoy talking with you.  I just wish you all lived on my street so we could talk in person.  I haven't posted very often during my first year, in large part because who wants to read about someone who is just in survival mode?  Boring, boring, boring.  So, I need to post more often.  I also need to improve my photography skills.  Any advice you can give would be appreciated.

 

2. Get another job (or a second job).  NOT in retail. 'Nuff said.

 

 

3. Train Tallulah.  Miss T. is VERY sweet, but she is 90 pounds of unbridled enthusiasm, and that could get someone hurt, especially since strangers don't realize that she is a puppy (because she's so big), and even those that know her (including me) often forget how young she is, and often expect better behavior from her than a 10 month old pup is capable of.  I'm so glad to have my Sweet, Awkward Doofus, and I don't ever regret adopting her (even when she chewed up one of my Hallmark Snoopy Christmas ornaments from 1982. And my job interview shoes. And 3 pair of socks. And two skeins of yarn. And an electrical cord. And . . .  ) However, a dog that big needs training and socialization, and I need to learn how to control her better. So, I've enrolled her in puppy reform school kindergarten at PetCo.  I'm also hoping that we can meet some younger dogs that she can play with.  I think she's kind of bored with me : )

 

Her paw is almost as big as my hand!

 

 

4. Paint the inside of the house.  Right now, I'm living with the tan paint color that was on the walls when I moved in.  It's nice, but it's just not me.  I'm not a neutral kind of girl.

 

5.  Landscape front and back yards.  Three things sold me on this house when I first toured it: the large remodeled kitchen, the cozy brick fireplace in the living room, and the huge backyard.  Ever since I read The Secret Garden when I was a girl, I have always wanted a lush English country garden, complete with climbing roses, and all sorts of old fashioned fragrant flowers. Not an easy feat in sunny California.  But I think it's possible, and I'm determined to create that quiet, peaceful, "secret" place in my backyard, for reading, daydreaming, and afternoon naps.

 

The front and back yards don't look much different now than from when I first saw the house:

 

 

 

 

 

The backyard even came with a small potting shed. 

 

The shed looks tiny next to the tree.

 

As you can see, the backyard has great potential; it just needs lots of plants, and a lot of hard work.  If anyone has any experience in this, or has any ideas for it, feel free to offer advice.  Keep in mind, I'll be doing the majority of the work alone, on a strict budget.

 

The front yard is just boring.  

The tree has grown quite a bit, and I've planted lavender in the planter, but otherwise, it has changed little.  It definitely needs more landscaping.

 

As you can see, I have lots of projects for this year.  I can't wait to see them through to completion.

 

I hope that 2013 is a great year for everyone.

 

Thank you for your visit. I look forward to reading your comments.

 

 

Merry Christmas

 

 

Wishing you all a Blessed Christmas!

It Doesn't Get Much Better than Christmas

There are days when it feels silly and shallow to blog about frivolous things like crafting and decorating and movies when there is such sadness and misery in the world.  Today is one of those days. 

 

I worked yesterday, and spent the entire time whining in my head about my aching feet, and my aching back, and my aching knees (are you sensing a pattern here?) and those whiney, crabby customers, and how hungry and thirsty I was, and was my shift EVER going to end?!  And on and on and on, ad nauseum  . . .

 

Then I went home and turned on the news and I felt foolish and ashamed that I was complaining about relatively inconsequential stuff. So what if my back and feet and knees ache? At least I can stand and walk. And if those customers are ill-tempered jerks? Well, they're the ones who have to live with themselves. I thank God that I only have to deal with them for a short period of time and that, at least in my free time, I can choose to associate with people who are kind and loving. And if I'm hungry? Well, I could certainly afford to lose a few pounds, so maybe occasional hunger might be a good thing.

 

When I hear about tragedies like the shootings in Connecticut, I count my blessings. And I pray for those I love (and remind myself to also pray for those I don't even like!)

 

I thought about not posting what I was planning to post today, but I decided to do it anyway. I don't know about everyone else, but I enjoy visiting your blogs (and writing mine) because I need a respite from the daily news about war and murder and pain and misery. Those things are right in front of us every time we open up a newspaper, or turn on the radio or the TV.  They're impossible to ignore. Sometimes, they hit far too close to home, both literally and figuratively, and we must face them without the protective barrier of newsprint or a television screen.

 

So, after spending some time crying and wondering if the world has gone mad, I decided to think about something good.  And for me, it doesn't get much better than Christmas.

 

In spite of the fact that I work retail (and quite frankly, despise it), I still love Christmas.  I love the religious aspect of it, and I love the secular stuff as well, and have no issues with enjoying both equally.  I love Shiny Brite ornaments, "A Charlie Brown Christmas", Santa Claus, houses with Christmas lights, Midnight Mass, Christmas trees, Nativity scenes, gift wrap, Christmas cards, "It's a Wonderful Life", tinsel, Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas", Christmas cookies, eggnog . . .  

 

Here are a few pictures from my house:

 

One of my craft projects that I actually liked the end result and didn't donate to Goodwill.  I hang this wreath in my entryway.

 

 

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without my mom's Nativity scene.  She bought this sometime in the mid '50's, and I always enjoy setting it up each year.  I miss my mom very much, particularly at Christmas.

I decorated the fireplace mantel in my living room rather simply (well, simple for ME anyway): just a few ornaments amidst the china.

I inherited my love of the color pink from my grandmother, who had all pink ornaments on her Christmas tree.  Some of the above were hers.

I wanted an old-fashioned looking Christmas, with Shiny Brite ornaments, and tinsel.  I decided not to put the tinsel on when someone decided she wanted to help me:

Yup, that's silver tinsel in her mouth!

Since she was so interested in the tree, I decided to wrap up misc. boxes in this vintage-looking gift wrap, and place them in front of the tree to keep her away.  So far, my strategy has worked.  And I love the darling gift wrap. So very 50's.

These Gurley candles belonged to my grandmother.  She had about a dozen candles of various styles.  These choir members and the lamp post are in pretty good condition.  I can't say the same for some of the others.

In addition to the decorations in my living room, I decided to decorate my dining room as well.  I have collected Snoopy stuff since high school, and have about 400 Snoopy Christmas ornaments, as well as all the other misc. decorations.  I haven't put out the Snoopy stuff for a couple of years (it's A LOT of work), but I was in the mood for it this year, and love the fact that after so many years of living in a small apartment, I now have enough room to go a little crazy with the Christmas decorating.  Here are some scenes from my dining room:

My sister made the Christmas tree skirt for me.

I used two artificial trees for the Snoopy ornaments, but didn't have enough room for all of them.

My oldest nephew made the tissue paper wreath for me when he was about 6.  He's now 30; I can't believe how well the wreath has held up. Those sweet presents from my nieces and nephews are some of my most treasured possessions.

Yeah, I know, it's all pretty over-the-top and crazy, but it makes me smile, and my guests always enjoy it.  It's hard to feel sad when you see all those smiling Snoopies.  And it's hard to feel sad with this one around:

I hope everyone has a great weekend.  Count your blessings, as I will. And, if you're Christmas shopping, be kind to the retail store clerk.  She puts up with a lot of crap from people, and trust me, her feet are KILLING her.

 

Thanks for stopping by.  I would love it if you would leave a comment - I really enjoy reading them!