Saturday, August 27, 2011

espalier.....

one of the duties, as the gardener to this particular property, is to keep this beautiful espalier looking good.
combined out of 11 bradford pear trees and trained into a living fence...

installed 6 or 7 years ago (can't remember) and underplanted with hosta...,,,,

it borders one corner of the pool area......

it grows like crazy and needs a haircut about every three weeks! see that wheelbarrow there? i call that "my office". i have included this photo with the 5 foot ladder, to show scale and YES i have to stand on the TOP rung of the ladder to reach the top of the espalier (don't do this at home). can you picture me up there, in my stylish wellies and vintage apron and hair in braids?? ya, right......

although, i DO wear my hair in braids.

at what age, is it too old to wear braids?

or teeter at the top of a ladder?

not a bad place to work, eh?

i love my job.

mm

mmm

i hope Hurricane Irene doesn't wreak too much havoc on YOU......

evacuating NY City?? unheard of. oh my.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

right around the corner...

feeling restless yesterday....
we took off for a drive through the country. we had not traveled far...

when i spotted this cheerful white weed, merrily dancing across the field.

it turns out.

it was just what i needed.

i go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.

~john burroughs


Thursday, August 18, 2011

a few more glimpses...

into my living/sunroom/not sure what to call this room.....i have been slowly adding more brown and earth tones to the room.....as summer winds down (although still hotter than Hades) , i am desiring the early and subtle colors of autumn.......i moved the old hutch, to this wall between the large windows. it weighs a millionish pounds or more.......i used sliders that you slip under the feet, that make it mucho easier to slide across the carpet.

i usually rearrange alone....by choice, mind you.
i brought in this old hose reel, plucked from the garden......to sit on top, for a more industrial look.....and added a plant plopped into a galvanized bucket.

i then removed everything from the hutch......and arranged a carefully folded pile of some of my favorite white and cream blankies........i worked in a quilt store years ago.... the very first job i had after being a stay-at-home-mommy for 13+ years.......where i got lots of practice in how to artistically fold a blankie and shmooz with country music stars.

love the old knob.

i have had this hutch for over 25 years......one of the first antiques i ever bought.

i have thought about painting him many times, but i am glad i did not.......having a dark piece in a room really "grounds" the room.

creamy crockery (use an english accent while saying that...it sounds much better, doesn't it?)

i brought in a white trellis from the garden too.

i also, switched out the chairs at the little farm table......the brown tones announcing the drought laden gardens and colors of the late summer harvesting......

and i added this milk crate with dried whatcha-ma-call-its.....sorry i can not recall the name of this plant! but i do recall that it is the plant, minus the dried heads, from which brooms are made....anybody know the plant? anybody....it is so beautiful.

the folding chair and,

this old desk chair were in my "prop" room, waiting to be dusted off and seen in a new light.

the heavy old desk chair wears this cool metal plaque on its back......i imagine it was used during WW11......the stories it could tell.


it is those quirky details that give a house its soul....

that, and the quirky people who live there.

i strive to be quirky.

mmmmm

mmmmm




i am joining these parties..


and


thanks ladies!






Friday, August 12, 2011

other lives...

my old 1999 jeep has been in the shop for a couple of days.......new compressor for the air conditioner needed........so yesterday, i went to town, rearranging my sun/living/never know what to call this/room......and of course big kit-ten and little miss daisy had to join in the fun!
i removed the painted white coffee table and stuck it in the attic (i call that the "prop room") and replaced it with this old medical cart from the back porch.......rubbed the rust off with "mr. clean's magic eraser" (do you know about this amazing product? you must check it out!)......and i am lovin the new look.
all old pieces, that lived other lives......pulled together.

the top was just a little too rusty for me, so i topped it with an old wooden tool caddy that has the coolest tin bottom.

love them curvy legs.

added some chunky white candles......

old bottles sitting on a piece of poor man's silver......

and a hand forged copper bird feeder with a broken chain.

pulled the old fan from the prop room too.

gratuitous kitty toes...couldn't help sharing those, just because.



joining






have a wonderful weekend friends!!

erin

xxoo