Why We Did Not Rake the Leaves

It was a beautiful Saturday- before- Easter at Hillcrest Cottage. The chosen chore de jour was to finish the spring leaf raking.

It didn't take much to get sidetracked from that job... and the following is part of what happened.

Discarding a rotting table on the front veranda led to a decision to give the table another life in the cottage's rear. Antique estate sale legs replaced the rotted ones. Soon, the smell of grilling steaks filled the air.

Here's the new-old table pre- steak dinner.

Inside the green shutter doors is my favorite Summer spot. I call it "The Potting Shed". Not much potting goes on in here... mostly reading, thinking, and napping. The stone floor is always cool and air from under the house flows through a vent providing natural air conditioning (mandatory when the Arkansas temps reach their Summer highs).

Peek inside this quiet, peaceful space...

Mac the Labradoodle loves it when I open the Potting Shed's doors!

Mac enjoys the stone floors. When I sit on the swing, she naps under my feet.

I saw this fun votive chandelier at a local antique mall. My sweet boys snatched it up for my birthday gift. It is very special for that reason.

Lots of candles make the Potting Shed shine at night.

The chandelier at dusk.

It was a productive day... much better than leaf raking.

De-Cluttering Items of the Day

I am still making my way through the clutter of my early childhood. It is becoming a profitable venture... more on that tomorrow.

Chatty Cathy was my first talking doll. I remember her well even though I was only three years old when I received her. Unfortunately, all I have left is this pinafore dress. Cathy's end was a sad one as she became a statistic of my older brothers' older brother mischief.

One fateful day, I entered my bedroom to discover all of my dolls had been unfrocked. My brothers had drawn (in magic marker... the hardcore 1960's kind with a very strong odor) football numbers on all of the dolls' naked backs.

The next scene was not a pretty sight.

I had a temper.

All I have left of Chatty Cathy:


This album is actually very rare. (Can you imagine that?) It's not too late to buy this on Ebay and to enjoy some awesome music from 1970!

This comic book had been pristinly preserved for 40 years in one of my many attic trunks. I took it out recently to "Ebay it" (sic... sorry... the writer in me has always wanted to use this term). Unfortunately for me, a leak in our garage damaged this book which I think is (was) actually valuable to collectors. Sigh.

It is still some good reading!



And, lastly, the first love of my life... Jack Wild. He was the wallpaper of my late grade school years... until I grew taller than him... which didn't take long, as he was only 5' tall. My husband took great pleasure the other day in displaying a photo of Jack's later years... meanie... Google older Jack some time. He's no longer alive, so I won't be tacky.

We were supposed to be married, but things didn't work out.