Nonna Was Here

Spotted in Tivoli, Italy.

Guerrilla grannies at work?

We would love to have seen them surrounding the tree on ladders of various heights, 

with crochet hooks flying. Probably under cover of night.

The nonno soundly snoozing in a completely upright position on the park bench below did not move a muscle as we carefully maneuvered around the tree to edit him out of these shots.

He must have been exhausted just thinking about how hard someone worked to create this lovely bit of street art.

What We DIYed on Our Summer Vacation

 We needed a new screen door at the lake. The door itself was super inexpensive. 

Until we paid the painter to stain and hang it. Doh!

And then we determined that the screen would not last the summer without a sturdy surface for pushing it open so we devised this DIY plan.

Which worked beautifully and was a fun collaboration.

However, between coming up with the plan and executing it we found we may need further reinforcing on a much lower level.

Do you see a little hole left of the bottom center? 

I guess we will have to make a wee flap so the mice can let themselves in and out without having to eat their way in each time.

And then next the mosquitoes will be wanting accommodations made for them too. 

Sheesh! Where will it end?

And while we are on the topic here is a favorite poem:

How Many, How Much

How many slams in an old screen door?

Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live em.
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give em.

 Shel Silverstein

Rootbeer Remembrance

A couple of years ago at the small town 4th of July celebration we love to attend, an extended family had their own parade entry.

They walked alongside a truck that held kegs of homemade rootbeer made from their mother's recipe and gave out samples to the crowd. The mother is departed, but the tradition of their lake time rootbeer making and spending time together lives on.

What a wonderful legacy.

And we think Hazel would be very proud and pleased. We would be.

Grandma, What Nice Mittens You Have On

This scene seen at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin 

reminded us of the one who freezes snowballs in January to throw with her Southern grandsons in July.

"The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball." 

- Doug Larson

Once she helped us collect Zamboni shavings from behind the hockey arena for a fellow summer birthday child who didn't understand why he couldn't have a snowball fight as an activity for his June party. 

Yup, she's been in the business of making kids' dreams come true for four decades, and counting.

Here's hoping she has a chance to relax and enjoy her special day, which promises to be a beautiful Wisconsin one,

 but with the grand energy level currently at an all-time high she may just have to hold on for the ride for now and collapse later.

Ready. Aim. Enjoy!

Pallet Pals

Two housemates and one neighbor.

Saturday afternoon plus ingenuity.

A couple of pallets and several hammers.

One big cheese and four big wheels.

Finishing technique of choice.

That is the recipe for a significant and attractive DIY coffee table.

And it looks like they had fun and got their lawn mowed too.

Carol's Garden Grad Party

Here's what we saw on a recent stalk, er walk, down one of our favorite blocks.

It was  planted in the landscape along with the farm part garden art as if it had always been there.

That Carol! She's been up to being clever again.

This temporary installation of a  party and personal history signpost with arrows pointing to attractions of the day as a well as the grad's elementary and high school Alma Maters had to be her handiwork. So fun. Just like her!

Looks like a new frosh is headed to the U of W this fall. 190 miles! So far from Mom's cookie jar!

As his parents well know... You can't keep 'em down on the farm.

But you can send them off in grand style and welcome them and their dirty laundry home at Thanksgiving.

Good luck to all!

You Can't Take it with You, but You Can Pass it On

Here, from The Pristine Kitchen Towel Collection is an example of some very clever thinking.

This thoughtfully gifted dishcloth with cuke recipe is from Kite Flying Society of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

If you are looking for a very special gift for family or friends consider placing a custom order to have towels made featuring an heirloom recipe of your own. Think of what a hit it would be at your next family reunion, bridal shower, or multi-generational Christmas cookie bake!

And while you are at the Kite Flying Society Etsy site check out their original creation, the Blank Canvas Bib for the little abstract artists in your life. Fun!

Pinettes

Finally! People are seeing the light. 

Button appreciation is catching on and collecting them is not just the eccentric hobby 

of the odd lady next door anymore.

Recently we were asked to speak to a group of women about button collecting. They were an engaged bunch and had many questions about the cards of buttons being passed around 

as we gave brief descriptions (and tried to avoid fanatical evangelizing about the virtues) 

of the many varieties in our collection.

These bright and cheery "housedress buttons" usually made in Germany or Western Germany from the 1940s to 60s, while not so old or rare, are among our favorites .

The women in the group, being of an age that they might actually have worn some of this kind of  buttons, could possibly answer a question that had occurred to us. In an era of wringer washing machines how did one launder clothes adorned with these fragile beauties without breaking some every time?  The ladies confirmed our hunch that those garments were either hand wrung after gentle washing or the buttons were removed before washing and then sewn on again. What a lot of work!

Shortly after that very successful talk, while sorting through a box of assorted vintage sewing items picked up at an estate sale, we discovered Pinettes. The ladies hadn't mentioned this clever button saving-device, but probably would have remembered with a little jog to their collective memories. 

We'll add this little prop to our next button gig (oh yes, at least three Lutheran women's circles and homemaker clubs have inquired about dates) and see if that leads to other button stories that add to our knowledge of the wonderful world of buttons past and present.

Before Daisy Mae

 L'il Abner must have used these to keep his one suspender up.

Caving to reader pressure Al Capp finally gave in and let L'il Abner Yokum and the woman who had pursued him for 18 long years get hitched. 

Because of the huge popularity of the the comic strip that ran for 43 years it was probably not a coincidence that the image chosen by the TipTop company closely resembled
Dogpatch's most eligible bachelor.

We found no evidence that the company is still in business so perhaps taking a wife really is the most reliable way to keep from losing one's buttons. We acknowledge however that some would say otherwise.

Moisture Control

Remember the bag lady? Maybe this little incident will refresh your memory.

Well, she's been at it again re-purposing  bags from all kinds of  products into clever and useful totes.

In our drought state of the last weeks we really have had no problem with moisture control except for that of a personal nature.

Maybe that is why the women working in the Flower and Horticulture department at the fair 

began tittering in amusement when we walked in glowing (dripping) with perspiration (sweat) 

and carrying this very appropriate satchel.

Thanks Honeybee and Bag Lady for the gift and a chuckle.

HB HB!

These busy bees remind us of our very own, very industrious, Honeybee next door. 

You can print this image from The Graphics Fairy,

color it, and send it to our favorite busy bee birthday girl today.

Speaking of honey...look at this beautiful, four pound jar of golden sweetness 

from our very own West Hill Honey Company.

Ain't she a beauty?

Perhaps we will invite Honeybee over for some birthday toast.

How to Pinch a Penny

As we experience daytime temps in the hot-as-Hades range, the cabin-fever-in-July phenomenon kicks in as we hide indoors in front of fans and window air-conditioning units while waiting for the next cold front to blow through bringing tolerable dew points and thermometer readings.

Just as in January when we have spent too much time stuck inside these four walls, we can see every little thing around the house that needs repair or is long overdue for updating. We also have time to ponder our wasteful ways, and dwell on how we may become more thrifty and make things last instead of replacing willy-nilly household items that can see much more use if properly taken care of.

Here are a few highlights from our new bible of  domestic making-do and perking-up.

Coming soon: Conch shell planter seminar chez NDL.  

A Sad Day in Bear Country

Jan Berenstain half of the writing and illustrating team of Stan and Jan Berenstain, has passed away at age 88. She was preceded in death by husband Stan in 2005. Best known for their gentle, instructive Berenstain Bears stories, Stan and Jan sold over 250 million copies of 300 books in the 50 years since the first Berenstain Bears book, "The Big Honey Hunt," was published in 1962.

Jan is fondly remembered in articles by Michael Cavna , and Emily Langer of the Washington Post.

In an interview with Scholastic, the children’s magazine, Ms. Berenstain said she and her husband were always being asked why they had decided on bears rather than some other animal. Their standard answer was that “they stand on two legs, their mothers are very good mothers, and so on,” she said.

“One student asked why we didn’t use a fish,” she said, recounting a visit to a classroom. “And our answer was that they aren’t enough like people.”

Why not monkeys, then, asked another student.

“Because they are too much like people,” she replied. - NY Times, February 27, 2012

Stop by the tree house in Bear Country to spend a little time exploring. You can even send a letter to the bears to let them know how you feel.

Perrenial Portraits

The Beth Chatto Gardens date back only to 1960 when Beth and Andrew Chatto turned an overgrown rural property into the lush display gardens and thriving nursery found there today.

Walking the grounds one travels through the gravel garden, down to the water garden, through the woodland area and scree garden, and finally to the nursery full of wonderful perennial specimens.

Many of the same plants seemed to pop up at every garden we visited. For reasons of hardiness or personal taste those much seen, popular perennials are not so prevalent in gardens in our area. Perhaps it is time to branch out and give some of the zone appropriate ones a try. Sea holly, or Erygium, for example was in nearly every garden on our tour. It provides a lovely architectural structure for more delicate companion plants in a garden bed.

Bergenia in xeriscaping. Look at this very healthy crop here in the gravel garden. Who knew it would work so well in a dry situation? The gravel garden has never been artificially watered since its creation in 1991 except in the case of establishing new plants.

Persicarias are prevalent all through English gardens. The only one familiar to us is known as an invasive field weed, which likely accounts for its lack of popularity in gardens in the US. Cultivated varieties are truly lovely enmasse as found here pond-side.

Gunnera. Love it. Probably not going to happen here in zone 4, but we would grow it if we could. Like this guy. Impressive, eh?

Hmm.. some one did not get the memo about purple loosestrife. Do not try this at home. Really! If you are ever in doubt when trying to identify this naughty invasive look for the square stems which distinguish purple loosestrife from its benign look alikes such as fireweed. And to be fair...we did not look closely enough to see if this plant was indeed loosestrife, but thought we would sneak in a PSA about it because, as always we want you to be careful out there.

Clever nurserymen or women display plants-for-sale in combinations that would never occur to us, yet look truly stunning. We are very susceptible to the power of suggestion.

Ms. Chatto's personal succulent collection. Wonderful, but not for sale.

Beth Chatto. A remarkable woman with a very green thumb.