Look Who's Talking

NDL was asked to do a gardening Q & A for Volume One Magazine.

It turned out quite nicely. You can read it here if you wish.

Thank you to the kind neighbor lady who recommended NDL for the article and to our young neighbor lady-in-training for making NDL look good in print.

It was a pleasure and a privilege and fun to do.

Wash Day

Here's the thing.

Our modern lifestyle used to be more modern. When NDL started on Groundhog's Day in 2010, few in our acquaintance were on Facebook, and Pinterest was an infant enterprise. When we surfed the web and shared a find it typically hadn't already been seen by millions. Now we feel that NDL, for the purpose of spreading the wonders of the internet has has become redundant. Obsolete. Peripheral. Irrelevant. 

Phrases such as 'fold the tent", "turn the page", "end of an era", "move on", "reinvent" - all whirl around as we think, "what are we doing here?". 

We don't usually indulge in naval gazing in this forum, but feel like the evolution of daily posts in 2010 to weekly in 2015, and now only the rare post as 2016 approaches deserves a word for those faithful few who still look at this space.

Many of the blogs we used to enjoy and repost from have completely gone away. Some slowly. Some abruptly. 

Times change. Lives change. Facebook pages are easier.

We have never cared greatly how many views the posts at NDL receive. Although there were times when we were glad for a comment or two just to know that we weren't talking to ourselves. This week the views from Russia are twice that from the U.S.. Interesting don't you think, comrade robot?

In searching for something to share with you today we found this image at the Graphics Fairy. It shows one of our favorite activities. 

Check out those bluebirds of happiness. We see them all the time when hanging wash. 

Well, not really. But we do see robins, orioles, and bald eagles, and they make us just as happy.

Hanging out the wash gives us a sense of peace.  It allows us to enjoy the beauty of the day, observe nature, and listen to the sounds of the neighborhood. We have time to think of the people who wear the clothes and use the linens we are rhythmically pinning to the line. It connects us to traditions of the past and makes us feel like we are more gently using our natural resources. 

And there is nothing better than the smell of line-dried laundry.You get it when you hug your husband and press your nose into his shoulder, or when you climb into the sheets at night, or dry yourself off with a rough, wind-dried towel. 

So, if it's just the same to you, rather than disappearing completely from the blogisphere we're reverting to the pace and rhythm that feels right for us. Until we are ready, if ever, to pin our tastes and show our face online we will keep a presence here for musings, finds, and projects to be hung on our NDL line as they occasionally, naturally occur.

Hope you will still peek over the real or virtual back fence from time to time and say "hi".

Labelize Me

Remember when we messed around with a great website called Jam Labelizer to make labels for our granola last year?

Well this year we actually used it to label jam. Jelly rather.

And since last year the good people at jam Labelizer have added Beer Labelizer.

Which works just as well for another grain product. Wild rice.

Now what else can we make so we can labelize it?

Aw Shucks, Target

Gee, you're awesome too.

We always thought we were your favorite. Don't worry, we won't tell the other kids. 

Oops, looks like you already did. It wasn't really necessary to use a mass mailing to tell everyone. Hurt feelings you know. 

A personal note to tell us would have been fine, but hey, thanks for the huge shout out.

We always knew you saw in us what others failed to.

Oh how you do go on. Stop now. Really.

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.

Behind Every Great Man

Is a proud mom willing to do most anything for him. No, no, we're not talking about Jon Hamm. Although we're sure his mother is very proud.

Behind him? A model who needs you to buy the March issue of Esquire so that she can earn enough money to buy clothes that cover her whole body.

But the real reason to buy the current issue is to see the picture chosen for publication from a photo shoot held right next door to NDL HQ, by NDL, of the Queen of Cream of Mushroom Soup herself - Honeybee.

Her son, yet another neighborhood kid made good, is photo director for the illustrious Esquire magazine. When he called to request a photo of dear old mom for an article on Moms and pantry cooking we were all over it like Shake'n Bake on a drumstick and had a darn good time trying to get a shot that would capture the true essence of our favorite convenience food gourmand.

There are several great articles you will want to read...

...but page 139 131 is the main attraction as far as we're concerned. Bring your copy on over and you might just score an autograph and some free cooking tips. For example: the best brand of can opener to use to avoid repetitive stress injuries.

Yum yum.


Did You Know?

Trivia:

Honeybee's favorite secret seasoning to enhance a canned soup sauce is Mrs. Dash.

The secret to making her sloppy Joes mouthwatering and her wedded life spicy? Manwich.

Goofs:

The photo crew did not notice until the shoot was over that Honeybee was holding the supposedly hot skillet barehanded by the base rather than the handle.

Quotes:

"Not bad for cold Ragu."

"A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal."

May Days

If you found something like this on your doorstep in the month of May it means you have been a very faithful blog commentor. If you do not live in a ten mile radius of NDL HQ, yet have been a blog presence, we owe ya.




Once again the Target Dollar Spot comes through. This time with colorful, delightful, albeit quirky, May basket fillers.






With hope that a little incentive would help shy readers to find their voices...we will let slip (don't alert the media yet) that we will be reviewing future blog comments for the first ever Nextie awards. Date to be announced. Can you stand the suspense?

Remember the Time...?

There comes a time in every relationship be it between husband and wife, brother and brother, friend and friend, crazy old uncle and the Thanksgiving day crowd - when all the stories have been told, the jokes delivered, and issues debated and dissected down to the minutest parts.

We all try to keep listening anyway knowing that we will likely be shown the same courtesy when we tell for the umpteenth time about the time we ...


Members of a certain family in our acquaintence, when a certain nonstop talker comes to call, take turns indicating by silently holding up fingers behind his back how many times they have heard the current story in his running monologue. We understand that the next time he visits teamwork will be needed to supply enough hands and digits to continue this smartypants tradition for some of the golden oldies on his playlist.


Stop us if you've heard this one...One of the only jokes we remember and can usually tell correctly is about a joke-telling club whose members had told the same jokes for so long that they all knew all of them by heart. They had decided to save time by assigning a number to each joke.

The teller would simply stand up and say for example, "Number 9."

Laughter from the group would follow as jokes were told all evening long with different numbers receiving a variety of responses from giggles to knee-slapping guffaws.

A visitor to the club observed for quite awhile and then asked to give this brilliant system a try. "How hard could it be?" he thought.

"Number 18," he called out with a big grin and an eager look of anticipation.

Only silence followed.

"Why is no one laughing?" he asked.

"Well," said an old member, "some people just don't know how to tell a joke."



So, everyone around you has heard all you have to say, over and over and over again. Now what?

Time to find a new audience. To save our marriage from becoming a daily conversation that goes something like this...

"Did I ever tell you about...?"

"Yes."

"Remember when...?"

"Uh huh."

"It is just like the time I..."

"Saw Ed McMahon in the giant redwoods scolding his children. Yeah, I know."

We started blogging and now have encouraged the spouse to also start a blog of tales old, and new.

Allow us to introduce Detritus of Empire - Unearthing odds and ends from the past and the present.




It's your turn to listen and politely nod (without nodding off) for awhile.

Thanks. Really. Thanks.

More is More

The Klehm's catalog cover is nice, but a bit restrained for our taste.

Here's a little sample of what would happen if we ran the art department.

The Mixed-up Words of NDL

Have you tried Wordle?




It's kind of fun.

Can it Really be that Easy?

Purchased for a dollar at a weekend estate sale.




I guess it's worth a try.

As Seen on TV

You love the blog. Now have the mug.

Next Door Laura - It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Custom crafted in the U.S.A.

Very limited stock.

Call now. Operators are standing by.

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