“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Hello March


Time goes on. The days are growing longer again and March has arrived with the promise of spring. We still are bound by the cold winds and snow, but soon we will welcome the first blooms of a native flower called bloodroot.

Such an awful name for such a pretty flower. Named for the red sap that leaks from the roots when cut, it should have a better name....  March Miracle, or Miracle In Snow perhaps, because it will bloom even at the coldest temperatures and with snow upon its leaves. The Latin name is Sanguinaria, which isn't much better.  So by the end of the month or at least by early April, we will see the flowers starting to bloom.

The Poem below is from one of my favorite vintage children's books, Poems for Boys and Girls illustrated by Marjorie Barrows.  I hope you enjoy this somewhat melancholy, yet hopeful poem. Thanks to Debra's observation, I have provided a link for more about the author of the poem, click on her name to find out more.








The Night Will Never Stay
by

The night will never stay,
The night will still go by.
Though with a million stars
You pin it to the sky,
Though you bind it with the blowing wind
And buckle it with the moon,
The night will slip away
Like sorrow or a tune



I hope your week is full of peace and love.
~~Diane~~



What are the signs of spring in your area?


*click for more about Eleanor Farjeon

Friday, November 7, 2014

November Is

November is our cloudiest month here in Minnesota, the weather man told us that the other day. And as if on cue the sun has departed and a veil of clouds has been hanging over us all week.

So what is one to do? Well, one starts to go through their checklist of things that should be done before the winter sets in.

Bring in plants, clean up yard and garden, take cats to vet, take self for dental appointment, get flu shot, etc. All of these things are now done before the Polar Vortex descends upon us once again. Oh yes it will be here sometime this weekend.

I decided to get my flu shot today so that I can curl up with my blanket and cats for a day until I feel better again. For some reason the shot always makes me feel a bit off for a day or two.  What better time to lay low while the Polar Vortex whirls in. I don't know about you, but I am really not ready for cold weather again so soon. Actually we have been pretty lucky, our October was very nice.

My office has been getting another going over since I am busy here working in my Etsy shop, listing more items. My goal was at least one item a day! Haha! Well we try!  I came across a book entitled "Music Through the Year", it is a teacher's edition published in 1959. The music itself is nothing outstanding, but I love the illustrations and find them quite charming.  I hope you enjoy some of the excerpts from the book below.




When the Robin's gone to Sleep
When the Moon is Bright
Then a Lovely Bird I Hear
Singing in the Night



Is the Nightingale a Bird
Far away from Sight
Or a Lovely Angel-Dream
Singing in the night?















Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be visiting you all soon!
~~ Diane ~~



Saturday, July 26, 2014

Barefoot Days


Hello friends! I know I have been in and out of blog land for a few weeks now.  I am trying to find time to enjoy all of the beautiful joys of summer while I can.  In this part of the country our summers are fleeting and will be just a memory in a few short weeks!

I hope you took a moment to read the poem above, it is from my favorite vintage book Poems for Boys and Girls, illustrated by Lois Maloy.  I think the poem Barefoot Days above, sums up my thoughts about this full and lush season, even the roses, which are beyond beautiful, are adorned with bees!




I thought I would share a few garden pictures with you today. My daylilies are really starting to take off!  The one above is a favorite called Orchid Corsage.



This peachy-pink one is called Pink Monday. I am happy to report that this year our bees have been returning and I've even seen a few more honeybees mixed in with the dependable bumblebees!



If you look closely in the middle of the image, you will see a small bumblebee on this vervain plant.












The vervain (tall plants in back) and catmint (forground) are loving the abundant rain we've had.  The bees have been covering them for weeks now!







 Another of my favorite day-lilies called appropriately, Summer Wine!






This is another favorite (OK they are all my favorites), called Lemon Custard! I love the color and the frilly ruffled edges.




A blue clematis adorns a trellis next to the house. I've forgotten the name of this one.





This daylily is called Grape Ripples and has stunning dark purple blooms! Well that is the end of my garden tour, except for an update on my two year old cat, Guy Noir.





Guy has become afflicted with a condition I'm sure many of you who have dogs and cats have heard of. 

It is called
 Chipmunk Fever!





Symptoms may include: Inability to focus on anything other than chipmunks, severe agitation, yowling at the door to go outside, ears twirling in various directions while listening for chipmunks, unable to eat or sleep without thinking of chipmunks, thinking that any moving object is a chipmunk. Unable to sit still for photographs and of course.....
Dreaming of chipmunks....







Pleas share any anecdotes you have of your encounters with chipmunks in the comment section!! I would love to hear them.

I will be taking a few weeks off from blog land to enjoy the summer and take care of some projects, but if I have time I will stop in and visit.  I will be trying to organize my disaster of an office and get all sorts of goodies photographed and ready to list in my Etsy shop.
And remember this summer to go out early in the morning, barefoot where the ferns grow curly, to feel the cool grass between your toes!!

~~Diane~~




Monday, July 14, 2014

FAPCO Pottery and a Fuzzy Bear

My house-guests are on a plane back home, so it's back to business as usual!
I would like to revisit a couple of items that made a brief appearance on my blog a few weeks ago. The first is an adorable little vintage Aqua Deer Planter by Fredericksburg Art Pottery Company, or FAPCO for short.

I learned some interesting information about this company from the Collectors Weekly site and a FAPCO Facebook page. The FAPCO factory burned down in the early 1960's, much of the history has been lost. One interesting bit of information for you fellow collectors, is that much of the Disney marked pottery was distributed by the Leeds company but in fact was made at the FAPCO plant. I don't believe that any of the FAPCO items were marked, instead they used paper labels which of course usually fall off over time. This only makes identification more complicated and confusing!


Here is a little fantasy picture of the Deer Planter.....


and below a practical use for this little cutie!



This little Deer Planter has a heavy base and wide opening, making it perfect for holding pencils, paintbrushes etc.



 Cute as can be, just sitting on a shelf!




My second and last subject is a sweet little vintage book called "Fuzzy Wuzzy Bear". This book was printed in 1949 and is still in remarkable shape for being over 50 years old!  There were several Fuzzy Wuzzy books printed during the 1940's and 1950's and featured a variety of cute animals. The fuzziness came from adding flocking to the main character's image. 

The book is a cautionary tale about what happens to Fuzzy little bears who refuse to hibernate for the winter and instead eat all the honey and acorns they have stored up in their Fuzzy Bear Store House!





















Poor Fuzzy Wuzzy, his buttons are ready to pop off and he can't even get through his front door!!







Fuzzy Wuzzy thinks that if he turns sideways, he will surely be able to slide through the door. No such luck and in fact a pesky bee decides to sting him on his nose as he is stuck in the doorway!



Fuzzy has had enough and goes back to bed as his nose heals.

As Fuzzy Wuzzy sleeps, he gets thinner every day and when he wakes is able to fit through the front door. He decides that hibernating in the winter is actually and excellent idea!




I know how you feel Fuzzy Wuzzy, some winters I think it would be best to hibernate!! And who hasn't put on a pair of summer pants, that just don't quite fit after a long winter!! Ugh!

Both of these cute items will be in my shop soon! 

Let's have a very happy and fun-filled week! 
~~ Diane ~~



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Finally Spring

I now can say that spring has finally arrived in full force.  It has been very slow getting here. Many of you have been posting your blooming flowers and trees and I have been impatiently waiting here for something to happen.  Well I can finally report we have leaves emerging from the trees and plums and cherries blooming.

Monday we had 2 inches of rain, but the rest of the week should be sunny and warm.





The hearts on the Bleeding Heart plants are just starting to bloom!



We've had weeks of cold miserable weather... I was so happy to see the sun shine through the leaves of these Blood Root plants.







The leaves are just opening now, almost three weeks behind the norm.



I found a cute book last year that also has a spring theme, so it works perfectly with today's post.  The book is titled Pussy Willow. It is a charming book about a fuzzy little kitty named Pussy Willow. This is a Little Golden Book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. Western Publishing Company 1979 edition. It has darling illustrations throughout!



Pussy Willow goes on an adventure and 
makes many friends along the way.








 When the pussywillow buds disappear, Pussy Willow the 
kitten goes searching for them.




 He looks everywhere for the pussywillows, 
and makes some unlikely friends!








Pussy Willow is available for purchase here.

Pussy Willow reminds me of my very own fuzzy kitten, Guy Noir, who actually had his second birthday last month. Oh they grow up so fast!  Speaking of kitties, both Guy and Dot are very thrilled to be able to go outside with me and enjoy some of our wonderful sunshine.

We will be busy with house-guests for the next couple of weeks, but I will try to get around to your blogs in between some of my chores.

Take care everyone.  I'll try to stop in soon!

~~ Diane ~~


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Tale of a Wee Old Woman and Her Wee Cat


Minnesota has their "Grumpy Old Men", (filmed partially in Wabasha MN) and apparently Sweden had their Grumpy Old Women!

This has to be one of the more unusual children's books I've come across in a while. It is not exactly a warm and cuddly book by today's standards. Elsa Beskow (1874-1953), a Swedish author, wrote "The Tale of the Wee Little Old Woman" in 1897.  The book above was translated to English and published in 1958. Her book pages and whimsical paintings are often surrounded by decorative framework of the Art Nouveau style, as you see in this book.

This book is collectible because of its unusual theme and the lovely lithographed images. There are about ten pages and each image is blank on the back, so they are perfect for framing if someone would want to display it in such a way.

I thoroughly enjoyed her lively artwork and her depiction of the cranky, Wee Little Old Woman! I haven't given away all of the illustrations or the story though! If you would like this book for your very own it is available here. 

Below you may read the text on the images and then my version of what happened after the wee cat drove the poor wee old woman to distraction!










Buy the book Here at my Etsy Shop!





The wee little woman put a wee little bit of milk in a wee little bowl and set it on a little wee table...

Just then the wee little cat came in....




My version...
 And then the wee little old woman went a wee little crazy and chased the poor wee cat about with her wee little broom all the while hollering wee little bad names at him...


So the wee cat ran away to the woods and NEVER came back again, because it found a new and loving family on the other side of the woods!!


And the Wee Woman Lived Happily Every After... and so did the cat! The End.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this book!

Until next time.. ~~ Diane



Tuesday, September 3, 2013

It's Beautiful

I am speaking of the weather. Yes the temperatures have finally returned to what it is supposed to be like here in Minnesota this time of year. Lovely cooling breezes have replaced the oppressive heat and now if it would just rain again! It has been over three weeks since we had a good rain.

We planted some large shrubs and had to move some enormous hosta plants when we did so.  We noticed that even though we thought we were watering enough, the ground was dry over a foot down into the soil.  I get the job of moving the sprinkler around the yard, my husband keeps saying "our next house will have an automatic sprinkler system", sometimes I think that would be a good idea!

Anyway... during the hot days last week, I spent some time going through some books I picked up at an estate sale over the summer. I want to share them with you because one especially is very unusual.










The first book is a very cute kids cook book called Mary Alden's Cake and Cookie Cook Book for Children. It's a step-by-step picture recipe cookbook that helps the inexperienced cook with each recipe.  I love the photos of the testers above.  Anyone you know here?




















The Shiny Scoop by Camilla Wing - illustrated by Harley F. Davidson - Published by Dannie Books, Excelsior Minnesota in 1941. First Edition.

This is an unusual educational book featuring in elfish-character form - Mineral, Protein, Vitamin, Carbohydrate and Fat. In their illustrated forms, they accompany Dannie and his Mother while they visit the market. The foreword was written by E.J. Huenekens, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota.

I would guess this is an extremely rare book. I am not sure if it was widely distributed.  While researching I have not found another like it.  I also tried to locate information on the illustrator with no results, many of you may notice the name is similar to a well known motorcycle company.


They are both available in my shop, CraveCute on Etsy.

I will try and get around to all of your blogs as soon as I can.  Lets all have a wonderful week!  ~~ Diane