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

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Summer Fun?


June and July so far....

Trip out of state to visit family. Fun in South Dakota? You decide.

Husband had medical test way on the other side of the Twin Cities. Test was inconclusive. Thank the Government for Medicare, which paid for most of it. Dr. wants to know if husband wants to try test again. Ugh no, maybe next year?

Our house is showing its age. 60 year old house had leaking shower faucet. Plumber came in and fixed. Husband doing tile patch. House in disarray because had to take out linen closet shelf to access pipes, guest room bed covered with stuff from linen closet.

Cat decided to puke on guest room quilt, he kindly did not puke on all the stuff on the bed from the linen closet. All must be cleaned and put away soon because a house guest will be here in a week!

New(?) internet router from Centurylink was installed last year. It gave out just over a month ago and they sent a replacement which just broke the other day. Waiting for another replacement. Asking husband why we don't just buy our own router...

Big windy storm came through the neighborhood and knocked down a neighbors tree which fell across the street. The city took care of it quickly. They did turn off the power for a few hours, thankfully it was a cooler day. Wind also bent down limbs on our trees so our satellite dish wasn't working. Husband had to cut off a few small limbs (of trees) so we could get reception. No internet, no Roku or streaming TV, going through withdrawal because most network TV is crap.


I did figure out how to use my phone as a hotspot to post to the blog. It took me awhile to get it to work as the directions were not really even correct for my setup. But hey I'm my own tech person so I persevered!  

Husband working on finishing up tile in shower area. House still a mess. Don't care, going out to sit with cat and get some fresh air and it's only 85 degrees at 11 AM. Hotter days ahead! WooHoo!


I've had my fun ranting, but seriously, we don't have it too bad. All you have to do is watch the news and understand how lucky we really are.

How's your summer going?

Peace, Love and Cat Hugs, 

Diane & Guy






Monday, June 7, 2021

We're Melting

 

 

June is usually a lovely month with comfortably warm temperatures but with lots of rain and cool breezes.  However this year we have gone from frosty to toasty within a week.  It's too hot, and that's all I have to say about that. 

Hope you're all doing well! Let the summer begin! ~ Diane

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Summer Days

Spring has gone and summer days are here. The past few months have been filled with turmoil and sadness in this area but we all must make the best of things and move on. Here's a glimpse at the past flowers of spring in my garden.


Summer's here and the living is pretty much like the last several months but greener and warmer.  Stay home, be safe.  Go to grocery store, mask up, stay safe. Talk to friends on the phone, tell them to stay safe and well.  And repeat! My husband and I are asking each other, "What day is it?", way too often!


Guy in the Buttercups!

Of course everything about going to the store takes twice as long.  We both are taking all the precautions we can to stay healthy and o far we have not shown any symptoms.

We've been enjoying the garden and catching up on things we left undone from last year because of my husbands health issues.  His surgery for this spring was canceled and may not happen now until next year. Every day is a new day and we enjoy each one.  Guy loves to be outside in the warm weather and as you see below he thinks in is in the wilds of a meadow.  To keep him safe he always is on his harness and we keep a close eye on him.









I haven't been very active in my Etsy shop these days as going out to buy merchandise is not as simple as before. Sales are slow but I have been lucky enough to have a few.  The feedback from one customer was so sweet and sentimental, it makes it all worth it. Every time I read his comment I tear up a bit. Thank you Michael, you made my week!

Here's what Michael wrote regarding a purchase he made as a gift for his cousin....

"This light set was on my Grandmothers Christmas (tree) every year in the 1970's. My cousin Tim and I were obsessed with this light set. When our Grandmother passed in the 90's I inherited the light set. I always wished there were 2 so Tim could have one. I have been searching for a set for over 20 years that worked and was intact and only came close once. I was on Etsy looking for another gift and did a quick search for the lights and there they were. Finally found them. Tim loves them. I hope Grandma will see them on our trees this Christmas. The item was exactly as described and shipping was perfect."



Vintage Christmas Tree Light Covers Train Set by Radiant image 0


Vintage Christmas Tree Light Covers Train Set by Radiant image 2







Peace be with you friends and stay safe out there!
Diane and Guy Noir


Friday, July 7, 2017

Lazy Days of Summer

Summer Days are made for Flea Markets and Tag Sales! Early summer is a great time to get out and enjoy the warm weather and pick up a few treasures whilst getting a bit of exercise too! Here are a few gems I've picked up over the last month.



Wouldn't you feel like a Queen sipping out of this gorgeous Yellow Tea Cup and Saucer? It's a 1950's set by Royal Sealy China. Japanese tea cup set in iridescent luster-ware finish. The tea cup is footed with a yellow and white iridescent finish trimmed in gold. Both the tea cup and the saucer are faceted. The tea cup has 3 geometric gold feet. Wonderful Art Deco style!





Are you old enough to remember these? Found this lovely vintage Set of 4 Metal Snack/Lap Trays. They are Green & Yellow with lithographed roses and leaves. Beautiful bright colors with red and cream colored roses. They're chippy and shabby and perfect for your French cottage, farmhouse, or cabin decor.

They remind me of those days long ago when we kids could grab a sandwich and chips and park ourselves on the floor in front of the TV on Sunday night and watch Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

I just found this vintage 1962 park map of Disneyland in a box of books that I picked up at an estate sale last year.  Someone from California snapped it up from my shop within a week!




Of course when I think about my time as a kid, I always think of my Mom.  I found this black and white photo of her taken when she was about 6 years old. I played around with the Pixlr photo editor to get the results below. She had the most beautiful captivating eyes.


Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and you're ready
 to take on those Lazy Days of Summer!

See you soon!
Diane

 

Friday, June 23, 2017

Summertime!

 




Our spring flew bye! We had unexpected guests! Relatives from Sweden stayed with us for a couple of weeks in May. We of course had to do non-stop spring cleaning to get ready and then with the touring and hosting, it seems that the garden got away from me. I feel like I'm just now catching up!

I was going through a bin of books I'd picked up last year at an estate sale and came across an old Mother Goose book, dated 1929. The image above was taken from the book. I haven't had time to list it in my shop yet, but I did post a few images to Instagram the other day. 

I think this is such a sweet little poem. If you are out at night on the 24th of June, maybe you too will see the fairies dance beneath the moon!

Welcome Summer!
~~Diane~~


Sunday, September 18, 2016

My Neck of the Woods

Hello! Anyone still out there?
I know, I've been gone for a whole month without any notice... Sometimes things happen to distract us from the blog world and draw us into the real world, sometimes the real world is hard.


While I was away some good things happened and a few bad things too.  That's the way it is, the bitter and the sweet all mixed together.

Let me catch you up to date on what's been going on ....


Some friends, my husband and I, went to the Apostle Islands, Wisconsin and sailed on Lake Superior for several days, and I lived through it ... (a blog post to come).



 After 9 hours of sailing, I felt like the mushroom on the right...


I've spent lots of time on my Etsy shop, working on inventory and social media, like Instagram....


https://www.etsy.com/listing/475390057/daily-dime-bank-buckaroo-cowboy-coin?ref=shop_home_active_17
  
Daily Dime Bank, Buckaroo Cowboy




My sales have been good this summer, keeping me 
busy shipping and restocking my inventory...

 




Vintage Chef Cats Salt Pepper Shakers

Vintage Chef Cats Salt and Pepper Shakers


The garden still requires some work and of course I have to spend time with my two adorable cats. Family visits and little excursions about town seems to have taken up the rest of my time this summer.


Politics this year seems to be even more hateful than most years, but I did think it funny that I found these blue elephants.  I thought they would be a great gift for the conflicted voter, but alas, one has a broken and re-glued trunk, so they will be staying at my house for the time being!



mother goose rhymes
 Mother Goose Rhymes

This 1953 edition of Mother Goose has the most adorable illustrations by Eulalie M. Banks. It's one of those books that I almost don't want to sell because I just love the sweet images!  But it is for sale now in my shop.. Click on the first image of the items to see the full listing and information.



 The image above and below are more from the Mother Goose book...



Locally some major things have happened since I was last here.

As I wrote in a previous post, Prince Rogers Nelson passed away last April.  His home and studio, Paisley Park, is opening for tours this month and next month there will be a tribute concert in St. Paul.

On a very sad note, the 27 year mystery of what happened to the young boy Jacob Wetterling has finally been solved and his family is having a memorial service for him at the end of September. After all these years he will finally be put to rest. If you haven't heard of this, just google his name and you will find the stories, I haven't the heart to go into any more details here.







So that's about it folks. Summer is fast coming to a close and the days are already getting shorter. My garden is winding down for the summer and will soon be covered with falling leaves. I'm hoping I have more time to spend here on the blog as I do enjoy visiting with all of you. If you are on Instagram, follow if you wish, I do tend to get over there more often just because it's so quick and easy.


I must dash away now... see you soon!
~~Diane~~


Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Visiting Noerenberg Gardens

As promised, here is my post on the lovely Noerenberg Gardens.  I visited a couple of weeks ago.  It was one of those perfect evenings, just a whisper of a breeze, warm but low humidity. It's one of those days where I'm so happy to live here in Minnesota and it makes the winters easier to get through!

This was an impromptu visit, so all I had with me was my Galaxy phone.  Some photos were cropped down, but others I left as is because they show the true beauty of the garden design.



The garden starts with winding paved paths that take you around a circular garden.  The center is grass with beautiful flowers and shrubs surrounding it.  The large white flowering shrub is a variety of PG hydrangea. Unlike the southern hydrangeas, it doesn't die back to the ground in the winter and still blooms in our northern climate.








Noerenberg Memorial Gardens is known for its tranquility and spectacular beauty. Situated along the shore of Crystal Bay on Lake Minnetonka, Noerenberg is widely regarded as one of the finest formal gardens in Minnesota. Among its blend of perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, and vines the garden features ornamental shade trees and a stand of conifers, an extensive day lily collection, and "Northern Lights" azaleas.


 A close-up of some purple coneflowers...



Cultivated and native plants grow together in several of the flower beds.  The bright pink flower in the photo above is called Swamp Smartweed and is growing next to our lake shore at home. It actually can have its feet in water for a considerable amount of time. This makes it an ideal plant for a rain garden.


 Some lovely Russian Sage in front of a PG Hyrdrangea shrub...


I thought this was an especially pretty combination, white cone-flowers, pale pink nicotiana and some unknown grasses and bright pink flowers...



 Blue Love in a Mist...









A lovely trellis/pergola with gorgeous flowers planted on each side. 



And now for a bit of history...
Grain Belt Brewery founder Frederick Noerenberg and his family built their estate on the shore of Lake Minnetonka in 1890. Influenced by English Landscape Style, the property featured tiered rose beds and impeccably manicured lawns. As world travelers with an appreciation for natural artifacts, the family accumulated an assortment of natural specimens that appeared in the garden, including a collection of trees, plant materials and rocks.




On the opposite side of the garden you can see the gazebo 
which sits right on the edge of Lake Minnetonka.





 The columns mark the site where the original home stood.






 My husband and brother in-law relax and take in the view from the gazebo.


The gazebo has a somewhat Asian flair.  The design was 
influenced by the owners extensive travel abroad. 






 A few lake views from the gazebo...






















Lora Noerenberg Hoppe, one of the five Noerenberg children, acted as chief horticulturist on the gardens for a number of years. She bequeathed the estate to the Park District when she passed away in 1972. At her direction, the home was razed and the estate was transformed to a garden for the public’s enjoyment. 

This has to be one of the most spectacular public gardens I have ever visited.
I hope you enjoyed your tour!  

Next time I think we need to get back to some cute vintage. 
I'll be seeing you all soon!
~~~Diane~~~




history source