The Country Mouse

Yesterday, the article linked below came to my attention and I wanted to share it here, as well. Back in the late 1970's to early 80's, I lived in the house that the article details.  Sadly today it is in ruins and falling in to the ground.  At the bottom of the article there is a photo showing how lovely it was when I lived there with son, Jason and two cats, Purrsi and Mocha. We lived on the entire second floor in 4 huge and very bright rooms with the most beautiful hardwood floors and several lovely fireplaces, including a tiny one in the kitchen.

My time at "The Mouse House," as we called it, was very creative and interesting. I was newly in love with my third husband-to-be at the time - a very deep love affair that lasted 18 yrs, but  became a troubled, and eventually, ill-fated pairing.  Out of the pain came a lot of creative writing, and to this day, whenever I drink chamomile tea, I am reminded of those days and long nights, waiting for my love to visit.

The owners of The Country Mouse, a rather eccentric and loving British couple, became our very good friends and were kind to us in  many ways.  They ran an antique shop, a furniture refinishing business, and the wife, Gini, made little stuffed mice dressed in all sorts of outfits who  seemed to draw a rather large clientele.  She was also an artist and sold her paintings in the shop.  The history of the house is detailed below, but suffice it to say, it is quite appropriate that I lived for a time in a former insane asylum!!

Also, I own a beautiful 1st edition of the book, "Aunt Sally's Friends in Fur" and consider it a treasure.  Enjoy!

http://sandwichhistory.org/dbayley/?p=41

Sew Crazy

Well it has been a busy time of creating here, and I keep having to reel my creative energy into line as too many ideas are flowing at once.  I keep writing them down to get them out of my head. Having my fabric stash and some works in progress on full view in my sitting room really contributes to more and more ideas.  The blue quilt above does not have a recipient at this time, but I am sure the right one will come along.  Blue makes my soul sing and is, by far, my favorite color to work with.  Cats make an appearance in all my quilts...cannot help myself, and then there is usually a donkey, too.

This is the center body of  another grandson quilt....it has some neat Gothic cats and other interesting fabric.  Last night I spent some time searching for the right tailored gray fabric for the wide border, but I still have not decided on a what the first narrow border will be or the backing.

This is the quilt I am making for myself and is a true exercise in going against the grain, as I would never choose these colors!!  Over the past several years, my bedroom has been evolving into a more and more peaceful space.  The walls have lovely natural grass wallpaper and then below wainscoting there is beautiful wood in a medium finish. The hardwood floors  are partially covered by a gently-textured berber carpeting. The room is basically very neutral.  There are ecru lace valences at the top and bottom of each window and over them are natural cotton fiber roman shades to draw down at night.  I have a very neutral colored down comforter on the bed with white quilted pillow shams.  Thus, when it came to making my own quilt, my usual blue was not going to work.  Also, I had some interesting, very old cat fabric I wanted to use, and it didn't blend well into blue.  Then I found the bird fabric and was off and running with warm tones.  The bits of orange and pale turquoise seem to work well, as does the deep magenta.  To keep the room neutral, I will form the backing of beige fabric and just have a corner of the quilt turned to the front.  We shall see how it all plays out.  Purple and white is going to be my next theme. 

In other news, last Saturday I visited 5 of my favorite thrift shops and came away with some nice finds.  Found this never-worn blouse for 6. and just love it. The outer layer is a chiffon-type matierial. It will be a nice addition to my Spring-summer work wardrobe.
 I also acquired a very high quality shirt covered with fish for a certain special someone, some lovely cotton fabric pieces which will be useful in future quilting projects, and some very nice  dress pants. A fun time!

As LM recovers from a really nasty bronchitis, I spent the weekend sewing, both hand and machine, as well as preparing my meals for the week using some interesting new recipes. I've been experimenting with kale for awhile, but not until I tried my friend, Karina's recipe for kale salad, has it clicked with me. The illustrations and description of massaging the kale had me intrigued, and I must say it is so easy to prepare and fun in the massaging, and all.  I made the salad and saved out some of the massaged kale to add to some chicken soup made yesterday afternoon while north east winds howled, and RAIN poured down.  If the temps had not risen we would be truly buried in snow.

A little after-note about the kale....I used some in the soup and it was delicious, and this morning I used the last of it in a green smoothie with spinach, pineapple, apple and some oat bran. It may sound unappetizing but really was delicious.


Love, peace and light to all!

I Love Winter, YES, I do!

 There is lots of sewing/quilting in my winter world, and I am loving my latest project, as it is finally a quilt for my bed!!  These are a few of the blocks I have done thus far.

 This is what it looks like outside today....yes, another big storm.  On the heels of my near-hypothermic experience last weekend, I am keeping busy as I pray the power does not go off again. Winds at 60+ mph right now.

 It keeps on coming.  A happy cocoon of cleaning, cooking, and blissful silence is keeping me very happy. A pork tenderloin is in the crock pot with a just-concocted marinade of brown sugar, soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic and sherry, as well as some sweet chili sauce. I'll share it tomorrow with LM and Kristi. 

 A little more intense and the driving snow makes it dark.

 Winter also brings Valentine's Day and mine went over and abve to show his love this year.  I had to share the card.....we do love donkeys, and I guess he just about lost control when he found this card..I tried several times to rotate this photo but it wouldn't stay rotated - stubborn as a donkey, I guess.

 It is true love, no doubt. I am so blessed. 

 My Valentine also found this beautiful ring for me....put it round a candle (have them out in prep for a power failure).  Two lovely starfish to go round my finger. 

The groundhog told us we would only have two more weeks of winter and his time is about up.  I can't really say I mind it though.  We needed a good old-fashioned snowy spell, and our aquifer is surely breathing a deep sigh, or gulp, of relief.

Back to sewing, and looking forward to the Downton Abbey season finale tonight. So nice not to have to get up for work tomorrow, too.  Happy Presidents' Day, and much love to all!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you.....and the furry friends, too.  I know Ms G will be celebrating with her Valentine, LM, and maybe she might share him with me this weekend.


Love to all, and be your own Valentine, too! 

Clean-up

After many hours of digging by LM, we were able to get out late this morning and go back to my house to free my car. It was completely covered in ice but we were fortunate to get one door open, then let it run a while to thaw out.  The wheels were all buried in a lot of thick ice and my landlord helped LM to chip away until the car finally began to move.  They used a very heavy crowbar-type tool.  I retrieved a few things from my still very cold house, and we made our way back to LM's over icy rutted roads.  There are many trees down and also power poles.  Many people can still not even get out of their cold homes due to fallen lines. 
Finally I got the call that the power was restored and I made my way home just after dinner tonight. I'm exhausted, stressed and relieved for the help.  So many people are going to be cold for many more days.

Thank for all the concern.  I will be going to work in the morning - the office never lost power!! It will be nice to be in my routine and warm.

February 2013 is shaping up to be a stormy one!

Warm at Last

Wild storm and it is still going on. I was forced to leave my place and driven to LM's in Harwich where he has power. Drifts very deep and roads so bad. Trees down and power off in most places.
 I got under 5 quilts and stayed under the covers for a lot of the day. Every once in awhile I got up and did some exercise to get warm.
Update tomorrow.

HOME

Thanks to so many who have been checking on me. It is wild out here. Got all errnds done, met up with LM who gave me a very welcome gift.....a flourescent green, crank-up emergency radio with rechargeable batteries. He is so thoughtful!  last stop was to check on my feline charge.  He has plecty of dry food and seemes happy and unconcerned.  On the way back home, the ocean was crashing into the side of my car as I drove by two low areas.  (Beverly - not far at all from Wequassett Inn).  I have a feeling the storm will wash out that road and it will be closed.  Right now the winds are really getting heavy and it is forecast to be a hurricane/blizzard.  Governor ordered everyone off the roads by noon and I made it by 2 minutes....many not complying, though.
I am ready for whatever happens and meditating on peace and safety for all my loved ones.

Off to cook some chicken.......

Snowpocalypse

Yes, by all accounts, snowpocalypse is nigh!
Lest any of my faithful readers are concerned, I am relaxed, ready for whatever comes, and looking forward to a bit of mid-winter hibernation. A butternut squash and carmelized onion galette is baking in the oven and the house smells wonderfully.  There is also an offering to the gods for the coming precipitation as we really need it after a virtually dry and warm winter last year.  Seems to be a big boost for the economy, too.  The stores are mobbed and I will even be making a late evening trek to my market tonight. The festivities are due to begin tomorrow morning, but nothing dire may occur until after I have made the drive to Hyannis and back for a series of tests, and also paid a visit to my current pet sitting charge, my cute large gray friend, Khaos the cat.  I will have to try to get a photo of him tomorrow.  I will leave him some extra food and have also lined up one of his neighbors who can come in if I am not able to get there on the weekend.

So, the Kindle and cell phone will be fully charged, the sewing machine will work until the power goes out, and I have plenty of handsewing to be done. I have a brand new flourescent lantern that gives wonderful light, and there may be some napping under the down comforter, too. In case there is a prolonged power outage, I have a co-worker who lives close-by and he has a generator, so I can go there to get warm. 

I hope anyone else is in the path of "Nemo" will be safe and warm, and I will be looking forward to being shoveled out and venturing to see LM and Kristi on Sunday.

Bring on the adventure. 

FRIDAY!

Good Morning, and happy February!  Lovely winter light is beginning to show through the bare winter trees on this first day of a new month.
Having attended the lovely art opening of my dear friend, Nick Dorr, at Cape Cod Community College's Higgins Art Gallery last night, my heart feels so full of love and appreciation for all the creativity that fills and surrounds my life.  Nick has a beautiful show of his theatrical set design models, and costuming sketches.  His talent is really amazing.  The gathering last night was a reunion, as well, with so many old friends and former co-workers.  I cannot think of a nicer way to brighten winter. Although we do not see too much of each other these days, Nick is so dear to my heart and I was delighted to share this special evening amidst his talent once again.

Quiet weekend coming up. There will be some time with LM and Kristi and we will do some errands related to the renovations at Kristi's house. There are paint colors to be chosen and a new refrigerator to be selected, and just  maybe, I will have a little cuddle and purr time with LM and Ms Graysea. Those times are few and far between these days as LM's "Dad" duties are first and foremost.  He is doing the right thing, and I am finding time for myself to work on projects, and to feed and calm my soul.  My new meditation and chanting class is proving to be very interesting and rewarding. Kristi's mother continues to decline. This week, with the help of hospice, we have her in a new room at the nursing home - one where she has a window to see outside, and a pleasant room mate.  She is much happier. 

I wish you all a great weekend!