Sunday, November 8, 2009

Beavertail Cactus and Gold Prospecting

Welcome friends old and new to my short Sunday post. Yesterday was lots of fun. The sun was shining but not too hot so we did some nugget hunting and visited our friend with those palm trees.

The first picture is Beavertail cactus nestled under a palm in my friends rock garden. The white rocks are quartz. The blue and green color in the other stones is caused by copper minerals.



This is the mining claim where we look for gold in the Lost Basin/King Tut area. It belongs to a friend and we keep an eye on things while he`s gone. Nice view. We`ve been prospecting here for nearly 25 years. Yesterday was a slow day, but just being out on a nice day was reward enough.


Everything is moving along nicely. Except the mice ate my Christmas decorations. This is going to be a creative holiday. Wishing all of you a wonderful day,

Cathy

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Busy, Busy!

Hello everyone! Today I`ll start with an apron. This vintage beauty is a bit flirty. It`s a grass green print with wooden tubs and bright red flowers. My favorite part of this apron is the rick rack and the flounce at the center bottom. The rick rack is a good match for the green in the print.




In the sidebar you`ll see a Ravelry widget that shows progress I`m making on my crochet projects. I started a new throw pattern, Andalusia from Berroco Yarns. Sometimes the Andalusia link works fine. Other times I get a server error. I hope the link works for you. It is a beautiful crochet throw.

The December wedding plans for my son and his fiance are coming together just fine. The weather should be warm enough for the outdoors afternoon wedding they want. The Hilton is going the extra mile to make sure they have a beautiful day. Five more weeks. I`m so excited.

Time to go. Besides the normal housework, I`m making Christmas presents and birthday and wedding gifts. I like to be busy. Hope you all have a great day.
Cathy

Monday, November 2, 2009

It`s Christmas Apron Time, Well Almost!

Hi everybody! I know it`s early, not even Thanksgiving but I unpacked my Christmas aprons anyway. The one below is my favorite and I am sure my grandmother had one just like this.


My grandmother did not wear casual clothes at holiday meals. She wore a house dress and apron for the prep work and when the meal was nearly finished cooking, everything under control, she put on a nice dress and a clean apron. Actually all of us "dressed up" for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. At Thanksgiving my sister and I wore nice dresses but at Christmas our dresses were organdy or taffeta accessorised with ruffly nylon socks and patent leather Mary Jane`s. The out of town family joining us was usually my aunt, uncle and cousin from Morrisville and they followed the same dress code. We crammed a lot of people in that small dining room. That made it more fun. Gram would bring out another apron for my aunt who helped clean up. I think after the meal we put on play clothes.

My apron is faded, but the fabric is still strong. I just love it! I don`t pack away my aprons anymore, I use them. Moved them to a kitchen drawer. That`s what they are for.

Hope you all have a nice day.
Cathy

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Afghans, Linens and Halloween In 1950`s Philadelphia

Where did October go? Our weather is now cool and crispy early in the day, though this afternoon we may hit 60 degrees. This is nice weather to do a little shopping so yesterday I found a yard sale that had just what I was looking for,  nice cuddly afghans, fabric and vintage linens.














There is nine yards of Waverly fabric on the bolt, all for $3.00. Each afghan was $1.00 and the five foot lace table runner was fifty cents. It needs a small repair at one edge, no big deal. The runner was ecru colored when I got it home, but a soak in white vinegar and water produced a pristine white beauty. The afghans are spotless after washing. I`ve had the 1930`s Luncheon Cloth for years. It just happened to be on the clothesline too. Teal and red are my very favorite colors.

About Halloween. When my sister and I were small Halloween in Philadelphia was magic. The street lights were gas and the street became a magical place. Our part of town was also known as Bridesburg. Under our costumes, which were cloth and well made, we wore corduroy jeans lined with flannel and flannel shirts. Armed with bags for candy we joined the other children for tricks or treats. We  could hear the hum of voices and the swish of the costumes. When we knocked on a door we were always invited into the home. We would say "trick or treat" and the home owner would say trick and we would sing a song. Then we were rewarded with candy or cookies and moved on to the next house. We always stayed on our street. There were plenty of homes and more candy than we could eat in a month. About the street lights. Early in the morning, just at dawn a man would come along with a long stick and turn off the gas  lights, come back early evening and light them.

That`s all for today. Have fun everyone and I hope your children find magic too.
Cathy

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Our First Snow and A Thank You

Hello Everyone! Very cold this morning. 20 degrees F at 6:00 a:m and now 30 degrees F at 11:00 a:m. There is a lot of north wind and that makes it feel much colder. So, all the heaters are heating. I keep the thermostat low as possible and still be comfortable in a sweater. We had our first bit of snow this morning, unusual for us, but nice all the same. The picture below shows a light dusting on the Grand Wash Cliffs. Don`t I have a beautiful view from my yard?



Thank you to the visitors and my readers stopping by and supporting Cate`s Back Porch, my blog shop. It is a wonderful success. Now I am going to warm up with hot tea and maybe a cookie or some other sweet delight.

Till Later.
Cathy

Sunday, October 25, 2009

A Crochet Project and a Wren Nest

Hello my friends! It has been a very busy week. DH is still recovering from surgery and I am happy to say he is doing much better. My son was in a car accident Monday morning, someone cut in front of him in a turn lane. He had dizziness and severe head pain after his head hit the driver side door window. The ER released him and my soon to be daughter in law took good care of him at home. He always wears a seat belt which I`m sure prevented further injury. This has been a heck of a week. I am very happy to be blogging again.

The past couple of days the cactus wrens have been purloining insulation from the inside of our water shed where we keep our water storage tanks. They were a sight running across the yard with their mouths full of soft, white fluff. As you can see in the picture below a new nest has been started with the insulation laid on a Joshua Tree branch. Notice the bits of dried brush and weeds on top of the insulation. This nest has a long way to go.



I`m crocheting an afghan in the Shell pattern. Each shell is five double crochet. Each end will be crocheted with variegated yarn. I`m using Red Heart Super Saver in 533 Dark Plum and 0399 Fiesta Jewel.  I folded the afghan over itself on the back of a chair. My grandmother taught me to crochet and it has been fun, a great way to relax and make gifts at the same time. My next project is learning to knit. I`ve been saying that for a long time!




I`m off to read more blogs about your fall weather and great recipes. Have a great day!
Cathy

Friday, October 16, 2009

Check Out This Giveaway!

Hello everyone. I found a wonderful giveaway and a great blog too! Barb at Belle Vista is having a fantastic, must see Giveaway! This is my first visit to her bright, interesting blog and I will return. Please stop by, you won`t be disappointed. This woman is Creative and generous!

Cathy