Lost Without Lost (a tribute!)

Happy Mother's Day

I have the bestest of all daughters. I am sure, you, too have the bestest of all daughters as well, but today I will mention the fabulousness of my daughter, Nico! A couple of weeks ago a package arrived, but I was told not to open it till Mother's Day. And that there would be a part 2! OOOH, the temptation! But I am honorable, so left it on the corner of the table where I could keep an eye on it.

Then, a couple of days ago, part 2 arrived and I came home to find that on the table as well. Finally, the day arrived, and here are the wonderful surprises!

This looks like a charming graphic novel of a girl and her mom spending time in Paris. What could be better? I can't wait to read it!

And look at this. What could this be??? It turns out to be le French macarons! Alors! What a thoughtful and yummy gift, the perfect accompaniment to reading "French Milk"!

What could be a more perfect Mother's Day? Alright, having Nico here would be nice, but we did meet for lunch a couple weeks ago: see above, for our traditional Mother's Day lunch of bagels and lox with french fries. (Photo taken at the Friendly Toast by son-in-law par excellence Jeremiah!)

A special Happy Mother's Day out to my incredible sister-in-law Paula.

A Chair For All Seasons (except sleet and rain!)

I was looking out the window at the library a while ago and saw the hardware store across the street that also sold collectibles had a 1950s lawn chair sitting outside. I love 50s and early 60s style and there was something sweet about this relic.
It became an OBJECT of DESIRE! When Joyce and I walked around town delivering library newsletters and posters I would admire the chair but it was too expensive for a whim (not really, but, you know, it could be a roadblock). Months went by and the chair remained unsold. I even tested it out on occasion. It would look so right in our garden. But, no, I didn't buy it. Then, news came that the hardware store was closing and converting to an antique and used book store and that they were having BIG SALES! So, I made an offer, and next thing, the chair had a home where it happily sits on the deck (though it is sleeting so I put it in the entry way). It's lasted this long without any (or much) rust. Why take chances?

Bunnies, Bunnies, Bunnies!

I used to draw and take pictures of old toys I found at yard sales, rummage sales and flea markets.
Nico has a big Easter bunny collection, and when she went off to college the bunnies got packed away in a cardboard box. Inspiration struck! Why not take pictures of these fabulous bunnies. I went up to the attic (the hattic (house attic), not the battic (barn attic) and dragged down the box. Poor bunnies!

They were delighted to be liberated. I took them down to our sunken garden. Here is Tiny Blue Bunny in his cave.

And here is Particularly Nice White Bunny in the daffodils.

What could be more cute or endearing. Everyone loves plush bunnies!Also, saddest kid's book ever? "Velveteen Rabbit", anyone?

And to wrap up the bunny blog, one more bunny, Other Blue Bunny sits for portrait:

Objects of Desire

I like all things Alice in Wonderland though not particularly the Tim Burton movie which didn't have a lot to recommend it except Johnny Depp (despite his Ronald Mc Donald hair) and the jewelry!

Look at this fabulous necklace!

Here is a close up.

There's a very nice matching bracelet. See!
Can you believe Walmart sells these to die for Objects of Desire? Check out your local store for these great finds. There is a whole line equally desirous! Back to Alice. Alice is always inspiring. See the Cheshire Spacey head floating in the tree above. Here is a complete Cheshire-ized Spacey:

Isn't she sweet? Or perhaps MAD? I tried to Cheshire-ize Big Eric, but he got suspicious and wouldn't pose properly. Perhaps another time.

Happy Springy Weather

Today it was beautiful, beautiful and even now it is 64 degrees out which for the 1st of April is very unusual. It's been wet, wet, wet for the last 2 weeks... so it seems like it might really be Spring, for today and tomorrow, anyway. In NY when I was a kid this was my favorite time of year with daffodils everywhere. Here, in NH I am very happy to settle for the first crocuses. Don't they look nice? Here is another view:
Here is the garden, waiting to be planted. You can see the new raised beds John built. Food Not Lawns is our motto!



And finally a happy Easter Bunny to all, and may your garden be free of blight!

Baby, Let's Play House

I just finished the best Elvis book, ever! Nico gave me "Baby, Let's Play House" by Alanna Nash for my birthday. In it, Ms. Nash interviews or quotes many, many of Elvis's girlfriends from high school to Ginger Alden. With pictures! It is a VERY thick book! There were a lot of girls. And very, verrrry few had anything bad to say about him. He knew how to treat a lady right. He was a Southern gentleman. And, whenever he was dating one woman, and sending her home, another would be coming up the drive, and even when they knew about each other, they accepted that if you were with Elvis, that was the way it was. The kind of thing you'd never stand for from a regular boyfriend, these girls said, well, if this is the only way I can keep on seeing the King, so be it!

He loved his mom, so she was always the # 1 woman in his life. But there were also Dixie, June, Anita and of course Priscilla to name a small fraction.

I have always been an Elvis fan. One of the first movies I ever saw was "Jailhouse Rock" and that had a big impression on me, so I am always interested in everything Elvis! And I also love rock biographies, but I really like to know about the women in rock and behind the scenes, the girlfriends, groupies and wives of rock stars, so you can see why I loved this book! It has everything!

I wanted to add some images but couldn't move them around on the dumb format here, so, maybe later!

pictures courtesy of the Elvis Presley Website