today: celebrating Connie …

Published on by Honoré12 Comments

IMG_9277

Today is my sister’s birthday. The above photo is of her and her first grandchild and namesake, Constance, aka as Dolly.

Today my sister has 2 children – a son and a daughter; 7 grands and 3 great grands.

Today I find it very hard to compute, that this person with whom I grew up (I’m older) – has several generations of grandchildren. We shared holidays, adventures, books, playtime with friends, pets – my sister was a good one for adopting a “stray” dog and bringing it home with promises of “I’ll take care of it!” And my dad would nod agreement, knowing all the while that he’d take care of it!

Today, I wish my sister a big Happy Happy, many more birthdays to come and

Cheers~

 

sometimes mondays | 12.10.2018 …

Published on by Honoré15 Comments

IMG_6329

7:40 am  30° F

  • microwave running ~ boiling water for a second cuppa tea …
  • thinking maybe I will ask Santa to bring me an electric tea kettle – hmmm …
  • sweater blanket around my shoulders to keep me warm – it’s kinda cold this morning …
  • blue sky dotted with white clouds, some tinged with pink, here n there …
  • I stop to breathe for 5 minutes and …
  • hear the distant sound of a train’s whistle.

My tea’s steeped and soon I will end MSQT to fix a salad.  Today is my quilt group’s annual holiday luncheon. The salad is simple, tasty and colorfully Christmasy . Here’s the recipe:

IMG_6332.jpg

I diced some of the red pepper and used the slices as garnishment.

Hope you’ve had a quiet start to your Monday too. Have a grand day!

Cheers~

9 birds, etc…

Published on by Honoré8 Comments

IMG_6310

nine birds, usually in a row

not today tho’; one chose to

BE UNIQUE

and then it flew away…

etc:

It has been a busy day…on the agenda: my annual eye exam  (yesterday was Norman’s) to be followed by a few errands. The latter never happened…by the time my exam was over, dusk and evening rush hour traffic were upon me. Driving home, my eyes still dilated, the lights – street; car head and rear, brake, turn – twinkled like stars. I wished to take a photo but realized that the camera wouldn’t see what my eyes did . As I drove through UMD campus, off US 1, parked on the green: a WWII – I think – military airplane. I suspect it is there in honor of tomorrow’s Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

 

 

unraveled wednesday |12.5.18 …

Published on by Honoré9 Comments

 

IMG_6301

Christmas, late ’90s: My mother bought the above book for me. In addition to being an alphabet, it is also an advent book, filled with wonderful paper sculptures and accompanying words.

IMG_6304

Even tho’ this book has been a Christmas staple, easily 23 years, it still delights each day as I open the corresponding letter for the numerical date…and remember my mom. Always in my thoughts and with me.

IMG_6298

Knitting the Christmas stocking is slow progress … but progress is being made! Chalk up a “win in the making…” TBC…and I’m still thoroughly enjoying Michelle Obama’s  Becoming. For sure a keeper – I intend to also purchase the print version, for me and a few secret chosen people…

Joining Kat and friends for another Unraveled Wednesday. Read and Knit on!

Cheers~

a few of my favorite things …

Published on by Honoré8 Comments

IMG_6291

The Christmas season is the time of the year for lots of nostalgia and memories – the old and the making of the new. Though new items  are and may be added to the collection of memories and things, some things stand the test of time. These are just a few of my favorites:

  1. calendar has been around longer than I remember. It sits on the window sill over the kitchen sink and gets updated everyday…a ritual of sorts as I make tea and prep for MSQT – Morning Solitude and Quiet Time …
  2. bokeh lights …
  3. scotty dog + tree mug , a gift from my friend AJ, easily 25 years ago; there are 4 in the set and I’m so pleased they are all still intact…
  4. ornaments, all handmade, go back decades: the cloth angel Dolly and my mom made three decades ago; the penny rug, my mother made during the first, 1979, International Year of the Child. The bottom two were made by work associates in the mid -70s. All are lying on a woven Scotty dog towel, also made by my mother in the mid ‘8os.

This weekend, when we were pulling out holiday decor, I couldn’t find the ornaments…I rejoiced when they appeared. Whew! I’d not packed them with the others. I’m wondering: do you suppose the time thieves had taken them by mistake?

Cheers~

sometimes mondays …

Published on by Honoré7 Comments

 

IMG_6284

are bare, stately trees against a bright blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds on a 53° F sunny December day, bright red berries and

IMG_6277

“quiltspiration”

fabric giraffes, made by a member of my quilt group. I think the giraffes are delightful and plan to make one each for Chris and Elias. Too cute! Too much to hope completed in time for Christmas?  Perhaps a 12 Days of Christmas gift…

Time to get ready for a big band jazz concert at U of Maryland…a fitting end to a busy and delightful day! What brightened your day?

Cheers~

 

collecting november 2018 …

Published on by Honoré5 Comments

IMG_6141.jpg

So, here we are, at the end of the 11th month of 2018…t’is hard to believe there are just 31 days and a matter of hours left in this year! Many of the photos from the month I’ve already featured on the blog – but not quite all:

  • Per usual. I share many tree and sky photos and  this month, there is a preponderance of me…
  • Norman and I and Elias celebrated birthdays: Norman the 1st; mine- 15th and Elias on the 27th! His very first!
  • We actually had a dusting of snow …
  • I loved every moment spent with family and friends ~ never enough of those moments…
  • I included the blog logo to celebrate the launch of my new home and 30 days of NaBloPoMo!

I like my new home and I will admit there is a steeper learning curve than I anticipated…but thanks to friends Kat and Mary, I’m getting there… as I am fond of saying, ancora imparo ~ I am still learning ~ Michelangelo. Thank you all for cheering me on!

I’ll be back on Monday! Have a great weekend!

Cheers~

art enables …

Published on by Honoré6 Comments

IMG_6074

The above piece of art was created by a person with one or more disabilities. This photo is not the best representation.  Unfortunately, the window in which it hung created a transparent backdrop – so one sees the reflection of the street and me.

I took this photo last Sunday afternoon, on my way to Zeke’s, my neighborhood  (about 1.5 miles) coffee shop, for a caramel latte.  Several doors down from Zeke’s is Art Enables, an “Art Gallery and Vocational Arts program dedicated to creating opportunities for artists with disabilities to make, market, and earn income from their original and compelling artwork.”

Art Enables is closed on Sundays.

Monday morning, as I drove past, on my way to my quilting group meeting, I thought:  On my way home this afternoon, I’ll stop and inquire about the piece. I was pretty sure it was for sale. Later that afternoon, as I drove by, there was a big gap where the painting had hung. Apparently, someone else was also smitten…

I was sorry to have missed out but grateful that the work was sold. I do intend to stop in and inquire about the painting’s creator; perhaps she or he has other works for sale too!