Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Roping Dummies and Kate Morton (or how I spent my 15th wedding anniversary)


The Chief Roping Dummy and I have been married 15 years today.  While we could have gone out to celebrate, we opted to stay in (it's a school night, ya know).

The RD and band members were at the house running through sets for their CD release party.  And here it is!

to listen go here.

Meanwhile, the CO Boy and I snuggled upstairs with the pups.  I was at the ever so critical part of a book - you know, when you've got, say, two chapters left. 

Man.  The ending was great.  Loved it.  While The Distant Hours, is probably still my favorite of Kate Morton's, The House at Riverton, was quite good.  Didn't see the conclusion coming until I was almost upon it!

Next up:

This is a children's mystery series I've thoroughly enjoyed.  Enola ("alone" spelled backwards) is a much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes.  Raised by their Suffragist mother she lives in London, always dodging the brothers who try to get her to attend a proper girls school.  Great fun.




Monday, January 23, 2012

Desk for the Lego Room

Several months ago while still working the old job, I came across this desk in the alley way.  The alley was right up against a huge apartment building and furniture was routinely dumped, but most of the time it was of no interest.  But this time I scored.

I'm almost finished sanding it and then I'll paint it.  Here's a "before" or maybe a "during" picture.

The wood is nice and the construction is solid.  Note the drawers:


I THINK I'm going to keep the original hardware.  At first I didn't like it at all, but it might be growing on me.

What do you think?  Should I keep it or trade it out for something different??  Need to make a decision soon if I'm going to change it so I can put wood putty in the holes before I paint.




Friday, January 20, 2012

Blogging at DTR

Hi there,


location of The Denver Tea Room

I'm over at the tea room blog talking about walking tours, tea parties and haunted houses.  It's all good!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Jerimiah Goodman

I love art work of interiors.  I find myself sketching chairs and armoires a lot.  I've shared Cecil Beaton's interior illustrations before but don't think I've ever mentioned Jereimiah Goodman. 

His watercolor works are so gorgeous and they make me "feel" the rooms.
Babe Paley's bedroom


Bruce Weber's home


a desk (I have no idea who it belongs to)

Library (again, no idea who it belongs to)


My sister, Lizzie, gave me House Proud for Christmas.


I have wanted this book forever!  It showcases illustrations housed at the Cooper - Hewitt Museum.  They are all watercolor interiors and just amazing in detail and feel.  It's a book that  makes me happy and I like to look through it when I'm sitting in bed at night.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Book Love


In the middle of, The House at Riverton.  I'm liking it very very much.  I love the way Kate Morton writes.  My favorite is still The Distant Hours, but this one is quite good as well.


Finished this one right before Christmas.  I have had it on my TBR list for a very long time and my sister took note and loaned me her copy.  Loved it.  Made me wish I could speak to my mother and tell her how sorry I was if I ever treated her as if she didn't know what she was doing when, in fact, she probably knew perfectly well what she was doing, only young people don't understand that.


Want to read this one.  Here's a blurb:
Writing under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, Ruth Rendell departs from her famous detective team of Wexford and Burden to tell a gripping tale of family madness. Vera Hillyard is a domineering and possessive woman who strives for obsessive control over a malicious older son, a youngest son who is--or isn't--illegitimate, and her younger sister, Eden, who secretly seeks to escape Vera's grasp and instead provokes a murder. This winner of the 1986 Edgar Award for best mystery novel belongs to the genre of old murders reconsidered and the question of who did what to whom and why is teasingly left unresolved.

And I have this one in my stack

Here's the blurb:
Spanning three generations and half the world, Wildflower Hill is a sweeping, romantic and compelling story of two women who share a legacy of secrets, heartbreak, courage and love.
Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate.
Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman, but she was pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success—but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day, and she wanted to make sure Emma’s heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way.
Wildflower Hill is a compelling, atmospheric, and romantic novel about taking risks, starting again, and believing in yourself. It’s about finding out what you really want and discovering that the answer might be not at all what you’d expect.

However, before I can sink into another book, I have lots of other stuff waiting on me.  Perhaps if I print out the book covers and hang them on my wall, they'd give me the motivation to get through everything???


Tuesday, January 10, 2012

A sign for Gershwin


Gersh. may only be 13 pounds but he thinks he's much bigger...

What we've lost

Ella with her bone Santa left in her stocking last Christmas, 2010

My sweet girl, Ella The Wild Dog, passed away last week.  Based on her tests, the doctor thinks she most likely had a brain tumor which reached critical mass.  My heart is absolutely broken over her leaving. 

With Basie, I was sort of ready.  He was 16/17 and I knew it was time.  I missed him but was ready to let him go.  With Ella, it all happened in the span of a few days and we are all still feeling the shock.

The two little dogs are only now getting back to normal.  They were both puppies when they came home to us and Ella was their mama in a way. 

The CO Boy told me today that he wished Ella was here.

We all wish for that.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Just now starting to relax and enjoy the ride again

Illustration by Roy McKie from "Snow"


Happy New Year to you.

I look back at my last post and see I was just trying to leave the old job and begin working full-time at the tea room.

Life was a bit stressful and out of control for three months.

I "eased" out of my old job, as my boss is a dear friend and I wanted to try and make it as easy as possible for her.  But then I had the new boss (my sister!) chomping at the bit for me to make the move full-time.  She'd made a list longer than my arm of things I needed to do when I went full-time.  Most of the list is still waiting because November and December were full of tea and cucumber sandwiches.

We served more people than I ever care to see in two months!  Explain to me how I - someone who does not like to be around a lot of people - managed to keep a cheerful game face?  But I did.  And on December 31st, The Tea Lady and I had MAYBE half a brain between the two of us and rang in the new year with success at the tea room.

Now The Tea Lady is golfing in Arizona - did I mention it's snowing here?  Yeah, she's like that -:).  Seriously, she is on a long weekend with her husband and taking some much needed time off.  So I'm at the tea room with our Prima (cousin in Spanish).  The two of us have managed not to burn down the building while The Tea Lady is gone so all is well.

A late morning for me.  The Roping Dummy and CO Boy are gone to the National Western Stock Show and I'm headed in to the tea room for late reservations.

Will post again tonight.  Hope you come back-:).