GOOD MOOD . . . ♥

Posted on January 31, 2013 by sbranch

Hello Girlfriends!!!   I am in such a good mood! Except I miss you!  Musica?  Of course!

It was 60° here yesterday!  Which is ridiculous because it just never happens in January, but we took advantage of it and opened all the doors and filled the house with fresh air.  We hear it will go down to 20° today which makes me happy (in a strange way) because I really hope the first buds of spring, and the finishing of our book, happen at exactly the same time!  I definitely wouldn’t want spring to come first!  I do not trust myself with something like that . . . I might never get the book done if flowers start to bloom!

 This is one reason I’m in such a good mood.  We are getting the book ready for the printer — the scanning of the pages has commenced!  Kellee put together this two-page spread — the first I’ve seen where all the photos I’ve chosen are in with the art (not just xeroxed and pasted on).  I can finally see what it will really look like!  Hope it makes sense to you . . .  it’ll be much bigger in real life!  That doesn’t mean I’m finished writing it . . . I think I still have about forty pages to go, but we are getting so close!

These little guys always make me happy — their colors are spring personified, even in the deepest darkest winter.  They are my muse.  Another thing that makes me happy is the new WILLARD I’m planning.  As you might have noticed, I haven’t sent one in a while . . . this one is going to be really special — it’s exciting to have secrets and surprises for people I love!  Makes me happy!  I’ve decided that it should be your Valentine Present, so look for it around then . . . and be sure to sign up everyone you think would like one too . . . then it can be YOUR Valentine Present too. ♥

Speaking of Valentines . . . no one could be sad when they have something like this to cheer their day  . . .

Reminds me of me!  I can see this post is going to be all over the place!  I didn’t know what it would be when I started, and now look where we are . . . let’s get out of here!   Let’s see, where was I?  Oh yes.  Happiness.

This is on a page of one of my old diaries and tells the reason I feel so happy right now.  Because I’m getting to be creative!  Each page of  A Fine Romance  is its own little world.  It requires words, sketching and watercolors, maybe a photograph, it needs to be put together, hand-written, with a quote, or maybe with some other little surprising thing.  And that’s what’s so fun for me, figuring it out.  I did a cute page this morning, about tea, with a cute teapot, a cup and a story, with the perfect quote no one has seen before, like the whole book …. all new art and everything . . .  and that alone is enough for me to smile the rest of the day!   Now let’s see if I can find something that will make you smile . . .

Hello birdie!  How about a cupcake?  Or, perhaps a walk out back on a spring day?

. . . to be mesmerized by windblown quilts . . . this always makes me happy!  Love that ocean air . . . the harbor is just two blocks away. ♥

snow drops . . . right?  Happy?

mmmmmm, a blooming plum tree and soft sunshine . . . can you hear the bees? zzzzzz

 Weather news is reporting that some places in the country are experiencing really low temperatures!  Was it South Dakota where it was something like 40° below?  crazy . . .  I’m thinking . . .

Not that I’m any hurry to move the season forward; I am happy here with my cozy shawl and my crackling fire, truly I am, but sometimes the eyeballs require a little relief, and the nose needs to  i m a g i n e the smell of flowers.  Just for fun.  A little break.  Here we are again in the Sissinghurst White Garden in Kent.  What a day that was, all those wonderful white delphiniums swaying in the breeze, looking a lot like the tower behind them. Lovely to send you Sissinghurst in January — because we have the internet!  Yay!  Makes a person wish she was a bee, just for one day!

Love that this creamy rose isn’t perfect — definitely not from the florist.  Can you smell it?  Doesn’t it look like it’s part gardenia?

Forsythia, I cut from our bushes last spring and forced  . . . still a little bit early for that, but what a wonderful thing to bring into the house at the end of winter!  And to look at, eye candy, free of charge, no work at all, in January.

When the book is done, Joe and I will get on a train and go west to California . . . here is my garden there, on a foggy California morning.  Every time I look at this photo I’m in a little bit of shock.  Must have been a REALLY good day!  Aren’t those yellow-topped golden cypress bushes the cat’s meow?  Their shapes make a good contrast to the flowers.

We can just bring springtime, or a reasonable facsimile, indoors!  If you need more little vases filled with flowers, here they are!

What’s more wonderful than daffodils in the house on a snowy day!?

OH yes, this is more wonderful!  I had to do it . . . Time out from flowers, I just saw this photo!  Remember when Jack saw a bug?  I love this picture!

Is this working, is it making you happy?

Remember eating outside?  Remember lightening bugs?  Remember cricket noises?

. . . remember dinner under the arbor . . . ?

I feel like he does.  So lucky.

Just went to the kitchen to start some water for tea, held Jackie up to the window to watch some robins on the lawn and saw a robin eat a holly berry.  The robin picked the berry up in his beak, flipped his head, and popped it down his throat.

Tea water is boiling girlfriends, back to the drawing table for me.  Love you all, hope life is being good to you.  Bye for now! ♥ XOXO

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WE HAVE SNOW

Posted on January 25, 2013 by sbranch

BRRRR, we have snow, we have ZERO degrees.  Thats 32° below freezing.  Baby it’s cold outside. MUSICA for a snowy day.

Even the snowflakes are dancing. I think I know why God gave us the gift of winter, it’s a healing time for Martha’s Vineyard after the busy summer, but in a way, for us too. It gives us a good reason to stop the go-go-go, and just be.  Lots of people don’t like snow and move to Florida to escape it.  But after growing up in Southern California, and now experiencing real winter, I would miss these quiet, introspective days.

The whole world is muffled in this blanket of white.  Our old house is “anchored,” as Gladys Taber would say, “like a ship in a still white sea.”  No cars go by, no noise gets through, only the popping of embers of a fire, and the bloop-bloop-bloop of the chicken stock that’s simmering on top of my stove and making the house smell cozy.  It’s a world all its own.

Time seems to stand still, just us, the birds, the squirrels, warm sweaters, shawls, socks, furnace-vent-warmed slippers.

Every so often, I peek out the window.  Yup, it’s all still there!  Not a daffodil in sight.  Thank goodness, I am not ready to give up on all this quite yet.

When I got up this morning and looked outside … and there was our Wolf moon — It’ll be full on Saturday night.

Inside the house, it’s cozy, with quilts draped over everything making us feel warm and happy!

Joe has been making fires every morning . . . I can see the fireplace from my art table, so I look up, Jack is draped on the back of the couch, there’s a fire beyond … girl is on the pillow in my studio.  And I spread watery green paint onto a new piece of paper. . . clock goes tick-tick-tick, and I go, thank you.

We turn on the radio to the classical station, and I count my blessings.  How lucky we are to have this warm house safe from the storms.

Yesterday we had pancakes on the sofa front of the fire.  Could a person ask anything more from a little egg, milk, and flour?  And Vermont Maple-tree juice?  No, I think not.  We have it all just like Bogie and Bacall.

This is one of my favorite photos of Joe.  I see happiness in his eyes.  If I EVER catch him lying down when the laundry comes out, he gets “the treatment.”  Full body warmth from dryer.

But it’s not always quiet around here . . . We get visitors …. Lowely (my BFF and girlfriend who lives only one door over) came for tea the other day and provided lots of entertainment . . .

She came in the door and drama ensued almost immediately.  Her scarf is caught in her zipper. She can’t get out.  What do I do?   Grab the camera of course!  See the zipper being pulled up at the bottom?  Her scarf is firmly in there.

So, a little bit of strangulation is taking place.  Am I helping?  Yes, I’m recording it for posterity!  And laughing too hard, which is why these photos are not in focus!

Oh, the humanity.

She’s given up on trying to loosen the zipper grip on the fabric, now she is just trying to get the scarf off, but it is hopeless . . . she is trapped.

We are laughing so hard!  There is no rhyme nor reason to that scarf!  This is when I came to my senses and put the camera down and HELP her.  She got out, probably without my involvement . . . but we are crying laughing.  Then we had tea and a nice visit at the kitchen table.  And I forgot to take a photo of the normal Lowely, so you can see how pretty she really is.

But here she is with Joe — we’re at her house, for one of her wonderful parties!  See those yummy Clams Casino in the foreground.  I would like one of those right now!  (Thank you Lowely, for letting me use these photos and for the constant wonderful entertaining YOU! ♥)

There are so many good ways to celebrate this magical time of year before it gets away from us and becomes part of the past.  Above is a little picture I painted of me in my chair, with William T. Aristocat III, my book, my blankie, my sippies, and of course, my singing bird (doesn’t everyone have one of those on the back of their chair?)  This is what I call the good life.  Speaking of which, if you haven’t already seen it, there is a really charming movie called Cranford — they have both part one and two, available in a set on Amazon, you will love it if you haven’t seen it; it will get you in the mood for England.  Because we went to that darling village where it was filmed and there will be photos in our new book!  Have the movie with a cup of tea, some cinnamon toast, warm slippers . . . the perfect thing for a winter day.♥ 

Sun is coming up right now, gorgeous blue-sky day and freezing sunlight putting a silvery outline on the tree branches loaded with snow . . . this is what I love, my kitchen, early in the morning, and the bloop-bloop-bloop of the chicken stock . . . Off I go, more pages for our book will be coming out of my little art factory today.  There is a pinpoint of light at the end of the Fine Romance tunnel, girlfriends.   Remember to

 Do one little special thing for yourself today — such as this, bubbles, hot water, book!   You can start having a special day right now, with a great big deep breath.  Aren’t we lucky?  Oh!  And by the way, I want to make sure . . . did you get your Valentine bookmark?  That’s for your book, with love from me, and for you to pop into an envelope to give your girlfriends . . . spreading a little sunshine as only you know how!  Bye for now! Thank you for all your wonderful comments.  We are the mutual admiration society!  Happy weekend!  XOXO

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