Back porch, Harvest moon and treasure

- The back porch had been covered with a fair amount of dead leaves, which I swept off on Saturday.  The plants are getting straggly, but they are still nice and green.  And I splurged ($12 on sale at HomeGoods) on that colorful doormat to change things up a bit.

- Driving home from a dinner with friends on Saturday evening, the gorgeous Harvest moon kept popping into view here and there.  I'm so glad I had it with me for the drive.  My grainy iPhone photo doesn't do it justice at all, but it still makes for a nice memory.

 - Friend Bren brought me this treasure - a "Holding Cross" - back from her trip to the Golden Isles, on the coast of Georgia, last weekend.  It's smooth and fits in the palm of my hand.  I love it.  It was carved by hand by Rev. Dave Hanson, of St. Simons Island, for use as a meditative prayer aid.  I love this printed on the accompanying card, "It is prayerfully carved from natural wood to remind you that you are greatly loved and never alone."  (Romans 8:31-39)  An article I found about him can be read here.

Unexpected, a treasure and back to normal

- It is such fun opening the mailbox and finding an unexpected gift.  My dear friend and co-blogger, Granny Annie, sent me this wonderful antique postcard (circa 1913).  The message is perfect!  "All of us wish for you, all the good things we can think of.  If perchance, we have forgotten anything worth having we hope you will get that as well."  I wish the same for you, Annie, and all my friends who come here. 

- The card was addressed to Mr. William D. Hartman of Montandon, Pennsylvania with the message:  "just a card to let you know that I have not forgot the old Guard, your old Bunkin (Bunkie?)"  Wm Davidson, Drum Major, Band 19th Inf.  (Click to enlarge.)  I think they must have been in the US Army together, in the years just before the United States entered World War I.  Lovely that this postcard survived all these years and even lovelier that it is mine now.  A treasure!

- Thank you for all the concern for me and my city.  We have gotten back to normal a bit and most all of the abandoned cars I saw on the sides of the expressway yesterday have been collected (or moved somewhere else.)  I caught up on my sleep and cooked an awful lot - there will be chili and baked ziti for lunches for days.  :)

And it's Friday!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

A treasure, there's no place like home and tradition

- It was a cold and rainy day on Saturday, so most of the day was spent decorating the Christmas tree.  I had to move it over this year so the fern could have its spot in front of the back door (the fern is in for a few days because of freezing temps at night).  The cardboard Santa under the tree was a gift from my kindergarten teacher when I was 5 years old.  A treasure!

- A new treasure - a Dorothy's Red Shoe ornament, purchased in September at the gift shop in the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC.  An American treasure, the red shoes Judy Garland wore in the film, The Wizard of Oz, are showcased in an exhibit there. 

- The tiny tree in the pass-through from the kitchen to the dining room.  For years it was the only tree I put up, until I realized how much I loved all my packed away ornaments.  Hence the bigger tree in the living room.  I'm a two-tree gal now.  :)  The Santa on the left belonged to my Great Aunt Grace and was always under her tree.

Other highlights from the weekend:  ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at the mall on Saturday night with the annual tradition of Mexican food after.  And discovering friend Leisa at Home Goods doing a bit of Christmas shopping on Sunday.  It was fun having an impromptu shopping partner for an hour or so. 

Orchard, favorites and catching up

- While clearing out our family home to prepare it for sale, my sisters and I chose some items we would like to take and I was so pleased to bring home these fruit plates. The three plates above the window and the top two on the left came from my grandmother's kitchen originally, then were in mom and dad's kitchen for years. My dad gave the five lower plates to mom and I thought they all made a nice grouping.

- These three were my favorites though. I can still remember them in my grandmother's kitchen - the pear plate has always been my absolute favorite.

- Finally finding a home for that large soup pot, that I posted about several days ago, after pulling out the pots and pans cabinet and judiciously putting it all back in. It was fun to catch up on little home projects this weekend.

Surprise, thoughtfulness and lovely legacy

- Watering my outdoor geranium and finding a red bird feather has been stuck in the soil. And placing it with my collection of found feathers into one of my ceramic "feather catchers."

- My neighbor Rhonda put it there for me to find. She often checks on Sophie for me when I am out of town and noticed that I like feathers.

- The feather catchers were created by an artist in North Carolina who has since passed away. A pottery collective in Dillsboro, NC used to showcase them.