It Keeps Me Honest

This past weekend my gardening season began in earnest,

and

I am better for it.


It keeps me honest.


”Wax on- wax off.”
As in simple, hard , physical work.

Remember that line from Karate Kid?

I was aided by fragrance everywhere.

My jasmine is blooming-

and my orange trees are blooming.


Heaven .

I wish this photo had a scratch and sniff feature

so you could experience it too.


And so,

I do better when I work.


And yes, I sometimes work too hard,

and my muscles hurt,

and as a result I walk funny,

and my yard clothes get as dirty as a toddler’s,

but I have a smile on my face,

and

today for the first time this year,

I ran the water hose all over my face.



Heaven.

***

Linking to:

Katherine’s House

In my fantasy world in my

‘of a certain age ‘ thinking,

in my next house ,

I want this lampshade.


During my vuelta to Houston and then on to Dallas,

I had a chance to help my youngest daughter

do some primping in her already wonderful house.


That lampshade (from Target) was a result of that.

She had the cream ‘bamboo-ish’ chest in her garage,

the white ceramic bamboo lamp in her bedroom,

and we have all collected a pair of those over the top birds.

I brought this black iron Greek key lamp

from my flea market stash.

I LOVE anything Greek key.

This crackled vase was my Mother’s.

It looks great next to the globe

without the stand -

also from my flea market stash.

We had fun creating a gallery wall in her

kitchen

above some gray industrial shelves,

using plates she bought at Anthropologie

(on sale).

These plates are also going to be in my fantasy house.

This turquoise glass dish is from an estate sale,

and I love putting something out of place

in the kitchen, don’t you?

 Truth be told-

there is nothing I love more that loading up

my car with things for my daughters’ houses,

along with my toolbox,

to see if I can be of help.



It is also ‘ refreshing’ when I show them

something I brought

and they say…

‘Ah…no. Thank you though.’



Then I get to bring those cast-offs home

so I can try to slip them in to

offer to another daughter.


See how smart I am?

***

 

I am linking to these wonderful parties.

Thriftin on Thursday @ Savvy City Farmer

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Inspiration Friday at the Picket Fence

Friday Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

What Have You Redone at Redoux

Naming Things

I love to name things as you know.


’Namely’

the little house- a small house in our backyard

hauler 2- my Tahoe (not to be confused with Hauler 1)

the Nap Room- our front study that I re-did last fall

la brecha- our side yard.


And so in planning for spring,

I am going to christen more things that I love.

I will be re-working the limestone

patio area surrounding the little house.


It needs a suitable name.


This is a favorite piece back there.

This spring I will be using

cobalt blue and yellow to add more to this garden area.


These are all things I have on hand.

Except for the birdcage.

Once again, my husband waited patiently in the truck,

while I explored.

Have a great week-

I am on a vuelta ( a round) visiting daughters and grandsons.


Tonight when I asked my youngest grandson what he had for lunch at

pre-school today,

he said,


”Basdetti.”

I think that calls for a new Ranch Recipe.

***

Linking to the following great parties.

Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday

Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

Alison at Stuff and Nonsense for Friday's Unfolded

Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday

Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Humble Ingredients And The Grapes of Wrath

Years ago,

when my English 3 AP students were studying

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck,

I suggested that my father read it.


His response?


”Don’t have to. Lived it.”


And so as I assembled a very simple

Sunday evening supper yesterday,


I saw humble ingredients

everywhere I looked.

Canned tomatoes for vegetable soup.

Cornbread prepared in an aluminum pan

so my father could take home what was left

for a later glass of crumbled cornbread and milk.


And cilantro to

garnish the soup.


At the grocery store earlier in the day,

I noticed the grocery carts of other shoppers full of all sorts of humble ingredients.


Many of those same carts contained cilantro too.


We were all cooking simply.

My father’s comment when I walked him to

his car, leftover cornbread in tow?


”Enjoyed it.”

Shout Out: Laughing With Angels

This is just a quick shout out to

June

at the absolutely beautiful blog

Laughing With Angels.

Her blog is featured in the March issue

of Romantic Homes.

Aside from the fact that June is one of the kindest people

in blog land,

she is a photographer, gardener, thrifter, crafter,

neighbor,

wife, mother, and grandmother

extraordinaire.


I wish I could follow her around

and ask questions to my heart’s desire.


Congratulations Miss June!

Gardening Worry: Help!

If I could, I would plant my entire backyard in zinnias.

I can never have too many.


I am just a little worried.

It’s cold down here in Zone 9

(in the mid to high 50’s),

and it is also rainy.

I haven’t planted my zinnia seeds yet

because planting in the cold doesn’t make sense.

I also haven’t planted my caladium bulbs ,my tomato plants,

or my new rosebushes.


What should I do???

I am prepared to get out there in the drizzle and cold and start, but I need your expert opinion.

Help!

La Providencia

I bought a hat from a vendor from Mexico

last Saturday,

at a dirt road market,


where if I had been so inclined,

I also could have purchased a goat.



You faithful long-time readers of White Spray Paint,

  have been to that market with me before.

So this hat vendor was selling hats of varying styles.

I was drawn to this one.

You KNOW I am a sucker for a word.


I fell for La Peregrinacion in Athens , Texas at the Goodwill.



You can read about that here.


And so La Providencia has several meanings.


It can certainly refer to the Divine-

as in Divine Providence.


We all know about that. Thank goodness.


Or it can refer to the steps in a process,

or

it can be a ruling or decision.

That is the meaning I prefer in my hat buying.

This hat would not pass

my father’s judgment.


It’s just a little bit too cocky for that. 

His unspoken rules?

* You almost needed to qualify to wear the hat.

As in cowboy hats were worn by actual men or boys

that actually worked with cows.


*Your hat brand needed to be Stetson,

and


*you had a straw hat for hot months and a felt hat for dress and cold months.

Best Laid Plans

 

(Double Pink Knockout rose bush)

I had big gardening plans this weekend.

I scurried around to some of my favorite places looking at plants,

because

YES,

believe it or not,

in Zone 9 where I live, it is planting season.



I found 6 white plumbago plants

that I scooped up because they are so hard to find.

I am working on a perennial border of white plumbago around the backyard .


Some day , if I have a granddaughter,

I look forward to saying,

“Let’s go outside and pick plumbago blooms and wear them as earrings.”


That makes me laugh thinking about it.


I think I am going to wear them anyway when my grandsons visit,

just so I can see their eyes get big.


That makes me laugh thinking about it too.

I bought a mint plant, so I can have

fresh mint for my iced tea,

and I bought this.

In Spanish it is called Corona de Cristo-

or
Christ’s Crown.

But sometimes nature has other plans.

It turned rainy and cold this weekend.


That’s OK.

My 60 caladium bulbs, which I am late in planting,

and my million packets of zinnia seeds will have to wait just a bit longer.



I also need to plant my tomato plants.



The county extension agent in our county said he

always plants tomatoes on Valentine’s Day.


That doesn’t sound very romantic…

***

I am linking to :

Delight in Simple Things

(Pattern:  Stangl Country Garden)

I have collected and gathered so many patterns of dishes over the years,

my husband recently asked,


”Are we using these now?”


Me:  “Hmm…yes.”

At the flea market last fall,

these were in a box under a table.


None of my finds are ever eye level.


The attraction?

The colors- especially the turquoise-

the hand painting,

the price ($25),

the heft,

the quantity of pieces,

and this.

Drinking coffee out of this mug is one of life’s great pleasures.


In fact, that’s it folks.

That is my ongoing ‘main idea’; that is my message

each time I write a post.


I may wrap it all up in my own quirky view of things,

or the humor I see in just about everything,

as in my Faux Twitter posts or my Anti-tutorials,

but the message is always the same.

Delight in Simple Things.

And yes, in my world,

it makes perfect sense for a  vintage coffee mug to say that.

***

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday

Home Sweet Home

Inspiration Friday at the Picket Fence

2805

Show and Tell Friday

A Favorite : Talavera Ginger Jars

 

In my searching for treasures, there is a shape

I dearly love.


There is something about ginger jars

that makes me take a breath.

And if it is Mexican talavera,

I am a complete goner.

Maybe it is their

hippy-ness?

(Which reminds me of a family saying-

“A moment on your lips forever on your hips.” )

Or maybe it is that

perky little lid?


If you are a treasure hunter,

whether it be at your local flea market,

or in the streets of San Miguel de Allende ,

where I found some of these pieces,

the odds of that same perky little lid surviving whatever

box it was in

or the wrapping job of the street vendor,

are slim.


That is all part of the great adventure, isn’t it?
***

Linking to:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style

What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Thriftin’ on a Thursday at Savvy City Farmer