Under a blue moon

January Blahs

I have a case of the January blahs.  I don't feel the least bit inspired, creative, energetic or motivated.  It could be the gloomy, rainy weather we have been having or because my eating has been terrible for the past couple of weeks or just post-Christmas let down.

I feel kind of directionless and disorganized.  The monotony of not being employed is wearing on me.  I did have an interview this week that went well and they have indicated they want me to come back next week for additional interviewing (yet to be scheduled though....) so that's positive.  

The rain is supposed to let up tomorrow and if it does I'm going to take a walk in the afternoon.  A little sunshine might help.

I'm also going to take a little blog break and hope that helps me get my creative mojo back.  I do have a few Valentine inspired post ideas that I want to work on next week and I'll share those when I come back.  I plan on being back on January 28th so not a long break by any means.  I'm also hoping that the weather is sunnier next week so I can take some banner photo shots for the new blog.  I did sort out my issue with the duplicating photos so I'm that much closer to going live with it.  

Who knows that might be my first post when I return - the launch of the new site.  That would be nice.  Take care and I'll talk with you soon.

Milk Glass

I am not a big collector of things.  I tend to buy one or two of something and that is enough.  Mainly this is a storage/display concern but also because I have a short attention span.  Haha!  I do love me some milk glass though and will figure out a spot for a new piece if I see one that is unique and not something I already have.  

The majority of my collection is on top the large Expedit book case I have in my office.

Older picture:

Oh.  I guess I collect Eiffel Towers too.  But to be fair I only have a handful of those.

On Friday I got the notion to replace the string of fairy lights I have along top of the unit because half the strand was out.  While I was up there I noticed how completely dusty things were up there.  Goodness.  

So down it all came.  I was tempted to chuck it all in the dishwasher but after doing a little research that isn't recommended, particularly for the older pieces.  Plus some of my pieces have the original Westmorland sticker on them and I wanted to preserve those.  So I hand washed each and every piece.  

This isn't even all of it.  I think I have about 50 pieces.  Not all are on display as I do actually use some of them.  I have a pair of cache pots that I have my African Violets in and you can see in the picture of the book case I use a small urn for paint brushes.  I use one in the bathroom for my makeup brushes too.  Nothing so precious it can't be be put to good use.  That's the beauty of milk glass.  It is easy to come by and the prices are generally reasonable.  I use the vases in my collection quite a bit.  Over the holidays I bought five bud vases that match one I already have to be used as candle holders for a Christmas tablescape.  

What do you collect?  Is it something you can use and are you still actively collecting?  I'm always curious to hear what other people are drawn to.

Update on the migration to WordPress - I have copied over all my posts from Typepad (boy was that a chore and a half...) and I'm liking the overall layout.  I am having an issue with the first photo of every post duplicating itself and I'm waiting to hear back from the theme designer on that issue.  I also need to design a new banner.  If I can sort all this out this week then I hope we can go live with it next week.  I'll keep you posted!

Friday Favorites

    summr by the pond.  ◊ Pink Mailbox  ◊  Shakespeare & roses...  ◊  to Gaby

Late post and no favorites today.   The week just kind of got away from me.  

Last week I still felt like I was in holiday/vacation mode since it was a short week.  This week has been me trying to get back into a routine and to refocus my efforts on the job hunt.  I have a couple of irons in the fire in that regard so I feel like I'm off to a good start.  

We don't have any plans for the weekend.  We need to take the lights off the house (sigh) but it might rain so I'm not sure if that will be on the agenda.  I just finished a really great book (The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler) so I'm going to try to find a new one to sink into.  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Faux Spring

I have been accumulating houseplants in my office in order to mimic the freshness and greenery of Spring.  Yet I still have Christmas fairy lights on the house.  That's just how we roll around here in January.

I was all hot to get the Christmas decorations down 15 minutes after Christmas was over but I'm still really enjoying the white fairy lights on the house.  

It's so gloomy out that I had to drag out my big lights in order to take these pictures.  I need a crash course in photography lighting.  This does not quite convey the look I was going for. 

Also, thank goodness for Trader Joe's flowers.  You can buy a little bouquet of spring for next to nothing.  There is my favorite chamomile.  It is cheery on its own but also is a great support flower for floppier specimens.  

I really love this little corner of my office.  I have to put all my houseplants up high where the kitties can't get to them.  They like to nibble.   I have my Schefflera from my work office along with a large cutting from it that is in a mason jar, rooting.  I cut off a big chunk before I left and gave it to an office mate.  It was lopsided to I cut off the other side and I'm about to plant it.  I also have a couple of orchids that are done blooming.  Rather than toss them, which I would normally do, I decided to see if I could get them to flower again.  

One plant that isn't doing all that great is the String of Pearls.  I'm not quite sure how to encourage it along.  I know I'm not over-watering it.  It's just rather sparse.  Does pinching back work?   I'll have to do a little research.

 

Happy Monday

In lieu of a regular post I thought I would share one of my favorite photos I've ever taken.  Maybe my most favorite.  This was taken a couple of months after my 90 year old dad had broken his leg.  

Let me back up.

My youngest son lives with my Dad.  It's a brilliant arrangement.  My elderly father has someone to keep tabs on him and my son lives rent free in the overly expensive San Francisco bay area.  Win win.  

Both of them have birthdays in November.  My son shares his with one of his best friends and every year they host a birthday camping trip.  This particular year (2015) my son managed to break his leg on their annual camping trip in a very remote location where he couldn't be transported to a hospital until the next day.  I spent the entire day at the hospital while he underwent surgery to patch together his badly broken leg with screws and plates.  

I didn't leave the hospital until very late in the evening and rather than drive the two hours home I decided I would just stop at my Dad's house and spend the night there.  When I arrived, just a few minutes shy of midnight, all the lights were on which I thought was odd. My Dad is a firm deliverer in an early bedtime.  I unlocked the front door and my dad's voice came from the family room "Andrea - is that you?"  I ran into the family room and my dad was sitting on the floor, leaning on a chair. 

He had fallen when trying to navigate the step up from the family room into the kitchen.  He managed to work himself into a sitting position and had been there for going on four hours before I arrived.  And I wasn't even planning on stopping there.  He could have been there for days until someone had come along.  His chief companion and caregiver was in a hospital an hour away, recuperating from surgery. 

I tried to help him up but it just wasn't going to happen.  I called the fire department for a "lift assist" which is a service our local fire department provides when someone falls and can't get up on their own.  When they arrived they weren't sure that something else wasn't amiss and wanted to send him on to the hospital.  So after spending the entire day at the hospital with my son I got in my car and followed an ambulance with my dad to the emergency room.   

Diagnosis:  Broken leg.  

Two broken legs in one day.

It all ends well but it was weeks of hospital and nursing homes.  Back and forth from the hospital my son was in and the nursing facility my dad was in.

The picture above was taken a couple of months after his accident where he just couldn't bear his hair anymore.  I drove him to his barber so he could have a haircut.

Here is the best part of this story.  When we moved to California back in 1960 and my dad was the ripe old age of 35 he went to a barber in downtown Palo Alto and asked for a haircut.  He went to the same barber until he retired probably in the 1980's.  The gentleman you see in the picture is the son of original barber.  My father has lived in Palo Alto for 59 years and has only had two barbers in that entire time frame.

After months of hospitals, nursing homes and sleepless nights it was just so lovely to have this moment of complete Norman Rockwell normality.  And that is the story of my son and my dad both breaking their legs a day apart.