The Annual Whitmore Mountain Faire

On Saturday I attended the yearly fund raiser for the Whitmore Volunteer Fire Department. Whitmore is a township of about 800 people. I can't believe I live here. Mind you I spent 40 years in the packed area called Orange County California just south of LA.
I think all 800 people were at Saturday's Event.








We had the fire department, a float full of the area veterans, and various "Wild Animals" in keeping with the "It's A Zoo" theme.
We always make jokes about the events (Chile Cook Off, Spaghetti Supper, and so forth.) in Whitmore like this:
"Hurry up so we can get a good parking place!" Yeah. I love it here! Look at the trees. Look at the sky. Who wouldn't love it?

Whitmore Parade

Antique Cars








An old jeep, and a guy with a BIG GUN!

The 4-H Club.
Itty Bitty Horses.
And Classic Cars

More Parade

Of course there were horses.
And costumes.









And parade watchers.

Of Course There Were Booths

And the Obligatory T-Shirt of the Year.

Three of my favorite people were there. (Shown here.)

Booths

I got one of the bird houses because One Can't Have Too Much Yard Art!







And of course there were lots of goodies to go along with the hamburgers, hot dogs, and taco salads.







This beautiful detailed quilt is being raffled off. The detail is gorgeous. Each square was designed by a different quilter in the group. I am going to win this. Maybe.

Funny Words

Is dictator the funniest word in the English language or is it just me?

This is H Allen Smith's List of:
The ten most beautiful sounding English words, according to people who don’t speak English:

Mother
Memory
Cellophane
Bellboy
Melancholy
Wilderness
Lavender
Belladonna
Flamingo
Tangerine

Honorable Mention
Cellar door
Cesspool

I don't have any information on who did this study but I think Mr. Smith should have pointed out some hilarious words, too, don't you?
I personally can not hear the word "Dictator" without giggling. If the situation calls for a certain level of somberness, my laughter quickly becomes uncontrollable.

Wild Thyme Gifts & Gardens

I went back to my new favorite store to buy stuff! Just look at this little guy! I'll bet you crafty chickas could whip one of these out in a New York minute! You might have to eat a bunch of beans first to get those cans. (Tins to my British friends.)

Look at this fantastic mirror. I love this store, I tell ya! She has fairies, too and I just love fairies!
And then, out in the back Eileen has the best, healthiest plants in town! And the Yard art?
Hon! She has all kinds!
Let's face it. One can't have too much yard art!
If you come to the Redding, CA area visit this cute little house, turned gift shop and garden.
It's my new favorite store!

It's a-------------

My daughter-in-Love had a lovely Mother's Day party for both her mom, Silvia, and me. Silvia brought me some flowers in a half liter carafe. This is how it looks now. I couldn't help myself!

This is the other side. I promise the handles were even when I stuck them into the clay.
But...
Actually this gave the creation more personality, don't you think?
After I took its picture on my porch and showed the product to my sarcastic son, I put it on a shelf. When I get tired of looking at the sparkly side I'll turn it around to the mono-color side.
As I was making it I had to giggle a little at the over-the-top-ness of it, and what Mr. Sarcastic would say. He didn't disappoint! And to think, I could have stepped on him when he was crawling about on the floor when he was a baby, but did I? No. He owes me.

Seven

I told that award thingie to go into my side bar, but you see what it did.
Here are my picks for this award:
I have chosen them because they make me laugh, they are honest, they aren't all about one thing, like flowers or tablescapes, etc. I love their work and wish I were that good, or they are kindred spirits to me, they are intelligent and they are good writers!

http://viv-spot.blogspot.com
http://keethastuff.blogspot.com
http://gillianhamilton.blogspot.com
http://karencole.blogspot.com
http://drollgirl.blogspot.com
http://lachambrerose.blogspot.com
http://blondiesjournals.blogspot.com
Now you get to list 7 traits about yourself and then pass this award on to 7 more.

An Award! An Award!

Thank you Tina!!!
OK Seven Lynn Traits:
1. I am so ADHD that I can't figure how I have made it through life.
2. I am a lot of things, but lazy is never a word to describe me.
3. When I find myself in one of those "Introduce Yourself" situations, I always want to say bizarre things like, I am a retired pole dancer and my grandmother was Lizzy Borden and my hobby is stalking people.
4. I like to be lost, which is a good thing because I spend a lot of time there.
5. I like to sing and dance, especially tap dance, with a bunch of people making a great rhythmic noise together, and I love the feeling of breathlessly gasping for air while holding the final pose at the end of the dance!
6. I am a homebody and I hate time restraints and schedules.
7. I hate to make phone calls.
WHEW!!
I did it!
Now I must come up with some people I want to give the award to.
Oops. They will be above this post, won't they, so you've already read them.
See?
Told ya.

It Doesn't Take Much!

I am so excited! Look at these Moo Cards. They are half the size of regular business cards. You get to pick whatever pictures you want , and put whatever you want on the back! (I had to keep myself in line, here. Apparently, I was in a sarcastic mood when I ordered them. Anything? I can have anything I want on the back?)
All 100 cards, with 13 different pics on them cost only $20.00!

Pink Saturday

I got these shoes in Folsom at DSW. I wore them to Whitney's play last Saturday night. There were three (3) other people with these same shoes on!
BUT,
I was the only one with the pink ones!
P.S. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Beverly for putting up with me and my ineptness. Go see her, (you know where to find her.) and tell her she's patient and understanding with those of us, (apparently only me.) who can't do the Linky thing.

Whitney's Play

This past weekend I went to Sacramento to see my niece, Whitney act--nay--Star in a play called The Servant of Two Masters. It was at the City Theatre at
Sacramento City College. The cast ad lib-ed and improvised and just had so much fun. One guy did his whole part ("Silvio") as Keano Reeves. It was hilarious. Those of us who saw it are zapping lines back and forth to each other on our Facebook group.
Before I went down to see the play, I was in a little second hand shop and found this delightful little tin. Perfect for the Star. I embellished it a bit (didn't get a pic of that) and put a few little charms inside, and gave it to her after the performance.

The OCD Thing Doesn't Apply Here

I know, I know. Most people publish photos of their lovely neat tidy work areas. This is simply the truth. I was reading somewhere a confession about having such a cluttered workspace, and having to paint in her lap. Yeah. I get that. Tidy people may think I arranged this mess to make a funny post. No.
I recently put the ironing board up to set some things to dry on it. Now it's cluttered. As you can see, I have places for everything, but still I need to have everything all over the place.
My ADHD runs amok in here. I will be working on something and while retrieving an item for whatever I am working on, I see something that makes me think of another idea for something so I get it out to stay in plain view to remind me of the new idea.

I always know exactly what I am doing. Everything. All at once.
Scary, huh.

One more

OLD CHAIR

I found this chair at a miscellaneous boutique and antique shop. It spoke to me. I can't decide whether to re-do it or leave it as is.
Anyone have any ideas?

Mother's Day Flowers

My first-born sent me these roses for Mother's Day, since we weren't able to be together on the day. I am proud of her. She is the mother of my two grandchildren, and she even had the finesse to give me one of each kind! She is an RN at a big hospital in Southern California. She even got me a sweet son-in-law! What more can I want!

Excellent Use for Tags

I have discovered a use for tags that I made and like to look at. Check it out. Here's a tip, however: Don't put loose charms on the tags that you will be using in the rooms where people might sleep. The clicking may annoy some people.
You will need to decorate both sides, of course.

A "Gift" From My Sister

My sister found this at the Folsom Street Fair last year. I saw it at her house recently and realized it would "go" in my house ever so much better. She had purchased it because our ancestors from our daddy's side come from Bucks County.
I pointed out the many red areas of my house.
I pointed out that I live in a rural area.
I pointed out that we have horses on our property and therefore would have Feed and Tack.
Therefore, I should be the keeper of the bucket.
I whined a little and she gave it to me.
It looks Great in my house!!
Thanks, Barb!

Second or Third or Possibly 25th Time Around

I actually took a camera like this to camp the summer I was 10 years old. My mama said that she skipped lunch for a month when she was in high school to buy it. It used film that could imprint 8 photographs.
If you didn't roll the film to the next picture's position, it would take a second photo on top of the one that had just been taken. This made for some interesting photography for a ten-year-old. I found this in an antique shop last week. I wonder if it is the same camera that I took to camp that summer.
I have repurposed this item as a knick-knack for now.

Happy Mother's Day to My Mama

Once upon a time, long, long ago, on a hot July morning, you gave birth to a hairy little girl. I'd like to thank you for making that event happen in Dixieland. Also thank you for your stories, and for singing all those songs for me and with me! I love you, Mama!

A Corner of My Personal Powder Room

A friend brought this art piece to me from somewhere...I can't remember where she went--possibly Hawaii. It says "Power Full Woman"--and a bonus! It's PINK!! It looks good next to this subtle lamp, with the beaded fringe trim don't you think?

Happy Pink Saturday

Hydrangeas on my front porch

Things You'll Never Hear Coming Out of My Mouth

Recently my athletic daughter said, “I need to go get myself some new cleats.” For those of you who are not athletically inclined, I believe these are shoes with little pointy things on the bottom to help keep one upright during periods of rigorous activity. (Although I happen to know that upon occasion she purposely hurls herself onto a dusty dirty “base.” Why someone would do this, I do not know.)
Anyway, I decided right then, that those were some words that would never come out of my mouth; at least not in that particular order.

This got me to thinking about things I thought I would never say, but I have actually said since moving to the country.

The first occurrence happened the very first day we were up here. I asked Rancher Richie if he had moved the horses into the other pasture.
WHAT?
Who said that?
The only thing I have previously said about a horse is,
“Look! A horse!”

The next unbelievable thing I said was, “Could you put up a clothesline for me?”

Wait!
Did I just say that out loud?

I need to tell a little story here.

The summer I was ten years old, I had three younger siblings. One was an infant. This made for lots and lots of laundry. My mother decided it would be my never-ending chore to hang it all on the line and collect it when it dried ten minutes later. (Hey, it was summer in Oklahoma. Things dried quickly.)

The other thing I did that summer was sit on my front porch and play “Jacks” with my friend from down the street. I would get no farther than my Pigs-in-the-Pen level and I’d hear her call me to hang out another load of diapers. Aarg! I hated it!
I vowed to never own a clothesline when I grew up. And I have kept that vow until now. After all I didn’t want smoggy smelling sheets. Recently I decided to see if clothes would smell like sunshine out here in this beautiful country. They do. The country air dryer makes me bury my face in the sheets and breathe in the wonderful scent.

Then another outburst caused me to wonder who I had become. I was sitting here at my computer looking out the window at…
“Good Lord, there is a bull running down our driveway!”
(I found out later that it was a cow because it had one of those udder things hanging under it, but it had horns! I didn’t know that girl cows had horns. It had escaped from a neighbor’s pasture. Oh, those sneaky cows!

Here are a few more things I have said that make my mother wonder if I have been taken over by pod people:

“You know what I’d really like for Christmas? A compost bin.”

“I don’t need any new clothes. I have these cut off jeans, and my all-purpose dress.”

“Here chick, chick, chickies. I brought you some yummy cracked corn.” (I have been afraid of chickens all of my life. The way they look at you with one eye and all. And you never knew what they were going to do next! Creepy!)
Another:
“I love autumn. It is my favorite season.”
(Since I am a person who has measured her entire life in semesters, this is an amazing thing to hear coming out of my mouth! We used to call September the “S Month” just to keep from speaking the word aloud.)

More:
“Oh good kitty, you’ve brought me a lovely dead mouse. No, you cannot bring it in the house.”

“Look, the chickens are on the front porch watching me through the door.”

No, I do not want to go out for dinner.


Of course there are still a couple of phrases that one will not hear coming from my lips. One of them is,

“This recipe sounds delicious. I believe I’ll go shopping for all these unusual and exotic sounding ingredients and make this for dinner.” (Williams Sonoma is a store full of chores if you ask me.)

If I do this cooking thing, my family will think I have become possessed by the ghost of Julia Child and they will quickly arrange an exorcism.

I wonder what they’ll think when they get my hand made birth announcement for our new baby calf.