Water

I have been thinking a lot about water lately. Why you may ask?  Because things rattle around in my head, that's why.
When I was growing up we didn't have running water in our house until I was about 8 or 9.  At that time our little town got "city water."  Mama had our house plumbed for water, she closed in an end of a hall and we had a bathroom.  We also had an outside hydrant so that my uncle could water the garden.  Water was then and has ever since been a luxury for me that I still respect.
It was one of my jobs to draw water from the well.  Which I never did do joyfully I have to admit.  This is a picture of what the bucket looked like.

(This is not our actual bucket, which I have hanging in the garage.) I can still hear the sound it made as I let it down into the well as it hit the sides of  the 12 inch concrete pipe inserted into the ground.  And I can still hear the sound it made as it hit the water and I as I hauled it up with the pulley.  I would pull the release and   the water would flow into an aluminum bucket. Then I would tote that bucket up to the back steps and then up onto the porch.  There was nothing quite like that first drink of cool delicious well water drank  from the aluminum dipper.

Running water meant no more going to the outhouse, no more drawing water, no more bathing in a #3 galvanized tub outside in the summer and in a smaller version inside in the winter.  No more aluminum buckets and dippers, no more boiling water outside to wash clothes.......or inside to bathe.
That summer that we got "city water," we had a month of free water, we were encouraged to run the water as much as possible to flush out the pipes, and boy did we!  I had a ball playing in the water outside, making rainbows, playing in the sprinkler........it was great.
Even today I still relish and appreciate every single tub bath or shower, every load of clothes washed in the washing machine, and every load of dishes washed in the dishwasher.
There have been times when we were without water and all I could think about was water...I need to use the bathroom, I need to brush my teeth, I need to wash dishes, I need to wash clothes,  I need water to cook...I need water!  David can tell you that I almost drove him crazy...we finally got our water back, but we didn't have hot water...I was near the breaking point and I went to a motel....
I love the beach, I love looking out at the water in the gulf and listening to the waves,  we live on a lake and I'm constantly looking out at the water, we don't have a swimming pool-but I want one. 
This past weekend we went to Louisiana and crossed the mighty Mississippi at Natchez.

The above picture is a floating casino river boat that is now closed because of flooding.

This is the Red River, also in Louisiana, and it too is over flowing its banks.
Water.......see what I mean?  Things rattle around in my head.

Puppy (Dog) Therapy

This therapy is good for anything that ails you...insomnia, anxiety, saddness....you name it. 
First of all gather your dogs, I have four...which as far as I'm concerned is the ideal number, however utilize how many ever you have.
The ideal weight of the dogs is from 2 to 10 pounds, which again is the weight of my dogs.
Make yourself comfortable in your bed, lie on your back with your head up on at least 3 pillows.  Place a neck roll under your neck.  Allow enough room between the top of your head and the head board for one dog.  This is where I place the smallest dog--the 2 pounder.  The closer she is to the top of my head the better I feel, so she is usually sort of draped around the top of my head without actually being on top of it.  This is very therapeutic, especially when she puts her nose close to my ear so that I can hear/feel her breathing.

Next, tuck another dog as close under your right side as you can without smothering them, repeat with another dog on the left side.

Lastly place the largest dog either on your chest with her head tucked under your chin (this works best when anxiety is at the worst) or on your lap.

Pull covers up to your chin.  The best choice for covers is an old soft ugly blanket.

Lastly place each arm on either side of the dogs at your side tucking them securely under your arms.

Now breathe in and out slowly and feel the unconditional love.

Rattles To Tell You

This the sweet little Betsy McCall doll that my cuz sent me after I cleaned her up a bit and washed her clothes. I'm trying to find her some shoes and socks...I got outbid on some on eBay....

This little Madame Alexander doll was in the "Tuesday Morning" store in Jackson, in the old days before the economic turn-down, she would have come home with me....she and probably at lease one more...sigh.

I bought this chair at the auction (yes I have a thing for chairs big and small) had the seat re-covered and it perfectly matches my grandmother's occasional table.

One of the wild monkey girl's   grandbaby girl's feet...I love this picture,  I'm pretty sure that I took it when they were asleep.

I bought this sewing box at the auction--I can't resist them. I only look at what is on the very top and I wait till I get home to take out everything and savor each thing.  Nothing says love to me like a sewing box or or a sewing machine...because when I was growing up, my mother made all my clothes.  Just look at those wonderful needle cards..

I also bought these pretty girls at the auction and paid very little for them.  I'm giving them a make-over now.

For somebody who does not drink, it seems that I am always buying whiskey carafes...this one is so pretty. Mine for $2.50.  On the bottom is says "liquor bottle."

I can't remember if I posted this before, It's a wicker baby basket...mine again for $2.50.
And last but not least I would like to thank Helen at Dollz and Thingz for mentioning my blog in hers. We have become great friends.  I found her through the old days on Yahoo 360, when I searched for someone who loved dolls.  Please go visit her, I promise you will be amazed--she is a very talented artist.
More later.



Another One Of My Collections

I have always been draw to little chairs, and I don't know why.  I just noticed one day that I had several of them and decided to group them together.

These are grouped together in a corner of one of the bedrooms. The red one is my little red rocker that I got as a gift for my 5th birthday.  So that would make it 51 years old this December.  The slatted birch chair I bought years ago at Freds.  It folds up flat.  The others I have bought at auctions and estate sales. 

Tyler Wentworth sits regally in this chair on the nightstand.

And these are on the wall directly above the ones in the first picture.

They make me think of a story:

Many years ago my friend Sheila and I were talking about how there used to be country music shows about once a month in our little town.  She remembers Peggy Sue, Loretta Lynn's sister performing and that her dressing area was in the kindergarten room.  She had brought  her daughter Darletta with her on this particular occasion. Apparently Peggy Sue had a very thick country accent and Sheila remembers her saying...Daaarrrrletta jes lookit all them little cheers.

For years after Sheila telling me that story, every time we passed each other in the hall we would say..Daaarrrrletta!!! jes lookit all them little cheers!

I think I'm going to paint that saying on a canvas and hang it on the wall under those little cheers.....

Sang it Peggy!!

Apology

Apparently I need to apologize to everyone in the world, no everyone in the entire universe, because according to David I have kept you all awake with my snoring.

So all of my friends on this continent and across the oceans, I apologize.
I really don't want to have one of those 2 night sleep studies done, and I'm hoping that since my husband is a Respiratory Therapist, and he is going to borrow an oxygen saturation monitor and check to see if I stop breathing, maybe just maybe my doctor will write me a prescription for a CPAP machine. 
Or maybe one of my friends is going to let me borrow one.
Or maybe another friend will bootleg me one for another little while, but I will have to buy the tubing which is $167.00!! (The machine is $600.00+)
I think that my deductable is paid, but I will still have to pay the 80%.
Why am I quibbling about this, when all of yawl and my husband can't sleep?
So until I get this all worked out, could you all just put some cotton in your ears?

Things I Bought At The Auction #Something

 I know I haven't been here much, but I just can't seem to get it together anymore.  However one thing that I do for myself is go to the monthly auction.
It seems that lately I have been on a picture kick, or maybe I should say art kick.  Like so many of us wealthy people (hahahaha) we collect art, and I'm adding to my collection..........
These pieces of art were bought by me at a gallery at the monthly auction and were very expensive none cost more than $7.50 most were $2.50.

The first one has to be my favorite, it is a signed water color....(I love water colors). See the red-bird?  It is hanging in my dining room and looks wonderful in there.  It is also framed very nicely.  The second one is also a water color and is hanging in my bedroom.  It looks sorta Christmasy, but I love it anyway.

These two are what I think are vintage prints of state birds/state flowers....of course when I bought them I didn't realize that one of them was the Magnolia...very sweet.  I think they may be pages out of a book.  I love them too and they hang in one of the bathrooms.  Since we live in the semi-country on a lake, I love to collect pictures art work of birds and animals.

I also enjoy collecting pictures sigh, I mean art...of women, I have several representing various ages of women.  I thought this was very sweet.  It too is in a bathroom......Hmmm could it be I'm running out of wall space?

And of course I love this oil, because it depicts a lake and I adore dogwood.  It is signed by Pat Pucket and has the date and place on the back...I forgot to take a picture of the back...and I can't remember what is written there.
Each picture is framed and I have pleased will all of the frames except one.
This is only some of the art that I have collected over the past couple of years.  And I have more things to show you at a later date that I purchased at the last couple of auctions.

"Cause It Smells Good"

This had been setting in the orginal box, in the back corner of the bathroom cabinet for maybe 2 years.

David "discovered" it the other day and maybe used it once.  I like the way it smells....so I have used a couple of dabs here and there for the past few nights after my shower.....and I mixed a few drops with the body cream that I made....
David hasn't mentioned it....and nobody at work has mentioned it....
You think I'm getting eccenric in my old age..??