moseying along

I've moved. Please come visit. Stay awhile. You don't even have to take your shoes off when you enter.

the general store

What would a love of the old west be without a fascination with the general store? For some inexplicable reason, the general store is something I ponder quite often. I wonder if it's the dormant 'set designer' in me that loves the thought of such simple, basic display. Or maybe it's the draw of the sense of community that must have been fostered in these hubs of activity. Men gathering and discussing cattle and ranching. Women congregating to gossip and visit. Children sneaking peppermint sticks from their glass jars.

(photo here)

I find myself attracted to old-fashioned display pieces: glass jars, cast iron paper dispensers, scales...all accouterments necessary in the days of the general store. Heck, even walking into Cracker Barrel makes my heart race a bit (I adore the display behind the cash registers).

Families coming in to town from their spreads out in the country to stock up on supplies they weren't growing and raising at home. (I confess, every time I see a general store I think of the scene in Anne of Green Gables where Matthew buys Anne the dress for the ball at the local mercantile..."Twenty pounds of brown sugar.")

Obviously, I'm not the only one enchanted by the general store allure. This image from Pottery Barn provides a modern take on what could easily be a display in an old west mercantile (with label holders- yay).

Unfortunately the quaint general store of days gone by has been replaced with the institutional, commerical mass chain stores of today, where personalized service is unheard of and the items sold are mass produced in foreign countries. Part of me will always long for the simplicity, durability and enduring charm of the old west general stores.

Someday List #1

Whether it's a written list or a mental file in their memory, many people have what is commonly referred to as a "bucket list." I call mine the "someday list." That long list of things I want to do and see and try and become. Things I want to accomplish and experience. My list is long and eclectic and a little bit quirky (oddly, just like it's author) and encompasses the many different facets of my personality.

1. Someday I will go to Space Camp


2. Someday I will have a garden and bottle tomatoes and make jam


3. Someday I will travel Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (I almost typed Saigon)


4. Someday I will take a class on basic graphic design for personal use


5. Someday I will extensively travel the Pacific Northwest


6. Someday I will send my parents on an Alaskan cruise


7. Someday I will actually spend the afternoon in my Word Room/studio and create "stuff"

Whew...that's a lot of "somedays." And get it is really just the tip of the iceberg. The way I look at it, life is both short and long. Goals and dreams help motivate us and give us something to look forward to when things get rocky and rough. After all, hope is essential to the human spirit. All things hinge on hope.

The Parents

These are my parents, Bob and Sheryl. They were high school sweethearts who broke up right after graduation and found their way back to each other a year and half later. Five months after reigniting the flame, they married, in October of 1970. Yes folks, the rents have been married over 40 years. And this picture is so very typical of them. You see, my dad's hilarious. And off-the-wall. And just plain loopy at times. Forget kids saying the darnedest stuff...in my family, my dad has that honor. And my sweet mother often gives him this look. It's beyond entertaining watching them interact with one another.

This past weekend, mom and dad were at my place. Oh, the fun that was had! Because, in all honesty, I could just sit and listen to them and talk to them and be entertained for hours. That's all it takes. I'm easy to please. Mom cooked and baked for me; dad did some hanging of pictures and minor home repairs. And I just sat back and laughed until I had tears rolling down my cheeks...cheeks that were sore from smiling.

This morning there were more tears because mom and dad were heading home. Oh, how I miss them! After each visit I tell myself that I need to get my rear in gear and move closer. However, "closer" is a relative term in a town that has a population of less than 800. And no true careers and jobs to speak of (unless you are agriculturally inclined...which I'm not). And let's not forget that the nearest mall is an hour and half away. (Not, of course, that I actually like malls. I don't. But the concept of driving that long to shop is foreign to me.)

So, until I snag me a cowboy/rancher/millionaire, I'll remain in close proximity to the city and treasure the moments mom and dad are able to come and spend with me.

And invest in a good tube of water-proof mascara.

a little bit of happy

This image makes me happy and right now, a little bit of happy is a good thing.

Mr. Sandman

What do you do when struck with insomnia at 1:00 a.m. on a Tuesday morning? Me? Apparently I sit in bed with a hardback book, my American Girl markers and sketch out a plan for the year ahead. After making a list (er, rather lists- plural) of all I want to accomplish (and need to accomplish in order to graduate with honors next spring), I realize that my 2011 word should probably be two words: hard work. Or elbow grease. Or dig in. Or maybe even yeah right. I certainly am ambitious at 1:00 a.m.; if only that ambition would carry over to the remaining 23 hours of my daily life.

Sundance Envy

This is certainly not the first time Sundance Catalog has made an appearance on my blog. You might recall me waxing philosophical (or just plain envious) about the Draper's Cabinet here. The rustic, artsy, vintage, unique element to their products sucks me in every time. Most of the items I fall madly, deeply in love with are entirely too far out of my price range to consider. But a girl can dream. And fantasize. And post pictures on her blog.

How lovely would this be to hold the room keys at my B&B. Which I don't own. Yet. So, in the meantime, maybe jewelry? Or spools of ribbon?

This end table will be prominently featured in an ocean-themed (sans seashells...cause seashells give me the heebie-jeebies) bedroom when I have a bigger home and/or open the aforementioned B&B.

Of course I'll need this to organize my produce. Or knitting supplies. Or whatever.

I love maps. I love globes. I love atlases. This one is already in my glove compartment.

Apparently this sweater is no longer available, but it was on my wish list. And now that it is sold out I can lament the fact that I never got to purchase it. Although I never would have (it was over $150) unless I had won the lottery.