Summertime and the Living is Lazy....

Knee high by the 4th of July....I planted corn, gourds, sunflowers and a few other sweet things out front because I'm a country girl....

You can stand in the yard and watch it grow! It's increased about an Inch per day !
 .....now....it's shoulder high....the sunflowers are about ready to bloom....& I have a few tiny little gourds....and the corn is growing fast !

above, that picture is from 4th of July........below....it's the end of July.....

Gordon the gourd......

I planted these things along the front fence for cuteness....and I wanted to give the passers-by something interesting to look at....and I do see folks turning their heads and doing a double-take....Yes, that's corn...and sunflowers....

and I just can't wait for the gourds and the baby pumpkins to get bigger and start coloring up in September......
I hope that will put a big smile on everyone's face !

When not watching the corn grow as high as an elephants eye.....
I've been shopping for vintage, and making handmades for the second half of 2011.

For the fall and winter, and the holidays I'll have lots of new kinds of jewelry, note cards, post cards and a calender, all made from my photos.......& when I'm not at the beach......
.....I'm spending the next few days making a new workspace in the garage for picture-taking & painting, and a little seat room for relaxin' and chillin' in the dreary winter months....


Just outside the kitchen door are pretty flowers, basils, mints, lemon verbena, lavender and thyme,  and nasturtium leaves and flowers to eat....

Fuschias, dusty miller, Alaska nasturtiums, lobelia, alyssum, pansies, lilies, geraniums, calendula, Shasta daisies, cornflowers, salvia, weedy dock, basil, heliotrope, lavender, mint, thyme, a sedum Autumn Joy I've had for 9 years in this same pot, and a rosemary in a vintage coffee can are all planted in pots and in small flower beds.

I love how the creeping charlie cascades down and around the simple single fuschcia....

a view from the front to the back on the south side......

Because I'm a renter, and can't do anything real permanent........I did 99% of this years garden with annuals from seed, and a few vegetables from the farmer's market, good ol' Fred Meyer, and Ace Hardware....
Let's compare ! here's the same view last October....

Let's go swimming....

grab your suit and let's go !

Here's a selection of vintage swim wear...from funkomavintage. Or you can just skinny dip. Whatev'

Gonna take a sentimental journey....

I'm going back to the 70s.
That was the last time I was really truly happy. We knew back then all would get better. We had ended the Viet Nam War.....We had routed Nixon, and then elected a man who was a farmer and wore sweaters like Mr. Rogers.
We'd just signed the Clean Water Act, The Endangered Species Act, The Clean Air Act, and we knew we were gonna have a future with solar panels on every roof, a vegetable garden in every yard, and civil rights for everyone!
And then some of you assholes elected Reagan, and the Republicans decided to destroy America with 10000% greed. Fuck clean Water, Public Parks and clean Air. Fuck civil rights, Fuck good wages for the working class, and send 98% of the money up to the Rich fucks.


Privatize everything, because a Corporation always has a citizen's civil rights and happiness as their First priority....fer instance.... all food McDonald's serves is good for you! Spilling oil in the Gulf is good for the planet !
Yeah, I'm going back....Catch me if you can....I'm going back.

Denim, embroidery, leather sandals, fruits, nuts and granola, and bell bottoms.
Government was embracing the future and making huge social changes and ending war. That was then, and today we have the Republicans and the Tea Party that want to destroy America so the rich can get richer. Their ignorance of American History is really frightening.

Here's my kids...All from the 70s. Yup, that's the last time I was happy. When I was a young mom. I loved it. Now my kids are big, and I have grands.

See, they're big....

After we had lunch at Antique Sandwich, we met back at my house, the Tiny House.
We chatted and chatted, and then Mark and Mike went off to Guitar Maniacs and Mike bought a vintage guitar, and there was Miles...working the store.

Lunch at Antique Sandwich....Shayne isn't in these pics...he was still at work.
Jan taking a pic of Penny while Annie smiles ....

Annie, Ruby, Mike, Jan, Penny's head.

Ruby made a face in her drink....and made a real big Lego thing.....

Then.....once back at the house, I brought out the big big box of family pictures and we went thru them and laughed and told stories and tales on each other.
I told them to take bunches of family pics, and I need to make so many copies before I let them go....but most of them, the family pics...I want them to go to the kids.....I only want a small box left. It's their life now.

-------------------------------------------------------
Nils Logren sings the Goffin/King song "Goin' Back".....catch me if you can, I'm going back...




GOIN’ BACK
by Gerry Goffin & Carole King

I think I’m going back
to the things I learned so well in my youth
I think I’m returning to
the days when I was young enough to know the truth

Now there are no games to only pass the time
No more electric trains, no more trees to climb
Thinking young and growing older is no sin
And I can play the game of life to win

I can recall a time
when I wasn’t ashamed to reach out to a friend
Now I think I’ve got
a lot more than my toys to lend

Now there’s much to do than watch my sailboat glide
And every day can be my magic carpet ride
A little bit of freedom is all we lack
So catch me if you can, I’m going back

A little bit of courage is all we lack
So catch me if you can, I’m going back
Going back..........

Grilled Kale....

so, I had lunch/dinner at M + M's home....they always put on a good spread and the beer flows like watah!
I love meeting their friends....we always have lots in common. Which is not the most profound statement. Of course...friends of friends have lots in common....Fun ensued!
So, Wolfie's mom made Grilled Kale. Yes. Why had I never thought of that before?? I love love dark green leafy veggies. I want you to eat...turnip greens, endive, poke salad, dandelion greens, kale, broccoli leaves....They are soooo good for you and they taste so good.

So, Wolfie's mom is also Mrs. Bluebeard's Coffee...(which is almost an oxymoron/thing).....anyhoo...she grilled Kale. It was so damn good. It really brought out the deep sugary taste and relieved any tendency to bitterness that can sometimes rile up deep dark greens.

She just put the kale on M's grill and that was pretty much it. She made a dressing of tahini, sesame seeds, mayonnaise, lemon juice...and a bit of oil I think, if  I remember correctly....
Here's a recipe...for the non-believers like ME!

So I got to hang out with nice Tacoma people, and their sweet kids and babies. And drink beer until my head started to hurt ...and I needed to go since I'd left my doggie at home for hours and I didn't want his bladder to burst or to leave me a Present in my sewing room....blech.

Bluebeard Coffee...Tacoma....

and..guess what else....We have this service here now........Doorstep Veterinary Medicine, Kathryn Cutting, DVM.
Yes, that's right, Kate will come to your home and fix yr pet/children/things with 4 legs.
Is Tacoma awesome...Or What !?

moving the stuff around....

 
so much to do in July....all the things I wanted to do in January, February, March, April and so...get crammed into July....Stupid snow/rain...so many things I would have done, but snow/rain got in my way........
reorganizing. mowing the lawn. having morning coffee outside. watching the scrub jays in the morn, and the swallows in the evening.
and the beach. always at the beach. soon my skin will have the patina and texture of a pair of old work boots.

continuing along the theme of wrinkled and old.....as in burlap sack. My mom was from Idaho. and there's an old joke......Twin Falls Idaho, where the women are scarce, and the sheep are nervous.

 
Right now, I'm designing jewelry, clothes and other cute things for late summer, fall, autumn, halloween, holidays, christmas, winter....
Inspiration.......

these 2 pictures are from Desire to Inspire. If I had log cabin walls, I might paint them white too. I don't think I'd hang a dead moose head over the couch tho....and I bet it's fun to watch people knock the yellow lamps with their heads....WTH is going on with that design decision ?

I like the little gray dining room below, because it uses simple things, sparingly and artfully. Good style does not require a lot of money. Everything in the picture could have come from the thrift store. By sticking to one color, with white, and one accent color, it can be the formula to good functional style. 
There's no doubt this room cost a pretty penny...but it didn't have to. 
The  "I'm broke and using junk" decorating style is in my DNA and I can do this in my sleep.

Major Summer Sale

funkomavintage on etsy is having a half-year sale.
Major Summer Sale says "Move out Fashion soldiers!!"
If you've spied something, now would be the time to pull the trigger (er, the Paypal), and bag it!
 From 7 -7 thru 7 -11, it's 30% off.....use Coupon Code     MAJOR30      at checkout.
Summer goodies & winter goodies. Vintage kids, Vintage home decor. Whatev'......