Seeing the trees in spite of the forest

I'm sifting through decades of stuff. Family stuff. Kid stuff. Old records...the tax kind and the vinyl kind...
Old books. Old shoes. Old furniture.
Old ways.
Old memories.

etsy seller Elizabeth Urquhart

I think of Robert Frost....very often...his poems, his words....saunter across my mind.
His poem, Miles to Go (actually called Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening), is a favorite because it gives me energy, hope and keeps me going when I really want to say "Oh forget it all...it doesn't matter!"
Art, and nature, always revive my spirits.


When Robert Frost was a farmer he would load a wagon and hitch a horse and clop to town to sell his produce. One time, he needed to sell to afford presents for Christmas (who can't relate to that?).
He sold nothing on a cold snowy day and had to return home.
So sad, so overwhelmed with helplessness, he stopped his wagon near a snowy field of birch trees and cried and cried. His horse shook his neck and tinkled his horse bells, and Mr. Frost gathered his wits and carried on.
Oh, lordy, how many times have I despaired ....the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel seems, too often, to have been vanquished.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost
 

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

**************************************************
Born Robert Lee Frost on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, his family moved to Lawrence Mass. in spring 1885. His grandfather offered to take in the Frost family after Robert's father died. After graduation from Lawrence High, Frost attended Harvard for 2 years.
His grandfather bought a farm in Derry, New Hampshire, where Robert farmed for nine years, writing his poems whenever he could spare some time. The farm didn't prosper so he worked as an English teacher in New Hampshire.

In 1915 Frost bought another farm in New Hampshire and kept writing, and teaching, and lecturing. Today, this home is preserved as a museum.
He taught at Amherst College in Massachusetts and his poems became famous and profitable.

stamp picture from wikimedia.org


In 1924, he won the first of his many Pulitzer Prizes and became one of America's most beloved poets. Later in life, in 1940, Frost purchased a home in Florida...yes, the Winter Home!


He died in 1963 , and is buried in Bennington, Vermont. The epitaph on his gravestone is from one of his poems- "I had a lover's quarrel with the world."

Yes, Mr. Frost. Me too. 

It could be easy being Green....

There's lots of things around your pad aka Crib, right now you can use to clean stuff...and it is Spring. Right? Right?
It's easy to be green. And fun. And lovely.

Cashmere sweater, micropleat olive green skirt, loden green wool skirt.....

a  green-eyed cat in a green chair

vintage military field pants and a letterman jacket

Green things...handmade. that yountville girl

The Green undies.

There are commercially made cleaning products like Mrs Meyers, Seventh Generation, Bright Green,  and Method
------------ Green Cleaning tips and lots of linkies ------------

A handy List.


Did you know plain ol' baking soda has cleaning and deodorizing properties? It does. Here's a list of 27 ways to use it.


Good ol' soap.
Soap comes many forms....liquid, and in bar form. It's biodegradable! Back in the Olde Days, we used to wash cloth baby diapers and baby clothes in Ivory Flakes. It was soap. yes, us olde moms used to do laundry with a special soap just for baby. Sadly, Ivory Flakes no longer exists.
Don't use any formulas with petroleum distillates. This is a big issue, and more so, if your Home is a motorhome since the petroleum ingredients will ruin a lot of the plumbing and seals.
(Petroleum distillates include mineral spirits, kerosene, white spirits, naphtha, and Stoddard solvent. All household products that contain 10 percent or more of petroleum distillates, or benzene, toluene, xylene, or turpentine, are required to have hazard warnings by regulations under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.)
Dr. Bronners. always a good choice.
buy cake soap like Ivory. Don't buy soaps (detergents) and other products with triclosan. Triclosan is that ANTIBACTERIAL crap that is in every damn product now!! It is real bad stuff. More info about triclosan and other nasties


Lemon juice one of the best little remedies for dirt and yuk, It has natural acids, so it does battle against most household bacteria. mmmm Lemon juice !

Borax ...as in 20 Mule Team Borax. Works great as an insecticide, a deodorizer, mold and mildew killer, general cleaner. It is strong and needs to be handled with care, and kept from pets and kids. Just click this and spend a lazy 1/2 hour reading.

Washing soda like Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda at most grocery stores. It's great for grease-cutting, removing greasy spots, wax and lipstick, and zaps stinky odors like baking soda does. It's harmful to fiberglass, aluminum and waxed floors, because it strips wax and is really strong stuff. Read all about it here.
What is it?


White Vinegar will de-grease, zap mildew, odors, and attack some stains and that pesky yellow waxy build-up. Leave out the detergent in these recipes.


Alcohol-The drinking kind. Got some wine or vodka just laying around? going bad? We use it to clean the countertops. It disinfects.

To be or Not to be a Mom.

Choice. I like choices. I may or may not like the choice I make...only time will tell, right? but...my life is about freedom. The Freedom to Choose. Margaret Sanger: "No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother."
In 1916, Sanger was arrested for handing out information on contraception. She hated abortions, and she had terrible ideas about racism and eugenics, but she is the woman to thank for the modern birth control movement. 

Birth control pills and other mechanisms are health concerns for women. And men too.....but only women get pregnant. Therefore it has no place in politics. This issue is a health care issue. Condoms should be free! Everyone should have access to birth control.
Abortion is a woman's choice because only she will be pregnant and raise the child....with help from others.
It. is. that. simple.
it is hypocritical for some people to scream about "My Rights!!" "Too Much Government Control", and then turn around and support the government to outlaw birth control and abortion. 
When I had to make a decision....To have the Baby or not have the Baby.... I was given The Choice. My choice was to keep the baby. And to keep the 2nd baby. And to keep the 3rd baby.
It Was My Choice To Keep The Baby.
Women have sex. Women get raped. 
I could have had an abortion in a San Francisco hospital, because in 1969, abortion was illegal. But minors could qualify....it was a health care issue!
Round and round we go.


Today, it's Women's Rights, we are fighting this issue again, and I think we Americans will always be fighting stupid men and women who believe they can and should tell women when or whether to have a baby. News Flash!! Men and women have sex. Lots of it. That's a fact. While kids should be discouraged from having sex too young, they are gonna. And then....as adults, people will have sex. And some women may get pregnant. It is a hypocritical stance to want to outlaw birth control and abortion. ...and then rail against unwed mothers!

Rebecca West......

This with that....

from winter to spring....it's from the dark to the light....

The Modern Dark.
Pointy shiny 50s high heels,     very full skirt 50s Party dress and     long leather gloves........
Hourglass shape with a fitted waist and bodice, and dramatic gathered detail at the bust with a delightful sundress sleeveless style.

60s vintage pink suit...

Pink roses.
vintage black fabric 60s high heels with pretty pink roses.      A 50s lovely white sheer voile party dress with pink rosebuds.       Wide black belt with silver detail and chunky hooks and eyes.

70s vintage wool Cape  cloak

The  Gothic Secretary in Paris.
Corset tied black vintage oxfords.     50s vintage black velvet slim dress.      60s white straw French fleur de lis purse.

Baby, Light My Fire

 I casually collect matches...little matchbooks. They have matches inside (usually) and that is handy. They have great little bits of art and great graphics. When I was little, my parents had matches made with their business names and addresses and that used to mystify me.  The box of Yountville Cab Company at 6528 Washington St. matches sat on my dad's counter in a box that said "For Our Matchless Friends".

Where did they come from? Well, probably from Diamond Match company in Chico, California or Monarch Match company in San Jose, California. These have ads from Yountville and Napa businesses back in the day ...

Paper matches were patented in  September 1892 by a Philadelphia  Patent Attorney!  2 weeks later a Mr. Bowman of Pennsylvania patented the little paper "folder"  they come in.  Bowman's patent, was challenged by the Philly Attorney, but Bowman's patent was upheld.
The attorney then  sold his patent to the Diamond Match Trust in 1896 and got the job as the company's patent attorney. Mr. Bowman's company, the American Safety Head Match Company of Lebanon, PA didn't last long though. The Diamond Match Co. then became the first mass-producer of paper matchbooks.

Ads have been printed on the covers since 1894, two years after they were patented. They've always been a cheap promotional item or anniversary souvenir.

 Collectors are known as phillumentists, or "lovers of light".  Which is waaaaaay different from Thomas Kincade,  "The Painter of Light".
Now, lots of people use disposable lighters or even...don't use matches at all, because so many people have stopped smoking and nowadays, pilot lights turn on electronically with a Piezo lighter....no need to strike a match!
Want to know more more more? clicky here

People used to carry wood matches in little boxes that came in zillions of shapes and made in all kinds of materials.
Here's mine...from one of my favorite eras...and look at that script !
a little wishbone on the back....
Compliments of The Dave Blake Co. Tacoma Everett Olympia.
The little top lifts and you can store matches in there.....I store other things.....

 

20s era silver match safe kept the matches safe (hence the term) and you'd pluck a match out and then strike it against a textury surface...a brick, the street, the sole of your shoe.
from etsy seller EvettaHill


Matches were first made of wood sticks with explosive chemicals glued to the end, and then sold  in paper boxes of a tiny size, about 1" x 2", and then, a bigger size, about 3" x 5". Here's a holder that you'd always see in the kitchen to light the cooking stove if it ran on gas...to light the pilot light. Or, kept in the living room to light the fire if you had a wood stove to warm the cabin.
So common was the box of matches in everyday life....even...little toy cars...Matchbox Cars, the size of a .......matchbox! were named for the tiny box of matches.

an old tin matchbox holder...you'd slip the open box of matches inside with the scratchy strike paper on the sides....the slots on each side allowed you to strike the match and light the pilot light....
from etsy seller sofralma

Sunny Day with Corn and Stripe Tshirts

when it's bitterly cold and drowningly wet...I honestly find it near impossible to remember what a sunny day feels like.....I hardly remember what a fecund garden smells like....and I can't believe I can walk outside in a Tshirt and a pair of cut-off Levis and nothing else and be so fucking happy my head explodes.....to be sure I haven't gone crazy (completely) I offer proof from the summer of 2011. I swear it was not just a dream....

ok....and with a fresh martini with a garden-grown nasturtium, in a stripe Tshirt and cut-off Levis...

Brave little happy home

Every time I look at my Brave, "the winnie", I just smile. Every where we go, people want to talk about her, and she makes people smile. "waal, I haven't seen one of these things for a long time!" "How's she run?"
Fine thanks!

When we were looking for one to buy it had to be in really good condition, both physically and mechanically. And this one came with tons of rcts. for lots of work done.
The most important item was a leaky roof. I did not want that! This one has a new-ish rubber roof, which is the creme de la creme. Lots of recent work on the engine and brakes and chassis....2 year old tires (1500. bucks).
I really wanted a 70s Winnebago, and I really wanted a Brave. It's a classic RV motorhome...it was very popular in its time and it is still loved.....I tried not to influence Mark...I wanted him to make up his own mind....and he (being the mechanic) had veto power over any RV we looked at that was rotten in the engine box.
How wonderful that we both decided that a Winne 70s Brave is the one we wanted, and then we found one in excellent condition.

(that's a big plastic box of RECEIPTS!)



 There are a few changes in the interior that I'll be making. I did get the exact floor plan I wanted....kitchen and bath, permanent and easy seating area-dining area....and ...the 20" high bed in the back. The last thing I want is to crawl up into bed and roll out in the middle of the night....and my dog! He can just jump on the bed in the back anytime he wants. Also, I didn't want the bed in the front because I'd have to make it up to a couch every damn day. Life is too short to move furniture every morning.

But there are 2 problems with the decor. I do think it's damn funny that back in the 70s it was assumed that people can easily move down a corridor that's only 26" wide at the most. The narrowest part is between the dinette and the bath...18" !!! Not that I'm gonna bloat up anytime soon, but this is a bit too narrow, and besides, I don't like built-in dinettes.
I'm gonna take out the first seat and the room divider.  The table moves and folds away if I don't want a table there (no prob), and the one seat (below) will stay. I'm gonna try to re-use the gold vinyl trim.....and then there is the gold vinyl issue. Gold is fine. I can live with it. I'll just pretend it's Sunflower !

What I cannot live with is the REAGAN-era Blue carpet that was added ...when the seats were recovered in 80s era tapestry.
for 2 reasons.....
#1. I hate REAGAN. that mf'er.
#2. I hate Reagan era blue/oak/brass/Republicans.
*the ReaganBlue carpet in the back is gone.

I've collected a selection of green stripes, vintage Indian blankets, vintage bark cloth in shades of brown and green earthy tones, and a few yards of retro Marimekko-style fabrics. I'm such a cheapskate, that I don't want to actually use my real Marimekko fabrics....so I have a few Swedish/70s retro patterns that are modern and all are thrifted.
The Blue #2 problem listed above ...the blue carpet will come out and be replaced with brown, and the vinyl floor will be changed over to bamboo.


So the first dinette seat will go bye-bye, and a cabinet will take it's place. Instead of a 3 foot wide obstruction/divider, will be a 24" wide cabinet. That will help with the claustrophobic skinny space.

 (the tall vintage cabinet in this corner will fit inside the winnie just fine)

You know what will stay?
The faux wood !!
Why?
The last time I felt hopeful about life, about politics, about the Earth...was in the 70s. So, the 70s faux wood, being cozy and fake in a real way....well, it's staying. At least for a while.
I didn't want to change anything inside. It's in such good shape...... & I'm a traditionalist. I like to keep things original, until that becomes stupid. Since so much has been changed (blue carpet and new fabric on all the cushions, I don't feel like a vintage-murderess.)

Below....
the stripe and X retro fabric for the dinette window?....the big calico on the top right, to line the wide green and white stripes, on the bottom left (which is shown inside out), for the bedroom "privacy" curtain. (just a chance to hang some neat fabric).

brown bark cloth in the middle....I don't know.......maybe the back window. That big big IKEA fabric on the bottom right...maybe that should be the dinette window and a little tiny valance over the kitchen window.........
decisions decisions....
There are so many knobs and settings and buttons! So much to learn. Push this in and don't touch that one. Now that we have safe propane bottles, we'll light the stove and oven and check it out, and light the refrigerator, and then plug in the refrigerator to 120, just like in the house.

I used to just laugh at those big fat RV's going down the road.....Geez Grampy, why don't you just drive your house! Ha ha on me. This is my house, since I doubt I'll ever buy a home again unless I win the lottery.

(inspirational picture of a vintage bike from SecondThoughts blog)