Tuesday

piano II




. . . . . . And presently, as if the idea had just occurred to him, he said to Mrs. March...

"The boy neglects his music now, and I'm glad of it, for he was getting too fond of it. But the piano suffers for want of use. Wouldn't some of your girls like to run over, and practice on it now and then, just to keep it in tune, you know, ma`am?"

Beth took a step forward, and pressed her hands tightly together to keep from clapping them, for this was an irresistible temptation, and the thought of practicing on that splendid instrument quite took her breath away. Before Mrs. March could reply, Mr. Laurence went on with an odd little nod and smile...

"They needn't see or speak to anyone, but run in at any time. For I'm shut up in my study at the other end of the house, Laurie is out a great deal, and the servants are never near the drawing room after nine o'clock."

Here he rose, as if going, and Beth made up her mind to speak, for that last arrangement left nothing to be desired. "Please, tell the young ladies what I say, and if they don't care to come, why, never mind." Here a little hand slipped into his, and Beth looked up at him with a face full of gratitude, as she said, in her earnest yet timid way...

"Oh sir, they do care, very very much!"

(LITTLE WOMEN Louisa May Alcott)

piano

No inhibitions about "how to play", no worry that it may be "too loud" or "not good enough", just the bliss of creative expression. Child's play. What could be better? fcp
"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up"...Pablo Picasso

Sunday

shades of ivory II

I'm walking around the house looking for something ivory . . . . ivory is my favorite color (tied in first place with turquoise). (And all the other greens and blues). And, I keep thinking of Ma-Mo going to church. Not just the regulation pearls but the gloves. I l.o.v.e.d those ivory gloves. Every Sunday. Weddings. Funerals. Especially Easter.
And, I kept coming back to this photo of FCP that I had already posted. I thought she made this ivory look gorgeous. We were having birthday cake with Jo. They actually came half way across the state and we actually had lunch. The sand was flyin' . . . . .




shades of ivory

a rainy weekend project...what could more fun than making napkin rings from buttons, like these sold at April Cornell? fcp
“Life forms illogical patterns. It is haphazard and full of beauties which I try to catch as they fly by, for who knows whether any of them will ever return?”...Margot Fonteyn

Friday

Doors of the Distinguished



These heavy doors cover one of the ice house and dairy cellars at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate in Lexington. They were built in 1830 and go sixteen feet into the ground. You can see the bottom of the great conical roof on the other one. These outbuildings provided the rare luxury of chilled food and drink year round. When ice was placed in an ice house in January or February it would last until October or November.

(some of the shots we post here have a surprise or at least a different view if you enlarge them. This one has my nephew coming up the steps . . .)



Door of Distinction

Is this Arizona door full of history and character, or what? fcp
“Ten men waiting for me at the door?
Send one of them home, I'm tired.”...Mae West

Thursday

Brick Pattern



This beautiful standard brick pattern wall wraps around my daughters drive. If your brick walls get very little sunlight and enough moisture, moss growth is inevitable. I think this is a desirable characteristic that adds to the old world charm of genuine brick. If you would like to create moss on your clay pots, Martha tells you how here: Making History: Aging Pots

Meet me in St. Louis

This challenge is all about patterns. I love buildings that mirror the city and the lives below. fcp
“When you look at a city, it's like reading the hopes, aspirations and pride of everyone who built it.”...Hugh Newell Jacobsen

Wednesday

Seeing double . . . .


The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton

Rainbow



Gulf Shores rainbow... fcp

“The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched” Henry David Thoreau

Monday

'scuse me...

while I kiss this big ol' beautiful sky!
fcp

It's a plane . . . .















Does the beautiful turquoise sky of New Mexico really have something on us? I am thinking Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda will ride by anytime . . . . .

(there are actually two planes . . )