My lovely flowers

Major Event

Well hello there, friends and friends to be. I cannot believe how many visitors I have had from all over the world even when I haven't been posting anything since April.                                              We have had a major event in our lives since I last posted. We have enjoyed living in our home for fourteen years where our two daughters and their family's would visit us and we held all our holiday gatherings here. From this home we have watched our five wonderful grandbabies grow into young men and women. We also ran a little woodworking business, taught decorative painting and operated a B&B for eight years from here, where we met great people from all over the world. Now the truth of the matter is, our house is way too much for us to keep up so this is the Major Event for which I speak. We have sold our eleven room house to our one daughter and her husband and he is in the process of renovating our double car garage[really Cliffs woodworking shop] into a little home for us. We couldn't be more delighted, it will be all on one floor, it has large windows overlooking my back garden [where I can still play],Cliff's workshop moves indoors[no more stoking the fire before he can play] and most important we are still near our family. God is good. I am going to attempt to post some pictures if I can remember how and I also hope to start posting again. Well I tried and I failed and now I will have to get Cindy to give me an update. Thanks for visiting. Bernice  

Memory Mittens

Memory Mittens

  One of the favourite things that I have ever painted are these memory mittens. Back when my grandchildren were  all very young, in fact the youngest wasn't even born yet, I traced their little hands on  a piece of paper, my husband cut the mitts out and I painted them. Every Christmas since then [ thirteen years ago ] when I get them out, I marvel at how they have grown. The oldest is twenty-five and the youngest is thirteen. Wow !! time sure is in a hurry.   I also taught this as a Christmas painting project one year, so I know there are other Memory Mittens out there somewhere, bringing back precious memories of precious little hands. 

This Years Display

Some years I put them in a wreath or on the tree, but this year I wanted to display them with some other Christmas  things I've painted over the years.

       

The Stories in my Mixing Bowls

It never rains but it pours they say. Two posts in one day.   I don't collect just for the sake of getting more stuff, (not that there is anything wrong with doing that) but I collect things that speak to me or help me remember something. These are the stories that live in my mixing bowls up over my kitchen cupboards.  

My mothers lovely old white bowl.

This is a real treasure of mine as Mom brought it up from Newfoundland with her when we moved up to Ontario in 1949.
As a teenager this bowl and I got to know each other very well. I was never taught to make bread per say but I was always  instructed to either punch the bread down or put it in the pans or but it in the oven when the buzzer went etc.One of the best jobs was taking the six beautiful, fragrant loaves out of the oven.
In the 1970's, when I was young with my braids and beads, we were all buzy learning to  go back to the earth (sounds almost like dying) eh?  I had never even tried to make bread because everyone seemed to make it sound so awsome. This one or that one made their own bread,wow, said with reverence. I baked everything else but not " bread ". Then one day I was sitting at a friends kitchen table as she casually made bread. As I watched her go through all the steps, the light came on and I realized " I have done all this, is this making bread,? dah ".  That day I went home and made six loaves of bread without a hitch, and for many years after I continued to, even sometimes making five batches a week to sell. Who knew? 

 

Some more stories.

   The bowl on the left is a gift from my sister and is very old. It was made in Roseville, Ohio at the Lowry Pottery, in around 1900. On the bottom is written " The New Germany" in a star.   I love it because it is called a Baked Bean Dish.Neat eh? The inside is blue and is glazed but the outside is not and it has a wire handle .       The big bowl in the middle was bought for me by my dear husband, as was the baked bean crock next to it. I baked bread in this bowl for many years ,as for the bean crock it has it's own story. When my family gets together and the subject of meals comes up, they all tell of the time I baked beans that were so hard that even our dog Skippy, wouldn't eat them. Everyone knew Skippy would eat anything.     The bowl on the right belonged to my sister-in-laws mam, Mrs. Hoey,a lovely little Irish lady.

I am sure her many wonderful children could tell such great stories of the birthday cakes and Christmas cakes and puddings that she baked in this very bowl.    

Last but not the least.

    The lovely bowl in the middle here is a treasure from my husbands mother. She gave it to me and I have always treasured it. All the baking she did for her family of five children and her husband is a story that remains to be told. She did not have a lot of material possessions so this bowl would have also been a treasure to her.   The two dark bean crocks in this picture have something to say also, the one on the left was from the old " Husband " homestead in Oakville. My husband was involved in helping to clean the old house out back in the 1960's and he brought this crock home to me. Many of my antiques came from there as they were on their way to the dump, along with a dumpster full of stuff, enough to break a historians heart.  The beautiful dark crock on the right, I purchased from a lady at a garage sale in Victoria Harbour. It belonged to her mom but she was moving to a very small residence and would have no room for it.I just had to give it a home.  

A new chapter.

    These two bowls are new ones that have no stories as of yet. I bought them just because I really liked them. The one on the left's beauty is in it's simplicity and beautiful lines and the little one is very unusual as it is very lightweight.   Thus ends my Mixing Bowl Stories. As I re-read this post I realize for the first time that I have four baked bean crocks up there. I always thought of it as my mixing bowl collection and never added up the the crocks.    

Foodland Country Displays

Well we finally finished the country displays that we were asked to make for our local Foodland grocery store.    

Harbour Hen House

Arrangement over Vegetable Counter

Herefords keeping watch over meat counter.

                                          Attitude the Rooster and Mama Pig


Time to make Apple Butter

Farmers Market Generosity

Fresh Black-eyed Susan's

Beautiful Purple and White Cone-Flowers in my Mom's sugar bowl

Daisies and Yellow Cone- Flowers

Lovely Lilies

I just had to share these beautiful flowers, given to me by a wonderful young lady at the Coldwater Farmers Market.
My husband Cliff plays music at the market every Saturday morning where we have met  so many wonderful, kind, generous people. Among them, is this dear girl learning the business from her caring aunt. She just beams as she greets her would-be costumers  . This past week she was selling flowers and the temperature was  brutally hot, thus keeping people at home. As we were packing up she gave me all these lovely flowers which I thought I should share with all
 of  you.

The world is so full of wonderful people and many of them are behind the tables at your farmers markets. Don't miss out. In appreciation for our music each week, these vendors give us so many lovely things ,like fresh home- baked bread, just picked veggies, cookies, honey and coffee with lunch ( Canadian bacon on a kaiser bun eh? ).

Canada Day Picnic

Profusion of Black-eyed- Susans

We came across this beautiful site on our way to the Tiny Marsh for a picnic.Wow!!What a treat,never in all my life have I seen, even half this many, black-eyed-susans blooming together.I guess it's due to the very unusual spring we experienced this year, as I have noticed many other wild flowers,like orange lilies, also blooming in profusion.

Just Beautiful !

WOW!!!

On our way home from the Tiny Marsh we noticed that the elderberries were also in abundance all along the lower country roads. I just had to take a picture of these lovely things, on the Hogg Valley Road, at the  Faint farm. How pleased Ross and Winnie would be to see their place looking so beautiful still.
It is our intent, to try our hand, at making elderberry wine in the fall when the berries ripen. Years ago when we lived just a mile or so from there, we use to pick them and freeze them to make muffins and pies.That was back in the good old (back to the earth ) 1970's. We lived in a wonderful old Victorian farmhouse,raised chickens,grew a heifer named Dolly or Freezer, depending on the day and nearly killed myself with an acre garden.

Elder Berries at Ross and Winnie's Farm

Peaceful, Lovely and Sweet.

Changed Again

My Kitchen Cupboard

This is my latest arrangement in my kitchen cupboard. I just love some of these things that I have collected over the years or have been gifts to me from kind friends and family.                                                             The metal coffee grinder, from Thunder Bay, was from my mother-in law and has a wonderful story that goes with it.                                                                                                                                            The little watercolor of a cat is from my sister Gwen ( as is a very large number of my good old stuff ) and is one of my favourite pictures.
The  old, wheat pattern, ironstone sugar bowl ,by W & E Corn of Burslew, England  just above it ,behind the bicycle, belonged to my Mom and I just love it.
Most of my ironstone plates are Woods & Son's England, wheat pattern that I bought, at a garage sale, at a little United Church in Manitowaning, Manitoulin Island ( our best place to visit).
My latest addition (something I have wanted for many years) is the covered vegetable dish, my only piece
that is in the fern pattern, is from Thomas Furnival & Sons of England ( 1871 - 1890 ).

The sampler on the wall, to the right of my cupboard was done by my mother,at age fifteen, in 1928, the chair below it was our family birthday chair and the mandolin on the wall, in the left corner, above my husbands keyboard, belonged to his mother.

As you can see I love things with a history and most everything in our house has a story to tell.

50 th anniversary

Well today is the 50 th. anniversary of the day I married my very best friend. We have been blessed all these years with a wonderful, wonderful life, two loving daughters,two great son-in-laws and five super grandchildren, that   show us so much love.

Opps!! someone is at the door be back later.

I'm back and it's June 9 th. We were surprised by our wonderful family  with a party, it was so great to see so many good friends, old and new. After the party we went on a little holiday, the following are some pictures I took at this time.

Dear Little Old House Surrounded by Wild Flocks

Note The Little Baby Chipmunk Watching Me Take Pictures From His Stump

This is Where We Had Lunch At Walker Falls

And This Is My Honey At Ingles Falls

We Came Home To This Beautiful Rainbow,God Is Good

Our Lovely Anniversary Cards

I read a quote this morning that I thought very inspiring.

"The most extraordinary thing I have ever known is,
One ordinary man and one ordinary woman and their ordinary children"

Having been married to one ordinary man for the past fifty years who helped me raise our two ordinary
children, it is nice to think we might be extraordinary.

Something I have observed over my lifetime, that I fine very extraordinary, is many, many ordinary men and women, who, due to many different circumstances, have stepped up to the plate and are helping to lovingly raise someone else' s  ordinary children.     


Please note that neither the author, nor I, mean ordinary in the negative sense of  the word.

My Heart is in the Garden

I am afraid I have been neglecting this blog and I do miss it. All I have time for today is to add some pictures from my garden. Actually my garden is the reason I have been so neglectful . I love to garden but I can no longer do it like I use to, so I am in the process of pulling up any plants that are invasive. It really breaks my heart to pull up lovely forget-me-nots and sun-drops etc. but I can't wait till they bloom because it will be to hot then for me to work in the garden. I guess I will just have to buck up cause that is the price I must pay to continue gardening.

Second Year Clamatis....Lovely Sweet Thing

Meet Adrienne a sweet gift from Tehkummah, Manitoulin Island

This is David, is'nt he beautiful?

And this is lovely Margret .   God is good!!!!

All my flowers have a story and are usually named for the friend

who blessed me with them.

I seldom buy a plant because it's just not the same and has no story.

Unless of course it's to remember something or someone by.

I have been so blessed and love to bless others with flowers.

A Cute Story

I once had a yellow loosestrife that grew up under a beautiful lilac bush and every time

I gave some of it away, people would wonder where this lovely lilac came from in their yard.

Sometimes as I drive around town or country I see those big lilacs bushes still prospering

where they hitchicked to.

Little Dirt Bag

Little Dirt Bag

                                                                                                                                                           Look what I found at the "Sally Anne"!!!! I just fell in love with it at first sight. My grandaughter looked it up on Google and found out it says, in German "little dirt bag". Now how nice is that?
You can see what I use it for but I guess it was ment to be a plant pot. I love, I love it, I love it.

One of the great things about it, is it's size, because it is large enough to hold my rolling pin.This is a very special rolling pin that my dad made for my mom, when they were first married, over 70 years ago. We lived on an island, off the eastern shore of Newfoundland and we didn't have electricity so he would have had to use a foot operated layth. Dad and my grampa use to make windows and coffins.  One of my earliest memories was sitting on the floor of their workshop as they made a coffin.I collected the shavings curls from the big hand plane, that made a wonderful swishing sound  as they used it. After the coffin was made they covered it with purple crepe paper,put in the back of a horse drawn wagon and off they went up the road.It seemed very natural to me. An odd memory but good.
This rolling pin represents the love Dad had for Mom, to make it for her and all the love she put into making good eats for us.How blessed we were.

The Gingam Dog and The Calico Cat

My Beautiful Tablecloths Blowing in the Wind

Stupid Wind Wouldn't Blow

Spring! Wonderful! Beautiful!Spring!

One might wonder, weather or not I run an Italian restaurant. Not. I just love gingham tablecloths and always have. My first one was the red and white one, third from the house. Many years ago my dear husband bought it for me and it is one of my treasures, somehow it represents our good life together.
The lovely one in the centre is from the forties,covered in fruit and a gift from a lovely girl named Kerri, who with her two little girls, lived with us for a couple of years.

What a beautiful spring day, I'm playing with my tablecloths and my Cliff is in this workshop making  little stools to sell in a lovely shop in Penetanguishene called On Georgian Shores.

Opps!! Now Cliff is taking a little break sitting on the steps, I think he loves my tablecloth's also.

Isn't he cute with his Lee Valley apron and hat and his white beard

Notice the red geraniums in my upstairs window? What you can't see is that, that flower is absolutely huge and covers the whole window and is full of big beautiful blooms. That's my sewing room, how nice is that?

New Spring Colours

My Lovly Old Pink Dishes

This is my new Spring look for my kitchen cupboard. I usually change these dishes around a couple of times a year but for some reason this will be my third change since Christmas. Some might say "get a life" but all my different dishes are stored in the bottom shelves of my cupboard so it's real easy to change them. Anyways I do have a life, I play with my dishes, how nice is that? 

My New Spring Look