Furlop the Eared Crusader had the deck to himself for most of Easter Sunday and then along came the real thing.

Furlop just stood tall and brave while the interloper made off with his carrot. He doesn't show up very well, but he is the black blob to the front right of the visitor.

Those bunnies are not so cute in the summer when they feast on every plant I cherish.

Random Thoughts

SOMETHING TO LIVE BY
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely
In an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,
Chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally
Worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

This was in a recent Dawson’s Pond blog. and I second the motion.

I now have a lap counter for my morning power walks and that frees up my mind to plan the next phase of my life, send an irate mental letter to whichever politician irritates me most, and to think about the amazing people my children have become. You know, the usual.

As soon as the last of the ice melts, I’ll switch to outdoor walks and that had better be soon because I’m beginning to dislike those threesomes who take up three-and-a-half lanes, chatting and ambling along. If the coffee shop opened earlier those ramblers could sit and gossip away from us ferocious (and in my case, downright cranky)walkers and runners.

My new little thrift shop rabbit still has an evil leer but the carrot softens the effect. He can sit out there and chill his little backside until he develops a more bunny-like demeanor.

Those of us with “no-name” religions borrow from various rituals and Easter is a fine example. It’s a good time to think about life and death and human suffering and miracles.

My Christian family members will come over to lunch after church on Sunday and we will overeat and have a basket hunt preceded by some cunningly planned clues. This house is still new to the kids so I have a whole new batch of hiding places to try out on them.

The snow is melting, some sturdy little spring bulbs are beginning to strut their stuff and spring is on the way.

HOME REMEDIES

These were infallible truths when I was a kid:

Wearing gum boots indoors will wreck your eyesight (they’re called rubber boots now) and I believe people have hit on more interesting ways to be struck blind.

When you catch measles, and you will, you must remain in bed in a dark room or—yes, you will lose your eyesight.

My father had a rule we never did figure out and he never explained. When you are eating bacon and eggs, it is mandatory to eat toast with it.

As you read the next part, keep in mind that we never saw adults try any of these remedies on themselves

Mustard plasters were the recipe de jour for coughs. Take an old diaper and mix a paste of dry mustard and flour with a little water, fold once over the mixture and place over the chest until the patient complains loudly of a burning sensation. It’s been a long time but I think that’s how it worked. And it did work although we often endured mild burns on our chests.

Here’s another cold remedy. Slice a couple of onions and stuff into the toe of a sock, then knot it and tie around the neck of the helpless, hacking child or if you had an arguably more humane parent, you slipped your feet into the socks and wore them until further notice. Sometimes garlic was added to the mix.

Now that you know how it was done, don't you find it a bit trivial just crushing up baby aspirin and mixing it with jam for your kid to swallow?

Everyone Needs a Hobby

The good thing about this tiny house I’ve moved into is that the cleaning is a slam-dunk. The bad thing is that it puts a serious cramp on my auction- going.

Even I have to admit that if anything bigger than a diamond bracelet comes into this house than something of equal size has to go. On the other hand, if a diamond bracelet appears I could probably up-size and there wouldn’t be a problem. Okay, forget the bracelet and let’s get serious—I am auction- addicted and I’ve run out of room for new finds.

There is something absolutely hypnotic about driving to some out-of-the-way spot, tingling with anticipation. I’ve been to all kinds but now I head for the country ones where the barns are bursting with old furniture and an amazing number of chipped enamel bedpans. The place I like best is a building in a nearby hamlet often rented out to local auctioneers and the building’s sign boasts, “Horseshoe capital of Canada.” Who knew?

I am devoted to a furnishing style best described as Interesting Junk and my budget is limited, to put it politely.

I felt so lucky to get the oriental style cabinet. It has a marble top that had broken in two at some point and had been badly glued back together, so serious buyers wouldn’t consider it worth their while. Eventually I will find the right person to carefully take it apart and restore it properly. That will be the moment one of my lottery tickets proves to be a winner.


One of my best auction finds ever is the gilt mirror with the carved wood frame. I slogged through terrible weather to a country auction find this gem. It’s meant for a house with twelve-foot ceilings and that hasn’t been my case since four homes back.

When I found this house I wondered what the builder had been thinking because the dining room was a long narrow space that led one to believe the living room was supposed to be at the opposite end.

To make this tiny area work would call for either superior planning or luck, take your pick. I squeezed in a couple of chairs and my mother’s large oval antique table but still, that meant only two people could sit in that space.

Then I drove through a fierce snowstorm one Saturday morning to an auction and there it was, the perfect loveseat. At the time two corpulent farmers were wedged together on it chatting about next year’s crops so I couldn’t get a good look. I would have knocked over any of the sweet Mennonite ladies in their black dresses if they had dared to make a bid. When I got it home I tried to gently scrub the upholstery and that left watermarks, so eventually it will go to the upholsterer. After many configurations, I found a way to ease it into place and the living area is complete and suitable for four to sit, as long as they don’t fidget.






At my very first auction I found the high chair that is now tucked into the dining room. It’s been with me through many, many moves. I got the doll at a yard sale and she took over the chair as her own.

We found the horse at a farm auction. It cost us $40 and was missing his legs so a woodworking artist friend gave him some. Unfortunately my friend didn’t have a grip on how a horse’s legs work so this poor little guy is showing signs of rickets.

If I keep this up I’ll have to lower the ceiling to make room for a loft and ladder in each room.

It doesn’t hurt to just go and look, though.

The universe is unfolding as it should

My old computer was making it abundantly clear that it was two halting steps away from the bone yard.

I am close to being computer illiterate so I did some noisy hand -wringing until my daughter stepped in and marched me the office supply store, her sale flyer in hand and a no-nonsense look about her.

Once we got the little beauty home, I watched while she did all the necessary buzz-clicking to get it hooked up.

On that first day Melissa was pressed for time so I used the old set on the left, for the crucial bridge and solitaire games and with the one on the right I picked up E-mails. The games were a bit tricky because I had to lean at a funny angle to use the mouse and see the screen.The trickiest part was trying to straighten up afterwards.

Now pretty well everything is working and the universe is again moving as it should, so I’m rejoining the world.

What a Difference a Day makes

Yesterday the driveway had disappeared under the weight of the last storm and I skipped any notion of getting to the track.
Then my ladies stopped by with their shovels and before long the driveway returned.
This morning there was a gentle glimmer of sunshine by the time I left for the track at seven. That’s our only sign of spring so far, but a welcome one.


On the way home, I stopped to take a picture of what I consider the ugliest building in town, and trust me, there are many to choose from. The windows in this one look as thought they were installed by moonlight, possible the full moon.



Today the sun is shining and the snow is for now, neatly piled in front. What more can a lady ask for.

I’m keeping track during the day of the sun’s progress in the tiny back yard so I’ll know where to plant my sun versus shade lovers in the spring.

And spring is coming.

Calorie Free Food--The Best Kind

It’s snowing hard today and an excellent time to stay inside and play with the fake food collection.

My obesession began years ago browsing through a gift shop when I was dazzled by a magnificent still life of a plate of spaghetti with the fork suspended overhead, a strand of spaghetti dangling from fork to plate.
Gorgeous. Why didn’t I buy it? Because I was a fool that’s why and I was never able to find it again when my senses were restored. My search continues.

In the meantime I treasure the wedge of raisin pie with a chunk bitten out of it. Each grandchild had to be sure it wasn’t real.

Then there’s the waffle a la mode with the strawberry syrup pouring onto it from a spoon. So perfect.













Can't you almost smell the steak and eggs?













That gorgeous glass plate of fruit salad; good enough to eat.














I had to tone down the bowl of cereal because many creators of fake food get carried away with tossing strawberries into everything. short of using dynamite I could only subdue their color.







The blueberry pancake with legs? He just showed up one day and never left. I love his evil leer.

Let's hope the snow stops tonight.