“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label thank you. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thank you. Show all posts

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Summer Days

Spring has gone and summer days are here. The past few months have been filled with turmoil and sadness in this area but we all must make the best of things and move on. Here's a glimpse at the past flowers of spring in my garden.


Summer's here and the living is pretty much like the last several months but greener and warmer.  Stay home, be safe.  Go to grocery store, mask up, stay safe. Talk to friends on the phone, tell them to stay safe and well.  And repeat! My husband and I are asking each other, "What day is it?", way too often!


Guy in the Buttercups!

Of course everything about going to the store takes twice as long.  We both are taking all the precautions we can to stay healthy and o far we have not shown any symptoms.

We've been enjoying the garden and catching up on things we left undone from last year because of my husbands health issues.  His surgery for this spring was canceled and may not happen now until next year. Every day is a new day and we enjoy each one.  Guy loves to be outside in the warm weather and as you see below he thinks in is in the wilds of a meadow.  To keep him safe he always is on his harness and we keep a close eye on him.









I haven't been very active in my Etsy shop these days as going out to buy merchandise is not as simple as before. Sales are slow but I have been lucky enough to have a few.  The feedback from one customer was so sweet and sentimental, it makes it all worth it. Every time I read his comment I tear up a bit. Thank you Michael, you made my week!

Here's what Michael wrote regarding a purchase he made as a gift for his cousin....

"This light set was on my Grandmothers Christmas (tree) every year in the 1970's. My cousin Tim and I were obsessed with this light set. When our Grandmother passed in the 90's I inherited the light set. I always wished there were 2 so Tim could have one. I have been searching for a set for over 20 years that worked and was intact and only came close once. I was on Etsy looking for another gift and did a quick search for the lights and there they were. Finally found them. Tim loves them. I hope Grandma will see them on our trees this Christmas. The item was exactly as described and shipping was perfect."



Vintage Christmas Tree Light Covers Train Set by Radiant image 0


Vintage Christmas Tree Light Covers Train Set by Radiant image 2







Peace be with you friends and stay safe out there!
Diane and Guy Noir


Monday, November 24, 2014

Thank You


Thank You... Two small words that can mean so much. My mother taught me to use those words ... often.  Always when receiving a gift or a compliment and in response to some sort of kindness showed to me.

Except that I'm far from perfect and so I'm sure I have forgotten to say or write it sometimes. I apologize for that, if I have ever forgotten to say thank you I am saying it now. Thank You, I'm sending it out to the universe and beyond to those that are still waiting.












It's one of my pet peeves, people that don't say thank you. I have a whole bunch of relatives that never learned to say thank you. You handed them a Christmas present and nothing. Birthday gifts and cards, graduation gifts... nada ... zip ... nothing. Years later you send them a wedding gift and nothing and then a gift for a baby and still a big old goose egg. I don't send gifts anymore to this bunch of relatives, I send my money to charities. I actually get a thank you from them.

It wasn't their fault really, they were never taught. Their mother never required them to say the phrase, because she never said it herself. I bet her mother never taught her either.






There is an old Danish Proverb that says,
"He who gives to me, teaches me to give."



I have a new proverb and it goes like this,
"She who teaches me to say Thank You, enables me to Be Thankful."






So you're thinking, "Geez, what an old grump.", contrare! It has brought me to one thing I am thankful for. I am thankful that I had a mother that cared enough to force me to do things that might have seemed uncomfortable or of little consequence at the time, but that I now know in my elderish years are vitally important.

My mother has been gone now for almost twenty years and I miss her terribly at the holidays, she truly loved this time of year and showed her love in many ways, but I especially remember the food. As a farm wife she was most skilled as a home cook and baker and her meals were legendary in their small farming community.

The last holiday meal that she prepared was Thanksgiving and I can still travel back there in my mind and see the table set with the fancy china and sterling silver.  We had all the standard foods like turkey, dressing, two kinds of potatoes, green beans, cranberry salad and scalloped oysters too. Of course the dessert  was homemade pumpkin pie! What a feast it was!

I am still Thankful even after all these years. I am Thankful for all of the wonderful memories that I have of my mother and father and my siblings when we were all together.  I celebrate now with my husbands family and it is still wonderful even though it's not the same. However I still am thankful for every moment of joy that life brings.

I hope that wherever you are this year that you are able to enjoy some bit of the holiday whether with a group or on your own, there is always something to be thankful for.

Oh, and dear readers, I want to say "Thank You" for sticking with me all these years and reading all my ramblings. You have always been kind and I really appreciate that. So "Cheers, here's to you!" And Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends here in the good old USA!








               Thankful, Joyful, Peaceful



image source

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Joy and Edna

Another bitter cold day here in Minnesota but tomorrow will be better.  Our temperatures have been bouncing around lately.  Just when you brace yourself for the frigid weather it turns downright balmy, well if you can call 20 degrees balmy!

I love when the mail arrives at this time of year!  You might find some cards, a package or a huge tin of three flavor popcorn on your porch! Joy, Joy, Joy! I was especially glad for the latter so that the hubby would stop eating all the Christmas cookies out of the freezer!

Back to the mail, one item that gave me great JOY was a package from my blog friend Stacy - Magic Love Crow!  I had ordered this cute little Baby Crow painting from her titled "Winter Blessings". Isn't she adorable!!




To my surprise she included another darling baby crow titled "Waiting for Santa".  There he is, tucked into his little "nest" all cozy and waiting for Santa's arrival.  Soooo.... Cute!! Thank you Stacy, you are the best!



I was surprised and pleased that the beautiful card that Stacy sent with the kitties on the front, is from a painting called "Decorators" by Persis Clayton Weirs. The art is courtesy of Wild Wings, Lake City Minnesota! How ironic! I'm not even sure she noticed where the card was from! JOY!

Guy appreciated the artwork too as you see in the photo below. He is an avid bird watcher and here he is also cozy in his little brown nest! These photos took place on a day when our temperature only got up to -2 degrees, for you celsius people that is -18. BrrrrrrrrRR!





So what does one do when it is too cold to venture outside for more than a few minutes, well finish the decorating for one.  I of course get sidetracked easily so when I was rummaging about and getting the house ready for house-guests, I found this painting that my husband brought home from an estate sale.  It was leaning on the side of the dresser in our guest room.  I had kind of forgotten about it and that brings us to Edna, another woman who has brought me great Joy ....



The daughter in-law told my husband that Edna had started painting in her later years.  Being the frugal woman she was, she had not invested in a bunch of expensive materials. If you look closely, you can see that it is painted on cardboard. After looking at it a bit, I decided it was actually kind of a neat folk art piece.







I think Edna did pretty darned good with her perspective on this one! I love her choice of bright colors for the house and other buildings.  Snow can be very difficult to paint for new artists and I think she did a nice job.  Edna thought so too, and she signed and dated this original piece of art, which I am now the proud owner of.  The painting is now hanging in our basement family room.





Edna E. Johnson, Red Wing Minnesota - 1963



As I said before, this was from an estate sale, so dear Edna has passed on to her reward and I hope she has an unlimited supply of paint and canvases she can use to creative some stunning work.

So there you have it, a story about two creative and interesting women who bring Joy to life!  Thank you Stacy for your Joyful and Creative Spirit, and bless you Edna for your frugal but Beautiful Soul!

Joy and Peace ~~ Diane



Monday, November 19, 2012

By and By the Harvest . . .


I found the image above somewhere on a public domain site and thought it was perfect for my Thanksgiving post. Way back in the olden days, this was what my ancestors did. I have traced them back many generations and quite a few were farmers. Maybe that is why I love the land and my gardens so much. "We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves" ....

Nevertheless, bringing in the sheaves is not something we do by hand much anymore. The harvest has become so mechanized people from the time the song was written would barely recognize it as the same activity. 

I used to watch a show from the BBC called Lark Rise to Candleford. The show was an adaptation of Flora Thompson's memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood, set in the small village of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town, Candleford, at the end of the 19th Century. The last episode was about when they brought in a newly invented "harvesting machine" to harvest the crops.  The town was split on whether this was a good thing or not. Many thought it would mean the end of them. Obviously the amount of laborers needed would be less, so what were the rest of these unskilled people to do? Alas the show was never able to settle this argument because it was canceled. In real life, I guess we do know how it was settled. Time moves on and technology advances. People lose jobs and new jobs are created, and so it goes.



The things that don't change are our need for a home. A place to feel safe and comforted and warm.
A place to enjoy the good things in life. We need a home to share with our loved ones and our pets. Home is where we invite our friends to entertain them and to share a meal. In my own home I try to create a sense of whimsy and fun. I also want my home to feel cozy and warm.

I decorated my old sideboard with faux pumpkin and faux turkey and some cute little pilgrim chipmunk candle holders. This is my way of making my home cute and cozy. 
Music is also a part of my home and I listen to some everyday.



Chipmunks with their Pilgrim outfits. They are headed for my table upstairs. 



This cute squirrel light has an battery operated candle inside  
and looks very nice in a darkened room.

I have had the turkey for years. When I bought him he was plain pale brown. I painted him with watercolors to closer resemble the real thing. I also painted the pumpkin a more rosy tone. 
Warning: I will paint anything that doesn't move.



As time goes on some things lose their importance, fads come and go. Technology brings us more distractions than we can even comprehend.  What we always need is a home. I have always been lucky, I have never been without one. I feel bad for those who have never known one. I feel sad for those who because of hurricanes, fires and bad circumstances are not in their homes right now.

So please join me in a collective prayer, or good thought, or strong vibe and send it out there to anyone you know, or just to a complete stranger. Send a thought of comfort, joy and love to all those who are home-less at this Thanksgiving time. Or better yet, pick up the phone or go on the web and find a charity that will help someone feel a little less sad and alone as we celebrate our own Thanksgiving bounty. I've put my donations in the mail this week and I hope they will do some good.

I also want to Thank all of You, my good bloggy friends who always leave the most wonderful comments and make me smile every day. I'll be taking a few days off from the blogasphere to be 
with family and friends. I will see you all back here soon.
Thank you... I am truly blessed! ~~~ Diane ~~~

Happy Thanksgiving

Friday, June 17, 2011

Thank You Foster & Boo for This Award!




Foster and Boo awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award and I am happy to accept it. Thank you so much! Now I must share seven things and pass on the award to seven bloggers. Here are seven things...not necessarily about me.

The best food in the world was prepared by my Mom.

If you are six years old (or any age), do not let your older cousin talk you into shoving a small toad in front of your Aunt's face.

Never put anything onto a blog, facebook or twitter that you wouldn't want your parents to see.

When I die, I want to come back as a cat that has an owner like me.

When someone behind you at the check out counter has under 5 items and you have a full cart, let them go first.

Always tell or write someone a "Thank You" ... for gifts, awards or small favors.

Before you go to sleep at night, count your blessings instead of sheep.

Here are the Seven Bloggers I am passing on the award to. Please make sure you visit each site and leave a comment. Congratulations!