Vintage Romantic Author
How do you feel about photographs? Do they fascinate you? Are you drawn to them? Most importantly, do you throw them away? I’m only asking because I cannot trash a picture. Recently, I read about an author who researched letters of men who traveled to the gold fields via wagon train. These men seemed completely …
Back in the day, I sewed craft items and sold them at boutiques. Probably my favorite patterns were by a company named Patch Press. Their instructions were complete, logical and fun; hand-written in crazy blue script. With Patch Press as my role model, I was inspired to share directions for a craft project I recently imagined.
I would have made an awesome cavewoman, having two things going for me: a genetic predisposition for longevity and amazing hunting and gathering ability. I’ve long equated shopping with hunting and gathering. I search. I find. I buy. I survive. This has been going on a long time. That mom who managed to find the …
“I’m gonna kill you, Big Tom,” Tobias whispered through the crack in the outhouse door. “Your days is numbered.” Even Tobias realized it was easy to talk tough when the door served as protection from the turkey that was his arch enemy. Acting tough was something else again. He opened the door just wide enough …
It seems a bit like fall, despite recent warm weather. The nights are cool here in Santa Clarita and the days are certainly shorter. I’m not looking forward to the end of Daylight Savings Time because I am not a morning person. The house is looking festive. I’ll show you some decorations. I turned a …
I’ve decided I like old news better than new news. Let me explain. A few years ago, I needed some background information on a vintage story and stumbled across a website containing historic California newspapers. This quickly became one of my favorite sites. It wasn’t only historical information, it was the day-to-day commonplace details that …
I find myself frequently riding along the 126 Freeway. It’s a charming road, a taste of rural living on the outskirts of a megalopolis. I’m even considering writing a little travel book about it. Despite signs of progress—mostly in Fillmore—tourist sites are remarkably unsophisticated. I don’t know of another place to taste honey. Yes, there …
My husband and I were visiting friends in the California gold country when I first walked by a shop that featured chalk-painted furniture. In the window sat an atrocious, deeply beveled and ornately trimmed dresser made glorious by the simple application of paint. I gazed in awe, suddenly longing for the bedroom set of my …
I have documented my struggles with critters in past blogs. Things have not improved. Our thorough winter drenching led to unprecedented, lush spring growth. No surprise, the local population of everything has flourished as a result. It seemed, at first, as if we only had visitors in the backyard. Occasional sightings of bunnies and squirrels …
I thought wallpaper was making a comeback. Design shows have been featuring the latest in graphic, linear designs. I’ve always loved it. It’s easy to keep clean. I like having pattern on some of my walls. Of course, my wallpaper looks a bit more like something you would find in Grandma’s attic. Look at this …