Vintage Romantic Author
I was surprised to find I’ve never done a St. Patrick’s Day blog. So let’s share a wee bit ‘o history and decorations. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery at age 16. He was forced to tend sheep for his master Milchu, an Irish pagan Druid …
Well, I can wish, can’t I? Here she is, the last of my arch-enemies for 2023. They say mosquitoes are especially bad in So Cal this year because of Hurricane Hillary. I don’t know if that’s true or not. Every year is a bad mosquito year for me. I’m like a mosquito magnet. I’m starting …
There are times when celebrating the seasons with decorations is more an obligation than a joy. Not so this Easter. Sparser than trimmings in other seasons of the year, I had a good time putting them up. We’ve undertaken two ginormous home improvement projects in 2023. First, it was installing new quartz countertops and tile …
Literally, the moment I finished wrapping my last present, The Hallelujah Chorus started playing from my music list! I actually enjoyed wrapping this year—no gift bags, all boxes with coordinated red and white paper and ribbons. It was the fact I was ready for Christmas with that last gift that made the music so appropriate. …
Who is Dudley, you might ask. It’s not a name you hear much anymore. I don’t know if this is a common problem with crafters, but I tend to start projects and abandon them. Such is the case with Dudley Butterball. One of the truly nice things about home renovation is that everything gets cleaned …
This beautiful pine tree grew over our backyard wall. As you can see, it’s a whopper. We weren’t very happy when the neighbors planted it. You see, the first pine tree they planted in this same spot fell over in a storm. We were a bit appalled when they simply planted another. There were things …
Don’t miss the beginnings of our trip to be found here: Part One and Part Two Pretty much my whole life, I have tootled right by the minute town of Harmony, just south of Cambria. We decided to stop and take a look this trip. It’s definitely a tiny place. This is the pottery, where …
Don’t miss part one of our adventure here: Part One. Ragged Point is an outpost about 30 minutes north of Cambria. They have rooms, but we’ve never stayed. We always visit their very fine restaurant for lunch. It was here we really understood how few tourists were out. This is the first time we didn’t …
We’ve made a habit of meeting up with friends in Cambria through the years. In fact, we journeyed there during the first summer of Covid. We found plenty to do and dined in the street and parking lots. But state parks were closed then and we were anxious to tour Hearst Castle. Once parks opened, …
The delights of home improvement simply cannot be fully enjoyed until the project is finished. And if you’re the type who doesn’t actually finish, it can, indeed, be a nightmare. I always find it exciting to start a project and especially enjoy any shopping involved. We decided to put the same vinyl plank in our …