Glass

I love glass. I love its transparency, glitter, shine and shimmer.

I was given this piece with the eagle in it years ago. My Mom put a saying with it when she gave it to me that said "always follow your dream."

Years have passed and everytime I see this piece I am reminded of her admonishment to "follow my dreams."

I have loved this small piece and its message to me.

Another gift from Mom. A paperweight. 

With an air bubble in its middle I believe it is a handblown piece.

Years ago I had another paperweight from my grandfather. I used it as a doorstop. It was a large hand blown glass oval shape with many tiny air bubbles floating inside.

This beachglass from Hawaiian beaches (another Etsy purchase)

is filled with not only glass but glass in colors that I love. I keep these on my desk for inspiration.

COLORS.

Another topic for another day!!

Journals

I love journals. I have been keeping a picture journal now for about 4 years. I have 13 of these journals complete. It is very fun for me to go back and look at these journals, and review my days and weeks and years activities.

There are times when I try to remember when an event happened. I have oft been able to go to my journals and find the month,week, even the day of the event wanted.

When I recall these events it is interesting how I am immediately transported back to the event.

I am at times of looking through them once again satisfied at the accomplishments of my time and days. Without them my time is easily forgotten how it is spent and often I have felt prior to my journaling like I wasn't sure I had accomplished much in my days or weeks.

Now my days and weeks are not filled with large events or even frequent important activities. But my journals do chronical my days of chores, cooking, spending time with Grandchildren, hobbies, interests. All of which at the end of my days will show my priorities and interests and loyalties.

I draw these small events daily. Then on a day with more time I add watercolor to the drawings. They have become my treasures. When the grandchildren look at them and become entranced by them my heart swells.

blooms

Yellow Calla Lilies.
Yellow bright enchanting yellow different than any color I see in the winter around me. These calla lilies are a sure hope of Spring soon to come.

The color of these blooms is unavoidably happy. I once had a blouse this color Russ used to call it my sunshine blouse, or was it happy blouse, I can't remember but it was a name that is exactly how I feel when I look at the yellow of these blooms.

Time

I got a new clock for Christmas.

I grew up in a home with many clocks.  We had wall clocks, grandfather clocks, mantel clocks and even a clock on the coffee table. I was lulled to sleep at night by the chimes of the grandfather clocks. I remember early mornings doing my hair by the chime of these clocks insuring I still had enough time before I needed to leave to school.

To keep these clocks running we had to wind most of them up. I loved to have the opportunity to place the large brass key in the holes and listen to the ticking of the gears as it was wound up to insure the clock would keep time.

We also had to raise the weights in the grandfather clocks, if I remember right one of the two grandfather clocks weights was raised by a latch or lever. The other clock 's weights were raised with the strings being pulled. These weights were raised by pulling strings or cords. That was not a job for young children. I do think one of those weights has a dent to show the times the children tried raising the weights.

One of our Grandfather clocks was larger and taller than the other. It had a square top. The smaller grandfather clock had a rounded top and so we called it our grandmother clock. Traditionally grandmother clocks hang on walls, not stand on the floor. But in our home the larger floor standing clock, was the grandfather clock and the smaller floor standing clock, was the grandmother clock.

Each clock has an individual chime or tone of its chime. Our grandfather clock had a very deep full sounding chime. The Grandmothers chime was higher in pitch and not as commanding.

Our coffee table clock came from a European country I am not sure which. It was most likely a German clock as we spent several years living in Nuremburg Germany as a family. This clock looked much like the clocks we would see when touring castles. It was a three piece clock set. All three pieces had marble bases. The rest of the clock and figurines on the two side pieces were brass. The middle piece had the clock workings in it. The two side pieces were brass figurines holding urn vase bases if my memory is correct. This clock was obviously old, perhaps 100's of years old. The brass was worn to a beautiful patina nothing like new golden brass.

All my siblings have these clocks in their homes today. I was not given one of the clocks I grew up with. But during our early years of marriage my parents gave us a clock with the Westminister chime I was so accustomed to.

It is a beautiful clock in need of repair to restore its Westminister chime. Repair work on these clocks does not come cheap.

Hello

Hello world, this is my new blog.