A Celestial Home and Celestial Language for Pink Saturday 6/6/09

I've said many times that my home is a refuge from the world. It is. In doing some reading lately I want to speak to the issue of beautiful homes and beautiful language.

I know of a man who determined to please his wife by sharing a specific compliment each night as he returned home from work. One night he complimented her on her cooking. The next night he complimented her on keeping a lovely and clean home for their family. Another night he complimented her on her sweet influence on their children. Then one night before he could speak she told him she was aware of what he was doing and thanked him for it but she then said, "Don't say any of those things to me; just tell me you think I'm beautiful." Captured my heart! I praise hubby regularly for being such a good provider for us and I sincerely mean it. He works hard so I'm able to stay home and take care of it and him.

As my close friends know I am a stickler for proper language. Oh, I sometimes slip and say a bad word but I know better. I hear filthy language all the time when out shopping or in some restaurants. It's become the "cultural" thing to do. My advice is "stop it" and stop it now! It shows ignorance when we use filthy language and allow others in our presence to do it. I've heard conversations that include the word "like" so many times I thought I'd scream. Yes, it's the teenagers and young adults and they have no verbal skills whatsoever. It shows that the teachers are not teaching them proper language skills or correcting them because it's "insensitive" to do it. Rubbish. I correct people as much as I can without being totally obnoxious. I think it's very sad that as an English speaking country we can't form proper grammar in our sentences. And the fact is that they have no clue they are incorrect!

Let's talk about music now. I am in shock at some of the songs I'll hear from MP3 players or at some homes today. (By the way, "awe" means a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear OR wonder. It does NOT mean what the cultural norm is intending it to mean today. I refuse to use it in any other way than what it is supposed to mean. I do not use "awesome!" to describe every little thing that I find astonishing.) Have you ever listened to classical music even by some of today's composers? Beautiful. It will almost always bring me to tears. Shouldn't we be allowing "beauty" in our music to permeate our homes also? I think yes. Your home is only as good as the things you allow in it: music, books, language. Think on it. I want my heart and my mind to be "heavenly" and I strive for it. I am NOT perfect. I happen to love the Air Supply, Dionne Warwick and Credence Clearwater Revival and always will but they don't play on my CD player all the time. The other day I was listening to a blog that had loud music and quickly switched it off. I then found one that had adagio music playing and it brought my heart to tears.

There is a story about Audrey Hepburn when she was making My Fair Lady and she was "disheveled and unpolished" with her face besmirched with charcoal in the opening scene. She told this man, "But I was wearing my perfume and inside I still knew I was a lady." She had to feel self-respect and pride in her appearance even for a movie role. That's how I feel about myself. I must feel clean and good inside.

Let's look at some of these pink rooms in homes.

This one takes pink a step above pink into almost fuchsia. Gorgeous!

A traditional home in pink is a rarity today but oh so lovely. Who says you have to have dark colors in traditional style?

Chartreuse and pink?? Yesssssss!

Movie star gorgeous bathroom. Clean, simple, pink.

A "gray flannel suit" wrapped in pink. Very striking.

The proverbial little girl's room in pink but with a "grown-up" twist.

A library in pink and gray. I truly believe, because some men have told me they love my home, that men do love pink romantic surroundings. The room below is a masculine room as well as a feminine room.

Ditto the above description.

A very inexpensive way to make a dramatic statement in a room.

A tad "Jetsons" style but very cute.

Drama in the dining room here. Very french and froufrou-y pink.

I would probably have fabric on the sides of the windows but I absolutely love this room and would live happily in it. Very stylish.

~*~

Random Thought

The world doesn't need any more coarse women. It needs women of virtue, strength and softness.

Pink Patio and Light and Shadows

Some little signs I've had for a couple of years that had some prints of garden items on them couldn't take the hot desert summer heat anymore and gave up th' ghost—that's Idaho talk for "peeled off." I was ready to trash them but hubs—YES, hubs— said to try and paint them. I almost fell out of the dining room chair, chicks!! Ohmygosh, I couldn't believe he was telling me to keep something and not to throw it away. Well, I didn't want to spoil his party so I did as th' man said. I painted them the other day and then decided to go for it totally and paint the patio table since I had my painting apron on, the wind was not blowing and I had paint cans in my hands already. PinkkkkkkKKK. While I was at it, and being totally embarrassed at our yard at the moment since Love Bunny is campaigning for a state position and barely has time to mow the front yard. I decided to show you what the back yard looks like at the moment. This will change very shortly I can assure you. ;-) They don't call me the "nag" for nothing, ya know.

Krylon's Ballet Pink spray-on paint is the color and it is a lively pink but looks lighter in the photos however. I was just so sick of looking at that black round metal table all rusted and dust covered. (I figure the dust won't show as much on the pink! "I don't do dust" has always been my motto.)

Then as I was photographing it I noticed the light and shadows across it and saw how pretty it was. Looks almost lavender where the sheer curtain shadows fall across the table.

It almost felt ethereal out there early in the morning all by myself and no neighborhood noises yet. Actually, we live in a very, very quiet neighborhood. But I felt like it was almost transformed with the light falling softly on the top.

Concord grapes grow here for hubs because he loves them. He gets just enough to satisfy his appetite for a year from this small vine. I don't care for grapes with seeds and am not fond of concord grapes so he gets them all to himself, much to his glee.

Our little patch of garden. Last year we planned on putting stones around it this year but haven't had the time yet so this is—embarrassingly—it for the moment. I plan on getting this done posthaste though. Remember, I'm th' nag here and I'm very good at it. ;-) We've got 3 tomato plants started and will have cucumbers, lettuce and a few other things. Not much as I am NOT canning anymore.

That little beige pot next to it is my gardenia we're nursing back to health. It stays in the house for the winter and then goes back outside in the summer. I love them but it gets pretty cold in the winter so we have to bring it inside.

Forget-me-not seed packet was a gift from an order I received over the internet. We'll—meaning Love Bunny, I can assure you—will plant these soon and then I'll use the package to hang in my laundry room on a wall.

I Walked Through the Rose Garden Today

Life is getting back to somewhat normal around here after the tragedy for this family. It was a terrible and horrific loss to us all. If anyone is interested we placed a video on Youtube to watch. It's about 5 minutes long and shows Bill through his life. This is a man who never ever complained about his circumstances in life. In the first picture he is the second from the left and also he is the saxophone player on the audio. I suggest you put youtube into full screen mode and turn up the sound to hear what a talented saxophonist he was.

Bill Cormier
November 1962 - May 2009

I thought I'd share some of his garden with you today. He absolutely loved tending his garden and had so many rose bushes we couldn't keep count, well over a hundred.

Let me tell you what this valiant young man went through.

In his early 30s he started losing his kidney function through a disease he had with his blood and too much protein in it. He was started on steroids knowing full well the eventual outcome of steroids eating away joints. He endured numerous operations including one where his father donated a kidney. It worked for about 3 days and then they had to go back in and remove it as it was being destroyed by his disease. He had knee surgeries, a hip replacement, a shoulder replacement, diverticulitis and eventually a part of his colon removed and so as to not get graphic he was on immodium every single day his whole life after that operation, the fistula on his left arm to bring the vein to the surface so he could receive dialysis easier with the full knowledge that his arm could burst at any time and he would bleed out. He was to have that replaced with a cow or pig vein and then faced a shoulder replacement a few months after that would have been done. He died before that took place with his arm bursting open and bled out within 2 minutes just as they had warned him. Last year his face seemed "frozen" on one side and he and Nan thought it might be Bell's palsy but it turned out to be a tumor on his ear so they operated on that ear, cut out the tumor (benign) and he was deaf in that ear. Only then did he ask his mom "what did I ever do to deserve this?" He never ever complained up until that time. He and Nan traveled, camped and never let it get them down. We had to fight with him to get a handicapped sticker for his cars because he hated them and rarely used them although he was so sick. He wouldn't even park in the handicapped place at work or at dialysis center since he thought other dialysis patients would need it worse than him. He would only use it when we visited with them and since we're "older" he'd use it then—for us and not himself. (We truly didn't need it.) His co-workers were stunned when he died because only his immediate boss had any idea of his circumstances and he didn't know how bad it was. They wanted to bring in grief counselors because of that. He was Director of Product Development at his Silicon Valley company and absolutely loved going to work each day. They loved him. The chapel was full at his memorial service.

I've included roses from his garden. I went out friday evening and photographed them and then cut one from each bush to put into a boxwood wreath we ordered online.

The bushes are in bad need of trimming but he didn't have the time to do that since he was still recuperating from the operation. The gardener will prune them soon.

The roses almost seem as though they know Bill is gone and won't be tending them again. Some are wilted and some are budding out but a few are in full abundant glorious bloom.

He had all colors in the yard. This one is especially beautiful I think.

This is his favorite rose outside their kitchen window on the deck.

Another photo of his favorite rose.

This one is truly exquisite looking in its colors.

From the front of the house looking across the street.

Hubby got in this picture!

I gathered up a basket and clipped these to put into the wreath for his memorial. He wanted donations to the kidney foundation in lieu of flowers but his company and co-workers sent some bouquets.

All the roses in the wreath are from his beloved garden.

This phrase is said so often and truly meant by those who say it but he truly was a brave and dear young man who will be greatly missed by all.

New Camper Birdhouse for Pink Saturday 5/30/09

This is the little camper birdhouse I made in January and sold. I didn't want to sell it because I wasn't sure I could find another one since this was the only one they had at the time. But I did find a couple more and am making another one for OUR camper. It will NOT be for sale. But I thought I'd show you how it came together in case you might want to make one for yourself.

I finished this one the other day and it will definitely go into the camper that I've named the Rose Cottage Camper.

Garland and rose on top along with the name of the camper.

I started with a good sanding first and then painted some parts pink since they won't be covered with fabric.

Wheels will be covered with fabric though.

Some of the fabric might be lighter than others so the pink paint will help the wood to not show through.

Wordless Wednesday 5/27/09