An Ordinary Day

Hello Friends, I hope your week is going well! 

We've had ordinary days here, 

except that our little Weenie Baby

needs dental surgery on Friday. 

Here she is, just last Friday,
digging a big hole under the maple tree:)

Right now she is not feeling herself 

 and is curled up in a ball, 

on antibiotics and pain meds, 

so I have been staying close

to home and catching up 

on some much needed chores
while comforting her. 

I've caught up on my laundry and ironing;

 something I enjoy doing when 

I am not rushed.

My laundry sign says it all.....

I can just daydream as I wash, fold and iron,
looking out at the front gardens
and watching the robins and squirrels scurry
across the lawn.

 I think of the women who came before me
as I do these chores - my Grandmother's,
Aunt's and Mother.

Humble chores performed across time,
primarily by women,
each generation having it a little easier

I can remember my Mother and Grandmother's
pegging wash on the line nearly every sunny day.
I loved helping to carry the laundry in,
fresh and fragrant,
to be folded or
kept in large wicker baskets
 to be ironed later.

I couldn't wait to be old enough
to iron, as that meant I was
finally 'responsible'.

When I was 12 years old,
my Mother decided that I was old enough,
and I started with handkerchiefs
(my Dad always carried one),
pillow cases, and children's clothes.

With 5 daughters in the family,
( I was the eldest),
there were plenty of little dresses,
blouses and skirts to be ironed.

We had dress codes in school;
All girls had to wear dresses or skirts,
to the knee.

All boys had to wear button-up shirts,
no jeans, and hair cut shorter than
their shirt collar.

When you violated those rules,
your parent's were called
to bring appropriate clothing,
or you had to wear whatever was
in the 'nurse's office' supply closet.

These usually consisted of a few standard sized dresses,
shirts and slacks. No matter, they never fit right
and were years out of style.

Just facing the humiliation of
spending the school day in
the 'surplus' clothes was enough
to keep us in line.

Most of our parent's refused to
come to our rescue and felt it was
our responsibility to abide by the rules.

Those were the days before 'perma-press'
and everything needed a good 'pressing'.
As the eldest daughter, it was my 'responsibility'
to help out, and I loved to iron!
My poor Mother could never catch up.
My Grandmother's each had 8 children!
I can't imagine.......

This is what that free-loading Whitey Bear
did while I slaved away!

This is what happens to my beautiful day-bed
every night. It gets shrouded in doggy blankets.

I let him have his little siesta
because I had plans for him later.....

Bath time! It was a perfect afternoon for a bath
on the deck - 86 degrees in the shade!

Whitey is such a little gentleman, though.
He stood there stoically through it all,
including a hair trim.

Of course, I should tell you that I manually
hauled buckets full of hot water from
the kitchen sink, just for my little buddy's comfort.

And that when I was adding cool water
from my new 'expandable' cloth hose,
I heard a big hissing sound and turned
around to see the hose about to burst!

I didn't get too wet as I ran shrieking away.

Just an ordinary day......

Now that Whitey Bear was cooled off,
he was feeling pretty frisky.

I had to keep him tied
until he dried,

Or this is what would happen....

So he got a treat,
and I decided that I needed one, too.

Fresh strawberries.

And my new issue of Romantic Homes.....

Along with everything to give myself a much needed mani-pedi.

Pink and Proper for my nails,
and something bright and happy for my toes.

The Bavarian rose plate is a recent vintage find
from one of my favorite blogger's Etsy site.

You can find Linda here @ Itsy-Bits-And-Pieces.

Pretty in Pink!

Whitey Bear back on guard duty.

I've been doing a bit of painting and potting
whenever I get the chance, too.

All of my pansies are done blooming,
so I am potting up heat-loving replacements,
which I will show you when I am done.

I have also been putting the finishing touches
on my sewing room updates, including this slipcover,
 and am almost ready to share.

I always have plenty of help selecting fabric :)

Peanut settles in for a little nap while I work.

I've also been cooking up a storm,
mostly light and healthy
to stay on my 'diet'.

I have lots of recipes and tips to share.
(This 'cream' of broccoli soup and whole-wheat scone
turned out delicious :)

This time of year, the daylight lasts until after
10:00 in the evening, here in Washington State.

It sneaks in on slanted rays,
creating rainbows of light, late in the day.

Maggie seems oblivious as the light dances on the wall,
my vacuum cleaner handle in the foreground,
as I stand, looking out from my laundry room door.

The light is refracted from this window
in the eaves of my bedroom.

It is the only window on that side,
and the beveled glass
creates prisms of light
during late summer evenings,
that dance around the room,
and even sneak out the door.

My very own Northern Lights!

Outside, the slanted rays create illuminating scenes...

as the last rays of light turn the tree tops golden.

Thank you, Dear Friends for your kind
and thoughtful visits.

It makes an ordinary day much brighter
when you stop by!

xoxo