My Little Molly

I've been very neglectful... and here's my excuse... a darling little lost dog fell into my life. She came with a bunch of problems... bad habits...behavorial issues... heartworms... hookworms...history of abuse... but... the sweetest personality in the world and I'm just in love with her. She is smart... quick to learn and eager to please me so it has been fun working with her (except when she's driving me bonkers...). The vet thinks she is about 1 1/2 to 2 years... a mixed breed boxer. I named her Molly and here are a few photos. (You'll notice one photo looks like she has an ill fitting set of dentures... apparently a trademark of boxers... her lip sort of 'catches' on some of her teeth causing her to have some hilarious expressions. Add to this her propensity for holding her chewie in her mouth like a cigar... too funny.)

So... that's my little darling...

unattractive people can be engaging... hell... they can even SING...

I'm sure everyone has heard the marvelous clips of the Scottish woman, Susan Boyle, with the voice of an angel and apparently the soul of a very wise woman. I, like others, felt moved by her beautiful voice. I was especially impressed with her good nature and the way she seemed to either ignore or actually not notice the rude and insensitive audience... not to mention the rolling eyes and smirks from the judging table. Then I was just gobsmacked (as she would say!) with her lovely, lovely voice. I thought about how strong she must be and how much inner confidence she must have to be able to perform like that in spite of very little obvious outside support. Her honesty as she went through the litany of telling how she was an unmarried woman who had never been kissed or had a date was somewhat overwhelming. I wondered why she chose to share that part of her life.

And now I've read she has indicated she is not interested in being turned into a slick & chic performer.... I was so pleased to hear her say, "There's nothing wrong with me..." when asked about having a makeover. The person asking the questions seemed briefly somewhat surprised as Susan Boyle went on to explain, "That would be sort of fake, wouldn't it? Wouldn't be me now would it?"

WOW! A not especially attractive person can SING? And then dance a little jig when the audience response is overwhelmingly good? Who knew??? What next? Perhaps the world will recognize ugly people can write and act and design and report the news on TV. Fat people can take photographs? NO! When did this happen?

So... lemme get this straight... it is NOT a requirement for all front desk people to have perfect figures, gorgeous blonde hair, and plumped up lips? Fat people can report the news? Ugly people can sing? Bald people have real emotions and feelings? Pimply faced people fall in love? Deaf people aren't dumb?

I'm thinking this Susan Boyle woman has hit upon something. The world is made up of maybe 5% beautiful people. There's plenty of room for the rest of us (hell... think about it... probably takes the other 95% to keep the 5% going... ;- ) .

a new word for me... quiddity...

I like odd words.... this was the 'word of the day' for Saturday, April 18th.

quiddity \KWID-ih-tee\, n.:
1. The essence, nature, or distinctive peculiarity of a thing. 2. A hairsplitting distinction; a trifling point; a quibble. 3. An eccentricity; an odd feature.

He wanted to capture not just live animals, but the aliveness of animals in their natural state: their wildness, their quiddity, the fox-ness of the fox and the crow-ness of the crow-- Thomas Nye, quoted in "Ted Hughes, 68, a Symbolic Poet And Sylvia Plath's Husband, Dies", New York Times, October 30, 1998

She has looked after my interests with consummate skill, dealt with my quiddities and constantly kept up my spirits.-- John Brewer, The Pleasures of the Imagination

It is neither grammatical subtleties nor logical quiddities, nor the witty contexture of choice words or arguments and syllogisms, that will serve my turn.-- Michel de Montaigne, "Of Books"

I began . . . to give some thought to the memoir I had promised to write and wondered how I would go about it -- his freaks, quiddities, oddities, his eating, drinking, shaving, dressing and playfully savaging his students.-- Saul Bellow, Ravelstein

Quiddity comes from the scholastic Medieval Latin term quidditas, "essence," from quid, "what."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for quiddity

a little of this and a little of that... cycling MS-150; folk art trees

I've been away a bit... feeling very tired it seems. Hopefully it is just the nasty weather...we had 4 inches of rain in about two hours Friday... and another few inches today. The MS-150 bike ride to Austin was cancelled for today, but is a "go" for Sunday... first time in 25 years.... 13,000 cyclists coming in from all over the US are stuck figuring out how to get to the new starting place Sunday. My niece's husband is riding in it... they're driving to Bastrop today to join the new starting point (LaGrange) early Sunday. (LaGrange had ELEVEN inches of rain Friday... terrible flooding and tore up the camp where 500 tents were set up for die hard cyclists who couldn't get hotel reservations).

Anyhow... here's something I came across online. I love folk art, bottle trees, etc... but I'd never seen (or thought of) a fabric tree! This one is about 7 ft. tall. Wouldn't this be a nifty way to use up all those leftover pieces of fabric... or pieces of clothing? I may give it a go. These days I'm more into thinking up projects rather than carrying through with plans. Basically the cloth was torn or cut into long strips and wound around tree branches and fixed with glue. If used outdoors it obviously won't hold up a long time... perhaps a season or two (depending on how much fading & deterioration you can handle... for me... wd probably still be standing at least 5-6 years!).

One of the homes in my old neighborhood had several crape myrtle trees along the side street. Each year the owner painted the bare trunks in several bright colors & I remember they seemed quite festive during the dismal days of winter. The paint didn't seem to harm the trees as they are still blooming (30 yrs later)... and still painted.

Bluebonnets, Azaleas, and Longhorns...

...only in Texas! Texans are proud of our wildflowers and owe a debt to the late Lady Bird Johnson for her efforts at preserving Texas native flowers along our highways. The first three photos were taken in around Bellville, Cat Spring, and Brenham, Texas.

This photo was taken at one of the Houston public parks and is an unusual close-up view of azaleas with skyscrapers in the background. Although azaleas area not native, I thought the photo fit with the bluebonnets.

A Texas longhorn framed by Texas bluebonnets in the Texas hill country.

I do not know who took these photos so can't give appropriate credit.

anniversary of death of my best friend, Mary, doll artist

"Pansy"

"Sissy"

"Walter & Petunia"

"Twins"


"Jazz">

Sunday, March 29th, was the anniversary of the death of my best friend, Mary. She was diagnosed with a fast growing glioblastoma multiforme, grade 4 on 911, had surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy and then passed away on Good Friday. Mary was a delightful and multi-talented artist who always saw the glass as half-full... and sometimes brimming over. She was also the original 'momma' of my darling Gertie. The first photo above was taken when she was in Germany selling her original sculpted dolls on HSN Germany. She's holding the factory version of her first doll, Lucinda. All the other dolls are some of her original sculpted dolls. The head, arms, and legs are porcelain and the bodies are cloth. An armature allows the dolls to be posed. Most of Mary's original dolls were about 24" tall and all were dressed in vintage/antique clothing which Mary altered and/or remade to fit them. She liked to present her dolls in vignettes suggesting a story and she loved having her dolls playing "dress-up" ("Jazz" was designed to be playing dress-up with one of the girls whose photo I can't find right now...).... and Mary just loved searching for all the little accessories that made her dolls unique.

Mary also made gorgeous reproductions of French and German antique dolls. I'll post some of those another day. It has been seven years since Mary died and I still miss her so much. She was truly a bright spot in my life and I'm lucky to have had her among my friends. I'm sure she and Gertie are in heaven with many squirrels for Gert to chase and flea markets and gardens for Mary to explore.

a little visit from Gertie...

I had a wonderful dream about Gertie the other night. In my dream Gertie came bouncing into the house, ran and found her favorite blue Kong then happily plopped down for a good Kong chew on her rug. Gertie had a cute way of sprawling out when she was in a particularly good mood... she just looked so pleased with herself... like she'd found the most wonderful something or the other... and that's the way she looked in the dream.... just plain happy. I'm taking it as a sign my sweet Gertie is in a good place. It was good to have a little 'visit' from her. Here's another sorta old photo of Gert in her reindeer horns... she didn't seem all that interested in being Rudolph! (wait til you see her in her 'church lady' hat)

Log Cabins

Several thousand acres of the area in which I live were originally owned by large lumber companies... so... as you might imagine ... lots of trees. This falling down log cabin was originally a hunting cabin for one of the landowners. The current owners allowed the cabin to fall down before giving it away. It has been dismantled and logs were numbered to be reassembled at a different site. Plans for rebuilding/restoration have not come to fruition... yet.

I've always liked small homes, but it is amazing to me to walk through some of these tiny spaces and wonder how entire families lived in them. Wouldn't it be fun to have one of these out in the country overlooking a small pond? Wonder if I could be a good writer if I had a little cabin like this? Maybe not... but I bet I could sure get all snuggy with my feet held to the fire.

Birdie Hot Tubs, Snake Sidewalks, Pebble Mosaic, and Mosaic Tree Trunks...

Wouldn't this be a fun sidewalk... specially if you have children. It could be modified by using a plain concrete sidewalk with only the head ... and perhaps the tail... shaped to resemble a snake and trimmed with mosaic.

I love this patio area and thought some day I'd have a similar one, but never got around to it... don't think I could build one today. I collected a bunch of flat pretty colored rocks... though... who knows. Maybe.

These are live trees... Berkeley, CA! It seems the mosaic would not be able to hold up... wouldn't the tree's growth force the tiles off?

Birdie Hot Tub! An old heater married to a bowl to create a bird bath.

Little Mamas, Vintage Photos of Children and their Dolls

The photo to the left is dated 1915 and features a cute Little Mama with her googly doll, Hug Me Tight.

Postal cards featured sweet children with their toys and this Little Mama is particularly fetching as she gives her dolly a ride. Can you imagine the handwork on these 2 dresses?

1950s Christmas dolly... not a lot of black dolls available at that time. This Little Mama looks lovingly at her Mama Doll... we find lots of these heads... arms & legs were frequently made of "magic skin" which rotted... leaving only the intact head.

These two sweet toddlers appear afraid of the camera... note the Little Mama wears a locket, bracelet, and (I think?) a ring. The boy is riding his skin horse and the girl's factory made cloth doll sits on a great little wooden chair... likely painted red.

And... yes... I collect vintage photos... of many different subjects. The first I collected were of little girls with their dolls and I've never stopped adding to the collection. I find them sweet and evocative of a different place in time... a kinder and more gentle place.

My Momma Didn't Buy Me Any Toys...

So... I grew up and bought my own. The first photo has the larger dolls... these are all German antique dolls... Kestner, Hoffmeister, and a few others. The small A&M doll (middle right side) is about 12" and is in her original condition including her pink gauze dress with cheap lace and trip. The dress is heavily sized (and would either disintegrate if washed or become a very limp piece with no body). The hat has been added. She likely had a huge hair bow when originally purchased. The body is a very grainy, rough compo. These dolls were cheaply made and it is difficult to find them in such pristine condition. She is not particularly valuable, but I love seeing her so fresh and new looking with her tiny paper "patent leather" shoes and her crispy clothing. The middle doll... blonde with no hat and a sort of 'baby face' is marked "Herzi". I've found very little information about her. She is about 18" tall on a toddler jointed compo body. The top far right doll is a Schoenau Hoffmeister, about 20" tall on a compo body. She wears her original faux fur cape and gold filled bar pin. My favorite is probably toward the bottom middle... a 12" Kestner 143 wearing her original fur trimmed wool bonnet.

In the px below the top two (red cape & blue sweater) are 10" celluloid. The next row ... all about 6-7" tall, porcelain heads and compo bodies. The front doll is all bisque... about 5" tall. All are German antiques.

The doll to the far left dressed in an off white dress with pink ribbon trim is a favorite. She has sleep eyes and a darling compo body. I bought her at an estate sale.

The small box, the pink ballerina doll shoe, and the doll potty all hold tiny china dolls... sometimes called 'bathing dolls' or 'frozen charlottes'.

These dolls are mostly reproductions of small antiques with a few original artist dolls. Sizes range from about 3-4" to 8".

Yet another favorite of mine! Old Santas! I don't care about the quality, rarity, or material... just smallish old Santas. This photo was shot from the side of a small display cabinet so not the best view.... and it is way too crowded. The Santas need a new home.

I made a few of the snowmen ... the snowmama with her twins and the snowman candy container (bottom right corner wearing burgundy hat).

The snowman at top right corner is an old whiskey advertising piece. The largest snowman in the middle top is a 1940s vintage animated piece with eyes & nose that light up. The smallish (abt 8") front row far right is a beer bottle from Germany. I have another collection of very small snowmen I'll share later.

Spent most of the week wrangling contractors and yard people... resulting in new french doors for the living room and bedroom plus a few new windows to make the french doors fit in the space where the old sliding glass doors stood. Also... new bathroom windows...clear glass... big change from the old frosted glass... and, best of all, with a mechanism for leaving the window open about six inches, but locked so it cannot be opened further. The old windows didn't have this plus I'd added very poorly fitting screens so the windows had to stay closed most of the time. It has been so nice to have open windows and cool breezes all weekend.

I also bought a new bottle tree.... made with welded rebar. It is much smaller than I'd like, but it is a start. I'm hoping it will grow into a big tree by summer's end... and I'll plant the seeds and have even more bottle trees.

PS... My mother did buy toys for me... just not very many... lol... and not the ones I wanted. When I was young girls still played with dolls... and for a long time. At age 13 she told me I was too old to have a doll. I wasn't.

Houston Art Car Parade

Most photos are from summer 2008 Houston Art Car Parade. The first is David Best's and is completely beaded. It is an older entry... don't remember exact date, but I believe it was about ten years ago.

Close up view of front of beaded car.

Another beaded art car entry... again... from several years ago.

Summer 2008 entry... I suppose this one is self explanatory! The Art Car Parade includes bikes, skateboards, roller blades... just about anything on wheels... (plus a free spirit).

Summer 2008... I believe this one was the lego car...

This is the original art car... summer 1984... Houston, TX ... and was called The Fruit Mobile. It was covered with ... duh... plastic fruit. If I remember correctly it was one of two in the initial display at the Lawndale Art Annex in Houston.

Wanna see more art cars? http://www.artcarmuseum.com/ The art car parade and museum in Houston is an annual affair that seems to grow larger every year. Many area high school art departments create entries. You can google art cars to learn if there are any in your area. The next Houston art car parade will be Saturday, May 9, 2009. The annual Art Car Ball is a major fundraiser held among the art cars which are parked for the affair on one or another area rooftop parking lots. I believe the last Art Car Ball had 55,000 in attendance (that's people... not cars).... dancing among the cars. You can bet they raised a bit of pocket change at that affair.

The Houston art car museum has become part of the Orange Show, another Houston eccentric art/folk art showplace which, when the original creator died and the place was falling into disrepair, was revived by a local non-profit. The Orange Show is home today to many fund raisers and the group is an integral part of Houston philanthropy.

The life that shall flourish will be the life that adapts to its environment and its changes.

…unknown author

otherwise known as "life gives you lemons, make lemonade"....

pigs, whales, and bottle houses

I may be spelling her name wrong, but I believe this is the Mrs. Presby folk art village in California. This lady... beginning at a rather late time in her life, built an entire Village of Bottles in California. Last I read it was falling into disrepair as it appears she had been ill. I have better photos saved somewhere online, but don't know where right now.

Good day! Jeannie

only in texas...

http://www.weirdamerica.com/2007/11/05/wacky-uses-pigdom/

don't know where this guy lives, but I like people who get off their duff and keep on creating... all I can say about the "camper"... it IS an interesting piece of folk art...but don't think I'd wanna sleep there. I do like the tree art... http://www.weirdamerica.com/2007/10/15/weird-america-mobys-dock/

Recycled planters and yard art

I love this recycled planter made by one of my gardening junk friends several years ago. She used an old washing machine agitator... turned it upside down and attached it to a pipe sunk into the ground. It reminds me of a big pink lily!

Here's a nice flower bed made using old picket fences and part of a chair for a plant shelf... again, not my yard, but I like it. I have a small collection of 40s potty chairs which I used to hang over the tub in the bathroom but have already hung one on the covered patio and plan to put the others there. They look great with trailing plants in the 'potty' area. (Soon as I get the digital camera... and figure out how to use it...will post a photo. )



It is possible none of you will recognize the origins of this lovely planter.... and instead of telling, I'm gonna ask you to take a guess. I can give you a hint... I'd LOVE to have it in my back patio... and I just love junk.

I did a little impromptu antiquing Wednesday and the devil made me buy a vintage telephone booth... it is huge... solid oak inside and out and has old wavy glass in the door. It really is a beautiful piece. The seat was removed long ago and shelves added to make it a display cabinet... I'll probably leave it like that for a while... until I decide exactly what to do with it... it was such a bargain... I just couldn't pass it up! (i'll need to keep a closer eye out for those antiquing devils in the future)