WE REMEMBER

Today we remember the fallen, and pay them tribute. Our family is among the lucky; as many of us as have served in the military, none of our family died in war.

My brothers, husband, uncles, and dad--all did their service. Dad was a twenty-year man, and was retired when he died, two and a half years ago, but he served overseas during World War II.

We were, as I say, lucky, and kept Dad until he was nearly 90. We remember him, with love, every day.


I wish that all families were so fortunate, and that their heroes walked with them, held their hands, carried their children, smiled into loved ones' eyes. We honor the fallen, and grieve with the ones left behind.

Last night I had the strangest dream, I never dreamed before.
I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.
And I dreamed I saw a mighty room, and the room was filled with men,
And the papers they were signing said they'd never fight again.
And the people in the streets below were all dancing 'round and 'round,
And guns, and swords, and uniforms, were scattered on the ground.

Last night I had the strangest dream, I never dreamed before.
I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.
words and music by Ed McCurdy
The last photo is from http://swifteconomics.com

A SMOKIN' LITTLE PURSE

Okay, truth in titling: My friend, Buddy, did the smokin'.

Then he gave me the cigar boxes to prove it, and they were the awesomest cigar boxes I've ever seen, bar none.



Never have I been so glad that someone I knew was a smoker! Unfortunately, never, also, have I been so busy, so the Big Bag o' Boxes lay in my sewing room floor for several weeks, lurking in the corner of the room, and tiptoeing into my head whenever they saw fit.

Then, the other night, I was sitting with my laptop, minding my own business, when DH declared his intention to go to sleep. I shut my laptop, and the thought was there, instantly: Okay. I have to make something now. ( If I go too long without creating, I get kinda itchy inside, somehow. Do you ever have those moments, when you just have to make something, have to let your creative impulses hold sway?)

Downstairs I trooped, and this is the result of that "make something now" moment:




This is, as it were, a prototype, and there are a few things I'll do differently next time, but on the whole I think the bag turned out really cool. I'm looking forward to doing one with lots of lace, a plaid one, a polka dot one, a floral....

FRIDAY FENCE POST #47

Went trolling for a fence this afternoon, and got a good one.

Also had the somewhat disconcerting experience of being questioned as to what I was doing, one of those, "Can I help you?" questions from a passing motorist who turned out to be a neighbor and wondered what the strange woman (I admit it!) was doing, kneeling in front of his friends' fence. (Trying to get the shot that got away, dang it.) I love when neighbors care about each other enough to go out of their way to make sure everything's on the up and up. And I'm glad I "didn't look like a tagger", the other bit of information Man-in-Pickup offered. (Must've been the graying hair and bun hairstyle that saved me from that, lol.) (Wow, three, make that four, parentheticals in one paragraph. Am I on a roll, or what?!)

Enough with the verbiage, except to say that a red fence with pink/red/white flowers spilling over it is an awesome sight. Take a look:




After taking those, I wandered around in the car a bit more, went to the post office and bank, and then headed home. I was sitting at the light just down the street from our house when I spotted another fence. How could I have missed this, all the hundreds of times I've been by it? It's so poster-esque:



You know, it's funny. Part of the reason for Friday Fence Posts is to show what interesting and/or beautiful scenes surround us, if we'll just notice them, and my latest fence is one I've driven by countless times, and not noticed!

As usual, click on the photos to see them full-size.

FREE SCRAPBOOK, COLLAGE BACKGROUNDS

I love old architecture, and was fortunate enough to have a show this weekend in the parking lot of a vintage grade school. During a quiet spell, I got some shots of the weathered building, and when I opened them in my photo editor it struck me that the old, peeling paint on one of the doors would make an interesting background image for collage or scrapbooking.

I've changed up the colors, so there's a variety of looks and possibilities. Just click on the image to see it large, right click to save, and print. These are very large files, and you may not get to see them as big as they really are, but to increase the chances that you will, press the F11 key. It will get rid of all the stuff at the top and bottom of your browser, and the photo will increase to fill that new space. Then just press F11 again when you're done, to get the tool bar, etc., back.

Hope you get some use from these!

FRIDAY FENCE POST #46

I spotted this fence just today, on a street I've driven dozens of times. It must be new, because I can't believe I'd have overlooked it all those times!


Isn't it wonderful? You know, I'm going to Have to do something like this! It appears the creator has used mirrors. Would cut or broken Cd's work? I wonder....

WORD WEDNESDAY: IRIS

Iris: The circular, colored curtain of the eye
Iris: The goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the Gods
Iris: Plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals

Amazing how prosaic that last definition is. The iris are in bloom. Flags, my Aunt Charlotte called them today as we exclaimed over them, and they do wave and sway like exotic banners in the late spring rain and gusts we're having. My eyes have been full of them for days.

Iris are so beautiful seen at arm's length that it's hard to believe they'd be even more lovely up close, but I think they are....












To see them in even more detail, click on the pictures.

FREE PHOTO FOR YOUR COLLAGE: WHA...!?

I found this photo of two lovely boys caught with surprised amaze on their faces.

What had just been said to them? Did the photographer tell them to "Watch the birdie"? What birdie? Where? We'll never know, and I will always wonder.

But here's a fact: If you'd like to use this photo in your collage art, click on it so it shows up full-size on your screen, and then right-click on it to save. (Mac user? I don't know what you do to capture images, but I trust you do!)