The Kewpie Knows




I think I've moved at least thirty times in my life. The last time I counted it was 23 times, but that was more than eight moves ago. The first half of my relocating adult life I wouldn't let anything go and kept all memorabilia, most of which never left their original packed boxes. I hauled the boxes from state to state, town to town,  house to house, and stowed them in the garage or basement until the next move. But the second half of my adult life I began to let go.  Each move I whittled down the number of boxes until now all I'm taking in the way of keepsakes this time are a  few things that belonged to my grandfather, and my mother's pink depression glass (which I'd show you if it wasn't packed away in the storage unit where I put it the last time I moved).  I'm holding onto this kewpie doll, too. I'm keeping her (or is it him?) because #1 - he/she is vintage and in excellent condition,  #2 -- it's the last thing I have from my childhood (a gift from a beloved aunt), and #3 -- I've finally matured to the point where this silly doll no longer gives me the heebee jeebees. Honestly. There's just something kind of creepy about this winking kewpie in his/her birthday suit. But maybe it's just me that thinks so. Anyway, it's finally time to grow up and stop turning this kewpie upside down, with its face away from me, before I turn out the light next to my bed. Yes, I really did that as a kid.  But then I also was convinced that the lilac bush outside my bedroom window morphed into a monster at night and the only way to stop it from eating me was to hunker down under the covers and pray it didn't know I was there.

I've always had a vivid imagination. Just ask the kewpie.

What kind of things scared you when you were a kid?


Learn more about Kewpie dolls at this History Channel page: http://www.thehistorychannelclub.com/articles/articletype/articleview/articleid/1472/the-kewpie-doll

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Saying Good-bye to Our Cottage in the Pines



The day of our departure is getting closer. Right now  I'm spending a few days with my grandchildren near Denver, enjoying a break from packing and giving furnishings away.

A few days ago I snapped some photos of our cottage and the grounds. It was a beautiful morning, as is often the case this time of year in the Colorado Rockies. In the early morning light the easterly mountains appear blue.




Our cottage rests on a 1/2 acre lot filled with Ponderosa Pine, wild grasses, shrubs and flowers,



Strolling through the grass I spied Mountain Bluebells.



I love the way Primrose pushes its way through the rocky soil.



This is Rubus deliciosus, commonly known as Delicious Raspberry. Its fruit is dry and not highly valued. But the bush is very hearty and the flowers are lovely.


Menodora brighten the landscape.


I think more than anything I'll miss our log barn, which is now my husband's art studio. It dates back to the 1800's and was the original homesteader's cabin. About 400 acres were part of the homestead in those days. Now it's subdivided into much smaller parcels.





If we were staying here we would install window boxes for flowers and plant more flowers and shrubs around the cottage.



We really accomplished a lot in two years, though. The first three months we went from this. . .












 to this. . .




Last summer we finished the remodeling by tearing off the broken down back porch, moving the door and adding an eyebrow over it, and putting in new windows. I love the way it turned out.


It's fun to imagine how our next home will look. I wonder how the view from my new kitchen window (wherever it is) will compare with this one.




 



Oregon Cottages





I am a total delinquent.  It's been over seven weeks since my last post. This is such a no-no in Blogland. I'm pretty sure blogger gremlins are going to show up on my keyboard and heckle me. I do have a pretty good excuse for my absence, though. We've been traveling, I had a three week writing assignment, we put our house on the market and it's now in contract, and for the past two weeks we've been giving away furniture, household items and bunches of other stuff to lighten our load. Oh, and I've been helping a friend with his new vacation home cleaning business. (Do I have your sympathy yet?)

We made two trips to Oregon: one in April, and one in May.  The charming cottage in the photo above resides in the quaint seaside village of Yahatz, Oregon, where we stayed in May.

When we left Colorado, our cottage was covered in two feet of snow. Sure it looks beautiful, like a Christmas card, but instead shouldn't we see a May pole on May 1?


I long to live in a climate where Spring actually arrives on time.  I like the Rockies, but our growing season is very short.  Spring comes in June.  Not good for a girl who loves to see daffodils in April.
The gorgeous florals in the front of the Yahatz cottage is my idea of a perfect May garden. Delightful.




The flower boxes outside our room at the Ocean Cove Inn brought a smile to my face. I love those little benches.






The room's back door opened up to these lovelies.


This was my first visit to the Oregon coast.


Its rugged beauty is very much what I expected.


After our house closes on July 1 we'll head back to Oregon for a serious look at real estate.  One of the towns that intrigues us is La Grande, home of Eastern Oregon University.  It's a small northeast town (population 13,000) with an abundance of cottages and vintage homes.  My blogging friend Connie at Crafty Home Cottage recently blogged about La Grande and its wonderful vintage homes .  I asked her if I could share some of the photos she took and she graciously said, "yes".

Here are three cottages from Connie's post:

Community Pride, La Grande OregonPhoto by Connie of Crafty Home Cottage:


Community Pride, La Grande OregonPhoto by Connie of Crafty Home Cottage:

Community Pride, La Grande OregonPhoto by Connie of Crafty Home Cottage:


These photos were taken in April.  See the flowers.  See the trees leafing out. See the green grass. That's what I'm talkin' about.

Be sure to stop by Crafty Home Cottage to learn more about La Grande and see more of the town's homes. Victorian, Prairie, Tudor.  They're all wonderful. Connie does a great job as a tour guide, with barns and the countryside thrown into the mix.

Have a great weekend. I promise I won't wait so long to post again.

Blessings,