Bundles and boxes and biscuits, oh my

Well, dear readers, I hope this finds you fine. I haven't written a real blog in quite a while, not because I haven't had any events but because it is hard to pick and choose. Some of life is dead boring and doesn't make interesting reading. Some is routine, in fact frightfully, exhaustingly busy with routine, but its hard to take pictures of that. Then sometimes life is just plain hard, either with grief over a death or sorrow over someone's troubled marriage, and you can't put it into words.

Along the way there are always joys if we can see them. I rejoice with you all over the coming of spring—unless you happen to be an Aussie and you can't imagine what a red tulip does for the spirit after the unusually long and hard winter we've all seemed to have. (It's so amazing to me that the crazy weather this winter has been world-wide and so many bloggers mentioned the coming of spring in the same week from the Netherlands to England to Portland, even Texas.)

But what I am pondering is this: do we only share the bright and happy side of life? It seems that most of the posts speak of beauty in nature or handmade things, fun activities and things that cheer. Maybe that is the point: to speak of things that cheer. Maybe it's one way we can encourage each other, with the pretties and the joy of antique finds and home décor and gardens. I don't know: is there an understanding among bloggers?

Well, my news in brief: In an effort to clean things up I have made greater messes than ever. Two rooms are engulfed and I'm working on another. In the basement, which we are trying to make into living space, the sorting process has gotten to the finer distinctions of “Save—But Where?” from the more satisfying larger categories of “Pitch It Out—Give It Away-- or Save.” One night while my darling son was constructing bookshelves under the vent pipes (much better than his teenage solution of painting the vent pipes hot pink) I sat on the floor to sort.

All I had was one box, but it contained all the little “saves” that I wasn't sure what to do with . I hear voices saying “If you don't know what to do with it, pitch it out.” I'm not listening to those voices. There were greeting cards from my son's high school graduation, tributes, and a note I had written to him about how much he meant to us. Don't say “Give it to him”; he's the one that pitched it out. There were dinner menus and guest lists from memorable parties we've had, and kids' report cards, and travel maps from our trip to Charleston and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and thank you notes that were especially meaningful.

Arghhh. So now I have 6 boxes spread around the floor, each with a little bit of something in it. Next time I get to it there will be a layer of sawdust on it all.

In the library (sounds fancy, doesn't it, but it's just a bedroom converted to our books and computer) I had stashed all the treasures I brought home from the big garage sale for camp. I told you about all my treasures and I was going to photograph some of them for you. Well, then Easter came and I had to hurriedly move the boxes to the library 'cause company was coming. So now I have bundles and boxes there, and every once in a while I pull something out and things topple over but I am in a hurry so....

In the past week I have had 3 baby showers, two at work and one my daughter gave for my niece which was very fun. It involved me getting out my serving dishes and paints and brushes so now I have the borrowed items returned to me on my kitchen counter. I chose to make duck shaped cookies for the party so I also have about 37 cookie cutters to put away in the basement. (Rarely used but can't pitch out, duckie showers being a case in point).

I do have pictures to show you of some uncovered treasures in the basement and the garage sale items and a new purse a friend made for me which deserves its own post. A thing of beauty, and so is my friend.

See you before long.