My Irises

 I have several different kinds of Irises, and each one is my favorite!  

Which is your favorite?

My Yard in Bloom

 It has been beautiful here this week! Saturday trips to the local nursery meant I have some new plants.

White Stone Scavenger Hunt on Davis Street

Stones with questions that had to be answered. 

Families on our street recently completed a White Stone Scavenger Hunt where 12 white stones with questions were hidden along the street.  Finders had to answer the questions and then leave the stones for others to find.  Some of the stones were Souvenir Stones and finders could keep one of those each.

Souvenir stones that had no questions to answer and could be kept by the finder.  

Nine families participated and all found the stones and answered the questions.   Each child who participated received a prize.  A drawing was held for family prizes.  The Cliftons won first prize (a $25. gift certificate to Local Fresh Ice Cream), the Roses won second prize (a $10. gift certificate to Local Fresh) and the Anders won third prize (a $5. gift certificate to Local Fresh).

Teddy with Salem and his prize. 

Cleary and Will with their prizes.

The Rose family Elvis and Bjorn with Dad and Grandpa. Second place winners. 

I think I had more fun than the children as I watched folks hunting for the stones on the street.  My next project for July is to have a treasure hunt for the street.

Treasure chest ready to be filled with treasures.  

Stay tuned.

Letters to my Grandchildren Summer 1951

Joan and George. 

While I loved to pick cotton, I was not too fond of chopping cotton, de-weeding, and thinning out the plants.  However, in the summer of 1951 I was chopping cotton for a neighbor down towards Pink Lovelace's store.  Donnis Ashley and I were working in a field down there.  For lunch, I would always go back home where Mama would have a great lunch ready for me, and then I might rest awhile and go back and chop some more if it got cooler.

When I went home for lunch that one June day, Mama had lunch but she was also all a twitter regarding a letter that she had received from my Aunt Elsie who lived in Maryland.  Elsie's daughter, Joan, my first cousin was getting married, and she planned to have the wedding in August down at our grandmother's house.  She wanted me to be her maid of honor.  I was more excited about it than Mama was.  I'm not sure I had ever been to a wedding and I know for certain I had never BEEN in a wedding.

Beautiful Joan. 

Many of our purchases in those days were from the Sears Roebuck Catalog that arrived at our house in the mail every season.  That was the source of the evening dress that I would choose to wear in the wedding.  It was a lovely pink dress with a few rhinestones embedded around the front of the bodice and a sheer cape covering the shoulders. We told Aunt Elsie that I would wear pink so she could choose a picture hat as an accessory for me to wear.  She and Joan came down several days before the wedding day, and when I opened the hatbox from Hecht's in Baltimore that they brought there was this beautiful pink picture hat.  The prettiest hat I had ever seen.  It matched my dress perfectly.  That hat was a birthday gift for me too, my birthday was on the 23 of August, and the wedding was on August, 25.  I had just turned 14.  Joan was only 20.

Cheryl, the flower girl, and me. 

My Dad built an altar that was placed out in front of the beautiful Spirea bush ablaze with white blossoms in front of Grandma's porch.  The piano was pulled out on the porch.  I don't remember who played the piano, but our cousin Virginia Greene, who was an accomplished musician, sang. Our little cousin Cheryl was the flower girl also dressed in pink.  Chairs were placed out on the lawn facing the porch where a large number of aunts, uncles, and cousins who attended sat.

The wedding party in front of the altar in front of Grandma Greene's front porch.

I was happy to be in the wedding, but at the same time, I was sad that Joan was getting married.  She always came down to Grandma's in the summer for a long visit, and I knew she wouldn't; be doing that now.

After the wedding, there was a reception up the road at our Aunt Edith's house.  Joan knew I was sad because she wouldn't be coming in the summers to play, but she told me that I wouldn't be interested in playing for many more summers.  She was right.  It wasn't too many summers until I became interested in boys.

Hanging Out With Rebecca, A Clothes Horse, on Patreon

Apple blossoms by Rebecca A Clothes Horse.

It is such a dreary, rainy, cool day here that I spent some time this morning on Patreon enjoying Rebecca's photography and musings, and that always lifts my spirits.  Rebecca is my first cousin twice removed.  Her grandmother Joan and I are first cousins.  Rebecca's Mom Robin is my first cousin once removed. This information is for those of you who might be fond of Geneology.


I am a patron of Rebecca on Patreon and that means that I am allowed to share her posts as long as I give her credit, so that is what I am going to do today.  All photography here is from Rebecca, A Clothes Horse from what she shares on Patreon.

She often shares some of her favorite quotes. Photography by Rebecca. 

January wallpaper.  

February wallpaper.  Rebecca is a book lover as am I.

The Rhodos bloom much earlier in Northern Ireland than they do here in NC.

Rebecca's inlaws in Northern Ireland have apple farms.  So she makes lots of pictures in these orchards.

These apple blossoms are making my rainy day much brighter. 

One should always have a little book handy. 

Rebecca makes beautiful crowns and this one is made of apple blossoms.

Rebecca has lived in Northern Ireland since she married a charming Northern Irishman, Thomas.  Northern Ireland is really a fairyland and Rebecca captures it all with her photography.  Patreon is a platform and way for artists to share their beautiful work and get paid for it. I get more than my money's worth by subscribing to A Clothes Horse on Patreon.  I check in with Rebecca there almost every day especially when I am feeling down and out and need a boost.  Thanks, Rebecca, you are wonderful.

You might find an artist that you would like to support on Patreon so why don't you check it out https://www.patreon.com/