bodner044

I like patterns and rhythms and yes, dare I use the word?  Schedules. Before assuming responsibility for Mosaic Monday, I was in a weekly posting rhythm, consistently linking to a short list of memes.  I thought I could adapt to a twice-a-week schedule - one for Mosaic Monday, and one to connect with other linky parties.  But I only managed it for one week before life took over.  So I am pretty happy that I can see a path for two posts this week, including one that links up with my old (well, not OLD, but FORMER) meme buddies.  Coincidentally, this is my November summary, and the last time I published two posts in a week was my October wrap-up.  Maybe this is my new pattern? View from our second floor ONE: NATURE My forays outside have been naturally limited by shortened daylight hours.  Also, we have invested those very hours in key projects such as sowing wild grass seed mixed with prairie flower seed.  Nevertheless, I can offer a few outdoor ph...

Since September, I have written a couple of posts including my Christmas cross-stitch decoration project.  I have been so proud of my progress.  Well, as they say, pride goeth before a fall.  I failed to read the fine print. "Finishing instructions" does not equal "finishing materials". As mid-November approached, I decided it was time to finish the 10 designs that had already been stitched.  It may sound like a simple decision, but for the person in me who always wants to complete a task, this was a wrenching call because the set contains THIRTY ornaments.  I reminded myself about sage advice from Stephen Covey - begin with the end in mind.  What would be the point of stitching all thirty if none of them would actually hang on the tree this year? Yes, there are 11 here; I finished another one since mid-November I dug around in the original packaging, looking for the 'hangers' pictured on the cover of the Season of Giving set.  Not there.  I pulle...

Do you own anything that is 100 years old?  Last week, our upright piano was serviced by Daryl Frank, piano technician, and he confirmed that it was crafted at the turn of the century.  This was not a complete surprise since I know it originally belonged to my maternal great-grandfather Clem.  My mother inherited it, and the piano lived with one of my sisters for a time until I adopted it. But Daryl was a veritable font of information, confirming some points I already knew, while adding facts about the piano that were news to me. ONE: The piano is made from quarter sawn oak.  This corroborated an assessment by our good friend Neal, the general contractor for our house who knows a lot about carpentry.  Uprights made from quarter sawn oak were the most expensive uprights you could buy.   TWO: The piano was originally stained and shellacked a dark, almost black, color, as can be seen on the inside of the lid of the piano.  This was news (I am not sure I e...