Willow Wynd

A great way of looking at things!

2011-02-21T18:19:00.002-07:00

~ although I have made myself fairly clear on my search for mister wonderful and have explained my hypothesis that Prince Charming has fallen off his horse, cracked his head and forgot about me for the last 20+ years, I think that I needed a fresh perspective on things. I have been following Post Secret for a couple of years now and this card came popping up after a particularly uninspiring date... and I thought, huh. this completely changes the reality of it for me! I may not have found him, but, by God, he has a similiar view on a princess who fell down a well and is stuck there; unable to search for HIM! I think I really like this change in perspective! :D

so YES, this is MORE snow. and lots of it... and more coming!

2011-01-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

holy snow batman!

2011-01-13T22:44:00.001-07:00

Can you tell we had snow? after hearing about all 49 States with snow, I thought I would throw in a little tidbit here too... we got snow. I mean, wow. and this is a while ago... let me find another one...

A Rainy Day in Paris

2010-10-18T21:54:00.002-06:00

I have always loved rain and this piece of artwork has always made me really feel the damp and the cold... the great ensembles are just a bonus...as is Paris! Someday I will see this point in Paris and post it... until then, enjoy this one!

a Wedding Card...

2010-10-04T23:13:00.002-06:00

So my friend found the man of her dreams in her late 30's and her wedding was last weekend...to celebrate I had bought a great gift from the States...

and had it all together except for one tiny little detail... yep, you guessed it..the card. I had approx. 45 minutes to get dressed and do the hair and makeup thing, when I got the bright idea to MAKE the card... yep, that's me, the master of time.... oy.

So, I ducked into my craft room (messy second bedroom with no workable surfaces) and put together this little darlin'...I really like my new computer! I can do SO much with it! But, lets remember that I have wet hair and no real idea as to what I am planning to do... I riffled through some files aka. big broken down boxes... and found some really great things that would work for my lucky friend and her luckier spouse... so I popped together their pics and some great sayings; and with about 20 minutes to get myself together, I got the gift together and the card came out terrific! SO, I apologise for my terrible hair Stacey, but I hope you loved the gift! Congratulations!!! :)

Birthdays and Spinsters!

2010-10-03T20:41:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday! and on this auspicious day, my parents are mocking me with a picture of a group of lovely ladies from October 1907, who were a part of the guild of Spinsters... yes, folks, there were guilds of folks like this and they thought it was a great idea! I can't help but think that they weren't alll thinking that! Lovely dresses and hats tho.... truly gorgeous home they are standing in front of... makes you wonder if any of them ended up getting married after all! Then the pic would be a wee bit different, wouldn't it?

Anyhoo..happy birthday to anyone else out there who might be single and over 30... and just think, we barely made it out of a wonderful photo op like this one!

the generation of yesteryear...

2010-07-25T10:01:00.003-06:00

This grouping of people who look so handsome and proud, are my relatives. In the back row centre left is my grandfather when he was around 18, and his 5 brothers and sisters flank him....this group of folks are all gone now... and sadly enough, the next generation has started that fateful journey as well.... however, if we can look back and see what dignity and honor they had, we can certainly have hope for our generation as well...!

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-06T22:53:00.001-06:00

As I am sure you know, this last week was Independance Day in America... as a proud American I was happy as all get out last year when we were able to hit the parades and fireworks in Minnesota on that special day as I had not been in the States for the Fourth for a decade or so... it was wonderful! The patriotism and happiness that surrounds this particular holiday is always so infectious! I wanted to also say Thank you to our military and veterans without whom this holiday is for naught.... Happy Independance Day fellow Americans!

Fort Edmonton Park

2010-06-16T21:13:00.003-06:00

Fort Edmonton Park and awful pretty! I am unsure as to when this house was originally built or when it was moved onto this site, but this little farmhouse is a sweet reminder of what we used to enjoy in life....adn just imagine a simpler time and a happierlife with less stress and no cell phones....of course, you had prairie fires, drought and wierd diseases that hit your cattle and you got to see your friends about once a month if you were lucky. No wonder people had 10 kids+ in their familes and then brought in many generations to live on nearby farms and acreages. It had to be awfully lonely sometimes and the howling of the prairie wind must have driven people bonkers. Then there were Indians, stampedes, grasshoppers, floods, chickens that would not lay and one school in 25 kms.
Kinda makes you appreciate rush hour a wee bit more. Not a lot. Just a wee bit. Oh, and look outside at the sky and enjoy a little breeze as you make an ice tea with ice from your freezer and a cookie from the oven in your air conditioned house... THEN. You can swing on your porchswing, and imagine those simpler times a little better....

Remember this?

2010-06-11T21:17:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe that this was only 3months ago! and really, in 3 months, it could be here again...argh. But amazingly enough, this was the biggest dump of snow that we got this last winter and yet, it was about -2 degrees C. Beautiful! and a full moon as well... so, as much as I love seeing green grass and pretty flowers, this is truly a gorgeous sight in its own rights... just remind me of this in September when this is what I awake to!

the CRAZY bridal shower gift... :)

2010-06-07T20:55:00.001-06:00

when they invite you to a bridal shower.... the best thing to do is is go CRAZY! apparently this was what I was thinking when I started this little gift for my friend and soon to be bride, Stacey... She is a country girl at heart and, as I have knowledge of this genre, I thought, well SURE I can hook her up...and that is when the CRAZY kicked in!! Ah well... here it is in its' entirety, and I am thrilled that she loved it! Congrats Stacey!

Spring in the backyard!

2010-06-06T18:12:00.002-06:00

*these lovely petals are part of a wonderful new hybrid of lilacs...if you look closely, you can see that they are not purple; they are ,in fact, BLUE. Wedgewood to be exact. I am catching them at the end of their very short bloom life, but they are spectacular! I wish we hadn't had rain all week or I would have pulled them into the house before now... However, better late than never, and now my kitchen smells divine!

oh for a better week NEXT week!

2010-05-21T21:48:00.002-06:00

Ever had a day that felt like it wasn't right? nothing worked out correctly? noone said the right thing? guess what? that was this WHOLE week!!!

argh.

here is for waiting for a better week!

And a long goodnight!

2010-05-12T15:15:00.003-06:00

The beginning of Spring again! how lovely to be out of the cold and nasty weather and on to the gorgeous days of Spring! I just mowed the grass for the first time this spring and it smelled wonderful! the only good thing about HAVING to mow the lawn, besides how pretty it looks afterwards! the smell is key...and flowers popping out of the ground is always a welcome sight. Mind you, around here, you could still end up with snow up the yin-yang and it could be July... Canada and winter are synonymous you know... can't have one without the other! On the other hand tho, we don't have the miseries of a long and hot summer either... sunset at 11:30 PM and sunrise at 4:00 AM... for the hearty souls out there, when you stay up all night and look at the sky, you see the sun make its descent, and then just watch the glow as it goes around the horizon... and then, presto! it shows up on the other side popping over the horizon again! no real darkness then... we are just heading into this time and I have been a good girl and going to bed at night instead of staying up to watch this phenomenon.... who knows, one good date could produce this effect again! oh wait, a date. Maybe I will just do it on my own with the muttster.... less hassle that way!

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-09T22:09:00.003-06:00

In dedication to my Mom on Mother's day.... happy Mom's day! I actually have NO clue what she was up to today as she is in Washington somewhere but, as this pic is taken in WA, I thought it quite appropriate.... I realise that my father is also in the pic....( they do seem to be in pics together quite frequently....) but as it is Mom's day, and as without Dad there would be no 'mom', I thought it appropriate that he be represented as well!

HAPPY MOM'S DAY! and come home soon!

Oh, & I HAVE been taking care of your lawn while you were gone... honest! :)

beauty... look up!

2010-05-07T21:08:00.003-06:00

Have you ever jsut stopped and looked at the sky and thought to yourself, wow, I can't believe that there is such beauty in this world... gorgeous! of course, at this point, usually a bird flies overhead and ends up pooping on your head, but otherwise, breathtaking! :)

This was the scene behind my house and I was struck by the white fluffiness in soft contrast to the blue of the sky and I thought WOW. and then I ducked...my luck is not so good with the birdies.

Wishing for a rainy day....

2010-05-03T10:20:00.003-06:00

So, another rainy day... a perfect day to be home and watching movies on tv while drinking coffee! Unfortunately, these days never seem to hit on the right days off from work...or if you are off then there are 17 other things that need to be done so you don't get to just slough off... Remember when you were a kid and all you had to DO is slough off? I completely remember thinking that there was nothing more boring then not doing anything! I now wish that I had a tenth of that time now and and a fifth of the energy I had back then! Ah well, if I knew then what I knew now, well... then this would be a completely different story, wouldn't it?

SO, here is hoping for another rainy day to have 'off' and with high hopes for nothing to do that day...and on the other side, I don't have to clean my room!

Gilmore Girls

2010-05-02T20:48:00.004-06:00

ok...so how many of you loved Gilmore girls? and don't you think that they should have continued it??? I think that for sure they should have followed the 'girls' down the road a little bit more... Mind you, the problem with that is that it would have killed the show...I mean, you can't do too much with a show that is all about just the two girls without it getting mundane...unless they start to go off on Miss Patty or Kirk... that could have gotten fun! But it is a fine line as to when to let a show just die a natural death. Perhaps we should have a day of Gilmore and gilmoreism's to celebrate the show.... what do you think??? Perhaps, to start, we should all speak really fast and then start looking for a good looking guy in a backwards baseball hat..... :)

Then again, a day spent on the couch with the entire series is an excellent way to #1, stop looking for the baseball caps, and #2, not sprain our tongues trying to speak fast. So... I will assume that you are on board for this too.... I will go order pizza~

I'm BACK!

2010-05-02T20:45:00.002-06:00

WELL... at last I have a new computer! I have a way to communicate without the darn thing giving up the ghost! I swear, all I had to do was breathe on this blessedthing and it froze. Wow. But now that I have a snazzy new computer with all the bells and whistles(yes it gets loud in here!), I am going to be better about posting on here! YAY! or...I will have nothing to say and until life gets more interesting, there will be nothing new. Hey, at least Iam honest on this.

A comparison to last year....

2009-11-29T16:35:00.002-07:00

This is last years bid for a Merry Christmas...needless to say, it was a beautiful one and I was thrilled with the new direction that I felt I was going into. I was a country girl from WAY back and still love some elements of it... however, a friend got me hooked into the sparkly side of life and here we are with the hybrid country/chic Christmas we see here now... !
This is last years idea of the hybrid... I am in the decorating mode again this year and will post new pics on here as per my camera being full and needing to expel all pics... that does take a bit, you know...!
I am going ahead with the same idea for this year... will have new ornies to show off and a new location of the tree but otherwise, I will see if I can make this a different yet similiar holiday look...

Facebook | Home

2009-10-06T22:57:00.003-06:00

you know, you find something fun to put on your blog and it doesnt' come through.... how annoying!
anyhow,I will try again...

Summer and Storms...

2009-08-20T20:50:00.002-06:00

We have been besieged by summer storms this year... I am sure that everyone knows about Big Valley Jamoboree... this is a picture of that particular storm from another part of the province... big storms... and yet, they are sure pretty...just get past the dangers and the death and the destruction and you get pretty! :)

and more... man I love these homes!

2009-07-20T21:31:00.003-06:00

*and more!!! I know that there are two pics of the last house but you have to see how big this 'modest' home is! It is actually huge...and built in 1895... it was one of the original homes built in this neighborhood and undoubtedly, was one of the babies... the others truly are monsters in comparison.. yet, this one has charm and a sweet hominess that the others dont' quite pull off. They are gorgeous, to be sure, but in reality, when it comes to 'home', I think this one actually seems more like our image in our heads. Mind you, if there was a choice between this one and the other larger more austere ones, well... yah, I would be tempted to go big!

A Trip into the Past

2009-07-16T21:56:00.002-06:00

*these lovely ones are from a recent trip to Sioux Falls South Dakota... they are absolutely breathtaking and I really was upset to find that I had missed the open houses down there by a week..YES, they let you walk through these old girls and see how beautiful they are inside and out... and IMISSED it. SO not fair. I figured that if I had gone 23+hours down there to see them, that , REALLY, they should just let me see the inside when I got there, open house or not.... apparently they did not feel the same way. And no, I didn't go door to door begging to see the insides of these pieces of history....though perhaps I should have...instead I simply looked and clicked away with my trusty camera...and had to leave unfulfilled .... :(

a photo or two....

2009-06-12T13:16:00.002-06:00

~bits of vintage past..I look at these pictures and I can't imagine living in a dress that big and heavy when it is so hot and muggy outside...and no ice, or refrigeration? I am in awe that humans made it through that kind of torture!~

I am, however, envious that these ladies knew what fine linen was...fine silk and lace...hand tatted edgings and tiny stitches... I wish that we had that kind of workmanship now and that it was the norm, as opposed to the usual awkward stitching and substandard work that we buy daily... How wonderful to have a trousseau and to be taught these arts by rote..nothing out of the ordinary; simply what a woman needs to know to create beauty around her ....~

This week in Spring!

2009-05-24T12:48:00.002-06:00

And this is this week! I am thrilled to see new life coming out of my garden! I have been putting a lot of perennials in the front beds these last couple of years and now they are sprucing the place up with little or no effort from me... a couple of annuals, as I love my snapdragons!, and my front beds are full and ready to delight the eye for another year! now... on to the back yard...argh!

Wintery Spring!

2009-05-24T12:45:00.002-06:00

this was last weekend...yes the long weekend here was covered in snow and frost...Mother Natures way of saying that it is all up to her... not us!

Teddy Bears Easter!

2009-05-11T22:12:00.002-06:00

A little fun I had over Easter...loved the teddy bear from my shopping trip with Margaret... and the planter was gorgeous... truly fab! so I thought it would look good together!

I do like the way the colours worked out though... very warm and inviting!

Summer field trips...looking forward!

2009-05-06T23:53:00.003-06:00

This arrangement was not, I repeat, NOT done by me...it was done by the very talented set artists at Fort Edmonton...but I thought it was gorgeous... a wonderful way to show the old and the new...soft colours and a nostalgic pieces... one fo the reasons I love going down there...besides the fact that every year we go, it is STINKING hot and there is no where near enough water to quench the thirst...thank goodness there is a copious amount of ice cream at the old fashioned ice cream shoppe to cool one down until they find the next window that makes one wonder how they did it back then!

I am obviously looking forward to my summer and all the 'field trips' we are always taking...I have a great friend to go with and we have a lot of fun traipsing about with her kids to all kinds of neat places....

This next summer, I will be helping a different friend with a new shop in Vilna Alberta...a sweet little country store in lake country...so look forward to those pics too!

the dream house...

2009-05-05T19:06:00.006-06:00

This one is also enviable...can't you imagine having drinks on the front porch and reading a good book in the twilight? Lightning bugs floating around and the sounds of kids playing for all they are worth to take advantage of the final minutes of sunlight before heading home to bed...The green grass is so lush and emerald..you dont' think you could even step in it! Mind you, if you can afford the house, I am sure you can also afford the lawn guy who makes it look this good!!

This house is in the historical district of Sioux Falls South Dakota is really a gorgeous piece of archetecture.... I would love this house!!!I don't think I could handle the taxes though!

Spring!

2009-05-04T18:58:00.002-06:00

How lovely to have tulips again! These beauties are not courtesy of my yard however...no no...way too early for OUR tulips to be blooming!

These are from my parents, otherwise known as the Parental Units, and were a thankyou for staying here for the last two weeks! They were a real surprise! It has been a long time since I had tulips in the house!

So, take care Parental Units, hope you have a lovely drive home...all 24 hours of it! Can you even imagine??? and all of it just by my two somewhat elderly but young at heart parents....

But I get to stay here and enjoy my flowers and the first vestiges of spring... how wonderful to feel warmth outside and to see green grass starting to sprout...( along with many and varied weeds...sheesh!) I will have to make sure to make note of when MY tulips actually come out for a look-see...seems to be later and later every year...time to move somewhere warmer, I am thinking!

2009-04-26T14:58:00.002-06:00

No, she didn't try suicide.... apparently cutting ones wrists aren't the most easy way to get away from a bad haircut!!!

But really, our girl is hopped up on more morphine here than most addicts could take... !~Lucy in the sky?~ :P

She climbed onto the bed and managed to snag a thread in her claw, at which point she decided to make a flying leap across the bed, without the claw, of course, and screamed bloody murder..

Yes, how to stop your owners heart quickly! especially with blood everywhere..I had no clue what had happened! so off to the vet we go...the emergency vet of course, as Willow is a champagne puppy and insists on going to the after hours clinic for her work... after three hours and one gut clenching yelp, the remaining claw was cut off, a bright pink stretch band-aid was applied, LOTS of happy drugs and anti- bacterials applied, and we are conked out on the couch....a sad diva, with a bad hair cut, a broke mama, and a really great case of whoopy whoo-hoos! yeah, dude...feel the love!

2009-04-26T14:49:00.005-06:00

So this is the first attack on Willows hair... yes, it looks like crap. I understand this. I am sure that even Willow understands this! Here she is waiting so patiently for a treat as she will be STUCK like this for a wee bit... yes, the clippers were dead. I KNOW...again, yes,buy the puppy clippers not the human clippers!!! So you can see how this worked out so incredibly well, no???she looks horrible!!! However, I have been blessed with a particularly non-egotistical pup...she really couldn't give a hot crap just as long as her ball is being thrown and treats are always in the offing....

So we continue...the poor thing...someone will rescue you!

And now, you can see how she is taking out her frustrations! who needs this toy in one piece?? and really,aren't they more fun with tonnes of stuffing all over the floor???? so Mom can pick it up? or just plain clog the vaccum? oh the joy we have!

2009-04-18T16:30:00.002-06:00

SO I thought to myself... well, it is Spring and the dog is looking a bit scruffy.. I could, A. take her to the groomer and pay out 50.00+ for them to shave her senseless, or B. go ahead and buy the razor and be a wee bit Scottish, and do it myself. Folks, let me tell you. When others say to you, no no, you CAN do this yourself! do take another look at your own abilities and understand that for some this is easy...for others, (like myself) not so much.
ALSO, when they say, no no, go ahead and buy the man clippers instead of the dog clippers...DON'T listen!!! the man clippers are made for the average man who has a nice wavy bit of follicle action. They are NOT for the average DOG with a double coat. Apparently. NOT .

Pics to follow.... no really, you do not want to miss why I am now on the I HATE MY OWNER canine list worldwide.... I expect hate mail to be soon forthcoming.

2009-04-16T20:06:00.001-06:00

This was Christmas...with snow STILL on the ground, it is hard to say that Spring is here...so , an homage to Christmas.. :)

I have begun!

2009-04-16T19:44:00.000-06:00

This is the beginning! I have been bullied and beaten into starting a blog and this is the birth of all of that abuse! No really, it has been a long time in coming and thank goodness, I got my poop in a group and here we are now!

I am SO excited to be on here now! I think that now that I have started doing this, that maybe this is the way of my future... the whole world reading about my life with a little pictoral directory to illustrate my clumsy attempts at on-line journalling... SO, thanks for having me aboard Blogger and here goes!