Feline Friday with Rory

In the years since our daughter and son-in-law have been in Texas, we've learned about these little lizard creatures. During the summer months, they're ALL around the house -- often on the windows, as you see here. They can even change colors to match their surroundings!

Along with birds, squirrels, and butterflies, these little guys provide endless hours of entertainment for Rory.

And if one happens to sneak inside the house, as they like to do when the weather gets cooler, watch out! Rory is a fierce protector of the home turf and will carry those lizards around to show them who's boss! 

At least when she's awake! 😉 

 

Tray Obsession

We just returned from a nice few days' visit to Texas. We allowed a couple of days for the drive home, giving us extra time to stop in some of the many, many antique shops along the way. It was cold and drizzling (even spitting snow), making for the perfect atmosphere to spend some time perusing old stuff. It's been about a year since I've spent any time at all inside an antique shop and I'll confess, I felt a little out of practice at first. But it didn't take me long to get my bearings!

 

When in antique shops, I am on the lookout for these items, in no particular order:

* milk glass
* jadeite (at a reasonable price...trust me, it's NEVER at a reasonable price in an antique store)
* metal trays
* certain kinds of glass trays
* Hull pottery
* McCoy planters (My mom collected these planters, and now I understand why she loved them. I only kept one of her planters and sold the rest...something I deeply regret now!)
* dishes to match those I already have
* anything else that speaks to me... 😉

On this trip, I happened upon a set of 9 small trays for just $4.99. These trays match two large pinecone trays I found separately awhile back. I have a particular weakness for trays, and mid-century modern trays with pinecones are even better! These little guys couldn't be cuter. They'll be perfect in a drawer or on a bedside table. I use my trays all the time when crafting, organizing, or just for display.

I'm sort of obsessed with vintage trays, but not EVERY vintage tray. I like trays with a certain look -- typically modern, retro, or mid-century style. 

I've loved trays for a very long time. In fact, back in high school I came across this small tray featuring a primitive painting of a parade in Paris on Bastille Day.  I've kept the tray all these years tucked in a drawer or on my nightstand. Wherever I've gone, this tray has gone with me.

 

Recently when our elderly neighbor lady moved to a care facility, I stopped in at her family's garage sale. And what did I see? A larger version of my beloved tray! Of course, I immediately snapped it up. 

Who knew that there were large and small trays of the same design?

If one tray is good, then two (or ten!) must be GREAT!

It's Spring in Texas!

This was the scene in our neighborhood a couple of days ago. The snow did melt, but now it's snowing again. Winter just won't give up!

 

It may still be be winter in Iowa but I can assure you that it's spring in Texas! On the first full day of my recent visit, Daughter and I went to a local greenhouse to pick up flowers, vegetables, and herbs to plant. We spent the afternoon potting up everything and now her balcony looks like spring!

 

  It was fun to go to a greenhouse in a different part of the country. There were several varieties of plants, flowers, and trees which we don't have here in the Midwest.

And some flowers which only work in pots around here thrive year-round in Texas. I felt like I was in the tropics!

 Imagine having bougainvillea like these in your yard!

 Check out the size of these pots! You know what they say...everything's bigger in Texas! 

 

  I saw succulents galore and in varieties far surpassing any greenhouse in these parts. Of course, succulents thrive outdoors in Texas.

And check out this huge hanging thing! It appeared to be some sort of massive palm.

This hibiscus was as big as a dinner plate. Gorgeous color!

 And of course we found all the zinnias you could possibly want! We took a few home with us.

 

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this transplanted Iowa girl is making her own compost now. It is rich and black, much like Iowa soil -- very different than the red and sandy dirt in Texas. She had quite a bit of this good stuff to mix into the potting soil. I'm expecting good things to happen with this compost!

It was a beautiful day for planting up all the pots!

  

When we were done, we put our feet up and enjoyed the view!

 

 Even Rory has a nice view of the flowers from her cat tree.

What a lovely place for morning coffee! Unfortunately, the weather got a little cold during the rest of my stay, but I enjoyed a couple of nice mornings out on the balcony.

I only wish I could have brought some of that warm spring weather back home with me!

 Come on, spring! 😊

jp