merry little christmas

Have yourself a Merry little ChristmasMake the Yuletide bright.

Years from now our troubles will be out of sight.....

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore, Faithful friends who are dear to us
will be near to us once more,

Some day soon we all will be together, if the fates allow;

So hang a shining star above the highest bough;  and have yourself a merry little Christmas now

I might of gotten the words a little jumbled, but I wish you a Merry Christmas with all my heart
xxx
julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Good dog

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

My dog, Emmie

She's not what you'd call good.



The loudest barker in the hood
who ripped the couch and ate a chair
when there was no one sitting there.




 

But her eyes give off a light
and her tail wags left to right
when I come home at night

So I guess the rests allright......

Listing this morning;
hope your tail is wagging with happy plans for the weekend
xxx
julie

September garden

September is wonderful in the garden. Nasturtiums are blooming, the rose hips are forming, asters and chrysanthemums are putting on a big show and the hens are fat and sassy.

Beekeeper's garden is especially bountiful.

I found the most beautiful blouse I've ever seen. Its by Nadir Positano from Italy.

I did try to buy it but no shipping all the way from Sweden, though it looks as if it could just float here on a breeze doesn't it? So since i can't have it, I let it inspire me for the blouse on my September Garden girl in the painting above. The perfect blouse to wear while feeding the chickens.

I've planted a container garden outside the dining room window, and look whats blooming, and pink too. One of them is a raggedy pink hollyhock. Just pure sweet luck.

This wonderful seascape was done by my friend, Victoria Greene, who lives in town and whose house I was invited to for tea. Vicki has the most beautiful garden in town. (In September or any other month) And house too. And she's a wonderful artist who does amazing work with palatte knives. She's just begun a blog and if you visit there you will see our tea party~

www.victoriajgreeneartist.blogspot.com/

A couple of years ago I discovered the work of Russian artist Yuri Vasnetsov. I am pretty well smitten with his illustrations for children's books. They are so exhuberant.. Doesn't this look like September in the woods?

This little hedgehog would like to thank you with all her heart for your comments on my last post about Kary. Those comments were so kind and your outpouring of compassion was such a comfort to me. thank you , wonderful blogging friends

xxx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Good night beloved friend

It breaks my heart to write that my best friend , Kary , went to heaven last Saturday evening.
This picture, taken on a trip we took to Maine, is so much like her. She avoided having her photo taken but somehow I got her to pose, and I love this. It was a very happy day there at a friend's house by the sea.

Kary loved all things to do with Autumn. This old hooked rug hangs in her living room. Her corn patch is already head high. She's planted corn and pumpkins in every garden she's had for 25 years.

Her best pal and constant companion, Teddy.

We liked to go to Diners, here we are at Dot's in Wilmington, Vermont. If you knew Kary, or read her blog, you knew she was an amazing cook. The best I've ever known. She collected cookbooks and used them, there's an entire wall at her house, all thumbed, and stained and used. Just the way they should be. She snapped a picture of me without me knowing as we walked up to the diner above. I sure am glad now.

We always stopped to feed and pet the donkeys. Animals loved Kary, especially horses would go right up to her. Carrot or no carrot!

One of her favorite places in the world. Mary's Pumpkin Patch on the Valley Drive near San Luis Obispo in California.

The best cook, the most hilarious story teller, a generous and constant friend. I can't stand it that she's gone. I'm sharing this because so many of you knew her through her blog,

http://www.myfarmhousekitchen.blogspot.com/

She hadn't been able to write due to her illness, but loved all the friendships she'd made from you.
Take care and hold your friends close~

xxx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Lantern light

Summer and Chinese lanterns go so well together. I've been painting some with birds and flowers, and mixing them up with others and hanging them just outside my front door. It was just about 8:30 last evening when I snapped this picture. Still light out!
I even added some Japanese character handwriting.
We've been in Big Sur and a bit further north for the Mister's birthday. I hope if you haven't been before you can plan a trip here. It really is this beautiful.
And there's a couple of eateries you must try. The best bread, scones and Coffee I've ever had are here,
Just around the bend,
At the Big Sur Bakery. Do yourself a favor and order a scone. They have a wonderful cookbook too.
This is a beautiful porcelain tea light holder, (getting back to lantern light). Its got little raindrops etched in the side and gives off the prettiest glow. Its from Maki, at
http://www.makikohastings.blogspot.co.uk/
and all the proceeds from the sale go to a little village in Japan that is still trying to find its way after the terrible tsunami last year. Maki is going to hand deliver the funds right to the town.
The reverse reads 'The Light of Hope' stamped in.

Hope is a wonderful thing , as Rabbit well knows.
I've started to make little vegetables from porcelain. Radishes and turnips. In lantern light almost everything gets a lovely glow. Even turnips!
We visited a museum that had a rose garden in back.
The kind of painting that can make you weak in the knees. A scene of St. Ives, Cornwall painted by E. Charlton Fortune in the 1920's.
They were getting ready for the Lantern Festival in the Monterey Bay area.

It was a lovely time, but I'm glad to be home. I've got alot of blogs to visit and some recipies to try from the Big Sur Bakery cookbook. The first thing I'm going to try is the scone recipie and I'll tell you how they turn out, and share the recipie with you........thanks so much for all your lovely comments on my bird watcher post!

xxx

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

bird watchers

We are all birdwatchers really. Even if you watch a flock of geese honking across the horizon you are bonafide.

Then there are the binoculars. You know you are a goner when its more important to have a good pair than that new pair of pink shoes you've been longing for.

Here's a guy I saw at San Simeon last week.
Look at these wonderful nests in Zambia, Africa

I don't have those, but I have bluebirds in my garden.

and somewhere there is a dipper that I am going to see soon. That is my dream bird sighting.

They run along the stream, then right underwater looking for water bugs. Sometimes they nest behind waterfalls. Have you seen one?

I once had a bird land on my head and stay for a while. Do you think he thought my hair was good nest material?

Second bird dream: To see the migration of the sandhill crane
I've heard Indiana is one of the best places to see them.

A nest from a friend, it was found abandoned in a tree at San Simeon Ranch. Lined with horsehair and three real eggs.

Have you seen any interesting birds lately?

Don't forget to polish those lenses~

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

sunny side up

Thank you so much for your comments on the hollyhock post! The cup is going to Lynne H., who I will write as soon as I tell you about my promised update.....

I lost a kilnload. The whole thing; there was a miscalculation and the firing went klafooee.

I did have a woe is me moment or two. But I've tossed the pottery in the bin and I'm moving onward.

I do have a small listing of an earlier firing that did turn out; but still I'm setting off today with two others in tow, to Sebastians outdoor restaurant where I plan to have a turkey sandwich to go with my beer, which will be the main course.

And where I plan to do plenty of birdwatching inbetween sips.

xxx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com