I love following all my favorite bloggers. They are amazing women, mostly, who have lovely homes and decor. Bless'er House, Rain on a Tin Roof, Prodigal Pieces, My Salvaged Treasures, zevy joy, Housepitality Designs, Funky Junk Interiors, All Things Heart and Home, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Cottage at the Crossroad. This is just a partial list. I've signed up for emails from all of them and find I can enjoy their blogs from my little iPad Mini2 very easily.
Moving into Gram's house has been a Godsend, and I am so grateful. But it's not a big, fancy home with new things. It's filled with much love and collections that have been accumulated for 50 years, and then some of Gram's too!
Sharing some photos today of the big Fall decor, she says very sarcastically, here at what I call The Cottage. I've named her "Auntie RooLoo's Cottage" after my Great Aunt Laura Bell Arnold Beal-or Auntie. And my nickname from a dear friend, rooloo, and cottage because I want it to be cottaggy and homey. Auntie RooLoo's Cottage is also my other Facebook page where I share fabulous finds, art, people, etc.
The window above is one of my favorites with different places in France.
Here's the luggage collection with it's brilliant Fall decor.
Lots of sparkle here with silver and black pumpkins and Eiffels
Several pieces of old Manhattan glass up on what was Granny's Curio. The gold McCoy were my very first vintage purchase at age 12
The First Typewriter got Blinged up with the Antique Civil War tintypes in their old cases
and here's the lone pumpkin on Gram's old Singer and other things I love from special friends. That's Auntie in the photo.
Please go see the fabulous Bloggers I mentioned above and thanks for stopping by The Cottage today.
Living alone, it's so funny to say I'm behind on the laundry. Explaining while blogging will make me feel better about it. I just know it.
Note to self: do not eat cheese puffs while trying to type.
Osteoarthritis has reared its ugly head the past few weeks. When this happens, it is really painful to go up and down the basement steps. And yes, the laundry is downstairs. The pain is not just in the knees. The feet, the ankles, the arms, wrists and HANDS! ACK! And my poor, sick thumb.
Biting the bullet with the help of Advil gel caps, and going down the stairs backwards has helped. I know, it sounds crazy and weird. Using the laundry hamper as a cane/walker is very helpful when going down backwards. And it is not nearly as painful. I did this several times the past few weeks to launder the essentials.
Needless to say at this point, there was a pile of laundry. Yes, its only me. And HoneyMarie. And Freddy. They have their sheets on their beds. And the couch cover. And their towels from wiping them down after every outdoor visit and at night they love their wet cloth wipe down.
So today was deemed laundry day. Already hobbling around this morning it was obviously going to be a challenge. And it has been. You see, when I hobble downstairs to put the clothes in the washer, about 99% of the time it walks itself unplugged and an extra trip is added to the mix. Sometimes a sit down in the creepy basement to wait for the cycle to finish is a must. But most of the time, its another trip to scoot the washer back to its place (ouch), try to get the shim in place (ouch) and back up the steps. Ouch. And yes, I do know how to load the washer after 50 years. Never was this ever been a problem, with this machine, in St Louis. Maybe the washer is just getting too old at 10 years, but it still washing the clothes quite well.
The ugly recliner will be much appreciated this evening while viewing Fear the Walking Dead and drinking a nice cup of hot tea.
It can always be worse.
Lots of things to accomplish today. Have to use up the fresh veg and rotisserie chicken today. That means lots of chopping and standing. At least 4 loads of laundry today up and down the basement stairs. That means legs, knees and arms. Cleaning up kitchen. That means lots of hand movements and standing. Moving the typewriters around until it suits me. That means lifting, more hands, arms and knees.
And then there is wrangling Freddy in from the backyard several times because he is barking non-stop at the telephone repairman. That means walking which means knees, feet, legs.
When I woke up this morning I didn't think all the things I wanted to accomplish would be a big deal.
And then the pain started creeping in, little by little. I was annoyed but just grabbed the Advil and continued on what I thought was my merry way.
And then there was that.
Then the pain started. Everywhere at once. Like a migraine headache all over your body. Feet, ankles, legs, knees, hips, back, shoulders, arms wrists hands, fingers. That's when you realize it. Oh NO! Here it comes! WHY, today? CRAP! And you know the only thing you can do is take more Advil and go to bed. So you lay there just not able to concentrate on anything. The dogs know. Freddy jumps up on the bed and lays as close as he can to you. You just lay there for several hours. Wishing and praying it will go away again.
You are so grateful it does not happen every single day. But then you have pain every, single day when you go to bed and before you even open your eyes to get up. But THANK GOD, the other doesn't happen every single day. And you realize that when the other happens, you always say to yourself....
and then there was that. Today.
