random – Page 4 – This Old House 2

Randomocity

Did I just make that word up?

Did you watch that ABANDONED program about the vacant Johnsonville

that I heralded last night?

It wasn’t all the great. They didn’t highlight half of the village’s appeal,

nor did they discuss much of the history of that oddly wonderful vacant village.

If you did see it, the fellow that was haggling over the prices of “stuff”

with the shows host… was the guy who I bumped into when I went

trespassing on the property to take pictures.

He was reluctant,but then allowed a few shots…keeping an eye on my whereabouts.

That school house that was purchased on the show still stands..

so if they really bought it for the reported $5,000., they haven’t taken it yet.

The show was mostly about junk hunting, which disappointed me.

Frasier wasn’t impressed either.

This is a bouquet I picked from the backyard gardens before the storms the other night.

Even though these flowers are all out there for everyone to see…

ALL SUMMER LONG…

the husband and child thought they were store bought,

shocked that they came from our own yard.

For a minute I think they didn’t believe it.

Now why would that be shocking?

Every morning I’m up at 5:30 am… the dogs go out,

then the dogs come in to be fed.

The manchild is awoken, much to his chagrin,

and then I head up to the barn and coop to feed..

while she takes him for a walk..

…in rainboots.

Keeps the ticks off in the tall grass, didn’t ya know.

***

Warning: If you’re easily offended, look away now.

Finally, a few words about politics and living in a house divided.

It ain’t easy.

Enough said.

Black & White with a splash of color

I’ve always admired this technique, but never looked into how to actually DO it. I figured it was pretty technical and I have the patience of a -gnat- when it comes to fidgeting around in the various photo programs.. especially Photoshop. (talk about confusing!.. am I the only one who feels this way about photoshop?)… Give me picmonkey any day.

But Picmonkey can’t DO this thing, and I saw on a post the other day that a blog friend of mine, Ms. A, figured it out for herself. I asked her for a tutorial. For some reason I couldn’t apply her method on my computer, which frustrated the h*ll out of my impatient self. So I googled and found out exactly how to do it in the dreadful Photoshop. Much easier than I thought! Not perfect, I need more patience… (ha!)… but for now, not bad either.

Now if you’re into this kind of thing but haven’t tried it yet yourself..

here’s the tutorial I found on the net and used for the Photoshop method.

” One of the techniques people most often ask me to teach them is making a photograph like the one on the right that is black and white with one other colour. There are a few ways to achieve this effect but here is the one I find easiest for Photoshop users:

1) Open a suitable photograph, this can be any subject but ideally it needs an area of bright colour that will have an impact when it’s finished while the rest of the photo looks good in black and white.

2) Select IMAGE>ADJUSTMENTS>DESATURATE to turn the photo black and white. But don’t take the photo out of RGB (i.e. don’t convert to black and white or mono) or the next step won’t work.

3) Select the history brush from the tool menu on the left of the screen (usually the fifth icon down in the right hand column), set hardness to 100% and choose a suitable brush size to work with on the section of the photo you want to put in colour.

4) Now use the brush and go over the area you want in colour, the brush will erase the black and white and bring back the colour. You may need to zoom and work close up on some sections. Take your time and change brush sizes if you need to.”

If you do try this, I’d like to post your finished work here… send it to karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com in the next week or two and I’ll do a post if I get some from any of you. I’ll give you two weeks to give it a go.

What says HOME to you?…

I’ve been dreaming of “home” since I was a very young girl. Many years ago we would walk with my grandmother after Sunday night dinner and admire the gardens, the decor, peer in the windows of other peoples spaces, collecting ideas.

My vision of what I had hoped I might be able to call home some day has not changed much over the years. I grew up in a borough of the city, but I knew that was not my destination. While many of my friends were excited about the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle just across the bridge, I longed for country roads and wide open spaces. I wanted land and a barn for my -someday- horses, a yard for my -someday- dogs to roam, a house with big windows to let in lots of natural light (my favorite kind) with big old trees standing guard. Plenty of space for my -someday- children to play and entertain friends, too. I would decorate this home with lots of candles and ivory linen overstuffed couches. There would be strands of beads to walk through in the doorways… do you remember those? I’d become a good cook and there would always be a candy dish full of something sugary.

I did outgrow those hippie beads, and the ivory linen couches will never be practical with dogs and kids… but we were able to pull the rest of it off and for that… every day… I am grateful.

Below are a few pictures here at this old house.. things that make this place “home”. In the comments section below, list five things in your surroundings that make it home to you. Family is a given. If you’re really feeling chatty, tell us how your childhood vision of your someday home compares to what you have created over the years. I’m not talking about material things or stature, but the things that really make a house a home to you.

Dads Swedish Meatballs

(these are awesome)

Recipe found HERE.

Dear Rep. Todd Akin –

I put your name in that post title because I hope that your people are googling all the stuff written about you and somehow this little piece comes to your attention… you arrogant, IGNORANT man. A writer who I admire had this, click link below, to say about the subject of rape and the conversations taking place after you “misspoke” in an interview. The sad thing is, f*ck that apology you issued ……let’s face the fact that it’s how you really feel… this time it just came out in an inconvenient place at an inconvenient time for your party, now, didn’t it.
http://www.feelmorebetter.com/thanks-for-the-rape-epiphany-rep-akin/#comment-29516

A Family Affair

I spent a little time with my camera

and this family at Hammonasset State park last night.

When the people are beautiful, inside and out…

you can’t help but get some great shots.

Here’s My Girl, who was a real trooper

and tagged along to help where needed 🙂

Evening light

Glorious sunset in Connecticut last night…

I noticed on FB this morning that I wasn’t the only one

trying to capture it.

Below are a few shots here at this old house…

and then lets travel down to waters edge with a few friends.

Joey’s capture at Clinton Beach on the shoreline…

Tim’s capture just up the coast in Narragansett, RI

Where do you go…..

…to decompress?

Do you have a place you escape to

when you need to air it out..

breath it in…

let it go?

I find a walk in pure Nature

is the best soul soother,

stress reliever, reminder..

that we are oh so small in this big universe.

It has a way of telling me to

just be in the minute and enjoy what’s before me.

We all need to do that now and then.

If I could just bottle the scent of those glorious beach roses….

Fast Food with a Conscience

Most of us do it from time to time… out running errands, traveling with the kids, a hectic day at work with no energy to cook… what’s the usual answer? FAST FOOD. I don’t even want to think about the number of cheeseburgers, bags of fries or cokes I’ve had over the years… or my kids, for that matter. I’m a decent cook and have done a decent job feeding my family for the most part.. but I have caved to the EASY on occasion.. and my husband and son absolutely LOVE those FF cheeseburgers. It is what it is. I don’t eat much of that crap anymore because it really isn’t very good for you, as we all know. And I usually feel yucky after I’ve eaten it.

HOWEVER… the other day I was out running those errands and it was cold and rainy and I was hungry. I didn’t want to get out of the car either… cats and dogs kinda rain. My choices in the town I was in were McD’s and Wendys. Now, McD’s hasn’t done much at all to improve their menu, and if you ask me I think the quality of their usual stuff is getting worse. I pulled into Wendys instead to see if their menu had improved. Lo and behold!!!… I see a big poster with a picture of a beautiful salad. I order it… and the new berry tea they advertise.

I gotta tell ya…. it was delicious!

and fresh!

and… I think.. relatively good for you!

If you have to do fast food, this is the way to do it.

BRAVO, Wendys… you done good.

Berry Almond 11-greens Chicken Salad with Raspberry Viniagrette – YUM!

And the tea was divine with fresh crushed berries.

I’m not getting paid to talk about this… it was just that good.

When a color speaks to you

ccording to Wikipedia, the word turquoise, which dates to the 16th century, is derived from an old french word for “Turkish”, because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey , from the mines in historical Khorasian of Persia. In many cultures of the Old and New Worlds, this gemstone has been esteemed for thousands of years as a holy stone, a bringer of good fortune or a talisman. It is referred to as a ‘gemstone of the peoples’. Pueblo medicine men were considered of no power unless they were fully adorned in Turquoise.

I’ve always loved the jewelry, have a few pieces of my own, but don’t wear it often. My ‘go-to’ colors have always been black, nuetrals, etc. Mom has often said “you should wear more COLOR, Karen”. I’m not morbid or Goth… It’s just that I’ve always felt very at home in black…it’s easy to do. Color says something different, something I didn’t feel at home in. Oh, I’m sure there’s a freudian conclusion there… but seriously I don’t think it goes all that deep.

Anyway.. where am I going with this? For some reason, the color turquoise has spoken up in more than a whisper this year. I’m looking around This Old House.. which we have decorated in soft neutrals and some big splashes of reds, the antique version. It goes well with the wood work that abounds. I’m seeing places that need turquoise, though. The color is soothing and cheery. And so it’s my mission to start bringing it in, in little ways.

Yesterday I went to Pier 1 and found what I was looking for to use on the porch, which we use a lot. I like this to be a restful place.