Treat Yourself - Visit The Pickett Fence!

If you haven't visited my friend Karen Denny at The Pickett Fence, you've missed a treat! The store is FULL of great things (including many of my "treasures" she is gracious enough to sell), and here are a few of the latest:

• Adirondack chairs, antiques, art


• Baskets, baby dishes, books


• Canister sets, coffee pots, cutting boards, chairs, collectibles, cutlery


• Dishes, desks, decorative boxes,
  
• Elegant glass, equestrian decor, embroidered linens
  
• Furniture, fishing decor, figurines, fall items (arriving soon)
  
• Garden decorations, gift certificates
  
• Hats, hanging plant baskets, Heisey, hall trees, Heber Springs items
  
• "Ice Cream" Furniture sets, iron wall art
  
• Jigsaw puzzles, jewelry
  
• Knick-knacks, kitchen items (vintage)
  
• Linens (antique table cloths, doilies, napkins and more), local artwork, lodge decor, lamps, lures (antique)
  
• Milk glass, metal accents, mirrors,
  
• New and old items
  
• Outdoor furniture, owls, ottomans
  
• Purses made by Lynn Allbright, prints (framed), potted plants, pillows, pottery
  
• Quail - figurines, prints
  
• Rugs, racks, Roseville pottery
  
• Soy candles, seasonal items, swags, serving pieces, sconces
  
• Trunks, tables, tin items
  
• Unusual gifts for every age and interest
  
• Vases, vintage items of all kinds
  
• Wall plaques, wicker, wine racks
  
• X-traordinary selection
  
• Yard art
  
• Zany colorful wall decor and ceramics

The store is located at 104 S. 2nd Street (one block south of Main at the 4-way stoplight). There is something for everyone - new things arrive almost daily - Karen is already thinking about Christmas (!) - don't miss out on a really fun store!!! Stop by and see Karen, Popcorn and Pearl (the store cats)! Maybe I'll see you there! (Link to The Pickett Fence is also in the sidebar to this blog!)

4th of July With My Birthday Buddy

Friday, July 4th, was the 90th birthday for my "Birthday Buddy," Geraldine McCurry. It was my 51st! MawMac (as I called her) had a big blowout, given by her family and hosted by her daughter Andrea and son-in-law, Phil Wade at their home. All of Gerry's children and grandchildren (and even a "great") were there, and she was in her element! Since she has shrunk 5 inches or more in the last few years, I gave her a "booster seat" that looks like the phone book for New York City. She was sitting on it when we arrived - said it had given her a new lease on life and put her back up in the swing of things! Don't you love her feather boa?!

When The Moon Hits Your Eye...

Okay, so I was up at 3:00 a.m. and got these shots - don't ask. My back "went out" on me last Friday and I had 2 days of spasms, and I'm slowly getting back on my feet - literally - so I haven't slept well. I passed through the living room this morning - at 3:00 - and the moon was high in the sky shining brightly. In one shot, you can see lights down below - that is Wilburn (be sure to click the photo to enlarge). In another, the moon itself is out of focus, but the reflection on the window glass of "another moon" was cool. See what we miss by sleeping?! Enjoy!

Squirrel Power?

Ever since we moved in last fall, we've stored bird seed under our back porch (which is underpinned in lattice) in hard plastic recycled kitty litter tubs with tight snap-on lids. When I went out to feed the birds yesterday, this is what I discovered. We had seen squirrels on our lattice and porches, so we can only assume that these critters were the culprits... nothing else could squeeze through the lattice, we're thinking! But who would believe they could chew right through this hard plastic!

At any rate, the bird seed is now in the garage, and the critters are on probation - no more seed for a few days!

Water Gun Fun!

Our great-niece and nephew - Caitlyn and Chase - are visiting from Missouri this week. We've seen then a couple of times already. Caitlyn is 8 - Chase is 4. They are a barrel of fun. One morning the doorbell rang, and Caitlyn was there, water gun in hand. "Poppy" Bruce and Chase were in one of Bruce's WWII Jeeps near the street... their mission was to "shoot STOP signs" and they were out of water - could they reload at our hydrant? They were only here about 10 minutes, but I managed to get a few good pictures to share. Notice Chase's T-shirt - it says "That's it... I'm calling Poppy!"

Light Show

We had a thunderstorm blow through Friday night - not much rain or anything else, but what a light show! We sat on the back porch and managed to catch these images... maybe more next time! The little row of lights in the lower left corner are the dam, and in picture #1 there are a couple of fish hatchery lights near the center. I'm pretty sure I took the first photo, and Greg caught the neat streak in picture #2!

Interesting Storm Clouds

As I write this, we are waiting for another round of thunderstorms to hit. But Tuesday night, we had an interesting storm come through. I thought I would post these photos of the dark, dark wall cloud that rolled over our house and through the valley, followed by 1.4 inches of rain! The last photo is the same valley in the bright sunshine the next day. (This is looking southeast toward Wilburn!)

Sunny Morning

Our cats took advantage of a beautiful sunny morning to soak up the rays and warmth. They LOVE the morning sunshine that floods our windows, and that is their new morning retreat. When I look at their faces, I am almost overwhelmed at God's artistry! I know, I know, I'm a doting "mother!" Humor me!!!

The View From Our Window

We have had our share of weird weather this spring. Last week, we had a lot of rain and thunderstorms. When they finally broke - I think on Thursday evening - I looked out across the valley, and this is what I saw... the sun was shining in almost a perfect "V" well down river from our house. It was as if just a little triangle of the valley had sunlight!

Can You Count the Birdies?

Yesterday we sat outside on the deck and listened to the birds. Greg said, "It's like being in the aviary at the zoo!" We think it is because of our bird feeders, as we don't remember this much of a symphony last summer! Greg has been organizing the garage, and he found a tube bird feeder with tray and refurbished it. I hung it on the stub of what was a branch to a hickory tree near our lower deck and filled it with thistle to hopefully attract some finches. Saturday morning, we came home from our garage sale trek, and the feeder was FILLED with goldfinches. I think there were close to two dozen there!

I grabbed my camera and started snapping photos. The movement and swinging of the feeder didn't help my efforts, but I managed to catch at least 11 in one frame. Aren't they beautiful?!

I am still trying to catch a picture of the pair of Indigo Buntings we have at another feeder. Apparently they are nesting in the trees near the waterfall beside our house. Stay tuned!