MAY THE LUCK OF THE IRISH BE WITH YOU TODAY AND ALL YEAR LONG!
Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Oh! And a quick H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y to Michael B… the big four-ohhhhhhh… it’s not bad Michael, trust us, it’s really not!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Category: THOUGHTS
Spring ahead and check your smoke alarm batteries! TONIGHT…
Image: Voices.Yahoo.com
This is the time of year to S P R I N G A H E A D ! Don’t forget to set your clocks AHEAD one hour before you go to bed… It’s strange getting used to a new time. My body is on auto pilot. Most days I wake up at the same time each morning, and am ready to turn in around the same time each night… now everything will be screwy… Do YOU like this time change? Here in Charleston it seems like we’ve had Spring for the last few months now… so it’s not like getting excited once the time changes that Spring is near… it’s been here!
Hey, after you set your clocks, change the batteries in your smoke alarms… it could save a life!
AND… if you’re one of the slick few that noticed that I already did a post today that mentioned that the time changes tomorrow PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK! Because… oops! It just hit me… it’s T O D A Y !
Have a great day, catch you back here tomorrow!
Photo taken from Shem Creek dock, Mt Pleasant, SC… what a bizarre sky!
Fascinating sky, isn’t it?? Mother nature is full of mystery, you never know what you’re going to see! There is beauty all around us, especially here in the coastal Charleston area… gorgeous. The sky is different every evening… it’s amazing! Well my friends, tonight is the big time change… Remember… we change the clocks… S P R I N G F O R W A R D ! ! ! So tomorrow’s 5 will be 6…
If you read this post earlier and are coming back to it and it seems different… you are not crazy. I sat down to read a book and for some reason it hit me… B A M ! I was thinking clocks changed on Sunday when I wrote this, but really they change Sat PM before you go to bed (unless you stay up until 2am on Sunday when it’s technically the correct time to change the clocks)… oh boy, this time change thing is confusing… sigh…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Hard to believe she would have been 12… a painting and a memory…
Streamers After by Tollef Runquist / Image: Dowling Walsh
This painting is special to us. It isn’t ours, it’s for sale at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maine. Today is a special day… Isabelle would have been 12… hard to imagine. This painting is what Fred and I both imagine Isabelle would have been like if everything went OK. Unfortunately, things with the pregnancy didn’t go well… You have to figure that things work out for a reason, although it’s hard to understand “why” at that moment… We’re so fortunate to have each other and for that we are extremely thankful!
This painting is so happy and bright. Just like a little girl after her birthday party. See how paintings can evoke memories? Every painting that we have has a great memory attached to it. Hope yours do too!
Happy 12 years Isabelle… We love you…
Ahhh, the history of leap year… explained here!
Haven’t you wondered what leap year was all about? I never really thought much about it, but I can say I’m a better person for having read this… after you read it you will be fully informed and will never have to wonder again!
Found this great info from Inventor.About.com (click HERE to see the full page)
THE HISTORY OF LEAP YEAR…
Leap years are years with 366 days, instead of the usual 365. Leap years are necessary because the actual length of a year is 365.242 days, not 365 days, as commonly stated. Basically, leap years occur every 4 years, and years that are evenly divisible by 4 (2004, for example) have 366 days. This extra day is added to the calendar on February 29th.
However, there is one exception to the leap year rule involving century years, like the year 1900. Since the year is slightly less than 365.25 days long, adding an extra day every 4 years results in about 3 extra days being added over a period of 400 years. For this reason, only 1 out of every 4 century years is considered as a leap year. Century years are only considered as leap years if they are evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, 1700, 1800, 1900 were not leap years, and 2100 will not be a leap year. But 1600 and 2000 were leap years, because those year numbers are evenly divisible by 400.
Julius Caesar, Father of Leap Year… read more HERE
So now you know! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Does it feel like spring where you’re at?? This weather is heaven!
This has been the craziest winter that I can ever remember in all my life. I grew up in Michigan, where (at least in my memories) it snowed in the winter, and snow pretty much stayed around until spring. Now it comes and goes, and this year??? Lots of places are without their regular amounts of snow. Wonder why the big change all of a sudden? Here in Charleston, SC it was downright freezing last winter (well, to our standards it was freezing)… this year it’s been so nice. Lots of days in 60’s and 70’s. A few in the 80’s! We slept with the windows open recently… I love that! I’m wondering what that means come summer? It certainly can’t be any warmer than it normally is here in Charleston! Heat index in the 120’s. It’s barely tolerable, and makes me want to pack and move to the Antarctic! We were talking to a woman in a store yesterday, she said many customers were telling her that if we have a warm winter that means our summer will be cooler… OH YAY! HAS ANYONE ELSE HEARD THAT? Personally I don’t think there is any science behind it… it’ll be what it’ll be and we’ll just have to go with it… Dump a few bags of ice in the pool and move on, ha ha… Hope the weather is lovely where you are!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Fenwick Hall, a gorgeous plantation in Charleston, a plantation with a history!
Fenwick Hall, a gorgeous plantation that is also referred to as a castle. We drove by this the other day on the way to daycare for Charlie (woof)…
A pretty impressive place, wouldn’t you say? This is a true southern plantation… look at those beautiful old live oak trees, they’re so graceful and stately. I ran across the most interesting website about this wonderful place called FENWICK HALL… It’s been around since approximately 1730. It has wonderful stories! Hidden tunnels, secret rooms, ghosts, you name it! Read about the history on the website… it’s fascinating to say the least. What I’ve heard about this place was that it used to be a drug and alcohol treatment center for the wealthy. When reading the history it looks like that began in the 1980’s, the history is a must read!
This is now a private residence, and the writer of the Fenwick Hall Plantation website cautions you not to trespass, because the owners will prosecute. So warning warning… unless you’re looking to visit the big house (and I don’t mean Fenwick) some time soon? Hee.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Happy President’s Day… I will leave you with an abstract presidential portrait by artist Robert Joyner…
Portrait of George Washington by artist Robert Joyner
Robert Joyner is painting a few of our presidents and they are outstanding. So far (that I’ve seen), Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt… I love the wild way he portrays each one. You can tell who they are, but it’s that cool abstract version that makes it so interesting. I will feature Robert again at a later date, closer to the Kentucky Derby… he is the official 2012 Kentucky Derby artist. Check out Robert’s website… it’s a good one!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
I cannot wait to get back here… Monhegan Island, ME. Why do so many of us feel this way?
I cannot wait to get back to Monhegan to hike, eat, sit and be merry! WHAT IS IT about this fantastic place? It has such a pull to so many people. You can’t wait to get there and you don’t want to leave…unless you fall into the category of those looking for a mall, a hairdresser, a golf course, or perhaps if you only wear high heels… I could see that the pull just wouldn’t be there for you. However if you fall into the category of those who appreciate nature, are creative (or perhaps just like to be around creative and interesting people) this place becomes an obsession. It’s simply too good to be true. If only for a short time!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
From me to you… Happy Valentine’s Day!
A little something from me to you… H A P P Y V A L E N T I N E S D A Y !! What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Ahhh, the dreaded question for many? Fred and I typically stay in… we save going out to a nice restaurant when we can savor it and not be rushed through it… Flowers… Crazy prices for Valentine’s Day… we usually have something on our table (beautiful “winter” tulips from Whole Foods right now, gorgeous!) – and trust me… I need candy like I need a hole in my head (ok, another really creepy saying…)… so we’ll undoubtedly whip up some fantastic dinner… (last year it was filet mignon, mushrooms, baked potato, hmmm, that’s what I’m remembering anyhow),and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day… but then again, we always manage to have a great time no matter where we go or what we do. Life is what you make it! Or as a card says that my mom sent to me a while back… LIFE’S SHORT… PICK THE FLOWERS!
Enjoy your day!
Did you realize that Valentine’s Day has been celebrated since at least the 1600’s? Get out! Interesting about the history… read HERE…
And a quick I L O V E Y O U F R E D ! I am a very lucky Valentine!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
PHOTO: Homes on Charleston Navy Base maintained for the TV show Army Wives
General and Claudia Joy Holden’s House (characters) on the set of Army Wives, Charleston, SC
This is one of the homes maintained for the television show ARMY WIVES. See the wisteria (I’m guessing that’s what it’s supposed to be?) on the porch? It’s not real… it’s fascinating to see sets up close, what you see on TV is so far from what it really looks like! I remember one year Fred and I were in Mount Pleasant, SC in an area they call the “Old Village”, this little shop that we really liked was painted a different color, on second look, all the shops were different, as were the nearby homes, it was like being on the Twilight Zone (anyone remember that show??), then we saw men on ladders HANGING GREEN LEAVES ON A BIG OAK TREE, we asked what was going on… they were getting ready to shoot a scene for a Nicholas Sparks movie (I believe it was The Notebook), so intriguing! The season of Army Wives starts on March 4! I like the show, Fred likes it because he’s figuring out where they’re at for each scene! I’m not sure how it works, who maintains these homes, etc. but they do a great job… Catch you back here tomorrow!
Workshop with artist Colin Page April 6 & 7, 2012! Charleston,SC
Image: ColinPagePaintings
One of our favorite artists, Colin Page, from Maine will be here in Charleston, SC this coming April. Mark it on your calendar! He’ll be here as part of a show at the Smith Killian Gallery, located in downtown Charleston. Colin will also be giving a workshop here on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7, 2012. My husband and I met Colin several years ago, he’s a down to earth nice guy as well as a fabulous artist. We met him and a group of artists he was painting with in a cottage down from ours. We were lucky enough to see the artwork after they spent a week out every day painting rain or shine… and the work was nothing short of amazing. Jaw dropping. No kidding! My husband and I were fortunate enough to buy a piece of his work that year, and we absolutely LOVE it! Colin has the uncanny ability to take something mundane and turn it into something spectacular! Check out his WEBSITE (hint: his journal is FULL of information!). Also… contact the Smith Killian Gallery for more details! Hope to see you there! Here’s some info for the workshop. If the image is too small you should be able to click on it to enlarge… Catch you back here tomorrow!
Man slippers so sharp you could wear them out! Spend that gift card now!
Aren’t these the sharpest men’s slippers you’ve ever seen? These are classy with a capital C! I bought them for my husband for Christmas and he LOVES THEM. I swear when he has khakis or jeans on I would swear he could wear them out. They’re warm, comfortable and the ultimate in style. I ordered them from Nordstrom (free shipping and free returns!)… If you have a gift card to spend and you don’t know what to do with it… here’s an idea! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Happy New Year! I wish you the best…
I would like to wish you the happiest new year ever! I hope that your year is filled with all things good… health, happiness and friends throughout the year!
I would like to thank my wonderful husband (Fred Stroud) in advance for all his help in coming up with new topics, helping to find new artists to feature, he has been instrumental when a topic eludes me! We have a big time sitting around a roaring fire brainstorming new ideas. The past year has been an adventure and I/we look forward to 2012 with you along for the ride! Thanks for stopping by… Catch you back here tomorrow!
Image: Currier and Ives from MySunsetCoffee.com
POSTADAY2011 Challenge complete! THANK YOU WordPress!
Let me start by saying… HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE! Can you believe how fast time flies?? I want to send a quick Thank You to WordPress… Last year I decided to figure out what a “blog” entailed… why not spend some time each day and see what happens? Can’t hurt, right? After a lot of research I decided on a WordPress blog, and let me say… I’m happy I flew with WordPress! I created this blog on January 1, 2011, and planned to do several posts a week. Then I noticed WordPress had a POSTADAY and a POSTAWEEK challenge… Ok, now my interest is really peaked… a POSTAWEEK challenge really isn’t a challenge for me since I feel I can ramble on about pretty much anything, and doing so only once a week is too easy, but EVERY SINGLE DAY?? Eek, that quickly started to become a challenge. It wasn’t the topics it was the time it took to research and to figure out WHAT… once I have the WHAT I’m set! WordPress has a blog you can subscribe to that gives you ideas of a topic to write about each day, they ENCOURAGE you to write. I would have to say I am THRILLED with WordPress. They strive to be the best and to constantly improve the best of the best. I have contacted their support a few times, and they are wonderful, they respond quickly, and let me just say… they are called HAPPINESS ENGINEERS for a reason! Who couldn’t love that!
Keep it up WordPress… I’ll be with you next year! A big thank you to those of you who have spent the time to follow this blog throughout the year, I have met the coolest people this past year! I’m looking forward to next year… OK, y’all, have a wonderful New Year’s Eve… be safe, don’t drink and drive… call a taxi or have a designated driver! Catch you back here TOMORROW!
Image via tribulant.com
ARTFOODHOME.COM 