I have been so blessed in my life to have the lady in the picture as my Grandmother. Here she is shown with my Dad as a newborn, she was 19. If ever there was a "perfect" grandmother, she is it. All my life she has been there for me. Grandmother lived about 2 1/2 hours away from me when I was growing up in the 1960's-1970's, so I only got to see her on weekends, until school was out. And then I would go "up in the country" and stay with her and my grandfather for two weeks! If every child in the world could have spent two weeks "up in the country" with my grandparents, this world would be a much better place!To get to her house you had to either drive your car across the creek, if it was low enough, or walk through a narrow path on the side of a hill to get to the swinging bridge. I vividly remember my grandfather carrying me in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other and crossing that bridge that was probably 2 stories high and two planks wide. The original house was built in 1796 and was made of logs. The kitchen was the original part of the house and it was very large, and you entered the attic from a set of very narrow curved steps in the kitchen. Up in the attic you could see the original logs. I loved the kitchen! Grandmother cooked on a mint green and white Tennessee Brand wood cook stove. Every morning Granddad would build the fire in the stove on his way out to feed the livestock. I would always listen so I could be up with him so I could find the eggs.( even though I hated the chickens, they would peck my toes) When we came back in, Grandmother would have already made breakfast. Granddad and I would sit out on the back porch and talk of "mice and men" before he would go to work as a prison guard at the prison that adjoined their farm.
Then Grandmother and I would straighten the house a little, then head out to the garden to pick fresh vegetables or weed or whatever needed doing in the garden. Grandmother passed her love of gardening and being outside to me. It has to be really cold, for me not to go outside every day and do some kind of gardening.
We would walk down beside the creek and either swim in the "deep hole" or go fishing. We would always catch fish they called "red eyes". I'm not sure what exactly they were, but we would have them for dinner! The bad thing about swimming in the creek were the leeches. But we would just pick them off, like it was nothing! Wouldn't kids today freak out!
I never had many toys at my Grandmothers house. I played with old dishes that Grandmother would give me and I would sit under the tree and play "restaurant" all day long. My Granddad made me a swing in the tree as well. Once when their chuch replaced their pews, Granddad brought two of the old ones home and made a wooden sliding board from them!
But what I loved to do the most was play with my paper dolls. These were not the kind you bought and cut out, these were cut out of the Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs. My Grandmother and I would sit for hours cutting out dolls and furniture for their houses (made out of shoe boxes). I could hardly wait for the new catalogs to come in the mail, because that meant I got the old one!
As you can tell with this epic length post, my Grandmother played a huge role in my life. When my mother died when I was 16, my Grandmother would call and check on us at least a couple times a week, and would come down to our house every other weekend. When my Granddad died 17 years ago, she moved out of the old house and moved to our town so that we could all be together and watch out for each other.
My Grandmother is now 96 years old and until a month ago, lived in her neat little ranch style house that had the prettiest yard and flowers on her street. Then she fell and broke her hip. The doctors did a complete hip replacement because she was very healthy and felt she would recover. But she hasn't. A blood clot has formed in her lungs and they have been working all week trying to get it to dissolve. She is having some trouble breathing. But the worst part is that she now has dementia. She doesn't always know who we are. She can't remember where she is. The images in her mind torment her.
She has never been a very large woman. She is only 5' tall and has weighed at the most 105 lbs.
Now she is so tiny. She will not eat. They are feeding her through her veins.
This is heartbreaking for me. She has always been my crutch. I go to the hospital every day and see her getting further away from reality. She is tired, she is tired of fighting. I hope that now, I am being a crutch for her.
Blessings
Linda
All these items were in one box lot along with several sets of sterling silver candle holders, a sterling silver tea strainer,( which I kept) and lots of broken sterling silver pieces that I have since scrapped for $120.00. I paid $15.00 for the lot!
This is my favorite items from the lot. This is a sterling silver ladies calling card case. I love all the filligree work on the case and the intials are ALS. They are for Alice Lee Shenk. How do I know that? Because this was inside the case.
Her actual calling card! I was so excited when I saw that card. I hadn't opened the calling card case or the purse before I bought them!
Inside the old leather purse was this old coin purse and
This tiny sterling silver thimble! It is a child sized thimble and it is also engraved with ALS. Also inside the purse was this:
A teeny tiny little silver spoon! I have no idea what such a small spoon would be used for. The lovely lavendar and white hanky belonged to my grandmother.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Deep Dish Cheese Apple Scallop: 
And this is one of my most favorite sights
This lot of vintage patterns was $1.00! I really like the apron pattern that is 2nd to the left on the top. The pattern beside it is strange, the Advance pattern, it says view A and B are aprons. (a and b are the two smaller photos on the left) it says view c is a poncho! (view c is the red garment with the blue hat) does anyone get that? I also like the housecoat pattern with the heart shaped pockets. I will definitely use the apron pattern, the others I may sell. 
When I pulled this garment out of my bag, my son said "Mom, please tell me you are not going to wear that anywhere!". I told him I might, but in reality I wouldn't I just bought this top for the trim that is on it. The picture doesn't do it justice but the braided gold trim with rhinestones is so pretty! This was also $1.00
This last item was bought at a yard sale last weekend. I don't have very many primitives in my house but I loved this doll! She now sits on my petticoat mirror in the foyer. I have no idea what she would have cost retail but I paid $15.00 for her. I am calling her Elizabeth.
For more show and tell, head over to 
Grandmother is still not doing very good. Today is her 96th birthday and the entire family will be going to the nursing home this evening to celebrate with her. This morning she didn't believe us when we told her she would be 96. 
Sorry for the dark photo, I took this picture early this morning. 
My dear husband built this pond beside our front porch even though I was pretty skeptical of the idea. I was afraid it would draw mosquitos. But we have a very "green" and "organic" way to get rid of the mosquitos.
These guys are very effective against mosquitos and all flying insects and the best part about having them inhabit our pond is their mating call at night. That can lure me to sleep in about a minute. Almost every night I go out on the porch with my coffee or tea and sit in the dark and listen.
And I am so excited that my allium has bloomed! I first saw the allium on Anita's blog ( click on Anita on my blog roll) and was totally intrigued with it so I ordered some and planted them this past fall.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
So I started pulling out my recipe books and found one in a 1935 Ball Blue Book. I love the look of this book! 
I am stopping at the grocery store on my way to the nursing home today and get a couple fresh, hot biscuits and taking a jar of these preserves to Grandma. Hopefully they will taste as good as her mothers.
I don't remember what this rose is called, somehow the marker disappeared. It has such velvety looking petals.
And this one is called "Angel Face" but I call it Chanin's Angel Face, as my friend Chanin gave me this rose a couple of years ago knowing that purple is my favorite color.
I love, love, love this white Iris! 
But this deep purple and white is my very favorite! 
Isn't this Lantana pretty! I love the color but I wish I had never planted this! This plant spreads like mint! I have been pulling it up for two years now, and still have plenty! If I ever get it all pulled up I will be planting it henceforth in a pot!
