Happy Valentine's Day

May even hearts of stone melt like butter today.

Friday the Thirteenth

Here's wishing you good luck today:  Just in the event that you're superstitious about Friday the 13th, I'm sending you this clover to counteract any bad luck that you think might be heading your way (here at The Bunny Bungalow we do not cut off rabbits' feet for good luck; so no animals were harmed in the making of this good luck wish.)

Note: When I was a child, I found a coin on the ground that had imprinted on it: "13-Your Lucky Number."  I carried it everyday in my pocket until I lost it, never considering that the loss of the coin diminished the luck of 13 for me.  Tall Husband and I were married on the 13th...no, not Friday...however, our first anniversary was Friday the 13th.  Tall Son was born on the 13th (you remember him, he was the one who was almost born in an Army chopper over Germany.)  There have been other 13th lucks through the years.  So, I'm superstitious about the 13th but consider it my lucky number.  Though I've had courses in statistics and know how to calculate probability of events, proving this 13 thing to be all bunk, I still can't wait to see what today will bring!

Happy Feet

After our long walk yesterday, Tall Husband took me to lunch for Mexican food.  Afterwards, he drove without saying where we were headed.  Then he parked in front of my favorite discount shoe store.  In we went and he found beautifully made sandals for me.  He knows how to cheer up an old girl.  Thong the label on the shoe box announced.  And you thought I was not the thong type!

Tall Husband's rationale for spending and buying multiples of items:

1. They're a bargain.
2. We're stimulating the economy and saving jobs.
3. If one pair makes you happy, two will make you twice as happy.
4. Besides, they are for Valentine's Day!

Go Away, Tennessee Williams

There is no ignoring it. Today I'm feeling antsy; I need a change. My teeth are on edge...

"Effugio"

...and wild thoughts are flying around inside my head. I'm stuck in the past and future, mentally grinding away at them. Tennessee Williams is writing my life this week and has turned me into Maggie in his Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (Thank you, Tennessee, for not writing in her awful husband and for leaving me with my own Tall Husband.)

My Tuesday's to-do list isn't the key to this dilemma. A change of place? Shoe shopping? Change my hair color? Buy another book? Travel? Redo the bathroom? No this all takes money and in this economy, one must conserve.

To stamp out these thoughts and straighten my head, I'll take a walk, holding hands with Tall Husband. Together we'll figure out something wild. Two wild thinkers are better than one dull head. No offence, Tennessee.

Note: "Effugio" (Latin for escape or elude) painting from our collection is by Linda Hickerson-Hofheinz. My Photos of same.

Tuesday's To-do List

1. Make a wish. I know it's not four-leaf clover but these are hard times, so three will have to do!
   

2. Find winter color.

3. Smell the roses. A cliche...but one that really works.

4. Bring sprigs of Rosemary indoors.

5. Contemplate the most nearly perfect shape that Mother Nature has to offer.

6. Find Mother Nature's tiniest offering that can be seen with the naked eye.

7. Close my eyes and smell my world.

The most influential people in my life have been teachers. I remember an important lesson taught by my fourth-grade teacher. She took the class out of doors, then gave each of us some string and instructed each student to find four twigs. We were to use the string and twigs to stake out a small square of ground and observe what was within the area of earth we had claimed. We were amazed at all we found. Then she told us, "Look again." And we found more. Then she told us to close our eyes and listen to sounds around us. Then, "Children, with your eyes still closed, what smells do you notice?" When we returned to the classroom, we had excited conversations about our discoveries.

On the way home from school that afternoon, I saw, heard and smelled my world through new, sharper senses. I have continued use my teacher's lesson to be a better observer; to center myself in the here and now; to stop myself from getting trapped in the past or future. And to imagine and wonder how others experience their environments.

Oh, I almost forgot number 8: "Really look into the eyes of everyone I meet today, memorize their faces, then give them a gentle smile."

Weekend Fun

Pure and Simple flowers at the Zamore Homes Open House were an inspiration.

Gotta love those Rice University students of architecture; they carry style right down to their toes.

This face just makes me happy. This is Pearl who was also out admiring the architecture at Zamore Homes Open House last Saturday.

"Excuse me. I think I've just spotted a new trend!"

Tall Husband and I were out and about this past weekend, enjoying the mild, sunny weather. We spent Saturday afternoon at the Zamore Homes Open House, photographing the Kit Homes for My Ranchburger blog. While there, we met some wonderful design fans including Pearl, who can smell a design trend before it hits the East coast.

Click on Photos to enlarge.

A Nose for Design

Drop by The Bunny Bungalow Blog Monday to find out who has a real nose for design trends.