Coming Soon

The making of an outdoor Tuscan Farm table....coming soon.

Summertime on Old Cape Cod

~Summertime. Feet up on the porch. Cold beer in a keg. Hot dogs and burgers on the grill. Simplicity. Laughter. Sun kissed faces. Towels on the line. Flip flops in the entryway. The sound of the screen door slapping shut. Inhale it. Feel it. So pure and good and simple.
~Living on Cape Cod brings a special meaning to summertime. We have little pieces of salt stuck in our screens. We live with the low, drone of the fog horn lulling us to sleep each night. We have a hard time deciding which seafood restaurant to go to on any given night because they are all so good. Today the waters of Vineyard Sound were lapping upon the shore and tiny whitecaps were visible everywhere. Boats were heeling over, beholden to the wind. Tomorrow might be the exact opposite with calm seas and limp sails. It's ever changing. Always a surprise. Always beautiful.

~The beach roses are spent but the honeysuckle is just coming into its own and the sweet fragrance is intoxicating as I ride my bike along the Shining Sea bike path each morning. Being outdoors. Watching runners, bikers and walkers from our perch on the front porch. Passing fresh faces each morning on the bike path. Movement. Energy. Emotion. It's contagious.

~Thank you God, for letting me live here on Old Cape Cod.

Independence Day

~Here we are...another July 4th on the horizon. The weather couldn't be more
cooperative here on Old Cape Cod. Sunshine, blue sky, fresh, clean air. Gorgeous. While most folks are gearing up for holiday bashes this Independence Day weekend, I'm hanging loose, lying low and eating lean.
A recent visit from my sister and a close friend who both live in Orlando has left me spent. For five days, we ate, shopped, drank and talked. It was wonderful. Like three teenagers goofing off and being giddy. Our little town is the kind of place where you can go from the candy shop to the t-shirt store to the Irish pub all in the blink of an eye....and that's how we spent our little va-ca together. Whether sitting at the Roo Bar eating tapas and drinking Sam Adams Summer Ale
or couched around a small table at Pies a la Mode, eating homemade
gelato and surrounded by pastries to die for, we found a way to quench our thirst and get some retail therapy while fueling the economy of Falmouth with purchases at every stop. From Port Cargo where I found a gorgeous leather-like handbag to The Black Dog where my friend found the perfect tank top to bring home to her dog sitter, to Touche' where my sister found the ideal pair of silver hoop earrings, we hit them all.
~A scenic drive along the shore road one day led us to Woods Hole and the Oceanographic Institute where research of the ocean's bottom is alive and well. No one can leave Woods Hole without visiting the Capt. Kidd where what seems like a 50 ft. long bar reportedly dates back to the civil war days. One of the things I love about living here on Cape Cod is the rich history that is part of its lore. And when someone comes to visit who is curious about that history, it makes it even more fun because each and every inch of this place has a story to tell to anyone who will listen. Sitting on our front porch, looking through the books of Falmouth and thinking of what was once here puts you in a different state of mind. It makes you ponder the grand scheme of things.
~And so, that's how I'll spend this July 4th weekend...sitting on the porch, pondering the rich history of this place; what the men and women who came before us did to keep it safe and whole. Our house dates back to 1724, quite some time before Independence day in 1776. It's come a long way, baby.
~As an aside to this post, I have to share a funny story. My friend who bought the tank top at the Black Dog emailed me the day after she got home. She had left the tank top in the Black Dog gift bag on the table in her family room for her dog sitter as a thank you gift. Black Dog merchandise comes wrapped in white tissue with little black Labradors printed all over. Their gift bags feature a big black lab on the front. Apparently, "Dooley" my friend's sweet, lovable Labradoodle, attacked the bag while she was at work, practically ate the tank top and left the tissue torn in pieces. He didn't like the intrusion of the Black Lab, we are guessing. Dooley never does anything like this so it was quite a surprise for my friend when she came home that day and found the destruction! But this story ends well. When she called the Black Dog to tell them her plight, they cheerfully shipped out a new tank top and didn't even charge her the usual ten dollar shipping charge. I guess they take responsibility for the tortes of their black dogs, even if they are just pictured on a bag!!!


~Haven't been at the sewing machine in a month, but we still have some pretty aprons in stock as well as some summer blouses. Check them out at http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/

The Cape Cod Clothesline

~The Cape Cod Clothesline.

~A fixture on Old Cape Cod. As common as the much adored outdoor shower. A Cape Cod clothes line has a particular style. It's, shall we say, rather crude. Usually two posts, each with a "T" formation on the top and two lengths of rope spanning from one end to the other. A 'must have' on the Cape where wet beach towels and swim suits are a constant. The routine consists of coming back from the beach, hopping into the outdoor shower, rinsing one's self and swim suit off and heading to the clothes line.

~Somehow, we inherit several beach towels here each year. No one owns up to possession which never ceases to amaze me. A good beach towel is not cheap! But we have quite a collection that are unclaimed. I just wash them and put them in the beach towel pile in the shed with the others.

~On occasion, the clothes line is used like any other clothes line. I love to dry our sheets outdoors and if I'm not in a hurry on the day I change the beds, the sheets get to blow in the breeze...love the sweet smell of cotton dried outdoors. I've also used our clothes line to feature aprons for our apronsgonewild.etsy.com online shop. Looks sort of old fashioned, don't you think?

~Hubby has a thing about drying clothes outside. He thinks it's silly when there is a perfectly good electric dryer ready and waiting. He also doesn't like the way it looks. Isn't that a hoot? There are soooooo many things that we disagree on mainly because I don't like the way something looks. But this one is his pet peeve. Odd. Go figure.

~Right now the clothes line is mainly bare. But soon, it will be loaded with towels and swim suits and running gear. We have several runners in the family and their clothes are dripping wet when they get back from a jog. They go right on the line for a bit until they can be brought in to wash.

~I don't think I could live without our clothes line. I love to air out the many quilts we have on all the beds. And it's the perfect place to hang something white that needs natural bleaching from the sun. It's a very serviceable object, indeed.

~So I say....happy air drying and happy summer!

~Oh...and while I'm at it, I couldn't miss the chance to show you the job I did on our slate path to the back shed. I actually cut out all the grass around the stones with a steak knife! It had grown so heavy that it was covering almost all of the steps. You could hardly see them. Now, there's a clear pathway.

~Be sure to check us out at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com

YARD SALE SATURDAY

~It is said that a test of a person's character is how they deal with adversity (or lost luggage). Well...I'd like to add that it's how they deal with a massive rain storm in the middle of a yard sale. That's what happened this weekend when our youngest daughter, who lives just around the corner from us, attempted to have a yard sale on her front lawn.
~An awful lot of work goes into properly preparing for a good yard sale. Everything should be priced. Buyers don't like having to ask "how much" each and every thing is. Stuff should be clean and well displayed. It's better to put furniture pieces right out on the lawn rather than ask folks to come inside. All this and more had been done over a two week period. She was well prepared.

~I got up early this Saturday morning to bop over to help only to find that she already had everything out and ready to go by 6:30am. I was impressed. While she showered, I had my coffee and sat relaxed on the front lawn waiting for customers. Several nice folks stopped by around 8am and we sold a few things. But then I heard it...the long, low rumble of thunder.
Hmm...Should we panic? Would it just pass overhead? How much risk was it to just leave everything out?
~Instinct sent me back home to grab some tarps. By the time I returned, the raindrops were starting to fall. We hurriedly covered everything and hoped for the best. But this thunder storm was not to be denied. I swear I've never seen such a downpour. The ground quickly filled up with deep puddles. The bottoms of the wood bunk beds were sitting in water. The dust ruffle on the upholstered armless chair was wet two inches up from the bottom. The tarps began to blow off and all the clothing and stuffed animals began to get soaked. What to do? What to do?
~We began bringing it all inside. However, most of it was already soaked. Books, CDs, games, throw pillows, quilts, dresses, shirts, sweatshirts. All of it soaked. The living room became a storage locker. Not only was stuff piled all over but it was all wet. It was cause for tears.
~But...no tears were shed. Just a lot of talk about a disaster. I think if it had been my effort over the past two weeks, I would have just sat down and cried. But not our daughter. She worked even harder and succeeded in getting all of it indoors and off the lawn. I was impressed.
~Later, after we had dried almost everything off, she said..."I guess I'll just have it next weekend."

~Huh? What? You're going to go through this all over again? Hmm...Well...I guess, maybe. In any event, she definitely passed the character test this morning!

Home Again...

~Home Sweet Home...

~Well...the time finally came. We headed back home last weekend. Weather on the space coast was still beautiful, but we could feel the heat looming. Once we had to close the doors and windows and run the noisy air conditioning, we were outa there! Packing up, cleaning, all that stuff was exhausting. Not sure what's wrong with us that we cart so much stuff back and forth every year.
~This trip we only stopped one night before we hit hubby's sister's house in NY. It was a long drive the first day. No stopping here and there like we usually do. Not sure why, but that is what we decided.
~The space coast skies were active this winter. We saw 4 or 5 launches including two shuttles. It's heartening to see how many folks still line the beaches, even in the middle of the night, to see the space center do its thing. This year was special because it's the end of the shuttle program. A lot of mixed feelings about that. But...I won't get political.
~I decided to sew up one more apron before we leave. It's called Chocolate and Teal (pictured here) and has just a touch of old fashioned cotton at the bib and pocket edges. Check out the details at http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/
~As I began the task of packing up and cleaning before we left, I couldn't help but think about how different people live differently. I have a few friends whose homes are always "company ready." Anyone can walk in at any time unexpectedly and their abodes look just as they do when they're expecting guests. Nothing is ever out of place. There's never anything lying around to give an indication as to what they've been doing. It's a mystery to me. These friends are not idle folks who do nothing all day long. Nor are they people who can be seen fussing around, cleaning all the time. Matter of fact, I've never seen any of them cleaning, sweeping, wiping, etc. On the other hand, I have a damp cloth permanently attached to my hand all the time. And there's always a bottle of Windex in sight at our house 24/7. I just don't get it.
~Neither hubby or I are particularly fussy but I'm more interested in things being neat and clean than he is. At least in the so called, "public rooms" that someone stopping by on short notice would likely see. I try to keep things in order and dust free for the most part. But when I look at our bedroom and private bath area, I feel as though we are living in a college dormitory. Towels hanging on hooks, hair dryer hanging over a mirror, shampoos and hair products out in the open on the dresser. Hubby always has his allergy spray, Rolaids and eye drops out in broad daylight on his night stand. I always have tissues and a back scratcher lying on mine. There are often newly ironed clothes hanging on hangers over the bedroom door. I hate putting them in the closet for fear my nice ironing job will be for naught when they get squished in between all the other clothes. The bottom of our closet has piles of shoes in no particular order. And hubby's baseball caps surround the window that looks out onto our back yard. If that doesn't say 'college dorm', I don't know what does.
~Our TV area off the kitchen looks nice now that it's been remodeled. But the little coffee table in front of the sofa always sports a coffee cup, a pen and paper, a napkin left over from breakfast or lunch, and a few magazines in no particular order. The pillows on the sofa and chair are always smushed and flattened speaking loud and clear about the recent occupant. The tv remotes can be found just about anywhere; all depends on who used them and for what. Our living room stays pretty neat. That is, unless one of us decides to go in there and read or make a phone call. Then the quilted throw on the sofa gets pulled off one way or the other. Those pillows get smushed too and the coffee table ends up with an empty dish of nut remnants. And where there are nuts, there is always a glass...empty probably, but in full view.
~I'm not stupid. I realize that the mere act of living creates upheaval. And...I don't want to be one of those people who is constantly worrying about things being perfect. But I just don't understand how the folks who have achieved constant order do it! I know that it's partly a matter of putting things away on the spot. We are very guilty of the "I'll do it later" mentality But still...you'd think that "everyone" would leave some evidence lying around here and there. Not so with some of our closest friends. It's like magic. Maybe it is magic?

I think I'll dwell on that for a while.

~Be sure to check out our online shop at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com to check out the details of Chocolate and Teal.

~We have some really interesting aprons this year with unusual trims and patterns. Once we get settled back here at the Cape, I hope to add more tops and blouses to our Tops Gone Wild line.

Mother's Day

~Mother's Day 2010.

~Mother, Mom, mommy, mum, mumsy...whatever you call her, she's the same. She's the woman who gave you life here on earth. Some mothers are nearly perfect specimens and reflect beautifully on the name. Some fall short, leaving tattered remnants of themselves buried deep within their offspring. A mother's influence on her child impacts that life more strongly than any other. The bond is deep. The ties that bind are strong. There is no other like it.
~Dads play a stronger role these days in their children's upbringing. That's a good thing. But no one can fill the shoes of a mom. No one can feel their child's pain or burst with pride at their child's success like Mom. Empathy is what separates Moms from all others. When you can feel what another human being feels as if it is happening to yourself, then you know what it is to be a Mom.
~God bless Moms on this Mother's Day.