Prairie Gothic

Closer and closer!

2012-03-04T11:29:00.004-08:00

It's a work in progress but visit us at Prairie Gothic.

Hey, I'm really still out here.

2012-02-29T17:41:00.002-08:00

Okay, okay, okay, okay, I know it's been a really really long time since I've made an appearance here. But things are going to change drastically and soon. I've got a new inspiration and some exciting plans so stay tuned to see what's in store.

Dream you dreamers, you, then do.

2011-01-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.
T. E. Lawrence

Erica Il Cane

2011-01-01T21:45:00.001-08:00

Erica Il Cane

Happy New Year Friends!

2010-12-31T23:44:00.000-08:00

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you are wonderful, and don't forget to make some art- write or draw or sing or build or live as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing in which you dream both dangerously and outrageously. I hope it will make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and you will be liked and that you will have people to love and like in return. And most importantly because I think there should be more kindness and wisdom in the world right now- I hope that you will when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind. And I hope that somewhere in the next year that you surprise yourself." Neil Gaiman

A gift so precious.

2010-12-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all!

I remembered a Christmas story.

2010-12-23T11:21:00.001-08:00

I remember when I was a wee child, that my auntie and mom decided to take a day trip. My cousin, who was a baby and I who was about 6 years old got to go along. We were living in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the time. It was around this very same time of the year. I don't remember the exact route they took, but it took them to Madrid, Jemez and the Santo Domingo Pueblo, which is now the Kewa Pueblo. They saw (and me too) many sights that day, but while at the Pueblo, they saw one that touched their hearts. It was an old Native American man, who had no use of his legs. He moved by dragging himself along the ground. These 2 women were certainly not rich tourists, but only housewives of limited means taking a Sunday day trip. But they eventually found an antique store and in the store an old wicker wheel chair, it wasn't new or fancy or even very expensive, but they took it back to village and left it there where they had seen the old man. Not a huge thing in the whole scheme of the world, but maybe, just maybe it was to him. These women were and still are my idols, neither perfect, but each loving, kind and generous and I love them. I only hope that I have a portion of the strength and perserverence that they had and have.

My mom passed away several years ago after being confined to a wheelchair for about 25 of her final years, believe me a wheel chair was no small expense. We often struggled to get the funds together to get her a new one. And as for my auntie, I am blessed and still have her she gives me hope and strength and supports me when I am low. For this I am truly blessed.

Now as Paul Harvey would say, "here's the rest of the story." There is an organization that will for less than $60 dollars furnish a wheelchair and deliver it to someone in the world who is in need and there are many. I won't put all of the pictures here of how they do it, what they look like, the logistics of delivery and the pictures of the many, many happy and grateful recipients. But if you look at this it may inspire you to help too. It's not a lot, maybe dinner out and a movie, the price of a handbag or another pair of shoes. Something we could forego with little or no pain and something that could change someone elses life. Visit this site, Free Wheelchair Mission and keep in mind what this season is really about. It's about family, love, hope and making the world a better place. We can all do that.

The puffer fish were hung from the ceiling with care.

2010-12-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you need to update your bathroom light so the house will be just right for Christmas.

I know, I know another WTF moment sponsored by me. I realize I am on a slippery slope when the number of "what in the hell was she thinking" moments are far outweighing the "oh she's a little eccentric" ones.

2010-12-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

December 24,1938, Christmas Tree Lane opens. In 1885 the trees were planted on the Woodbury ranch in Altadena, California.

I would go to church more often.

2010-12-21T22:43:00.001-08:00

If I could go here. Seriously I really like old churches, if they would just let you sit and read or meditate and no one would preach, oh, that's the library.

To get in the spirit

2010-12-21T10:05:00.001-08:00

I think I could do this...

2010-12-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

NOT! This is Grandma (Emma) Gatewood, the first woman to hike the Appalachian trail alone by the way it's approximately 2175 miles long. She did it in 1955 at the age of 67 wearing Keds sneakers. Her gear included an army blanket, a platic shower curtain and a raincoat packed in a homemade bag slung over one shoulder. She did it the first time in1955 then twice more before she died.

I find myself dreading a walk from a far away parking spot at the mall. Maybe it's time to reconsider my attitude. Learning about people like this can cause that.

Another Reason for the Season

2010-12-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

I for one especially embrace the Christian concept of "peace on earth". But historians know the time around the winter solstice has been the season and the reason for celebration by many people of many cultures long before the birth of Christ. There are elements taken from ancient cultures involving a great number of traditions that we still carry along with the holiday that we celebrate today. I particularly like the story that comes to us from the Saami people of northern Scandinavia, who still raise and herd reindeer. It is of a goddess they worship called Beiwe who is the sun goddess of fertility and sanity (I think this refers to the seasonal depression that some suffer due to the darkness of long winters), she travels through the sky in a "sleigh" made from reindeer bones along with her daughter, Beiwe-Neia, to bring back the greenery that the reindeer feed on. On the winter solstice the Saami people, sacrifice white female animals and ribbonand with the bones and hide they take ribbons and weave rings. They cover their door posts with butter to give the two goddesses food for their journey through the sky.

This is where we get the part of the the Christmas legend involving a sleigh pulled through the sky by reindeer and also the Christmas wreath.

Love Hate Relationship

2010-12-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

Who could dislike a honey bee? Busily working to create one of nature's most wonderful sweetener. Or a cute fuzzy yellow and black bumble bee, adding interest and movement on the flowers in my garden? On summer days it seems that wasps love the eaves of my house. They busily construct their complex paper nests while the mud daubers make their concrete hard red dirt capsules. They are beautiful creatures guided by unknown forces. You could say I love them for their beauty and uniqueness among creatures. The only problem is that when one finds their way in my old house or I am working under the eaves, gardening or mowing, they always seem to perceive me as a threat. I have been painfully stung on a regular basis. This causing the hate part of our relationship resulting in the desire to rid them from anywhere on my property. (Very much like some family members and some frenemies.)

Take a look at artist, Hagedorn Hagen's work.

I also like this piece by etsy artist Divine Design V.

A Few Things

2010-12-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

Last month was definitely a hard one for us. But now I'm trying to start out this one with a better attitude and a new outlook. I was so surprised to get this new to me apothecary cabinet. My son and I had bought a ragged wreck of an eight foot long cabinet that was well over a hundred years old and looked every bit of it. We actually didn't know if it could be rehabilitated and if so where a cabinet that long would fit. But lo and behold he worked a miracle, he cut it in half so it would fit better and was able to make two. This is mine. Here are a few pictures from around my homestead. I am excited to do a few things around here that I have been thinking about and I will try to share them as I do. I searched long and hard to find the "vase" for my cotton boll stems that my husband brought to me several weeks ago. They had been on my wish list. I'm sure he's glad it's weeds and sticks and not cars and jewelry.

Workroom

2010-10-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

I love this. Maybe if I had a room like this I could get all sorts of things done.

I love this blog too, Objects in Spaces.

Dead useful in the wizarding world.

2010-09-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are...anything your heart desires will come to you. See, it really is true. Even if your heart's desire is a raggedy a** old dead owl. Seriously, it was one of my heart's desires.There's probably a name for this sickness, but don't tell me.

Old sepia photographs, my bathroom, green chiles and avarice.

2010-09-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

It's cooling off here a tiny little bit.

I mean it's 95 with high humidity instead of 104 with high humidity. I realize that's not much, but it gives me hope that fall is coming and that,my friends, is my most favorite season. So since I've felt a tiny bit more motivated, I've decided that my aqua green and spa white bathroom needed a makeover. I do that, makeover, instead of deep clean. It works for me and I am deeply sorry for the collateral damage, like the spiders and their webs that get painted over and called texture, but there is a price to be paid. Also a price to be paid for living in a crazy person's house. I've had an old photo of my husband's grandmother when she was a little girl. There is a house sitting on the bare west Texas plains, his grandmother when she was about 4 holding a little doll, her parents, a windmill, a few hollyhocks near the gate and a baby antelope standing there with them. I get lost in that photo wondering about the people and their life on those bare windy plains, their hopes for their family, the care for their modest little home shown by planting of the hollyhocks and of course their choice of pet a tiny little antelope. Antelope used to be plentiful on this prairie, but maybe all of the farming, ranching and hunting have taken their toll. Every now and then out on the really big ranches you will get a glimpse of one, but not so much anymore.

That photo I love is not grey, black and white, it is instead cream, ivory, sepia and rust, with a line of water damage that cuts through the sky and background. That image was going through my head when I chose the colors of the bathroom. I get to do that you know, choose all of the colors and of course do all of the painting. Lucky me. It was these choices that caused quite a stir around here. We live in an old prairie style farm house, that because of it's age and the climate here has had some issues. Of course these issues have been resolved, there is a brand new roof, thanks to the recent hail storm, all new plumbing when we moved in and fresh paint without. Which is why the family was a little shocked to see the water damage on the freshly painted bathroom walls. This is the part that they find unsettling. After duplicating the colors of the photos, I went ahead and duplicated the water damage marks too. Hey some people have used some really ugly wall paper borders in their day (me) and I consider this to be preferable. After all isn't that what it's all about? Decorating in the style that pleases you? At least around here it is the painter get's to choose and I did.

After finishing that job, I was definitely ready for a few days off, so me and my dearie, headed across the plains to the "mountain" as we call Ruidoso, New Mexico. Where all of the plains dwellers would head when the summers would be too hot and long, at least the lucky ones. The get away was cool, and the souvenirs, my choice too, were green chiles (5 tow sacks full!!!!!) and a few assorted tumbleweeds, from the old homestead in Castro county Texas. Such a high maintenance girl I am. So due to my love of green chiles, I have been busy cleaning the skins off the roasted ones to prepare for freezing (thank goodness for the "Frisper" that my auntie got for me), making ristras and trying to get rid off, oops, I mean share the rest.

Now for the best news about the best package from the best friend that I have, she seems to know the very heart of me, and always translates the things I love to the most magnificent packages ever, but that will be another whole post. I am indeed a lucky, lucky girl and a thankful one.

Tumbleweed? Ha, Ha, Ha, ha, ha, ha......

2010-08-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

...but I love it anyway. Here is a picture of Debbie Dusenberry's house from Curious Sofa Diaries, with what!? A tumbleweed on the mantle! Perfect. And who would have thought it? I remember driving down the road trying to dodge the very biggest ones, and couldn't even get in the front door of my house because they were piled clear to the eaves of the roof. Little did I know that they were decorator items. Who would have known, other than Debbie and my Nana? The story of the Christmas tumbleweed is here. I found the image at The New Victorian Ruralist , one of my very favorite blogs to visit.

?

2010-08-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

The title of the blog where I found it says it best. It's hours of fun. Go!

Just a little Poke

2010-08-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

The web is buzzing with news about this space and the guy who owns it. Who wouldn't be intrigued by this quaint and interesting office, by it's name, it's contents, it's owner? This unique space belongs to acupuncturist, Russell Brown of West Hollywood, CA and it's called Poke. Check out his site and blog for a new twist on an old practice.

Just a little thing I call "necessity bottles".

2010-08-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

I made these a while back and was so thrilled that I taught myself how to make fired on decals. The toner from laser jet printers leaves behind iron oxide on the glaze of fired objects. A little science, a little art. Now if I could just teach myself photography.

Paper

2010-08-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

It's the simplest substance, paper, the only art supply that is readily available almost anywhere and still somewhat inexpensive. I can take paper and draw stick figures on it, maybe make a paper airplane. But this person performs miracles. I've long been a fan of this blog, Merveilles en Papier and admired the wonderful creations, each one fantastic in it's own way. But I love, love, love this deer. I admit that I find deer especially beautiful, they are always my favorite image for a holiday card.

A Corner

2010-08-17T17:33:00.001-07:00

I already have the bugs...

2010-08-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

now, to kill them and organize them. Well, maybe not, but this is great. I saw this over at The New Victorian Ruralist, you must check out his beautiful blog. This wallpaper is a collaboration between, designer Brad Ford and wallpaper designer Jennifer Angus for the 2007 Hamptons Cottages &Gardens Idea Show House.

Melancholy Oklahoma

2010-08-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

For a melancholic look at some abandoned sites in Oklahoma you must pay a visit to Abandoned Oklahoma. This photo of the old Bird Creek School is from their collection. The guys over there have a comprehensive collection of photographs and videos that show some of the the forgotten places both rural and urban with information about each. I can't look at these images without wondering about the the people who inhabited them, their stories and why these places were forsaken.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,

2010-08-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

How about these items? My daughter got me these for my birthday. She knows that I am intrigued by bats. I must have made her visit the old train tunnel bats in Texas too many times.

What goes round, comes round.

2010-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

I never thought that I'd live to see the day that I had a moment. One single solitary moment in time, that what I was wearing is in style. No seriously, really and actually in style. Did you see Ralph Lauren's spring/summer 2010, show, the show that featured what us poor old prairie dwellers have worn, not only in the 30's but pretty much resort to as daily attire, is in FASHION?!??

Some call it Dust Bowl Chic or Poverty chic, some call it Grapes of Ralph but what I prefer call it is "drag out of the bottom of the closet and go feed the chickens chic."

It was one brief shining moment. Next I go back to looking like a crazed hillbilly woman, who runs from people in Wal-Mart, afeared that I will be spotted and included as one of those People of Walmart.

Cracked and chipped.

2010-08-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Cracked is not necessarily a bad thing. At least as far as dishes are concerned. This work by Joana Meroz shows that tiny imperfections can be the priceless beginnings of something new and uniquely beautiful. She paints these cracks with gold lustre and applies enamel transfers of delicate flowers.

Prairie Girls Have Needs

2010-01-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Out here on the prairie, the winter wind blows cold and strong. A prairie girl needs boots. We've got chores to do and places to go. I got these in black a few months ago and loved them so much that I ordered these, in brown suede for 50% off at the Nine West site today. They are from Nine West's Vintage America Collection, which is just perfect for life on the prairie.

I love Craig and his list.

2009-11-20T12:05:00.001-08:00

I never wanted a piano, didn't know where I would put one if I had one. But my daughter did want one and like anything she sets her mind to, it was done. Thanks to Craigslist she found this old beauty for the just right price of, FREE! When she first mentioned it, I wasn't too excited. Nor was I very thrilled to be looking for strong, hefty and very reluctant volunteers to move it. But deals were brokered and the plan was finalized. We went to an old rent house just a few blocks from home one cold windy evening last week. There were no lights there except a flashlight to see it. But hey, we all know that beggars can't be choosers. So we loaded it up and headed home. After getting it inside and getting a good look, I fell in love. Of course I only know how to play songs from the beginner's book, but with any luck and her determination, I am sure the girl who wanted it will be filling this old house with music.

The Flower Fed Buffalo

2009-11-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

Just a short distance from my house is a pasture where a herd of buffalo reside. I don't know who owns them or what they do with them, but I am amazed and humbled everytime I see them. So large and yes, majestic. This spring all of the cows had fuzzy red calves. It's so hard to imagine that they are confined to a pasture with only a few strands of barbed wire when all of the land here once belonged to them. Ghosts from days gone by. I also love this poem by Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931).

The Flower Fed Buffalo

The flower-fed buffaloes of the spring,

In the days of long ago,

Ranged where the locomotives sing,

And the prairie flowers lie low;

The tossing, blooming, perfumed grass,

Is swept away by wheat,

Wheels and wheels and wheels spin by,

In the spring that still is sweet.

But the flower-fed buffaloes of the spring,

Left us long ago.

They gore no more, they bellow no more,

They trundle around the hills no more:

With the Blackfeet lying low,

With the Pawnees lying low.

The More Things Change the More Things Stay the Same

2009-11-19T14:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog. It's not my first blog, but I've left that one behind for now. I feel like it's time for a change. Which is like dieting and other resolutions, something I attempt often but seldom make great strides toward achieving. We'll see. Right now I'm changing my house decor. I love my old house and it's feeling of history. I don't know much about the people who have lived here before me, but I imagine them to be a lot like me. Harding working folks trying to make a home that's a sanctuary for their families. Our house on the prairie. I love this beautiful buck and no I didn't kill him. He's actually the trophy of one of my dad's ex-wives and a lucky man he was to not end up just like this fellow. But that's another story. There are deer that I feed in my yard. I am hoping that they will be safe as hunting season is in full swing here. Morning sleeping is interrupted by the sound of gunshots. Yes, I understand the hunter's point of view, but no, I don't want to participate.