Back at the office to rest

As I have posted in the passed we have been attempting to close my father-in-laws estate. During this whole process it has caused Mema and myself to take stock of all the possessions that we have accumulated over the years. Menagerie Manor started out as a large American Bungalow but has doubled its size with the extensive additions we have made over the years. All those rooms are full of "things", not really junk but many nice "things", many being heirlooms passed to Mema and myself from other family members. Our son's and their wives have little interest in "old things". This passed weekend was our immediate neighborhoods annual garage sale and in September the entire South Mt. Tabor Neighborhood will be having its annual with maps of participating homes and all. My youngest son made very professional signs for ours at his sign company, thank you Ian. This sale was mostly the remainder of household items from Memas family home, so the September sale will mostly be comprised of our "things". After the sale yesterday I filled my old Volvo full and made two trips to Goodwill. Next week another charity will come and pick up the bulk which is currently stored in one of the four bays of the garage. It will be soooo nice to have the garage back to just cars. It was an exhausting weekend with all the preparation but it was profitable as well and so nice to start getting rid of life's accumulation. I can still hear my daughter-in-law scolding "price it low and watch it go", as she ripped off a tag and put one of her own on.

A feel good purchase

I have been in a bit of a funk lately so decided I needed a treat. So I donned my straw hat and ambled down to the nursery were I spotted this beautiful water Lily "Texas Dawn". It looks peach in the photo when in reality it is a bright yellow. Only cost me $35.99 with my "Good Neighbor" discount.

 

I have to enclose the pot in screen because of the Koi, they will eat any plant and then pull all the soil out of the pot quick as a wink.

Nothing to do, nothing to do........

I was just sitting here doing nothing when I should be working..........

So I started going through some emails and found all these cool photo's.......

Hope you are doing nothing so you can enjoy them.

The right tools for the right job!

Uninhibited affection

And we are lining up for what???

Sometimes you got to go with the moment

Just don't say anything!

A Begonia has risen from the dead

Thirty six years ago when Mema and I were newlyweds and living in an apartment, a very good friend moved to Germany and asked that I take on her Begonia plant. She entrusted it to myself because, and I quote, " you just know everything about plants", silly her! It lasted about a month and then just collapsed into a state of rot. I of course felt horrible and hoped its subject would never come up. All these many years later I happened into my favorite Nursery and there to my blinking wondering eyes I spotted the very same Begonia come back from the dead. I quickly picked it up and looked at the tag. YES!!! I screeched out loud scaring everyone around me, "Stitch Leafed Begonia", the very same plant that I sent to heaven thirty six years ago. I have been in that Nursery hundreds of times and asked if they could find one for me, but that never happened. I almost ran out of the place without paying for it in my excitement. It has doubled its size since coming home and I will make some back-up cuttings in the greenhouse just in case this one decides to leave this earth. I have had plenty of Begonia experience since that ill fated day, so hope my little Stitch Leafed Begonia will thrive and I will hopefully be able to give a plant back to my friend who still to this day knows nothing of the Begonias fate :o/

Has anyone any information about this picture?

Our 95 year old neighbor recently moved herself into a Retirement Center and gave us a few items from her long time home across the street from Menagerie Manor, she said that it was purchased at the 1920's World Fair but other then that knew nothing about it. just wondering if any of you folks have seen this before, or could share it with someone who might? 

We love it and hung it out in the garden room along with this small collection of water colors that Mema's Great Grandmother Ida painted at age 98.