Reflexions on a stormy day

I am sitting and watching the storm clouds move fast, gray and heavy, the trees are bending and the grass is splattered with torn branches and leaves. 

Howls from the chimney make me aware of the powers above, then minutes of stillness followed by another round of cracking winds. Rain hits the windows, rattles the glass. 

Wind --- Windows, there must be a connection? To keep the winds out  ---windows....

Inside it's quiet, a small candle holds the light up against the growing shadows.

This window lets me travel away....to Italy, a small bronze warrior from an ancient Roman site near Sienna ( brought home 27 years ago...) and a glass bottle from France (this year) keep me occupied with thoughts of summers past and warmth and sunshine.

The small glass bird knows the secrets of the window, whispers of traveling light,

the rain and clouds and sun.

And of the occasional flowers within.

Seemingly a small view opens me up wide.

And the storm blows on...

All images by V.Zlotkowski

Copyright 2012

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Windows of opportunity

Music room window sill until yesterday

I have two window sills, facing east, the front of the house, deep enough to have a whole shop display exhibited and I change what's there regularly, to entertain us, keep something new displayed or enhance seasonal decorating. There are stars and evergreen branches at Christmas time, shells during the summer, leaves and twigs collected at walks in autumn and ghostly ghouls at Halloween! It's a wonderful place to have some plants, flowers and some glass, candles or books, showing our latest interests, finds or new collected things. 

Some displays are short lived, some stay for weeks at the time without much change.

Dining room window with Easter lilly

I switched the vase to the other room, to have the Easter lilly in there and found some Willow pussies for the other!

I love this book: The Book of Botanical Prints by Taschen

Two brass mushrooms from Anthropologie

One belongs to our dining room, the room where all the action takes place in our family.

Our dining room at 6pm

Every meal, writing, homework, all this and more happens at this dining table and many after dinner conversation.

Afternoon light streaming through the music room.

The other resides over the music room, where we, apart from making music, sit around the fireplace for conversation and reading. It is a cozy room, beloved also by the dog, who has had chosen the ottoman as 'his' central cozy spot early in his life with us!

Willow pussies slowly greening

Spring has given me yet another chance to bring out some Easter decorations, some of my glass collection and white vases, lucky finds at Marshall's, where I did not spend more then $10 each. I couldn't have passed such a chance now, could I? 

Early afternoon, the sun has moved on...

Willow Pussies in one, Easter Lilly in the other and the foundation for a new window display was created.

Glass bird, bunny and a moss ball sharing the space with the Easter lilly. 

There is an old ceramic bunny with carrot, which has been with us for as long as the kids have been around and sometimes he is joined by some paper mache ones, but they are still in their boxes...

Do you have a spot, where decorations and displays are changed regularly?

Please, do tell me!

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Hudson supermarket

There is a supermarket in Hudson, NY, the sort I would not mind buying the daily needed things...Well, alright, it's not your average market for milk, butter and bread.
There are other yummy things, such as vintage pieces, furniture, old, really old and modern.
I love to browse there, finding so many things I would carry home or to share with you!
I love glass, and the way light plays with it, so here are some adorable pieces:

Beautiful blue & green vessels.

Light streams through a slotted shelf,

Creating a shadow play

Hard to ignore!

Walpole School of Art sign

Numbers

And classic china!

And then I found a small diary, written in 1903 by a Milo Nellis, a tiny, tidily written account of sums paid and received! But so old and neat!

He might have been a farmer and he pays a certain Leila $3.55, this entry repeats every week. Maybe the girl to keep his home? Who was he?
He has had a wagon wheel repaired for $2.50...
There are entries on payments to different people, contacts to seed companies and dealers.
It says on the front page:


 Milo Nellis
 Railway postal blank (?)
 St.Johnsville, NY

And a small cut-out image of a Ginseng plant is glued to the page! Who would take the effort to do this, but a farmer? Or perhaps a plant lover? Exotic ginseng?
Or was he at the railway? Would be interesting to know!

Another link to the past! Now the small booklet sits on my desk, not too far from where it originally came from!
Reminding me how 'things' survive us! A memento mori of sorts!












All images byV.Zlotkowski

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