Ok am back!!

 After almost 3 yrs I am back to blogging. With Facebook, Parler and other ways of communicating,  I wanted to try again. 

My store located on the downtown courthouse square closed at the end of February. Why?  Mainly Covid. Other contributing factors were the lady who was still with me as a booth renter was able to work only 1 day a week and same with me. My husband has Parkinson’s and as it worsened I could not bring him with me and he needed me at home. 

So, the landlords wanted a new lease what timing. I had been here 14 years and was on month to month after so long. I could not do so and their timing was strange with the pandemic in our laps. 

I had 21 days notice but decided to just close. It took 3 wks and a crew to help supervised by my son Larry. I had to rent space in 2 storage facilities plus my huge garage. 

In Spring I hope to begin to have some estate sales. Keep an eye for that!

I am still the local distributor of Watkins home products. Text me at 936 661-6964 if you need to order anything. 

Lois

My Dear Cat Baby Marlin has died

If you know me at all you know that we had a sweet lovable Burmese cat named Marlin.  Yesterday would have been his 14th birthday but he died  6 days before.  Even though he was at the vet's often for supposedly allergies,  he had the cancer probably for 3 yrs. If any Vet had sent him to TX A&M Vet school an hour away it would have been detected early enough to save him.They told me it is a common type cancer in cats.

Since my husband's dementia kicked in 3 yrs ago, Marlin has been my constant companion. He went with us when my husband had to go to the hospital, anywhere we went so did Marlin.  I cannot ever tell you the huge loss to me of my little baby cat.  But now I am truly alone since it has been a year or more that my husband has mostly  not rarely even  known me.

His illness is a horrible thing to live through and that is about what we are doing.  Sometimes my husband knows of the changes in his life but mostly he does not.  I do know each day.
It is the most difficult thing I have ever lived through watching this wonderful man go from me.
If I put a lot of love in the cat baby, well it is because of this loss I live each day.  And now he has also been taken from me.
I miss him terribly.

Enjoying our short spring, because summer starts really soon

My azaleas as they were just finishing.  This was a couple of weeks ago. They don't last long but while in bloom they are breathtaking. 

HE is risen!!!

Happy Easter to everyone.  A day of gratitude for the one who died for us.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

We seem to be living so fast that Thanksgiving is the only time we all come together with our families and actually give thanks for what has been given to us throughout the year.  Why is it we
cannot do this all year long? 
I know in our family we still pray before meals and I am glad for that.  Even when in a restaurant
we pause to ask for the blessing over our meal.  It is a quiet prayer but nevertheless it is a time
to pause and ask God to bless the food to the enrichment of our bodies for doing His will, not ours.
Do we really  mean that?  Do we just want to eat as fast as possible?  Do you consider what that means to ask for God to strengthen our bodies with this food?  I have been doing a lot of thinking about this since my husband was diagnosed 2 yrs ago with traumatic dementia.
He usually asks for the blessing of the food.  Now he has trouble remembering all the words he wants to say, and I often have to help him finish the prayer.  So I use that time to consider what his prayers ask from God.  We thank Him but then we ask for this food to strengthen our bodies.  Always asking for something, aren't we?
Now I can add a little prayer to his and thank God for each time my  husband can still remember the words.  That is so important to him and if he is able to pray on his own, he does not become frustrated. 
So this Thanksgiving,  I ask you to each consider what ALL God does for us.  Also what we ask of
Him.  Are we asking to be able to live with whatever is HIS will?  That is what we must do.  We are followers, not leaders in our relationship with God. He will teach us to pray if we listen as Jesus gave a guide for his disciples in the Bible.
I remember as a child, we would say Turn thanks for the prayer at the table.  I never understood that the term was shortened to "Turn Thanks" by us when what the adults were doing is to "return thanks"
for the food God had provided.  Funny how I never realized that until I was an adult.
So again, think of all God does for us every day.  Thanks for living in a free country.  Thanks for having food to eat and clothes to wear, whether new or old or expensive or cheap.
These freedoms are not free.  Our soldiers throughout our history as a country have fought and died for us to have them.  Because we have been a Christian country, God has blessed us.  Remember that whenever you see someone trying to take those freedoms away. We are blessed because of our obedience to Him.
End of sermon,  but this is my only sermon ever on this blog.  I felt so strongly that our country
needed this on the occasion of Thanksgiving.  Enjoy being with family and friends.  Eats lots of turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Lois

Veteran's Day upcoming

Hello everyone,

Things are very busy for me these days with my husband's illness.  I am open now only Fri. and Sat. at the store.  He has a place here at the store to go and lie down when he needs a nap or rest.  He and
the cat Marlin are a great pair.

I am not too attentive to this blog due to all that.

So a few patriotic pictures in observance of Veteran's Day coming up soon. Items all in store.

We owe a great debt to all our military people past and present. 

A Spanish American War soldier with drum:

 

WW 2 Sailor US Navy uniform.

 

WW 1 Soldier photograph and frame.

  Gas mask and bugle plus other items from WW1.

USS Texas picture.  Now moored.

 

WW 1 Soldier uniform includes hat, helmet, leggings and dog tag.

 

Some patriotic clothing from the vintage clothing room here at store.

Thanks for checking on my blog.
Lois

Summer time and the living is not so easy!!

I do not like this extreme heat.  It is interfering with the time we spend out of doors. My cat likes to go out in the mornings and sit on the patio and listen to the birds and cicadas.  We spend hours doing this. He is an indoor cat and was declawed before we got him.
I am waiting for some cooler weather,  it is 102 today, to spread a small table for breakfast for husband and I and cat.  Shown above is an antique English breakfast set. The colors are perfect for what I am seeing in my future breakfasts once fall is here.
I have several of these mostly English breakfast sets and love to use them when allowed to outside.

A cool looking set.  Light pink tones.

Part of a black white Wedgwood set.  Crisp and clean.

This is in mulberry.  See toast rack.

Another pink and fushia set. 

Villeroy and Boch set pattern Burgenland.

And lastly,  Burgess and Leigh set. 
Don't you love them and can think of lots of tablescapes you arrange using them?  I can and do.
Have a good rest of the summer,  and keep cool.
Lois