Thursday, April 07, 2011

A Week's Worth

Since I have not made any attempt to decide how I intend to handle the abrupt cessation of photo posting here at Willow's Cottage, this is another week of using only words to describe the happenings here in our very windy coastal community.  Thank you to all who left me information about how to alleviate the photo block issue.  I'm still evaluating my options.

1. I have the loveliest of neighbors!  On Tuesday, my neighbor who is also a wonderful friend (Hi M!) dropped by in the middle of her busy day and gave me an hour of her time to measure and pin four (4!) pairs of cropped pants.  I have a bad habit of purchasing cropped pants even though they are too long for me.  It's not really that they are too long, it's that I am too short.  Have other petite sized women noticed that cropped pants are still several inches too long, ending not at your calf but more like just above your ankle?  Anyway, Marvelous M used her dressmaking skills to keep me from looking quite as dowdy as I usually do in the summer.

2. Spring planting in our garden is progressing.  We've marked out some squares to attempt our version of a Square Foot Garden.  So far, we have planted six heirloom tomatoes, kale, (more) lettuce, spinach, (more) basil and (more) parsley.  In my opinion, you can't have too much parsley or basil in your garden.

3. I received a birthday book!  My sister-in-law and I share, among the many many other enjoyments we have in common, a love of all words written by Madeleine L'Engle.  The latest volume she sent me is Walking on Water, Reflections on Faith and Art.  And tucked in to it was a bookmark painted with an original watercolor lavender spring violet which she created especially for me!

4. Isn't it FUN when to find a forgotten book on your bookshelf?  As I was dusting a shelf last Saturday, I noticed little blue book titled The Church of the East; it is actually an edited and condensed version of the very large two volume tome titled Nestorian Missionary Enterprise by John Stewart (published 1928). I know when and where we purchased the book as it was part of a homeschool curriculum, but I had no memory that we still owned it. (Here is where I confess to having lately developed a deep and insatiable interest in Christian Church history.)  Immediately I pulled it off the shelf and placed it lovingly and excitedly on the TOP of  my stack of 'I am planning to read this really soon' books.

5. Last, and certainly not least, because anything chocolate ranks quite high on my list of loves, I have been indulging my cocoa cravings with Trader Joe's (Vegan) 72% Swiss Dark Chocolate bar.  Do you shop at TJ's?  It's the 3.5 oz bar wrapped in the bright green cardboard.  On the back, it states, "Best before 03.03.2012".  I don't think I need to worry about the expiration date because this chocolate will not be around that long.

There were many more little and large events that could have made my Fave Five list (like a major Craig's List sale and a quick stop at the local garden nursery for some pink petunias), but I think these five are certainly a week's worth of blessings.  I'd love to hear about your week!  You can link up at Susanne's blog Living To Tell The Story or just leave a comment here.

Editor's note:  you may recall that I mentioned a book review I was planning to post.  If you are interested in reading a review of LowCostHighImpact Photography by blogger Steve Johnson, scroll down to the next post which I published last Tuesday.

29 comments:

Dorothy said...

Sounds like a wonderful week of blessings at Willow's Cottage. Two "new" books in one week! Wow!

Hazel said...

Getting a birthday book with a beautiful bookmark to boot is just fabulous. How marvelous to have a friend like M. I relate with you about pants that are too long. I'm actually too short also. Ah well, there will always be high heels :)

Brenda said...

I have the opposite problem when it comes to pants, my legs are long so pants are often too short for me :)

I love chocolate too, but prefer the milk chocolate variety. You will see on my post today that I do shop at TJ's, its one of my favorite places!

TXDidi said...

I hope you get your photo issues resolved soon. I always enjoy seeing your lovely West Coast photos. I agree with the pants issues. "Regular" length pants are about 4 inches too long for me but petite sizes don't fit these hips. Drat! Crop length are almost to my ankles but not quite there or I'd wear them as regular pants. Your Square Foot Garden sounds like it will be great. I have always loved that concept and will be following your progress with interest.

Jerralea said...

I've always wanted to try square foot gardening. I hope you will share your progress!

Finding capris and cropped pants that come to the right part of a person's leg is definitely a challenge. How nice that you have a friend that can help!

Gattina said...

That must be a trousers shortening week, because my neighbor did the same for my other neighbor while I watched, lol !

ellen b. said...

Dusting and planting and hemming sounds like a very constructive week not to mention selling and buying. Such a Proverbs 31 lady...

Lisa notes... said...

I am too short for cropped pants too. They end up looking like too short regular pants. Ha. What a wonderful neighbor you have! Good for you in getting a garden planted. I may buy flowers today to plant tomorrow. Your birthday book sounds great. My sister and I swap books.
Enjoy your weekend!

Maude Lynn said...

I wish there was a Trader Joe's around here!

Faith said...

A great list of faves and blessings.....mmmm...that chocolate sounds delightful!!

Marg said...

I understand all about those cropped pants. I'm always looking for the shorter kind, but they are hard to find. Or I'm looking for shorts that come below my knees...
I will check out that photography blog. Thanks.

ancient one said...

Great five favorites...

Knitting Linguist said...

So many good things! I, too, love L'Engle - her book A Severed Wasp is still to this day one of my all-time favorites. Among others (I just realized that I could probably list all of her books and call them favorites.).

Laura@OutnumberedMom said...

Trader Joe's Vegan Dark Chocolate? Have to check that out!

I have the same problems with capris!

I'll have to check out that L'Engle book. Sounds great.

Have a great week ahead.

Caroline said...

Well, I still enjoy your blog posts with or without pictures. I'll be interested to see what you decide though because I suppose that day is coming for me too. I'm not sure that I would stay with blogger if I had to pay, but, on the other hand, they have been quite accommodating letting me blog for free all of these years:)

Well, I do wish that we were neighbors, and I would knit you a sweater as a thank you gift for taking me to one of the cute tea houses you sometimes post about LOL

Barbara H. said...

I know how to hem up pants but don't like to do it. How neat to have someone else do it for you!

I have found books on the shelf that I've forgotten and then felt when I read them that it was just the right time for them. Maybe God directs even in such things? I think so.

I use things a month or so beyond the expiration date (except for milk and juice) because I figure they set that date conservatively. Chocolate is always a fave!! Though I don't know if I have ever had Swiss.

Susanne said...

We don't have a Trader Joe's here, but everyone seems to speak really highly of it.

A book with a handmade bookmark is one of the best gifts ever. Happy birthday to you.

I'm not a gardener but square foot gardening sounds like it would be a fun way to do it.

Jane said...

Sounds like a very busy week Willow, i love chocolate too, but mine needs to be milk variety. jane x

Sharon Lynne said...

Loved reading your week.
Do you plant the herbs directly in the ground or in a raised bed, or in a pot? I just bought some cilantro and will try to grow it for the first time.

Catherine said...

I am 5'1". I know exactly what you mean. Even the petite sizes are still too long. What a nice friend your neighbor is!

I hope that you enjoy that chocolate and your good books!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

That L'Engle book is one of my favorites of hers; it's a good one! Oh yes, I'm a regular customer at TJs...and I know the chocolate bar of which you speak. My personal favorite is the Swiss Dark Chocolate (71 percent) Fair Trade bar. It has spoiled me for any other kind of chocolate (they all seem too sweet now)....

I miss your beautiful photos....

snoopydogknits said...

Sounds like a lovely week Willow. It makes such a difference to life when you have great neighbours! Wishing you a fun-filled week. Ros

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

A lovely week indeed ~ friends, food and found treasures :)

I do shop at T.J.s and have discovered their chocolate covered sunflower seeds - love -

Rose L said...

You can delete old photographs. Or put them on another storage site and have links to them...

Pondside said...

I'm with you on the cropped pants challenge! At 5'2" (on a tall day!) I spend my spare time shortening things - sometimes even Petite sizes.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

yes yes yes to the capri/cropped pants thing. New books are always great no matter how you end up with them.

Bethany said...

I am laughing at your comment about the expiration date on chocolate!! I never thought about that before. I wish we had a Trader Joe's! I hope one of these days someone realizes the difficulties of finding sizes that fit for women's clothing and solves it! I've never heard a woman say "I just find that everything fits perfectly"!!! Have a great week!!

Heather Ozee said...

Hi Sweet Willow. I'm afraid it's been too long! I hope you are well. The book of faith and art sounds amazing. And I need a neighbor like that. Hugs from artgirlATL!

Barbara said...

I agree it is fun to find a forgotten book on the shelf.
Hope you get the cropped trousers or cut-offs as we sometimes call them here the right size.