Huzzah for blacksmiths!

'Cheap Thrills' be my middle name.
I acquired the items pictured after watching blacksmithing demonstrations at two separate venues this year. The square head nail was made by the blacksmith at last weekend's Amador County Fair (great fair, btw) and the coat/towel/ whatnot hook was hewn a few months ago by a blacksmith at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, WA. The fellow at the fort called his creation a '1865 clothes dryer'.

At each smithing demo, I happened along at just the right time and 'scored' the end result of the crafter's labor. It wasn't even necessary for me to shove any little kids aside (not that I would've...)(wink) to situate myself in an advantageous position to view the demo. Front and center definitely increases the likelihood of being the lucky recipient of a they-make-it-then-give-it-to-an-interested-onlooker item!

Sooooo - what to do with these two neat-o souvenirs: I intend to attach both to our cute n' handy kitchen cart from Ikea. The nail will have an oven mitt hung on it and the hook will hold a dish towel.
Functional - as they were intended to be.

Little things like this provide me with daily 'mini doses of joy'.
Hence the 'cheap thrills' moniker.
'Huzzah for blacksmiths!'

Lei Lady Lei

For the longest time, I thought a lei was only about flowers - exotic island blooms strung into beautiful fragrant, floral necklaces. Anyone who has worn a flower lei knows it can magically transform your entire mindset to a peaceful tropical paradise (if you're not already there fo' reals)...

During my last visit to Hawai'i I learned that leis made of feathers are also quite popular. The island monarchs favored royal accoutrements fashioned from the feathers of spectacularly colored birds, and the beauty of those brilliant vestments/accessories are still admired by island locals as well as tourists like myself.

Oh, to possess a Hawaiian style feather-something-or-another of my very own - so I too could feel a bit like royalty...?
At the very least, a simple feather lei to wear for a non-traditional splash o' color with my basic black dress?

Because feather leis can be pretty pricey (and if they weren't, just think of all those poor birds who'd have to give it up for yet another folly of human fashion!), look-alike leis made of eyelash yarns have become quite 'the thing'. A lei can be fashioned out of ribbon as well, but it won't look so feathery.

Not only do eyelash yarn leis look very much like the 'real deal', they are gorgeous in their own right, less expensive to buy than their genuine feather counterparts, and last longer than flower leis. Guess what else? As with many scrumptiously beautiful things - you can make 'em yourself!

* Tip: you can even scent your yarn 'feather' lei with a bit of floral perfume or oil! ALOHA!

Today on Chincoteague Island...

the annual Chincoteague Pony roundup, swim and auction is taking place.
In a continuing effort to maintain an ecological balance of wildlife to local island resources, the Chincoteague Fire Dept. stages an annual auction of this breed of small horse. A set number of these feral ponies can be sustained in their wild Assateague island habitat without wreaking havoc to the health of the herds or their environment. The pony population has been maintained via an annual sale of (for lack of a better word)'surplus' ponies.
Foals are auctioned off, the proceeds go to the local Fire Dept., and the balance of natural resources to number of animals is kept in check. This popular event draws the community to come out to watch and particpate. (I wonder how the ponies feel about all this?).
Keeping the Big Picture in mind, this seems to me to be a good thing...?

Oooooh - the things you can learn on Animal Planet! In addition to what's going on at Chincoteague Island today and tomorrow, I also found out that the 1961 movie 'Misty' was based on a book of the same name by Marguerite Henry, and is all about this unique breed of pony and annual event!

Out of my system

Here is my sneaky way of getting the topic of 'Deadwood' (HBO) out of my system in regard to this blog. The temptation for numerous posts dedicated to 'Deadwood' is great. I love this tv show, I mean I LOVE it.

So - I venture to make mention here but once, and with a decided emphasis on education/ history. Not as much fun as an all-out rave, but I'm not ready to tap into my latest television obsession (just yet).

The pic posted is of the REAL Seth Bullock, who resided in the REAL town of Deadwood, N.D. from 1876 on.

'Nuff posted about 'Deadwood' (for now). Lest I go on and on ad nauseum...

" I am big. It's the pictures that got small."

'Sunset Boulevard' - the movie. 1950
This could be considered an awkward segue from pleasant chitchat about All-Things-California woodlands, cable cars and poppies golden poppies, but what the heck. b'sblog will be all about a little o' dis and a little o' dat, so let's go for it...

ANYWAYS.
'Sunset Boulevard' is a film I've been putting off watching for far too many years. That famous scene of Gloria Swanson uttering the line about being ready for her close-up ('Mr. deMille') really creeped me out as a kid (which was when I started watching 'old' black&white movies). However, I'm a grown woman now and (I think I) can handle certain creepy things. So I steeled myself, rented the dvd and watched it last night. My one word review: mahvahlous.

It's a keeper.

poppies golden poppies

This song about California golden poppies was sung in Bay Area schools during the 1940s and 1950s.

Poppies, golden poppies, gleaming in the sun.
Closing up at evening, when the day is done.
Pride of California, flower of our state.
Growing from the mountains to the Golden Gate.

Little House in the Big Woods

By way of introduction, allow me to liken my current home environment to Laura Ingalls Wilder's 'Little House in the Big Woods'(if the series of 'Little House' books don't jog a mental image, consider the 80's TV show 'Little House on the Prairie').

The comparison starts and ends with one fact: like Laura Ingalls, my humble abode is in the Big Woods. Not in Wisconsin, where Laura lived, but California. In addition to hot and cold running water, woodland living in 2006 now offers indoor plumbing, a/c, cable tv, et cetera...

Still, a forest dweller I be. We're talking more rural a lifestyle than I've ever experienced up till now. Quite a far cry from San Francisco, where yours truly was born and raised. Growing up in the big city, the Powell-Mason cable car line rolled up and down our street. As a child, I was lulled asleep by the gentle ding-a-ling of cable car bells (go back and ring the bell!) and soulful fog horns. How romantic! Here in the forest, I wake to find evidence on our blacktop driveway of muddy footprints from a fair-sized black bear...shades of Grizzly Adams!

What a diff! Just goes to shows ya nevah knows where you might end up livin'...