Marietta Booth Update

Things have been selling so fast at Marietta this month I don't have time to post photos before I have to go back and add new stuff. It's been a very good month so far, and a sale or two tomorrow will make this our best month ever at the location.

Today we had work to do. The two chestnut church pews and the work station we took in a couple weeks ago all sold, along with some chairs and other odds and ends. There were a lot of holes to fill, which is good in this business. Here's what we did today:

 To get the new-to-us Hoosier in required a lot of moving of stuff. First, we had get the chestnut pews off the wall and moved into the mall's layaway area. Then we hung the Chinese silk framed art where the pews had been, moved the little dresser that had been in a different place in the booth, moved the small porcelain top table and all the stuff on both the dresser and the table. That made space for the Hoosier in a good, visible location in the booth.

 I don't know the brand of this cabinet, but I love the art deco trim and the pretty green color. I used the Shawnee King Corn pieces I picked up last week along with some jadeite to go with the green.

This photo is from last weekend. The wrought iron chairs (there were two, one was around the corner) and the jadeite bowl sold this past week.

 The little red dinette set, you might remember, was in our booth in Athens; it came here when we moved out of that mall, and was almost sold a couple weeks back. I am still hopeful that it finds a home.

 We added the black trunk today, moving the smaller shelf that was in this spot to another place in the booth.

The green porcelain top table moved  across the booth to where the little dresser had been. I really like it here. I'd love it to sell, after all the work it took to restore it, but it makes a great display piece for kitchenware.

The work station we restored was in this space in our new space in the mall. It sold on Saturday so we brought in this small desk/dressing table to replace it. I call this the "man booth." It holds lots of rusty stuff, lunch buckets, coal items, and old tools.

 This is a detail of the desk. Don't you love these carved wood handles? This piece looked so bad before Larry got to work on it. Now it's really a beauty.

A corner of the man booth. We got the mower yesterday at an auction. People like these for yard ornaments.

 Not much change in this area, although I'm thinking about redoing it when I have time. Larry restored that red Cosco kitchen stool and it looks almost new.

One last picture--we found the small telephone table last week. It needed a good scrubbing but nothing else. The three-legged chair is from the estate we bought last year. It's actually a fairly rare piece.

That's a quick tour of highlights of the changes we made at the four space we have in this mall. It was a full day's work to load everything, move all the things that needed to be moved, and then get it all arranged again. It's really an ongoing process; as things sell, we have to add more and rearrange, over and over. It is work, but it sure is fun.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Traveling Light

To look back and know what should have been,

what could have been ensures that no unexpected bumps and pains

clutter the familiar trail. If-onlys and might-haves 

litter speech like so many tasted apples, left to rot in ditches.

Best intentions and broken promises are little guidance

On the path before us; we travel with arms outstretched,

feeling our way, leading with our hearts exposed, vulnerable.

Some worship the pantry of the past, stocked with pretense and lost dreams.

Others choose to close the door on shattered light, pretend

That nothing worth having is left behind.

The few walk inside, turn each cracked and tarnished memory like a jewel

and leave the door open for others 

to take what they will need for the journey. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Now and Then: Today and Looking Back at the Weekend

I am being good. I am staying at my computer and working, even though there are so many other distractions eager and willing to pull me away. Like puppies. And gardens. And cooking.

But I'm being good. I am about halfway done with our income tax forms. My goal was to finish them by the end of March, and it's just possible that I might actually do it. Go me! It's a good thing I'm a Gemini because I am having to make myself be that other twin that is usually quiet, and do the right-brain work that I dislike. But I can do it. Backbone straight, woman, and steady on.

As usual, I am wearing two hats as I work because I am also working on a presentation for the WV Library Association's Spring Fling. Storyteller Jo Ann Dadisman and I are doing a joint presentation, and I am looking forward to seeing her and putting our work together. We are developing our parts of the program individually since we live a couple hundred miles apart, and then we'll let it flow back and forth between us as we present. This is a Summer Reading workshop--as you probably know libraries across the country offer summer programs with lots of incentives and presenters to keep children reading through the summer. I do many programs in the summer for libraries, building around their theme. Some years the theme is easy but this year is a challenge for storytellers.

This year's theme is "Fizz! Boom! Read!" The focus is science; you might wonder what can a storyteller do with a science-based program? Jo Ann and I decided to play with the idea of the science in folktales--for example, a folktale about water followed by an experiment with water, or one about how rainbows came to be followed by making a liquid rainbow in a jar, and so on. Today I have been playing with all sorts of ideas, pulling together the research I've been doing on and off since last summer, and creating handouts. Later this week I'll be making a mess in the kitchen as I try out some of the activities I want to use this summer. Fun!

I did slip away a little bit and sorted out the cloth napkins. Sometimes mundane work like that helps me regain focus when I've been at something too long. And I had too many napkins, all tumbling out of the cabinet. Now there is a little pile for the thrift store and the napkins are under control. Mindless work but a nice brain break. I had hoped to go walking tonight but my asthma decided to flare up today for some reason and with the temperature just a little over 40 it's best not to go out.

Walking has been on hold since last Friday anyway because the weekend was filled with all sorts of other things. My sister Theresa came from Virginia to visit, along with my granddaughter Kate and her mother Jennifer, all in town for the baby shower for my soon-to-be-here great grandson (and Jennifer's second grandchild). Theresa and I did some stocking and rearranging at my Ravenswood booth in the morning. She was a great help, and it was fun to have her with me. Then we were off to the shower.

Jordan, the mother-to-be, is glowing and so ready to have this little boy, and her daughter Cadyn is ready to help. I can just see Cadyn trying to change diapers, feed and boss that little boy before he's hardly got his little eyes open! Granddaughter Haley came to the shower too--Haley graduates this year and I know the time is close when we will see less of her. Life seems to go at warp speed sometimes.

While Theresa was here we went to a community dinner offered by the youth of the local church. I was so happy to be able to introduce my sister to our good neighbors. The food was awesome--is there anything like a potluck put on by country cooks? We really enjoyed the impromptu gospel music sing too; that's real music when it's live and performed by people who don't claim to be performers--they just like to sing.

Sunday morning found the family in my kitchen for breakfast, which seems to have become a ritual, and a good one, when out-of-town visitors are in. Larry was the only man among us, but he loved every minute of it no matter what he says. We made biscuits, gravy, fruit salad, cantaloupe (so summery good), sausage, and scrambled eggs and no one went away hungry. I hated to say goodbye, but what a gift it was to have them visit.

We then took off for Marietta to work on the booth there. Would you believe my van has been full of furniture and totes since March 8th?! I had no time to do anything with it and rather than have the house cluttered up I just left it in the van. It actually worked out pretty well. We were able to empty the van finally, and it almost looks funny with nothing in it.

In between of computer work and company I managed to get my article for Two Lane Livin' written and sent in and worked on a couple other proposals. I was happy to find an email that a story I submitted for an anthology has made it through to the final selection round so I'll be waiting to see if it makes the cut; even if it does not it's flattering to know it got this far. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

As busy and happy as all this sounds, sadness visited too with the news of the sudden death of a friend's father, and of another friend's life-love slipping into the final stages of cancer. These two men remind me that life is not a given, that every day is precious and to be treasured. As I await the coming of spring, my friends walk a difficult and lonely path, and I keep them in my heart and wish there was something I could do to make their journey easier. Life will go on for the rest of us but for them it is like time suspended, their grief making our simple worries seem like nothing at all. Please send up prayers and good thoughts for John, Laura and Kevin as they make their way through the darkness, and may the light return soon to their lives.

As I looked through my camera I realized that I did not take one photo all weekend. Sometimes when I am in the thick of doing, it's hard to step back and take pictures. So all I have are the memories in my mind and an empty van as reminders of the weekend.

Now I'm taking another break as I write this post. Maybe it is time to just stop for the evening and enjoy some puppy and hubby time. I think so. Blessings to you all who have managed to read all the way through to this point.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Waiting for Spring

It snowed again this morning, one of those early spring wet snowfalls that doesn't stick on the roads or walkways but makes the trees look beautiful. I was glad to see that my daffodils have somehow survived the 15-degree temps of the previous night and this wet snow wasn't deep enough to break them over. The maples with their early bloom got hit of course, but that's nothing new, although I am sure the honeybees are not happy about losing this early source of sweetness.

This is the latest spring I can remember in quite some time. I seem to recall one year (was it 1977 or 78?) when March remained mostly snow-covered for much of the month, but when I look back through the photos I've taken since starting this blog...well, it's interesting. Here is 2008 at this time of year (no 2007 photos since I had just begun blogging and hadn't learned to post photos yet):

And in 2009:

Then there was 2010:

but in 2011, on March 28th, guess what happened?

Yes that would be snow, and my post for that day indicates the temperatures dipped low enough to freeze the poor daffodils.

But in 2012:

and 2013 looks good in this photo, but guess what? When I read my blog I find that it was cold and more snow expected on the day I picked these flowers (March 20th).

So while this year seems delayed perhaps it's just as well. There's nothing sadder than daffodils that freeze and fall to the ground--and I like the fact that the fruit trees have not yet bloomed because the later that happens the more likely we'll have fruit.

I guess I'll keep my boots and winter coat out for a little longer but that's okay. I can wait. Spring will be here in its own good time.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

In Salt Lake City

Our hosts at the Timpanogos offered to take us to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Sunday morning. I've owned records, cassettes and CDs by the choir so I was happy to have a chance to hear them live. What a sight! The tabernacle was built, surprisingly, 150 years ago and yet its construction still looks modern and even space-agey. Inside, music surged through the huge pipe organ with its 11,000+ pipes.

The Tabernacle can be seen behind the storytellers. It is surprisingly modern-looking, considering it was built just after the Civil War!

 Nearby the Temple soared, a majestic building completed in 1892. Only those considered "temple-worthy" are allowed to entire, but in the nearby visitors' center a cutaway model shows a lavish interior with crystal chandeliers and elegant furnishings.

 On the Temple grounds, a sculpture commemorates the Handcart Pioneers, those hardy early settlers who crossed the Rockies using a handcart to haul their belongings. Can you imagine anyone doing that today? That truly is dedication.

 The Seagull monument is a reminder of the time that a plague of grasshoppers threatened the survival of the early pioneers. The grasshoppers were eating up the crops, and there would have been nothing left for the people to eat in the winter--but then a huge flock of seagulls arrived and ate and ate and ate the grasshoppers, wiping out the swarm. It is incredible to imagine sea-going birds showing up in land-locked Salt Lake, but that is what happened, and the birds saved the lives of the settlers.

A shining Angel Moroni raises his trumpet atop the Temple.

The Temple reflected in the Reflecting Pool.

 Inside the south visitors' center, exhibits explain how the granite was hauled to build the Temple.

The next photo is inside the gigantic conference center located across the street from the Temple. If I remember correctly, it can seat 21,000 people (or maybe it was 27,000?). It is HUGE. And beautiful.

 Rooftop gardens are filled with wildflowers later in the spring but of course it was too early when we were there. But the distant snowcapped mountains were enough to make me happy.

 More pics tomorrow. There's still a lot to talk about!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Home from Travels, and Time to Share

From left: volunteer Sharon Rogers, Lynn Ruehlmann, me, Andy Offut Irwin,
Jerry Ingham,  Donna Ingham, Kevin Kling, and volunteers Cassie, Cherie,
David and Tamra. In front, a young teller from Florida and Robin Bady

Finally I have a little time to catch up here. The trip home from Salt Lake City was longer than anticipated due to flight delays and a canceled flight that meant staying overnight in a hotel in Cleveland. Another delay in the morning but by Tuesday afternoon I was home at last.

There is nothing like travel to broaden one's world view, even when the travel keeps us within our own country. I had never seen Utah before, so I was pretty excited to be able to see this unique part of our country. But even more than the anticipation of going to a new place, I was looking forward to being among storytellers again.

There is an energy that seems to emanate from tellers. Perhaps it is because our minds are always visualizing what people say to us and making their words into stories. Perhaps it is because storytellers tend to be very good listeners--all good stories start with having heard something that sparks an idea. Whatever the reason, conversation among tellers is always lively, usually surprising, often funny or touching and engaging on every level. Someone might say jelly donut and the jokes, stories, and memories will start, often seguing into related topics. "Doughnuts? I remember my grandmother making doughnuts one morning," someone might begin, "and the dog jumped up on the counter and ate all of them.The tracked jelly looked like blood on the floor and we thought granny was bleeding and someone called 911." Another might follow with, "I had a dog that ate tomatoes and he would slobber red juice all over the place, people thought he had rabies." And another, "Rabies? Did you hear about the guy..." and so it goes. Story after story after story. (This was not an actual conversation, mind--this is my storytelling brain riffing off the jelly doughnut and ending up with rabies. you can see how it works!)

Lyyn, Andy, Regi Carpenter, and the young teller

I was in some of the best storytelling company in the country last weekend. I was thrilled when I heard that my friends Lynn Ruehlmann and Robin Bady were also presenting. We spent a weekend together last year working on stories and I have not had a chance to see them since. What a combination we are--Robin lives in New York City and tells many stories of life there as well as tales from her Jewish heritage. Lynn comes from Norfolk, VA and deftly weaves Greek myths through her family stories. And then you have me, living deep in the hills and telling stories and singing ballads from our mountains. An unlikely combination, perhaps, but we rock it.

Regi, Andy, Kevin and Robin

The other featured tellers brought their own particular style to the conference. Andy Offut Irwin travels all over the country telling stories from his native Georgia, often in the voice of his fictional Aunt Marguerite and her cronies. His stream-of-consciousness, hilarious style has to be experienced to be believed. Kevin Kling was there too, and this was my first time to hear him. Funny, intelligent and thought-provoking, Kevin turns a disability into ability--the ability to entertain, to make us stretch our thinking and reach beyond the what is to the what if. Pure listening pleasure.

Robin doing what she does best--connecting 

I was so glad to hear Regi Carpenter present her program, "Snap," a lyrical piece about a teenager's slide into mental illness; I just wish I had been able to attend her workshop following the presentation. Noa Baum took us on a journey into her life as a young Israeli soldier and her later unlikely friendship with a Palestinian woman. I only heard Steffani Raff in the final concert, and mercy did she have us going with tales of growing up that we can all relate to. And Donna Ingham! That Texas lady can spin a tale, yall, tall or true or in between. I was so glad to meet her husband Jerry too; I've known Donna for years although our trails don't cross often--Facebook keeps us in touch and I am so thankful for that medium.

Beyond the group of us who came to present, there were all the others who came to volunteer or to attend the workshops and concerts. I finally got to meet some people I've only known online. How amazing to put faces and voices to their words! There were many new faces and voices too, and I look forward to continuing those conversations and friendships online as well.

Tomorrow, I'll show you some of what I saw while I was there. I know you'll find it as fascinating as I did.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Timpanogos Memories

The conference is over and tomorrow I head home. Utah has been amazing--the people, the scenery, the inspiration, the hospitality, the sharing...I could go on and on. I had the kind of response to my workshops that every presenter dreams of: good listeners who asked thoughtful questions, participated actively, and shared generously.

Then there were the keynotes. Noa Baum spoke about diversity and reminded us that to truly know and understand each other we must listen without prejudice or judgment. Kevin Kling took us with humor, insight, gentle wisdom and tough honesty on a quest to understand grief and loss, and the value of stories and storytelling in life's difficult passages.

Friday night's concert with Kevin and Andy Offutt Irwin was a laughfest spiced with clever wit and wise truths. It has been a long time since I laughed so hard. It felt wonderful! Then finally last night the last hurrah: a concert featuring eight of the conference presenters. I enjoyed hearing the others as much as I did presenting my own part of the show. After the concert a few of us gathered to swap ghost stories.

I was late to bed but up early for a special treat, a trip to see and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was glorious! Such music in a stunning setting!

Then it was time to start saying goodbye as some tellers left for the airport and the conference staff members went back to their lives. I was lucky enough to be able to stay overnight so that I could see a bit of this unique part of America. Clearly there is much more to see, and I wish I could stay a week and just explore.

I will post more photos when I get home. Tonight I plan to get to bed early so I will be rested for the long flight home. I will be carrying back memories of happy faces, snowy mountains, and the joy of being part of the magic that is Timpanogos.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Happily Ever After: A Short Short Story

The wedding dress was still in the box in the secondhand store. A girl picked it up and held it against her.

“Can we buy it?” Fairytale sequins and lace glistened.

“We don’t have enough money,” the boy said.

"I know. I just wanted a pretty dress to be married in. I can wear my Sunday dress. That will be fine."

"Once I'm in Afghanistan, the military will send you money. You'll be okay. A dress won't make us more of less married." He pulled the girl to him and wrapped his arms around her.

At the counter a woman whispered to the clerk, “Put that dress on my bill. Don't tell them until I've left."

Springing Thoughts

Are you waiting as anxiously as I am for the first daffodils to appear? I decided to shorten the wait with some photos from past years and a poem by one of my favorite poets, Robert Herrick.

To Daffodils

by Robert Herrick

Fair daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the evensong;

And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.

We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away
Like to the summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again.

I have to admit though, my very favorite poet is Ted Kooser. His simple images and fine phrasing paint images not soon forgotten. Spring Plowing is just one of his many fine works:

West of Omaha the freshly plowed fields

steam in the night like lakes.
The smell of the earth floods over the roads.
The field mice are moving their nests
to the higher ground of fence rows,
the old among them crying out to the owls
to take them all. The paths in the grass
are loud with the squeak of their carts.
They keep their lanterns covered.

Who cannot feel the plight of those mice as they scurry out of the way of danger?

But right now I am waiting, waiting, waiting for a day like Billy Collins describes in his poem, Today.

    If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.

Wishing you all a spring filled with daffodils, field mice and a sky-blue world.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Cleanup Time

(One of my past columns in Two Lane Livin'.)

Larry has already been at it: picking up debris that comes from nowhere and scatters itself around our place, bones that the dogs find who knows where and use to decorate the lawn, and downed branches gifted to us by winter’s storms. Late winter/early spring is the perfect time for taking care of this chore because everything is painfully visible. The dogs’ contributions can be downright embarrassing.

Take the other day when the substitute mail carrier brought our packages to the door. With all the eBay selling I do, the mailman is a regular visitor and it’s a service that just astounds me. Home delivery, this far out in the country, and down my rugged driveway. So I go out to meet the mail person when I can, to shorten their walk and to thank them. On this particular day, the substitute carrier was running the route. As I walked back up the walk with her (there were a lot of packages that day), I noticed that we passed a deer skull, a jawbone complete with teeth, and a few assorted unidentifiable bone parts.

“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, my face red. “My dogs…”

“Don’t you worry,” she laughed. “Mine do the same thing.”

As soon as I returned to the house I called my husband. “Larry!”

“I know,” he said. “I’ll get a bag.” And he went out immediately to remove the offending calcium deposits. 

What a good man.

The next day, however, the yard apparently grew more bones. As long as our dogs can find the bones discarded autumn’s hunters, we’ll be picking up bones. I suppose I should be grateful for the free chew toys for the dog,s and probably the grass benefits from the added calcium. Maybe one day I will learn to appreciate the dogs’ efforts but that day has not yet arrived.

Larry’s been cutting filth too, using the brush blade on the weedeater to trim around the fences and places that he just can’t get to in the warmer months because he has so much on his plate. The place is looking clean and spiffy, at least on the outside. The outbuildings? Well, that’s another story.

And it’s time to clean them out too. I swear the stuff grows all by itself—but then I remember how many times I’ve said, “Oh, we’ll just store it in the shed/garage/cellar,” and I know where the blame should be placed. Squarely at the door of this woman who cannot pass a yard sale or thrift shop without having a look. And the look turns into something being carried to the car. And to the shed/garage/cellar. Time to clean it out and get rid of some of those "good deals".

All this cleaning up makes me feel more prepared for the onslaught of spring and summer work. We won’t be dragging last year’s remainders into the new season if we can help it. We can sit out on the porch when the weather allows and look at the tidy yard and know that the mower won’t be slinging debris when we bring it out for the inaugural cut. That is, unless the dogs find a few more bones to hide in the mower’s path.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

One Out, One In: Sifter Cabinets

Last week Larry finished up on a project that kept him busy through the cold snowy February days.

A Sellers cabinet that was in deplorable condition: doors falling off, one drawer that needed to be rebuilt, the tambour (rolltop door) in pieces, and 4 or 5 layers of paint--the last one a highway-department-yellow. He never remembers to take before photos, so you'll have to use your imagination, but here is the finished product:

We had it loaded in the truck and ready to take to our booth when I posted the above photo on Facebook. And a neighbor bought it on the spot! So instead of taking it to the booth, we delivered it right here on Joe's Run. Here is how it looks after Pam finished decorating it:

 I can't tell you how happy it made us that this piece stayed in the neighborhood. Larry put hours of work into it, and he was pleased as punch with the results.

And he wanted to find another one immediately to work on. We searched online with no luck but a chance visit a nearby antique mall turned up not one but THREE Hoosiers that we were able to acquire for a fantastic price--and none of them need any major work. Today Larry moved one of them into our booth at the Riverbend Antique Mall:

 This is actually another Sellers cabinet. This one has slag glass (like stained glass) in the tops of the doors--how cool is that?

It is missing its side-sliding tambour doors but otherwise it's in wonderful condition. It still has the sifter, too--many of them we find have had that part removed and shelves added instead.

I spent several hours today getting this new piece settled into the booth and rearranging the things we displaced to make room for it. Next week we'll be moving the other two--as soon as I get back from Utah!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Question for My Blog Friends

Later this week I will be teaching a class on beginning blogging at the Timpanagos Storytelling Conference. And I thought, "Why not ask my blogging friends why they blog?"

So here are my questions, and I hope you will have time to respond. There are also questions for those of you who may not blog yourselves, but who read blogs.

So first, I'd like to know: what is your blog about? Why do you write on a blog? Do you find it difficult to keep up with? How often do you post? Who reads your writings?

And for non-blogging friends: why do you read blogs? What do you think is the best thing about blogs?

Please leave your answers in the comments section, and thank you in advance for anything you might want to say about blogs and blogging.

Your input will inform my workshop; we'll be visiting this post during our workshop, so you may find a few new readers coming your way this weekend).



Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Timpanagos, Here I Come!

Time is getting short now. I'll be in Utah this time next week, basking in the glow after completing my first workshop for the Timpanagos Storytelling Conference, meeting and greeting storytelling friends and enjoying great stories in the beautiful American West.

I have been looking forward to this for months. Actually for years, because I have wanted to attend Timpanagos since it began. This past year I got up my gumption and submitted a couple workshop proposals, and Lordy be, they were accepted! So I will be talking about finding and telling ghost stories and teaching people how to blog. Talk about two diverse topics. That must be my Gemini twins coming out to play (although I'm on the cusp with Cancer so if I like the way things are going for Cancer better, then I'll claim the crab).

Before leaving I have other storytelling to do: today I was at the University of Charleston, talking about stories and Appalachian culture. Monday I will be at a local elementary school to tell stories from world cultures and do a workshop with parents on telling stories with their children. The fascinating thing about storytelling is the wide range of stories and the many methods of presenting them.

And then for two glorious days I will be getting my mind in line for Utah. Excited? You know it!


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Baby's Breath: Simple Beauty

 A friend posted a photo of an old meat grinder used to hold a spray of baby's breath. Inspiration! While at the store the other day I saw a bucket of these tiny white flowers and decided to take some home.

I used some of them in an old silverplate pitcher and put it on the table that used to be my mother's bedside table when I was a girl. Now it is my end table. 

I added a little calla lily candleholder, the white alabaster bookends, a stick I picked up in Lake Erie 2 years ago, and a bronze statuette I bought at a library silent auction about 20 years ago.

While I was at it, I added a couple photos and some fruit to the other small table.

Then I cleaned up the meat grinders and hooked them to the kitchen windowsill.

 I got the little birdhouse the other day at goodwill, and the lucite stems at a yard sale several years back.

 There's a springtime look to it, isn't there? Spring is slowly making its way here, even though we still have snow on the ground and freezing temperatures at night.

At the other end of the big window, I used a little crock I just found at Goodwill to hold a few wood spoons, and added a little cat carved from coal. The cat isn't perfect, has a few chips but that doesn't bother me. I'm not perfect either.

It was nice to make some simple changes; somehow it brightens up the house. A simple bunch of tiny flowers can do a lot for a little.



Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.