Monday, November 4, 2019

A Snowy Halloween

 A cold or rainy Halloween is not unusual in Chicago, but a snowy trick or treat is.

 This is what the kids had to contend with, wind, cold and slippery conditions.  

 Inside was the place to be.  I handed out about 25 bags of treats.  

 I sent the rest home with our Amanda for her office.  

 It sure looked beautiful.  The snow covered the birds on Tyke's sculpture.
  
 I have been thinking of getting another chair for a while.  I found this one at the thrift.  It is in excellent condition, from a swanky furniture store that has been out of business for a while.  If you like the farmhouse look, this buffalo plaid is now all the rage in decorating.  It was marked $50 but when I got to the register it was 37.50!  Elizabeth gave us this pillow early in the spring.

They loaded it up in my car at the thrift, but I was alone when I got home.  Polish ingenuity and determination helped me get it in the house.  I should have waited for the guys to help, but that is not my way.  I sprinkled the chair with carpet fresh and let it sit for a while.  I vacuumed the chair and all the crevices, and had to clean a single spot.  The reason I went to the thrift in the first place was to see if they still had a lamp I liked.  They did!  

 It is perfect in my living room on a table we also found at the same thrift.  My dearest was my partner in thrifting as well as in life.  He enjoyed a bargain as much as I do.  Small changes, big steps in making the house ready for the holidays. Making me emotionally ready will be a harder task.


 Ginkgo leaves.  They seem to all fall off the tree at the same time, one day on, next day all on the ground.  

 Leaving bare branches and the memory of a mosey in early spring with my guy when the leaves were just emerging.   How different I felt then.  Now the  bare limbs echo the feeling of my empty arms. It will be a long, cold, lonely winter.

This morning carpet was installed in what will be a guest room.  I called Empire, sing along, 588-2300, EMPIRE!  Four men showed up at 8:15, just as promised.  They attacked the old carpeting...it was at least 25 years old and the foam padding  just crumbled.  It took them 45 minutes from arriving at my door to completion.  It is the nicest room in the house. Now to furnish it, and I will, shopping the house, except for a mattress and box spring.  

"Life’s impermanence, I realized, is what makes every single day so precious. It’s what shapes our time here. It’s what makes it so important that not a single moment be wasted."
~ Wes Moore  


 I don't know who this teenager is.  Cool, hip, fashionable...
MAKEUP!? PURPLE HAIR!?

Who ordered ketchup and mustard? 


"When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life."
-Jean Shinoda Bolen

Thank you for stopping by and for your kindness.
Enjoy this beautiful day.
Love, Penny


3 comments:

Debbie said...

It was a beautiful scene on Wednesday but a sad day for Halloween festivities. Our town, we're out in Johnsburg, IL changed trick or treating to Saturday so we had a few more kids than usual but they were still very cold. We should have been handing out hot chocolate!

Hoping your winter will be warmed by memories. Holidays are the hardest when we lose a loved one.

The babies costumes were adorable. And now I can't get the Empire song out of my head.

Lynne said...

Love the chair Penny, great find!
I like the ginkgo leaf . . . and how they all fall at the same time!
Have you ever read The Fall of Freddy the Leaf, by Leo Buscaglia
I think you might like it!
Nice carpet for the guest room . . .
Yes indeed, it is all different for you.
Thrifting, sprucing up your guest room will take up some of your time...
But it doesn’t help the missing out on the hugs, kisses, warmth of your wonderful partner does it.
Still seems unbelievable and very sad for you!
Sending my love and caring!

Melanie said...

Lovely chair and lamp - you got really lucky with the thrifting finds! If you're not emotionally ready to host the holidays ~ and, of course, how could you be so soon ~ why don't you pass them on to someone else in your family this year? This might be too hard on you, my dear friend.

xoxo