getting the itch

Mornings-
I many times will pop out with The Dog to coax her along-
She is coquettish that way-
Loves to be begged, that one.

 the 7 a.m. grass is quite wet-
but no rain,
humidity already pressing in-not yet oppressive, but getting there.

walking along the pavers to the grass- (Zetta- The Dog)- still sitting on the porch-
Waiting-for-I know not what.
Stopping, stooping, spotting errant grass, weeds, unidentified green-I pluck the intruders.
Better.
Much better.
Zetta is now sauntering along in- that when I want to I will- way.
I have reached her paddock and continue my task along the- work in progress-flower beds.
Five minutes of this each morning-
Humoring a dog and weeding-
Keeps things in precarious equilibrium.
Keeps the undesirables out.

& then
they come.
Today is the first day I have suffered.
really suffered, attacked.
Some I sense immediately- invading pale flesh-
Damn
Damn
Damn
maniacal Mosquitoes-
they make my Summer Life a living Hell
tortured, plagued since I was a small child
they feast.
It is Summer
I am getting the Itch.

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orbiting in a different sphere

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I adore lifestyle blogs- glimpses into the world of other bloggers- here dubbed BLOGSTYLE.
I like to watch- simply put-Be it a train wreck of mock Kelly Wearstler ,Vervoordt or a Zen garden worthy of the master Bodhidharma.

How do other people live?

Formally, Informally?
a house steered by a regulatory commission? granted the addition of children into a BLOGSTYLE calls for rules of a sort-blogstyles must have structure.
I have so many BLOGSTYLES that I follow. What strikes me are the extremes-the creative or THE- I did this today and My accomplishments are as follows...

Where do I fall? My little postings are an honest look at the world beyond my own.

Here within the walls of my world  ALWAYS-I require,
Comfort.
I SHALL have it.

A jumble of Indian quilts and faux fur throws  number in the 10's around the house. Three on my bed. One as a covering on a french day bed in my upstairs hall. Two stoles-a wool plaid, a paisley throw collect in a chair where Remus the Cat sleeps. That Cat chair- just off what was called MY OFFICE is now REMUS' OFFICE. He does- everything in there-amidst my fabric library, files, printers, work tables- Remus is often in his office, he dearly loves the fax.

At the top of the stairs- A Guest Room, at the moment occupied by my oldest Brother who spends the winter months at our house. The room with its low walls- typically beckons a more Comtesse Elizabeth de Feuillide type with its prie dieux, old French painted bed and armoire, dainty chandelier, French chair- Well, Just Everything French, but with the Jane twist. Right now it holds all Brother's belongings- a room for a Mountain Man. The French bed is covered in a quilt-a couple actually, and down comforter.

In my Sitting Room- the hub of the house more indulgences-meaning more quilts and throws. Zetta, my dog, holds court in one of my mother's  generous wing chairs-toile covered back and fur lined seat-all custom covered for Mademoiselle Zet. Quite comfortable.

I honestly love to lounge* on my furniture whether sofa in the Sitting Room, or more formal pieces- a French chair or Swedish settee.
To loll,
to laze,
to idle,
to relax- in a word
COMFORT.


Mine is a very informal household. Formal furnishings- but lived in, lived on, Cat and Dog On.
Everyone must be comfortable about and amongst us.

There are few rules- little structure-I can-there are no little ones to schedule-alas, I will never have a child! (from one of my  favourite movies-Black Narcissus.
I abhor a schedule- place 1 in front of my nose and I will scream like the little brat I would bring forth-if I had a child.
The only time I have to organize is when I work with clients-always plopping myself in my SUV and traveling about an hour to be Designer.

I say each to his own~

but just for comparison- 

A Sunday in the Life of Little A.

rise at 7 for an airing out of Mlle. Zetta- a nibble of food for Zet as well.

Open the house-a time I always revel in- even if it is 5 a.m.-Zetta's previous alarm clock setting- which I am desperately trying to undo- I did say I hated a schedule.
Open curtains, blinds, shutters-

I always light candles. I prefer the Diptyque ones-the smokey woodsy sort-or I will take an intense scent of their Tuberose. Right now I am burning Thornhill from DL & Co.- a perfect Winter scent. Venturing beyond those two would be reckless but I have found Chelsea Flowers to be heady, evoking a Spring moment in the midst of snow.

Today was civil-I actually made the coffee immediately- a something or another blend-better than my own Folger's (you may gag-but do so quietly)- the current coffee brewing is my brother's.
Since I was in bed by just after midnight reading-I got about 6 hours-it will hold Me.

Ponder,
do I get the NYTimes in?
or wait for Brother to come down and trot out-
I wait.
I check emails,
I read-
I take a nap right there on the sofa- Zetta sleeps-oblivious to all the activity.

I chat with Brother,
then Mother.
I dine-
I breakfast-on what? ah, Yes- cheese toast- whole wheat bread from Whole Foods (where else?) and as my dear friend 9 year old Ewan would say- American cheese (being cheddar)

I Dress-Jeans, sweat shirt- pony tail, Clark's desert boots-do they still call them that?
Mine are Blue-very blue-
Don't step on them.
I ask my Bro- should I wear earrings?
He replies-By all means.

Where are we going-you ask?

Off to my own personal HELL -the grocery store.
I absolutely hate it- We have agreed to split the list, less time, less pain.
I still hate it. I actually try to weasel my way out but
No go-
(no boring details about what one buys in a somewhat rural Food Lion)
but I did snag some capers.
If there is anything worse that the shopping- it is the putting away.
On hand for this is my Mother, she still follows her Mother's protocol about putting away groceries-Wash the refrigerated items.
Well then- that's Her job.

I concoct a soup- my Auntie refers to it as black soup-
Here is what goes in it-(no proportions or brand names) spinach, cannellini beans, broth, shallots, garlic, sage, fennel seed to taste.
If this is any semblance of an Actual soup- Do Tell.

Here is the amazing thing about my day-with all the talk of cleaning and housekeeping over at Darlington House- I decide to get with the dusting!
Dear God can it be? 
Reggie Darling of Darlington House has either inspired me or shamed me into spit shining my furniture.
Here is what I wore- No not really a uniform, but thought it might be fun to note- Gray sweat pants( colour of choice for me- No juicy sets  & a T-shirt (I had to unload the  grocery store sweat shirt ) Putting groceries away makes me hot (right now there are a few very close friends that are saying- Everything Makes You Hot!)
The T-shirt is a London T an exact copy of the one worn by Joey Ramone from here 
When cleaning-I try to assume the role of my wonderful daylady cleaner- G. How would G. do this?
I always do a much better job if I approach the work this way-

Well- here I sit tapping away at the keys- writing this right Now.
&
NO
I absolutely did not watch the Super Bowl
rather
Bright Star.
I cried.
Now in the great tradition of a famous London resident-

...and so to bed.



1st Image from Black Narcissus
*French s'allonger, to stretch out, from Old French alongier, to lengthen, from Medieval Latin allongare : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin longus.
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my other Library...

now I know- it is a Bedroom, but as you can see it is my library too, and No- I don't have any trouble sleeping in this stimulatingly book heavy environ.


This Headboard has been around.


The wooden chandelier has too.


A slight nod to Pauline de Rothschild's pillow shams in one of her guest rooms, these via my own Guest Bedroom because Zetta likes to lounge in that room and has a slight fetish for silk satin ribbon. In here- less so- because typically the bed doesn't get made up quite so pretty like.


My current reading list spread around a bit. Right now I am reading EF Benson's Lucia surprise! to le style et la matiere).


Studying an interesting color scheme for an equestrian client. Surprise!


Yes, it's a little disheveled, but so is my desk- I am consistent anyway.


It can't all be books.


In fact, I keep my Fortuny in the bedroom.



My Fortuny etching, that is.



& of course my Reading companions.

Zetta.
Loves DRAMA.


Zetta wanting to be alone in the Guest Room.


Remus, tends to like SUSPENSE, especially when leaping off the headboard at 2 a.m.


Moses -aged and departed scholar, slept through most novels.


He also had the bedroom, minus the bookcases, moved down to the Dining Room- his last year and a half of life- since he could not make the steps. I always thought He must have been tuned in and came to this idea from one of my favorite novel's The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Wharton's Mrs. Manson Mingott, could no longer climb her stairs and lived on the main floor of her New York mansion. Visitors of the dowager tried not to notice- though it shocked- there sat the lady's bed in plain view. Things have changed since the Age everyone seemed to understand Moses presence here.

He indeed slowed , But still slept in the middle of the bed, He did, however, know how to keep a secret.

TOP DOG

We all have favorites. I have always loved magazines- a favorite thing and a favorite thing to take up for a nap or to go through a stack by the couch on a Sunday afternoon. As a child, I remember going through my grandmother's House and Garden's and watching her dog ear the pages with her "likes." I can not imagine my world without books or magazines- and I have a horde of both-to the extreme- of them to prove it. I am slowly going through each one. "Oh! I can't get rid of that one, this one can't be defaced"- it is a painful, painstaking task. What's worse is the lost copies- being neglected for month or two and discovering it or remembering something great I've seen and loved and not being able to find the magazine I saw it in. I can always remember what magazine it is in- it's just finding it that is HARD. I think I am making strides in editing my collections and then I look in the lower bookcases or elsewhere and it doesn't appear so. In starting this blog though and pondering doing it for a year- I have been preparing.

My FAVORITE HG cover is this one from November 1996 . The gorgeous creatures posing belong to John Rosselli, well known antiquarian in the design and antique world.

I agree with Rosselli- give your dogs free range in the house. You can't expect dogs to know it all- so you have to show them the ropes, let them know what's expected and they usually won't disappoint. To make life easier for both me and Zetta, she has inherited "fur" throws, several paisley stoles, two toile fabric throws and a number of Indian cotton bedspreads from my "gone to heaven" dog- MOSES. Forgiving oriental rugs and sisals help with the daily appearance of those dog hairs- of course a vacuum is ideal- but not for everyday living.

my new dog Zetta


Rosselli and whippet Elizabeth




Objet' dogs in Rosselli's home


Rosselli's Dogs-what a terrific picture!



Little Pink and Silver Dog Card:

One of my cards listed on etsy featuring pink flocked leaves on a silver ground and gray ribbon. Inside the card says:
"The dog was created especially for children. He is the god of frolic." Henry Ward Beecher

ZETTA

I have just adopted a new dog- a doll really and have named her ZETTA. She is over a year old and her first three days acclimating have been stellar. Remus the cat- is carefully staked out along the stair or observing from the counter heights- as ZETTA gets to know whose turf is whose and what territory they can share. Once Remus recognizes that ZETTA is friend-not foe, he will fall in love. Remus misses Moses as much as I do- and has mourned his loss.

Zetta- Day1

I worked with a terrific private adoption group called SAVING GRACE. Along with my new ZETTA- named for my dear friend and mentor- Sandford Peele's beloved dachshund, ZETTA. ZETTA is a lively greyhound bull terrier mix? A gorgeous brindle color with heavy kohl circle brown eyes- She puts me in mind of Pola Negra or some gypsy queen. Her ears are completely over sized- another, for me, selling point. I surfed every adoptable dog in North Carolina and continually returned to THAT ONE! I'm smitten.

From previous posts, it's obvious how supportive I've been of our new president and have collected a LOAD of graphic design posters with great Obama images. There is an entire site -THE OBAMA ART REPORT- devoted to artists creating Obama imagery- a new art force in its own right. A favorite of mine- Shepard Fairey's HOPE- has morphed into another image- ADOPT. Can you believe it? In true Warholian deconstruction cheek- Fairey's ADOPT has an entire website devoted to this cause.




I can't wait to see what kind of dog the Obama girls select and what they will name it? any ideas?