Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Some of Daddy's Treasures


In the living room,  I have a secretary desk that is devoted to some of my
Daddy's treasures obtained from his years in international business.  In the
1960's he had quite a bit of business in both Israel and some of the Middle 
Eastern nations.  Travel in and out of these countries was a bit tricky and he
would carry more than one passport so that he would get past country restrictions.
Don't ask me how he did this, but he did have a close relationship with many
in Washington.  

Over the years, Daddy was gifted with many treasures from business
associates.  He was given a tiger skin, which was meant to be used as a rug,
but none of us were okay with it.  Our dog especially hated it.  It remained
carefully packaged up in the attic, but was brought out only if the giver came
 to visit when he was in the states.





Daddy also did quite a bit of business in Israel.  He was invited into the home of
the Dobkin family in Jerusalem many times.  They had a son who was starting to
apply to colleges in the US, and expressed an interest in attending Harvard.   
Daddy has some connections at the University, and offered to write a letter of 
recommendation for the college hopeful.  I do not know what the ultimate result
of this letter was, but the Dobkin family was very thankful and presented my
Daddy with quite a nice gift of antique glass found on an architectural dig in
Jerusalem.  




These artifacts were uncovered near Bethlehem from the first century 
 of the Common Era.  Daddy was an avid student of the history and the
architecture of the ancient Near East, so this gift had a very special 
meaning to him.

I'm thinking of Daddy today (as I do every day) and remembering
things that were special to him.  On this date in 2010, Daddy passed
away.  That year it was two days before Father's Day, and this year
it is two days after.  He led a fascinating life and died at the age of
93.  He sure was a great guy!

Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Good Morning From My Porch Swing!


Sometimes a tablescape can be a simple as coffee on the porch swing.





And sometimes it can be lunch in the garden with a friend.



The important thing is that it celebrate the joys of summer.  


And that it puts a smile on your face!


Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley



Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Lunch in the Sweet Tea Cottage Garden


It's not too, too hot today, and lunch in the Sweet Tea Cottage garden is
always a treat.  It's secluded, and quite, except of course for the lovely
little song birds who visit each day.  The table is all set and I think we
will have time for some lunch goodies and a chat before the rain drops
arrive later this afternoon.

By the way, if you have not been following me recently, Sweet Tea 
Cottage is the name of my She Shed.




The bright vintage floral and the gingham touches really pop against
the white bistro table and the greenery.  It's simple, uncomplicated, and
a brief blissful break from our hectic world.



I found these vintage gingham glasses with the ricrac trim recently.  It
was instant love at first sight!  

I wish y'all could join me!

Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Friday, June 7, 2019

My New Lease on Life


Our new wicker porch swing is comfy.  It's best enjoyed early in the morning, or later
in the evening after the sun has gone down.  It's going to be a really hot weekend, and the
temperature will hit 100 degrees both Saturday and Sunday.  I don't think we will be
doing much outside.  I really wish we had a pool now.  Those plans got shelved when I
started getting ill last summer.  I have had some very strange kind of virus that zapped
every bit of strength I had.   It lasted for months and months.  I finally just started to
turn the corner this past April.  I feel like the virus has finally gone away.  Now
I just have to work on regaining my strength.




I have always been a high energy girl.  Months of living on a couple hours of sleep
each night, and whatever sleep I could get was disturbed by coughing, left me
very weak.  My muscle tone started to disappear and I was starting to look
like a live skeleton.  I tried working out, standard cardio and strength training,
but couldn't handle it.  Just this past Monday, I tried again.  So far I have
completed 30 minutes of cardio for five straight days, and three days of
strength training.  I can't begin to tell you how much different I feel.  I have added
an afternoon nap each day too.  Suddenly, instead of dragging around, I have
started to want to do things again.  



These past few months, my interests have been so limited.  I thought I
could just take it easy all day and read books.  For the first time in my
life, I couldn't even concentrate to read.  I was so restless, yet exhausted
at the same time.  Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon has been sitting
unfinished on my nightstand for months.  I knew there was something really
wrong with me because I love the Mitford books.  



I kept working on Sweet Tea Cottage, but only for a few short minutes
per day. Despite the fact that it tired me, I knew I had to have something
to focus on other than this strange virus.  My poor manuscript has been
sitting on my desk, untouched too.

Now that I am getting that blood circulating better and getting more
rest, I am starting to to reinvest in life.  This afternoon I walked out into
the backyard and started focusing on the shape of the pool and exactly
where I want it.  Life is good once again.

Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

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