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

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!

Tablescape Thursday

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

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

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