The table in progress...

I went to visit my table today. She is a thing of beauty! The blue and white crackle paint on the underside and on the legs is done, awaiting a beeswax rub. The top finish is in progress. She currently resides in a sunny loft where she is being cared for by a lovely woman with great artistic skills. Apparently the finish is something that is applied layer by layer and it takes time for the beauty to be created. I came home and looked at my mostly empty dining room with great glee. This weekend I plan to touch up the paint in there, wax the floor, wash the window and prepare for the arrival of my dream table! I have a chandelier that I've been waiting to have installed for several years. I'll see if we can get that taken care of, too, so the room will be ready for the wonderful new addition. This is SO exciting!

Not quite a groundhog...

This recent Groundhog's day, Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow and foretold another 6 weeks of winter.

But today, on the way to the transfer station with a truck load of trash, I saw a dark blob at the foundation of my neighbors barn. I grabbed my camera and approached the blob, knowing I was in for a treat. And there was this young porcupine, looking for a snack on a patch of ground where the snow had melted. He stared at me balefully with a glittering shoe button eye, and rattled his quills a bit when I got too close. Looks like a sign of early spring to me.

Magic appreciated...

I've had a love affair with reading since my sister Debbye taught me the magic within the pages of The Happy Hollister's red covered books when I was 5. She taught me how to read while we lay on our bellies on the bedroom floor. The books were old and smelled slightly musty, but they transported me.

For Christmas my husband gave me a Nook. This is one brand of a new technology, e-book readers. Small, slim, sleek and stylish, my new Nook will hold 1,500 books within its small self. And it is magical. Really, it is. Yesterday I was reading on my Nook. The author of the book I was reading made reference to another book which sounded interesting. So I clicked on "shop," and sure enough, the book mentioned was available for $9 and change. With the push of a button I was able to read the first 45 pages of the book, and I found it very interesting. So, I pushed another button that said, "buy now." And you know what? In less than 60 seconds that book was in the Nook. Ready for me to read. If that is not magical, I don't know what is.

My grandmother was born before most people had electricty or indoor plumbing in their homes. She experienced first hand the wonders of radio and then television! She never got over her total amazement that she could go to the grocery store and buy a Pepperidge Farm coconut cake, all baked and frosted and ready to serve to family or guests. And delicious! She adored them, and appreciated the magic of them when we were all rolling our eyes.

The technology changes. The Magic? It is still held in wonder.

Common threads and coincidence...

Recently our daughter has been making "leave the nest" noises. That is not a bad thing, but like all change it takes some getting used to. I was thinking about her today while I ran an errand. I passed an empty birds nest frosted in snow, and stopped to snap a picture. When I got where I was going I saw another abandoned nest, snow capped- lovely. Coincidence? I think not.

Maine scene...

When decorating my favorite color palette is blue and white. No wonder I love the Maine countryside!

Basking...

Monday, while sitting at my desk writing a magazine article, my daughter came into the room. With her snake.
The sun was shining in. My kid put her snake on the window sill and left the room. The snake stayed there, basking in the sun, motionless. For a long time. Meanwhile the sun hit the prism hanging there... the walls were dancing with rainbows. Reptiles and rainbows. An incongruent combination.

Snowflakes...

Wikipedia says:
"Snowflakes are conglomerations of frozen ice crystals which fall through the Earth's atmosphere. They begin as snow crystals which develop when microscopic supercooled cloud droplets freeze. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through differing temperature and humidity regimes. Individual snowflakes are nearly unique in structure."

Me? I think they are created as a form of "higher" art.