The California Flower Girls

Part 2…part 2

2011-03-27T17:36:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary:

Sunday.

6AM.

Lovely early morning.

Rain.

Sun.

Rain again.

Candles lit.

Cozy.

Taste test kitchen reopened.

So many weeks of missing.

Kitchen is an old, odd friend.

Awkward movements.

Too much time away.

Brunch.

Popovers.

Learned the trick to success.

Amazing lovely pieces of culinary art.

Feeding the soul.

Feeding the girlfriend.

So, so special.

Interrogation questions ready.

Optimistic.

Enjoy this feeling until it’s gone.

Part 2…part 1

2011-03-25T20:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary:

It begins again.

First night.

Substitute.

Really?

Really.

Condescension.

Disagreement.

Really?

First project.

Here we go again.

What am I missing?

Dumb it down.

Permission one time.

Tell me how to think.

Cheat sheets and finals

2011-03-19T15:58:00.001-07:00

Can make a cheat sheet for the final.

Wonder if that’s a bad sign.

Wonder if I can get the whole book on one side of one page.

Got most of half the book on it.

Breach of class contract by professor.

Baby Jesus moment.

Full credit for all on demurrer.

Joy!

Take final.

Sketchy.

Cheat sheet.

Some help.

Then not so much.

Made to the end of this bad boy class.

Amazement for all.

Numb mind.

Relieved body.

Sleep

______________________________________

Wake up.

Feel fabulous with a touch of headache.

Weird dreams about old boyfriend.

Fun.

But odd.

Four assignments due tomorrow.

Should read instructions first.

Post note on computer to read instructions first in the future.

Hate details.

Wish I could just do all this shit my way.

My way is more fun.

Do it her way.

And I do.

A week in the life of….part 3

2011-03-15T14:06:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary:

Wake up.

Feel pretty good.

Figure out 96 hours until Monday night at 7:15.

Minus 24 hours for sleep and class.

72 hours.

More than enough.

Hours of research.

Good results.

Remember I have another class.

Do something to address that.

Friday night.

School books are my date.

Sleep.

_______________________________________

Dear Diary:

Wake up.

Lose an hour.

Need that hour.

Panicky

Have found no case law that works.

For anything.

Fight the legal search engine.

It spits out nothing.

Queen of the search engines falls off throne.

Call legal search engine for help.

Hot guys tries hard to help.

Finds only one case out of thousands?

Doesn’t help.

He tells me to move to another state.

Only CA and VI require demurrers.

Wonder if France requires them.

Put anything on paper.

Hope it fixes itself.

A hundred emails between classmates.

All in trouble.

Feel less alone.

Research anything and everything I can think of.

Still have two more assignments to do.

Have not started either.

Swallow breathing.

Haven't moved in hours.

Think about taking a walk.

Think about how much time that will waste.

Do some more.

Exhausted.

Think I need to sleep.

The baby Jesus shows up.

11:30 PM find case law.

Wish I had found it two days ago.

Redo a bunch of stuff.

Go to bed.

Lie in bed thinking.

Everything is due tomorrow night and I have nothing finished.

Force brain to shut off.

Sleep.

____________________________________

Dear Diary:

Slept an hour too long.

Only 13 hours before 7:15PM.

Caffeine.

Brain fog.

Reminded of how motivating fear can be.

Just do it.

Best proof reader/editor ever.

12:30PM finish first assignment.

Print.

An hour figuring out how to do next assignment.

Silently freaking out in my head.

Get it started.

Realize much is wrong.

Fix it.

Research.

Time is going by so fast.

Finish an hour earlier than expected.

Amazed.

It is done.

Really?

Print.

Did I really do this?

Feel tears coming.

There is no crying in paralegal school.

Go to school.

Look at classmates.

Shell shocked faces.

Misery loves company.

I love these people.

Really.

Think I have forgotten one assignment at home.

How can that be?

Quietly melt down.

Think it’s all over.

White hot heat crashes over brain.

Ask for help.

Someone who can read.

I have it.

Instant exhaustion.

Home.

Lap time for cat.

Have missed her.

Cat plays with her purple purse.

Secret behavior.

Allowed to watch.

Sweet, sweet, special reward.

Wine.

TV.

Sleep.

____________________________

Dear Diary:

Wake up,

Hours of glorious sleep.

Roll over.

One more hour.

No mainlining caffeine.

Everything is slower.

Mind is quiet.

Strange to not feel pressure.

Caffeine with jasmine.

Cat perched on leg.

Vanity Fair.

Heaven.

Feel tears coming.

The let down from so many days.

There is no crying in paralegal school.

Feel expansive love for everything.

So grateful.

Thursday night final exam.

Not counting hours.

I can do this.

_________________________________

A week in the life of…part 2

2011-03-10T21:39:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary:

5:30AM.

Awake.

Feel human.

10 hours of sleep.

Optimism returns.

Do laundry.

Watch the sky turn to day.

Caffeine with blooming jasmine.

Lap time for the cat.

Long hot shower.

Feel spoiled.

Reread demurrer assignment.

Have one good idea.

Need three more.

Too early to panic.

Three hours learning LEXIS.

Goldmine.

Print some good stuff.

Good day.

Sleep happy.

_________________________

Dear Diary,

Two happy days.

Have I lost that edge?

Work on fixing assignment for hand in tonight.

Become only mildly neurotic.

Only print 15 times.

Improvement.

Go to school.

Realize I might be in trouble with the invoice assignment.

Save that freak out for later.

Get next assignment.

Understand most of it.

Mind numbing.

Need to calculate how many hours before Monday night at 7:15PM.

Tomorrow.

Headache.

Need to sleep.

_____________________________

A week in the life...

2011-03-08T11:35:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary:

Wake up in the dark.

Still tired.

Look in mirror. Not good.

Hook up caffeine drip.

Walk past computer.

Swear.

Take caffeine outside to sit and look at pretty flowers in the garden.

Forget it’s dark.

Consume caffeine.

Wake up computer on the way to more caffeine.

First big decision: read daily blogs or not read daily blogs.

Read daily blogs.

Decide which of the 500 windows I have opened with things I thought I needed to know yesterday that I can close.

Close 2.

Start to feel smart.

Begin writing.

Start to feel dumb.

Have 5 minutes of utter brilliance.

Followed by what the hell am I supposed to be doing?

Refer to assignment instructions.

No longer understand English.

Write some more.

Wish the cat had a thumb and could cook and clean.

Read a million things online until I understand nothing.

Write some more.

Eat popcorn.

Go to bed.

___________________________

Dear Diary:

Dear God,

Please tell the baby Jesus to come help me. He has more help in his little finger than the entire internet.

Please tell him to get on it ASAP. Things are getting desperate around here.

Sincerely,

Me.

___________________________

Dear Diary:

Wake up.

Still tired.

Groundhog Day.

Need to remember elements.

I knew them yesterday and last semester.

I do not know them today.

Decide to look for the book.

No time.

Book is MIA under two discarded trees that are now all over the floor.

Decide to Google.

Love/hate relationship with Google.

Today it’s hate.

Find elements.

Print.

Kill a baby branch on the next tree.

Brain has gone into the stupid zone.

Continue to write.

Forget everything I knew an hour ago.

Hope tomorrow this all looks better than it does right now.

Pray the baby Jesus is on his way.

Write some more.

Go to sleep.

_____________________________

Dear Diary:

Wake up.

Still tired.

Can’t get out of bed.

Think about not ever in this life time being a paralegal.

Decide that’s the best idea of the day so far.

Get up.

Look in mirror.

Put on a hat.

Caffeine drip.

Wake up computer.

Try to remember when I loved my computer.

Decide that relationship can be salvaged later.

Don’t read blogs.

Check email instead.

Head implodes.

Classmate sent 5 emails asking for all the answers on the day this bitch is due.

Feel the need to send a soul crushing reply.

Write the reply in my head but don’t send.

Try to remember what I was thinking at 11:30 the night before.

Have no idea.

Write some more.

Think I’m finished.

Print final copy.

Mistakes.

Print 57 more final copies.

Over it.

Go to school.

Rid myself of that assignment.

Immediately realize all the things that are still wrong with it.

Try to get in touch with the baby Jesus.

Cry.

Go home.

Sleep.

_________________________

Dear Diary:

My professor says there are no fun jobs for a paralegal.

Reconsider the epic nightmare of my existence.

Maybe this will be a hobby.

I doubt it.

____________________________

Dear Diary:

Wake up.

Hell.

Headache.

So many f bombs the cat has left the building.

What was I doing yesterday?

I had a really good idea last night after I got into bed.

Was going to check it out this morning.

No idea what it was.

Brain is already failing.

Caffeine drip.

Wake up computer.

Freak out.

Updates have shut down the computer in the night.

Online forms are now all blank.

Try not to cry the ugly cry.

Reboot the brain.

Write some stuff.

I have no idea what it means.

Don’t understand English.

Sit in stunned silence.

Smell Spring.

Hear birds.

Ignore it.

Go to the store to buy 3 more tress I can kill.

Print.

Realize I cannot spell Plaintiff to save my ever loving life.

Cuss out online forms that don’t have spell check.

No time to fix it.

Go to school.

Do not hand in assignment early.

Do not get the extra 25 points.

Decide on the way home I will never ever be a paralegal.

Decide I am failing this class.

Decide I should have dropped this class.

Decide to move to Paris.

Feel better about all these decisions.

Treat myself to TV.

Fall asleep before the first commercial.

____________________________

Dear Diary:

Wake up.

Numb tired.

Wonder how long I can hold off coming undone.

Forgot to make the coffee last night.

Freak out.

Scare the cat.

Wonder what hurricane swept through my house.

Decide cleaning is more fun that faking brilliance.

Clean for 10 minutes.

Think about next assignment.

Look at next assignment.

Have no ideas.

Clean some more.

Wonder if I should be a maid instead.

Cry a lot in my head.

Caffeine with Facebook and Twitter.

Realize no one has said anything to me online in days.

Try not to hate.

Think about not starting the next assignment until the baby Jesus shows up.

Give myself three more hours to clean.

Start thinking going back to bed is a better idea.

Start thinking about all the recorded TV I have.

Starting worrying I will never get started today.

Wonder how Charlie Sheen is doing.

Wonder if the next three hours will be spent wondering and thinking about all kinds of stupid stuff.

Wonder where the baby Jesus is.

Decide free time is not good for me.

Start the next assignment.

Something to think about…

2009-12-08T13:02:00.001-08:00

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages

by Leo Buscalgia

Spring had passed. So had Summer. Freddie, the leaf, had grown large. His mid section was wide and strong, and his five extensions were firm and pointed. He had first appeared in Spring as a small sprout on a rather large branch near the top of a tall tree.

Freddie was surrounded by hundreds of other leaves just like himself, or so it seemed. Soon he discovered that no two leaves were alike, even though they were on the same tree. Alfred was the leaf next to him. Ben was the leaf on his right side, and Clare was the lovely leaf overhead. They had all grown up together. They had learned to dance in the Spring breezes, bask lazily in the Summer sun and wash off in the cooling rains.

But it was Daniel who was Freddie’s best friend. He was the largest leaf on the limb and seemed to have been there before anyone else. It appeared to Freddie that Daniel was also the wisest among them. It was Daniel who told them that they were part of a tree. It was Daniel who explained that they were growing in a public park. It was Daniel who told them that the tree had strong roots which were hidden in the ground below. He explained about the birds who came to sit on their branch and sing morning songs. He explained about the sun, the moon, the stars, and the seasons.

Freddie loved being a leaf. He loved his branch, his light leafy friends, his place high in the sky, the wind that jostled him about, the sun rays that warmed him, the moon that covered him with soft, white shadows. Summer had been especially nice. The long hot days felt good and the warm nights were peaceful and dreamy. There were many people in the park that Summer. They often came and sat under Freddie’s tree. Daniel told him that giving shade was part of his purpose.

“What’s a purpose?” Freddie had asked.

“A reason for being,” Daniel had answered. “To make things more pleasant for others is a reason for being. To make shade for old people who come to escape the heat of their homes is a reason for being. To provide a cool place for children to come and play. To fan with our leaves the picnickers who come to eat on checkered tablecloths. These are all the reasons for being.”

Freddie especially liked the old people. They sat so quietly on the cool grass and hardly ever moved. They talked in whispers of times past. The children were fun, too, even though they sometimes tore holes in the bark of the tree or carved their names into it. Still, it was fun to watch them move so fast and to laugh so much.

But Freddie’s Summer soon passed. It vanished on an October night. He had never felt it so cold. All the leaves shivered with the cold. They were coated with a thin layer of white which quickly melted and left them dew drenched and sparkling in the morning sun. Again, it was Daniel who explained that they had experienced their first frost, the sign that it was Fall and that Winter would come soon.

Almost at once, the whole tree, in fact, the whole park was transformed into a blaze of color. There was hardly a green leaf left. Alfred had turned a deep yellow. Ben had become a bright orange. Clare had become a blazing red, Daniel a deep purple and Freddie was red and gold and blue. How beautiful they all looked. Freddie and his friends had made their tree a rainbow.

“Why did we turn different colors,” Freddie asked, “when we are on the same tree?”

“Each of us is different. We have had different experiences. We have faced the sun differently. We have cast shade differently. Why should we not have different colors?” Daniel said matter-of-factly. Daniel told Freddie that this wonderful season was called Fall.

One day a very strange thing happened. The same breezes that, in the past, had made them dance began to push and pull at their stems, almost as if they were angry. This caused some of the leaves to be torn from their branches and swept up in the wind, tossed about and dropped softly to the ground. All the leaves became frightened.

“What’s happening?” they asked each other in whispers.

“It’s what happens in Fall,” Daniel told them. “It’s the time for leaves to change their home. Some people call it to die.”

“Will we all die?” Freddie asked.

“Yes,” Daniel answered. “Everything dies. No matter how big or small, how weak or strong. We first do our job. We experience the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain. We learn to dance and to laugh. Then we die.”

“I won’t die!” said Freddie with determination. “Will you, Daniel?”

“Yes,” answered Daniel, “when it’s my time.”

“When is that?” asked Freddie.

“No one knows for sure,” Daniel responded.

Freddie noticed that the other leaves continued to fall. He thought, “It must be their time.” He saw that some of the leaves lashed back at the wind before they fell, others simply let go and dropped quietly. Soon the tree was almost bare.

“I’m afraid to die,” Freddie told Daniel. “I don’t know what’s down there.”

“We all fear what we don’t know, Freddie. It’s natural,” Daniel reassured him. “Yet, you were not afraid when Summer became Fall. They were natural changes. Why should you be afraid of the season of death?”

“Does the tree die, too?” Freddie asked.

“Someday. But there is something stronger than the tree. It is Life. That lasts forever and we are all a part of Life.”

“Where will we go when we die?”

“No one knows for sure. That’s the great mystery!”

“Will we return in the Spring?”

“We may not, but Life will.”

“Then what has been the reason for all of this?” Freddie continued to question. “Why were we here at all if we only have to fall and die?”

Daniel answered in his matter-of-fact way, “It’s been about the sun and the moon. It’s been about happy times together. It’s been about the shade and the old people and the children. It’s been about colors in Fall. It’s been about seasons. Isn’t that enough?”

“That afternoon, in the golden light of dusk, Daniel let go. He fell effortlessly. He seemed to smile peacefully as he fell. “Goodbye for now, Freddie,” he said.

Then, Freddie was all alone, the only leaf on his branch. The first snow fell the following morning. It was soft, white, and gentle; but it was bitter cold. There was hardly any sun that day, and the day was very short. Freddie found himself losing his color, becoming brittle. It was constantly cold and the snow weighed heavily upon him.

At dawn the wind came that took Freddie from his branch. It didn’t hurt at all. He felt himself float quietly, gently and softly downward. As he fell, he saw the whole tree for the first time. How strong and firm it was! He was sure that it would live for a long time and he knew that he had been part of its life and made him proud.

Freddie landed on a clump of snow. It somehow felt soft and even warm. In this new position he was more comfortable than he had ever been. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. He did not know that Spring would follow Winter and that the snow would melt into water. He did not know that what appeared to be his useless dried self would join with the water and serve to make the tree stronger. Most of all, he did not know that there, asleep in the tree and the ground, were already plans for new leaves in the Spring.

Domino Book Give Away!

2009-07-19T19:56:00.001-07:00

Ohhhh…domino….you were a little Romeo! (That line is to be song to Van Morrison’s Domino. My all time favorite song.)

It has been several months since all things domino have to come an end. The magazine is gone. The website is gone. Click on a domino link today and you will find yourself at Architectural Digest. As if that site will scratch the domino itch. Conde Naste, again I must ask, “What ARE you thinking?”

Those of us blogging about domino worked very hard to change minds that were not to be changed. Some very amazing things came out of that effort, however. One of them was a phone interview with Stephanie Clifford of the New York Times. Whatever she has written hasn’t be published but, maybe I said something worth quoting! She found me through my domino posts.

Another was to see Petunia's name on Page Six! All too FAB for words!

Another was this comment in response to this:

Anonymous said...

I could kiss you. I just had a minor panic attack when my trusty link to Domino's "sites we love" list sent me to Architectural Digest!!! Thanks doing this :) Such a smart cookie!

July 15, 2009 11:47 AM

I knew one day someone would want that list, like me…so I saved every link.

And there was this: Several months ago, Nina Schwartz from Conde Naste was very kind to send me a few copies of domino, THE BOOK of DECORATING to use as a give away on my blog. I wanted to wait for all the domino angst to pass before having my drawing. Sometimes it’s such a great surprise to see something happen that you thought was all over! I will give away one book now and save the other one for another time. So…here we go!

Leave a comment here before 12AM on July 26th and you will be entered into the drawing. It really is just that easy!

There is an amazing collection of domino images put together by coco+kelley and friends on flickr. It is a FAB collection!

Have fun!

Fashionably 233 years old

2009-07-03T10:00:00.001-07:00

The 4th of July…I never know what I really think about this holiday. In many ways it is another one of those days where the anticipation is always greater than the event…that is until the fireworks go off and you live in a town where fireworks are legal and the night sky and street light up with magic! That part never fails. The hot dogs never fail. The rest of the day can be a crap shot.

I am also not a big fan of the whole red, white and blue fashion combo….unless it is on our flag and then it can bring tears. It is beautiful and it is as American as front porches, main street parades, apple pie and baseball.

Not everyone has a front porch. Some do very well with what they have.

A complete parade all in one wagon.

I love hot dogs…really, really love them!

But I always leave room for barbequed lobster.

Oooo…ahhh…red, white and blue looks FAB like this!

Happy Birthday to us…

My wish when I blow out my sparkler this year is that we will all be willing to do our part to make next year a better one for everyone, everywhere.

What a day…

2009-06-25T19:51:00.001-07:00

Two pop culture icons gone, one piece of pop culture resurrected.

MTV returned to it’s roots when it really was all about music videos and MJ helped launch it into pop culture stardom.

So many memories/events connected to MJ’s music…

I remember where I was when Elvis died. I will remember where I was and what I was doing when MJ died.

How did I feel about MJ? This blogger says it perfectly and better than I can:

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/06/25/the-king-of-pop/

And Farrah...

I could –never- get my hair to look like hers and boy did I try.

And yesterday Johnny got his sidekick back…

All of Florence is a canvases..

2009-06-16T00:33:00.001-07:00

My plan today was to head out to find those shops that are up on stilts attached to a bridge somewhere here. I was hoping to maybe find a new crown or some little gem I simply could not live without. As over the moon as I can get about the thought of a new crown, I was having a few second thoughts about the whole shopping in the air over the water idea as, if you recall, I had a near fatal drowning incident in Venice!

So, I was happy to hope that maybe something more fabulous might catch my eye and give me a new idea. And then it happened!

I stepped on this man’s face and look at his reaction! Of course, I immediately apologized.

Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is one big piece of art work, from the statues and cathedrals right down to its sidewalks...

People are creating their beauty and art on every corner…

and right out into the street…

With their chalk, they have painted a beautiful carpet of colors…

some have copied the Masters.

I started to walk faster and faster, so excited to tell Fifi all about a whole new canvas for her to cover. I turned a corner and…

I saw her…There was Fifi, surrounded by a huge group of her Italians fans, all excitedly speaking at once in…French...while she created the loveliness and beauty that fills her heart…Paris...right there on the street in Florence! She looked quite fabulous as she painted in her ball gown and took an occassional sip of French champagne. Oh, and there is a…sketch book? Oh Fifi…!

Do we need to flee to Lucca already?

Fashionable Fridays, Gondoliers and PINK in Venice

2009-06-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Click play to get the whole experience. You will like it. So, do it!

I awoke today feeling wonderful and full of adventure so I after a coffee or 7 I ran to the front door to see if I might flag down a gondola. I have no idea if that’s how one does it here…treating them as if they are taxis… but I thought it was worth a try. To my luck or bad luck it turns out, there was one waiting right at the dock. I woke the man up and asked to be floated to the nearest cafe for a bite of breakfast. Of course I could have eaten at the palace but I wanted to mingle with all the lovely people of Venice and I know they wanted to see me! There was a most unfortunate accident, a bit of falling into the water, a bit of fabulous resuscitation and then a water ambulance…

Who knew ambulances floated?

This is the gorgeous hero who saved me, Alphonso D’Poalo..although I certainly wasn’t even close to death when I peeked out an eye and saw him, I might have swooned a bit! Once I was revived and redressed, I asked him to float me to someplace wonderful….

A man who knows my heart…he took me shopping! I might have fallen just a bit in love with him. But, as savior as he was, I had to move on with the research I promised…

Before my morning went array, I thought I might feature what all the lovely men wear when they are gondoliering those boats. Turns out, they all wear almost the same thing and that THEY are the fashion. Oh my, they are all QUITE fashionable!

I decided to ask each one to take me to a different place on the Grand Canal….

The lovely man above took me here…

The colors and bridges of Venice are a feast for the eyes.

And this yummy man took me down…

several side canals that are linked to the Grand Canal.

You can see for yourself this gondolier made me think of all that is great and powerful in the universe…

He tool me to see Santa Maria della Salute Church.

Next up is the amazing Romanesque Fabio! He spent hours floating me around everywhere speaking only in Italian so I have no idea what he was actually saying but in my mind, we were one!

It is so mind settling to just be at one with the scenery…

For years the men of Venice have been navigating the waters of Venice and they have done it in impeccable style.

But…no time for too much relaxation! I jumped out of the boat just in time to see Fifi and Karl’s fashion show! Karl always looks so…Karl.

His fashions are FAB! and so is his little stuffed dog!

It was a day of wonderful sights and fashions but it has all come to an end. As we were passing under one last bridge, many showed up to great me as we docked at the station! It was thrilling to see all my fans. But, a call from Fifi and…

I rushed back to the palace to pack because she and I are on the run again! That hot FBI man spotted us and is more determined than ever to catch us!

We jumped in the first gondola that floated by our front door…and it was PINK!

We floated by some lovely pink places that thankfully calmed Fifi…

and we raced to our…

…getaway! Wait…this can’t be right! This was not the plan!

This is more like it!

Our next destination? Florence…don’t tell anyone! Just show up to see more of our FUN!

For more Fashionable Friday, see Fifi!

For more PINK Saturday fun, see Beverly at How Sweet the Sound !

Fifi and Petunia Settle into Venice and take over…just a bit!

2009-06-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

When I heard that the FBI was still after Fifi and I, I knew I had go travel incognito! Fortunately, I had packed the perfect outfit for that kind of escape. Don’t you just love the bulls eye on my face? I do love a bit of drama!

Who knew the FBI agent after us would be so…hot! I do hope he catches me before he catches up with Fifi. I will tell him I only speak the international language of love and cannot understand one single thing he is asking. That should work. Don’t you think so, too?

Dear friends of mine have opened up their little place to Fifi and I. Yes, it is quite lovely but even better than that? Imagine how well behaved ones house guests will be when they know if they get thrown out the front door they might drown! Oh, I do love Venice!

Today I am headed to see my friend, Arrigo.

On my way to see him I passed lovely tables set for…

a bite of anything tasty Venice might offer.

It seems that my destination is further than I thought so I found one beautiful Italian, Marzio, to help me out! He floated right…

to the front door of Harry’s Bar!

What a lovely reception I had! Everyone wanted to see me but most of all, my sweet friend Arrigo Cipriana, the owner of the bar! He was waiting for me with one of his famous drinks already made! You see, the Bellini was created at his bar…no wonder I adore him so much!

I thought to take a few pictures of the table settings but unfortunately, the only table dressings here are the beloved Bellini! I think they make up a perfect tablescape. Don’t you? After a lovely afternoon of fun and gossip with Arrigo, I set off in search of the perfect outfit to wear to Fifi’s fabulous gala ball!

I left the bar knowing exactly where I was going but then I realized Venice had trapped me in it’s maze and I was mercifully lost!

One of the lovely things about being lost is that one has the opportunity to see what one might otherwise miss because one does not even know to look for it.

It was a lovely lost, I must say!

I finally had to admit that I had made an unfixable detour and ask for help. A very nice man offered his services so I hopped in one of these boats and he rowed me back to civilization.

I was running out of time to find my perfect mask! Thankfully I came across a store that could help me and I walked out… with the most fabulous disguise one could ever find! I choice a pink motif in honor of our hostess.

I was all dressed and perfectly coiffed just in time for my escort to float up to our front door and join me at the party. Yes, my sweet gondolier from this morning was most thrilled to be on my arm for the ball. He looks so…words fail me…doesn't he? Oh, Italia is just so Italian!

Fifi’s ball was perfect and special just like she is! We danced and had much merriment well into the early hours of the night. Just as I was thinking the night couldn't be more special, Marzio suggested a midnight float around Venice…and then it was…more perfect.

Oh, my …*blush*

Just as the sun was coming up I finally found my way to my bed…did I mention once at all how fabulous all that is Venice is?

And if you were wondering? All the masks at the ball kept that hot little FBI man from discovering us but trust me, I had my eye on him all night. I think the FBI might be a FAB club to join!

I have done some research while here. Tomorrow I will introduce you to all that is Fashionably Friday and FABULOUS about gondolas. It was exhausting work but I did it all for you! You will thank me.

To see more Venice fun with Fifi and Petunia go see Fifi!

For more lovely tablescapes please visit Between Naps On The Porch!

(All images from Google images and Petunia does not know Arrigo Cipriana but if she ever gets to Venice, trust me, she will!)

Fifi and Petunia hold court in Italia…

2009-06-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

Or does a court try to hold us? We shook off that nasty tail the FBI has on Fifi and thanks be to Leer made it safely to Verona! Of course, everyone here seems very thrilled to see us. They either don’t care or don’t know that Fifi is a wanted woman. Oh, I do adore Italy!

After awakening in my lovely little palace, I called up for a cup or five of these…

…as jet lag can leave a girl so cranky and tired. But there is no more time for sleep! I am the hostess of a lovely little luncheon today given in honor of Fifi and there is so much to see before then!

I wandered about the streets of Verona as I made my way to the cafe…

The town is a so cozy and beautiful…

Maybe this was Juliet's balcony! I wonder if I through my LONG extensions over the edge if a handsome Italian man might…hmm…that was another balcony in another story…

It was a dizzying delight to look up and try to find the sky peaking down through the narrow streets. Each street is more amazing than the last…We turn one more corner and…

we arrive at our lunch destination, Trattoria orand Osteria. It is one of the loveliest places to dine in Verona.

The dining room is just divine and it is reserved just for us. Looks at all that wine. I see a little sip of something in my future! A lovely Italian salad is set for each of us…

Mmmm…and this lovely man is offering us all a taste of the fabulous white wine that is made in this part of Italy…a sip or two of Soave would be lovely with… some tasty Italian breads.

It is a must to eat as much bigoli noodles as possible when in Italy…these are home made, tossed with a light anchovy sauce and so delicious!

“In "La vecchia cucina eugubina" they say that this noodle is as thick as a stocking making wooden knitting needles.”

I have no idea what that means but it’s fun to know!

A gorgeous lemon strawberry parfait is served for dessert but…

I have the thought to head back out to the streets, grab some gelato and…

wander around the sidewalk kiosks…

or maybe find a cafe chair to rest in as I watch life and all the beautiful…people! in Verona go by.

They really have found some interesting ways to get more use out of all the old buildings here. The Italians are truly brilliant!

Oh, no! A phone call from Fifi just now puts on us the run again! Our best idea is Venice! The streets are like a maze and we can run really fast! We will never be found there…

Off to Venice we go!

For some Outdoor Wednesday fun, please visit a Southern Daydreamer.

Pictures from Google Images

Today is Fifi Chooses a Topic for Fashionable Friday!

2009-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have no more good ideas. None. At. All. I love blogging but when the ideas run dry I refuse to just throw up some stuff on a post and hit publish. In an effort to restart that creative engine, I asked Petunia’s BFF Fifi to give me an idea for a post. I told her it could be weird, strange, crazy or even normal. We all know Fifi did not choose normal! That would not be FUN, right?

Fifi and Petunia are about to head off for an Italian adventure. (You can read more about that here.) With that in mind, Fifi suggested I do a post on….Pasta Clothes! You may remember when Petunia showed up here and did a post of Fashionable Gardening Outfits and what a BIG hit that post was. But pasta? Who knew Fifi was not the only one to think of this!

And we might be turning this post topic game into a REAL blogging game so laugh as you will. It might be YOU next….!

I must confess I never listen to any blog music. As I travel around to my favorite blogs I always have the mute on. As hypocritical as this may sound, please start this video before you read on. It is part of my post assignment and should add to the atmosphere of our little noodle runway show!

Here we are in Venice…just image Fif and Petunia floating about on the canals and all their fans lining the the bridges to wave madly at them. Fifi sweetly waves back while Petunia sips a little something Venetian and flirts with the gondolier!

Our first stop is at the pasta factory that will very shortly turn out our new wardrobe!

First down the runway is a lovely and understated pasta headdress that perfectly accessorizes….

the every-girl-must-have little pasta black dress!

and then of course there is the pasta bag and…

sandals that that no girl worth her sauce can live without!

Need a few more things to round out your outfit? Well, we have that in stock, too.

First up…

A lovely gold ring that is not edible but looks like a long spaghetti noodle has been wound around your la la lovely finger…

Of course, not every girl wants to wear a noodle around her finger so we have some other excellent pieces for you to choose from as well!

All this noodle watching has made me hungry….

This little pizza purse looks like a FAB snack and a sip or two of a…

Strawberry Bellini should give us strength to carry all of our shopping bags filled with pasta clothes home from the show!

Just think, next time you are cooking up a pasta dinner, you might end up cooking up a new outfit, too!

For more FAB Fashionable Friday posts, visit Fifi!

In the PINK!

2009-05-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

The phrase “in the pink” has had many meanings over the ages including the one we use today: in good health. For many bloggers, it has another meaning as well. It means it is Saturday and the blogging world turns PINK! For over a year, Beverly at How Sweet the Sound has been the hostess of Pink Saturday. Thousands show up at her party every week to play or to read what all her guests have contributed. Today, we all show up to wish her a Happy 1st Pink Blogging Party Birthday!

I LOVE painted Victorian houses. I think they look like fabulously decorated cakes. In honor of our party today, I bring you some of my favorites pink houses!

The Pink Lady: Across the street from the Carson Mansion in San Francisco stands the nearly-as-gaudy Milton J. Carson House, affectionately known as the Pink Lady. Built as a wedding gift for his son and daughter-in-law, the home was also designed by the Newsome Brothers and built in the 1880s.

FUN gingerbread details…

This little lady looks like she is dripping in pearls...

Edwin Bradford Hall, a prosperous pharmacist in the Wellsville, NY area, built this unique Italianate after seeing a house similar to it in Italy. The house has been pink ever since it was built, and it is still owned and used by Hall's descendents.

The pink tree is the perfect accessory!

This lovely lady can be found in Morrison, Ill.

Now that our house tour is over…

and the sky has turned a heavenly shade of pink at sunset…

let’s put on our party hats and head inside!

To Beverly’s fabulous PINK party!

Girls with pink hair were in shock and awe that one person would do so much for us every week….

while other girls danced in celebration!

A PINK cake is on every table!

And there is a bottle of PINK champagne for every guest!

Let us all raise our glass in a toast to Beverly, to one year of keeping us all in the PINK…

and to many more Saturdays exploding with PINK imagination!

Thank you, Beverly, for all your hard work every week and for all the fun! To see more PINK parties in her honor, go here!

(all images found via Google image search; thank you to Pink Cake Box for creating our party cakes!)

Outdoor Wednesday with Mr. Bonomo!

2009-05-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bonomo Makes a New Friend

“Mr. Bonomo was in charge of the circus. He was the master of ceremonies in the center ring of his life and all that went on around him.”

Mr. Bonomo was an unusual little kitty. He had one blue eye and one green eye and a little black spot on his nose. That spot made everyone smile. Actually, everything about him made people smile.

Mr. Bonomo could be very naughty. Sometimes he would hide in the dish washer, swing from the door knobs or play hide and attack with his humans. In general, he created wonderful chaos where ever he went.

He could also be very good but that was usually only when he was sleeping!

One thing Mr. Bonomo did very well was chase butterflies. One warm summer afternoon as he was rolling around in the cool dirt under his favorite butterfly bush waiting for a butterfly to catch his eye or a nap to set in, Mrs. Monarch flew by just above his head.

In one spring-like motion, Mr. Bonomo was to his feet and flying through the air, paws spread wide as baseball mitts. He twisted and twirled and leaped in the air as he tried with all his heart to catch her. After having had enough of the chase, Mrs. Monarch gently set herself down on a flowering branch of the butterfly bush.

She carefully looked down at Mr. Bonomo and asked “Why do you try to catch me in those big paws of yours? If you ever do, your fun will be over because you will hurt me.”

Mr. Bonomo looked down at his paws then back up at Mrs. Monarch and replied, “Oh, I don’t want to hurt you! You’re part of my beautiful backyard circus. You’re the prettiest butterfly I have!”

Knowing full well how beautiful she was, Mrs. Monarch nodded in agreement, “Well then we will have to make a promise to each other. I will fly around for you and provide entertainment for your circus but you must promise never to catch me.”

Mr. Bonomo’s eyes lit up and he let out a long delighted purr at the thought of having his very own personal butterfly to chase. “Yes!” He said.” I can do that! We can play together everyday and I promise not to hurt you. I will chase you just for fun.”

With that, the butterfly and the kitty became friends. To seal the deal, Mrs. Monarch fluttered off her branch and teasingly landed on the tip of Mr. Bonomo’s nose before taking to the air once again with a naughty but very happy little kitty twisting and twirling through the air just behind her.

For more Outdoor Wednesday visit Susan at

A Southern Daydreamer!

Blue Monday with Chagall

2009-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite painters is Marc Chagall. I love his use of vibrant color. The paintings shown below are some of my favorites of his done with blue. Enjoy!

Blue House

Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise

Enchantment

Gli Amanti Azzurri

Wedding Candles

La Mariee

Stained Galss

Marc Chagall (1887 – 1985) embraced the philosophy that love colored his paintings. Focusing extensively on his childhood, his happy, optimistic paintings defy the poverty of his upbringing in a Russian Shtetl. After a brief time in Paris, Chagall escaped to the US during World War II where his career reached new heights including a rare exhibit during his lifetime at the Louvre.

For more Blue Monday, visit Smiling Sally!

Fashionable and Pink Tea Time!

2009-05-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Fashionable Fridays with Fifi and Pink Saturday with Beverly a t How Sweet the Sound and of course, Mothers Day weekend! As a little girl I had many cups of tea with my mother and have many wonderful memories of tea parties at our kitchen table. In honor of my Mother and her day, I invite you to low tea served on high tables!

Before we begin our party, let's take a moment to look back at the history of tea time.

It is believed that tea time actually was created by the French who imported tea long before the British. Legend has it that Anna Marie Stanhope, the Duchess of Bradford and one of Queen Victoria's ladies in waiting, is the one who brought tea time to London due to her late afternoon "sinking feeling" and her need for a snack. She began to invite her lady friends to come around for a bit of "tea and walking in the fields."

In this country, we think all afternoon tea is high tea and begins at 4 o'clock. In actuality, high tea is dinner and is called high because it is served at a regular height table. Low tea is what we, in the US, think is high tea. Tea and snacks are served and not considered a dinner but a snack before dinner. Low tea is traditionally served on low tables much like our coffee tables.

Now that we know all that...let's have a cuppa and go walking in the fields!

Let's get all dressed up in our hats and gloves...
a simple tea dress...
or a runway fierce tea dress.
Step down the rose covered pathway to...
our lovely garden all set for tea!
We have some tea sandwiches...
and of course some scones...
and some FAB tea cookies!
Take your tea cup and stroll through the gardens...

There are some lovely benches to sit on sheltered
by the magnificent wisteria and

more tables of goodies to find set out among...

the gardens of Irises...

and gardens of Lilies.

I hope you have enjoyed your tea and a lovely walk through the gardens.

Happy Fashionable Friday and Pink Saturday!

And most of all if you are a Mom,

Happy Mothers Day!

Kathellen Ellis at Kathleen Ellis Life Style Design is in the tea party business. If you would like her to throw a tea party for you, send her an e-mail for more information.

Fashionable and PINK hot air!

2009-04-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

In the last few days too much hot air about too many things has been floating around the news and the Internet. In the name of all that is full of hot air and FUN, I bring you this:
Party balloons filled with love.

Bubble gum bubbles too big to believe!

A PINK bubble filled with a fashionable Witch!

Pink bubbles that create a fantasy world in a Paris store window..

Children gently set free lovely soapy spheres.

Bubbles glide down the runway...

And fly through the air.

It's good to know that hot air, used corretly, can still make us smile!

For more Fashionable Friday fun, visit Fifi!

For Saturday PINK fun, visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound!

Craigslist's Shame

2009-04-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Why should craigslist take down the erotic personals section of their site? I have been asking myself this question for several days. I know instinctively it is the right thing for them to do but why? What makes what craigslist is doing any different than the free magazines on the street or the personals in the newspapers that advertise sex for sale? Or even the girls on the streets offering it in person? Probably nothing at first glance. At second glance, a lot of things.

craigslist - erotic services in new york city

Crimes connected to users of craigslist is not a new phenomenon. Since 2007, when crime blogger Trench Reynolds at Crime News began chronically all the different types of crimes connected to activity on Craigslist, he has posted over 500 times on that topic. If you have been following murder of Julissa Brisman you will have seen him being interviewed on 48 Hours and CNN. Everything from scams to rapes to murder-for-hire have been connected to craigslist and Trench is the one who knows all about it.

Unless you are follow the crime blogs, you have most likely never read about most of those crimes. Much of the media has glossed over them, mentioning them only in passing. Until now. Our worst collective nightmare has come to life again. The young, "good looking, fair haired, comes from a good family, studying to be a doctor, is engaged to a beautiful fair haired girl" guy is suspected of hunting women on craigslist, robbing them and killing one. Yes, now we are listening, now we are reading, now we all know what can happen at craigslist. We ask for craigslist to respond to our questions about their part in all of it. And they deny their part. They try to dumb us down by telling us what we know to be true isn't.

SF bay area erotic services classifieds - craigslist

Craigslist's CEO, Jim Buckmaster says that no part of the website is sex related. How can he possibly say that? Does he really think we are not on top of this now or has all the money he's making clouded his definition of what is sex related? Oh, but wait... They have come up with a way, they say, to control that section of their site, to make sure only "legitimate" escort services and massage parlors can run ads. In November 2008, craigslist started charging $5.00 to place an erotic ad and says that the cost has already brought down the number of posts the site has received for those types of services. Is that really their only solution? These girls claim to be making be a lot of money through their ads so what's the big deal about having to spend $5.00? Supposedly the big deal is that the girls will not want to provide the necessary information needed to post their ads. I checked out my local craigslist site today and it seems the ads are still going strong, with or without the fee and additional user info. And who is in charge of researching whether or not these businesses are legit? Well, no one it would seem. According to craigslist, their site is self policed. I strongly doubt the predators lurking about the site are policing anything any more than the girls trying to make a living are. And now that craigslist has a new stream of income directly from those ads, you can be sure they aren't coming down any time soon.

sacramento erotic services classifieds - craigslist

Any other business conducting themselves this way would have been shut down a long time ago. Even the City of Chicago has had enough and has brought suit against craigslist for their unwillingness to do anything to stop this source of prostitution and have even gone so far as to say it it the largest source of prostitution in our country.

Craigslist offers a free service to the public and we all know we like free. Except, in reality it isn't free at all. The crimes committed that are connected to this website costs us all in tax payer dollars through police involvement but more importantly, they hurt our psyche. In the name of free do we sit by and allow craigslist to continue to do business as normal? It seems thus far, we have. The time has come for that to stop, for us send the message that their business practices are no longer acceptable. Craigslist ads may be free but they are making money on all those free ads. Do not forget for one minute that we control their purse strings. Without a public willing to post on their site, they have no business at all.

The call to boycott Craigslist is not about trying to stop prostitution. It is not about telling adults what they can or cannot do. It is about stopping the “largest single source of prostitution in our nation”. It is about calling Craigslist out on their lies. It is about telling a business they no longer have the support of the public in their willingness to provide a free platform for illegal enterprises. It is about draining the pond predators can easily and freely fish in. It is about cleaning up a public cesspool.

Jennifer Willams has started a national campain to force craigslist to shut down their eroctic sites. At her ThePoint.com site she says this about it:

"Mission:
To strongly encourage Craigslist to close down sections of their site that are known to frequently feature ads for illegal activities, particularly the Erotic Services section, through the non-violent mechanism of boycotting.

We, as a collective voice and through the use of our “dollar-vote” are choosing to support other similar communities who take more effort to foster an environment where crime is discouraged, rather than condoned through feigned ignorance and turning a blind eye."

To read more and to join her national effort to get 500,000 people to boycott craigslist, please visit her site here at The Point or simply click on the button at the top of my sidebar.

If you are looking for an alternative to Craigslist, geebo.com offers an on line classified ad site that does police and does not support illegal activities..

Fashionable Candy Friday!

2009-04-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Back in the day there was penny candy...oh, fabulous, lovely, bags of penny candy! Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm old but I would not want to know what life was like when 25 cents couldn't fill up a little bag with joy!

So, what was Fashionable back then?

Let's put on our stylie Keds....

and jump on our fab Schwinn banana seat bike....

and fly to the candy store!
Our pockets are full of pennies....
and there is so much to look at...

and so much to choose from!
The lady behind the counter grabs a small brown paper bag and

we begin to fill up that little bag!
Candy necklaces are fashionable....

so are candy rings and

the candy wrapper bracelets that were almost as

much fun to make as the candy was to eat!

It is a heavenly sight...

it's so hard to decide!

But I know my favorites...

Atomic Hotballs and...Bonomo Taffy!

The experience is exhausting.

Did I choose correctly?

Will I be disappointed later when I get home and I am wishing for something else?

Maybe, but a few more pennies will fill my bag again!

Who ever thought penny candy would be a quarter and

that pennies would not be fashionable?

I sure didn't but the memories remain and they are fashionably fabulous!

For more Fashionable Friday Fun visit Fifi!

Don't hate me because I am beautiful.

2009-04-19T01:16:00.000-07:00

Women and cats do as they dammed well please, and

men and dogs had best learn to live with it.

Everything I know I learned from my cat:

When you're hungry, eat.

When you're tired, nap in a sunbeam.

When you go to the vet's, pee on your owner.

The naming of cats is a difficult matter.

It isn't just one of your holiday games.

You may think at first I'm mad as a hatter.

When I tell you a cat must have three different names...

-- T.S. Eliot

"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat." Albert Einstein, when asked to describe the radio.

I wonder how he would explain twitter?

Always give generously. A small bird or rodent left on the bed tells them, I care.

Climb your way to the top. That's why the drapes are there.
Curiosity never killed anything except maybe a few hours.
Find your place in the sun. Especially if it happens to be on that nice pile of warm, clean laundry.
If you're not receiving enough attention, try knocking over several expensive antique lamps.

Life is hard, then you nap.
Make your mark in the world. Or at least spray in each corner.
Never sleep alone when you can sleep on someone's face.
Variety is the spice of life. One day ignore people, the next day annoy them.
When eating out, think nothing of sending back your meal twenty or thirty times.
When in doubt, cop an attitude.

Amen.

Iris, PeePee, The Big Girl

(Yes, I have three names. Of course I do. I am the CAT.)

Fifi's Blogging Birthday and Pink Saturday!!

2009-04-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, bon jour! Petunia here, again!

Oh my, this is a huge event! Fifi has been blogging her lovely, creative heart out for an entire year! Imagine that...all that work, all that painting...to bring the loveliness and beauty that is Fifi to all of us! She is my BFF and has been for many past lives according to a psychic I recently saw. In a past life Fifi and I were even sisters! Is that not FAB? But of course it makes perfect sense.

When awaking this morning and realizing I was alone again, but happily so, I decided to take a little trip across France to my favorite museum, the Musée Matisse in Le Cateau-Cambresis. I knew doing this would make me feel close to Fifi who is in another part of France at the moment. When I see Henri Matisse, I always feel the spirit of Fifi swirling around near me.

In this lifetime, among many other things, Fifi has brought to life the beauty and style that Henri Matisse blessed this lovely world with BUT, she has made that style her own. Shall we take a look to compare and contrast? First a look at Henri....

Matisse's Tablecloth

Pink Statuette and Jug on a Red Chest of Drawers

Matisse's pink table clothThe Dreamer... The ballerina in pink tights!
Hello!

Oh yes, hello!

And now on to Fifi's fabulous works that you can find and buy here and HERE!

Henri loves this painting! A nude girl, a pink fan? How could he not?

And Henri does love an tablescape! Fifi has again made him proud.

Oh yes...the channeling of the ballerina in pink!

And another table done while dreaming of Henri...what a lucky man...
even if he is dead!

Henri has a rose named after him BUT we have le Fifi Flowers who is a lovely rose and is thankfully, more alive than Henri so...she wins!

Mmmm...Fifi has found a pink cupcake to enjoy at her party!

Thank you for joining me on wishing Fifi a very Happy Blogging Birthday!

For more Fifi Blogging Birthday madness go here!

And for more PINK Saturday please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound!

Have a FAB weekend!

Fashionable Friday!

2009-04-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another of Fifi's Fashionable Fridays!

I do love a fabulous hat maybe even more than I love black and white photograph or maybe just as much. When they come together, it is the best. And when they come together on the pages of Vogue magazine in 1950, it is all over the moon!

Shall we choose our hat?
There are so many to look at....

So many styles and shapes and colors...

Why bother choosing one when you can carry all your favorites on a hat stand!

It is hard to decide on just one.
But, now that we have, let's show off!

Hats with veils are lovely.....

and hats with veils and long gloves...ooo la la!

Black and white snapped in black and white...my favorite!

Shall I pose like this or....

or like this?

But the best hat of all.....

is always a crown!

Vogue, as always, you have done it all so perfectly well.

All the photos shown here were taken by Gordon Parks.

For more Fashionable Friday fun, please visit Fifi!

Looking for a book in Paris...

2009-04-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Bon jour! Petunia here!

I'm sure one thing many of you don't know about me is that I am an avid reader! There is nothing more lovely than curling up with a juicy romance under a fabulous cozy throw. This morning I was needing to do exactly that when I realized I was all out of reading material. After perusing Perez online for the latest headlines, I thought to head out in search of a new book or three to read. My goodness, what a day it turned into!

I headed first to my neighborhood book seller and after looking at stack after stack of books by authors I have never heard of decided to move on...

This lovely store smelled musty and just a bit stuffy. After a quick glance around, I realized this store sold the same books as the last store. I hurriedly took my leave back out onto the street before all that dust settled on me!
Ahhh...Shakespeare...what a lovely name and I have heard his stories are very good, indeed. I have only experienced his work on stage and quite honestly, only really liked the one with the murder in it! I do think something is lost in the reading of his works...
Knowing all that I know about Mr. Shakespeare, I was sure I could find a juicy story in here!
My goodness! How wrong can a girl be! There were stacks and shelves of books one has to wonder why one would read! I was so exhausted by this point that when I saw the bed in the store, I pounced on it and took a lovely little snooze.
Upon awakening I returned to my search and just down the sidewalk I found this! I do love a newsstand. One can read all the headlines in one quick glance and know all the news a girl should know. It is important to know a bit about everything at a social gathering just in case one might be asked about something of the world.These lovely little stands also sell my favorite books and most importantly, all the circulars that keep a girl up to date with what really matters in the world...people and what they may or may not have been doing with who ever they should or should not have been doing it with!

It turned out to be a most successful book hunt! And did you know that Leo and that model friend of his did.....!! Oh my...they sure did!

My Easter Lily

2009-04-11T17:10:00.001-07:00

Painting of Lily by my dear friend and the very talented Otis who loved Lily (Soma) first.

Lily, Lily, Lily...we miss you everyday Little Bug.

Pink Saturday in Paris!

2009-04-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

Bon jour! Petunia here!

Welcome to PINK Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound ! Today I give you a little peek into all that keeps Paris in the PINK!

There are delicious pink macaroons and

pink shoes that would look fabulous peddling...

a lovely pink bike!
Pink flowers dress up the trees and...

the balconies and.... the hanging pots!

A lady walks a pink poodle and...

a lady in pink walks a poodle, too!

There are FAB pink stores to shop in and...

pink kitchens to cook in and...

pink houses to come home to!
Oh, look!

We are passing by Fifi's Pink Paris Apartment!

It is tres FAB, is it not?

I do thank you for stopping by to see how pretty in pink Paris can be!

Fahionable Friday with Fifi!

2009-04-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Bon jour! Petunia here!

It is another fabulous Fashionable Friday with my BFF, the very talented and lovely, Fifi Flowers! So welcome, welcome! I am in a rush this night to post as my fabulous Raoul is patiently awaiting my entrance and even though he is a patient love, I only like to make him wait just a bit! I am quite thoughtful that way!

Being in Paris makes it so very difficult to figure out what is most fashionable because, quite frankly, all of Paris is fashionable! Since I cannot show you -everything-, I have decided to show you feathers! Oh yes, feathers are quite the statement in Paris and even more so at one place in particular! Let me show you where feathers are about the only thing a pretty girl needs to wear!It is tres FAB!

Just down the street in Mortmarte, my lovely little section of Paris, is the Moulin Rouge!

It is a delicious slice of Parisian decidence at her best!

We better hurry to our seats so that we don't miss one minute of the show!

They do look fashionable in their feathers...and little else!

Can, can you Can-can?!

A quick interview with Maison Févier, the very talented lady who makes those fashionable feather outfits, and we are off...to our next adventure!

Tomorrow, I will show you all that is in the PINK in Paris!

For more of what is FAB and fashionable, visit my BFF, Fifi!

She is painting up a storm during her stay in Paris!

Outdoor Wednesday!

2009-04-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

Bon jour! Petunia here again!

Yes, I am back after a brief but...*blush* meaningful absence that has changed my entire life! I am in love...with Paris, with life with all that is fabulous and fabulous has a new name! Raoul! Oh my! It is assez wonderful...but this is not what this missive is about except it is what it is all about! I have always been in love with my little part of Paris, Montmarte but until Raoul, I had never truly seen it! I was always dashing to one event to another and although I saw a few things out of the corner of my Chanel sunglasses,, I had never really seen it, felt it or tasted it until I spent hours exploring all it's winding village streets and cafes with Raoul. Who knew it was all so lovely? I was even convinced to go to church which I guess I could have done before being as I have been so blessed with...well, everything, always! It is magnifique being me, after all! But I am not here to discuss that either although it is certainly part of the story....

Today, I am going to take you on a tour of all the lovely sites, sounds and cafes I have encountered over the past week. Enjoy!

This is a famous little cafe down the hill from my residence. It is quite fun to sit out front and listen in to what everyone has to say! Some of the local gossip is quite delicious!

There is so much color and fun everywhere one strolls about...

I think this graffiti is very Fab!

Everyone is so creative with paint and a brush.
No wonder Fifi loves being here so much!
She is quite colorful herself!

This is just very fun and surprising!

And the street musicians keep the air filled with lovely sounds...

While the street artists set up everyday to show off their talents.

I looked for my BFF Fifi but then realized she is too fabulous to be painting on the street!

Although. I have seen her in a beret and she looks very vogue!

And all the lovely winding, hilly streets?
One can get lost while being distracted and looking in windows! I love my little bohemian village...

Keiko Tanabe has painted a beautiful picture of the Pancake Mill...
Many evenings found Raoul and I at a table right here!

I had no idea I would love eating more than a pastry street side!And then Raoul took me to church!

I do think the bells rang extra loud that night!

For more Outdoor Wednesday fun go see

Susan at A Southern Daydreamer!

For more Paris FUN, my BFF Fifi , the most FAB Paris artist, is waiting for you to join her!

à bientôt les amis!

Paris and Fifi and oo la la!

2009-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! Petunia here!

Once again I have taken to the blog only so that I can keep you all up to date and in the know of what all the beautiful people are doing in Paris in the April! As you know, my BFF Fifi is here as well and although she was exhausted when she landed, she phoned me up right away to make sure my travel was perfect and my landing safe. What a love she is! I was horrified to hear she could not even go to her home as it had been taken over by a big party! I did pop by the event to make sure no one was destroying her lovely place. After all, friends do that for each other, don't they? I did not enjoy one minute of le fete...well...of course I did not want to be rude and could not refuse a refreshement or two! A lady must have manners in these situations!

I just know you are all wanting to know what my residence is like here in the City of Lights and Love and so I have put together a little tour for you!

S'amuser!

My lovely place is located in the Montmarte section of Paris....it's a little bohemian village on the outskirts of Paris. Over the next month you will be fortunate to see this lovely area and many of my favorite places to eat, drink and, well....so many of the other things I love to do! I know you will be most pleased and excited! How could you not be?

This is Paris through the trained eye of...moi!

The natural light pours into my main living area making me feel as if I am really one with the Paris outside my windows at all times.I love how rustic things can look in France while being completely tasteful and lovely at the same time.

Mmmm...some of may favorite romance novels are tucked away on those shelves! I do love reading a little book while I am here.

My morning capuccino is brought to my bedside every morning making it so easy for me slip from my bed and out onto my fabulous roof top retreat to await my breakfast. Oh, what a fabulous way to start my everyday

A French coffee is one of the world's greatest wonders!

I gaze over my lovely little part of the city while planning my day's adventures and phoning up many of the people who are requesting to see me!

Oh yes....
this is my Paris and this is my playground for the next month!
Now, go visit Fifi Flowers for more oo la la Parisian fun!

À bientôt!

(all pictures from http://www.specialapartments.com/21_gabrielle.html)

Pink Saturday!

2009-03-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another PINK Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound!

I love magazine covers and Vogue, who has done them so well, has shown us over the years all that is fabulous in the world of couture! Today we are going to take a look at how pretty in pink Vogue has been and what was fabulous enough to make the front cover!

September 1945
1933
1941
1928
1929
1937

1950

February 2003

Setmeber 2007

January 1990

December, 1991

Happy Saturday!

Fashionable Friday!

2009-03-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dearest Readers:

Welcome to another Fashionable Friday! My BFF Fifi Flowers is the lovely hostess of this grand event! Please visit her to see what else is going on today...however I assure you, this is the only place to be...other than her place...and maybe a few other places...really! Anywoo...

I have once again taken to the blogging world as I had such positive feedback after my first appearance here and so many have contacted me asking when I will be back. I thought to do this on an annual basis but it seemed so selfish to keep myself away so I have returned. Thank you all for all your kind, thoughtful and true comments and compliments!

I bring to you today a little story about my friend, Violet. She received an invitation to one of my many garden parties. As she had never made the guest list before, she hastily called me to inquire as to the dress code of my event. I thought it an odd call as one should simply know what to wear to a garden party but I humored her and explained that one wears something that looks lovely in the garden! Oh my! My mistake. This is what she came up! I have also included a few of her other good ideas....

(These amazing works of art were created and captured by Nicole Dextras

Her photography is fabulous!

I am borrowing them for the sake of my story.)

Here is Violet dressed in her best garden party attire.

Imagine my horror, and amusement when

she arrived at my party in this!

She does actually look quite fabulous is a "natural" sort of way, doesn't she?

Her this her Sunday Best

Yes, this is her Yucca Prom Dress.

And her lovely Cabbage Smock.

Violet is looking divine or insane in her Hydrangea Tournure.

Really, who knew Violet would take me so literally and actually WEAR a garden. One does live and learn, doesn't one.? In the future I will be sure to make it clear not to actually wear the garden...although it does look so...flowery and lovely, doesn't it?!

Sincerely,

Petunia who has never worn anything she can actually snack on but is beginning to think it's a good idea! Sometimes those hor dourves people are so slow in getting around the room! And who thinks Violet should continue to watch "What Not TO Wear"!

Tablescape Thursday!

2009-03-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

I love Springtime! Flowers fill the air with the smell of hope that all things that went to sleep will now wake up and shine in their glory. We are once again filled with that fabulous feeling Spring fever gives us that makes us want to be in love, want to go outside and play, want to shed off the layers of clothing that kept us warm, shed the thoughts that made our lives smaller when the sun disappeared too soon. In SoCal, it means eating outside again! And that is my favorite part of Spring. And so today, we will celebrate dining al fresco with a fabulous Tuscan picnic!

Welcome to our villa....

and welcome our lovely patio and view!

Grab a dish!Wonderful local food has been brought in for us to enjoy...
so please help yourselves!Bread, bread and more bread with a bit of cheese and olive oil is a meal created by the Gods!
And nothing goes better with them than a good glass of Italian red wine or...

a wonderfully refreshing Bellini! And after you have indulged in all the goodness, please feel free to curl up and enjoy a lovely Italian daydream!

Happy Spring and
Happy Tablescape Thursday!

For more lovely tables please visit
the fabulous Susan at
Between Naps on the Porch!

Outdoor Wednesday!

2009-03-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Life is busy for all of us.

We all need to remember to slow down and take a time

to stop and smell the roses....

whatever that means to you!

But you really ought to!

For more Outdoor Wednesday visit Susan!

One shoe can change your life!

2009-03-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

My sister and I heard this story for the first time at Girl Scout camp. We have spent years giggling about it and still speak in terms of

drancy fess balls and slopped drippers.

I need a magical shoe to change my life right now.....

Enjoy your Monday.

Prinderella and the Cince

Tonce upon a wime there was a gretty little pirl named Prinderella.
Prinderella had two sisty uglers and a micked wedstutter, who made her flub the scoors, wean the clindows, pine the shots and shans, and do all the other wirty dirk.

Wasn't that a shirty dame?

One day the Ping issued a kroclamation that all geligible irls were invited to a Drancy Fess Ball. Prindella's two sisty uglers could go, but Prinderella couldn't go because she didn't have a drancy fess, only a rirty dag that fidn't dit.

Wasn't that a shirty dame?

All of a sudden, in the eyeling of a twink, Prinderella's gairy fodmother appeared, and turned the cumpkin into a poach, the hice into morses, and Prinderella's rirty dag into a drancy fess.

But she warned Prinderella that she must be home by the moke of stridnight.

Wasn't that a shirty dame?

Well, Prindella went to the Drancy Fess Ball, and she pranced all night with the Cince, and at the moke of stridnight she ran down the Stalace Peps.

But on the bottom Pep she slopped her dripper!

Wasn't that another shirty dame?

The next day the Ping issued another kroclamation that all geligible irls were to sly on the tripper. Prinderella's two sisty uglers slipped on the tripper but it fidn't dit. So Prinderella slied on the tripper, and it fid dit!

So Prinderella and the Cince were married and lived happily ever afterwards.

Nor that wasn't such a shirty dame, was it?

THE END

I need to find the FAB dripper that will make all my Lily dreams come true!

Pink Saturday!

2009-03-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another PINK Saturday!

Our fabulous hostess is Beverly of How Sweet The Sound!

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a

Radio City Music Hall Rockette,

a Princess or a Social Worker.

I became one of those three dreams...

I did not become a Rockette...

And grace the famous stage of this NYC landmark...
I also did not become a Princess dressed in a pink clouds.... But, I have always been in love with a little tutu, as delicate as a pink rose...

A tutu can be so much more than a ballerina's costume....

It can dress up a chandelier....

Or the tiniest of baby girls....

Look lovely as a big pop of pink full of ribbons.

Which one would you pull off the rack?

It can dress up any daydream worthy boudoir....

And even a little bulldog!

It can look lovely on a humiliated kitty...kitties do not do dress up very well!

Mmmm...and then there is the pink that is as fabulous as a tutu that comes in a grow-up glass!

Shall we toast to PINK Saturday?

For more PINK fun visit Beverly!

About space

2009-03-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

I rarely, if ever, post about my personal life in this blog but tonight, I am going to make an exception to that rule. So many of you in the blogger world have been so kind and caring to be concerned that Lily is missing. I am filled with gratitude.

And, as of right now, she is still gone and the space she owns in my house that is now empty feels so big . I have had and loved and seen many of my animals pass to the Bridge and one just not come home again. I am always so surprised, amazed, confused, made to stop, at how big the space they own in my life, my house, and even the lives of my friends actually is. And what to do about that hole in the space that makes me feel whole is unanswerable. Time fills it, memories fill it. It's unthinkable that they will never fill it again.

These little beings have that come so quietly into my life and my heart are amazing gifts. I truly know it everyday but really know it when their spirit has left the room. It's a different feeling than when they are just out and about. It's a dull quiet.

And Iris...oh, Iris, my little bully, scared girl who is so jealous of Lily now sits and stares at the back door, the back fence, sits up all night staring off the bed at the bedroom door...waiting. She waits. I wait. She cries. I cry. Who knew how big that space was going to be? How quiet it would suddenly be. I forget to talk to Iris. I forget she needs, wants to hear my voice because suddenly I can't talk at all and when I do all I can ask her is "Where is Lily?" I forget to breath. as if holding my breath will make a difference.

Lily may be back. What I know now that I didn't know about her before is how big a space one little kitty can fill. And what I have learned about Iris is that she never really wanted to be an only cat.

Pink Saturday!

2009-03-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why but I have always thought I would love to live in Savannah, Georgia. It might have had something to do with the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil or that it is such a beautiful Southern city full of lovely homes, ghosts and lots of PINK!

The Amethysts Inn at Sarah's Gardens is a beautiful old Painted Lady all dressed up in PINK!

Through her beautiful front doors you will find gorgeous rooms to rest in...

I have chosen the Magnolia room.

After a quick nap, it's time to head out to see what else is PINK in Savannah. I think we should hop on the trolley for the ghost tour as one of Savannah's claims to fame is that it is the most haunted city in the country.

The Olde Pink House is said to be haunted by James Habersham Jr who built her in 1771

A female entity is said to haunt the second floor and she has been heard crying on several occasions by patrons, as well as, employees of the restaurant. If this is her, she's FAB in pink!

I think all the excitement of seeing a ghost has made me hungry so shall we have a bite to eat before we venture out to see the rest of the city?
Springtime carpets Savannah with beautiful pink azaleas
Gracie was the original cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil but after her family could not visit her grave in the Bonaventure Cemetery due to all the tourist the book attracted to the many places it referred to, the book publisher was convinced to change the cover and give back to Gracie her peace and privacy.

Fountains and parks are everywhere in Savannah.

I think I will sit here for a spell and enjoy the lovely view.

For more PINK Saturday see Beverly at How Sweet The Sound!

Have a great weekend!

Fashionable Friday!

2009-03-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Black and white is always FASHIONABLE! It's my favorite combo of colors to wear...

Very FAB boots!

Loving on these for sure!

I wonder if Fifi golfs in gloves like this?

A beautiful wedding hat but I do think it could be worn many other places as well.

I have always owned, loved and worn black high tops but these...are over the top!

"Rubber ducky joy of joys! When I squeeze you, you mke noise. Rubber ducky I'm awfully fond of you." I must have one of these!
Fashionable gardening wear is so very important!

These are delicious!

I love this sweet Hollywood chair.

Nothing like a FAB black and white mouse in your pocket!
Coco Chanel did black and white perfectly!

Black and white puppies and...

kitties and bunnies are always FASHIONABLE!

For more Fashionable Friday FUN check in with the FAB Fifi!

Happy Friday!

Tablescape Thursday!

2009-03-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Dearest Readers:

I have asked to borrow this blog space for the day as so many of you have been trying to contact me as to how you can join my exclusive Club. I thought this was the most expedient way to get the information out as I have no time to return so many calls and missives!

Of course, I knew once you were alerted that I would be here for the day, you would want to pop over from Fifi's and see my lovely table du jour. As always, my table is set with the finest china and silver as I never allow my lips to touch anything less when I am in residence.

So, please take a seat and we will begin. There are so many things I know you want me to tell you about and as I am always so tightly scheduled as so many people want to see me, time is of the essence!

I will tell you all about Fifi's FABulous Followers while we have a bite of dessert!

....Jean-Pierre has set our lovely table. Please let him know if you would like some

very fine French cognac or.....

some lovely pink champagne with ...

the lovely flourless cake Amelie whipped up in the kitchen this morning! She is such a dear, up at the crack of dawn making my party perfect, although that IS what she gets paid for. She finds so many of her FABulous recipes from the lovely baker at Tartelette.com . You really must go there and see for yourself!

Anyway, where was I in all of this?

Oh yes, I was speaking of all things FABulous!

(Raspberry and Cardamom Mousse White Chocolate Layers from Tartelette.com)
And look at what Fifi just arrived to the party with!

She loved my table so much she just had to paint it!

Oh, Fifi, thank you so much!

Now, back to why we are here!

My dear friend Violet, (she is a dear friend now that she has stopped threatening to snatch my crown!) and I were sitting in my sunroon sipping on some fine Guatemalan coffee. As she gazed about at all the lovely art I have hung in there she mentioned that she did not know I owned so many of Fifi Flowers works. I explained to her that I was the largest owner of Fifi's works in the WORLD! We went on and on about how FAB Fifi is and suddenly realized it was our mission to bring Fifi and all her FABulousness to the entire world!

And so, we have done exactly that! We created...

Fifi's FABulous Followers!

It is a lovely place for all that is Fifi to be discussed, enbraced and raved about. Violet and I would love for you to join in the fun! I do hope you understand that I never extend an invitation lightly so you better all march right over there and get yourself signed up.

An unhappy Petunia is not a pretty site at all!

If you have one of those places, (I never knew of such a thing until Violet explained it all to me) where you can write on walls or whatever it is they do over there on Facebook...Yes, that's it! A Facebook page! If you have one of those you can run right out and join right up! If you don't have one of those pages, get out from under that rock and get one! Seems like that's where all the FABulous people are gathering these days!

Thank you so much for coming to my little party! I will look for you at Fifi's FAB new place! If I don't see you I will have Jean-Pierre hunt you down!

For more Tablescape Thursday fun go here to see who else is having a a party!

Sincerely,

Petunia who loves being the hostess as she knows she's very good at it! Don't you think so , too?

A true story about Iris and The Purple Purse

2009-03-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to visit Iris here. I am so proud she made the pages of a big time CRIME blogger! So what if I'm a little twisted that way. It's sometimes how I roll.
Iris and the Purple Purse

It was a warm Fall day when Iris came to live with her new Mommy and her new kitty sister, named Lily.

Iris was very scared and nervous. Everything was new.

Everything, that is, except for her purple purse which came with her from her old house.

This was not just any purple purse.
This was a purple purse made of fake fur.
The kind of purse a little girl might use to hide her special things in.
It was Iris’s favorite toy.
It made her feel safe when she was nervous and Iris could be very nervous around things that were new to her.

For the first few days at her new house Iris stayed hidden in the bedroom under the bed with her face on her purple purse.
She would purr and meow when her new Mommy came to feed her and pet her but she would not come out of the bedroom.

One day her new Mommy came home and found the purple purse out in the living room!
Iris had come out from under the bed!
But where was she now?
Her new Mommy looked all over the house for her.

Suddenly, she heard a soft meow.
Iris had made a new bed in the hall cupboard which was really made for towels and things of that sort.
She was curled up in her new safe place, meowing and purring happily.
Iris loved her new cozy spot so much that she surrounded herself with all her special treasures.

In came the purple purse, of course.
Then some of Mommy’s little stuffed animals.
At night she would tuck them all under her and fall fast asleep feeling safe and protected.

One very brave day Iris decided to see what was outside in the back yard.
She had seen Lily come and go in and out the big door.
She saw Mommy do it too!

Gathering all of her courage, Iris carefully put the handle of the purple purse in her mouth and crept outside.
She had never felt grass before because before she lived with her new Mommy, she had never been outside.

The grass was scary! Everything was scary!
There were birds singing and flying around.
There were bugs and butterflies!
There was so much to see.

With her purple purse securely in her mouth, Iris touched the grass with one paw, then another until all four paws were on the grass.
Very slowly she walked around the edge of her new back yard.
She sniffed flowers and leaves.
She rubbed her face on the bark of the trees.

She was purring happily when her Mommy called her into the house for her supper.
Iris had done it! She had gone outside and nothing bad had happened to her.

She spent many days exploring all the new things around her.
Her purple purse was always with her.

One afternoon as Iris was sunning herself in a flower garden, a humming bird fluttered around her head as it drew nectar from the flower above to her.
With one quick motion, Iris was on her four feet and chasing the little bird.
The problem was, her purple purse made it impossible for her to run!
She tripped over it, sending herself head over heels as the bird took off over the fence in search of safer flowers.

Soon Iris’s need for her purple purse wasn’t so important.
There were so many more things she could do without it in her mouth.
Iris discovered she could be very brave all by herself.

Once in awhile when Iris became nervous, she would find her purple purse and rub her face against it. But this didn’t last for long.
Iris had figured out that all the courage and bravery she needed was right inside her all the time.

THE END

Pink Saturday!

2009-03-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Pink dolphins....amazing works of art!

Have a great weekend!

Fashionable Fridays!

2009-03-05T23:20:00.001-08:00

I love hats as much as I love crowns so today, we are going to have a look at a few little lovelies a few ladies thought were a good idea to place on their heads.

The best place to view some of the most outrageous hats is always at the third day of Royal Ascot, Ladies Day, the day ponies run in the Gold Cup. The crowd is the biggest, the Royal Family is there and feathers, flowers and whatever the hat maker thought to stick on a hat is out on display. Here are a few "good" ideas the ladies have had over the years... however, before we get to Ascot, we must make one detour.

First up, SJP. She was not at Ascot in this hat but at the opening of the Sex and The City movie. She made this post because of the hat she has on and...

because Carrie thught it was a good idea to get married with a bird on her head. How could she not make the list?

Now, on to Asoct...

I think this fine lady will only see one half of the race...whatever is coming at her from the left! It is an interesting hat and for Ascot, quite reserved.

I like this hat. It's very fun in a Cindy Lauper kind of way! I think this girl is gonna have fun.

Oh my. You could follow this hat around all day and never get hungry!

This hat is very cool! And from the sweet look on her face, she knows she looks good.

What to say about this one? Other than maybe to ask her if she is picking up any inter-orbital frequencies? She does seem very pleased with herself!

Girlfriends with the same sense of humor or the same mad hatter? Grand hats!
Now this hat has it ALL going on! A crown for a base and all those flowing flowers....how much did that weigh and did she really keep it on all day? One does wonder...
And last but never least, Princess Diana at Ascot, understated and elegant as always, however, she learned very quickly to never wear polka dots again.

Fashionable Friday has been great fun! For more fun Fashonable Friday posts, go see Fifi and get the directions!

Rainy days with The New Yorker

2009-03-03T01:10:00.000-08:00

I love rainy days, umbrellas, and The New Yorker covers!
When they all come together at the same time?
I'm a happy girl!

It's raining ....

a little bit cold in SoCal today....

So I better grab one of my umbrellas!

Hmmmm...which color shall I choose?

Happy Wednesday!

You have not been forgotten

2009-03-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

The month of March continually marks another year.

Pam Neal, my girlfriend from high school, has been missing since 1983. I have looked for her for 26 years and have been haunted by this for 26 years. I have contacted people who specialize in looking into cold cases. I have contacted any agency, anybody at all, who might help. I know someone out there knows what happened to her. I look for her everywhere I go, however, I know she is most likely not going to be found alive.. My wish is that she would be found so that she could be laid to rest with the people who love her around her. There is nothing in the world worse than not knowing. If you know anything please help.

PAMELA LYNNE NEAL

Report Type: Suspicious Circumstances
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5 ft. 03 in.
Weight: 110 lbs.
Date of Birth: 7/18/1960
Clothing: Light green colored dress with white print and a lace collar, Tan hip length leather jacket.
Last Seen: 3/31/1983
Other Identifiers: Foul Play is suspected.
Dental X-rays Available: Yes
Pamela was last seen March 31, 1983 in Englewood, Colorado.

Details of Disappearance
Neal was last seen on March 31, 1983 at her place of work, Key Savings and Loan in Englewood, Colorado. She was employed as a bank teller at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen leaving work to go on her lunch break at 2:00 p.m. She walked two blocks over to another bank and cashed a check, stopped at a grocery store to buy a lottery ticket and some take-out food, and apparently went to her apartment afterwards. Neal has never been heard from again. After her disappearance, her roommate found Neal's lunch bag sitting on the table in their apartment. Her shoes were under the coffee table and her purse was nearby, with her wallet and unscratched lottery ticket inside. The apartment's door was ajar.

At the time of her disappearance, Neal lived quietly and did not frequent nightclubs. She did not own a car and walked to work instead; her workplace was across the street from her apartment. She was born in Denver, Colorado, graduated from Cherry Creek High School and attended Western State College. She lived in Alaska for a year, then in Maine with her parents, before moving to Englewood to take the bank teller's job.
Neal is missing under suspicious circumstances and foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Few details are available in her case.

CONTACTAgency: Englewood (CO) Police DepartmentPhone Number:
(303) 762-2438Case Number: 83-7270

She is listed on The Charlie Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/n/neal_pamela.html

I believe in 6 degrees of separation.

Someone knows someone who knows something.

Please hit reset and start again...

2009-03-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

I've had a computer problem here for a few weeks. I think it's been a driver interface with Vista (HATE) that has caused the screen on my lap top to flicker so badly the screen eventually faded to the gray halo and then to black. I'm a computer geek and have always been able to think my way out of hardware and software problems but this one really stumped me. I could not for the LIFE of me figure out which driver was wreaking havoc with everything out side of the word processing programs. I called every help line I could think of, downloaded everything they suggested and then it happened. I was out of options....save one. Reset the whole damn computer back to the factory settings. OMG!!!!! I backed up everything, called my sister for input, and if you knew her computer skill level, you'd understand exactly how frantic I was to think calling her was a good idea. (The perfect amount of moral support was offered, however. Thank you, beauty girl.) I took a deep breath and did it. (more HATE)

Short of the BLUE SCREEN O' DEATH, there is nothing.worse.than.reset. Other than the obvious, my computer was perfect, broken in like a new pair of leather shoes that are finally soft enough to fit like a glove. I have moved on from crying and freaking out. I am in HATE right now. A computer has NEVER brought me to my knees before but then, I had never met Vista until last year. I am filing for a divorce. I will ask for EVERYTHING and I will get it. Bastards.

UPDATE: Reset did not fix the problem. (MORE HATE) Bigger bastards *cry*

The Queen of Gossip and my confession...

2009-02-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

In addition to being a complete news junkie, I am also a confessed gossip junkie. I live for my daily dose of Page Six, Perez Hilton, TMZ and several of the very juicy daily UK tabloids. In the UK, however, these lovelies are called newspapers! I love it! However, the UK and their version of what is news worthy is not what this post is about.

It is about the fabulous Liz Smith who, after 30 years of writing her gossip column for many of the New York City papers, most recently 14 years at the New York Post, has written her last column today. At 86 years old, she has been fired by the new regime who took over the Post last year and decided her gossip wasn't trashy enough, although they tried to tell her was for economic reasons. She always delivers the goods in an elegant and sophisticated way. One might think that that is why many of the people she writes about actually invite her to their events so that she can write about them. Even when she has something less than complimentary to say about someone, she does it in a way that leaves the person with their dignity intact.

I'LL MISS YOU, NYC

"HAIL AND FAREWELL! This column marks my last for the New York Post, where I've been writing for 14 years. I am sorry to go. But I've lived long enough to know the closing of one door means the opening of another.
I will still be writing a five-days-a-week column for my syndicated TMS newspapers, also twice a week for Daily Variety and especially for the WowOwow Web site, where next month we expect 1 million unique hits (visitors), and it's growing. My daily column also appears in The Drudge Report. I am now a contributing writer for Parade magazine, and you can see my cover story on Liza Minnelli there on Sunday. And I'll still be a showbiz commentator for Fox News weekly on "Lips & Ears."
Tomorrow marks the first time in 33 years that the Liz Smith column will not appear in a New York City newspaper. But it's exhilarating to be fired at age 86. So, thanks for all your support and enthusiasm over the years and much love to each of you ."

Liz, you are a rock star! How many people can say they got fired at 86? Wow....wowOwow.com!

More troubles for Conde Nast

2009-02-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

It seems it's not the cover cost of their magazines that is the problem at Conde Nast. They just don't know how to run their business. If this continues, I expect we will lose a few more of our favorite magazines. Unless you read Golf World....

In today's New York Post:

"They are overstaffed and overpaid. They should have cut back 20 percent when they cut back five," this person said.

That kind of thinking is stirring fears inside that a new round of cuts could be coming. And for the first time in more than a decade, the privately run company led by Chairman S.I. Newhouse Jr. and CEO Charles Townsend could be awash in red ink.

"We continue to manage our business through a difficult economic climate," said a Condé spokeswoman.

Much of the problem rests with Condé's policy of never discounting off the rate card.
"Advertisers are finding that they can buy around them," said the former executive.

Only one magazine in its stable is showing a rise over a year ago: Golf World, a small circulation weekly, that is up 16.5 percent through the Feb. 23 issue.

You can read the article in its entirety here:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02252009/business/getting_nasty_at_cond__233__156766.htm

I wonder how long it will be before we hear rumblings about Vanity Fair and Vogue? What a waste.

It's a beautiful day!

2009-02-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

My Mother used to wake me up for school by annoucing in a cheery morning voice, "It's a beautiful day in Chicago!" I would quietly groan and wonder what Chicago had to do with New Jersey and then Colorado. I would either roll my eyes or think "Tell me what kind of day it is here!" Who is that happy in the morning, anyway? Today while I was out inspecting all that grows in my little backyard, I thought of what she used to say. I Googled it and it turns out to be a phrase of some fame.

I found an article on Time.com, dated August 4, 1941. and it seems radio announcer Everett Mitchell of the Farm and Home Hour radio show used to begin every broadcast with those very words. Who knew? Even more importantly, who knew my mother listened to that? Well, now I know and so do you.

And now I have to say it: "It's a beautiful day in Chicago!" and in SoCal.

This is one of my favorite spots in the yard and what I can see out my back door from my living room.
Roses are beautiful in the garden but even better when cut and taken inside.

The succulants are beginning to bloom.
This poor little plant had a tough winter but surprised me with the first gardenia of the season!

All the rain we've had lately has made the lavender, green onions and geraniums very happy.

The bold colors and double blooms make ranunculus some of my favorite flowers to plant.

Delphiniums in bloom tell me that Spring is coming soon!

Thank goodness for that.

Iris is my ever present helper in the garden and

an instant poser when she sees the camera.

She is definitely a groovy feline!

We make better music when we all come together

2009-02-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

Life, our county, the world feels so out of balance right now but when we remember we are all connected, that we are greater than the sum of individual selves, we can make beautiful music together. It is never distance that separates us...

We are all beautiful.

We are all lovely.

We are all broken in our own way.

Be kind to each other.

It's all we have.

Domino, Simon and Schuster and me!

2009-02-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

All our efforts in getting the attention of someone connected to Domino magazine has worked! I am humbled and amazed by this comment left on my blog by Nina Schwartz of Simon and Schuster. My friends, we will be having a Domino: The Book of Decorating give away right here on my little blog! Stay tuned for all the details.

Nina, thank you so much for this honor, and it is truly an honor for me to host a give away on your behalf. Thank you also for noticing us and responding.

Dear Petunia,

Here at Simon & Schuster, we're all mourning the loss of Domino magazine, and it’s clear you feel the same pain. Not long ago (October '08), we published Domino: The Book of Decorating, by the editors of the magazine, and we're happy at least that their innovative and gorgeous ideas can live on in this book. We'd love to offer you two copies to give away on your blog to your readers who are no doubt as heavy-hearted as we.

Please let me know if you'd like to participate, and I’ll send you the books! (And I apologize for offering this in a comment -- I couldn't find your contact info on the site!)

Nina Schwartz

Associate Marketing Manager Simon & Schuster

nina.schwartz@simonandschuster.com

Any day with The New Yorker is a good day!

2009-02-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

Pictures of life in NYC...

The endless stream of honking cabs....

News stands that carry everything a girl needs to read!

Walk-up flats...or down depending on if you're moving in or out!

The ferry boats....

All the different neighborhoods full of their own personality and food!

I remember the first time I got off the subway and walked up the stairs to the street level in Chinatown. I was blown away that after five minutes traveling underground I could end up in a different world! In that moment, I realized and felt the wonder and power of this city.

Happy, happy love day!

2009-02-13T23:37:00.000-08:00

May your heart and hands create music for someone special today.

Wild Fires

2009-02-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

Those of us who live in California are no stranger to the devastation of fire. We used to have "fire season" but now that season is all year long. It is an unconscionable event when the devastation of fire is intentionally set into motion. Out of the wreckage of every fire story, however, come the stories of great humanity, of the small and sometimes big things people do for each other in the face of great tragedy. As much as I fear for the people in the path of the fire, I fear for the wild life as well. I can only imagine the confusion they must be experiencing, their fight or flight response triggering them to flee out of sheer instinct. But to where? I always wonder, to where. I'm sure by now you know that Victoria, Australia is on fire and that most of the fires were set. 200 are feared dead, two have been arrested in connection with starting those fires. Watch the video below to see one of the most touching acts of kindness I have ever seen. This is amazing because Koalas are not known for their sweet dispositions, in fact, quite the opposite. Her paws were badly burned and because of the firemen who found her, she'll be listed as a survivor of this great catastrophe.

Bless her heart. In order to live, she had to take a chance and trust the hands that offered her help.

She has been named "Sam" by her rescuers and is being cared for at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter. She has made a new friend there named "Bob", another Koala, who is keeping a close, protective watch over his new little friend. We all need more happy endings.

Beauty Tips

2009-02-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine a world where Audrey Hepburn is not the definition of all that is lovely...

inside and out?

Time Tested Beauty Tips

A poem by by Sam Levenson

(A favourite peom of Audrey Hepburn.)

For attractive lips,speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone...

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed and redeemed ...

Never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,

you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands.

One for helping yourself, the other for helping others".

She said about herself in a 1959 interview, "you can even say that I hated myself at certain periods. I was too fat, or maybe too tall, or maybe just plain too ugly... you can say my definiteness stems from underlying feelings of insecurity and inferiority. I couldn't conquer these feelings by acting indecisive. I found the only way to get the better of them was by adopting a forceful, concentrated drive."

Domino's Gardens, Oscar de la Renta's style

2009-02-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

Domino magazine has given us exquisite photos of a vast range of interiors. I love them all! Domino also dedicated a portion of every magazine to the outside of our homes, as well. Being a lover of gardens and gardening, I always started with that part of the magazine first every month. Below is one of my favorite gardening articles. Again, Domino showed us we can do it on a grand scale or on a smaller scale. They told us every month, "Yes you can!"

Oscar del la Renta's potager garden is magnificent.

Domino September 2008, photos by Richard Felber

This is kitchen gardening at it's finest. This layout requires some space but kick it down a few notches and it can be tucked into a very small space. Take it down a few more notches and plant different elements of the design in pots. Yes, vegetables can do very well in a potted garden. Below is the article as seen in Domino. The illustrations are done by James Noel Smith. Enjoy!

THE POTAGER GARDEN

Inspired by fashion legend Oscar de la Renta's garden, this design can turn even a suburban backyard into a potager (loosely translated as "a garden to make a pot of soup"). Gravel paths divide four rectangular beds, anchored by a central terra-cotta oil jar. Each bed is about 6' wide and 8' long, so you can reach in for weeding or harvesting without having to step much into the tilled soil (vegetables don't like compacted earth).

The Berry Patch

harvest smart Think about how and when you will be picking each crop before you plant. Strawberries ripen daily (and grow low to the ground), so it's important they be reachable from the path.
guilt-free snipping Cutting flowers, like these assorted dahlias, are traditionally grown in rows like vegetables. That way, you don't feel like you are spoiling a garden composition every time you gather some.
decorative herbs A row of flowering herbs like lavender provides fragrant ornamentation and can be harvested late in the season to dry for the house.

Highs And Lows

add some height Towering plants like these 'Russian Giant' sunflowers create a living fence. The rows of flowers will make an attractive see-through screen.
keep things tidy Even small plants like onions should be cultivated in strict, evenly spaced rows. They'll always look better. Use a 6' wooden stick marked every 6" to 12" as a supersize ruler to help space your seedlings.

Herb is the Word

useful herbs Mix up this area with mass plantings of several kinds of herbs. Some annual types such as basil and cilantro will go to seed quickly in hot weather, so include perennials like rosemary, sage and thyme.
themes and variations Formally designed beds can be symmetrical without being mirror images. Contrast the yellow 'Russian Giant' sunflowers at upper left with a row of dark-brown 'Velvet Queen' sunflowers here.

Morning Glories Meet Garlic

all-season structure Nonbotanical elements like obelisks have an appealing formality and give composition to the beds early in the season, when seedlings are small.
not just mixed greens Introduce extra color by planting varieties with unusual-hued leaves like dark 'Red Sails' or frilly 'Lolla Rossa' lettuce.

Click on "I Love Domino Style" on the right to see more links to other bloggers who love Domino magazine.

Thank you, Domino magazine for all you have already given us. Now, please figure out how to keep it coming.

Fridays with The New Yorker

2009-02-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

With the all talk about SAVING DOMINO! I didn't get my weekly Fridays with The New Yorker posted on Friday so I bring to you a few more of my favority covers just a bit late. Enjoy!

Domino, kitchens I'd love to cook in and Polaroid!

2009-02-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, all of those thoughts can go together. See?

I love to cook and will pretty much cook for anyone willing to sit still long enough for me to feed them. I have a tiny little kitchen but I love it. It's packed full of all my favorite cooking gadgets, great herbs that create lovely flavors, favorite dishes and my Wolfgang Puck pots and pans. What I love most is when something is cooking in there and filling the rest of my place with the delicious smell of love. That is really what the smell of wonderful food translate to me. Someone cared enough to take the time to cook. It's such a wonderful simple show of kindness. So...here are some kitchens I sure would love to cook in or live in or read Domino with a cup of coffee in!

This green kitchen looks so calm and serene. I bet nothing burns in there. It's all so zen!
I never think great food can come out of a pink kitchen but I think this little one might prove that theory wrong. I love open kitchen shelves.
I just love a pan rack and this one is fab in red!
What a great and simple way to personalize your kitchen and it can be created so inexpensively! If you're into Polaroid pictures and don't have film for your camera any more, I have some great news! A very rich European has decided to start making the film again! Oh yeah! In the meantime while we are waiting for it to reappear (yes, great things can be brought back), here is some software you can download to make Polaroids out of the pictures you already have. It's all very easy and very fun! Go here and get your Poladroid!
This kitchen reminds me of the 1950's and the magazine ads from that era.
Black and white...it works in every room!
I used to live in a house with an old stove like that. Oh, I do miss it and would have another in a heartbeat.
And what's not to say about a farm sink? Love it!
This kitchen is just...real. Open up a few cabinets for a whole new look.

There should be a rule that every kitchen will have a chandelier!

Where do I start with this one? It's all done exquisitely right. This could be my one room house

The turquoise and the chandelier put this one on the la la lovely list of daydream kitchens!

Most of these images are from Domino magazine. A few I have collected from all over so, if one of these images is yours, I apologize for not acknowledging you. Just leave me a comment and let me know and I will make a change.

Remember to visit savedomino.blogspot.com to sign the Save Domino petition and to register your thoughts and comments about the closing of Domino website. Click on the button on the right to go directly there.

Save Domino has gone blogspot!

2009-02-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hi there:

There is now a blog dedicated to saving Domino magazine: savedomino.blogspot.com. Click on the button on the right and you will be directed there. You can vote, find out how to help or just leave a comment on this new site. It's great to finally have a localized place to do what we need to do. Now, go do it!

Domino's Poll

2009-02-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

I have taken my poll down because we have a central blog we can all access now. You can find it here. So, go there! Now!

Hi there!

Thank you for all your interest in saving Domino magazine. Please feel free to register your thoughts on the poll to the right on my sidebar. If you would like to post the poll on your own blog, please feel free to use this one

If you post a the poll, please remember to send your poll results back here or to Claudia at theparisapartment.wordpress.com

Eveything we can do matters! Thank you in advance!

United we can win

2009-02-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

I have composed this letter to Conde Nast. You can use it or create your own. I am not going to let this go down without a fight. If we, as bloggers unite, they will see there is money in numbers. I have sent this to the New York Times and will send it other news places as well.

You can e-mail Cande Naste at :http://www.condenaststore.com/SupportHome.aspx

I am working on getting a more direct e-mail address for Conde Nast.

Or send your letters to:

Corporate Communications

The Condé Nast Publications

4 Times Square

New York, NY

10036212-286-2860

Lets flood their inbox and post box with our requests!

To Whom It May Conern:
I am heartbroken that you have chosen to stop the publication of Domino magazine. I am one of many of your readers on line and in the subscription world who feel that way. We all know and feel the results of an economy that has taken a drastic downward turn. We understand the position it puts you in with your advertisers. I would like to tell you a different story., one many of your readers will agree is their story, too. It is the story of how Domino made a real difference in the lives of real people not only in the Untied States but across many continents. If you don't believe me, enter Domino's name into any search engine of any blog host and you will see what I am talking about. You will see our tributes to your lovely glossy.

What Domino has done and should continue to do is to tell and show regular people, who make up the majority of our country and the world, how to make their lives beautiful and esthetically pleasing without breaking their bank. It is pages of the attainable. It is pages of escape in a world where escapism is highly in demand. I personally have never known anyone who turned to the pages of your Vogue magazine to figure out what to wear to their next party. We can't afford that dress. We can't afford that lovely watch with all the diamonds you advertise. We read Vogue to see how the other half lives. Today, we don't really care how they live. We don't have that kind of time or daydreaming energy. We are trying to keep it all together. That being said, it doesn't mean we don't have disposable dollars to decorate our lives with. In hard economical times women will always find a way to stretch the budget to afford the latest shade of lipstick, a new pair of shoes and to decorate. We find treasures in alleys. We find treasures at flea markets and garage sales. We find treasures where ever we are. Domino showed us what we could do with them. Domino showed us what to look for when we were out on the hunt. Domino showed us that no matter how much money we had or didn't have we could still live with beauty around us. It is hard for me to believe that a magazine that showed us how to save money would fold at a time we all -really- need to know how to save money and where the best design deals are.

I know you have laid of much of your staff. I know you won't print the magazine again. What you do have is a fabulous website that could become a money making venture for you. You didn't charge enough for your magazine. What you don't understand is that we would have paid more for it. You forgot to ask or didn't believe enough in Domino it to ask us to do that. You have at least 800,000 subscribers. Don't let that source of income go. Make your website a monthly or annual subscription site and we will all show up! Your overhead would be almost nonexistent. You have the IT people in place and if you charge us $4.99 per month you have an annual operating budget of $47,904,000. You could even charge more and we will pay if you continue to deliver the quality we have come to know, love and cherish. Your advertisers would no longer have to off set the cost of publishing.

I am really struggling with what your reasoning could be to keep magazines in circulation that truly do not represent where the majority of us are or will be anytime in the near future. I realize that there is a small majority that can afford what those magazines have to offer but I will venture to guess that the longer we feel the ever tightening strangle hold of an economy out of control, even those who have the ability to attain what those magazines have to offer will not be exercising their buying power and your advertisers will pull back.

Domino is still a viable entity and can continue to provide a revenue stream for Conde Nast. Please don't forget who you created the magazine for. We are telling you we will still pay for what you have to offer if you will continue to give us what we want through your website. Please tell me what you need to see from your online community that will convince you this is a a worthy idea.

Sincerely

Domino's "Sites We Love"

2009-01-31T19:01:00.000-08:00

I have loved seeing all the amazing pictures captured from the pages of Domino on all the blogs that have done tributes to this little love of a glossy. However, for me? Of all the pages at the Domino's website that could be gone shortly, this is the one page I would have missed most. I use the words could and would because I believe we can do something through the blogosphere to stop it. Until I know otherwise, I will remain hopeful. Should I be wrong, I have saved all the lovely links they shared with us.

Sites We Love
Our favorite sources for decorating, entertaining, gardening and more.

Decorating
Paint
Benjamin Moore
C2 Color
Dulux Paints
Farrow & Ball
Fine Paints of Europe
Milk Paint
Pantone
Pratt & Lambert
Ralph Lauren Home
Sherwin-Williams
The Stencil Library
Wallpaper
Adelphi Paper Hangings
Brewster Wallcovering
Cavern
Cole & Son
Cowtan & Tout
de Gournay
F. Schumacher & Co.
Hamilton Weston
Holland & Sherry
Osborne & Little
Quadrille
Robert Kime
Secondhand Rose
Studio Printworks
Timorous Beasties
Trustworth Studios
Walnut Paper
Waverly
Zoffany
Fabric & Trim
Chelsea Textiles
Duralee
The Furniture Joint
Kerry Cassill
Lee Jofa
Les Indiennes
Lewis & Sheron
M & J Trimming
Mod Green Pod
Outdoor Fabrics
Purl Soho
Repro Depot
The Silk Trading Co.
Textile Arts
Furniture
American Leather
Anthony Lawrence
Arango Design
Architonic
Atmosphere
Avery Boardman
B&B Italia
BDDW
Bernhardt
BoConcept
Carlyle
Cassina
Colcha
Cool Sofa
Davidson
Drexel Heritage
Elite Leather
Ethan Allen
George Smith
Grange
Hickory Chair
Highbrow Furniture
Highland Park
Hollyhock
HomePortfolio
House Eclectic
Jayson Home & Garden
Knoll
Laneventure
La-Z-Boy
Ligne Roset
Maine Cottage
Mecox Gardens
Mitchell Gold
Natuzzi
Oly Studio
Orange Skin
Plantation
Plush Pod
Retro Modern
Richard Wrightman
Robert Lighton
Room
Sundance
Thomasville
Two's Company
Urban Cottage
Vanguard Furniture
Vitra
Weego Home
White Furniture
Windsor Smith
247 Workspace
Home Accessories
2b mod
Alabama Chanin
Allegra Hicks
Apartment Zero
Anupama
Art Effect
Auto
Bark
Base
Blackman Cruz
Calypso
Charlotte Moss
Cielo Home
Decorative Things
Dutch by Design
Elsewares
FinnStyle
Fitzsu
Gifted
Hable Construction
Hazelnut New Orleans
Home & Haven
Hunter Douglas
Imports from Marrakesh
Iomoi
Jonathan Adler
John Derian
Kartell
Koo de Kir
Larson-Juhl
Lekker Home
Lunares Home
Maharam
Marimekko Interiors
MoMA Design Store
The Museum of Useful Things
Mxyplyzyk
Nova 68
Objects of Design
Ochre
Overstock
Pearl River
Perch!
Rare Device
Shabby Chic
The Shade Store
Sheherazade
Smith + Noble
Superdeluxe
Tortoise
Umbra
Uncommongoods
Velocity Art and Design
Vivre
William-Wayne
XY Decor
Zinc Details
Zipper Gifts
Rugs
ABC Carpet
Angela Adams
Beauvais Carpets
Dash & Albert
Elson & Company
John Rosselli
Karastan
Kravet
Madeleine Weinrib Atelier
Mansour
Mohawk Flooring
Odegard
The Rug Company
Stark Carpet
Sweep Dreams
Lighting
Charles Edwards
Circa Lighting
Galerie des Lampes
Just Shades
Lum
School House Electric
Vaughan
Y Lighting
Bed & Bath
Area
Charles H. Beckley
Charles P. Rogers
Dwell
Frette
India Rose
Labrezel
Leontine Linens
Nancy Koltes At Home
Room Service Home
Schweitzer Linen
Sue Fisher King
The Bathroom
Kids
ducduc
kid o
NettoCollection
Ooba
Entertaining
Tabletop
Clio
eTabletop
Fishs Eddy
Global Table
Home Click
Iittala
Lillie
Lladró
Marc Blackwell
Porte Rouge
Potluck Studios
Stash Tea
Maxwell-Silver
Moss
Mottahedeh
TableArt
Table Tools
Tabletop
Tart
Tse Tse
Villeroy & Boch
Vivi
Cookware
Broadway Panhandler
Chef's
Chef's Resource
J.B. Prince
Sur La Table
Recipes & Foodstuffs
Chocolate & Zucchini
Adagio Teas
Artisanal Cheese
Bloods Groves
Dartagnan
Daylesford Organic
Dean & DeLuca
Diamond Organics
Ethnic Grocer
Food 411
Ideal Cheese
K & L Wine Merchants
Jin Patisserie
Lobels
Olive and Peach
Sweet Celebrations & Maid of Scandinavia
The Olive Press
The Wine Specialist
Zingerman's
Gardening
Furniture & Accessories
Accents of France
Architectural Pottery
L'Atelier Vert
Charleston Gardens
Detroit Garden Works
Fermob
Fire Features
Gardens
Garden Hardware
Grounded
GRDN
Inner Gardens
Jamali Garden
Janus et Cie
Kiybele Copper & Wood
Marston & Langinger
McGuire
Modern Birdhouses
New York Botanical Garden Shop
Plow & Hearth
POT-TED
Richard Scultz
Robert Plumb
Smith & Hawken
Sprout Home
Terrain at Styer's
The Gardener
The Grace Stone Collection
Touched by Dutch
Treillage
Urban Weeds
Wood Classics
Plants & Supplies
Contrary Mary's Specialty Plants
Brent and Becky's Bulbs
Earth Flora
Gardeners Edge
Gempler's
Jungle Music
Kinsman Company
Monrovia
Old House Gardens
Online Wholesale Flowers
Yucca Do
Renovating
Building
Armstrong
Be Jane
Build
DIY Network
Dream House Source
Environmental Home Center
Hardwood-moldings
Handyman.com
Jamestown Distributors
Old House Web
Pioneer Millworks
Rust-Oleum
Bath & Kitchen
Ann Sacks
Artistic Tile
Bisazza
Designer Plumbing
Faucet.com
Heath Ceramics
Kohler
Restoration Tile
Urban Archaeology
Vintage Tub & Bath
Waterworks
Wave Plumbing
Flooring
Country Floors
Forbo
Hardware & Tools
Baldwin Hardware
Bolt Depot
Home Decor Hardware
Home Depot
Liz's Antique Hardware
Lowe's
P.E. Guerin, Inc
Rejuvenation
Restoration Hardware
Whitechapel Ltd.
Misc.
Art
20 x 200
Art + Commerce
Artaissance
Artnet
Artocracy
Boundless Gallery
Brooklyn Collective
Cereal Art
Danziger Projects
deviantArt
Edward Thorp Gallery
Etsy
Eyestorm
Galerie Renate Bender
Habitually Chic
Hennessey and Ingalls
Hidden Art Shop
HunterGatherer
Jeff Bailey
Keep Calm
Levis Fine Art
M + B
Margot Stein Gallery
Matthew Marks
Mixed Greens
My Name is Andy
New Image Art
Pretty Darn Swell
Sears Peyton Gallery
Strand Book Store
Tiny Showcase
Village
Antiques/Vintage Finds
1stdibs.com
GoAntiques.com
Home Anthology
1950.com
Turquoise
Treasured Things
Blogs & Ideas
An Aesthete's Lament
Apartment Therapy
Bloesem
Brink Shelter
Craftster
Charles and Hudson
decor8
Delight
Delightful Blogs
designboom
Design Calendar
Design Milk
Design*Sponge
Ecofabulous
Habitually Chic
HouseBlogs Network
Inhabitat
Josh Rubin: Cool Hunting
Katy Elliott
Land + Living
Oh Joy!
Poppytalk
Pure Contemporary
The Sartorialist
Shelterrifc
SketchUp
Style Spoon
Treehugger
You Grow Girl
Fashion & Beauty
Aedes De Venustas
Anthousa Collection
Beauty Cafe
Beauty Habit
Benefit Cosmetics
Bigelow
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Fridays with The New Yorker

2009-01-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

A night at the opera.

The New Yorker cover artists do some of the best caricatures.

what to think about andy?

2009-01-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

"I'm the type who'd be happy not going anywhere as long as I was sure I knew exactly what was happening at the places I wasn't going to. I'm the type who'd like to sit home and watch every party that I'm invited to on a monitor in my bedroom. "

Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick, the first "It girl".

"I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say "figment." "

The Factory was located at 19 E32 and 22 E33, between Park and Madison in Midtown, Manhattan, NYC.

"I never think that people die. They just go to department stores."

Some of my favorite framed art in my house is of Andy's shoe sketches.

In the early days in NYC he was able to figure out how much he would make in a week by how many shoes he had sketched.

Andy was in many ways a superficial personality and never afraid to admit that he was obsessed with fame and money.

"I'd asked around 10 or 15 people for suggestions. Finally one lady friend asked the right question, 'Well, what do you love most?' That's how I started painting money. "

"I've decided something: Commercial things really do stink.
As soon as it becomes commercial for a mass market it really stinks."

And yet, he decided to make his name creating "pop" art.

He was the first to mass produce art through silk screening.
"It would be very glamorous to be reincarnated as a great big ring on Liz Taylor's finger."

"I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic. "

So, what to think about Andy Warhol? He threw away many people he used to get to the top.He created art for the masses and called it all stupid. He made us look at the advertising that bombards us in a whole new way. Was he a genus and a bit nuts? Or was he laughing at us all the way to the bank? Whatever the answer is, I love what he created and left behind.

"Before I was shot, I always thought that I was more half-there than all-there - I always suspected that I was watching TV instead of living life. Right when I was being shot and ever since, I knew that I was watching television. "

"If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it. "

Life's For Sharing

2009-01-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

I just love this!

Fridays with The New Yorker

2009-01-23T00:35:00.000-08:00

More of my favorite covers...

Finally

2009-01-20T00:52:00.000-08:00

It seemed as if today would never come.

But it has.

It is here.

We can rejoice.

We have learned.

We have grown.

We will recover.

We will persevere.

We will find the super heroes in ourselves again.