Gardening in New England 2010

I'm taking a break from hauling soil to my gardens and writing down a few happy gardening thoughts I had while working the soil.

The soil behind my back fence is now Black Gold from 7 years of dumping leaves and yard debris back there. I've been digging it by the wheel barrel full and dumping it in a heap to nourish my gardens for another year's performance. It's easy to dig and a pleasure to have. The barrel is heavy when I fill it and if I didn't lift weights, I could never manage it myself. The gym has paid off when it comes to gardening.

All of my flowering trees are blooming and there are pink Peach blossoms and Apple buds along with Weeping Cherry trees, Rhododendrons and Azaleas. There are Tulips in red, yellow, and red and yellow, purple Hyacinths, purple and white Crocus and happy Daffodils with various colored faces everywhere you look. I also planted sprouted seedlings of heavenly scented creamy white Moonflowers, happy Morning Glories in pink, white and blue that greet me every morning over coffee and instantly put a smile on my face. I planted Nasturtium for their intense orange, yellow faces and their dark green leaves, and for it's charming trails of happy little faces.

I hope the wildflower bed does well, as I am always striving to achieve my step mother's wildflower bed which is spectacular year after year. I did some heavy root excavation in that area this year and used my Black Gold soil for the first time so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Everywhere I go in the yard there is something to do. There are feeders to fill, soil to till and wheel barrels to fill! One thing always leads to another. I end up doing things in a roundabout way and sometimes forget what it is I started out doing in the first place!

Thus is the joy of gardening for me. I will always have a garden. I take after my beloved Great Grandmother, my Grandmother and my dear Mother. My Grandmother always said "He Who Makes A Garden Walks Hand in Hand With God".

Bittersweet Boutique Vintage Clothing Store 1989-2001

During the years 1989 thru 2001, I owned and operated a fabulous Vintage Clothing, Textile and Accessory storefront. Bittersweet Boutique was a huge store with the best of the best Vintage attire. When I search for Vintage Clothing stores today, both in cyperspace and real life, I truly cannot find anything that comes close to my old store. My inventory was outstanding since I was a rare source for people wanting to sell and consign their vintage heirlooms. I eventually maintained a website Bittersweet Boutque .com while running the storefront as well. What a ball I had! My palms would sweat when someone would come into the store and offer up a fine beaded 1920's flapper dress or an elegant 1940's gown with padded shoulders, nipped in waist, detailed tailoring and side zips. People brought me Bakelite jewelry, 1950's Lucite purses, Vendome suites, chubby fur coats, stoles and jackets, thousands of hats and cloches and so much more! I made many friends and contacts and learned the historical fashion significance of many time periods. These were wonderful memorable years for me that I shall always be grateful for and never, ever forget.

Vintage Everything

Do I love vintage? Yes I do! Just to give you an idea of how long I've been collecting, I have been collecting for so many years that the things I wasn't even collecting, are now vintage! Maybe it's the thrill of the hunt, or the luck of the find. But really, I have a stong passion for anything with nostalgia, history and style from our past. There is something about a plastic bakelite bracelet from the 1930's that makes my heart start to beat faster, or a pair of 1920's silk shoes, or maybe a photograph from an old 1940's magazine advertisement. I can't explain the feeling I get when I stumble upon a platinum ring with an old miner's cut diamond from the early 1900's, or a lucite purse from the 1950's. There is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING quite as nice to wear and just look at, as a 1930's silk nightgown, cut on the bias and trimmed ever so lightly! My favorite time period is the 1940's. I love the clothing, the nipped in at the waist jackets with exquisite trim and detail in fabulous gaberdine wool. I love the hats and the purses and gloves and especially the shoes! Let's talk jewelry. The jewelry from the 1940's was so fabulous! The huge fake rhinestone cluster brooches and the whimsical bakelite jewelry took everyone's mind off the war, if not just for a moment. This time period was all about rationing and conserving, so consequently, zoot suits were banned because they used too much fabric and expensive diamonds and gemstone jewelry were considered disrespectful and flambouyant for a country at war - that's why the wonderfully colorful bakelite and rhinestones made a huge impact. I have done everything from owning a 2000 sqft storefront filled with nothing but vintage where I traded and sold and met wonderful passionate people like myself, to opening one of the first vintage clothing stores on line, in the early 90's, to my current state of just being happy with looking at my "stuff" strategically laid out in my own home and trying to remember where I got it. By the way, please visit http://www.AmericanMadeJewelry.Etsy.com for some of my vintage offerings. Until then, Happy Hunting!!!!