Painting a Beautiful Picture for our World A beautiful painting arrests our attention, draws us in, causes us to stop and consider it. Beautiful art of any kind engages, challenges, and moves us. In the same way, the sight of courteous people living together in civil community is a beautiful thing to look upon, and […]
Not long ago I was tossing and turning on a very hard bed in the middle of the night, trying to make myself comfortable on a wafer-thin pillow, struggling to get some sleep before a a big day. Growls and Grumbles were going through my mind: “They call this a Bed & Breakfast? I thought […]
May is National Bicycle Month. And here is our gentle reminder for both bicyclists and motorists alike to practice Bicycle Etiquette. (And isn’t our little Victorian bicyclist a most proper and memorable representation of the concept?!) My husband James has commuted on his bicycle for over 35 years and has had some near misses, so […]
In Jane Austen’s day, there was no email, and no texting, of course. People communicated in a slower, but much more genteel fashion – the letter. I believe that we are missing that gentility in our own day. In the beginnings of our ’email age’, we thought it was exciting – “You’ve got mail!” Oh boy!
WHO ME??? I must keep telling myself: “It is the RISE of the Roamin’ empire!” An empire is not conquered and contained in a day – or a month. Time is necessary! Patience is needed! Constancy, consistency, discipline, and love! The Lone Re-Arranger Has Struck Again! This time she struck as I slept…. the little […]
Victory Gardens After the Fact: Using Used Tea Leaves Tea is good for your health! But you knew that…. Did you realize tea is good for the health of your plants, as well? Our theme for April is Victory Garden, and we want you to have victory in your garden! Did you know that used […]
We speak. We speak always and in many ways. Words are only one of the many methods we use to communicate. Mary Eliza Haweis, who wrote The Art of Beauty in 1878, concluded that “Dress bears the same relation to the body as speech does to the brain; and therefore dress may be called the […]
Let me tell you a true story. It was reported on Good Morning, America. It seems a young woman had been invited to have tea with Queen Elizabeth II in the Buckingham Palace gardens. She was actually sitting with the Queen enjoying her tea and their conversation when her cell phone started ringing. She looked […]
I feel just the slightest bit of cool as I sit in my swing, enjoying the early mornings in my little courtyard. Soon the temperature will drop to our friendly and pleasant New Mexico autumn weather, and we will hear leaves rustling and hot air balloons overhead. We are on the cusp of my favorite […]
Civility is getting a lot of press these days, but sometimes it seems not a lot of practice. I am one of the lucky ones, as I live and work among those who practice it. Life is so much nicer this way! The word ‘civility’ itself comes from the Latin word, ‘civitas’, meaning […]
Last week I asked myself the question, “Why would you want to add to all the pain that is already in the world?” I decided to subtract my critical attitude and desire to lash out at the owners of the B & B who didn’t perform up to my exacting standards. In doing so, I […]
In the oh, so proper world of tea etiquette, there are six (yes, SIX) ways to properly eat your scone. The main thing to remember, however, is that the scone must be halved horizontally. Please don’t hurt my heart by cutting the scone in half with a knife! Scones are tender, delicate little treasures, and […]
I love English signs. The last time I was in England, I started taking photos of typical British signs: “Mind Your Head.” “Park Tidy.” “Way Out” (is this a description or a direction?) Probably the most famous is “Mind the Gap” reminding one to be careful not to step in the small space between the […]