My Daughter, the Pioneer Woman,or a New Respect For City Dwellers

Day 2 in Boston.... The skies are gray,rain is pouring and winds are blowing. Baby is sick. Daughter must go to Cvs for prescription.Being the protective mother,I offered to go along ...to HELP.Ready set go! My daughter bundles baby,bundles herself and slips baby into a cocoon  like plastic covering over the stroller and patiently waits while I'm still bundling up and taking my arthritis pills.
Blastt Off !!down the elevator into the cold blustering rainy atmosphere. Daughter with stroller in tow half  a block ahead of me as I hobble along really making my best effort  to maintain some semblance of decorum and keep up.
Finally making it to the train, I am trembling in complete horror,envisioning the stoller being swallowed up in the CHASM between the platform and the train. As my eyes are closed in horror ,daughter whips that buggy across the chasm with such expertise that I have to admit myself that she is just amazing.
In trying to make at least one heroic motion, I decided to pay for the fare. In my authoritative mother voice ,I asked the porter person(she was a woman) ,how much is the fare. In a somewhat snide remark she answered "It would help to know to where.
We barely dragged ourselves on to the train and it was time to drag ouselves off. Out we go again into the cold ,blustery,wet, hostile weather...only to arrive at the pahrmacy to learn that the prescription needs to be approved before it can be filled.(shades of Obama Care???)
With a rerun of our earlier experience we finally made it home. My daughter asked me what would I like to do now(being the perfect hostess and making an effort to entertain).My answer.. nothing I just want to sit down and blow my nose!

Blogging from Bean Town , strolling through the neighborhood

pretty nice neighborhood

beautiful and restful

a scenic rusty old bridge now used for a foot bridge. Good job in preserving history Boston. So many of these old bridges reside in my memory

Fan Harbor founded in 1900

some of the neighbors

this restaurant knows how to attract my kind

more entrapment

Stopped by at this touristy place to take some clam chowder home for the folks...turned out to be nothing to bark about.

This Victorian is taking a break to visit my oldest daughter and her family in Boston. We're staying in her cool loft near the Charles River. Too exhausted from yesterday's trip to do any extensive touring I decided to take a stroll nearby.What a pleasant diversion.

Garnered for My Garden

Wandering Through Wonderland

I got an invitation to the Mad Hatter's Teaparty, now what could be more Victorian than that!

Hope I'm on the right road.

This is a good indication I'm headed in the right direction.

Oh yes,there's the Chesire Cat's grin, I mist be going the right way

I'll just keep going.

Almost there, mmm the Queen of Hearts must be invited.

Yep,I'm in the right place. Theres the Chehire Cat and he found his grin.

and there's the Queen of Hearts!

and she brought her secret service with her

another secret service person, nobody better mess with the Queen!!!

The mad Hatter is sure dapper today

He has certainly set his table with the finest of china. I wonder if he got his idea for a table setting from Martha Stewart.

I'm certain he consulted Martha Stewart for this one.

Watch out ma'am ,that guy is madd

Martha Stewart would be proud.

Oh, the Queen's white rose garden is lovely

mmmm these roses need color

Now they don't look so anemic.

Let's get this job done before the tea party!.

Always prefer red  roses.

The more help the merrier!.

Watch out munchkins,here she comes!

We'll just stay over here,out of trouble.

I belive Alice was the guest of honor.

The Queen sure sets a good table, lot's of yummies

The hare is trying to get away, he has a very important date.

The hare found his important date

Oh you munchkins are in t-r-r-ouble. You not only  painted the queen's roses,you painted her flamingos. Off with their heads!

How did the mad hatter know that cupcakes are an in thing right now.

Well it was a great journey,but the chesire cat disappeared again. There must be a short in his system ,because he left a whole bunch of smiles, instead of one.(actually,it is the outcome of the munchkins game,Pin The Smile On The Cheshire Cat)

Spice Up My Kitchen or Made For Each Other

For many years I have admired the lovely canisters Victorians used to keep spices, tea ,coffee, sugar, salt  etc. on their kitchen cabinets, making these frequently used ingredients readily accessible and also providing a delightful treat to the eye. They come in a numerous number  of canisters,along with salt and pepper shakers all lined up in order and decorated in various Victorian themes, usually floral. Their base color was generally of  an opalescent  glow. These, as are many of the Victorian items that I enjoy so much, seemed a bit cost prohibitive for me, usually well over $100.

While visiting folks at home I found 2 examples for a bargain and decided I could have at least these to enjoy. Later at the Salvation Army I eyed blue and white canisters of a similar genre ...well they really weren't similar to my first two canisters at all, but I  concluded that probably I could display them in a different area of my kitchen. At $30 I still  was reluctant to purchase them so I played the waiting game and prayed no one else would fancy them. Patience is a virtue and this time it paid off. The canisters eventually were greatly reduced and I carried them home for a song. Granted,they had a few chips and a crack or two,but I could envision  them contributing to my kitchen's Victorian ambiance.(besides at the rock bottom prices I usually pay, I never let scratches and cracks deter me.)
To my delight when I placed the two designs of canisters together, they really complimented each other! Hurray for serendipity!

note the lovely opalescent background,these canister sets are usually several in number

I saw one of these for over $100 in Old Town Orange

Luscious Luminaries of Victoriana

purchased from Salvation Army for $59 for 2 of these, appraised for $800

brass hand held candle holder, handle behind reflector

close up of lamp below

7.99 Goodwill

women made these beaded covers to hide the plain bulbs of early fixtures

holder not old but found great use for my depression Ruby glass goblets

actually a real candle chandelier,gold leafed,$45 similar on line $700

ornate floor lamp base

decorated this with 4 leaf clovers found in old book

hand painted

milk glass kerosene lamp

Kerosene lamp

luster used near fireplace to reflect fire light

not old ..purchase for $75 in thrift store

40's lamp but fits in o.k. with victorian decor

very old beautiful shade added to a 30's swing arm floor lamp

Sources of light has always been a dilemma of mankind. Present during the Victorian era were nearly all forms of illumination known to man. Let us not forget the primary sources of light granted us by our creator,the sun by day and the moon by night. Windows admitted the sun as a source of light , filling the home with not only the sun's rays but also it's warmth, a much needed commodity in those drafty old homes. The windows,however were usually very small for the reason that without the proper modern ability to seal them,they were very drafty and cold. Victorians came up with a great invention , the bay window. Not only was it very beautiful but it was large,allowing in warmth and plenty of light and more or less containing it's draftiness in a small area because of it's construction.

Fireplaces were also a great form of illumination. We are all familiar with stories of our predecessors reading by the firelight.Many a fine seam was sown by the fireplace along with infinite items of intricate needlework.Victorians enhanced the firelight by placing shiny items on or near the mantel. I discussed earlier the beautiful fireplace lusters that were ensconced in the wealthier homes.
The romantic illumination of candles must not be overlooked. We still associate them with romance and pleasure,though thankfully we don't need them for light.Candle holders from the simplest to the elaborate sconces hung from ceilings of the wealthiest abounded.

base to floor lamp on right

Then there were kerosene lamps. We all view them as the romantic relic of the past. Though they were sometimes very beautiful to behold they were not all that easy to maintain. Chimneys had to be constantly cleaned because of the smoke built up on them let alone keeping them filled with kerosene and keeping the wicks trimmed.
Another source of illumination existed for a brief time and that was the gasolier. Gas was piped into the home to a light fixture which was then lighted the same way we light our gas stoves. They were frightening sometimes because at the initial touch of a match, the flame would gush into the room, until adequately adjusted. Many of the homes in my hometown still had these lights in place though they of course were not in use.

marriage of different lamps but I love it's base

very delicate and lovely blue and white porcelain kerosene lamp

victorian floor lamp

ornamentation on floor lamp

another $45 purchase

This was a standard builder grade fixture that I gussied up a bit

Paid too much for 2 of these, was told that they came from Eva Gabor's house. no proof. it didn't matter I loved them before I knew the details

Victorian candle wall sconce

trouble with camera,however hand held brass kerosene lamp ..handle behind reflector

Nothing was a greater blessing than the invention of electric lighting. This opened up a whole new era of decorating possibilities which we are all familiar with today.Initially it wasn't very attractive with makeshift wiring draped across the ceiling etc. Our old family farm was one of the first homes to have electrical wiring in the area. I remember one of those old Victorian chandeliers in the dining room that you could pull up and down, with some sort of pulley contraption according to the amount of light you needed. I think that must have been the first mood lighting in existence.