Don't Read This ~ You've Been Warned!

A while ago, I told you about what a hairy hound Ramses is. Well, the last few days have been very warm in Seattle and ~ how can I put this delicately? Ramses has started to blow his coat. If you recall my blogpost of May 16, I discussed His Supreme Hairiness in (I'm sorry) excruciating detail.

Today makes that post read like Ramses is a Mexican Hairless! Especially because I'm having friends for dinner and he's a complete shedding fool. Professional, even!

So, here's what is happening. This evening, my exchange student from China who stayed here last summer while she interned at Microsoft is coming to dinner with her mother. Eme graduated from university a little while ago and her mother came to see the ceremony. Eme is starting work at Microsoft, has rented her apartment and is ready to go. She wanted us to meet her mother before she goes back to China the first of the week.

My neighbor Chuck is particularly fond of her. His hectic travel schedule sometimes makes coordination of festivities difficult. But, good news! He and his girlfriend are available tonight to see Eme and her mother.

So, I've been doing all the things people do who are having others over for dinner ~ blow off the driveway, the courtyard and back decks, mow the weensy patch of lawn, make the shopping list for dinner and hors d'oeuvres and vacuum.

Good thing my napkins are ironed (God, that Heidi! She's such a little overachiever! :-), but . . .

Whoa! What the hell is Ramses' coat doing? As fast as I vacuum it up, the more the hair literally blows off his body. Oh, jeez! He's blowing his coat. I know, I'll give him a quick brush/comb. Oh dear God! It's time to go nuclear. A major attack is required. So, for the last hour, I've been brushing/combing Ramses. The horrifying thing is I have this mondo pile of feather-soft apricot undercoat (see above) and he could really benefit from another hour of combing. But, if I spend another hour combing him, I won't be ready for dinner at 6:00.

So, I'm going to call it good (that's an optimistic view ~ read fairy tale) and get back to work.

Mmmm, I wonder if there's a cottage industry in constructing hairnets for dogs?

"Oh, I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow. I'll think about later . . .  when I'm at Tara" . . . right now, it's shopping, preparation for dinner and another quick vacuum.

I'll report in later . . .

Day 51 Everyday Grateful ~

Such a gorgeous sunny day. Warm, still, bright. 

Friends over for dinner.

Logan is in rehearals for Rent!

Happy!

http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Margaret-Mitchell/dp/0446365386

http://thefairhero.blogspot.com/2012/05/wow-what-great-dog-does-he-shed-much.html

Gentle Reminder: Life is Short ~ Use the Good China!

Yesterday, I had a meeting with a friend. We chatted about this and that. She mentioned she had sold her family silver "because I never use it and it was just collecting dust."

I've really been pondering that. Not so much the selling the silver but the "saving things for good" aspect of the conversation. I can think of lots of reasons in this economy to sell things of value to eke out another day, another week or another month. That's not what I'm talking about here.

I was thinking about "saving things for good" while I was ironing napkins this weekend (I know, I know, crazy woman). I love cloth napkins. I never buy paper napkins. While they aren't terribly expensive, they seem like a profound waste of resources. Cloth napkins seem like a small luxury and are used for years over and over again. 

When I was getting things out to make interesting tableaux for "French Toast," I was reminded again of the importance of treating ourselves, treating our families and treating our friends. I mean, really, no one is getting out of here alive. What better place to spend your resources, fortune and attention on than those you love?

Today, especially, I was thinking of my friend Sally who is so worried about her daughter. She absolutely spends her resources, fortune and attention on her beloved daughter. There's a good lesson there.

I was thinking that treating those you love like they are special actually becomes a habit.

I love it when the boys come home and we work together to get a meal ready. When it's time to set the table, they go automatically to the buffet and the stack of ironed napkins. They know the ironed napkins are there for them to use ~ we're not saving them for some nebulous time and guest in the future.

Occasionally, as we're pulling out the freshly ironed napkins, someone will demur. Then we have to go into the whole damn pageant of "don't make me move my neck! Use the blasted napkin. We're not putting on the dog. We use these every day. (ehem) So . . . enjoy!"

Probably not such a good idea that people feel they have to take a napkin 'cuz they're sure their life is in danger. We may have to reevaluate our response. In the interim ~

A gentle reminder ~

Life is short ~ use the good china!

Staying in Florence? The Most Beautiful Bathroom in the World!

A while ago, my sons and I stayed in Florence at the most wonderful boutique hotel E*V*E*R! It wasn't that it was so chi-chi or uber-designed or architecturally astonishing. It was just so fully realized and immaculately presented.

I love living in a world knowing that lovely hotel is in it.

I remember in a previous post, I waxed poetic about my pink dogwood overhanging my back terrace saying something like I have complete confidence that the path into heaven is lined with pink dogwood eternally in bloom (or, something like that.) Well, if God or any of his heavenly hosts were staying in Florence, they would certainly stay at The Lungarno.

First of all, it's across the bridge from Palazzo Spini Feroni ~ the Palazzo Ferragamo and shop. Nice neighborhood! I mean, really now, how horrible can that possibly be? Right! Not at all.

We had taken the train down from Milan and arrived in the mid to late afternoon. Well, the Bear (my adored oldest son) is all about Prosecco when we visit. So, we hung out in the lobby toasted each other and laughed up a storm.

The lobby is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! The seating is extremely comfortable and everything is upholstered in cream/white linen with navy blue fringe piped around the cushions and a generous deep navy border around the bottom of each piece. Quiet, summery, inviting.

For me , the art is the showstopper. All original, pen and inks, charcoals, black and white water colours. All interesting and wonderfully presented. It also feels personal. Like the person who curated had an intelligent eye. Each piece felt selected on its merits. Handsome.

When we went up to our rooms, the wonder continued. My bedroom was not large but so immaculately appointed it left me breathless.

But, the bathroom! Oh, dear God, it was so exquisite. First of all, it was small. I mean weensy. Not that one would swing a cat, but, well, there wasn't room for that. As I've mentioned in my other posts, my bathroom is weensy, too ~ 5' 0" x 8' 0". Shower, toilet, vanity. My bathroom at the Lungarno also included a bidet so it was slightly larger than mine at home. And, that is where all comparisons end.

Marble! Marble wainscot. Marble floor. Marble moulding around the door frames. Marble base. Marble shower. Marble vanity. Beautiful. Heavenly. Marble.

Not certain of the kind but reminds me of crema marfil. It's deeply creamy. If you ever think of marble as edible. This is the one!

The towels thick and white. The linen towels crisp and white. The spa robe? You get the drift . . . yah, thick and white. The fixtures and fitting? Matte nickel ~ either by age or by design.

 



The bedroom walls were a true butter cream. The mouldings, wainscot and millwork were white. Did it have the best view in Florence? No, but I loved looking out at the old ivy covered walls. It was very much like a secret garden. Romantic and atmospheric as hell!

So, if you are planning a trip to Italy and Florence is on your itinerary, think about staying at The Lungarno. Is it expensive? Yes. But, if you stay in pensiones and small out of the way places on your trip, this is the place to splurge!

Day 38 Everyday Grateful ~

Coffee with my next door neighbor, Chuck

Started out bright blue skies. Now a little cloudy

Group of us having dinner this evening.

A perfect Seattle day. Lovely.

http://www.lungarnocollection.com/en/the-collection/florence/hotel-lungarno/5-stars-hotel-in-florence

What The Hell is Weft and Warp?

Weft and warp are weaving terms. From simple one-over/one-under homespun to intricate brocades, jacquards and matelassé, all woven patterns in fabric are generated by making the weft and warp do what you want.

So, what is weft and warp and how can I be sure which is which?

I think in pictures. Unless I have a mental picture of something, it's sometimes hard for me to grasp a concept. When I was in college and we were studying fabric. I just couldn't get weft and warp straight. Because I didn't weave, I just didn't have confidence as to which was really which.

Enter Star Trek. When James Tiberius Kirk said, "Take us up to Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu." brings his arm up, straightens his elbow, points at the flight deck window and the stars go whizzing by, I finally got it. Warp is the "go foward." It's the length. The warp is the fiber put on the loom first. It's the reason manufacturers can weave 300+ yards at a time. When a bolt of fabric is unrolled across the counter in the fabric shop, you are seeing the warp in action. That leaves the weft. It goes side-to-side and makes the pattern.

Ramses' scarf is a one-over/one-under homespun. The warp is linen. The weft (side-to-side) is all Ramses. See? 

Wow! What a Great Dog! Does He Shed Much?

You know how when you're listening to the radio and the announcer says, "this next story contains subject matter which may be distressing to some listeners?"

Well, this blog post may be distressing to some readers who have a low tolerance for eeeeuuuuwww things. If you do, stop reading now and tune in tomorrow.

More about Ramses:

As you know, he's a massive dog. Not in the 200# variety, but in the 140# variety. Ramses is a Leonberger. It's an old German breed from Leonberg, Germany. It was bred to be the town mascot ~ the Lion Dog. Lion City, Lion Dog. Get it?

Bred in the middle of the 19th Century, Ramses' forebears were Newfoundland, Great Pyrenees, and St. Bernard dogs. Noble, hairy dogs all. They actually only have one flaw. They drool. Not just drool, mind you. They are professional droolers.

Their drool can be found on lampshades, on the ceiling cornice moulding, on the ceiling fan as it spins over the dining room table, across the Dutch master oil painting you found for $5.00 at Goodwill, on the seat of your pants, down the inside of your thigh, running down the windows in your car.

While I consider myself an evolved person, I'm sooooo not into drool.

Leonbergers don't drool. Ramses is the perfect dog. Well, there is one thing. He sheds. Leonbergers "blow their coats" a couple of times a year. This is where you have to really love euphemisms. When I say blow their coat, I mean sacks full of hair, vacuum canisters emptied three times full of hair; I mean, when they got up from the floor, they leave a dog body print of clumps of hair on the floor, the carpet. The carpet in my bedroom looks like a terrifying pilly sweater.

They are professional shedders.

And, their hair is like cashmere. Ramses' undercoat is this wonderful apricot colour. Every time I'd throw out a giant bag of hair, I'd think, "this is so wonderful, it's a shame to pitch it out."

Well, over the years, I'd watch my good friend Grita turn fibers of all kinds into glorious needlecraft. I asked her if she spun. Yes, in fact, she did. I told her about Ramses' hair. And, she allowed as how she'd like to give spinning it a try. She pronounced it lovely.

I now have an outlet for all the hair produced by my big hairy hound. Of course, it is beginning to feel a little like taking straw to the miller's daughter to spin into gold, but, so far, she doesn't cringe when I bring her a couple of sacks.


Over the years, I've given her enough of Ramses' hair to spin the wool for a Russian army officer's great coat with matching trousers and vest. Bales!

A while ago, she presented me with a scarf woven from Ramses' hair. Wow! It's fantastic. The warp is linen ~ sort of a deeper than cinnamon, lighter than oxblood red. The weft is all Ramalator! It's gorgeous.

There's only one problem . . .

When people comment on how pretty my scarf is and ask what it is made of, I always wonder what the right answer is. "Dog" feels like a bit of a conversation stopper. I'm working on it.

Day 32 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny, bright, still. Happy.

A Family History in Linen

Way before I had my first son, a friend of mine was traveling in London. Walking the stalls on Portobello Road, she found this darling vintage christening gown and brought it home to me. I decided to make this creamy linen gown a family tradition. I put our family name in the center with the name of one of my sons on either side.

The grand plan was to have their children flow from their father's name. Both my sons were christened wearing this lovely piece of history. When my oldest son and my daughter-in-law had their first child, the wonderful gown was pulled into action. And, the name of my first grandchild was embroidered beside his father's. Since then, two girls have arrived in our family.

The grands are coming from Milan to visit this summer. Between now and then, I will be embroidering the youngest girl and her date of birth along the hem line beside her father, her brother and her sister.

I love tender personal sentiments like this. They make me profoundly happy.

If you are going to London, I recommend two markets. More about my other favourite tomorrow.

http://www.portobelloroad.co.uk/

Day 17 Everyday Grateful ~ Sunny!

We're planting the pots on the back deck.

And, it may be warm enough to eat outside!

Yee haw!