scrabble

Folks, we just love playing scrabble. I got a BINGO here and yet still lost the game to the "scrabble king Tomasi". As I type this, it's that hot, muggy time of year...so what we need is a little bit of "cooling time".....

Nauvoo Orchestra in May 2011

Folks, there are very few places for an orchestra to play and here is where the budding Nauvoo Orchestra performed in the Catholic Church here in Nauvoo. Their performance was really good. Below here are the folks that did some singing and it was truely wonderful. I am grateful for folks that want to make music a part of their everyday lives and put on such a performance.

our lives on the Mississippi

Gail and Dean Dalglish are dear friends of ours that we knew in Hawaii many years ago. yep, I know, not a clear picture with my cell phone, but we had such a short time with them that I just took it with my phone. they live in Canada and drove a bunch of young folks to come to Nauvoo. They had one hour with us. I'm grateful for the many friends we have had through the years. and in the "sunset" of our lives.....again with my cell phone. I have a camera, but it takes so long to load up that the sunset would have vanished by the time I "ran" up to the house to get it and then get it ready...oh well. cell phone again. I love my sweetheart when he smiles.
On my walks in old Nauvoo....there are soooooooo many lovely flowers.....here's some peonies.
and I looked up in one tree by the boot maker's house....wow, these blooms were all over this tree!
I still do not have my shop up yet ....and had to finish these two bowed psalteries. I'm going to be doing some painting on them now....here's a sorta sample. I've finished these.

sunset on the Mississippi

Here is just one of the MANY MANY Sunsets on the Mississippi.

Illinois Stories | Nauvoo Cabins

Okay folks, here is the story that was on PUBLIC T.V. station. It may take a while to load. It was fun making. It is a very wide angle lens and oh well, here I look bigger then I am...so that when folks see me, they may say, "hey, Irene, you've lost weight?" ha. I should do that for sure anyway.

healing of water's ceremony 18 May 2010

Here shows the Grandmother's and a few guys that are here for the "healing of the Waters" ceremony..........this took place all over the world.......this is the widest place on the Mississippi...and across from my house also. This is walking distance from our house. Can you find Sue?
This is a famous drum maker. made over 6,000 drums, taught classes all over the world. His name is Rising Sun

Here is Rising Sun and Tomasi vising in our house. He was a Marine Helicopter pilot.
and here the three of us...this was a beautiful day............

Welcome in today. 16 May 2010

someone remarked, "hey, where's that log bed you've talked about? sooooooooo here's my addition for today, the 18th of May. a wonderful comfy bed.
and the place for my coo coo clock, but I need to find someone to make it work again. A darling grandchild jerked the chain after the birdie came out and did her coo cooing and this little dolly said, "come out and sing again"...jam up. but it is perfect for this wall....
Our computer desks. Vicki planned this one. I love it. and yeah, too much of messy papers here, but hey, it's behind a wall...ha...around in back of the instruments. way cool plan.
the other part of the desk, Tomasi's side. he has an open window to the living room.
my gurgling fish and glass turtle....
I just found this corner cupboard and some of my Aunt's treasures on it....yep, using these too.
OKAY, now I'll welcome you into my house.....this evening. this is the cool door that I got on ebay the beginning of last summer. THIS WAS SAPOSED TO BE THE FIRST ONE ON THIS ENTRY....I'll get with Jamie Steen and get it right.....check back in a few days. ha.
these are out of order and if I spent a pile of time..........I'd put them in order. This is my lovely bathtube. Out this window in the morning.........I see a secluded little dirt area with rocks on it and many times a little cardinal family come and visit. I love taking a bath here. In the night I often use my fun candles. you can see on the window sill some antique bottles. One is a KICKAPOO Cough syrup round bottle. I had no IDEA that there was a real tribe of Natives that are named KICKAPOO. I found that bottle the first time I walked on the land that we bought in Hawaii so many years ago.....I was walking down to the stream.
well, here's the lovely sink. love this sink. found it for $50.00 leaning against some old building that WAS an antique shop in Nabraska on our way home from Utah 2 summers ago. (I know they run about $1,000 on ebay as I was looking for one like this) no one was there, so Tomasi and I found out who owned it and this old hippy guy comes out in another place and said it was $50.00. SOLD...gave him cash and we put it in our van. one heavy sink. but deep and what I like. yep. beautiful view out this window. I'm going to make a curtain for the front, old fashioned like.
and this gorgious stove. nope, STILL not hooked up yet, so using my round electric fry pan, and two rice cookers and a bread maker. It takes a long time for Tony to get to getting stuffs done.
here is an extension of my pantry. yep, I got one of those shelf reliance things too....gonna put more curtains.....gotta unpack my materials.
and a lovely sunset for you to look at..........
a better picture of my little throw away cupboard that I'v filled with my Aunt Vernie's dishes. this is what we're eating on now and nope, don't use the dishwasher....just me and my lovely sink. ha. I'm grateful that Tomasi appreciates eating on nice dishes too.
and my table cleared off and the view is fantabulous. always changing. and some of the birds are real characters. I want to get a spy glass. Tomasi and I often get out our binoculars....
When you open the front door, this is what you see right off. yep, a new real tree and she'll GROW up to the roof....I love real plants.
this room I've not been able to work in much as it's been the "catch all" room. what overflows from the kitchen etc. but it will be my sewing room and I'll get it organized and send more pictues when I accomplish that big feat. whew.
here is this WONDERFUL TABLE that Dave made fro me from these antique logs. He took these to the lumber mill and had one side cut smooth, and then the other side, the same. the BOLTED these together, hid the bold with a plug of wood and smoothed it over. The trunk of the tree that is under this table was saved from being put in the fire. I love this table. I serve food on it and we do mostly buffet style when we have parties....so this is perrrrrrrrrfect.
Okay, this is my bedroom dresser...and my little rocker. My favorite sister in law, Barbie Holmes painted the picture above for my mother.....I love her art work. (she's my only sister in law and my brother is a very lucky man to have been married to her for 45 years)
still in my bedroom. cherry wood floors....I love this mirror set up as a great place to put on my eyeball make up in the morning with morning light. ahhhhhhhhh, the view out these windows. and the sounds at night....God's Orchestra.
This lovely clock was ment for this space. I found it at a parking lot garage sale for $15.00...oh what a find. keeps perfect time. (I wish I did!) ha.
This is showing the upstairs log railing that Dave did. Tomasi is going to varnish them this week or next.
and the QUEEN SIZE BED waiting for my guests....when the grand children come, they will have to bring their sleeping bags.
this shows the stairs going up to the loft. and where I put the big glass ball. and the little love seat.
this lovely love seat I got at some used furniture store in Fort Madison. it has very good wood pin and tenion and I can recover it when I want to.

This is the sun going down and shinning on the instruments soooooooooo lovely like. Tomasi sits on the little log stook and plays his auto harp and guitar....I play my dulcimer with him when folks come............we love playing music together.
and so you'll all have to come and visit us someday. more updates will come as I do more stuffs. oh, the wood madallion I wrote about when I did it, but it's 71 pieces...and one point goes "true north". Dave had a compass and so he helped me do that.....It's Ease, West, North and South going in windy directions............but still getting there.