Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad - 58yrs

Home Sweet Home

My perfect rose

“Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense.” ~Mark Overby

Flea Market Memories

Dh & I love to "sale" & "flea" every weekend. This is how I find so many of my garden, house & shop treasures. Today, instead of the usual jaunts through the south shore, we decided to venture into Queens (NY) & visit the flea market at Aqueduct Raceway. Boy, were we in for a surprise! We never realized how big it is, nor how diverse in ethnicity & cultures it was. We did a lot of bargain shopping & we will definately re-visit!











This got me to thinking of how many other flea markets we've frequented over the years - many out of state, stopping as we pass them, but none were like the ones we visited as teenagers and young adults - like the one of a kind Roosevelt Raceway flea market





Sadly the raceway was demolished to make way for "senior housing" & more stores.

Then there was Bethpage Farmers Market - which I went to with the parents, almost every weekend for fruits & vegetables, fish & other assorted goodies. Guy & I used to visit there a lot too - one of our favorite resturants, The Crystal Ship, was located there




Mysteriously, this caught fire & burned to the ground & Lowes now stands there.

Finally our current favorite, The Bellmore flea market. It is held at the train station every week, alternately being sponsored by The Bellmore Kwians Club & The Bellmore Synagogue - one of the best!

Look what visited my neighborhood this morning! Yes - they make that wonderful tapping sound, that's what helped me track him down - I followed his rhythm.



Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts”
~Coleman Cox

A true man of God

I have been a parishioner of St. Barnabas The Apostle Church St. Barnabas RC Church since 1974. I am a Cradle Catholic & religion is a very big part of my life.

I love my Church - it is my place of refuge and haven of peace. I was married there, Christened my son there, sent him to it's Parochial School and he received his First Holy Communion and Confirmation there. I lead Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops affiliated with St. Banabas and currently teach fourth grade Catechism there. It is so intertwined in my life, I really cannot separate it from my being.

It is quite majestic, as seen in this post  and it's beauty is attibuted to one glorious man, Father Peter Dooley (Father Peter as he is affectionatley called). He lead our Church for the last sixteen years. In that time he has brought me back into my religion like never before. My Parish was no longer stuffy or righteous. It allowed me to worship and belong with no qualms or inhibitions. It was like he opened a window and allowed a fresh breeze to blow through it.

He took all of us to his heart, he loved our school and loved his people.

Sadly, he was recently reassigned to another Church, as is the policy of the Diocese (we were lucky he stayed as long as he did - he received several "reprieves" and was able to stay on several times). His time was up and it was a sad day for my Parish. He will be greatly missed.

God Speed Father Peter.

Started a new garden plot

We put a new fence up across the back this Spring - so of course I had to plant a new flower bed there. Found a darling chair & painted it up & made it the focal point of the new bed. The old galvanized can belonged to Guy's mom - took it home from Maine - fits perfect!

New composting ways....

I was using an old ketchup container to hold kitchen scraps, which I would dump into the outdoor composter.

Recently, during one of my Saturday morning scavenger hunts, I ran into a real gem - a beautiful, red enamel tin, with a lid - perfect for my kitchen & for holding scraps! It sits perfectly in the corner & washes well too!

I "harvested" two years worth of compost - I gathered pounds & pounds of rich, beautiful earth. Which I spread around all my flower beds.


Sadly I dismantled the black plastic bin and sent it to the graveyard. Compost in a closed container has to be aerated. It was a hassle to have to "stir" it all the time. So I finally reverted to an old fashioned open, wire bin. It is easy to get to, dump in and never has to be stirred. It sits contentedly under the pines, carfully guarded by a sleeping cow!