Can You Spot the Tourists?

The Farmer and I are leaving on vacation tomorrow morning. We've chosen an undisclosed location so that we're not bothered by the paparazzi. Honestly, can you imagine not being able to go anywhere without the scrutiny of others? Fame has it's costs and that's certainly a big one.



I bought this postcard because I thought it was so funny. Of course, you won't catch me in anything this short and I don't smoke! Neither does the Farmer. But just pretend this is the two of us, cameras in hand, looking to see the sights.

I'll catch up with you when we return. Have a wonderful week everyone.

In Praise of Vintage Linens

It's still hot here in northern Illinois. Very hot and it's the high humidity that's making it so dangerous and unbearable. The grass has gone dormant. Forget about watering grass. It's impossible with two acres. The weeds are thriving though.

No matter what the heat I cannot sleep without something over me. Even the thin cotton matlasse coverlet is too much but I must have something to sleep under. This is where vintage linens come in.

Here's my collection:



There's a thrift store in the area that is a great source for vintage linens. I use these in many projects, including my aprons. Linens are the best fabric bargain - new or vintage.

I've been working with fabrics my entire adult life and these linens have a cool and crisp feel that the newer fabric just don't have. The flat sheet I've been sleeping under seems very, very thin to the touch but it's incredibly sturdy and tightly woven. There's something about it that just feels different. Like I said it feels smooth and cool. I'm crazy for it.

How about you? Do you own any vintage linens? Can you tell the difference?

H - O - T

Becky, the Berkshire hog.

This is how we're feeling here in the upper midwest. Just overcome by the heat and lying low. The heat index is incredible and we're using all kinds of tricks to keep the Other Mother out of the yard. She insists on doing her gardening .... whatever. But this weather is downright dangerous.

I feel like I've fallen off the blogging wagon lately. We've been busy with YET ANOTHER party for the Other Mother's 90th birthday. Basically, I'm down with it. Enough already.

For now I'm going to pull down all the blinds, turn on the ceiling fans and try my best to keep cool. You do the same!

Gotta Love a Potluck

Don't you just love a potluck dinner?

I can remember loving these events as far back as my memory will take me. My Grandma Blanche helped organize potlucks at the local Grange Hall in northern Wisconsin.



As I've mentioned before she was a little firecracker, barely 4 feet 10 inches tall. That's her leaning over in the hot pink and white dress. Look at the lady behind her in the half apron. Gotta love aprons as much as you do potlucks.

The beauty is that everyone brings their best dish, lovingly made from their best (and sometimes guarded) recipes. After awhile you begin to look forward to these dishes and if the person brings something different, chaos ensues!

Here's just part of the spread at my neighbors recent pig roast.



This was the snack station and pretty soon this table was groaning under the weight of good things. Layered taco dip, chips and dip, deviled eggs, cowboy caviar and tortilla chips were just some of the goodies.

The dining room table was loaded down with desserts and the big island in the kitchen was covered with the pork, beans and other goodies.

It was an eating and visiting fest. I love when people come together over good food and I'm so thankful for neighbors who host these parties.

But...... can you believe in the county where my sister lives potluck dinners are ILLEGAL! The County Health Department has made it illegal to have a potluck dinner with homemade food. This applies to events that are advertised to the public. A church could have a poluck if the information was kept inside the church walls and not publicized in the newspaper or any other way.

Call me crazy.... but that's CRAZY, and probably un-American. There's nothing more iconic in the midwest than a potluck dinner. I'm pretty old and I've never heard of anyone even getting ill from potluck food. The really bizarre thing about this is that my son and daughter got extremely ill after a potluck dinner but it was from the store bought milk that contained salmonella. This was a big, big story in the Chicago area and thousands of people were ill and some hospitalized. Remember, NOT from the potluck food but the store bought milk.

Call me foolish but I'll take my chances and eat that delicious potluck food.

Is there a special dish that everyone expects you to bring to these events? Are there areas that don't have potlucks. How about Europe ..... do my overseas readers enjoy potluck dinners or is this a north American thing?

Crazy Little Mysteries

One day I noticed a bicycle leaning against a sign on the side of the road not far from my house. It wasn't a terribly unusual sight because there's a small roadside restaurant to the left on the other side of the road. If I thought about it a little harder I would have realized that if the owner was stopping in for a hot dog they'd chain their bike up outside the restaurant and not across the road.



Every time I drove across this intersection I looked for the bike.

Yep, still there. One week. Two weeks. Three weeks. Four weeks. I lost count, it's perhaps five or six weeks now. The bike is still there. I'm sure in an urban area it would have disappeared in a day or so, the chain cut with bolt cutters.

I'm left wondering who left it there and why they haven't returned to retrieve it. We'll see if it's still there when the snow flies.

The really goofy thing is that today I spotted the bike and a short distance on the side of the road on the left was a big patio umbrella, fully extended, just lying on the side of the road. Now this isn't something that flew out the back of a truck fully extended. Is someone goofing on us? A bizarre art installation perhaps?

The best place to live

Family Circle magazine has published a list of the 10 best places to live in America. Here's the countdown:

10. Maple Valley, Washington
9. Oviedo, Florida
8. Germantown, Wisconsin
7. Trumbull, Connecticut
6. Novi, Michigan
5. Friendswood, Texas
4. Fairhope, Alabama
3. Liberty, Missouri
2. Peachtree City, Georgia

Number one on the list is......... wait for it.

St. Charles, Illinois

Yep, that's where we call home. We're the very last house on the left in rural, unincorporated St. Charles and we're actually in a smaller community that has a name but not a postal designation so officially we're in St. Charles.

It is a wonderful place to live but as I've said before it's a bit schizophrenic because of the culture clash between rural farmers and wealthier, upscale residents. It's not a fireworks kind of clash but it's very evident. Take for instance the fact that there's a Coach handbag store within 2.5 miles of Johnsen's Farm and Feed shop.

The Coach store which is technically just over the line into the next town. I walked in here once because my daughter was looking for a Coach organizer. Gosh, I got out quick because I felt out of place.



Here's Johnsen's Farm and Feed just 2.5 miles to the west.



Yeah, that's more my style. HA!

How about your corner of the world? What makes it the best place to live?

Something Cool and Blue for You

Are you burning up in your neck of the woods? The weather here has actually been quite lovely lately.

The thing about living in the north is that there are things that will grow in our zone that won't grow in the south. Peonies, for example, or foxglove. One of my favorites are hosta.

Here's something cool and blue for you.



It's a large (really large) hosta. If I remember correctly, it's an Elegans. See the martini glass? It's so that you can judge the scale. This hosta, depending on the weather conditions, grows each year from 6 to 8 feet across.

So, for those loyal readers who are plagued by heat, drought and crispy brown foliage, this one's for you!