Just Thinking

"As I grow older,

I pay less attention

to what men say.

I just watch what

they do."

Andrew Carnegie


Photo taken by me from the rear of the Rodin Museum in Paris

Found A New Home

I recently did a kitchen remodel in my little house in Tulsa.  It hadn't been remodeled in at least 50 years.  My hats off to all the designers and decorators out there.  What a hard job you have.  Though I have been subscribing to all the design and decorating magazines for about 40 years, (I was only 2 when I started), choosing colors, tiles, appliances, lighting and even hinges and floor registers is stressful to me.  And, doing it from long distance at the farm  made it even harder. And, on a budget, I might add.  My head was swimming to put it nicely.  

I do love it now.  I bought this box of Parisian dishware two years ago; it has Saint Germain des Pres printed on the side (which is where we stayed last time in Paris), but I really didn't have anywhere to put them. They remained closeted.  After the remodel, the dishes finally found a new home on a little white cafe table under a window.

I have told my husband he can't use them.  In fact, I wasn't happy when I went up this past weekend and saw his coffee machine out on top of the counter. Oh well...

Twerking The Louvre

Oh how our values have changed.  Everybody just thought Miley was being too lewd.  Guess that's just a 21st century thing.  If I looked like Miley Cyrus, I'd walk around naked all the time.

At The Louvre

This sculpture was my personal favorite at the Louvre.

Statuary Redux

Some of the statuary at the Louvre.  I loved the sculpture wing and would also love these scattered about my Peaceable Hill Farm.  I took many pictures there and will show more later.

More Parisian Brocantes

I found this sign lying on the street behind a tent at a neighborhood brocante in Paris.  It was fairly big, heavy, but I thought it would fit into the large hard-sided luggage I brought.  I asked the lady of the tent if it was for sale and she told me, 75euros.  I didn't blink and it now hangs in my kitchen, and, it didn't fit, so I had to bend the trefoil edges to get it in my luggage which security went through at the airport to see what the heck was in there.

I loved this mirrored bird sconce - there were two.

Bought some of these cute wooden animals.

Loved this big ape and would have brought him home on my lap, but it was not to be.

This would have come home with me if it were 200 euros instead of 2000 euros.

I had planned to look at old wall coverings and papers, but didn't know what to do with them and didn't want to try and bring them home.

Paris Brocantes

Thought I'd show you some of the things for sale at the Paris fleas and brocantes.  Mid-century modern was evident, but other than that, much like what you'd see at the big shows in USA.  I did come home with some things I'll post later.  The ghastly industrial lighting trend was also big; I think it must have started in Hollywood; I don't get it. I always look at toys.  Look and enjoy and I'll post more later.

Touring France

I have so many photos of my Paris trip that I haven't shared, so I thought I'd show some from our foray to the Loire Valley.  I loved it.  Wish we could have spent more than a day there.  It is located two hours from Paris.  We visited Chambord and Chartres.  I can't remember what is what so I'll just let you enjoy.  

Da Vinci himself designed this staircase.  After we left, I found out he lived his final years around here and is buried somewhere nearby.  I would have dearly loved to visit his grave site.

Some of the household accoutrement.

I loved the quaint villages.  I was surprised that the local roads were only one lane, though I don't remember meeting other cars.  Some of the towns were quite small.  We'd be driving along, and look through an allee of tree and there would be a huge, gorgeous chateau.

The bedrooms at Chambord were still decorated beautifully.  This was the bedroom of Louis XIV.

This tapestry, one of many, was huge.

Don't ask me, I wasn't driving.

Of course, the crazy bird lady of Peaceable Hill Farm was too busy feeding the birds to fully drink in the views.

A statue of the lady of the house and her shoes (and I didn't say this, but they were pretty big for the time period).  More to come.

Half Empty/Half Full

One of my favorite books is CANDIDE by Voltaire. While staying in St-Germain-des-Pres in Paris, I had to go aound the corner and have a look at the building where Voltaire lived and died.  It is on the left bank of the Seine. Just for a little backstory, Voltaire, the great French philosopher, amassed a library of more than 21,000 books with his favorite subjects being metaphysics, moral philosophy, physics, history, critical deism...  He wrote his satire, CANDIDE, in 1759, during the Age of Enlightenment.  It was considered his magnum opus.  

Voltaire rejected a common theory of the time, that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds."  He argued that this theory of optimism was wrong - that if this were the best possible world, then it would surely be better than it is, citing natural disasters, war, catastrophes etc.  Thus, Candide was born of Voltaire's writings and discussions on this subject.

Candide did set out and travel the world, full of hope and optimism, looking for the good in man.  An epic journey, the end finds Candide returning home, "to cultivate his garden."  I won't give more away than that.

And, about another modern credo, the glass is either half empty or half full, I've always said, it's half.  Guess that makes me a realist.

Parisian Pooches

Parisians love their dogs.  You see them out and about with them everywhere.  Once, I traveled from Paris to London and there was not a dog  in sight.  Now I know Londoners love dogs.  I asked someone where the dogs were and was told it is too stressful in London for dogs.