Ready for an Adventure?

We had pretty much given up on going to our mountain cabin until late May or early June 

because there was so much snow up there this year. 

We'd heard our area had more than seven feet of snow!!!

What a wonderful surprise when we heard from a cabin neighbor that 

the county road had been plowed and was passable. 

So we planned a day trip to the cabin. 

Although Denver was completely socked in and rainy, 

the roads looked bare and the sky was blue on the mountain cams. 

Rarin' to go!

I couldn't wait to see what the cabin looked like in the snow. 

(Here's the cabin with about three feet of snow).

We hoped we could drive up our old road to the cabin. 

If not in the Jeep, we thought we could shovel a path.
Ha!

Yes, the road had been plowed 

but the snow and ice had been piled up on each side of the narrow road. 

You can barely see the cabin in the distance. 

We were grateful for Ron's Jeep and new tires 

but we had to park on the county road and hike into the cabin. 

We couldn't carry any of the things we'd packed
as we were trying to stay upright.

The mountains were breathtaking with puffy white clouds and a stunning blue sky. 

Now to make our way to the cabin. 

In the morning, the snow pack was icy and solid, easier to walk on . .. 

except for the few times we fell through the snow past our knees. 

Believe me, it's not easy to climb out the this situation. 

It made me wonder how people ever survive an avalanche. 

Here's one of the waist-high drifts in back of the cabin. 

Good thing we didn't need to visit the out house.

The propane tank was buried too.

But the weather was just perfect -- blue sky, sunny, warm temps, no wind 

which we appreciated since we get some pretty strong winds up there.

Inside, it was cozy and surprisingly warm.
We didn't stay too long, just enough to check the roof and skylight.
No leaks!

On the way out, the snow had softened and we kept falling through it. 

Then we found some wide boards that distributed our weight on the snow

so we could work out way out to the road.

(I saw something similar once on Survivor where they had to build a bridge with two boards)!
That came in handy.

Although it was still pretty wintry at 11,000 feet, we had an exciting adventure.

Still, it's always a little tense, thinking we might get stuck in this remote area.
So I'm fairly sure we'll  wait another two to three weeks before attempting it again. 

***

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Spring Garden Update

When warm weather arrives, 

I can't wait to head outside to work (and play) in my garden. 

Honestly, I don't even think about indoor decorating once the garden calls.

It's like my favorite naturalist, John Muir, said, "The mountains are calling and I must go."

For me, spring is calling and I must go!

It won't be long til the allium and phlox, early bloomers, 

are blooming and the garden looks like this photo from last year.

This year I finally ordered a load of compost (a level amount in the bed of a pickup truck), 

to enrich my soil and feed my plants. 

Let me tell you, my friends, a "yard" of compost is a LOT of compost. 

The pile under the white tarp was originally double the size in this photo.

It's gradually shrinking. 

I've spread it over the bare spots in my lawn and sprinkled grass seed, 

then added it to all my perennial beds and put some aside to mix in 

with my potting soil when it's time to plant flowers. 

And guess what?

I still have enough left over to cover both of my neighbors' yards!

Ron also pruned a dead limb from the big ash tree this year 

and I snagged the smaller branches to lay over the seed. 

Hopefully, this will keep birds and squirrels from snacking on the seeds. 

We recently had a big snowstorm and the moisture should help the seeds germinate. 

Once the snow is melted, I'm going to spread more compost on the lawn.

That can't happen too soon. 

Although I'm fine with using dried or artificial plants indoors, 

there's one faux thing I can't handle. 

Artificial Grass!

Yes, the real thing is more work but you can't beat walking on a cool grassy lawn 

in your bare feet on a hot summer day -- once the snow melts. 

***

Happy Easter !

I don't do much decorating for Easter but did want to wish you all a Happy Easter!

As for me, I take time to appreciate the beauty of nature . . . 

. . . and be thankful for all our blessings.

Roxy, on the other hand, enjoys a good Easter egg hunt!

Mine, mine, mine. 

Blessings and joy to all.

***

See Why I Love This Vintage Market

I've always wanted to go to Round Top, Texas for its amazing antique fairs in the spring and fall.

It's definitely on my Bucket List.

But meanwhile I've discovered a wonderful vintage market here in Denver called
The Market Beautiful.

It was originally called the Vintage Whites Market.

Recently Jana and Vanessa moved their vintage market closer to downtown Denver 

at the National Western Complex at the Denver Stock Show. 

It's all arranged so there's plenty of room to see everything without stepping on somebody.

The market is in four states (Montana, Colorado, Mississippi and Utah).

And it's definitely worth a visit (or two).

We went to the market last weekend.

There's more than 150 vendors, lots of vintage stuff, entertainment, and classes.

So much fun!

The market has been ranked among the Top Four markets in the U.S.

by Romantic Homes and Flea Market Style magazines.

Although I didn't buy anything this year, I love seeing all the creativity and displays. 

I always come home with tons of ideas.

This is the market where I bought my favorite red farm table 

and my beautiful Hollywood Regency  candelabra.

Antiquing, inspiration, and our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Tapatio, 

where we enjoyed margaritas, chili rellenos and tamales. 

A perfect way to end a perfect day.

***

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The Storm Before the Calm!

This is a "BEFORE" post. I hope you'll come back in a month or so to see the "AFTER" photos. 

I know it's barren now but I invite you to use your imagination to see lots of flowers.

***

After a "historic" snowstorm in Denver, the sun came out and melted all that snow, 

making the grass greener than usual with bulbs popping up everywhere like this Siberian Iris. 

Yep, I have spring fever and I've got the sore muscles to prove it.

These tiny Squill bulbs are one my early favorites. 

Before I can do anything fun in the garden, 

I'm taking advantage of our 70 degree weather to do some garden clean up.

First, I have to rake up all the wet leaves and dead plants and bag them for garbage pickup.

We decided to remove a sand cherry that had messy berries and suckers throughout the garden.

It was a job but will be worth it when I plant this area.

Thanks to Ron for tackling this monster root.

Beginner's Tip:  It's a good idea to cut down your ornamental grasses and lavender stems 

to make room for new growth. 

This little tool makes quick work of trimming grasses and it's fun to use.

One of the first things I like to do in the spring is re-imagine my small patio.

At one end of my patio is a vintage fireplace grate that will hold red geraniums, 

some taller plants in the pots and flowers in the galvanized tub.

Watch out for my little photo bomber!

I picture the metal structure wrapped in battery-powered twinkly lights.

You know in Paris how they have tall planter boxes on the sidewalk to define the cafes?

I'm going to try something like a bench lined with lanterns and flickering candles. 

Or maybe I'll ad a small arborvitae in a big clay pot or a flower stand.

Oh no, now they're saying we're going to get snow this weekend.

That's Colorado for you.

Argg!

***

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Hunting and Gathering - Find of the Month #3

Welcome back to my new feature, Hunting and Gathering - Find of the Month, 

where I share an unusual treasure recently found. 

Today, I'm sharing an interesting find -- a surprising book by author Eugene Field called 

"The Tribune Primer."

I assumed this was a harmless little book by a man I always thought of as a sweet,
loving soul who wrote the well-known children's poem, "Wynken, Blynken and Nod."

(You can read more about Eugene Field in a previous post by clicking HERE.)

I'm especially interested in him as my local library is named for him.

He lived in this sweet little cottage in my neighborhood
that later served as a small branch library. 

Well, hang on to your hat!
This book, written in 1882 and published in 1900, was definitely not meant for children. 

I bought it to add to my collection of Eugene Field books without reading the story. 

Boy, was I shocked when I finally skimmed through it at home. 

As Field worked as the editor of Denver's newspaper, The Denver Tribune,

he must have meant this book to be a sarcastic picture of the culture and politics of the day.

Are you ready for some excerpts?

"Here is a Man who has just stopped his paper. What a miserable looking Creature he is. 

One of these Days he will break his leg or be a candidate for Office and then the Paper will
Say Nothing about it. That will be treating him just right, will it not, little children?"

It gets worse!

"This is a gun. Is the Gun loaded? Let's find out.
Put the Gun on the table and you, Susie, blow down one barrel while you,
Charlie blow down the other. Bang! Yes, it was loaded. 

Run quick and pick up Susie's head and Charlie's lower jaw 

before the Nasty Blood gets over the new carpet."

Can you believe it?

What happened to the sweet man who wrote children's poetry?

There's more.

"Here we have a Knife. If you are Good,
perhaps the Editor will Give it to you to cut off the Cat's tail."

The whole book is like this. Disturbing, isn't it?

However, at the time it was published, these comments were
thought to explore the darkly comic aspects of life and government hypocrisy.

This book sure came of the left "Field!"
So, what do you think of Mr. Field's primer?

***

Keeping the Country Spirit Alive and Well

The year was 1978.

A new magazine hit the racks called Country Living.

It's hard to believe that was more than 40 years ago. It certainly inspired me 

(along with John Denver's songs) to move from California to Colorado in 1979.

The nascent magazine eventually would lead me 

down a winding path to develop my own decorating style. 

Yes, we go way back and I still enjoy this magazine that was 

"committed to bringing warmth back into readers' homes."

Here's an early issue that I still have. Check out that price of $1.95!!

Granted I worked my way through many looks before finally settling
on a style - French Country.

But that was after I'd lived through Southwestern, Farmhouse, Country,
and what Ron called  my "Mary Tyler Moore" look.

Mauve and black, oh dear.
I do wish I'd kept that chaise lounge though.

I recently found a beautiful coffee table book published in 1988 called
"Country Living Country Decorating."
It's a compilation of the best of the magazine over the first ten years
and sure brought back a lot of memories with lots of gorgeous photos.

My favorite feature in that magazine was always "Country in the City."

So this post is a tribute to that time-honored magazine and especially that feature.

I learned to appreciate ironstone,

Mom's dishes that had been handed down,

and hand-stitched samplers.

One of the things I learned from "Country in the City"
is that you don't have to live in the country to feel like you do.
And so many country things complement French Country style. 

It's the feel of a room rather than a particular style.

Country living is all about homespun and heartfelt.

It's about hooked or braided rugs, folk art, baskets, and quilts,

primitive painted furniture and wooden bowls . . .

 and all those things that honor individual expression. 

A wood-burning fireplace warms a room but a gas flame works just as well.
And nothing says country like a roaring fireplace.

Thanks to Country Living magazine for reminding us of the value of home, heart and hearth
and for keeping the country spirit alive and well.

***

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Follow the Yellow Brick Home, French Country Cottage