November 04, 2009
A Wise Old Owl
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?
The four-line poem “A Wise Old Owl” is cited in print from at least 1883, but is of unknown authorship. A 1904 source (below) credits “the immortal poet Bromley.”
The wise old owl (who either sits or lives in or on an oak) observes much, but doesn’t blab about it. The poem and its moral were used in World Wars I and II. The owl poem was a favorite of industrialist John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) and Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933; president from 1923-1929).
Wikipedia: A Wise Old Owl
A Wise Old Owl is a nursery rhyme. The lyrics of A Wise Old Owl
poem are derived from the saying ‘a wise old owl’ based on an owl’s
behavior of watching and patiently waiting when hunting its prey.
Once I saw a little bird
Once I saw a little bird
Come hop, hop, hop;
So I cried: "Little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?"
And was going to the window
To say: "How do you do?"
But he shook his little tail
And far away he flew.
This was the first rhyme I remember hearing. I would
beg my mother to say it over and over again.
I think that is why I have loved birds my entire life.
Charisse Marie Colbert
October 27, 2009
October 17, 2009
Halloween Cookies
I made these cookies this week and realized I have an addiction to collecting cookie cutters since I discovered I had several of the same one!
October 12, 2009
October 08, 2009
The Charlie Schulz Philosophy
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the
creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.
You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just
ponder on them.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and
actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most
credentials..
the most money...or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most 
'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already
tomorrow in Australia!'
''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!"
October 07, 2009
Trip Report Kentucky Derby Louisville, Charleston, Savannah
Wow what a great
trip! I just adore visiting the south. We were very fortunate that
the sweltering hot weather never came while we were there. A
torrential down pour at the Charleston airport kept us waiting for our
bags to be unloaded from the plane due to lightening. The cuffs of J.R.'s
pants were holding buckets of water by the time he got our suitcases in the
rental car. J.R. had an encounter with an alligator at the Wild Dunes
Golf Course in Charleston. Our derby race picks were LOSERS. My
approach is betting on a horse if I like the silk the jockey is wearing or if I
like the name of the horse or jockey. I don't recommend this
approach. My big win of the day was picking the right horse to win on the
7th race of the day. I pocketed $120 and promptly gave it right back to
Churchill Downs. All my cute, girly, girl shoes went permanently in the
suitcase when we got to Charleston. The streets are so old, uneven and unpredictable. While
in Charleston we went to the Charleston Museum, took a tour boat to Fort
Sumter, went on an architectural walking tour, shopped and shopped some
more, did some fancy dine-in, did some real good not fancy
dine-in, took a yoga class at Blue Turtle Yoga, J.R. golfed at Wild Dunes
and Kiawah Island, had drinks on a roof top bar and looked at the new bridge
over the Cooper River, and took hundreds of pictures of buildings. We
stopped in Beaufort (BEEYOUFORT) on our way to Savannah and tried to find the
house where they filmed the Big Chill and had lunch at Plums. Then
we stopped at Hilton Head Island so J.R. could buy a golf shirt and look at the
famous lighthouse at Harbour Town Links course. I decided I like Savannah
a lot more than Charleston. Savannah is tourist friendly although I still
didn't get out the cute shoes but the town squares every two blocks give you a
peaceful, easy feeling! They are so lovely. I would like to see the
town when the azaleas are blooming in March. We gave up on the Paula Deen
insanity. If you want lunch you line up at 9:30 a.m. and dinner you line
up at 3:30 p.m. There's a new swanky place in Savannah called the
Mansion on Forsyth where we had dinner on Saturday. The decorating was
over the top mahvelous. The hands down best meal for me was at a
little place called The Sweet Leaf where I had the best, best smoked barbecue
chicken, corn pudding and cole slaw. It was right around the corner from
our B&B. Food TVs Rachel Ray recommended it in her magazine and so
did the concierge at our B&B. I am still waiting for Dixie Lee from
our B&B to get me the recipe for the corn pudding. We ended our
trip in Atlanta by staying at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead at the busiest
intersection in Atlanta on mother's day weekend. Yikes. I couldn't
wait to come home at that point.
By Charisse Marie Colbert
September 29, 2009
Trip Report San Diego
This has been the hottest summer I can recall in the valley of the perpetual sun. There have been more days over 100 degrees than I care to mention. Last week I decided to escape from the heat and took a short road trip with my husband and dog to San Diego, California. The trip is only six hours from Phoenix but I guarantee the roads you travel are not photographed for Arizona Highways magazine. You travel through some dingy and dilapidated cities like Gila Bend and the thriving town of Yuma which is trailer park heaven. Eventually you reach the ocean after a fairly boring six hour drive.
Our first destination in California was straight to the beach to introduce Romeo, our Australian Terrier, to the ocean. We stopped at Mission Beach first and headed straight to the beach. We weren't on the beach 5 minutes when we were stopped by the beach patrol. Apparently, dogs aren't allowed on the beach there except before 9:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. Mission Beach is the site of the Giant Dipper roller coaster at Belmont Park. One of the nice things about this place is that parking is free and there are lots of restaurants and outdoor cafes where you can take your dog. We were instructed to go to Ocean Beach which is the original dog beach in San Diego. Romeo was more interested in smelling the washed up seaweed then anything else. It was great fun to see dogs of all sizes and breeds romping, swimming, fetching balls, and playing. CAUTION . . . there are doggy poop landmines to be aware when you are walking anywhere at this beach.
J.R. and Romeo at Mission Beach Boardwalk
Charisse and Romeo at Ocean Beach
Traveling with a dog obviously makes your hotel accommodations quite limited. We ended up at a hotel that I will not recommend here but in the past have stayed at Hotel Solamar which is part of the Kimpton Hotel boutique hotel chain. They are centrally located in the Gas Lamp district of San Diego. The hotel staff will bring you a gold fish to keep you company if you were unable to bring your pet. All of their locations are pet friendly. I have stayed at ones in Portland, Seattle and Chicago and will be staying at the one in Scottsale, Arizona called FireSky Resort since I won a free night's stay there. Eating out can also be a challenge but we were able to find outdoor dining and cafes most places we went. We had dinner in the area of downtown San Diego known as Little Italy and had fish and chips at the outdoor cafe at Princess Pub and Grille.
Shopping was not on the agenda while in Little Italy, but I highly recommend checking out a darling shop called India Ink where you will find unusual cards and stationery.
Shopping was not on the agenda while in Little Italy, but I highly recommend checking out a darling shop called India Ink where you will find unusual cards and stationery.
India Ink
Certainly a trip to San Diego would not be complete if you didn't learn something about the history of the place. So you must travel to Old Town to see the original birthplace of California and the first permanent Spanish settlement. The Old Town State Historic Park has a main plaza, museums, and exhibits of the original heritage there. There are also lots of shops and restaurants and beautiful shady spots to stop and take a siesta.
Old Town Buildings
J.R. and Romeo near a restaurant in Old Town
There were some lovely shops in this plaza known as Fiesta de Reyes. I purchased a Talavera platter at Fiesta Cucina and visited the the Seaport Tile Shop where you can purchase handmade talavera tiles and handpainted tiles of various California Missions and Urban and Seed and Flower for dishes, linens, candles, and gardening supplies.
Talavera Tile
Another obligatory San Diego destination is Balboa Park known for its museums and gardens. Of course, with a poochie in tow, you cannot visit the museums but we did visit the Alcazar Garden patterned after the Alcazar Castle gardens in Seville, Spain. There were lovely plants that grow so well in California and a beautiful pergola.
California Tower Dome at Balboa Park
We drove to Coronado Island to check out Hotel Del Coronado. The fog had come in over the city which made everything cool and misty. You can certainly see why all the plants are so happy there since they have a built in misting system.
Charisse and Romeo with view of San Diego from Coronado Island
Our final destination before we left California was to travel to La Jolla and look at all the beautiful homes overlooking the beach. We had lunch at Extreme Pizza because my husband liked the name of the place.
One of my favorite interior design stores is Seaside Home where they carry some high end lines of furniture and accessories. The temperature was actually 10 degrees cooler in La Jolla than in San Diego which was a welcome relief as it was in the upper 80s while we were there.
Extreme Pizza
One of my favorite interior design stores is Seaside Home where they carry some high end lines of furniture and accessories. The temperature was actually 10 degrees cooler in La Jolla than in San Diego which was a welcome relief as it was in the upper 80s while we were there.
Extreme Pizza
I hope you enjoyed my travel trip report.
Charisse
Charisse
September 06, 2009
Go for Baroque
The dramatic and decorative Baroque style originated in Italy and influenced all of Europe. The style is exuberant and opulent and displayed much pomp and circumstance in the appearance. According to the Oxford English dictionary the word baroque is derived from the Portuguese word “barroco” and means rough or imperfect pearl. The word simply means elaborate, and with many details.
The period which is from 1685 – 1725 under the reign of Louis XIV followed the Renaissance Period. The furnishings were ornamented with heavily ornate carvings, gold gilding, and were grand in scale. The French Baroque style is distinguished by the use of marquetry and gold covered bronze ormolu, creating the most elegant of styles. Chairs upholstered in tapestries, damasks, brocades, silks, satins and velvets in rich colors of crimson, rose, gold and blues contrasted with a dark wood frame were fashionable. Another element of design which adorned textiles and tapestries were chubby infant babies or putti, Italian for little boys, adorned with garlands of flowers and foliage. The textiles were woven with designs of flowering shrubs, scrolling foliage, heraldic crests, birds, and Chinoiserie motifs. Some of the other fashionable motifs of the period were arabesques or repeating geometric forms, C and S scrolls, cartouches or oval shaped design, lambrequins or a decorative valance, rinceau or a decorative border featuring stylized vines with flowers, fruits and leaves and rosettes or a round stylized floral design from antiquity.
One of my favorite duvet sets in the fall catalog of Private Quarters is called Baroque. I think it was named Baroque because of the large scale scrolling foliage motif design. This duvet set was one of my favorite vignettes at the Private Quarters convention in July 2009. The set has a tie rather than a button closure, which is a lovely dressmaker detail which you cannot see in the catalog. It is funny because the set was familiar to me from somewhere in my past. Yesterday I watched the movie, The Sound of Music again for the 25th time and lo and behold the draperies in Maria’s bedroom share a similar design motif as the duvet set in the catalog.
Maria decided to “Go for Baroque” and made those children clothes to play in out of those drapes!
- Scrolling Foliage Upholstery
- Baroque Style Textile by Designers Guild
- Baroque style wallpaper by Zoffany
- Baroque style wallpaper by Zoffany
- Baroque style textile on draperies by Zoffany
- Louis XIV Baroque Bedroom
- Louis XIV Baroque Chair
- Putti
- Marquetry
- Arabesque Motif
- Rinceau Motif with Rosettes
- Lambrequin
- Private Quarter's Baroque Duvet Set
- Sound of Music Baroque Drapery Panels
- Drapery Panels made into play clothes
- Yours Truly
