Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Stylish Blogger


Who me??  Stylish?  That's the first time I've ever been called that but I guess there's a first time for everything!

Many thanks to both Frances at Island Threads and TS at Casa Mariposa for bestowing me with this honour.

Now this stylish award comes with a set of rules that state I must reveal facts about myself and pass the award along.  But I've decided to muck with the rules a bit.  I realized that I haven't posted a Triumphs and Tragedies in quite some time and now feels like the right moment.  So instead of revealing 7 facts about me here's a list of 7 Triumphs and 7 Tragedies that are revealing in their own way.

Bring on the Tragedies.

1.  The mailbox is gone.  Where it once sat there is only snow.  I saw hubby pawing at the snowbank like a dog digging a hole the other day.  I can only think he was trying to rescue our bills.  Personally I think the bills can stay there until spring.

2.  I turned on the radio last week to hear the announcer say another 40 - 50 centimeters of snow was expected.  That's approximately 16 - 20 inches.  I turned the radio off.  I just couldn't listen any more.  Despite my ignorance is bliss attitude the snow came anyway.  And then just a few days later, it snowed again.  Mother nature is telling me she will not be ignored.

3.  We've been desperate to get out the house and saw there was an auction taking place last weekend.  And there was jewelry listed! Much like the crows I'm enamoured with shiny things.  How excited was I?  But the morning of the auction the snow was blowing at gusts of 90 kilometers per hour and the roads were covered in ice.  Too dangerous to make the long drive to Summerside.  *sigh*

4.  Did I mention I'm getting cabin fever?

5.  I cut some branches last month and brought them into the house hoping to get a bit of greenery.  The buds on the roses, willows and apples all started to slightly expand and then........ nothing.  I guess they would prefer to wait until spring.

6.  The phrase "I know you're busy but we have an urgent request" has been uttered one too many times at my workplace recently.

7.  Despite buying multiple tickets, I have not yet won the lottery.


And now for a little Triumph to balance things out 

1.  Good healthy cat food was on sale.  And there were free samples!  I hate feeding the cats 'junk food' so it's always a bonus when I can feed them well affordably.

2.  Someone brought pretty pink tulips to work and they made me smile.  Spring has to come eventually.

3.  Although we couldn't make it to the auction the wind finally died down in time for us to get to the community sleigh ride.  Have you ever been riding in a horse drawn sleigh through the snow?  It was a wonderful way to spend an evening.

4.  Although I would have liked a shiny new bauble, the money that would have been spent at the auction was saved and put towards my line of credit.  That's much more responsible of me.

5.  We used our time indoors recently to strip wallpaper in the front entrance of the house.  It's a small renovation but already it's made a big difference emotionally.  Now when I walk in the front door of my house I'm looking at something that's 'mine'.  As opposed to walls that were done to someone else's taste.

6.  March came in like a lion, howling winds all last night and 15 more centimetres of snow.  But that means it'll go out like a lamb... right?

7.  I bought another lottery ticket.  You just never know.


Now for the second half of the award.  Here's a short list of some Stylish Blogs I love to read.  Please pay them a visit and say hello.

TS at Casa Mariposa - Although I was nominated by TS I would like to mention her again.  She wrote a wonderful article recently about how dog food helped her roses that both amused and educated me.  Her many tips and thoughts on organic gardening are both useful and inspiring.

Frances at Island Threads - Frances also nominated me for this award but again, she deserves her own recognition.  Frances is a textile artist who gardens on a faraway Scottish island and yet seems so similar to my own island with it's sandy shores and gale force winds. 

Kim at Top of the Meadow - Like myself, Kim and her partner Martin, hail from British Columbia and have replanted themselves here in PEI.  They've taken on a full country life, building a new home, raising animals and driving tractors.  Every day is an adventure and Kim tells it with a quirky sense of humour.

Jodi at BloomingWriter - This was the first garden blog I began reading when I was looking for information about my new climate and gardening zone.  Always a wealth of information and stories about kitties too which I can't resist.

Ed at The Amazing World of Conifers - I've only just recently discovered this blog and I'm thrilled every time Ed writes a new post.  Conifers are often taken for granted but Ed's love of them could turn anyone into an admirer.

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island - How to make cheese, unusual potting containers, kitchen remodeling and edible flowers.  All this and she runs the Grimy Hands Girls Club!

Bub at I'd Like to Hold a Tarantula -  Bub's husband recently passed away from cancer and her story makes me want to hug my loved ones tight.  Bub has a delightfully wicked sense of humour but she also doesn't shy away from telling it like it is.  The words funny, crass and bittersweet come to mind.

Laurrie at My Weeds Are Very Sorry - A zone 5 garden like my own she has inspired me with how she took a builders lot and is turning it into a garden of her own.  Laurrie has already accomplished a lot but continues to take a hard look at her design and make improvements.

FloridaGirl at Peace in the Valley - When I can't stand the sight of snow one minute longer I know I can always see a beautiful array of photos of tropical plants, greener than my garden will ever be. I have to add that sadly today I read a post from FloridaGirl that indicates she may not be blogging any longer.  She'll be sorely missed.

WiseAcre Gardens - He's a bit of a wise ass (the moniker isn't a coincidence) but he knows a heck of a lot about native plants and mushrooms.  The challenge is whether he can keep the mad mower's path of destruction away from the wildflowers.

15 comments:

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

Congrats on the award, commiserations for the snow... Wallpaper stripping sounds like the perfect activity for cabin fever antidote, it makes such a difference when you start to make your mark on your new home. Sleigh ride sounds like the perfect way to make the most of the ridiculous amount of snow. Stay warm and safe! And stylish...

Laurrie said...

Congrats on being such a stylish blogger! And thanks for nominating my blog. I posted my 7 things a couple days ago and they were biographical (I'm pathetically literal if there are "rules") --- I like your approach to divulging 7 triumphs and 7 tragedies much better. (You do know you already won the lottery, don't you? A life partner, a cross country journey, a new home and all the apple trees you can manage. Where did you buy that ticket?)

Cat said...

Spring will smile on you soon! Congrats on your stylish blogger award. I agree with Laurrie, you've won the lottery...take that money and buy new plants!

Bub said...

Congratulations on the award - and thank you very much for passing it on!

It's surprising the difference that's made by losing someone else's choice of decor. It's not until you start that you realise how much of an effect it had.

I really hope you get some relief from all the snow soon - Mother Nature has certainly been making her presence felt around the world over the last few months.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

I like the balance of your post. Winter is still the boss here, but it can only get better.

Hold onto those lottery tickets and make a big wish! :)

Marguerite said...

Plantaliscious - Would you believe the sleigh ride was almost cancelled due to too much snow? I think I would have cried. you're right, making our own mark in this house has been slow but it makes such a difference. It really is starting to feel more like my home than just camping out in somebody else's house.

Laurrie - you're right, I have 'won' haven't I? Sometimes it's easy to forget all the good things and let the bad things take over.

Cat - oh don't tempt me! I'm trying to be good this year and not randomly buy every plant I see. Gotta focus on creating more beds first.

Bub - when we moved in we were overwhelmed with all the things we had to do and a lot of the renovations were put off. In the year since we've just gotten used to the house as it is. That's not necessarily a good thing and it was nice to find an excuse to rip down wallpaper. As soon as it was off and there was a clean slate there we realized how much better the space could be organized to suit our lifestyle.

Ms.S - Winter is definitely sticking around this year although I must admit, I'm noticing, if only just a few minutes at a time, that each day the sun is around a tiny bit longer. Soon enough we'll get some of those glorious long summer evenings.

Jess said...

I keep saying I'm going to buy a lottery ticket but then actually never do... instead of a .0000001 chance of winning I am totally at .0000000000000 :)!

I love these things because I get to know everyone a bit more.

One said...

I enjoy your hilarious post. All the best in your lottery ticket. I'll let you win first. Then I'll start getting them too.

Casa Mariposa said...

Thanks for your kindness! Once when fighting off cabin fever in our house in NY, I grabbed a hammer and started ripping down bright yellow paneling that had been covering original 1895 tongue in groove woodwork. It was a huge project but was exhilarating and helped me feel the house was mine. Sounds like your wallpaper project. Winter can't last forever. :o)

PJ@Outdoor Garden decorations | Home Decor Accents said...

This is my first visit on your blog and I'm happy to say CONGRATS!
I read your post and it put a big smile on my face. You have a great sense of humor.

I just wished I could send you at least a bit of our Spring from down here in SE Texas to brighten your days even a bit more.
Thank God, we do not have to deal with snow down here and the "winter" usually lasts only a few weeks with days in between that can be really warm. Although, last winter we had some usual cold days and it lasted until 2 weeks ago.
Now what your buying of lottery tickets concerns so I can only wish you Good Luck. I know, people say "you never know" but I also know, I win every week - the money I save by not buying any tickets. LOL
Therefore I like gambling in Casinos once in a while, but please don't tell anybody!;)
Best Regards
Paula Jo

Marguerite said...

Jess - I must admit my favourite lottery tickets are the scratchies. Not because I'll win big but I just like scratching the Bingo cards.

Thanks One. Unfortunately we could both be waiting awhile. I've been playing lotto for years and still no luck.

Casa Mariposa - wow you must have been happy to find that woodwork behind the wall! what a find. You're right, the wallpaper is just the same in that it was a style that just wasn't mine. But now that it's removed we're also changing the room around and personalizing it even more. A new light fixture and coat rack among a few other things are making it more useful and to our tastes.

Paula Jo - welcome to the Corner! Snow is a bit of a new thing for me too. Although I grew up in a snowy cold area I've lived the last 15 years in southwestern British Columbia which is quite warm and has little snow. Moving to Prince Edward Island has been a bit of a jolt to the system. Particularly this winter as we've had twice the amount of snow than normal. By the way, I won't tell anybody about the casinos if you don't tell anybody I bet on the ponies at the track in summer.

Island Threads said...

Marguerite thanks for the review of my blog, I like your twist on the 7 things definately wise to keep the triumphs last, I know what you mean about 'something that's mine' I have one room and the hall carpet still to do then the house will be 'mine' after over 9 years, I hope the snow will soon be a memory and you can see your garden again, we had a force 9 gale last night no snow lots of rain, Frances

Marguerite said...

Frances, thanks for nominating me! that's some storm but I suppose the garden can use the rain and there's likely not many plants to knock down at this time of year.

Floridagirl said...

Ha! Leave it to me to get a post-mortem award! I must say my feelings were beginning to get a little sore, as I'd never been awarded anything in over a year of blogging. Woohoo! Thank you so much for gifting me with my first award!

Yes, we are lucky to garden here in Florida, where we can have roses year-round. Perhaps if you win the lottery, you could buy a winter home in Florida and become a real bona-fide snowbird! ; )

Marguerite said...

Floridagirl - Thank you for visiting! I was so sorry to see that you've decided to leave blogging but perhaps you'll return in the future? Funny thing, I wrote this post a week or so before actually putting it up, I was just having some writing/blogging blahs and needed a break. When I finally posted I found you were no longer going to be around. So really it wasn't post-mortem, I was just lazy. Take care, Marguerite