High Button Shoe

It is a dismal, humid day here today. I am convinced my energy comes from the sun! After my constant complaints of the rain, we haven't had any for a few days and we need it badly. The grass is still green which is unusual for this time of the year, and I love that fact. Mowing has been reduced to about every 7-10 days. Just when my butt had taken on the shape of the mower seat. This time of summer, our roadsides are encased in the blue flowers on thin long stems of wild chicory, black eyed Susans, Queen Anne's Lace on its delicate long stems, wild daisies, and sweet peas. Walking or driving down the road is most calming to the soul. Just when it becomes its most magnificent with flowers, the county comes along and cuts it all off. They are late this year..and I have put up hand stenciled DO NOT CUT signs where I can, so they won't cut it. Some chicory started to grow along the mailbox and farther into the yard. Ronnie (the weedwhacker!) noticed right off I was leaving various "weeds" in the yard and mowing around them. I, of course, am ignoring him.

We have this discussion each year! I know about how far I can push him before he cuts my weeds off. However, I love the wild flowers of summer, even IF it is a weed with a flower on the end! My rosemary plants are continuing to grow, as they will until I have to bring them in for fall freezes and then their sure demise, due to my care. But I am enjoying them now.

The summer continues to fly away, with alarming speed. I have been busy each day, but haven't accomplished much.

How that happens, I don't know. The garage stall (my stall) is piled high with junk. Each day I think I will make a dent. and each day I talk myself out of it. Ron's stall of course, actually has a truck in it! But soon I need to do some work out there, as by a month from now we start bringing in the cords of wood that supply our winter heat. Ron stacks it perfectly around the walls of the garage, like an artist would. I think I am just enjoying summer...

Of those of you who know me personally, and those of you who have a pretty good idea about me from these letters, I am sure it would not surprise you one bit, that I am NOT political. NOT, to be emphasized!! I can see Aunt Sepia's husband, Ruppert, smiling at this!! However, we have a local election for State Representative that is coming up next week, and I have been working on this with all the passion of a full fledged campaign worker!! I will surely be glad when next Tuesday comes and goes. Yesterday my day was spent at "headquarters" folding, stamping, stuffing, addressing, answering phones, and seeing all the "behind the scenes". I have told you before we live in a small town. This election is for 3 counties and there are 10 candidates running for this one office. I told Ronnie to just call me Clotilda-Hillary...but he didn't see the humor in that...

The day after the election, keeping my fingers crossed (ALL my fingers!) that it won't rain, I am having the carpets cleaned. While I can never move all the furniture because I have such big cupboards in my house, I will have to move out all the smaller pieces and all the stuff sitting on them. Yegad! What a chore! It will have to go out on the yards. I will pile what I can on the porches. This will serve 2 purposes. Obviously, I will have clean carpet. But the additional plus is that because I have to move everything, that all will be cleaned too... After I have this hectic week of politic-ing and carpet cleaning, I am treating myself to a run away day on Sunday the 8th. BrunieMae (www.saltboxfarm.com) and me are taking off for Indiana again to our "fill up the truck with goodies" place. I don't know if the guys are going with us or not. It will surely be a fun day. Brunie is delightful to spend time with anyway. We talk non-stop for the entire day. Imagine that!!

Thank you all who wrote to me after my last newsletter about Esther Gaffney. There is still no news on her murder. I went to her funeral last Friday. Her dolls continue to sit on my red pie safe. Beulah photographed them to put on the website, but she must have deleted the picture. I did NOT touch the camera, honest! My own camera is plugging along at snail pace in learning. But the guy at Office Max did 'program' it for me, so I am at least that much closer to my digital camera career. Didn't I tell you, looking pathetic works every time? Of course, in my case, it was not pretense, I am pathetic. How difficult can it BE to learn a digital camera, for pete's sake?? He did extend my shut off timer to 90 seconds for me, though, so while I am sweating profusely, reading the manual, it doesn't automatically shut off on me so quick. So when I have a day that I am thinking clearly, I will pick this back up again and work on learning my camera. As you might suspect, the greeting cards end of this project are still a ways off in the future....

OK, this letter purpose... www.rantingraven.com will come out on August 1. You can find us at http://www.rantingraven.com/Exhibit95.php . However, those pictures are NOT available there until August 1. You can see and buy now by going to

http://www.highbuttonshoe.net/itemson.htm This is the link to ranting raven off our home page of our website.

Also, NEW pictures are up of the step into the shop, and some new pictures of my house. I didn't even know Beulah took new pictures of my house. Those are available on Byers House Tour (or something like that..)

I took some pictures of stuff with my throw away camera (MY speed for a camera!) and waited around Cadillac this morning for the one hour development, only to find that their equipment broke down, so I will have to wait to see how good my photos turned out. I spent lots of time on background etc, hoping to get some good photos for these cards, but not counting my money yet...

Also, lastly, you really should visit www.pineberrylane.com to see some truly outstanding work in primitives, but also to read the words. Wendy (known to me as Miss Elspeth) has a gift for writing, and the description of her place on her home page, as well as her item descriptions are purely lovely. I believe we must be sisters, separated at birth.... only to find each other on ranting raven. As I am about 10 years older than her, our mother must have had a longggggggg gestation period....

OK. I gave you plenty to look at. Thanks again for asking to be a part of our farm. For now, I am taking coffee out on the front porch, to sit and wait for the rain. I can smell it coming.... today is going to be a lazy day for sure.....

in fond regard,

Miss Clotilda