Today is Sunday June 8 . It is the 160th day of the year with 206 days remaining in 2008.

I saw something yesterday that has become almost obsolete in this century. Someone had improvised a clothesline in their back yard. I assume their dryer was on the fritz, or they were trying to save money on their utilities.

The sight brought memories flooding back of the pesky clotheslines of my youth. They were a necessity by day, but treacherous by night when you were out playing hide and seek. You’d go streaking across an unfamiliar lawn and nearly decapitate yourself on a wayward line. They also produced towels and washcloths as stiff as skateboards. They became natural exfoliators after hanging out in the sun all day. (more…)

Today is Friday, June 6. It is the 158th day of the year with 209 days remaining in 2008.

On this day in history in 1933, the first U.S. drive-in movie was opened in Camden, New Jersey. Those first drive-in moviegoers got to see Wife Beware, a flick not destined to be a classic. The screen measured a huge 40 feet by 50 feet and was easily seen by everyone in the first cars in the front to the 500th car in the back row. Everyone (including the whole town) could hear the sound, too … with a slight delay for the folks in the back row because the sound emanated from speakers mounted next to the screen. Admission was 25 cents per person plus 25 cents for the car, maximum $1.00. (more…)

Outdated decor - similar to my house - garage sale maybe?

Have you noticed that just when you finally get caught up on the style of the day, everything changes on you and you’re stuck with things like mammoth shoulder pads in your favorite suit and stale colors in your home? (more…)

Olivia Portera’s original wall art at her home in Tuscaloosa

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Some people probably consider my yard and garden a bit “trashy,” but I don’t care. I love to find quirky objects as I stroll along city streets, and this time of the year is the best. People are cleaning out and throwing away things they consider junk and I come along and drag it home (one man’s junk is another girl’s treasure, don’t you know). (more…)

This is May 3, 2008. The word for today is onomatopoeia. It’s a doozie, and my new favorite term to drop while chatting “intellectuals.” Their look either says they have no idea what I’m talking about, or I’m pronouncing it wrong which renders me a virtual idiot.

I’ll never forget an occasion when an otherwise meticulous hostess greeted me at her door with a plate of lovely appetizers. She said, “Would you like a canape?” But she pronounced it “can-APE’. Maybe that’s the European pronunciation.

Onomatopoeia - pronounced /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiə, ‑ˌmɑtə‑/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‑mah-tuh‑] It’s a great word (a noun) referring to such terms as cuckoo, pow or boom - any word that imitates the sound made by or associated with its referent.