I was raised in a small town.  If you’re singing the John Cougar  Mellancamp  song in your head now, I’m sorry!  I actually did a slide show of my small town to that song when I served as President of the Chamber of Commerce years ago. I pieced it together with photos of the community and every time I hear the song it brings back that memory.

I was raised in Pawhuska Oklahoma. Okay I know what you all are thinking, OH THAT TOWN, the one you see on tv!  The town I knew so many years ago looked very different. Let me explain.

I was born and raised in  Pawhuska Oklahoma in Osage County. I lived there until I went to college and then returned for a few years.  The small town at that time had about 4k people. I graduated in 1983. I think we had about 81 in our class. I loved school. I use to go to high school early so I could hang out and visit with everyone the “pit” of the school. ( it was a sunken area in the middle of the school ).  Several of us that lived in the same neighborhood all hung out together all the time. I had the best guy friends a girl could ever ask for indeed.  They were and still are such a great group of guys.  Yes they teased me but that just was part of the territory. I was a twirler and played the flute. I loved creative writing and English. I hated math and science. I loved English. Oh I already mentioned that! I played football with the boys in elementary during lunch time. I was a tom boy for years. Hard to believe I know.   My favorite  teachers were  Mrs. Henry and Mrs. Terrill.  I ran track and played basketball and was the “free throwing champion of Osage County”. So  funny to hear that now.  I still grab a basketball when I can here at home and at the gym. Track meets out of town were  always so much fun.  I stopped sports once I was a junior  and focused on writing and journalism.  I wanted to write for a magazine, or be a newscaster , or have some type of talk show  on tv ! But I was always decorating and dealing with antiques all of my life. When I  was homecoming queen. I remember my dads voice when it came time to kiss the kissing captain. He was on the  sidelines saying ” THATS ENOUGH THATS ENOUGH”.

Football was such a big thing in our small town. Home games were so fun. The entire town participated. Twirling camp was fun. Every  building in our small town full, nothing  was vacant. Cafes were all over. It was a big deal when Pizza Hut came to our town. (it’s  no longer there now).  We shopped at Lowry’s, Prairie Flower, Wrights, Mode o Day and bought our bikes at Otasco  or Western Auto. We loved shopping at TG &Y.  Jcpenny and CR Anthonys (where the current Pioneer Woman Mercantile is located ) The town was always busy.  A massive carpet company moved to our small town. We then had a carpet store with custom window treatments in the Triangle Building.  We had 2 hardware/lumber yards. We had 3 dentists  at one time!  We had two new car dealerships in the town (not just used cars but brand new dealerships)   We bought our shoes at Robinsons Shoes. I still can remember the Candies high heels, the Connie brand shoe and getting my pink keds at The Prairie Flower. I can remember sitting at the counter at Rexall Drugs and had a milkshake or a cherry coke. The real kind!  We bought donuts at Daylight Donuts  or at the Bakery. Daddy brought me donuts (big huge glazed)  from the Bakery every Saturday.  Then it happened. Wal Mart came to town. Stores eventually closed. ( to this  day I don’t shop at wal-mart). The town changed after that. All of these stores are gone.

We dragged main street  on the weekends. We would go to sonic to get a “coke” or a cherry limeade.  We rode our bikes with our friends. I had a purple bike with daisies on the basket in front. Many hours were played outside with the Tetherball pole.  We played outside all the time. We drove to the larger town 28 miles away (Bartlesville)  to go to the movies and  get out of town. Or we went to the bigger city,  Tulsa on the weekends  which was an hour away.

Everyone knew everyone. We were all friends, we were all one. We supported each business. We had a public golf course located where the current Osage Agency tribe headquarters is located. It was green , plush and beautiful. My great uncle ran the course.  We had a country club. We would play tennis at the country club and lay out by the pool with a Shirley Temple.

We would get flowers at Millers Greenhouse and shop at the cute store outside of town called “The Back Porch”. I still have several things of my mothers that she purchased there. My mother marked everything with a sharpie where she purchased it ..which I use to think was so silly but now I’m grateful.

My dad was a banker. My mom owned a gift shop. Years later I opened an antique store on Main Street. My brother came back to Pawhuska after his college years and taught school. I was so proud of him. I would visit his  classroom sometimes on a Friday if I came home from college for a weekend.

We all attended church, many of us on Sundays, Sunday nights, and even Wednesday nights. Different faiths, but all one big community. We all were happy for each other during good times and were sad when our friends went thru bad times.  We had a lot of tragedy hit several families while I was growing up. I lost 2 friends when I was in elementary.  A couple of friends lost their parents when I was in elementary.  I will never forget in 3rd grade the principal coming into our classroom to take a student out of class walk tell her that her mother had passed.  There were many more tragedies but too painful to write. When someone passed away food was immediately taken to the homes. We all suffered with them and supported them during their sorrow.

My parents got divorced when I was 15. My father was a very well loved man and good religious man, and my mother a very religious woman. My dad had a such a vibrant personality talking to anyone he would meet and my mom was more quiet.   She use to sing hymns while ironing. Say “praise the lord” all the time when something good happened.  The divorce.  It just happened.  It was hard on my family. Some people weren’t kind. My dad was told he could no longer serve as a deacon in the church. I will always remember when they came and told him. His heart was broken. One of my relatives on my dads side even posted an ad in our local paper that said he was not the one that got divorced. I was horrified and cried myself to sleep many nights when that happened. It was a very difficult time for my family. But my parents talked every single day during the entire time they were divorced. No matter the talk of others, they talked to each other.  They never stopped loving each other. Its a bizarre story.  But I’m not ashamed of it because its my story and its their Love Story. My mother got remarried. My dad did not. He never stopped loving her throughout it all.  After 15 years of being apart,  my parents got remarried. At first I didn’t understand how my father could do that and he looked at me and said “sis if you don’t understand then you’ve never really loved”. I will never forget his words. My parents were married for  5 years before he passed away.  He passed away being with the woman he had loved since she was 19. Our entire family was with him…except one. After reading my moms diaries I have learned so much about what happened with family during those times. Being only 15 you don’t see or know it all so now I know more.

In bad times you find out who really loves you. You find out who really supports you. People may not understand or agree with your life, but unconditional love is what is important.  After my father passed away I learned a lot about family.  13 years later my mother passed and I learned more about family . My mother requested a private service and we gave her her wishes. She was very private . My dads side never reached out to me.   One remembers those things.  Then I lost my brother Jan 1st 2018,  just a couple of years from loosing my mom.  I spent hours laying in bed thinking about family. One aunt and  uncle never even came up to me at my brothers funeral to say a word  to me. I spoke at both my parents funeral and at my brothers. How could I do that you say? I can’t explain it at all..God just gives you the strength and its like an out of body experience when its happening.  One uncle hugged me and said he loved what I had said at the funeral.  He had always been my favorite when I was a little girl. I have not heard one word from any of them since that day. So they have broke my heart. They have not taken a minute to check on me since the funeral, (one I haven’t heard from in 18 years )  their niece,  and their brothers legacy. Its indeed heartbreaking and I know my dad would be disappointed.

My father always was there for his family.  I found  letters that he had sent to his parents (my grandmother gave them to him years before he died ) and while he was in the army he was sending money to his parents to help make sure his younger brothers had all they needed during that time.   He was always helping others. I remember him helping family members during many of their hardships. That was who he was indeed. He was known as a giver.

My brothers passing has been the hardest hit to me of anything in my life. I never dreamed I would be the last one. Its been a struggle.

Life is not how we plan it. People are not who we want them to be. And thats okay. It is life. We can love them anyway. We can forgive them . We can learn from them.

I loved growing up in my small town. I loved the older generation that taught me so many things. I even moved back there to raise my daughter when she was 3 years old and stayed until she was 11. We lived on an acreage and she was always playing outside. We had horses, cows,  sheep, and

lots of dogs. It was a good time, good memories. One of my friends from my school years has 3 daughters and one of her girls is the same age as my daughter. They have been friends all of these years as have my friend and I and today her daughter is my grandsons God Mother. This is part of the small town bond that I”m grateful for going back there when my daughter was raised. She spent every Saturday with my father since my mom had a gift shop and I had my antique store. She has so many good memories of her grandparents since we lived so close. Now its my turn and I live right around the corner from my grandchild. Life is full circle.

After you loose everyone in your family and you are the only one left, its amazing the memories that start appearing in your mind. Its amazing how you become so strong and want to be so healthy to stay around as long as you can for your grandchildren. Its amazing how you want to make such good memories for your grandchildren. Family becomes your life. It always had been to me, but now its even more precious.

Growing up in a small town is what gave me my roots, my foundation. I’m grateful for those days and will always treasure the people, the places and the memories.

If you were raised in a small town, you may have thought you hated it during the time, but looking back you’re now grateful. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Lee

 

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via 2020 CORONAVIRUS- STAYING HOME

Its 4am and I’m pulling an “all nighter” just like i do many nights. While  my husband and dogs are snoring away, I sneak out of the room and head down to the couch to either read magazines , get sucked into ordering something from those “suck me in” infomercials, or sometimes just sit with a cup of hot tea and think.  Lately I’ve had this very strange pit in my stomach..a feeling i just haven’t ever felt before..its a sad empty weird feeling so i’ve wondered what this feeling inside me is lately.  Then tonite, it hit me like a brick. This is the first year without at least ONE of my parents for the holidays….and its breaking my heart.

A year ago immediately after my huge December sale, I locked up the door after the final customer left, (didn’t even tally up tickets or anything, not even cleaning up the place) and drove to my hometown because my mom got very ill. I will never forget pulling into my hometown and deep down when I saw the small town lit up with the same lights that were used when I was a child, I had a heart wrenching feeling this was going to be the last Christmas with my mom, the remaining “part” of my parents.

 my hometown street decorations…..in photos above..taken last year when i drove into town

 

I remember walking into her bedroom and she was lying there on her side…she could hardly move. She had been sick for a while and the dr.’s in that community and a community close by could never give her any answers. I was determined to get answers. After much begging and doing research we brought her to Oklahoma City and the process began. She was tired but her mind was sharp as a tack. My daughter and my husband were my lifesavers. I rearranged my work schedule and took her to as many doctors as I could. My sweet friend Julie helped us find the appropriate doctors. Kidney failure had taken its toll.

Moms birthday is on Christmas day. While she was at dialysis I went shopping and as I was buying her lots of gifts, I knew she wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy them. My daughter and I decorated the house Christmas eve while mom was in dialysis and when we brought her home, we had a birthday party for her. We videotaped the party and I think I still watch it twice a week, and look at the photos almost everyday.

 the cake we had for moms christmas birthday

 

After a few weeks of mom having to hold on to furniture to walk, she then had to use a cane..then be pushed in a wheelchair, then she wasn’t able to walk at all on her own. We had to lift her in and out of bed, then feed her, all while she was mentally perfect. She was watching her loose her body while her mind was still perfect. My daughter came to our house every day for lunch and spent every night with me on the other couch while we watched her sleep. Then the news came. The dr.’s told her dialysis was killing her…she could continue taking it and die, or she could find someplace comfortable and die peacefully. Kidney failure is a peaceful death they explained. Something I did not understand. She felt no pain during the entire illness.

 the last tree mom saw…we packed it with things for her birthday and christmas.

 

The words were heart wrenching, but I wanted the dr.’s to be upfront at all times. It was hospice time. We turned our tv room into “her room”. I brought things from her bedroom, photos of my dad and her, and still laugh at one photo when she stared at it and said..”i sure was a pretty girl”.  I smiled and said “you still are mom”. We kept fresh flowers by her bed, kept the tv on QVC (and yes I’m now addicted )  My daughter and I kept her wrinkle cream applied, her lipstick, her moisturizer, and her hair done everyday. Its what she would have wanted.  Her favorite nephew and his wife drove up to see her from Kentucky 3 days before she passed. My brother was here when they were visiting so it was a great family time.

The day came we were warned about…the sleep coma. Its a memory I can’t get out of my mind. My daughter was engaged and so wedding plans were taking place but we were trying to not discuss it much knowing mom wouldn’t be there. Mom talked constantly about her dad and my dad…she couldn’t wait to see them she kept saying.

She had a great christmas and we talked about when I was a little girl at Christmas. I was very onry around the holidays. I would open gifts and wrap them back…I wore a ring once an entire week to school that I was “getting for Christmas”..and put it back in the box .I would get a sharpie and mark in every catalog that arrived what all I wanted…(okay i still do that) I would check the closets, under beds for gifts…(okay I still do that too..I’m seriously bad). Mom and I laughed so much about things. We had the best Christmas with her. At 1am one morning my daughter was talking to my mom while she lay in the hospital bed in our house and she asked my mom “grandma, what was momma like when she was  a little girl”..I pretended to be asleep and I was afraid what my mom would say and she said “she was a sweet girl…and she still is”. That made me cry silently as I sat and heard the grandmother and granddaughter have quality time together. They were so close and I”m grateful for that. My mom was the best grandmother in the entire world.

 christmas 2010,,mom and my daughter

That morning at 5:25 am, I was sitting in the chair watching my mom breathe/sleep (she had come in and out of the sleep coma ) and she opened her eyes and looked over at me with the biggest smile and opened her mouth like she was so excited and then looked upwards like she was seeing someone she knew..she then looked at me again and smiled…then she was gone. I know she saw both her dad and my dad. That was the best gift my mom had ever gotten and its what she had been wanting for years since she lost my dad. She was finally with the two men who loved her so much.

Leaving behind her two girls in the room (and my sister in law was with us that evening/morning too…grateful she was here )…we said our goodbyes to the woman who had the best birthday party and Christmas ever.

So as I sit here tonite wondering why I’ve been so sad lately when I have so much to be grateful for, I’m reminded that I”m human. I’ve lost both my parents and I feel very alone this holiday for the first time in my 51 years. My daughter is now married, my parents are gone, and the new generation/chapter begins. Hearing the Christmas songs this year takes on different meanings. I feel like I”ve been abandoned in some ways and lost in others.

 me at 10

 

I only wish I had enjoyed my younger years more and not wasted so many nights worrying….like I’ve been doing tonite…but at least tonite I know what the worry is about…its about heartbreak, change and life.

  i’m feeding my baby i got for christmas in this picture….notice the bottle.

 

Mom and dad get to celebrate her birthday and Christmas for the first time together in 13 years, so I have to be happy for them and not selfish for us.

Treasure your family, embrace their good, forgive for their bad, and be grateful for one more day.

Merry Christmas mom and dad…and Happy Birthday mom.

childhood christmas photos of my brother and me.

Happy Holidays to you all

 

love,

lee

 

We decided to go back to my moms family roots for Thanksgiving.  My mom passed away in January and her favorite nephew,Bill and his wife Tommie drove up from Kentucky to  say their final ” goodbye ” to her a few days before she passed away. My husband and I decided /planned to take a road trip with my daughter and her husband to go down memory lane for and pay my respects to my mothers life .

As a child we would load up in the early dark marking hours . Mom would pack sandwiches and daddy would fill two milk cartons cut in half with frozen water and bring the ice pick.  That was our ice for the road trip that we were about to embark upon. I can remember driving thru Afton Oklahoma and we would stop at Buffalo Ranch. It was only fitting that we started that direction on this road trip.  We found out that Buffalo Ranch is not the same as it was in years past ..its now a convenient store. Broke my heart. Buffalo still there, but just not the same.

It use to be an old fun trading post. Sure the buffalo are still there, but not like it use to be so I was disappointed.  On my childhood trips we would stop at a place in Missouri called Hillbilly Junction. This is when my mother would get very angry at me. I would run inside and get into the toys and place a corn cob pipe in my mouth and start talking differently trying to have an accent. Yes I got into trouble and rightfully so..but it was good memories. We would buy our Daniel Boone skin hats. So on this trip I was excited to show everyone. We arrived and it was out of business.Another  disappointment. Things change…all things.

We took Norman…he goes with us everywhere we go in the United States. He is such a great little travel guy!

 

I started having the memories of  my brother and I and how we would start the process of ” stay on your side”  ” momma he hit me” and the long trip began . After a few hours I was driving my daughter crazy in the back seat just like I did my brother!

My mom would make my dad stop at every antique store along the way.Sometimes he would stay outside but I would always go inside with my mother   There was one shop I always remember because it was an elderly man who lived next door and we had to always knock on his door to have him open his shop next door.  So off we go…” Mom I’m going home for thanksgiving “.

 Antique stores along the way.

loved finding this! 

On this trip, We found a quaint old cafe along the way and we stopped since we were starving. We stepped inside and it was like walking back in time. I spoke with the owner, she worked at this cafe when she was younger and later decided to purchase it and turn it back into how it “use to be”.I had breakfast for lunch…due to breakfast is served all day. The boys had burgers and enjoyed them. Pie looked  amazing, but we were too stuffed for pie.

 

Another fun stop was Patty’s 1880 settlement…it was like a mini Dollywood…it made me laugh. It had the gift shop of a cracker barrel, and the food of an amazing restaurant. Bread was served in clay flower pots, their famous pork chop was 2 inches high with their famous sauce and their pie, well, lets just say it was amazing. So much for my rules on me eating only organic…that went right down the drain.

We stopped at Elizabeth town for coffee. A charming coffee shop was along the way. My husband didn’t get to enjoy it because he “thought” he had lost his credit card so he totally freaked out and was outside on the phone the entire time…it was in his wallet.

 

Our favorite town along the way was Bardstown. The boys found a few bourbon places to spend time and my daughter and I found some darling little shops. We also visited My Old Kentucky Home…it was not busy due to the holiday approaching, so the workers were getting all of the lights ready for the next day. I can say we will return to this charming town indeed.

 The guys  sampling the bourbon

 No wonder the guys loved this place.

We made it to my mothers home town. Stanford Kentucky. I spent many summers here as a child.

 I love this home. Kentucky architecture is beautiful.

My mother was raised on a tobacco farm. I have some of my grandfathers tools from the place today. Its changed a lot, so it was sad to see its not the way it use to be. We went into the small quaint town. I had found a photo of my mom from the 50’s and my daughter and I found the exact spot where it was taken and had our photo taken there too.

my mom in the 50’s…and my daughter and I today in front of the same building!!!!!

We also found the old building where the department store was located that my mother sold my dad a “belt” and it was love at first sight from that day forward.

 The old storefront that my mom worked and met daddy.

Stanford is a cute little town…not many shops there, but a darling restaurant, a cute soda fountain with original pharmacy, and a lovely shop where they make soap in the basement. Charming, quaint, and to know my mom walked the same steps as my daughter and I were walking made us feel like she would be proud we were there in her “shoes”. The Stanford courthouse is beautiful. I remember climbing the steps as a child.

We met a lot of my moms family in front of the courthouse and then walked across the street to the original soda fountain for lunch!

Here is the creek that my cousin Tammy and I use to play in when we were little..we would spend hours in this creek. I would take Barbie dolls and pretend that the “moss” was their carpet!

Here is the small church my mother attended growing up.  My mothers family name is Berry…its where we got the name for her gift shop that she owned for so many years was called..”The Berry Patch.”

We then headed off to Williamsburg Kentucky to see my mothers favorite nephew and his wife. We ate a lovely thanksgiving dinner with him and his family. His home is beautiful right in the hills of the Cumberland Falls area, which we of course stopped and hiked but it got too dark…thats another story for another day!  His house is one that my mother was always proud to say was her nephews and it is filled with love and joy in the hills of Kentucky. His new barn is a lovely addition that makes it seem like something in a Norman Rockwell Painting.

 My mothers nephews land/barn Cumberland Falls.

 

 My cousin Tammy that I haven’t seen in years!

 My cousin Tonya that I haven’t seen in years!

It was a great trip with my daughter and her new husband, our new son in law and many laughs were had by us all in the “road trip”. Sitting in the back seat with my daughter made me feel like a child again…except it was laughing with my daughter and not my brother like I did as a child.

 

Momma, we went back home….just for you..

Hoping all of you had a great Thanksgiving just like we did in our family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank you notes. I found 2 old thank you notes last week under my seat in my car..My heart sank…2 people don’t think I”m grateful now. I hate that feeling…but I also hate the feeling of not getting thank you notes.

Did that bride get her gift?? Did that couple appreciate the party we threw for them? Did that family get the flowers we sent them after the loss of their loved one? Some will never know because they were never sent a thank you note.

Emily post was a real living person in my household…I seriously thought she was a relative that lived far away for so long that I had just never met. My mother stressed manners to me so much that I would sometimes cry. Today I”m grateful she did. I had to refer to Etiquette books all during my childhood to make sure I was doing everything appropriate..this today is what has helped me to love to entertain, chair events, give parties for events, etc..its fun and always appreciated due to knowing the etiquette manner on how to do things properly. Thank you notes are my number one pet peeve when people don’t respond to something.

I’ve stressed this to my daughter and she writes thank you notes EVEN to me when I give her things…just reassures me I’ve done a good job in that area!

Many people don’t realize what people go thru to get a gift to you…the time it takes..the patience to wait for something to be wrapped..the cost…and so on and so on.

In todays crazy world, some think that an email saying thank you is okay…well its NOT…an email is something easy..that doesn’t take the place of a card in the mail.

Proper thank you notes mean you really are grateful for the person for taking the time to think of you, taking the time to do something for you, for your family, etc. and its written in YOUR handwriting, not a computers..its personal. Its called gratitude, being gracious, appreciative, thankful…so advice…get out the writing pen, look up someones address, get a stamp and SAY THANK YOU THE PROPER WAY!

  

For those of you that know me, you know I am an avid fan of Chanel items…yes I know…I know..she was FRENCH!

My chanel collection..just a little peek. I need to replace some missing stones 

   
 Coco Chanel opened her very first boutique in England in the fancy smancy area of Mayfair in the 1920’s…and there was a “man” behind her opening up that boutique. Many aren’t aware she got her start making hats. The man that admired her fell in love fast.  

   
 “He” bought her a home in the Mayfair area. His name was Hugh Grosvenor (yes, he owned the land that the Grosvenor hotel is  located) Grosvenor was also the 2nd Duke of Westminster….and so the legend goes.

Grosvenor met “Coco” at a party in Monte Carlo and was smitten. He fell fast…and the rest…well theres lots of “mystery” and speculation. He built her a massive villa in France on land that he bought just for her. He opened her boutique in his “area” of London which was Mayfair. During her involvement with Grosvenor, she began her design of her now famous tweeds which originate from the English influence. 

Legend has it that the city light poles in the Westminster area of London have the “W” logo for Westminster, along with the double C…which as we all know is the chanel logo. Many deny this saying that the poles weren’t put up until the 1950’s…but do we know if they were actually MADE earlier than that??? I thought this the other evening..just because something is INSTALLED on a certain date  doesn’t mean it wasn’t made earlier…years earlier…it sure would save them money to put up poles that were made years ago rather than pay to have new ones made.

They LOOK OLD…THEY ARE OLD…so thats my theory…a mystery with a hidden meaning of love behind the CC logo and the Westminster logo. Only Coco and Hugh know.

What does the city of Westminster say about this legend??  They claim the CC logo stands for CITY COUNCIL…hummm….okay…I get that…but it is the classic trademark of chanel…isn’t there a trademark law against that??? And I can’t find ANYTHING with the double c logo on the city council of Westminster! EVER! 

To think Mr Grosvenor was in love with Coco and had the poles made as a symbol of his devotion to her is more the story I want to believe and one that I “choose” to believe….you be the judge…TO CC or not to CC….only Mr. Grosvenor knows for sure…and probably Coco…and I have a feeling the city council does too, maybe those from years ago on the council……Love..it makes the world go around…and around…and around even on a pole!

  

I  have to admit..i wasn’t a big Beatrix Potter fan at all…I think because I’ve seen those rabbits and such all over every department store and I am not one to like having what everyone else has…although I know when my daughter was small, someone did buy her the set of books…which we never read! I judged a book by its cover ….I LOVE THIS WOMAN NOW!  And it all stems from visiting her home, her village, walking the road she walked and seeing the land she donated to….THE LAKE DISTRICT!!  The lake district in England exists because of this woman! We stumbled upon a lovely looking tudor hotel. Her mothers home where we stayed    Come to find out it was the home that Beatrix Potter had bought for her mother..the charming man told us the entire story of her mother living there and we then soaked in the history! Helen Beatrix Potter was born into a very wealthy Family in Kensington..(this is the area we stay when we are in London..MY FAV). Her father was a barrister, and was an avid photographer on the side. She was taught by private governesses until the age of 18. This woman was a mere genius. She loved drawing, favouring watercoulors, but spent numerous hours studying fossils, insects, and archaeological artifacts…she was intrigued by these things. Her family spent their “holiday”time in the summers visiting Scotland and the private lake district in England. She had numerous pets. Mice, rabbits, hedgehogs , bats and butterflies…her one rabbits, “Peter” would accompany her on the train to take trips..she led him by a “leash”…I’m not kidding! She was engaged once but called it off due to her family did not approve of the man…he was her “editor” ..she then married later in life at age 47 (!!!)  to a respected solicitor.  They were married for 30 years. She used the proceeds from her books and an inheritance from an aunt to purchase  a farm called “Hill Top” and didn’t want to give up this small cottage once she was married…so instead she and her husband bought a larger home down the road and she “kept” the small cottage to be her “getaway office”  Many of her “writings” took place here.If you visit Hilltop, (It just within the past few years became open to the public) upon entering you’re given a lecture on not to take photos…take it from me..don’t take photos..i just couldn’t resist and I got caught…embarrassed yes, regretful, no.  Photo I wasn’t suppose to take!   Beatrix left her entire cottage to the National Trust with instructions to not move or change a thing inside…this is why I wanted the pictures!  Its a very small dark cottage..yet charming..creaky and real to its authenticity. Beside each window lies one of her authentic books…we were told she would look out the window and whatever she would see would inspire her to write a story…thus the story of her animals. She was a lover of sheep and raised them. She became the first woman president of the Herdwick Sheep Association but passed away before she could serve. Her family would rent Wray Castle near Ambleside in the Lake District when she was young…we went there too!  I fell in love…it wasn’t your “normal” castle..it was “normal”…you could touch anything you wanted because its almost empty..there was a huge room that children can play dress up and color on the tables and make crowns..theres a small deli downstairs to grab some crisps…its large, but not stuffy..it overlooks the most beautiful setting with all the sheep BAHHHHHING in the background.  Wray Castle the castle was lovely, not stuffy!children making paper crowns i’ve sold TONS like this!we have furniture like this all the time!  grand staircase We hiked the trails…lovely..hiked past the lake…breathtaking. Wray is very comfortable and family friendly unlike most castles that are open to the public…its like a “small town castle”!! In 1895 Beatrix developed her own theory regarding fungus spores and their germination…nobody would give her the time of day….in those days, women played no role in that type of position and research..think what she could have done in todays world!  in 1997 she received  an apology from a professional science group in England (yes after she had passed away) saying how they were deeply sorry for the sexism displayed in her research….a little late people!  But they had found out all her research was indeed correct! Beatrix was a very interesting woman, kept to herself and her animals much of the time, wrote, did research and loved the English countryside. She passed away in 1943 on a very cold snowy day in December from pneumonia and heart complications due to the village doctor couldn’t get to her in time because of the weather.  Her legacy lives on even today with her books and all the memorabilia. She left over 4k acres to the National Trust and it preserved what is called the Lake District today. More women need to be like this woman and what a wonderful world of passion, art, and legacy left to others would be felt in the world today. Below are photos of the Wray Castle “in the time period” that Beatrice would visit with her family. Cheers to Helen Beatrix Potter…now go out and buy your child/grandchild a Peter Cottontail stuffed animal tomorrow!

We recently decided to drive somewhere “different” in England. I thought we had seen all the beauty of England but I was wrong. I was very wrong. The Lake District  (Cumbria) is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in England. And trust me, I say that about everyplace we go, so I’m sure you’ve heard it before if you’ve been a fan for a while. But seriously, this place was GORGEOUS!  It was a crisp cool day that turned very windy and cold…we had to pull out our jacket and stocking caps in MAY!!  How SPLENDID!!  The next day it was fine, no hats!  We drove the entire area, and I got sucked into doing all of the Beatrix Potter tourist sites that I swore I wasn’t going to do..(more on this in another blog later).  The flowers in the Lake District are amazing…literally amazing..William Wordsworth was born in this area and returned to this area. He wrote  his poetry from inspirations of his surroundings. We visited his grave and his church. “It” was amazing.The area is full of the most lovely bed and breakfasts…we stayed at Beatrix Potters home for a night.  It was called Lindeth House.  (More on that too later in another blog) and then we found “IT”…we were driving down a curvy road and I screamed STOP!  Of course my husband panicked..then realized its just me and my silly excitement of seeing something I like…(this happens a lot when we are in England)…He kept driving, then turned around and took me to “IT.  My heart went pitter patter and I was in love. “It”was an amazing sight.

We got out of our car and I started running to look at the grounds. LANGDALE CHASE… The foundation stone was laid in 1890, and the lady told me that it took 5 years to complete this house. It opened as a public hotel in 1930. Floors inlaid from Italy, it was the location for Alfred Hitchcocks production of “The Paradine Case”. Amazing massive oil paintings, exquisite fireplaces and furniture that looks like it came from my store in good ‘ol Oklahoma!  I swear many of you have the exact pieces in your home!  “It was amazing to see such beautiful furnishings.

Anyway this was a fabulous find…we sat outside and enjoyed this peaceful, serene location and was blown away by the beauty of nature. Windermere Lake is a fabulous find, and we are glad to have found this area that we had never been to before. We enjoyed the lovely hotel that was once Beatrix Potters mothers home (she left TONS of land to the lake district..like I said more on this later)..and finding the most BEAUTIFUL place we’ve stayed…”IT WAS PERFECT!”

One thing I love about England …the “gates”..every drive, every garden has a gate…all gates lead to something mysterious and lovely ahead..whether it be a beautiful  flat or an english garden or a massive manor, the gate is the welcoming “first impression” of many entrances and driveways many times before the front door.  In my neighborhood which is historic, we don’t have gates to our front doors,  but many of us have gates to our driveways. There is something regal about a beautiful wrought iron gate that swings open once you pull into the driveway. There is something charming about a lovely wooden rustic english garden gate that opens into an area of greenery and the smell of flowers. If you don’t have a gate on your property, add one, whether it be behind a garage or to the side of your house, add a gate. Let others wonder “whats behind the gate”. Below are photos of some lovely gates I saw on our last trip, and a photo of our english fence/gate in the snow this last January! Many of you that know me know that I kept my mother in my home while she was ill and every morning she would sit and drink coffee staring out into our backyard at the beautiful snow in January..these photos were taken during that time.. Once she passed away, 2 cardinals have been seen on the gate daily. Once I can capture them I will post that photo as well. I designed our curved iron english fence and gate, as it  may not be in England, it sure reminds and takes me there when I see it which makes me happy. The authentic street sign “High Street” is the term used for the “main streets” in England.The rest of the photos are of different gates I saw during my last trip to England. You never know whats “behind the gate”. Enjoy!