“Safety first for this Miss, Washington, D.C.[,] August 8[, 1936]. Equipped with bumpers fore and aft, 4-year-old Betty Buck is taking [no] unnecessary chances as she tries her first pair of roller skates.” Photo and caption by Harris & Ewing, via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
April trees
A repeat post from April 2013. . .
Our two days in Chicago were windy (of course) and occasionally damp, and very few trees had even begun to leaf out.
But I was taken by this arboreal display of blue outside the Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue.
The ribbons were tied in the trees and along the fence in memory of the 28,828 children of Illinois who were abused last year.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month in the U.S. You can get more information here.
ADDENDUM: The blue ribbons are in the trees outside the church this year (2017) as well.
this is the garden: colours come and go,
frail azures fluttering from night’s outer wing. . .— e.e. cummings, “This is the Garden“
The daisy
“Girl blowing bubbles on a daisy at Harvey’s,” Toronto, Ontario, June 25, 1916, by John Boyd, via Library and Archives Canada Commons under CC license.
In a vase on Monday: the mermaid
I got up this morning determined to make an arrangement for this cute little Majolica-style vase that I bought at the Saturday flea market. I found these flowers growing in the grass and along the fence in the backyard.
They include primroses, wood anemones, sweet woodruff, and a tulip.
By the time I had everything assembled, I had lost the good morning light inside. So I spent some time wandering around the house looking for a bright place to take pictures. At one point I was in the linen closet. By 2:00 p.m., I was back in the living room with one-half of the curtains pulled back.
The vase is about 8″ (20 cm.) tall. I say “Majolica-style” because after an hour (or two) on the internet I was no closer to figuring out if it is real or fake. It cost only €8, so I suspect the latter.
I does seem to have some age, so maybe it’s at least an old fake.
I love the mermaid or siren handle.
She needs tiny pasties.
If anyone reading knows anything about Majolica pottery, I would love to have your opinion.
To see what other garden bloggers have put in vases today, please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
The Sunday porch: Tampa, Florida
“Firemen aboard truck,” Tampa, Florida, October 1919, via Florida Memory Commons on flickr (State Library and Archives of Florida).
It’s not about the firetruck — snazzy as it is — but that trellis mounted over the front porch behind it. Was it simply ornamental, or did the vines help keep the porch and house cooler?
enclos*ure 