Open Letter to Glenbrook Valley

Friends, Leaving Houston, and more specifically Glenbrook Valley, was bittersweet. The past few years have been a magical time. Sabrina said before we left that she wanted things to stay the same, and how I understand that! Glenbrook Valley is neighborhood, rich with history and people. Many have lived here in GBV for a long …

Scout and Finley

Fortunate Fall

Here it is, almost Halloween, and no one has posted since July 4th. The long, hot summer has pulled people inside their air-conditioned homes in the first neighborhood in Houston to feature central air-conditioning. Fall in Houston is glorious. Those of us who hail from colder climes don’t always catch those subtleties that mark seasonal …

Taliesin West

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Actually, this was my summer few days off, but what the heck! I wasn’t working! This week provided a very special treat. I got to go to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Arizona home. I’ve been a Wright fan all my life. I grew up in Wisconsin, which is peppered with his buildings all across …

blue-bottomed cups

Mid-Century Memories

When I was little, growing up in Cary, Illinois, Wednesday night was grocery night. Mom and Grandma and I (and later my little sister) climbed into the Ford Fairlane for the trek into Crystal Lake to the Piggly Wiggly with that wonderful googie zig-zag roof. If we were good, Grandma treated us to sundaes at …

Fifty Years Ago Today

Elvis turned 26. Nixon declared JFK the next president of the United States. Johnny Griffith was named head coach for UGA. There were large fires in both Santa Fe and San Francisco (Both have the initials “SF.” Coincidence? I don’t think so.) Wonder what was going on in Glenbrook Valley? It’s the twelfth day of …

Redemption

Lately, while redeeming frequent flyer miles and points earned from credit card purchases, I wondered if this was a post-modern version of S&H green stamps, and my thoughts drifted back to 1965. Every Wednesday, my mother, grandmother and I were rewarded for our supermarket excursion by sheets of green perforated stamps in numbers corresponding to …

jingledangleturquoise

Deck the Halls!

As I was surfing Tonic Living this morning, I found these fabulous holiday fabrics.  Next year, I think we’ll slipcover everything! Green for the living room, and turquoise for the den.  Jingle all the way!  

blow mold santa

‘Tis the Season

The holiday season has arrived in Glenbrook Valley.  Neighbors scurry about, hanging lights from the eaves and trees and anything else they can find. In the Northeast quadrant, there’s a singing Santa on Santa Elena across from a sago palm turned Christmas tree decked with with glossy metallic balls.  Further down the street are a Blow Mold …

A Moment of Thanks

A friend, whom I respect a great deal, recently told me writes down five things for which she is thankful at the end of each day.  Once again, she has given me something to think about, especially in this season of Thanksgiving. My parents always believed Thanksgiving was a time when, true to “over the …