Pic Today 1/5/12

PRESERVING

A FAMILY TRADITION

A "century farm" has been worked and owned

by the same family for 100 years or more.

It's a respect for the land, the home, the barns

and the tradition that has kept it alive

for a century.

The weathered wood. And patched roof.

Rusted plows, root cellar and chicken coop.

There's beauty in the ways of our ancestors.

This is good land.

There's much to teach the children.

Pic Today 1/4/12

SCENES ALONG THE RIVERFRONT

St. Louis.

The mighty Mississippi.

Flood walls.

Landmarks.

Famous night spots.

River barges.

Bicycle paths.

Doorways,

closed for the winter.

But a river never stops.

(Not ever.)

Pic Today 1/3/12

MY FAVORITE

CHRISTMAS YARD DECORATION

It was "no contest" this year . . .

the favorite holiday outdoor decoration

of the neighborhood was Mr. Pinky!

Maybe it will last all winter long,

if it doesn't sleet or snow.

(Yeah right, a winter without snow.

Ha, when pigs fly!)

Pic Today 1/2/12

THIRST IS A DANGEROUS THING

If you're prone to making resolutions

for the new year,

it's best to keep your list short and simple.

It's best summed up by the 19th-century English writer,

Jerome Klapka Jerome,

who wrote Three Men In A Boat.

"Let your boat of life be light."

Pic Today 1/1/12

TURN CHAMPAGNE CORKS

INTO FRENCH CAFE CHAIRS

Here's a fun use for those popped

champagne corks from last night.

Detach the wire wrapping and cap

from the champagne cork.

Just 6 turns of the wire will lift it off.

(Trivia: It always take 6 turns,

no more, no less, to open any sparkling wine

or champagne bottle. No matter the winery or country.)

Just follow the pictures above.

You'll need a wire snips and pliers,

and you can make your own French cafe chair.

(The Chandon chair is my handiwork!)

Voila.

DESIGN WITHIN REACH stores ran a contest

recently, calling for entries of miniature chairs.

Materials: two champagne corks, foil, wire, cap.

No glue, no solder, nothing else.

They received thousands of entries, worldwide.

An exhibit toured their stores across the nation.

(Bottom photo shows 5 entries.)

Bubbly fun!