2007 October

Apartment Patio Decorating

I moved from a house with a yard to an apartment with a tiny patio in September. I wanted something colorful & fun to put out on the patio (decorating a tiny patio can be challenging sometimes) so I bought a hot air balloon with a long hanging down spinner tail – it is gorgeous! It took me several minutes to figure out how to place everything together to get it to look right but that is a me thing – I am not good at putting things together and pictures do not even help me much LOL

I have a nice breeze out there much of the time so it turns in the wind and the tail spins – I have gotten several compliments on it and neighbors asking me where I got it. I got the one that reminds me of the Texas Lone Star flag … being in Texas, I think about things like that … plus it is very colorful and noticeable against the beige-ish tannish building. Even when there is no breeze and it just hangs there, it looks great.

I’m not decorating for Halloween this year – I bought the neatest skeleton bone wind chimes for my daughter’s house which they hung up right outside the front door – I will be going over to their house to hand out candy while they take my grandson trick or treating plus living in an apartment – it seems rather pointless to me to decorate for the holiday this year … maybe I am just being lazy so I won’t ahve to take the stuff back down in teh middle of the week since Halloween is on a Wednesday this year.

I bought some lighted candy canes to put up outside for Christmas though – this apartment has an outdoor electric plug on the patio! This is the first apt that I have ever seen do that and it is wonderful! I am looking forward to decorating the patio for Christmas – my hot air balloon will fit right in though because it is in red white & blue. I have some green pretend fir bough wraps for the railing and a lovely window to show the Christmas tree – my view is the courtyard where everyone walks so it will be seen by lots of people! I just love having Christmas trees in the window to share with passers-by.

tags: hot air balloon, patio, decorating

Posted under Texas

This post was written by Barbara Burns on October 28, 2007

Dogs and Running for Joy

Running for joy is something that dogs do quite easily and often. My Sugar Plum is now running on the end of a leash since we moved to the apt but she is still running out there. She runs for joy here inside the apt too. My grandson came over to spend the night last night – at bedtime, he’s trying to get in bed to go to sleep and she got all excited – she started running all over the apt hopping & bouncing on the bed and playing about 10 or 15 minutes – he’s laughing at her – every time she would start to stop then he would start moving the quilt as if getting into bed – off she would go again in a running for joy frenzy. She LOVES him and she was so happy he was here.

There is nothing quite so hilarious or heartwarming as watching a dog and a boy play together – even if it is time to go to bed and go to sleep It is truly uplifting to watch dogs running for joy too! A friend of mine painted a glorious painting of these two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels running – you can see the pure unadulterated joyful spirit they display – the painting is truly a magnificent work of art. She captured their personalities and their sheer pleasure in running – it is a stunning portrait that is a pleasure to just sit and look at to enjoy the happiness contained in this captured moment. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am.