Yard sale!

I found a table at a yard sale today!  It's a beautiful antique and it should be perfect for Kate's new apartment.

Kate and I were looking at her apartment online yesterday and noticed there was NO kitchen table!  Weird, huh?  There's just an island counter with stools but it didn't look like it could fit six people!  So I had "kitchen table" on the brain when I'm drove Alexander to lacrosse this morning.  I saw a table quite similar to this one at a yard sale:

Kate's table is actually square and in much better shape but otherwise, it's identical (and very heavy!) I figure, if it's too big, either they can keep the leaves down and use it for a TV stand, or, I can take it back home with me.  :)

The young lady selling the table was sure her grandmother would be mad about the sale but I reassured her that it was going to a good home with someone who would love it.  (Poor Grandma!)

So for only $25, Kate's got a small kitchen table and a very fine antique all at the same time.  Yay!!  Now for some kitchen chairs or benches.......

Contagion and Bailouts

You ready for Round 2?  Watch what happens slowly (or not so slowly) when Greece defaults or gets its debt restructured.  Watch when banks all over the EU have to be bailed out just as American banks did because of bad lending practices to countries with bad borrowing practices.

European debt inter-connectivity

Here's a couple articles to read:
The first is not so dire  http://seekingalpha.com/article/275579-the-countdown-to-sovereign-debt-write-offs-has-started


The second is a little more alarmist  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-lenzner/the-contagion-of-writeoff_b_879638.html

Either way, I don't see Greece changing its' behavior anytime soon so who knows what they're going to do?  Imagine the strike/angry labor situations when their government can't borrow at all?  Yikes!
  

Are you planning to visit Greece anytime soon?  Kalí tíhi!  
And for heaven's sake, don't get stuck in one of those mini  elevators during a Greek strike.  Takes a while for the police to find someone to get you out.  Trust me.

To be an American

Happy Birthday, America!!

After a weekend filled with festivities celebrating the birth of our nation, I heard two stories - first, this one about massive famine in the horn of africa and then, this one about corruption and graft in India. (The second describes a really cool website called I Paid A Bribe.com in India.)  I have visited Russia twice and both times got pulled over by one of the policemen that stand in each intersection with their little white sticks, ostensibly to direct traffic.  

Of course, what they're really doing is citing drivers for mostly fictitious traffic violations and soliciting bribes.

I think Americans like to complain about politics and pigheadedness but in the end, we are neither starving nor paying a bribe to a policeman every time we get pulled over.  And I know arguing is American as well but let's be polite to each other, shall we?  That's American as well.

Don't be snooty

Don't crow about your "sustainable garden and free-range whatever."  That's just a snooty way to describe what these folks (Old-Time Gardeners)  have been doing for years;  right here in good 'ole Utah!  Imagine that.

Fence designs

I'm trying to narrow down my fence choices for the garden.  It has to keep dogs,  kids and soccer balls out, look beautiful behind my flowers and make a nice background in KP's photographs.  I know, that's a lot to expect from one little fence.  

What do you think of these?

All wood with an architectural design.  Maybe too modern for the plantings I want?

Traditional white picket - a bit boring?

Simple and a bit non-traditional -unstained/unpainted wood

Some metal+wood combinations that are simple and appealing in an agrarian sort of way.  Imagine a dark brown stain on them?

Classical iron which seems really dressy and a bit too fussy/Victorian but still really appealing

Different/interesting wood slats in a darker stain

Untreated plain pickets (with the view of flowers growing through which I absolutely LOVE!) If I build it, will the birds come??

Two examples of concave white picket fences - no vinyl though. Don't get me started.

White wooden grids which make me think Peter Rabbit is going to jump out at any moment

Convex white picket fences - the monkey grass reminds me of Memphis! And the daisies are gorgeous! (Or are they brown-eyed susans??) 

We saw a fence in Midway that we went ga-ga over - totally nontraditional, picket slats turned sideways.  I'll try to get a picture up here soon.  It had some sort of green old-looking paint on it.

I'd also like my garden fence to match with my trellis and perimeter fence so I guess that means a lot more staining/painting is in my future.  Where's Julian when I need him?  :)