Friday Finds and Random Facts

I spent a couple of hours in a flea market this week. I needed to get out of the house for a while and since it's been so cold again I choose a nice warm place to walk around in!  In the back corner stood this rocking horse. I loved it. If I had a place for it, it might have come home with me. Anyway, this find brought back memories of an old saying that my mom said to me repeatedly. You see, as a child I was always wishing for this or that. She'd say, "If wishes were horses, we'd all ride away."

Fact #1

"If wishes were horses, we'd all ride away." It seems there were many different wordings of this quote that can be traced back to the 16th century. The first version that is close to the modern wording was in James Kelly's Scottish Proverbs, Collected and Arranged in 1721, with the wording "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride". I'm fascinated with the picture below. It looks like I did something painterly to it, but I didn't. It's pretty much SOOC. I did bump up the color a little and add just a smidgen of HDR.  

Fact  #2

I have three sewing machine and I use each of them. My old 1972 Sears Kenmore doesn’t run real smooth, the motor is slipping, but it still appliques beautifully. My 2005 Viking is my go to machine for almost everything else. I love, love, love the sound of this sweet purring machine. And, my 1952 Featherweight Singer I use for all my quilt piecing. This little machine sews such perfect straight stitches.

Fact  #3

The average January temperature for Arkansas is 30.8°F (low) /49.5°F (high). We are well below average this morning...10 degrees. Can you see why I don't mind winter so much? I think and pray for those of you in the extreme cold. I pray that you are safe and warm!

Fact  #4

These annoying little acorns come from a Pin Oak tree. They're tiny and there are bazillions of them! I didn't pile these up, this is the way they cover the ground. I've been trying to get them raked up so I don't have bazillions of tiny oak trees next spring. Only a very small bush rake will gather them up, because they're so tiny they fit between the tines of a regular rake. The leaves are also hard to rake, they're thin and slick.  They're well shaped and shade-giving trees, but they are a lot of trouble. So, if anyone ever asks you if you want a Pin Oak tree...say NO! Although, they do make the squirrels happy.

Fact  #5

I very strongly dislike people who dump their trash along trails and roads. They are just too lazy to do the right thing.  That being said, I think this picture of the sky makes a nice abstract image. It's a broken mirror I spotted beside the trail I walk on.

 Instructions for living a life:

pay attention.

be astonished.

tell about it.

~  Mary Oliver  ~

 Kim is not linking her Friday Finds this week. Her husband who has been in the hospital for an extended period of time is coming home today. I went ahead and posted my finds anyway. I'm so thankful this family will be together at home again!

 

Linking with Nancy for Random 5 Friday