Making lace....

How it was made by machine a long, long time ago:

It is difficult for us to imagine the value that our ancestors placed on handmade lace. Always highly prized for its extraordinary beauty and intricate patterns, lace was considered quite a dear commodity until lace-making machines largely destroyed the market for handmade lace. Ancient Egyptian art depicts lace hairnets at about 2,000 B.C . Ancient Babylonian and Assyrian costumes include knotted ornamental braiding and knotting. Lacy fabrics were used nearly 2,000 years ago. By the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical clothing and textiles included lace, as well as exquisite and expensive clothing from the fifteenth century until the early nineteenth century. Particularly complicated and expensive, clothing laces were made by hand in the 1600s and 1700s. Laces made from fine Flemish linen were most highly prized and fortunes were spent on the acquisition of exquisite clothing laces. Sumptuary Laws, which restricted the wearing of gold, silver, jewels, an silk, boosted the popularity of lace, which was often made of plain white linen thread.

By the early nineteenth century, the British were successfully producing machine-made laces with the production of a knitted net. As the machine-made laces became more common, the hand lace-maker could not compete with the low prices of the new laces and the craft waned in popularity. Astonishingly, some old machine made lace imitated the handmade laces to a remarkable degree and sometimes can only be distinguished from the handmade lace by its relentless regularity of pattern (handmade laces incorporate human flaws).

This machine net could then be embroidered or appliqued by hand. By 1870, several other machine-made lace machines were in production, supplying Americans as well as Europeans with relatively inexpensive lace, including lace curtains. Nottingham lace curtains, with their characteristic square mesh ground, were imported into the United States by at least 1870. By the 1880s, it was affordable and considered a mark of good taste to purchase curtains for the Victorian parlor. By the early 1900s, lace curtains had peaked in popularity and fell from favor—they were a commodity that many had tired of and were associated with those of lesser means who wanted to appear ostentatious.
Today, lace curtains are popular once again. Still prized for their airy beauty, lace curtains permit light to filter through the window, while still providing privacy. Some lace curtain companies offer patterns that have been in machine production for 140 years.

Soruce: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Lace-Curtain.html


Wish I could have had my Grandmother's Irish lace curtains. My Mom had them and they were washed, starched  and hung on curtain stretcher to dry.

Us older gals remember seeing these set up in the back yard::

 We were always told to say away from them because of the hundreds of 

sharp tacks that held the curtains on!

:o)

Today's funny :o)

:o)

Now there are two....

...... Laverne passed quietly late yesterday morning. 

I'm going to miss her.

After we buried her, I power-washed and disinfected the coop, the pen and the run. I usually do this in October and again in the Spring, but now was a good time.

 When it was dry, all fresh shavings, straw and hay was put down.

 Charlie and Maude didn't even wait until I was finished!

 All clean! It actually smells good in there!

I'll order six new baby chicks in the Spring.

:o)

Yikes! Giant slugs!

Giant, hot-pink slugs found in Australia

The bizarre 8-inch creatures exist only in the alpine forest of Mount Kaputar in New South Wales.

Photo: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

Australia is home to some of the world’s most unique wildlife, from flightless birds capable of disemboweling a man to giant glow-in-dark earthworms. Now a new creature can be added to that list: large, bright pink slugs.

The existence of 8-inch fluorescent pink slugs on Mount Kaputar, a 5,000-foot peak in New South Wales, has only recently been confirmed.

Locals had long reported seeing the bizarre slugs after rainfall, but taxonomists just verified that Triboniophorus aff. graeffei is unique to the mountain’s alpine forest.

"As bright pink as you can imagine, that's how pink they are,” Michael Murphy, a ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "On a good morning, you can walk around and see hundreds of them, but only in that one area."

Scientists believe the slugs are survivors from an era when eastern Australia was home to rainforests. The creatures probably would have died out if a volcano hadn’t erupted in the area millions of years ago.
“The result of that eruption is a high-altitude haven for invertebrates and plant species that have been isolated for millions of years, after Australia dried out and the rainforests receded,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

At night, the slugs crawl up trees to feed on mold and moss, and while their bright pink coloration might seem detrimental to their survival, scientists say the fluorescent hue is actually beneficial. Fallen eucalyptus leaves are red and help hide the organism from predators.

Today's funny :o)

:o)

The Stump: Part Duex

Hubby was back to the stump yesterday - it sure is big!

 Here is is trying to hop off some of the roots:

 Yay! He finally got it out of the ground!  :o)

 Just one of the pike of rocks that were in the roots:

Laverne is still alive.

 I had to clean the coop out - it was pretty smelly, so I put her in the pen on  a pile of fresh hay near the water. Charlie and Maude came out from under the deck to see what was going on.

 Maude walked over and laid down next to Laverne:

They took a nap together:

I guess they can tell when something is wrong. 

I placed her back in the coop for the night. I hope she goes in her sleep. 

Will find out later this morning.

Then and now

Old buildings fascinate me

and I often wonder if they are still standing.

 With the help of Google Earth I can!

These are in New York city:

300 East 42nd Street, adjoining and at the S.E. corner of Second Avenue, including, at the left, part of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, and showing the western end of the Prospect Hill tunnel. September 9, 1928.

~~~~~~~~~~~

9-45 Mott Street, west side, between Park and Bayard Streets. (Pell Street, is shown on the east side of the Street, and terminating there.) October 8, 1933.

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Canal Street #54-58 - Orchard Street, southwest corner

~~~~~~~~~~

1932

62-66 Hester Street, at, adjoining and east of the S.E. corner of Orchard Street. No. 64 Hester Street, adjoining the S.E. corner of Orchard Street, is a 3-story frame house with a brick front. 1932.

I'd like to make this a sometimes feature.

What do YOU think? Interested?

:o)

Today's funny :o)

A big H/T To Wild River!!!

:o)

A massive tree stump

Hubby is still trying to get rid of the stump left over from the tree he took down a while back.

 There were so many rocks entwined with the tree roots. He couldn't use the chainsaw to 

cut  them up, so he has to use the trusty axe,

He works on that old stump every day for a couple of hours!

 Lots and lots of roots to get rid of before he can get under it with the backhoe.

 Some leaves are starting to change a wee bit:

 Maude and Charlie.

Laverne hasn't come out of the coop for two days now. I put food, water and

 her favorite treats in there for her, but she isn't eating or drinking. 

She just wants to sleep. It will be soon....

Easy Listening for a Sunday Afternoon

Frank

Gosh - I love those old screwball comedies!

:o)

At the Hop!

The Tymes!

The Tymes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tymes
The Tymes in 1969
Background information
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	R&B, soul
Years active	1956–present
Labels	Cameo-Parkway, Columbia, RCA, MGM
Members	Albert Berry Norman Burnett
Past members	Donald Banks (deceased) George Hilliard (deceased) George Williams (deceased)

The Tymes are an American soul vocal group, who enjoyed equal success in the United Kingdom and in their homeland. They share the distinction of being one of the few acts to have one and only one chart-topper in both the US and UK with different titles^.

Early career

The group was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1956 as the Latineers, by Donald Banks, Albert Berry, Norman Burnett, and George Hilliard. After a four year stint on Philadelphia's club circuit, they recruited a new lead vocalist, George Williams in 1960, and changed their name to The Tymes.^[2]
The Tymes had hits in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s with songs such as "So Much in Love", a US chart topper and million-seller in 1963, "Wonderful Wonderful", a remake of the Johnny Mathis classic hit from 1957, "Somewhere", "You Little Trustmaker" and "Ms Grace". The last of these became the group's biggest UK hit, reaching Number One in the UK Singles Chart in 1975 but barely dented the Billboard Hot 100 after the success of "So Much in Love". "Ms Grace", while only charting modestly in the US, was and remains a regional hit with the Carolina Beach Music scene.
The Tymes were also The Jewels, as in Billy Abbott and The Jewels, whose only Hot 100 and Cashbox Top 100 entry was "Groovy Baby" in July 1963^.

Later career

Their song "So Much in Love" was elected to the Songs of the Century in 2001. In 2005 The Tymes were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. The Tymes continue to perform with surviving original members Berry and Burnett. The group appeared on the 2003 PBS special My Music: Love Songs of the 50s and 60s, one of the last times all five original members performed live.

Deceased members

• George Williams - born George Reginald Williams Jr, December 6, 1935, Philadelphia — died July 28, 2004, Maple Shade, New Jersey - Lead vocalist
• Donald Banks - died October 7, 2011, aged 72 - bass
• George Hilliard - died September 24, 2014, age 73
•  

:o)

Friday Night Steam

Really think you are going to enjoy this one! If I ever had a chance to ride on a "Big Boy" or a Shay,
I don't know which one I would choose..... Decisions, decisions....

:o)

Today's funny :o)

:o)

A new hen???

Who's this?

 It's Charlie! He lost the last long tail feather!

 Now he looks just like a hen!

This is Laverne - she has really, really slowed down. I have to wash her butt every day because she sleeps laying down so darn much the poop clogs her vent. She always takes a good poopie after she's clean. She doesn't even run away when she sees me with the little bucket of soap and washcloth.

Charlie's neck feathers are really starting to come in now!

He's fun to tease  because he is sooo cranky! The treat is being held just out of his reach!

(Makes up for all the times he has attacked the back of my leg!)

After treat time, Maude and Charlie sit on their branch....

 ... and Laverne goes into a nest box to take another nap:

:o)