May 2024 – Karla's Cottage

We will miss you, Steve

By Karla Nathan / May 30, 2024

Isn’t this the cutest? I love Sharon’s grin!

Steve and Sharon had honeymooned at the beach, and for their 40th anniversary, their family rented a beach home and surprised them with a vow renewal and vacation.

Steve was my husband’s big brother, and a great guy who never met a stranger. Steve could talk to anyone, anywhere. He was multi talented, and had a knack in repairing or building just about anything.
There were many times over the years that he bailed us out on fix ups at the cottage, or delved into major remodeling at minor cost to us. Our home wouldn’t be what it is without Steve’s skills.

We lost Steve within a matter of just days after their seaside adventure. He was surrounded by his four kids, wife and a couple of siblings as he left, ringed with love. It all happened much too quickly, just like my sister, Bobbie.

Last fall, Rich and I had healthy brothers and sisters, then my sister’s lung cancer diagnosis came, and she was soon gone. It was discovered that Steve also had lung cancer, not too long after.

She died our mother’s birthday in February.

He died on his dad’s birthday in May.

We are stunned to have such major, and unexpected tears in our family dynamics, losing two beloved people.

Steve, like Bobbie, also had a fantastic group of kids who supported and cared for him through his illness. I am so proud of all these nieces and nephews who have shown such strength and kindness through heartache. Their deceased parents had to have left this life with the knowledge that they made the world a better place by raising these special people.

Steve will be missed- his big smile, friendly personality, and novel ways of solving problems brought smiles to all around him. He faced the world with a contagious optimism that felt good to be around. He had loyal friends for good reasons.

And a wife he cherished. Steve always had a twinkle in his eye when he looked at his Sharon.

Peeps and Pups

dogs, Hens

By Karla Nathan / May 27, 2024

Last year, we did a big car switcheroo. We got Ryan’s car back from Adam to repair, planning to pass it along to Sugarwings. Since the grandfairy does not have a license yet, we use it to go back and forth to the dog park. It’s been great for that and will be hard to lose this “dog car” when it’s time to clean it back up and hand it over to the new driver.

Around here, dogs pretty much rule the roost, but they are just going to have to understand that it isn’t really their car. They are just borrowing it.

Our little peeps are growing up, have lost most of their downy fuzz. They look like mini hens now instead of babies.

The teenage chickens now live with the rest of the ladies and are free to roam both yards with them. The old biddies aren’t exactly welcoming of the intruders, but they are used to them and are excepting. The little ones lived in a pen inside the pen for a bit and that seemed to help the transition.

All of the babies are impressed with the egg that the mature hens left in the nest. We watched as they checked out the egg, tried an experimental sit on it, and basically just hung out around it.

For now, they mingle just a bit, but not in a cozy way. It’s definitely two separate flocks, sharing one home. As long as no one gets too hen pecked, it should be fine. The bigs are quick to put the littles in their place, with a sharp peck. But the littles are full of that youthful energy and speed that keeps them out of danger of a serious argument. They are listening to the warnings of their elders and skeedaddling out of their way.

Fingers crossed that they learn from the older gals, and end up being good, sweet chickies, like those ladies are. The bigs are pretty much, no muss-no fuss birds. I hope this latest batch grows up without any divas amongst them.

Missing and remembering

celebrations, family, Ryan

By Karla Nathan / May 24, 2024

Four years ago today, we lost Ryan. Rich and I tell each other that it’s date we do not want to note, we want to celebrate his birthdays, and let this date not be a feature in our lives.

But it is.

I cannot get around it, the 24th looms over the entire month. May is my own birthday and Mother’s Day, both dates Ryan made special. It is also when we’d take our “bonus” Sister Trips. So of course, happy memories of Bobbie are a big part of May now too.

Honestly, I should’ve tried harder to make that Sister Trip work out this season. Traditions are important, and memories need to be cherished not avoided. I’ve been a bit of a wreck. I can’t let my favorite month, when spring is at its best and I wake up every morning with windows open, listening to the birds sing, become the D lister of the year. May deserves celebrating, as do Ry and Bobbie Sue.

Heck, it even comes with its own weekend of memorials.

Letting myself be sad when I need to helps. But I’ve tried to enjoy my springtime along with missing them. I did extra yard work, remembering how Ryan would love a tour of what we accomplished. I cleaned and freshened his room, then sat down to look out of his window awhile. I’ve looked through scrapbooks, albums, and photos on my phone. I’ve talked to Ryan and Bobbie, and talked about them too.

And I have loved them. Both are still, and always, always will be, big parts of my life. No matter what the date is.

Another lucky find?

antiques/junking

By Karla Nathan / May 21, 2024

Remember the outlandishly beautiful violin I recently found that was appraised for thousands- IF I put thousands into repairing it? I thought I might have come across another rare, old piece, this time a clock.

But you might notice, I’m showing you pieces of it, not an entire clock.

Well, there was a bit more to the tale. I’d spied it on a dismal day of garage sailing, when this is all I came home with. It was in a free pile! I was very excited to see the gorgeous wooden case, and didn’t even look closely. I knew that if the clock itself wasn’t fixable, I could part it out and transform the case into a cabinet. Still, I could see at a glance that it was very old, and high quality.

(Pictured upside down)

My first step in the process of not hitting a jack pot? Letting the 7lb brass weight roll around and break the glass on the drive home.

But I knew glass could be replaced, so I spent some time researching online (where we all think we become experts) and discovered it was made in the late 1800s by a good name in clocks and could also be worth a lot, like my 1800s violin almost was.

Almost.

Third step, which shoulda been the first one, was examining the piece. And finding it was riddled with holes. Then seeing little beetles crawling out of those holes. It had an active infestation. And some parts of the wood were so eaten away, they were crumbling.

Fourth step was demo, salvaging the lovely brass, then disposing of the case and all of its friends, and treating everywhere it had been with diatomaceous earth so none of those critters stayed behind as souvenirs. Then I took a shower.

Okay, so now I am two for two on lucky seeming finds that are very pretty, but not worth what they could’ve been. I don’t consider either a loss, both were cool to come across whether they were valuable or not.

This was a fun adventure, even with the creepy crawlies.

Mother’s Day Traditions

family, flowers

By Karla Nathan / May 18, 2024

Mother’s Day weekend was jam packed here at the Cottage. I hit two mornings of light but fruitful garage sales, made gemstone bracelets for gifting, and had a sweet little dinner party, where Sugarwings helped cook for what we call “The Council of Mothers”.

The kiddo also came by on Saturday to help with wood splitting. It’s a job I rarely have to be a part of, thank goodness, because it is very unpleasant. But it needs done, and we were short on crew. Most grandkids have moved away, Ryan is gone. Rich always paid his helpers for the afternoon, and I got out of the job since there were plenty of assistants.

But now, it’s just Sugarwings, Rich, and I to do it. Not only is it a rough activity, it’s heart wrenching to think about all of the past helpers who are no longer around to pitch in.

Finding two hearts in the sections of logs was a reminder of them.

Especially Ry.

He was so strong, tossing those stumps meant nothing to him. He never enjoyed the job, but didn’t complain about helping out. For years, he was our champion on wood splitting day.

The rest of the weekend was mostly yard work. Mother’s Day officially kicks off tackling our spring to do lists in the garden and courtyard. That tradition started when the kids were just little and would spread mulch and do other beautification projects for me.

This year, I power washed for a few hours while Rich cleaned out the storage shed. Then we set up the patio furniture, umbrellas and pots. I planted annuals and Rich got the vegetables into the garden soil.

We might have done more than a week’s worth of work in those two days, and I was feeling it. After dinner Sunday evening, I told everyone I was sorry I had to be a party pooper, but I was going to bed. When I got there, I slept twelve hours straight. Mother’s Day wore me out, especially without Ryan’s strength helping us with the heavy jobs.

But the yard looks good! He’d have been proud of it. Ryan not only had a great work ethic, he loved to see what others did. When he’d get home from cooking at the nursing home, he’d want to walk around the yard with us and compliment what we accomplished.

The older I get, the harder a full weekend of yard work gets, and a Mother’s Day of being lazy sounds better and better. But Ry Guy was on my mind and in my heart all day and that gets me through all of the jobs that need doing.

Sam and Lily

Good JuJu

By Karla Nathan / May 15, 2024

Enlight1735

My friend, Sam, sells tee shirts at Good Juju and many other places around KC. But there is much more to the story.

He is an accomplished artist and the shirts are from his original work.

He screen prints them on a gigantic, octopus-like contraption, where each tentacle holds a different color of ink.

Here is one in progress.

Recently, he asked Beth and I if we’d like some vintagey goods he was clearing out to make space for an even bigger screen printer he was getting.

Of course, I’m all in for free junk! A lot of my friends are kind enough to ask me about their future thrift store dropoffs.

And I was curious about Sam’s studio, I didn’t know how the printing process worked, so was fascinated when he offered a demo.

But here is more to that story too. Sam and his wife, Lily, who makes delectable candles and sprays, both also sold antiques and junk in their booths. As time went by and they expanded their crafts, both of them were doing so well with their creations, they no longer needed to supplement their sales with resale items.

Picking up some of their tidbits and leftovers not only made me happy to get free goods, it was great to see my friends succeeding, and no longer needing that stuff.

You can get Sam’s work on Etsy, here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WestBottomsUndergrnd

And Lily’s candles are are here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lilyrosecandleshop

Or better yet, come see us at Good Juju

We will be there the first Friday and Saturday of every month. Lily’s candles smell delightful and Sam has a wide variety of art on display.

A hidden show in the skies, and never forgetting the ones we lost

family

By Karla Nathan / May 12, 2024

My dear friend, Angie, remembered me telling her that Bobbie helped design a tattoo with hearts and forget-me-nots for her grandchild. Angie never forgets any detail when it comes to thoughtfulness, and went on a thrifting hunt to find forget-me-not treasures to give to me.

The pretty plate got hung in my kitchen so I’d have a daily reminder of my sister. Not that forgetting her is a danger! She is always a part of me.

I have been missing her so much this last week. I think the grief is amplified by thinking about her daughters’ first Mothers Day without her. I hope they can still celebrate their mom, and their own motherhood through the pain of loss.

It is always a hard week for me, with my own mom gone, and now without my boy. Ryan was always so sweet to me on this holiday. I try to concentrate on the love, not the loss, but tears are shed multiple times in the week leading up to this Sunday. Yesterday, I took the dog on a walk down Ryan’s favorite route, and she and I talked about Ryan, Bobbie, and Mom (yes, the dog enjoys a good conversation while out on a stroll). We discussed my Mom’s sense of humor and her love of iris, Ryan’s way of caring for me that was always so gentle and kind. And Bobbie’s never ending interest in taking photos of the beauties of the sky. I like to look up at clouds and sunsets and imagine her grabbing a dozen or more pictures of the scene.

When I got home, I was reading about the electromagnetic storm that was making the aurora bourealis visible in areas where it’s not usually seen. Seeing the northern lights is a dream of mine, so I was impatiently waiting for the prime time to go out and look. And saw-

nothing.

So, I tried the iPhone trick I’d read about. That the night setting on the camera was stronger than our eyes and to look at the clouds through that.

That worked, revealing the colors that were hiding in the dark. I’d walked up the bridge over I70, waiting between cars for enough darkness to get a good look, thinking about how mom and I used to lie on a blanket in the yard watching the sky. And how Ryan would stand on that same bridge with me to view fireworks. And how Bobbie would plan her whole beach vacation evening around getting a sunset photo at the perfect moment.

The photos I took were pretty, but I was feeling confused and wondering if I was truly seeing the aurora borealis or not. Taking photos facing south, the colors were normal, so I guessed the northern pics were for real. I decided to go for a drive further into the country for a better dark sky, and my sweetheart got up out of bed to take me. Everywhere we went, other people had the same idea, cars were stopped on country roads, people were looking up at the sky with their phones.

Mom, Bobbie, and Ryan all would have loved the hidden colors that you had to hunt for to enjoy. The night sky itself looked perfectly normal, til the photo was taken and you could see the surprise of the color show.

With loss so heavy on my mind that day and already feeling sad, at first I was feeling super disappointed. Where were the northern lights I’d always wanted to see? It was just a dark sky, unless I used my camera to see it. Then, the more I looked at it through the lens, the more colors I saw and I was so glad that Rich and I had taken this little drive after bedtime to find them.

I was reminded that beauty is all around us and sometimes you just have to look a little harder to find it. It’s a lot like grief. These people I love so much are not ever going to be in my sight again. But if I look with my heart, not my eyes, there they are.

Filling my heart with colors.

Thank you for the nice birthday!

celebrations, family

By Karla Nathan / May 8, 2024

My birthday on Sunday was exactly what I needed. It had been a long, bustling week ending with two days at Good Juju for our First Friday sale. And while I love those days at the antique mall, chatting with guests and laughing with friends, I sure wake up tired on the Sundays after them.

I was extra tired this week. Waking up to streamers, a balloon, and flowers almost made me cry. When I’m worn out, I tend to get extra emotional, and I’d had a string of not so wonderful birthdays in the last few years. I was touched to see the effort Sugarwings and my husband went to.

He even mowed a message into the field for me! Cute, huh?

I needed to run to the store, so while I was out I played “Birthday Trick or Treat” and picked up my celebratory freebies around town from different loyalty programs. These are from Kohls, Ulta, and Bath and Body Works. There is also a popcorn due from the movie theater.

The best goodie was a mini red velvet cake from Everything Bundt Cakes. We sliced it up to go with our tea party luncheon in front of the tv. Sugarwings indulged me and we watched a nostalgic show from the 80s- Lost Boys. I hadn’t seen it in decades, but when Ryan was younger, it was on repeat around here.

Rewatching a show from years back is a tricky thing. I never quite remember them exactly, so can be surprised by outdated tropes or unpleasantries that do not hold up in today’s world. But we were lucky with this one, the only thing outdated about it were the mild horror scenes, it was light gore. And that was even better.

We watched Footloose a couple weeks ago, and it too “held up”. The teen even enjoyed both.

Sugarwings set the table very pretty for me, that is a very thoughtful person. As well as a good cook, the kiddo made dinner too!

We had planned walking tacos, and taking them with us on a walk. But the weather was chilly, so we filled our chip bags with all the fixins and walked around inside the house. It was an indoor birthday parade. Silly and fun. The tacos were good too.

The whole day was. I got a call from my son, a friend and the Guncles, lots of kind messages on Facebook and text. Thank you, family and sweet friends!

Not really my typical style- or is it?

Hand Painted Furniture

By Karla Nathan / May 4, 2024

Yep, I’ve painted another chair.

I also have a chest of drawers and small table prepped and ready to cover in colorful patterns.

Hmmm, how many can I paint before I stop saying, “This really isn’t my typical style or work”?

While I always love pastel, cabbage roses and a softer look, I’m very into these bright, cheery designs. And maybe they are my style?

At least they are my latest fun hobby.

Among many others!

My third anniversary at Good Juju

antiques/junking, Good JuJu

By Karla Nathan / May 1, 2024

Buying this LED lit shelving unit was the best purchase I’ve ever made for my booth at Good Juju. It is such an eye catcher and shows off the jewelry beautifully.

Another change I’m happy with is the transformation of this pole. I’ve tried working around this behemoth that sucks space out of the front of my area and it has been problematic in trying to fit furniture by. I only have an 8” clearance in front of the post, which wasn’t deep enough to do much with.

It’s a solid, metal pole, one of a series that runs down the hall as supports. I’ve cursed it many times. Then, I decided to make it work for me. I added vintage wallpaper with a bit of duct tape (which is temperature sensitive and probably will only do okay in the spring) and backed that up with magnets. Flat ones to hold the paper down and magnet hooks to display necklaces on.

The two jewelry shelves have been separated, one at each side of my entryway.

I’ve brought back this beat up chair with a mini redo to turn it into an easel for my book page paintings.

There are a few more scattered around the booth. I hope people agree with me that they will be good to give at Mother’s Day.

This corner is different for me, I don’t typically use dark wood. But this is a pretty old hutch top, and the hand carved marks in the wood show. It’s too nice to paint.

I can’t believe I said that. I paint everything.

Speaking of things that aren’t exactly my look, this cookie jar isn’t what I normally carry. But I like mushrooms and elves. And I love cookies! So why not?

Smack dab in the center is a shelf filled with mushies, crowns, and white pottery.

Each shelf is a bit different but all are themed the same.

You can never have too much white pottery, right?

Good juju is open the first Friday and Saturday of each month. Come by and see me, it’s May 3-4, and is also my birthday weekend as well as my third anniversary at the venue.

I have spent my last two birthdays there, both years with a headache from a serious concussion. They have not been the best of holidays for me, I’d felt pretty bad each time.

This year, I’m healthy, no headache to ruin the weekend for me, and I’m ready to celebrate. I hope to see you there!