I am exactly where you are in terms of switching from pastels to more vibrant colors. I originally planned the garden of soft yellows, blues, pinks and white. In our summer intense sun it looks washed out. In the Spring I love the pink peonies and delicate Amsonias but as summer comes I find myself more satisfied by richer colors. It came to me by accident -sort of. I started getting in to daylilies and purchased some red ones and bright yellow. I planted them on the border facing the street and outside the fence to the backyard. When everything started to bloom I was overjoyed by the color! It was so pretty IMHO. I have realized that the colors I really like are the magenta pink, bright lemon yellow, purple, red and Orange! I love my orange daylilies. My favorite combination this year was White Liatris, Yellow Helenium, Poppy Mallow and Balloon Flower mixed among the daylilies, including a really screaming red/orange one called Alabama Jubilee. I've decided to start moving these colors into the back yard and moving away from the dreamy soft pastel look. The peonies can stay but for summer I want knock your socks off color! I say plant whatever colors are making you the most happy and release yourself from the burden of any rules you imposed on yourself about what colors you will not allow in a certain part of your garden. Enjoy!

Here's a few shots from my collection. Everyone is familiar with the Delft blue and white, I'm sure. Here are two good examples. There are from about the same period, late 17th/early 18th century: This tile is the oldest in my collection, dated to right about 1580. It has had some major repair work (but so has Joan Rivers). It's still a fairly valuable piece due to scarcity: This is a very nice polychrome tile from 1600-1630: The Dutch got beautifully creative during the art nouveau/art deco periods. And here's a nice example of a Porceleyne Fles tile. I've never had it dated, but I'm guessing turn of the 19th century: I'm no great authority on these tiles (I know just enough to be a danger to my savings account when I spelunk on e-bay). But they really are fun to collect and study. Hope you enjoyed. Steven

The plight of the department stores has resulted in some bargains for us. I replaced our tired towels with plush Turkish towels from Macy's. They are so absorbent that I have to wash them separately not to break the spin cycle on the washer. I paid $20 per bath towel; have to wonder who paid retail of $80 though. Like Nicole, I found bargains at Penney's. I, too, bought Isotoner slippers; knew they'd fit me when I saw reviews that they were 'too narrow'. I ordered four long, all cotton nightgowns, two of which are 'keepers' despite being lesser quality than what I was replacing. (Same "Adonna" brand and style, but thin fabric.) I needed a few more dollars to get free shipping, so I bought a package of three all cotton Jockey panties. The slippers were about $12; nighties, $16; panties, $3 each. I do have to say that nobody in her right mind would have paid supposed retail of $44 for one of these nighties! Target built a new super store in the town next to ours. I bought two bath rugs in the store, then looked online for one in a different size. I saw I could save a third by ordering the same rugs online and have them shipped to the store. I returned the original two and picked up the same thing for less. (Stores would be ahead to 'match' online pricing.)

Yesterday morning, as I got dressed and was putting on my gold chain necklace that I ALWAYS wear, I heard something "clink" on the floor in front of my dressing table. I looked down and there was a tiny piece of gold there. I realized it had come from my gold chain necklace. I went ahead and put on the necklace. BAD decision as last night, I could not remove it - that tiny piece was part of the clasp. So, I slept in my necklace. Today, I took it to a nearby jewelry store. I knew they had their own henchmen there - none of that "we'll have to send this out and it will take 3 weeks stuff". I had not been in this store in 3-4 years and was shocked at how low the inventory was and how pedestrian it also was. It used to have a lot of really beautiful, often unusual fine jewelry. No more. One of the henchmen is the owners son and I asked him about the small inventory. He said they do mainly repairs and re-settings these days - women are no longer buying fine jewelry. I was stunned until I thought for a bit and realized I should not have been surprised. About 10 years ago, I was asked by a woman I knew who owned a small jewelry store that carried lots of high end fine jewelry, to come help her at a small trunk show at out town's most expensive ladies clothing boutique. We sat there for 4 hours and did not sell one single thing!! I told my friend that this was not their customer. This customer liked "showy" clothes with lots of details - lots going on with these clothes. Jewelry requires simple, plain clothes that allow the jewelry to shine. Well, today, not only do women prefer "showy" clothes if they actually bother to dress up (yes, they still DO dress up for Derby here!), but most often today, women are dressed casually to the point of it being rather "careless". Just what jewelry goes with Lulu Lemon work-out clothes? Work clothes? Pretty casual these days - even lady executives no longer wear beautifully tailored suits and dresses for work. With "casual", a simple necklace, a bracelet (maybe - some people have trouble typing on the computer while wearing one), perhaps a ring (again, some have trouble typing) and perhaps earrings (always having to take on off to talk on the phone). When women go out to dinner at night, it's "dressy casual" with more emphasis on the "casual" than the "dressy" part. Church? If they go, it's either VERY casual or dressy casual. When I went to church Easter Sunday, one woman greeted me and said she was hoping I would be there as she always looked forward to see what lovely brooch I would be wearing. These days, the Queen and I are about the only ones who wear brooches anymore - occasionally the Duchess of Cambridge, but pretty rarely. So yet another "pretty" thing that has gone the way of the Dodo bird. I wonder what my DD will do with my jewelry? Will she actually wear it or sell it? I only have one granddaughter and her mother and maternal grandmother have tons of jewelry, much far nicer than mine. And then there are the three grandsons. It rather breaks my heart to think that probably no one will even want my lovely jewelry, lovingly collected over the past 50+ years - some even earlier gifts from my parents. I hate change...