dear ollee n bee ~

the above image is a photo of wallpaper. the wallpaper is in amazing shape considering it lives on the walls of a very old, windowless house down the road. the stately two storey brick once-upon-a-time-a-well-loved-home, sits on a hill top overlooking the river valley. it is a magnificent old farm yard with a grand old barn and many other withstanding-time out buildings. this yard is just across the road from my friend, miss beth. this past fall we took a stroll through the yard and peeked in the buildings, imagining the beauty of it all in it's day. everything was so thoughtfully placed. the original owners must have worked tirelessly to build and maintain these structures withstanding the canadian prairie elements. the trees and shrubs and grasses had overgrown but still indicated how they and the garden must have been tended to with such incredible care.

with caution and curiosity we entered the house. as we tip toed from room to room, thoughts of how lives were lived here filled our minds. we certainly were aware this farm was distinguished ~ a bit above the common prairie farm of that era. we found cupboards, an enormous enamel wood stove, some abandoned furnishings, but certainly nothing extravagant.  nothing lavish until we spotted one small wall in the living area where this gorgeous, hand painted wallpaper stood out with such elegance, we were spellbound. it left us wondering the story behind this beautiful demonstration of style and taste.

last evening miss beth and i rediscovered the wallpaper while viewing the images of our previous visit to the farm and were both so taken, once again with it's beauty.

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this morning, i found myself taken with a similar beauty with amy merrick's stunningly beautiful floral works. you would think that amy's new york studio and this brick house on the canadian prairies are worlds apart, yet i am thinking they are so very close in so many ways. the prairie woman from long ago and today's nyc amy merrick share a cherished love of beauty in flora.

and that makes my heart smile.

xxo
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note: i just wanted to add that many a person has inquired about obtaining the farm site to make their own. the owners, two elderly sisters who grew up there, will never sell their property and simply wish that the buildings and property return to the land. luckily, the land and buildings have been respected and generally undisturbed. miss beth and i are happy they remain as they are so we may continue to conjure up stories of what was. xo

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thirty | three.sixty.five

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