Hand Diagnosis, What Your hands say about Your Health

Hand and Finger Diagnosis

Before the proliferation of medical technology, doctors and other diagnosticians had to rely on their own experience and their powers of observation in order to determine the existence and nature of disease. One very old diagnostic technique, the study of the fingers and hands, might appear overly simple or even primitive, yet doctors still recognize the hands as valuable indicators of a person's state of health. A blue cast to the fingers, for example, is widely accepted as a sign of poor circulation; brittle fingernails often signal a nutrient deficiency. Hand and finger diagnosticians rely only on these parts of the body for information on how the body's internal systems are functioning. Mainstream practitioners, however, doubt that a firm diagnosis can be made without medical tests.

To be good at observational diagnosis of the hand, you need to observe , verify and notice the minor things. You should avoid making conclusions too quickly.

Diagnostic Signs
· Shape and size of hands and fingers
· Shape and mobility of hand and finger joints
· Size and color of any moles, spots or nodules
· Prominence of veins
· Shape, color and quality of fingernails
· Thickness and dryness of skin
· Color of skin
· Depth of any skin lines

The Diagnosis: Diagnosticians carefully observe the back of the patients' hands, as well as their palms, fingers and nails. They check the mobility of the finger joints and palpate the hands to detect swellings or calcifications. Like other diagnostic techniques, hand and finger exams also include an extensive medical history.

How a Diagnosis is Made: Hand and finger diagnosticians believe that many internal disorders and diseases reveal themselves externally. Practitioners can draw conclusions about a patient's health based on skin pigmentation, nail and finger deformities and the color and size of nodules on the joints.

The Viewpoint of Mainstream Medicine: Physicians know that a proficient practitioner can sometimes diagnose illnesses even before confirmed tests come back form the laboratory. Mainstream medicine, however, doubts the reliability of this diagnostic method when it's used without follow-up laboratory tests.

Take Care! While the hands offer many clues about people's lifestyles - Do they smoke? Do they eat well? Are they tense? - don't judge people by their hands alone.

Clues From the Fingers and Hands

· Spotty Redness On the Palms may indicate a liver ailment, such as hepatitis or cirrhosis; less commonly, it may be a sign of lung disease or of rheumatism.

· Nodules, solid nodes that can be detected by touch, are symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and of gout, a buildup of uric acid.

· Pale, Bluish Fingers may indicate Reynaud's disease, a circulatory disorder that is often precipitated by cold or intense emotions.

· Blue Hands, like blue fingers, are often a symptom of a chronic circulatory disorder, such as acrocyanosis; constricted blood vessels in the extremities will impede blood flow and leave the skin with a bluish cast.

· Edema, swelling caused by fluid buildup, when seen in the hands and wrists is associated with heart and kidney ailments.

· Atrophied Muscles In the Hand indicate paralytic hand ailments.

· Fluid Deposits In Just One Hand may be linked to past injuries.

· Hand Deformities and Swollen Joints may be signs of chronic joint inflammation, one of the primary symptoms of arthritis.

· Contraction of The Hollow of The Hand is generally associated with Dupuytren's contracture, a flexion deformity of the fingers. This problem is due to shortening, thickening and fibrosis of the connective tissue of the hand.

What The Nails Say

An experienced practitioner may uncover clues about the emotional and physical condition of patients by looking at their fingernails. The following characteristics are significant to diagnosticians.

Chewed, Soft Fingernails: Nervousness, restlessness, insecurity and fearfulness.

Brittle, Cracked and Torn Fingernails: Nutrient deficiencies, especially a lack of calcium, zinc or vitamin B.

Dimples in The Fingernails: Psoriasis that is not active or acute.

Thick, Shattered Nails With Tough Tough, Yellow-White Fingernails: Nail fungus.

Yellow Fingernails With Thick Nail Beds: Heavy nicotine consumption and lung disease or respiratory infection.

Hourglass-Shaped Fingernails- Hear defects and lung disease.

Spoon-Shaped Fingernails- Anemia, circulatory disorders and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Horizontal Ridges- Gastrointestinal ailments and infections.

White nails - Liver diseases, such as hepatitis

Yellowish, thickened, slow-growing nails - Lung diseases, such as emphysema

Yellowish nails with a slight blush at the base - Diabetes

Half-white, half-pink nails - Kidney disease

Red nail beds - Heart disease

Pale or white nail beds - Anemia

Pitting or rippling of the nail surface - Psoriasis or inflammatory arthritis

"Clubbing," a painless increase in tissue around the ends of the fingers, or inversion of the nail - Lung diseases

Irregular red lines at the base of the nail fold - Lupus or connective tissue disease

Dark lines beneath the nail - Melanoma



Chinese medicine also has it's theories about the condition of the hands in relation to the health of the body.

•Color of the palm is slightly yellow: liver’s ability is low

•Slightly green palms or green blood vessels: intestine and stomach are not healthy

•A straight line on the thumb: problems with the nerves on the face

•Straight lines on the joint between the back of the thumb and the palm: problems in the spine of the neck

•A straight edge from the little finger to the wrist: less muscle in the hand (little finger represents the kidney, bladder, uterus and ovaries, the straight edge indicates that there is a defect in these organs)

As well as looking at the physical characteristics of the hands for clues to your health, reflexologists use various points on the hands to diagnose and treat certain ailments.

Korean Hand Reflex Therapy is based on the 12 Major Meridians of the human frame which have been reduced into a micro system superimposed onto the two hands. These points are small and very specific in their location on both the anterior and posterior aspect of both hands. Activation is accomplished with stainless steel acupressure probes, Low Level Laser, micro amp direct current electricity, sterile acupuncture needles, or finger pressure. The two charts shown above are considered to be level one out of four levels of study.

So what are your hands telling you?

Buddleia - The Butterfly Bush

This plant came seeming out of nowhere in the middle of my rosebush patch this summer. I couldn't quite figure out what it was so was hesitant to rip it out. It was like something out of Jack and the Beanstalk! It just kept growing and growing. It finally flowered so I went and googled pictures of the flowers to try and put a name to it. I found this poem which completely sums up my experience with this plant

~

The Butterfly Bush

"I used to love the Buddleia,

Its long purple trumpets in summer

Buzzing with Bees and Butterflies,

Until someone told me it was common,

Invasive, a weed!

Its withered flower cones

Spilling armies of seedlings to colonize the neighborhood.

Then, I was embarrassed to have loved it.

I began to see its offspring sprouting everywhere;

Hated how they rooted between loose bricks,

Flourished from cracks in the pavement.

So I cut mine back to nothing,

Buried the broken stump, only to find it returned

The next Spring, abundent & more beautiful!"

Anon
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Here is the technical info on this plant should you decide to have a love/hate relationship with it.

Buddleia: Butterfly Bush Extraordinaire


by Claire Hagen Dole

From Number 12, Spring 1997

Butterfly Magnet

With a name like butterfly bush, you might expect a plant to be attractive to butterflies. In fact, it's more than attractive; it's a magnet for all the butterflies who pass through your garden seeking nectar. Many butterfly gardeners plan their garden around Buddleia (pronounced BUD-lee-ah), a genus that includes over 100 species and cultivars. Also called summer lilac, the medium- to large-sized shrubs can anchor a perennial bed or form a hedge.
You'll be happier with Buddleia if you accept its growth habit, which is not neat and tidy. Its narrow branches support lilac-like clusters of blossoms a foot or two in length, with side branches and blossoms. After a rainfall, the flower-laden branches of some species can droop all over your flower bed. You'll want to allow at least six feet between bushes to keep some semblance of neatness.

But wait till you see the bush covered with fritillaries and tortoiseshells! Even a large swallowtail can land on the cluster, to sip from the many individual blooms.

Butterflies and bees will flock to the honey-scented blossoms, whose dilute nectar is sweetest in midday sun. Near a path or patio, the shrub provides delightful fragrance for you, too.

Do butterflies prefer certain colors of Buddleia? In my garden, Western Tiger Swallowtails visited all varieties (white and various shades of purple/pink/red). But Red Admirals preferred the white Buddleia while it was in bloom. Gardeners in other parts of the country may notice other preferences, if any.

History of the Butterfly Bush

Where did the name Buddleia come from? A seventeenth-century amateur botanist named Reverend Adam Buddle was honored posthumously, when the first butterfly bush reached England in 1774. Though most of today's offerings have Chinese ancestors, this shrub (Buddleia globosa) came from Chile. Its unfamiliar name prompted one nursery tradesman to call it the "Globose Buddlebush." Fortunately, the name didn't stick, but common names like Chilean orange ball tree aren't much better. It's more precise to call it what it is: Buddleia globosa.

Victorian-era explorers brought all kinds of exotic plants back to England. From China came seeds of Buddleia davidii, the hardy species that is most familiar to gardeners today. Named after a French Jesuit missionary, Pere Armand David, B. davidii reached London's Kew Gardens in 1896. Today, nurseries continue to develop new cultivars, like 'Raspberry Wine' (Carroll Gardens) and 'Twilight' (Mountain Valley Growers).

And horticulturists are still combing the Himalayan foothills for as-yet undiscovered Buddleia varieties. Heronswood Nursery lists three acquisitions from recent expeditions to China and Sikkim: new specimens of B. colvilei, B. fallowiana, and an unverified species (feel adventurous?).

Easy to Grow
Another reason for Buddleia's popularity is that it's easy to grow, even hard to kill. After one of my bushes was flattened by a windstorm, it was pruned and uprighted with little fuss. Buddleia davidii tolerates urban pollution and alkaline soil. It's generally pest-free, except for spider mite infestations during drought or stress. It performs adequately in spare soil but prefers a sunny spot with well-drained soil, a light application of fertilizer in spring, and a few deep waterings in summer.

Buddleia can behave like an opportunistic rascal. Says Dalton Durio of Louisiana Nursery, "It always seems to grow best in containers where other, more valuable plants are being grown. These volunteer seedlings come up fast and strong, and they usually succeed in killing the 'host' plant." Buddleia hybridizes easily; volunteer seedlings may not resemble your prized bush.

Politically Incorrect?

Buddleia is at home in disturbed areas, such as road cuts or new development sites. Its flowers have softened wartime London's bombed lots and the slag heaps of Welsh mining towns.
This tendency to be a weedy colonizer, along with its exotic (non-native) status in North America, is now making Buddleia politically incorrect. It's included in the recently published Invasive Plants [Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Handbook #149, 1996, $7.95]. Buddleia davidii has spread from gardens along the Eastern seaboard and the West coast, to roadsides and riparian (streamside) zones. It's not yet considered a serious problem, but it's spreading rapidly.

So what's a responsible gardener to do? Sarah Reichard, who has been monitoring invasive plants at the University of Washington, says she's less concerned about Buddleia's use in urban areas. But if you're growing it near a natural area, watch for volunteer seedlings. Remove them and get rid of the plant if necessary (dig out the roots, which will resprout).
You can also plant a less invasive form of Buddleia like B. globosa or seek native alternatives (watch for article on regional natives in fall issue of BGQ).

Spanning the Seasons

Some Buddleia species, like B. alternifolia, B. asiatica, B. colvilei and B. globosa, bloom on last year's wood. They provide nectar for spring and early-summer butterflies, and they shouldn't be pruned until after blossoming. In mild climates, cut back right after blooming for a second show in fall. Prune these bushes judiciously in fall, to maintain shape and remove old, woody stalks.

Among the many other varieties of Buddleia which bloom on new growth, it's possible to stagger bloom times for a continuous nectar supply. Deadheading (cutting off) spent blossoms will force the plant to keep blooming, in an attempt to produce seed. My Buddleia 'Lochinch,' kept in bloom well into October, brought a Red Admiral into my garden when I'd given up seeing another.

In cold climates, mulch in the fall. Cut back to about a foot high in late winter, before new growth appears. You'll be amazed by the height the shrub attains by midsummer. You'll also get larger flowers and a neater-looking shape.

Hummers and Crawlers

Red-flowering varieties like B. davidii 'Royal Red' will attract hummingbirds, who supplement their nectar diet with protein-rich insects on the bush. Watch for other birds, like bushtits and orioles, seeking an insect meal.

An occasional butterfly chooses Buddleia as a host plant; the Western Checkerspot is the only species listed in the host plant index of James A. Scott's The Butterflies of North America. Butterfly gardeners in northern California report seeing Buckeye caterpillars on Buddleia alternifolia and Echo Blue butterflies laying eggs on Buddleia 'Lochinch.'

{this is not my plant, just wanted to show you how big it can get,its almost as big as this house!}

So , weed or exotic butterfly food, you decide.

What are You Missing in Life?

THE SITUATION - In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

Summer Solstice-Litha- Midsummer

Solstice is derived from Latin and means ‘sun stopping’ or ‘sun standing still’, as midsummer day is the day in which the sun rises and falls in exactly the same position on the horizon, then reverses its path from this day forward as the season changes. The solstices occur because the rotation axis of the Earth is tilted by an angle of 23.5 degrees from the vertical. If the Earth’s rotation was at right angles to the plane of its orbit around the Sun, there would be no solstice days and no seasons. The celebration of the Summer Solstice falls between 21st-23rd of June in the northern hemisphere and 21st-23rd of December in the southern hemisphere.

Probably the place most associated with Summer Solstice is Stonehenge, Englands' ancient stone druid circle. The stones are set in a way that at the moment of sunrise on Summer Solstice the light passes through a stone corridor to illuminate an alter stone.
Stories of Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice is the celebration of the peak of Summers beauty. It is the climax of the Suns power.It is the turning tide as both God and Goddess have their place and their time for bringing fertility to the land. The Great Mother claims her power, after the energy of the Sun has warmed the Earth, and she now brings fertility to the land.

To the Celts, Summer Solstice is one of the ‘spirit nights’ (with Samhain and Beltaine). These nights are considered strong nights in which spirits and the faerie realm are most active.

Midsummer fires were lit on hills (closest to the sun) and were viewed as protective to the land, crops and livestock and brought strength and fertility in love. Images of the past winter (such as the Winter Goddess or the Holly King) were burnt on the midsummer fires. Sometimes a mock fight between two men in front of the community took place. The Holly King and Oak King symbolically struggle. The myth of the Holly King/Oak King probably originated from the Druids to whom these two trees were highly sacred. The Oak King (God of the Waxing Year) kills the Holly King (God of the Waning Year) at Yule (the Winter Solstice). The Oak King then reigns supreme until Litha (the Summer Solstice) when the two battle again, this time with the Holly King victorious.
                                                               The Oak King

The Holly King

Dancing in circles is often associated with honouring the Sun. The great Celtic Sun God Bel (Bel-awn or Belinos) and Lugh are often honoured. Also due to the turning of light and dark many Gods and Goddesses that represent both polarities of light and dark are celebrated.

St Johns Wort or Bels Flower is sacred to the Sun and used widely at Summer Solstice. The beautiful bright yellow flowers are often used to decorate sacred space. St Johns Wort is considered a common plant and is often growing out of control in several city and country areas. In old times women would pick the yellow flowers at Solstice dawn. If they placed the dew on their faces from the Suns flower this dawn it was believed they would find love within the year.

                                                                St Johns Wort Flower

Water on Solstice Day

For centuries the old people have bathed in fresh water on Solstice morning, as the Goddess is said to bathe herself in freshwater streams on Solstice eve, blessing all the waters. Some people offer herbs to the water, throw wishes spoken into roses to be carried downstream, or take water from streams to bless their homes and animals. A gold dish of water left out Solstice eve, is called Sun water and considered blessed by both the Water Goddess Sulis and the Sun God Bel.
Dawn rites
Rites of dawn focus on honouring the Father and the Sun .Thanking him for his sacrifice, warmth and energy in nurturing the Earth Mother. Some people burn herbs for the Sun at dawn, and wait for first light welcoming the Solstice Sun with a candle or lantern.

Sunset rites
Farwell the Sun at the exact same point on the horizon and welcome the Moon and the Mother with milk, honey and herbs. Feast together and celebrate abundance, fertility and beauty.


Herbs for Summer Solstice

Lavender-Thrown into the Summer fire ensures a good year: stability, calm, blessings

St Johns Wort-Gathered mid-Summer, herb to honour Sun/Bel, protection, fire

Verbena-Gathered on Midsummer Eve- soaked in water overnight, relieves stress, aphrodisiac, dreaming, protection, honour the sun & inspiration.

Lavender, St Johns Wort and Verbena: Traditionally bound together as a solstice fire offering. Can make wishes for the coming season, or burn something you wish to change.

Chamomile- traditional herb of the sun, relaxing

Elder, Birch, Oak, Ash and thorn- traditional herbs to see Faeries on Solstice night

Fennel- Protects Home, family and Fertility, alibility to face danger/adversity. Gathered Midsummer Eve and hung in the home.

Mistletoe- Mistletoe berries were gathered on Solstice night, legends said the berries infused with the suns power of this night would turn golden and were prized for their healing ability.

Rosemary-enhance memory, protection and purification
Mugwort- Midsummer herb for protection, ritual bathing, women’s herb, dreaming & visions, protection of home and safety in journeys

Offerings-yellow, orange flowers, sun flowers and fruits, incenses

Things to do on Summer Solstice

- Burn herbs for the Sun and to make wishes for the coming season

- Leave out a dish for Sun water (preferably gold) on Solstice night and bath in the water on Solstice morning

- Throw coins or offering into water or streams on Solstice morning
- Go for a swim in the Solstice waters

- Leave crystals out for cleansing under both the Solstice Sun and the Moon as the season changes

- Light a candle or lantern with the Solstice Sun at Dawn, Welcome his light and his nurturing to the Earth Mother and give thanks at Sunset as he departs

- Write letters to special men in your life and tell them how they nurture your life

- Watch the sunset and burn herbs in thanks to the Sun God

- After dark place milk, honey and herbs into the ground to welcome the Mother

- Place herbs, cake, honey and incense in the garden for the faeries

- In Celtic tradition some people spent the night before Solstice out on the hills awaiting the dawn and seeking inspiration

- Have friends over and enjoy food and celebrations

- Dance, drum, sing and enjoy

- Get some elderflower cordial (found at most shopping centres and health food stores) and mix with champagne or use for jellys to bring the fun and the sacred together

- Decorate the house with orange and yellow flowers

- Put a big sunflower by your bed or on your work desk

- Light torches, have bon fires or roll a sun wheel lit on fire down a hill

- Light a bonfire to encourage and honour the light of the Sun- do fire jumping for cleansing and new beginnings
- Decorate your altar with sunflowers, marigolds, gold material, orange and yellow crystals and images of the Sun

- Children often enjoy activities such as making decorations with golden tinsel and images of the sun, making a sun dial and planting sun flowers

- Have a picnic with friends and children and bathe in the sun
- Place mugwort and any other midsummer herbs under your pillow on Solstice night to encourage dreams on this strong night

- Celebrate the light and joy of the sun by hanging lanterns around your home, lighting candles or hanging fairy lights

Happy Summer Solstice
may yours be joyous and full of light, love and laughter
( I'll be away for Solstice, see you next week)




My favorite summer song of all time, Summertime, by Janis Joplin

Dying to be Beautiful?

Do you ever stop to think whats in the products you slather on your body and face every day? Go right now and pick up your bottle of shampoo or face cream and read the ingredient list. Can you pronounce any of the ingredients? Do you know what any of them are?

 If your like me, you choose products based on how good they smell to you. When you see fragrance/parfum listed as an ingredient, what you are actually getting is a combination of hundreds of chemicals, most of which are derived from petroleum or by chemical synthesis. It won't matter how good you are at reading labels, because the precise ingredients that go into "fragrance" are kept a secret.

You might feel better knowing that Health Canada systematically tested fragrance ingredients for safety in your personal care products. But they don't.

On the other hand, Environmental Defence and the Environmental Working Group tested perfumes, colognes and body sprays in their new report, Not so sexy: the health risks of secret chemicals in fragrance. They found most brands had on average 10 sensitizing chemicals. It's these sensitizers that can trigger allergies and asthma, and cause headaches, wheezing and contact dermatitis — better known as a rash.

Other ingredients in your products are known cancer causing agents, are related to developmental/reproductive toxicity, can contribute to allergies/immunotoxicity, and may contavene  violations, restrictions & warnings on use of these chemicals because of contamination concerns and occupational hazards.

This wonderful site allows you to type in the name of your product and gives you a breakdown of the ingredients and how harmful they are. Cosmetics Database - Cosmetic Safety Reviews

Go here to read the complete breakdown of what is in my bottle of hair conditioner. Blech...and thats just my hair conditioner. I use on average, eighteen different personal care products each and every day. Talk about a toxic overload! Adding insult to injury, most of these products are packaged in plastic and you know how I feel about plastic. Read my post The Plastic Diet if you haven't already.

So what can you do? Don't worry, there are lots of natural alternative solutions. Most of what you need, you can find in your own kitchen.

Here is a wonderful site with all kinds of natural recipes for shampoo, conditioner and hair dye
Pioneer Thinking

Here is another great site with lots of recipes for skin care recipes and remedies

Just google "natural recipes" for whatever product you want to replace and you are sure to come up with all kinds of hits. By being proactive and choosing to make your own beauty products or by buying products that list only natural ingredients that are packaged and produced in healthy, sustainable ways, you will be doing your part to keep yourself , your family and the environment as healthy as possible.

An interesting personal story. Years ago, I was in a car accident and was in too much pain to work. I went to live with my grandmother for awhile as I had no income. She lived in an old farmhouse with copper pipes. I found when I took showers there my hair was turning green from the old pipes. It made me not want to shower at her house anymore. There was a beautiful small river nearby and I took to swimming there every day, as being weightless in the water was my only relief from the pain I was in. For a whole summer, I swam every day. I never once used any form of soap or shampoo. I had stopped showering at my Grans as well. Now you would think after months of not using any kind of soap that I would stink and my hair would be a greasy mess. On the contrary, even though all I did was float in fresh water and dry off in the sun, my skin and hair were sweet smelling. My hair was its healthiest ever. It was soft , shiny, healthy and clean. My scalp didn't itch and my hair glowed with health. I know we don't all have the luxery of a fresh water stream to bathe in every day, but it just goes to show you, that all the chemicals we are using to clean ourselves are not neccesary and most likely create a rebound effect where, the more you use them, the more you need to use them.

Thrifty Sunday

Another spectacular day of thrift store finds last week.

A cute set of metal canisters

An old fashioned pastry rolling pin. You fill the insides with cold water which is supposed to help keep it from sticking to the dough.

Its hard to see in this picture, but this is an indonesian curtain rod/fabric holder. I have 3 more in storage of various lengths for the asian themed room I want to have.

I love baskets and containers that have wood and weaving combined.

I am still collecting dishware and found this wonderful soup tureen that can be plugged in to stay warm

Must of been ocean theme day as I found all kinds of dishes with a seafood theme

I grabbed this lemon meringue pie plate. That was my favorite growing up. I always got my mom to make me lemon meringue pie for my birthday instead of cake. I can't wait to try this recipe as it sounds like it might be as good as Mom's!

I spotted this strange thing that I couldn't resist getting

When I got it home, I realized it was a wall shelf meant to face this way. I think I like it better the other way

I also found this cute planter box

These sweet sounding chimes

and this almost cheesy flower holder

I couldn't believe this gorgeous find, a seriously cute letter box

and last but not least, my find of the day, this wonderful statue that will stand watch over my library

Happy thrifting,

This post is linked to Cindys Show and Tell Friday

Dream Cottage

Here in Vancouver are two houses so magical looking , you might think they had been transported here by fairies. The roofs are made of undulating steamed cedar shingles that looks as if they had grown on the house. The walls are whitewashed stone with wood beams,the windows all lead glass. I'd love a house like this surrounded by a lush wild english garden, nestled in the forest, a pretty babbling brook just around the corner. A girl can dream.......

Lost in a daydream