Small Casual Dining

Sometimes informal intimate dining with a friend or two makes for the best of times.  (Photo credits where credit is due)

 Chairs, nor dinnerware---nothing has to match, but hearts and souls.

 The most beautiful view?  The genuine smile of a friend.

Above:  A favorite spot for sharing a meal with my significant other.  (Photo:  Toni Youngblood)

Wonder: Am I the last to know...

You can now get a chicken coup through Williams-Sonoma?
Chicken Coups at Williams-Sonoma Agrarian
I was shopping the W-S bridal registry and ran across this.  My mention is not meant as promotion of W-S, only as an observation of how "growing your own" is becoming accepted in the mainstream of our culture.

One of my favorite documentaries is "The Power of Community" on the topic of "The Special Period" in Cuba.  See short clips here.

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
41:25 - 3 years ago

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent – people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. It is an unusual look into the Cuban culture during this economic crisis, which they call "The Special Period." The film opens with a short history of Peak Oil, a term for the time in our history when world oil production will reach its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis – the massive reduction of fossil fuels – is an example of options and hope. The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil is a project of The Community Solution, a non-profit organization that designs and teaches low-energy solutions to the current unsustainable, fossil fuel based, industrialized, and centralized way of living. Visit www.communitysolution.org for more information. Film length = 53mins Plus 4 extras at the end (after the credits) Student Agriculture, Eco Village, Rural Solar Power & Architecture (less than 2mins each)«

More From My Decor & Furnishings Workshop

Jewelry or Cupcakes?
See more photos of this restored display cabinet here.

 Above:  Jewelry Case

Above:  Pastry Case

New Project from My Decor & Furnishings Workshop

Coat Rack

Click on the link to see more pictures and the description:  Decor & Furnishings - Coat Rack

Dr. Denmark Dies at 114

Click on the link to view the story in its entirety:
World's Oldest Doctor Leila Denmark Dies at 114 

(AP) Dr. Leila Denmark, the woman who became the world's oldest practicing physician died Sunday in Athens, Ga. She was 114.

When Dr. Denmark at age 103, she was declared by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest doctor.

Denmark became the first resident physician at Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children in Atlanta when it opened in 1928, said her grandson, Steven Hutcherson of Atlanta. She also admitted the first patient at the hospital, which is now part of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

She loved helping children, and it showed in the way she would turn to the next family waiting to see her, Hutcherson said.

"She would say, `Who is the next little angel?," he said.

Denmark began her pediatrics practice in her home in Atlanta in 1931 and continued until her retirement in 2001. That year, she earned the distinction of being the world's oldest practicing physician, said Robert Young, senior consultant for gerontology for Guinness World Records. She was also the world's fourth-oldest living person when she died, Young said.

Throughout her career, she always kept her office in or near her home, where children and their parents would show up at all hours in need of care, family members said.

"The kids would come in and she would spend as much time as she needed with the parents to help fix that baby or that child," Hutcherson said. "What she would do is figure out how to help them stay well."

Helping children get well and stay well was challenging in Atlanta's soot-stained air that darkened the sky during the Depression era, relatives said.

She treated some of Atlanta's poorest children as a volunteer at the Central Presbyterian Baby Clinic near the state capitol in Atlanta, said her daughter, Mary Hutcherson of Athens. Mill workers and other poor people who had no other way to get medical care would bring their sick children to the clinic.

Denmark loved her volunteer work at the clinic, just as she loved seeing patients in her home, her daughter said.

That enduring love of her work was a key to her long life, along with eating right, family members said.

"She absolutely loved practicing medicine more than anything else in the world," said another grandson, Dr. James Hutcherson of Evergreen, Colo. "She never referred to practicing medicine as work."

Denmark also received several honors during her career, including the Fisher Award in 1935 for outstanding research in diagnosis, treatment, and immunization of whooping cough.

She received alumni awards from Tift College, Mercer University, Georgia Southern and the Medical College of Georgia; and honorary degrees from Tift, Mercer and Emory University.

Denmark's funeral is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church in Athens.

"Everything about her was always trying to make a difference, first and foremost," Steven Hutcherson said. 

Outdoor Art Walls

 Above:  Photos & Design:  Toni  Youngblood

  Above:  Photo & Design:  Toni  Youngblood

 Above:  Photo:  Toni  Youngblood

Wonder: More Gender Culture

You may remember this post:  Wonder: Gender Culture.


And the description on this "men's" product made me wonder why girls don't have so much fun with their deodorant:

On the same topic and still a wonder is this:

I recently learned of this made-for-men product which just happens to be the best moisturizing hand and body creme I have ever used.  My significant other introduced me to it, when he saw me suffering from dry and cracking hands this winter.  Even the products designed for women by the same manufacturer have not come close to being as effective as this one for me. This "men's" product has helped me avoid the typical problems associated with dry hands this winter and I'm going to see how well my bare feet fare this summer by using it on my exposed tootsies.  I just wanted to pass this along to all the women who desire a good moisturizing creme and may not be able to find a suitable one in the ladies' department.

xSparky