That these United Colonies are, and of Right, ought to be, Free,and are, Independent States!

 

   I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, One nation, Under GOD, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all!!!!!!!!!!!!

         
     The decoration of Independence was adopted by Congress, July 4th,1776.
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson,between June 11th and June 28th, 1776, the Decoration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people.
    When in the course of Human events, it becomes necessary, for the  people ,to dissolive the bands, which have connected them, with one another, and to assure among the power of the earth, the separate and equal station, to which the Law of Nature and Natures God entitled them, a decent respect, to the opions of mankind, requires that they should declare the course which impel them to the separation.

     
  We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide the common defense, promote the general welfare ,the Blessings of Liberty, to ourselves and our posterity, do obtain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America,
   The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years. The president shall be commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. The President shall from time to time, give the congress information, in the form of the State of the Union Address.
    The House of Representatives shall be composed of members, chosen by every state.The Senate of the United States, shall be composed of two Senators from each state for 6 year terms and shall have one vote.
     The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of that State.

   
Happy 4th of July weekend, from,"My Old Historic House.(1845 Historic Elgin/Cottrell House Museum)
And Sissy Dog and myself. I hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July celebration. If you travel, God speed. If you are at home, be safe and surrounded with love ones. Remember firework safety and also stay cool. We, here in Missouri, are under a heat warning. It is to be 97 or so today ,so , keep our beloved pets safe, lots of water and bring them in inside where it is cool. Sissy hates the fireworks, so don't leave your pets unattended during this trying time. I just want every one to be safe and happy and have a 4th of July that we all will remember for many years to come.
   Come by anytime for a tour. I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will meet you all with a jump and a kiss

.        
                                                     GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

It's about time, we all got wired!!!!!!

   French Garden furniture of today, draws from a rich and diverse history, that resulted in many different styles. From 1715 onward, as the Formal French Garden began to yield, to the free design of landscaped gardens, people began to enjoy ,new forms of social leisure and  more intimate and beautifully organized outdoor social functions. It the beginning, furniture and carpets from the house, was carried out into the garden. This required servants and much time. If a sudden rain would appear, every one had to run and the furniture was often ruined. So the need for out door furniture had appeared. The first of this furniture was heavy iron.it was not easy to move, nor was it comfortable. It also required a lot of work to maintain it. The "Rococo" period arrived and the out door became very Romantic.  A lot of smaller garden, within a larger garden, made it possible ,to feel like it, was a more personal space. This was the first concept of the," outdoor room", that most people think, is a 21st century ideal. HDTV-this is not a new concept, nor did you all invent it. What goes around comes around. Even the out door kitchen, that is so popular today, is a Victorian concept. The summer kitchen, as it was called, was an out door room for cooking. This kept the heat out of the house and saved a lot of houses from burning down.

My Southern Magnolias have been blooming and blooming for weeks. My nieces gave,My Old Historic House,
2 of them for the houses 2 birthday. They were 6 foot tall then and now they are 12. I worried about them last winter when we had 20 inches of snow. But as you can see they are doing just fine. The Southern Magnolia is my favorite of all trees. 

    The more people wanted to be outside , the more there was a need for furniture that could be used outside, and it needed to be  moved about easy.. Garden furniture created wholly out of wire was light weight, durable, easy to move, and fairly cheap in price. This became the rage of all those outdoor souls during the middle to late 1800's. The French were the first to come up with the wire furniture designs. We owe a lot to the French, like folding tables and chairs. These were invented and used not only in the private gardens, but, also in out door dining and social functions. Thus the ,"Bistro tables and chairs."
   French Wire garden furniture is made by hand. To this day, no one has invented a machine to do this work. Some of the crimping designs and twist and so on, are done by machine. It is a simple process, where a frame is made from a heavy rod, like wire, and smaller wire is applied to that frame. Almost  ever piece made, was outfitted with wheels. This made it even easier to move. Soon, Flower shops were using these wire pieces for display and offered them for sale. Catalog companies carried various styles, pieces and patterns. In the high Victorian  days, almost every fine home had a garden room, green house or sun room. This wire furniture was soon making it's grand appearances in all those homes. Especially the Plant Stand, which could hold many pots of rare plants and make a great display as well. These plant stands are the most found,in todays markets, and the pieces we think of most, when talking of French Wire. Chairs, tables and love seats are not as common, so therefore the price is much higher on these items.
   I have an addiction  to this stuff.. Some people do drugs, I do French Wire. I buy it to sale, and it usually never does, so home it goes. When I do sale a piece, I am kinda sad, but, it gives me a reason to buy another. I have a plant stand on every porch and a couple in the yard. My patio has 2 love seats and 2 chairs. I long for a table, but, they are so hard to come by. My friend, and antique dealer, Blossom, got me started with this habit. She has owned and sold more wonderful wire than I have time to list. We are always sending each other to a shop to see one that we spotted. One of us, usually ends up with it. I remember a pair of the most wonderful chairs we found on a trip to Ill. Blossom bought them and latter sold them. When ever we mention French Wire, those chairs come up in the conversation. I guess one can have too much French Wire, but I can not imagine that ever happening to me.

    Today we have plastic furniture for the garden. I saw at the Home Dept the other day, plastic wicker furniture. I guess that is where we are. The sad  thing is, the price of the plastic, is much more than a real old wonderful piece. I hope I  never get to the day, when I have plastic garden furniture. I would rather have an old rusty piece of iron or wire, even if it is not antique. If you have plastic, I am sorry, if I stepped on your toes, and I will forgive you. Just kidding. What ever furniture you have in your garden, all I ask is, to ENJOY IT!!!!!!
   Come by, My Old Historic House ,soon and see all the French wire. After all, "I think it is time, we all get wired"! All kidding aside, I will leave the lights on and Sissy dog will meet you with a jump and a kiss. I hope you enjoy your garden this summer. Mine has been so alive this year. With all the rain, everything as been over the top. And that includes the WEEDS!Better get this posted and get out there a pull, pull, pull!

This is my new Banana Tree, a friend gave it to me, it was  a stick with roots. I will keep you posted on it's progress this summer. Makes me feel like I am in New Orleans or the South. 

The Southern Magnolia  stays green all winter, loses it's old leaves in the spring when new ones appear. It is a favorite of mine to use for Christmas decorations. After the blooms the seed pots have bright red seeds and look good on mantles and in vases for the holidays.

If it ain't Broke- Don't fix It!!!!!!

The new August issue of Victorian Homes magazine.

Victorian Homes magazine Editor, Hillary Black.

Address of the editor at Victorian Homes magazine.

The Mailbox section of Victorian Homes Magazine, August issue, with mention of, My Old Historic House.

   I am in a deep debate, with the editor of Victorian Homes Magazine, Ms. Hillary Black. The magazine did a 12 page feature of ,My Old Historic House, in the June issue. The newest issue, August, is soon to be on the news stands and it also, has a 1 page article ,about my home. Thanks to a lot of my Blogger friends who emailed and commented , about  the June article. One of my good Blogger buddies, Curtains in my tree, was mentioned, and, as was my blog, My Old Historic House. That is all very good for the blog world. When the June issue came out, with the article about my home, I got a lot of people who commented , that they did not like the last few covers. So I passed this along to the editor. True to form, the newest issue, August,  has another cover that is un-Victorian. To me, it looks like,Better Homes and Garden or House Beautiful. If you want those magazines, buy them, but we want, Victorian Homes, that is why we buy or subscribe to this magazine. I know where the editor is going, she is trying to reach  more readers,by attracting Old Home owners, who are not die- hard Victorian interior lovers. I understand the concept, so put it inside ,and put, Victorian on the cover. I am just saying!!!!I am so afraid, next, we will see a Victorian home, void of color, shabbied up, like so many of the other magazines on the market today. Is there no magazine, "GOD"' anymore. Please do not show ,a Victorian House ,with a flat screen TV above the parlor mantle.

A mock up cover, I did, from a house featured  in the August issue, which one do you like better?

 

Another Mock Up Cover I made, using a picture of my entrance hall, taken from the June  issue.

A Mock up issue, showing my kitchen, can you compare it to the August issue cover, showing  the greenish, yellowish, kitchen.

    The June issue and August issue are both in a greenish,yellowish, muted, void of color,  bah-bah-bah, tone,
of a bed room and a kitchen. I would not have bought either issue, if I had just looked at the cover. I might have taken the time to look at it, on the news stands, and bought it, after the fact. I just wonder if this is the personal taste of this editor. If so, I am asking, is she the right person for this job, editor of a Victorian Homes Magazine??? What do you bloggers think? If you agree or dis-agree, I am sure the editor would love to get you're feed back.
   I emailed the editor yesterday, and stated the same facts to her. She was very nice and emailed back in great speed. I asked her if the  past 2 issues had done well on the news stands. And now this is the third issue to look this way. Her answer was, that the numbers have not came in yet. Takes awhile, but she would keep in touch. I know the June issue did pretty good, as I , bought and sold 150 copies. And she did say that the June issue, with my house, had gotten a lot of attention. Her other comment was, that covers that are lighter and brighter, do well on the news stands. Well, not all Victorian Homes are dark. I have tried to do some mock up covers, so you can see what a different cover might have looked like. Ms. Black, the editor, did say that the Dec. issue would please me and she was still  working on Oct., and she would keep my comments in mind.At least she seems to be listening!

Does this excite you???

The cover of the new August issue of Victorian Homes Magazine, with a kitchen the same color as the bed room on the cover of the June issue.

What magazine do you think this was from???

This is wonderful, my favorite from the new August issue of Victorian Homes magazine.

How many of us have a porch like this? 

 
     Ok, now that I have ranted and raved,I just wanted to announce that once again, My Old Historic House, was mentioned  in Victorian Homes Magazine, the August issue, soon to be on news stands every where. Just thought you might like to check it out.
   I would love your feedback. I blog for comments, you know. If you like the direction the Victorian Magazine is going. Vote -Yes. If you don't like the new format, vote -No. If you would like to see the magazine go back to more of a Victorian look, vote- Yes. If you think I am nuts, and just about crazy, please don't say a word. As, you are probably right.Or, maybe you just don't care!
   I hope you enjoyed my Victorian Homes Magazine review. Come by some time and see me at, My Old Historic House. I would love to give you a tour. Sissy Dog will meet you with a jump and a Kiss and I will leave the lights on.

Would you rather see this than a green bath tub?