Bold And Brassy

The first time I saw the parlor fireplace in That Old House, I knew
it had to have an old Federal style convex mirror over the mantel.

And more than a year later, I got one. Story here.

No, that's not my Show And Tell for Friday . . .

this is:

There are three light switches in our front hallway.

One is a triple, and operates the porch, foyer, and upstairs hallway light.

The other two are singles. One is for an outdoor lampost near the stone steps down to the street,
and the other operates . . . well, we don't know. And neither does our electrician.
Just one more of the mysteries of a very old house.

The switchplates are the ones that were here when we moved in.

"Oh, you are going to replace those ugly old switchplates, right?" asked my sister.
"Ummm . . . " said I. Ugly? I hadn't really thought about them as being ugly, or not.

They just were.

They belonged.

So, they stayed.

This morning I took their pictures; glamour shots I hope. Yes, antique dust and all.

But as I was photographing them, I glanced into the parlor and saw the mirror over the fireplace.

And it hit me!

These old beat-up brass switchplates are pretty much exactly
like the old beat-up mirror I scored on eBay last summer.

Coincidence? I think not.
I think That Old House had it planned all along, and I was just the helpless dupe.

Show And Tell Friday is hosted by Cindy at My Romantic Home. Click to join or visit!

And if you love flowers and burgeoning blooming things, pop on over to Tootsie Time, where
we're Flaunting Our Flowers on Fertilizer Friday. Click and go!

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I love bonus plants, plants that we inherited along with the mortgage to That Old House.

I am grateful to the previous homeowner who tucked a few tulip bulbs into the flower borders.

I'm especially glad she chose this deep dark purple -- so dark it is almost black.

This one is fading. When they are newly blooming, they are the most amazing rich color.

Look into its heart:

Our single red tulip is just about exhausted from putting on one heck of a show for the last couple of weeks,
tucked in among the branches of the white bleeding heart.

And the yellow tulips?

Some of them are beginning to look a little bedraggled:

This straggling old rosebush will soon be covered with the buds of deep red blooms.

Those buds will open, and almost immediately be devoured by the deer.

Oh well, the critters have to live, too.
Mrs. Plaster Bunny keeps watch over the daylilies and sedum.

And here, a chipmunk's-eye view from the top of our stone steps up to the driveway:

Sshhh... don't rat us out to the neighbors about that dandelion!

Ah, one more picture.
Why are there tables stacked up in our front hallway?

I will tell you, but not till next week! -- Cass

You can click on either logo, below, to visit the Friday blog parties mentioned above.