A Rhapsody in Blue!

A very warm weekend…

Boy howdy! It was warm here in Central Indiana this weekend. Of course, that was the weekend my oldest son and I laid down bag after bag of mulch. We had curbing put in around the house a week or so ago. I was so tired of the mowers blowing the mulch into the yard, and then Jack would eat it. While my preference would have been flagstone, I have neither the budget nor the knees for that these days! So, Josh and I spread out close to 50 bags of that stinky stuff. In the old days, we would have just bought it in bulk, but we have yet to find a new place after the one we’d used for years closed.

Funny story…

At our house up north, we had over an acre of land. Over the years, Nigel and I planted more than 100 trees. Not all of them survived, of course, but there were probably 75 or so when we left. We also had a portion of the backyard fenced in for the dogs. Inside the fence we had planted a plethora of different bushes, perennials, and trees. I have mentioned my love of rocks before, right? Now, I content myself with creating cairns. But, we had some really big rocks up north.

A little more…

My very first teaching job was at the school where I’d been a student. We actually chose to build right across the road from the school so our kids could go there. We literally walked across the road (maybe 50-60 yards according to Nigel) to school. That school, as well as five others, were all township schools. That meant they were governed by a trustee elected by the people of the township. When all of those schools started requesting money from the state for various improvements, the state responded by saying we needed to consolidate into one corporation (or so I was told by the principal). So, my first job was actually under this new corporation rather than the old township system.

Still more…

In its infinite wisdom (yeah, that’s sarcasm), the school board decided to close this school along with several others and build a new middle school. Guess where that middle school was going? Yep, right across the road but far enough back that my youngest son couldn’t walk there. Actually, no one could walk or bike to the school. That was against the rules. But, back to rocks, right? During the years of construction, Nigel and I would walk over to the construction site. My objective was to find rocks. I think he just wanted to go for a walk. I was friends with the wife of one of the guys on the construction crew and asked her to ask him if I could have a big rock or two for my backyard. “Sure, he’ll bring it over in a loader for you.” That didn’t happen, and I didn’t want to bother her. As far as I was concerned, I had permission to get some new rocks for my backyard.

Even more…

Well, once I’d picked out the rock (Nigel called it a boulder), we had to figure out how we were going to get it home. There was no picking it up and putting it in the back of his truck. So, we had to come up with Plan B. Nigel had a garden tractor to mow the lawn. We figured that little tractor could pull it home if we could figure out some type of conveyance. It just so happened Nigel had a big piece of plywood in the garage. Off to the rock we went with the tractor, the plywood, and some rope. I think Nigel drove all that stuff down in the back of the truck, and I drove the garden tractor to the rock. We heaved, and we hoed, and we got that rock onto the plywood. Before we left our house (about 1/4 to 1/2 mile down the road), Nigel had rigged up something to tie the plywood to the tractor. We got the plywood attached to the tractor. Any guesses where this is going?

Give it a little gas…

We rolled the rock onto the plywood, and I got on the tractor and hit the gas. Nothing happened. I gave it a little more gas. The only thing that happened was the front end of the tractor raised up…that rock wasn’t going anywhere without a little more oomph! I’m sure people were driving by and wondering, “What on earth?” That didn’t stop me. Now, more than ever, I was determined (Nigel would call it stubborn) to get that rock in my backyard. He told me to hold on a bit, to let him get behind it, and give it a shove while I hit the gas. That was just the impetus that little old tractor needed. I happily drove my new treasure down the road. Nigel followed behind with his truck so no one would rear end me.

Finally…

When we got to our house, the next problem was getting it into the backyard. I honestly don’t remember what we did, but I’m pretty sure we used the plywood and continued to drag it into the backyard. I had already scouted out where that beautiful rock was going…under the canopies of the river birch, the magnolia, and the locust trees! Once we had it in place, Nigel laughed and showed me the plywood. I didn’t know at the time, but sparks had been flying as I’d driven that tractor down the road. In a very short amount of time, the friction of the road and the weight of the rock had worn a hole through the wood. The sparks were from the rock hitting the road! There were crispy burnt edges around the hole of the plywood, too!

The dress…

I am thrilled to be able to say I continue to be a Brand Ambassador for April Cornell. It’s funny because I remember thinking I just wanted to have enough April Cornell pieces of clothing for an entire school week. It took me a few years to accumulate that many pieces. I still have the first thing I ever purchased, and I can tell you why, when, and where I bought most of the pieces I have. This Jacobean Dress (gifted) is a lovely shade of navy with an intricate pattern. As you can see, it’s a maxi dress on me. But, if you look at it on the website, it’s more of a midi. Just a reminder that I’m only 5’1″ on a good day! I’m wearing a medium, but I think a small would probably have been better. I always appreciate the way April designs clothing. There is a snap to hold the bodice together, button on ties to adjust the waist, and lovely on seam pockets. I’m not sure if you can tell, but there are also tiers to this dress. As I was ironing it (yes, I iron), I was just overwhelmed with the beauty of the dress. I truly am lucky to work with this brand. If you’d like, you can use MARSHA15 for $15 off $100. That works for items in April’s Attic which are prior season’s items.

The Lewk!

I know, I know! You just saw these same boots in Brandy last week! But, I have to tell you, I love these Leighton boots in Ocean (which is a deep navy blue). It helps that they are as comfortable as they are gorgeous! I went with all blue jewelry, too. This truly is a “Rhapsody in Blue!” The bracelet, both necklaces, and the ring are David Yurman and are very old. They are anniversary, birthday, and Christmas gifts from Nigel. The earrings (holding up the ring) are Lagos.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I really, really wanted to move that rock with us, but Nigel put his foot down! I knew we wouldn’t be able to move it easily so I caved. We did bring along a rock we had gotten from his now deceased older brother. We call it the brain rock because, well, it looks like a brain! All of the other rocks around our house were gathered at our last neighborhood when they were completing it. So, can we talk? Have you ever wanted something so badly you worked that hard for it? Are you laughing at me or with me right now? What would you have done to move that rock? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.

Thank you!

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

Affiliate links, discount codes, and such:

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. I am an April Cornell Brand Ambassador for another season. You can use my code, MARSHA15, for $15 off any order over $100. Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

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