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Penelope Bianchi

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My definition of “luxury”!

September 25, 2017 By //  by Penelope Bianchi 15 Comments

luxury

My friend who writes the blog “Splenderosa” asked us to
write about our “definition of luxury”!
Here is mine!!!
 
noun (pl) -ries 
1.
indulgence in and enjoyment of rich, comfortable, and sumptuous living
2.
(sometimes pl) something that is considered an indulgence rather than a necessity

3.

something pleasant and satisfying: the luxury of independence
This definition works for me!
Now;  I will tell you what this means to me!  And I suspect it will be quite different from others!
But maybe not!

rp_0910-bianchi-outdoor-patio-dining-08-de.jpg

I will start here!  My picnic table my friend found in the nearby “collective antique store” for my 18 chairs I found in  Paris

at the flea market 30 years ago!  And my beloved bantam “mille fleurs Belgian chickens”!  Every morning I let them out of their

coop!  The joy of seeing them…indescribable!!!..the roosters, the chicks…and they change every day!

Not to mention their delicious eggs!

LUXURY!  Not to most;  but to me!!!

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Meeting my friend Brooke for the first time!  She and her husband Steve are two of my

most treasured luxuries!  who could have known how close  and

beloved we could become!  When she called me her “mentor” and said that

our house had inspired “Patina Farm” (I get goosebumps typing this!!)

was one of the great “luxuries” of my entire life!!!

Honestly.

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My family!  Here is my darling husband and two grandchildren at

“Grandparents day” a few years ago!

Tremendous “luxury”!!!

5 out of  our 7 grandchildren  live within a mile of us!  Lordy!  LUXURY!!!

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My Balinese chicken coop;  designed and built by my beloved talented Radisha!

Every single day I see it;  I think of him….and what a luxury!  (as you can see the chickens love it too!!)

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One of my greatest luxuries EVER were my parents!  My Daddie died when I was 4;

and my Mommie when I was 33;  but I had the luxury of the most loving

and supportive parents…in every  way!  And then I discovered this

amazing video a few years ago!  (my cousin’s contractor discovered)!

the BIGGEST LUXURY OF THE LAST DECADE!

(see my blog about it if you are curious!)

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An enormous luxury is our amazing house and garden we created

out of a “vacant lot”20 years ago!  With more birds and creatures

than you can imagine!  The quail running to their roosts; and their sounds

in the morning fill my heart with joy….and are a luxury far beyond!!!

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My mother’s pink azalea in a pot…I’ve been dragging that thing around for

60 years…..(honestly, I have proof!) and every year when it blooms;

It is as though she is saying hello!

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Our pond!  (It was a luxury before when we dug it and it filled with water)

But then;  with the drought…..it went away!  (see previous blogs for story.  SOB!!!!)

My husband Adam spent a fortune to line it.  The minute it was lined and the water

trucked in;  we set the duck houses in position;  the

mother duck for the last 7 years showed up and claimed our pond and her house!

Hatched 7 ducklings the earliest ever in 17 years!  March 6th!

My idea of Luxury!

More pictures of things I consider luxuries!  Friends, places I have stayed,

things I love.  Those are true luxuries to me!

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My friend Renees house!

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My friend James  visit and his partner’s photo of us with dogs!

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My husband and my visit to the Columbe d’Or 30 years ago or something!


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My deer I bought from Nathan Turner when he was moving his shop!  Above my living room window!

garden1

part of our garden!

desk

My office!

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my path to the pond!

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My collection I discovered of china collected over 65 years!

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My ducklings every single year!  (this was last year….they narrowly escaped by walking a mile to my neighbor’s pond!!!

8

My collection of the artist Marcel Vertes started by my mother in 1961;

and greatly aided by eBay!!!

and I haven’t even started on my great luxury of true and talented friends.

I am a very rich woman;  indeed!

So to wrap it up:

luxury

1.
indulgence in and enjoyment of rich, comfortable, and sumptuous living
2.
(sometimes pl) something that is considered an indulgence ratherthan a necessity
3.
something pleasant and satisfying: the luxury of independence
All those things apply to what I consider “luxury”!!
Thank you Splenderosa for affording us the terrific opportunity to express our
different viewpoints on so many subjects!
BRAVA!!!!!
You are another of my Great Luxuries!!!!

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My definition of “luxury”!Read More

Filed Under: Article, Blog, Design, Family, Friends, Gardens, Landscapes Tagged With: "grandparents day"', "my mommies wedding", animals, azalea, Balinese chicken coop, blogs, Brooke Giannetti, cats, chickens, chicks, creative friends, decorating, dogs, duckhouse, ducklings, ducks, family, friends, garden, grandchildren, habitat for quail, James Andrew, luxury, mentor, Nathan Turner, National Wildlife Federation backyard habitat, patina, pond, quail, Radisha, Splenderosa, Steve Giannetti, vacant lot, Velvet and Linen, you tube

French Lavender Oil

May 12, 2013 By //  by Penelope Bianchi 21 Comments


When we were building our house;  we went on several trips to Provence.

We stayed on one trip at a wonderful hotel in Aix-en-Provence called La Villa Gallici.

http://www.villagallici.com/en/hotel

It smelled absolutely divine;  so I looked everywhere for a housekeeper who spoke English!

I found one and asked her what on earth smelled so good!

She explained that they used drops of pure lavender oil on the carpets and rugs throughout the hotel!!!

It is a natural insect repellent;  it is a anti-anxiety treatment, and I have been using it at least 4 times a week ever since!

This is a big bottle;  but to use it on our rugs, it is convenient to have it in small bottles that release just drops at a time.This

bottle is to refill the small ones!


photo 1

photo 2

I don’t know how to make it!  I do make sachets out of our lavender!

Surprise!

  

chichoto

And our little hen hatched 5 baby chicks just in time for Mother’s Day!!!

I transported her chicks to the “maternity ward” coop in this basket!  She is taking great care of them!

Ichicks

Happy Mother’s Day!

French Lavender OilRead More

Filed Under: Blog, Design, Family, Gardens, Landscapes Tagged With: baby chicks, chicks, lavender, lavender oil, mother hen, Mother's Day, roses, spring

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