STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

It looks like 2017 is starting off just the way I want it--a very good auction day on Thursday. I brought home the desk.....

And the feet.......

And surprise!! Another pair of barrel back Louis XV style chairs (the last pair that I spiffed up sold in one week).

I already have linen fabric for these guys. Unfortunately, the cane on the other chair is in poor condition; so I will upholster them like this pair

One of the tricks of this business is to find a niche and fill it.........this will be the fourth pair of French barrel back bergeres that I have had in under twelve months. To find the antique chair frames with which to work is also a challenge: barrel backs are not common and I don't want frou-frou frames as I want to give the chairs a slight masculine edge.

I stepped outside my perfectionist pattern and bought this late 19th c. Empire style chest of drawers. I bought it without previewing and on a whim.....and was not happy when I saw it close-up. But a second look had me thinking that it was not that bad

I love the green marble top and this little chest would make a great bathroom vanity or a chest for a gentleman's dressing room. Roberto will wax it up on Tuesday and it won't be too bad--best part? It was almost free.

Our many years of drought seem to have officially ended. I'm so grateful for the rain that we've had the past couple of months and the forecast is for rain every day next week. Our local mountains are covered with snow (they're breathtakingly beautiful on my drive to Pasadena every morning) and the slopes are all open for skiing for the first time in years.

We have become very conscious of the immense quantity of water that we consume directly and also of the water cost of raising cattle and bringing only a single pound of beef to market--approximately 2,500 gallons/lb. Quite a few of us have cut down on our red meat consumption dramatically. I'm not ready to go vegetarian, but my produce consumption has definitely gone up. Most lawns will return to green, but quite a few desert-scapes will remain. It's hard to believe, but the artificial turf/grass business is booming. I hope that the lessons of conscious conservation "stick"; Southern Californians did come together to conserve water--all except for Beverly Hills--where I think it might have gone up in a few sections. HUGE FINES ANYONE?

(OK--Time for me to get off my soap box and head to bed--Jones is waiting)

Have a wonderful week-end!

Mary, Jones & Cole