Designer

……………….Have you ever seen a PURE WHITE SKUNK….with absolutely NO black markings?…….Frankly, I didn’t even know they existed until the other night…..I was about to go to bed, and I notice my security spot lights were on my lawn facing the water. At first I thought it must be a deer, but when I looked out the window I saw this white object on my lawn. It was very windy off the water, and I thought maybe a white garbage bag got blown onto my property….I have found stranger things on the lawn so why not. The next day Franco, my gardener was here, and I told him about the white object that was gone in the morning, He said it was a white skunk!….I said are you sure??? I never have heard of a white skunk, and all the years I’ve been here I’ve never ever seen one. He assured me that is what it was. I was still incredulous….so I googled white skunks, AND THESE ARE THE PICTURES, AND THIS IS EXACLTY what it looked like……Last night I saw it on my lawn again!. I banged on the window and it ran to my neighbors yard….where I have a sneaky suspicion it lives…..I really don’t care that it was on my yard because it only comes out at night so far, but it’s digging up my lawn looking for grubs….or so Franco told me…I think it’s kind of spooky….just in time for Halloween!………….LIVE & LEARN!

……………….My Anne Klein Fall 1993 collection took place at Lincoln Center on the Grand Promenade. It was a magnificent room to show in with the two story glass windows along one entire side, and sun streaming in…….These photos are a combination of behind the scenes and on the runway…….Jac at the upper right is wearing a long hand crocheted vest that was re-embroidered with small black beads. Next to that photo is Jac and Alda Balestra chatting on the plastic covered white runway, and left of that is Nikki Taylor waiting in the wings. A huge banner flew outside the theater……At the bottom, extreme right is Yasmeen touching up her mascara, and to her left is Naomi and Nikki waiting in the wings to make there entrance.  Jac is on the runway in a layered wool gauze dress over wool gauze pants………..Two models waiting in the wings are wearing variations of long sweater knit dresses over knit pants, and the last two bottom left photos are of the models in their evening outfits waiting for their names  to be called to make their runway entrance……..So much goes into putting on a show….months of preparations building up to the start of the music and the first model making her entrance onto the runway……Then it’s out of my hands, and I have to let all of the professionals I have hired to carry on……After every show there is exhilaration and the excitement of seeing all of the work come to fruition…..and then the inevitable let down of the wind coming out of your sails…..knowing in a week or two you must start ALL OVER AGAIN!…………….That is the life of a designer.

…………………..The transition of my table scape from a fall to a Halloween table is a subtle one, as many of the items transition well…….A pumpkin print table cloth and napkins, a change of thick straw placemats and napkin rings, changing from tortoise forks , spoons and knives to gold, and changing out the tortoise glass wear for gold and clear glass wine glasses, and green water glasses are just a few of the changes. Adding a large Pumpkin center piece that lights up, and small LED light pumpkins scattered about the table add to the Halloween theme.

………………..Over the years Jac and I have collected Halloween decorations……..Some are new and some are over 30 years old!…….It’s always fun when the season comes around and I bring out these old friends…….There are grape vine pumpkins that are old and a new grapevine pumpkin that lights up…..The stain glass pumpkin, the witch, the metal Jack-O-Lantern, and the pumpkin/corn character were all bought by Jac and myself over the years…..On one of the tables in the “gathering room” are a series of six small orange pumpkins that light up…three orange pillar candles in real wax that have LED lights, and two glass orange pumpkins with green stems……..As I said….it’s always fun to visit with old friends……….HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

………………….First….I want to send my prayers to all Floridians who have to suffer the horrors of Hurricane Milton……For one who lives on the waters edge I can only imagine what a 15 foot storm surge would be like….A wall of water that would engulf my house…..I know first hand the damage Super Storm Sandy did to my property and the Conn. coat line, when Jac and I and my three pups had to evacuate our home…and that wasn’t even rated a hurricane!….For those naysayers who STILL don’t believe in Global Warming….between the extreme heat of the south west…the stream of tornados in the mid west, the hurricanes destroying the south east, and the scientists saying all of this is a direct result of global warming,,,,,,I don’t know what more proof you need??? Would we all have to burn to cinder before you believe????……Again, my prayers go out to all of those who have been effected by Helene and now Milton……………..Now, to my post……. “Every fall Monarchs fly thousands of miles from as far north as Canada to overwinter in Mexico….When swarms of Monarchs pause en route to rest and feed on nectar-bearing  plants, admirers will be ready to see them blanket trees and shrubs in orange and black”….I have started to see many Monarchs on my plants vying with the bees to gather nectar from the many blossoms in my garden…[all photos above]…Years ago I witnessed literally hundreds of Monarchs who’s path to Mexico was over my house…..It was amazing! It was something I had never seen before, or have seen since…..Now, I see maybe 10 to 20 to 25 butterflies stopping in my garden on their journey south……Unfortunately, many don’t make it to their destination, and die on their way. I have always been fascinated by these beautiful creatures, and wish them well on their trip to Mexico.