Two Rose-ringed Parakeets Peeking from Tree Cavity

Isn't this a spectacular photo of two beautiful birds peeking out of a tree cavity where they are nesting. It's Mother Nature at her best. Photo found here. The snow that is supposed to be coming my way hasn't started yet. It might be a little or it might be a lot. I'll just have to wait and see. xo

Currently Watching: Inspector Alleyn on Tubi

I am watching on Tubi

https://tubitv.com/series/300007631/the-inspector-alleyn-mysteries

The aristocratic Detective Chief Inspector Alleyn and his Scotland Yard assistants investigate a series of crimes with the detective moving casually through the world of high society. Each episode is a complete murder case that is solved so you can watch and not have to keep up with the previous episode.  DCI Alleyn wears the most beautiful double-breasted suits and he is never disheveled. He's very well educated with impeccable manners and a keen eye for detail. His love interest, an artist named Troy, is in every episode.

Please note that the lead actor that plays Alleyn in episode one is replaced by another actor in all the subsequent episodes. When BBC picked up the pilot the actor from Season 1, Episode 1 was not available. This confused me no end so I will spare you from wondering what happened. 

Brenda recommended this series in the comments below my post about MONARCH OF THE GLEN. I finished that series and LOVED it and now I am loving Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. It is free on Tubi. I think it's on Amazon Prime too and maybe YouTube. I promise you will like it.

Bathroom with Painted Floor

This bathroom is pretty wonderful, right? See the entire Rustic Mountain House here. Gil Schafer, architect.

Dachshund Love Posters

Both of these posters appeared on my Pinterest feed this morning. I will keep you posted on my vacuum cleaner repair later today.

xo

Taking Apart My Vacuum Cleaner

The brush roller stopped working on my vacuum cleaner last week and I decided to try and fix it myself. I found a wonderful YouTube video that taught me how to take the base apart. There was one screw I never would have found by myself. I have it all apart but I cannot find my wire strippers anywhere. I called a friend who often helps me with my tractor and he's bring his over tomorrow. Fingers crossed it will work after this small switch is disabled by cutting the wires. Every video I watched said this was the most likely problem. So many people thanked this wonderful man for making the video and everybody was able to make this simple repair. xo

UPDATE: I did it. Vacuum cleaner is better than ever. Now the brush roller spins all the time but that's fine. I couldn't be happier. I made a template of the base out of cardboard and pushed the screws in the correct location as I took them out. This made reassembly a snap. I had to use three different screw drivers but I have a zillion tools so that was not a problem. I called my local vacuum repair store and he said Shark vacuums didn't have very many replacement parts. They want you to replace the whole base. He offered to look at it but I decided to keep looking for a tutorial and lucked out. I have lots of attachments and this vacuum cleans really, really well. It is a "lift away" and would still have worked without the base but now I have restored it back to better than NEW condition. xo

Small Brown Transferware Dish + A Shell

I was rummaging through a large storage bin in my attic looking for something I could not find but discovered this display stand instead. I remember finding it at an estate sale thinking I could find a use for it and I finally did. It was designed for displaying a cup and saucer and this shell fit in the cup holder very nicely. My shallow transferware shallow bowl/dish with an Aesthetic Movement design fits nicely in the saucer holder. 

I found a link describing this pattern called Beatrice.

Larger view on my small bookcase.

Have a great Sunday.

xo

Birds and Icicles

I don't have icicles but I my land is like the frozen tundra from so much melting and freezing. I'm not complaining though since I have no place I have to be and can enjoy a lovely weekend inside. The path to my mailbox is clear and so is my front walk so I am not in any danger of slipping and falling. Stay safe and warm and be careful if you venture out. xo

photo found here

Free Online Book Borrowing Site

Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, 

building towards a web page for every book ever published.

https://openlibrary.org/

Promise me you will click on this link. You will be blown away by the variety of books to borrow and read on your iPad, computer, laptop, phone, or Kindle. 

https://openlibrary.org/subjects

Browse by subjects using the above link. 

This is just a screenshot I made to make you smile. xo

Today's Snowfall at My Cottage

All of the previous snow melted completely yesterday and I went to the grocery store for the first time in 2022. It rained overnight and turned to snow at dawn. It stopped around 11:00 and I cleaned everything in a jiffy. I walked around outside taking photos and this is the only one I really liked enough to share. So far, so good this winter as far as I am concerned. If I don't have to call anybody with a snowplow, it's a good day for me. I made a big pot of soup yesterday so I am all set for several days of not having to cook. Happy Thursday. xo

Book About Cats Trying To Be People

"Little purr-purr people, and how they tried to be folks"

Published in 1887

This charming children's book has been digitized. 

You can read it online. 

https://archive.org/details/littlepurrpurrpe00bozp/mode/2up

Enjoy it yourself or read it to someone! 

xo

Hand-Written Recipe for Meringues

These are the best meringues you will ever make.

V is for Vanilla

Always have paper and pen at the ready in case someone wants to share a recipe with you! Charlie McCormick is my favorite on Instagram. He grows and exhibits the most beautiful dahlias ever. And he bakes the most spectacular things for teatime! Here is his Instagram link. https://www.instagram.com/mccormickcharlie/

Here is the link for this particular recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMZ3HvqhlRP/

Enjoy! xo

Free Sewing Pattern for A Lamb

Aren't these lambs adorable? The only thing you have to stuff is the body. All the other parts are one layer of black felt! You could get started now and have a pile made for valentine's day gifts. You could sew or embroider  a little red heart on the body. These are supposed to be ornaments to hang and the pattern includes two sizes. They would be great for Easter too. Download free pattern here.

My winter storm overnight was snow when I went to bed. Later it turned to rain and wind. Luckily it is MLK Day and there isn't much traffic so people can stay home. My front walk looks like a layer of ice covered with slush. There is no snow on my car so I don't have to clean it off and that makes me happy. I'm staying inside until the warmest part of the day and then I will give the front walk a quick shovel. Be safe. xo

Cecil Aldin Dog Etching🐾🐾

I have always loved Aldin's dog etchings.♡

This one, "Ready for Mischief", was sold by Christie's.

Still Life Saturday in My Kitchen

A grouping of some favorite things on my kitchen counter.

A French Faience lamp with a shade I made.

A Dutch bulb forcing pot.

A white lidded container found while thrifting.

A rosemary cutting rooted in water, just repotted.

Have a great weekend. xo

Now Watching: MONARCH OF THE GLEN

MONARCH OF THE GLEN on Tubi

https://tubitv.com/series/300006800/monarch-of-the-glen

 I stumbled on this BBC series with seven seasons that aired 2000-2005 and I absolutely love it. The characters are wonderful as is the Scottish castle and the countryside of the vast estate. It is on Amazon Prime if you are a member and on Tubi to watch free with ads. I put the link for TUBI if you are a cord cutter like me. I think it might be on BritBox too. January is the perfect month to start watching a long series with a total of 64 episodes. I'm so glad I found it. I'm sure many of you saw it years ago and might want to watch again. 

A list of all the episodes can be found here.

Enjoy! xo

UPDATE: At the time of the above posting I knew one of the main characters was familiar gut couldn't quite figure out who he was. Mystery solved! It was Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame. I thought he might have been influenced by this Scottish series and did some research. I found this link very informative. There are other links within the article that are interesting too.

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/downton-abbey-loosely-based-creator-julian-fellowes-life.html/

Bird Prints on A Gallery Wall

This wall of bird prints is stunning. 

I love the wide wooden frames and the further framing of the entire wall in natural wood. 

The <<<<>>>> border might be handpainted on fabric, it's hard to tell. It is on the ceiling too around a wide figural border wallpaper. This could be a bedroom. Photo found here.

Only Group Portrait of the Brontë Sisters

Found on Instagram @National Portrait Gallery

This information about the brother/painter was found here.

Isn't all of the above fascinating? 

I thought so too!

xo

Frigid Outside Today

I love this image by Lee S. Hee so much. It reminds me of my grammar school days in Pennsylvania when my brother and I had to walk to school every day. Those were the days of deep snow and I honestly cannot remember ever having a "snow day". There was always a thawing out period when arriving home at the end of the school day and we had to change into play clothes if we wanted to go back out for sledding. This little girl's mother certainly has a system all worked out for her daughter's warming up period and it looks very cozy, doesn't it? Say warm and be careful if you have to go out. xo

Grey Heron Taking the Stairs

Sometimes it's easier to take the stairs than to fly😂

Photo found here.

A Squirrel Portrait in the Snow

This is such a great action shot of a squirrel, isn't it?

I know they are pests if you have a bird feeder

but this one just seems to be enjoying a 

romp in the snow. photo source

I just checked my phone for a weather report and it's very confusing. We are either going to have snow all day or snow turning to rain depending on the temperature. Should be interesting. Either way, it's going to be messy. I vote for neither. Don't forget tonight is the beginning of Season 2 of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS. Plus Episode 2 of Around the World in 80 Days. I will be watching both! xo