Two Great Alphabets to Clip & Save

I found these vintage alphabets and the scissors when I was looking at some of my old posts. My new template made it so easy for me to share these large photos without having to struggle so much to resize them for you and this makes me so happy. These alphabets would be great to print, clip and paste the individual letters for one-of-a-kind cards for any occasion. Click to enlarge the images.

Happy Friday

xo

Snow Scene: Tapping the Sugar Maple Trees

This antique oil painting is one of my favorite things and I look at it between my living room windows daily. It cools me in the summer and warms me in the winter. It is signed but I need to take it off the wall and adjust the canvas because it has slipped a bit and the whole signature isn't showing. That's a project for another day. It has a picture light above it so it's not that easy and will I have to move furniture. There is dense fog outside this morning and most of my snow has melted on the driveway with no shoveling on my part at all and that pleases me immensely. Have a great day!

xo

FABLE: THE HEN AND THE APPLE TREE + HELLO MARCH

THE HEN AND THE APPLE TREE 

One October day, a Hen looked out her window. She saw an apple tree growing in her backyard.

 

"Now that is odd," said the Hen. "I am certain that there was no tree standing in that spot yesterday."

 

"There are some of us that grow fast," said the tree.

 

The Hen looked at the bottom of the tree. 

"I have never seen a tree," she said, "that has ten furry toes."

 

"There are some of us that do," said the tree. "Hen, come outside and enjoy the cool shade of my leafy branches."

 

The Hen looked at the top of the tree. "I have never seen a tree," she said, "that has two long, pointed ears." 

"There are some of us that have." ' said the tree. "Hen, come outside and eat one of my delicious apples."

 

"Come to think of it," said the Hen, "I have never heard a tree speak from a mouth that is full of sharp teeth."

 

"There are some of us that can." said the tree. "Hen, come outside and rest your back against the bark of my trunk."

 

"I have heard," said the Hen, "that some of you trees lose all of your leaves at this time of the year."

 

"Oh, yes, " said the tree, "there are some of us that will." The tree began to quiver and shake. All of its leaves quickly dropped off.

 

The Hen was not surprised to see a large Wolf in the place where an apple tree had been standing just a moment before. She locked her shutters and slammed her window closed.

 

The Wolf knew that he had been outsmarted. He stormed away in a hungry rage. 

It is always difficult to pose as something that one is not.

March came in like a LAMB at my house.

Here's hoping it doesn't go out like a LION at the end.

I have posted this engraving and poem many times and still love it.

Spring is definitely in the air with snow on the ground.

The sun is bright and the sky is blue.

19th century engraving by Walter Crane.

Poem by his daughter Bernice Crane.

xo

Snow Day on Tuesday

Outside my front pantry/home office window.

View from the window over my kitchen sink.

View from my front vestibule door. Walk not shoveled.

Feeding frenzy. 

How many times will I have to refill the feeder?

Bought navel oranges yesteday.

I ate the missing one in middle tier.

It was delicious.

View from my living room overlooking balcony and rear property.

It's not bad at all. I didn't even move my car to the front. I have nowhere to go and did my grocery shopping yesterday. By noon, the temperature will be above freezing and the melting will begin. The snow is very beautiful from the inside looking out. My road is black and cars are whizzing by but I am staying put until Mother Nature helps me out with her snow melting capability. Stay snug. 

xo

Blue Skies Reflected in My Birdbath

The slight shimmer of the water when nothing else is moving is amazing to me. I am still exploring the magic of live photos converted to GIFs. You never know how they are going to turn out. If you want to get good ones, just be sure to make multiple photos and delete the ones that didn't work out. That's what I have been doing with my bird photos. I have a busy Monday morning ahead of me. Snow is coming and I have to get more birdseed in addition to ingredients for my morning smoothie. More about those later. Stay snug.

xo

Determined Red-bellied Woodpecker

I watched this red-bellied woodpecker for quite a while. He was determined to get all the hidden seeds from beneath this concrete ball. He is a male and I know that because of his red crown. The female's head is white on top but she does have red going up the back of her head.

 He looks as if he's sharpening his bill but he's throwing the sunflower seed shells. Look closely and you'll see them bouncing off the ground.

I hope you aren't geeting tired of watching these animated live photos called GIFs. I can't get enough of this beautiful fellow; he's one of my favorites. Every now and then I look out my window and see snow flurries. But when I look again they've stopped. Enjoy the last weekend in February and stay warm if it's cold at your house too. 

xo

FABLE: THE LOBSTER AND THE CRAB

 

 

      THE LOBSTER AND THE CRAB

"On a stormy day, the Crab went strolling along the beach. He was surprised to see the Lobster preparing to set sail in his boat. "Lobster," said the Crab, "it is foolhardy to venture out on a day like this." "Perhaps so," said the Lobster, "but I love a squall at sea!" "I will come with you," said the Crab. "I will not let you face such danger alone." The Lobster and the Crab began their voyage. Soon they found themselves far from shore. Their boat was tossed and buffeted by the turbulent waters. "Crab!" shouted the Lobster above the roar of the wind. "For me, the splashing of the salt spray is thrilling! The crashing of every wave takes my breath away!" "Lobster, I think we are sinking!" cried the Crab. "Yes, of course, we are sinking," said the Lobster. "This old boat is full of holes. Have courage, my friend. Remember, we are both creatures of the sea." The little boat capsized and sank. "Horrors!" cried the Crab. "Down we go!" shouted the Lobster. The Crab was shaken and upset. The Lobster took him for a relaxing walk along the ocean floor. "How brave we are," said the Lobster. "What a wonderful adventure we have had!" The Crab began to feel somewhat better. Although he usually enjoyed a quicter existence, he had to admit that the day had been pleasantly out of the ordinary. 

Even the taking of small risks will add excitement to life.

I love that you can learn a lesson when you read a book to a child. One of the agents in my office welcomed her first grandchild two days ago and she's over the moon with her tiny granddaughter. xo

See the other Fables from this book HERE.

Last Year's Limelight Hydrangeas

I need to prune these old blooms very soon before the new growth begins. We are having a windy Friday morning in the low 40s but overnight it's going down to 19° so I will wake up to a very cold Saturday. I like this gentle movemen in this live photo set on bounce. Have a great weekend. I am trying a new layout for my blog. Let me have your comments. xo

Old Table for Kitchen Island

This antique marble topped refrectory tagle is perfect in this kithen, isn't it? The client's request was to design a kitchen that looked like it had always been there yet worked for modern life.⁠ I think she got her wish, don't you? Found on Instagram here. 

xo

Personal Home Library for One

Well, do you love this or what? It's called a reading nook in the MLS but I would call it a personal library for one, wouldn't you? The rest of the house is equally wonderful and I can't wait to tour it at the first open house. 

xo

My Kitchen and Presidents' Day

This is one of my favorite photos of my kitchen. A few things have changed -- there is now a microwave on the counter to the left of my tall case clock. The electrical outlet behind the artwork on an easel was faulty and I finally had an electrician fix it along with a few others outside a while back. My kitchen table was a mess all weekend but I finished my taxes and am in the process of clearing it off again. 

Washington’s Birthday by Charles Baugniet, 1878 

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Read an interesting article in this link 

WHY WE HONOR GEORGE WASHINGTON 

When I was in school, we celebrated George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays separately but now they are grouped together for Presidents' Day in order to have a long weekend.

George Washington February 22, 1732

Abraham Lincoln February 12, 1809

Have a great Monday.

xo

Greenhouse in Winter

It should be waking up soon. One of my friends who had a greenhouse called hers an adult sandbox. This one is pretty wonderful, isn't it? Enjoy the rest of the weekend. xo

Found here.

My Deer is Back

My young 4-point buck is back to feed in yesterday's rain.

He is still on the lookout and seems nervous in this photo. This time he is alone. The last time he was with another male with a large rack and a female. I took both photos from the window over my kitchen sink.

Happy Friday. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

xo

Me & My Shadow + More Photos Outside My Cottage

Me and my shadow two days ago on an afternoon walk around my property. The sun was getting low and the sky was still blue. We have rain at the same time today ending at sunset. I had an outside inspection for a real estate customer and got it in before the rain started.

This is a photo using the wide angle lens on my iPhone.

This is the beginning of what I call the "way back".

This is my cottage from near the end of the way back.

The snowdrops are popping up along my brick wall.

Every year I transplant clumps and am always surprised when I see snowdrops thriving in a new location. It seems like Friday but it's only Thursday so enjoy what's left of the day.

xo

Starling Attack + Photos Around My Cottage

Wednesday morning at the bird feeder.

I finally have some blue sky with clouds photos. Lately i've had nothing but gray overcast ones that were too boring to post.

I love my antique cast iron green frog. He has a hole in his mouth to become a water feature/fountain but I have never used him as one.

Longer view showing actual size of my frog.

Here's hoping you are enjoying some sun and blue skies with clouds too. If not now, then sometime soon. I am enjoying them today but some rain is coming Thursday and Friday. xo

Bookshop with A Great Name

Wild and Homeless Books

Who could resist giving one a home?

Found here.

Cats and Books -- Love this!

Another image found on Tumblr attributed to Pinterest.

xo

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

I love this little guy and post him every February 14th💘

xo

Bluebird Nest Building 30 Day Video

I couldn't post the live high speed video from Pinterest. It is so fascinating to watch the 30-day high speed action video and watch a bluebird build a nest building from start to finish, lay 4 eggs, see them hatch one by one, and be fed. I wanted to whet your appetite with these 4 screenshots. Watch the complete video HERE. Aren't nest box cams fantastic? This is the best one I have ever seen because it was so clear. I wish it were longer so we could watch the tiny ones grow and fledge. This inside view was a real treat for me and I hope for you too. xo

UPDATE: I had to remove a "dummy" house wren nest from my bluebird box this week. I am doing everything I possibly can this year to get bluebirds to have the opportunity to use my nesting box. Read an interesting article about this problem HERE and another article HERE. I have never had chickadees or other birds take over my box, only house wrens. They have the ability to nest almost anywhere so I don't feel guilty when I remove one of their dummy nests early in the year before the final nest is constructed for their eggs. The dummy nests are just a big pile of small sticks.

Bluebird Sighting This Morning

February is the month Eastern bluebirds start their search for a nesting spot. I looked out my bathroom window and saw one sitting atop my bluebird house this morning and I was thrilled. By the time I returned with my camera he was gone. This photo was one of my bluebirds that landed on my balcony railing and you can understand why I find them so thrilling, can't you. There is another photo of this handsome guy on an old blog post of mine HERE. Have a great Sunday.

xo

Best Dutch Door Ever

Yes, please. All the woodwork in my cottage is painted this no-color color and I love it. Isn't this Dutch door the best? The stonework is wonderful too. Teleport me there now so I can go inside. Happy Friday. I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

xo