We Are All Scared

Charlie Mackesy on Instagram -- follow him if you don't already. His illustrations are wonderful and he has just done a book that looks fabulous 

https://www.charliemackesy.com/ 

Charlie’s first book -- The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is now available to buy. I love this illustration and find it very comforting, don't you. xo

Handmade Buttonholes

These are the most beautiful buttonholes I have ever seen and are definitely a lost art. They are too lovely to even cover up with a button. The twine is gorgeous! via

My Old Clothes Line with Webster

As I mentioned in this old post, I lost all the trees to the right of my garage/barn after Superstorm Sandy but I still have the white pine on the left. Webster the Wonder Dog used to love watching me hang out the wash. All I need is a new post and I could have a clothes line again. I still manage quite well with drying things outside on wooden clothes racks and my balcony railing so all is not lost. In the winter, the clothes racks are perfect in my furnace room for all but large top sheets which I dry on my balcony. I love sleeping on sheets that have been dried outside and I can honestly report that sunshine leaves an aroma on them like no other. When I enter my bedroom after putting on clean linens, the whole room smells like sunshine. The items dried inside have no aroma at all because I use a detergent with no scent.

The sun can kill the Corona Virus bacteria that can live on fabric for 6-12 hours. Normal laundry detergent should kill it on items in the washing machine. Winter clothes that can't be washed can be put out in the sun to kill the virus. Continue to wash your hands often and be smart about being out in public. xo

PS: I just found an easy recipe for DIY: Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Cutest Little Chick w/ Flower Hat

This darling photo caught my eye this morning after getting up way too early thanks to daylight savings time. I am now ready to go back to bed but dare not. Isn't this little yellow chick darling? xo

via

Waiting for My Daffodils

Title: Daffodils. 

Etching, Isabel Saul (early to mid-1900’s)

I am still waiting for mine, The shoots are several inches out of the ground but I don't have any buds yet but it won't be long. via

Daffodils come before the swallow dares, 

and take the winds of March with Beauty.

The Winter's Tale. William Shakespeare.

Snowdrops are So Delightful

This photo doesn't begin to capture the true beauty of a clump of snowdrops along my walk and almost against the foundation at my front door but it will have to suffice. I moved a few more clumps I found in the woods to different locations in the front and back yards. I cannot ever remember doing so much gardening so early in the year and I'm loving it. Hooray for mild winters. All of my snowdrops are the result of just a few clumps I brought from my last house. They are trouble free and they multiply like crazy. The bulbs are very tiny and it is hard to weed around them later in the year without pulling up a few so I try to dump the weeds in certain spots in the woods so I can dig them up again a few years later after the clumps become sizable.

Take care, try to stay healthy, and wash your hands often. The only thing I have stocked up on so far is Bathroom Tissue. I went to Costco yesterday and there was none...the shelves were bare. I went immediately to Wegmans and got what I needed and then some to store away. It's my favorite brand anyway. No panic buying there....yet. xo

My First Hellebore Plant

I had a hard time picking out the perfect first Hellebore and here she is. I put her in the ground right away and topped the soil off with a fresh bucket of wood chips. It rained lightly overnight and I am thrilled with my new shade-loving perennial. The flowers are beautiful when there is nothing else in bloom except the snowdrops. We shall see when they bloom next year. They are also called Lenten Roses and this one is called Glenda's Gloss (Helleborus x 'Glenda's Gloss' PPAF)

I have been transplanting a huge grove of snowdrops I found in my woods where I used to dump my weeds. There is always a bulb or two in the mix and they multiply like wildfire. It's nice to have another flower in the garden before the daffodils are in bloom. 

Hello, March and A Lamb Cake

March came in like a lamb at my cottage. It was 23° when I thought to look at the weather app on my phone but there's no wind. I was thrilled to see a bluebird checking out my bluebird box so hopefully she liked what she saw and is ready to set up housekeeping soon. Fingers crossed.

Do you have a lamb cake mold? No? There's still time to find one and if you do, here's the recipe. I found a link for this mold on Amazon. Be sure to read the reviews about putting wooden skewers in the ears and neck for stability. Happy baking.