Claudia — Page 911

Mini Gifts & Violets

May 11, 2017 at 9:19 am by Claudia

I was the lucky recipient of a package from Barbara. Inside were presents for Caroline and Mini Don and a couple for me, as well.

For Caroline: two Petite Princess chairs, a lovely wooden tray (looks like tole!), three pieces of china in a sweet bird motif, a pillow and a Maxfield Parrish!

A clearer shot of the Maxfield Parrish.

Also in the package for Caroline:

Three Nancy Drews with cover illustrations by Russell H. Tandy. It took me a while before I realized that they actually open.

The famous orange silhouettes inside the cover.

More illustrations and text. Amazing.

Mini Don received some treats as well:

British-themed pottery (perfect for a Beatles fan) and a metronome.

And two beautiful Swarovski Crystal bunny rabbits for me. Aren’t they sweet?

It ain’t easy taking a good photo of faceted crystal!

Thank you so much, Barbara! We are thrilled with our gifts and humbled by your generosity.

I finally got a shot of the violets that grow under my sedum. It’s actually larger than this, but this is all I could capture without trying to lift the sedum branches and handle the camera at the same time:

Today, I’m buying mulch, more potting soil, impatiens and maybe some other plants. Then weeding and mulching, which will continue through tomorrow, potting and planting.

Happy Thursday.

Sadness and Anger

May 10, 2017 at 8:42 am by Claudia

I’m just throwing this in the post to have a photo and not just text.

I’m sad today. And frightened. And angry. These emotions are a response to two entirely different occurrences.

First, I was outside yesterday, mowing and doing yard work (too much of course) and I decided to check on the nest. What I saw was heartbreaking. One unhatched egg remained. Along with what were clearly some baby birds, but to be frank, all I could make out was a mass of fluff and part of a beak. It was as if they had been smashed.

Hoping against hope, I watched to see if they were breathing. But they weren’t. And I waited on the porch to see if mama or papa would visit the nest. No visit. The last time I saw the five eggs was last Wednesday or Thursday when I was mowing before it rained. Mama flew out of the nest when I passed by and I saw the eggs.

I have no idea what happened in the meantime. Was it a predator? Another bird? Was it the deluge that fell over the weekend – was it too much for them? Was it the cold? Was there something wrong with them causing the parents to abandon them?

So sad and so heartbreaking. I’ve left the nest alone. But it drew me back at least three times yesterday as I tried to figure it out and as I said a prayer for the babies.

Second – the firing of the Director of the FBI, James Comey. Despite the spin put on it, it’s abundantly clear that he was fired because he is investigating Trump/Russia. Trump is obstructing a Federal Investigation, enabled by Jeff Sessions who is recused from anything to do with Russia and Rod Rosenstein, whose claim of impartiality in his hearing is now laughable.

Our democracy, our republic, is in danger. Grave danger. This was the act of a dictator, a Fascist, a banana republic. In less than four months, he has taken everything we hold dear and desecrated it.

I woke up before 5 am this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I’m feeling about as frightened as I can be about the state of our country.

I’ll be back with something cheerier tomorrow. I debated whether I should tell you about the baby birds, but you were a part of the discovery of the nest and the eggs and I thought you’d want to know.

Say some prayers for our country. Take action.

Happy Wednesday.

Bashful

May 9, 2017 at 9:09 am by Claudia

I don’t know whether you do this, but I have alerts set on eBay for a couple of things I collect. Not Roseville or McCoy because I would get a slew of new listings every day. But I do have an alert for vintage Nancy Drew and for the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs egg cups that were made for Walt Disney in 1937. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that they are highly collectible and hard to find. I am the proud owner of two of them, Doc and Dopey. In the past couple of years, I have a bid on several, only to lose them to a higher bidder. Very frustrating!

The other day, I received an email alert for a new listing – Bashful. To my surprise, it wasn’t an auction, but a “Buy Now” and the price was very reasonable. I quickly clicked on the listing – it was still there, which was a miracle – and I bought it! I couldn’t believe it. It was so easy. Would that they were all this way! He arrived yesterday.

There he is! He’s in excellent condition. I’m so excited – can you tell?

Each name is on the egg cup itself.

Look at that sweet face. I’m truly amazed by the condition of this egg cup – the eyes, the rosy cheeks, the mouth – the paint is beautifully intact.

And there he is with Doc and Dopey. Doc and Dopey, by the way, seem to be up for auction far more often than the other dwarfs. The rest are quite rare. Snow White herself comes up once in a blue moon and usually goes for a hefty sum.

But, ever hopeful, I will strive to acquire them all.

I’m so thrilled that I got this little guy and for a very modest price, to boot!

I didn’t mulch or mow yesterday because it was cold and windy. Today, I will mow. Tomorrow, I’ll buy the mulch and some more plants and trust that the cold weather is departing, as it looks like the low overnight temps will be edging upward. Fingers crossed!

Yesterday, on his day off, Don drove out to the Borrego Springs in the desert, as it is a community without street lights and is known as a great place to see the stars. I haven’t heard about the stars yet as that happened after I was in bed, but I do know that I put in a request for some apple pie, as Julian is on the way to Borrego Springs.

Hmmmm. Will I be getting one in the mail?

Happy Tuesday.

Mini Gifts & Violets

Sadness and Anger

Bashful

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Archives