Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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A Bird and an Egg Cup

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This morning, I heard the carolina wren singing and I opened the blinds to see him standing in front of the trailer. After Don and I watched him sing, both of us so happy that he’s back, we noticed that both  of them were on site.

I grabbed my big girl camera to take some shots with my telephoto lens. I haven’t used it in so long that the battery quickly died – but I managed to get a couple of shots.

If you look closely, you’ll see he’s got some nest-making material hanging from his beak.

Peeking out from inside his reclaimed home.

We are over-the-moon that they are back again. Spring. Carolina wrens. A nest. Shoulders dropping. Happy.

I also got something special in the mail yesterday. It was a great deal on eBay. As you know, my egg cup collection is pretty big and the figurals that I love so much are harder to find these days. So I rarely buy a new cup and when I do it’s usually a more traditional egg cup. Once in a blue moon, I look at the listings on eBay. I did just that a week or two ago and I saw a lovely little Spode egg cup.

The pattern is Chelsea Bird.

I was taken by the design of the cup; that flower and the wonderful combination of spring green and a deep, rusty red. That’s a pheasant on the inside, which I’ve since discovered is the predominant feature of that Spode pattern.

But my delight quadrupled when I saw that there were two dragonflies and a bug on the inside the cup.

I think that’s a dragonfly…

Beetle? Something else?

And the other side of the exterior:

It’s quite detailed and tiny. Those special touches on the interior make it a treasure.

It was only $12.00 – a steal. Spode made this pattern from the late 1800s until 1927 or 1928. So we know it’s at least almost a hundred years old – probably older.

I really, really love it.

It’s sunny right now, but it will be chillier today. And then we have rain starting tomorrow.

I’m so glad that spring has sprung.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Peepers, Birds, Books, and Stickers

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Out the window: brown grass and no leaves on the trees – but the birds are singing and we heard the peepers for the first time last night! That means – no matter what the date is on the calendar – that SPRING is here! I was sitting in the den last night and thought I heard a peep, so Don and I went up the stairs to the window, opened it wide, and we heard one peep followed by a chorus of peeps. I cannot tell you how happy this makes us. We responded with a hearty “Welcome!” I have yet to hear the bullfrog. I hope he’s still there.

I read a lot yesterday: Orfeo  by Richard Powers. His writing is beautiful, his intellect unmatched. It’s been a bit of a slow go, only because there’s so much to take in, and Powers’ build to the climax is always slow and steady. I refuse to be a speed reader because, to me, the beauty is in digging in and savoring every word. I should finish it today.

I don’t know if you’re into stickers. As a rule, I’m not. But, I saw this book of stickers on Amazon and was attracted to the subject matter; vintage and bibliophilia. I think it was about $20. I love the illustrations and the book is truly jam-packed with vintage beauty. I use a planner religiously, as you know, so I sometimes add a sticker to that day’s page.

Don’t get too excited by the Country Living feature coming up. They only used two of my egg cups and frankly, they’re fairly mundane. No enchanting figurals at all – just a jadite egg cup and a small Delft egg cup from Holland. I’m happy, though, that they’re using the Delft, as it was a present from my mother and it’s precious to me. But that’s the world of art direction and stylists. Clearly, they had a certain look in mind.

Still, it’s flattering to have even two of my cups featured!

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Two-Two-Two-Two

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Finished.

I started a new one, but didn’t get very far! The border is all in the same pattern and it’s hard to figure out what piece goes where. It’s a handful.

This morning, I heard several different birds singing in the vicinity of the porch. It’s so heartening to hear birdsong at this point in the winter. I heard the Carolina Wren singing before I opened the blinds and I couldn’t find it anywhere on the porch. Later, I heard it again and I peeked through the blinds that face the big maple tree and there were two Carolina Wrens going in the the trailer/nest! Whoo hoo! They’re definitely checking out available real estate. I ran to tell Don and then I looked out at the trailer from the living room, but they’d disappeared.

I wonder if they’re completely different birds than the couple who inhabited the nest last year? Or are they the same mom and pop?

Even though it’s winter, they clearly know something is about to change.

That being said, we’re due for 5 – 8 inches of snow on Friday and I can’t tell you how depressed that makes me. My only comfort is that it will melt during the following week. But it will take a while and right now we have no snow on the ground. Dang it!

Don has started a YouTube channel where he does what he calls his ‘Car Concerts.’ So far he’s posted five songs and I think he’ll post another five today. He used to post them on Facebook, but he likes this idea better. If you’re interested in hearing my talented husband sing some of his songs, you can find him here. (He likes the acoustics of the car.)

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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