Life in our little cottage in the country
One day at the birdbath:
A robin and a catbird shared the space, which in itself is rare. Robins tend to take over.
Still waiting. That catbird doesn’t seem at all intimidated.
Alone at last!
What the heck???
As is abundantly clear, the robin gave the dove the stink eye.
The dove took the hint.
About a half an hour later, a rare event:
In all my time here, I’ve never seen a cardinal at the birdbath.
The neighborhood pool was clearly the place to be.
Happy Sunday.
Since that horrible dream left me feeling rather melancholy yesterday, I took control and sought refuge in photography. I find that if I can get outside and take photos, I see the world differently. I see my own situation differently. I captured lots of lovely images yesterday which I will be sharing with you over the next several days, including a treasure trove of birds at the birdbath. Goodness, they were active!
Also contributing to my mood change was a package that arrived in the mail for Little Z’s dollhouse. As you know, I’ve been contemplating what furniture – and it needed to be sturdy wooden furniture – to buy. Z is five years old, smart as a whip, and as determined as can be. He also walks with canes because of his disability and is working on using both hands equally. I wanted the furniture to be effortless for him, nothing that can break.
One day, I searched on Etsy and found this shop: upperairs. It’s David DiBenedetto’s shop and he handcrafts this dollhouse furniture. It was reasonably priced and was just what I wanted. And I love to support small businesses.
I was thrilled when I opened the package.
It’s as if it were designed by IKEA for this house.
The living room. Sofa, chair, fireplace, table, grandfather clock and television. I laughed out loud when I saw what was playing on the television! That’s Z’s favorite. He loves, loves, loves Mickey.
Kitchen: None of the doors open. Did you notice the faucet? It’s a cup hook. The table might be a bit too tall, I’ll have to think about that one.
Just like the kitchen in my dollhouse – the hardest room to photograph.
Bathroom.
Bedroom.
Don thinks I should leave the furniture unpainted because it goes so well with the house. I must confess, I’m not sure what to do. I am planning on making some cushions for the furniture and the bed.
Do I paint the furniture? Do I leave it as is until he decides what he wants? Do I put temporary wallpaper up that he could pull down if he wants to?
Meredith says that either way would be great, but she suspects I’d have more fun painting the furniture.
I’m going to think about it for a day or two and then I have to make a decision.
This furniture is so well made and it’s sturdy. Z can handle it, knock it around, move it in and out of the house without any worries about breakage. I want him to be able to do whatever he wants with the house.
Your thoughts?
I have one bird photo to share with you today – I saw this guy looking for food at the entrance to the big corral:
What a beauty!
Happy Saturday.
• Thanks so much for the spirited discussion on yesterday’s post. I learned something from all of you and I thank you for that. Gosh, I love it when that happens! You are the best.
• Happy first day of Autumn. It feels like it out there. I stepped outside to take a picture and the air was rather brisk. This is what prompted me to venture outside in my pjs.
I’m telling you, every morning is like this, give or take a few blooms. Was the secret adding fresh topsoil to this new garden bed? I’m not sure, but these are the most prolific morning glories I’ve ever had. (And there’s one bloom behind the fence that you can’t see!)
I’ve titled this: Impressionistic Morning Glory.
Yes, I can’t get enough of them and if you’re sick of seeing them…well, you’ll have to find something else to read. Because I’ll be posting them as long as I can. All too soon it will be barren outside and I’ll be scrambling for something, somewhere, that is photo-worthy. Believe me, this happens every year. A panic sets in: what will I blog about now that all the flowers are gone??
Like clockwork.
• Mowing yesterday. Tired Claudia last night. But it looks good out there.
A couple of thoughts for you today:
• I believe that energy, both positive and negative, has more power than we realize. In this election process, I’ve realized that so much – almost all – of my energy has been focused on he-who-will-not-be-named. And that, my friends, is mother’s milk to him. (As is lying, but that’s another subject.) He laps it up – doesn’t matter whether it’s positive or negative. Negative energy puts the focus on him. And he is completely unworthy of my focus. So, as of this moment, I am focusing all my energy on his opponent – on helping her become President of the United States.
Positive energy for her, rather than against him. I refuse to give him any of my attention. He doesn’t deserve it. He is beneath contempt, he is everything I was brought up to believe is wrong and evil; so why even give him one microsecond of my time? Energy beamed toward someone who cares, who will help those in need, who has always worked for others, who has a 40+ year history of doing good? Yes and yes and yes.
• And, the other thought; succinct and to-the-point: #blacklivesmatter. I’m heartsick. Something has to change.
Do I even have to say here that the vast majority of police officers are good people who, I trust, do not racially profile our citizens? Because I guarantee you, someone out there will read #blacklivesmatter on this blog and immediately think I’m trashing all police. I don’t have much patience with that limited form of thinking. It comes from a defensive posture and limits any healthy discussion that might bring about positive change.
And yes, I have a family member who had a long career as a policeman in Michigan. It doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with what is happening now. There is something terribly wrong and it has to be addressed.
• Don and I are currently running a GoFundMe campaign for our friend, Dawn. She is the most hardworking person we know. She cuts my hair as well as the hair of lots and lots of people in our small town. She works 12 – 14 hours a day and charges…get this…$10 for a cut. That’s it. It’s not uncommon for me to drive by her shop in the early morning hours – I’m talking 6 a.m. – and see her cutting someone’s hair. Not only that, she is kind, has a generous spirit and is always thinking of others.
She had to have serious kidney surgery last Monday. Very serious surgery. She will be unable to work for a month and she is the sole source of support for her family. So, last Friday, we started a campaign for her and we’re 2/3 of the way to our goal! Our intention is to donate enough money to give her some time to heal, time in which she doesn’t have to worry about bills and food.
• And finally, I looked out the living room window yesterday and saw a hummingbird dining on the geraniums and managed to grab my older camera and get a quick shot. This is a biggie for me because I don’t have a hummingbird feeder and I usually can’t get to my camera quickly enough to get a picture.
Immediately after this, he was gone. It’s not perfect, but I don’t care! I was so happy to get the chance to photograph this beauty.
Happy Thursday.
