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You are here: Home / Archives for flowers

Flowers, Egg Cups, and a Puzzle

April 23, 2025 at 9:10 am by Claudia

It’s lilac time. And crabapple time, but we’ll talk about that in the next post.

And the leaves are popping out on the maple trees. The forsythia is in full, golden bloom.

A couple of rogue daffodil plants have popped up next to the grape hyacinth. I’ve been tracking them for a couple of years. This year, for the first time, there are buds that are just about ready to open. I think they’ll be the same kind of daffodil that blooms in the big garden bed.

I sorted out the shed yesterday, rearranging and fixing thing. I gave it a good sweeping, as well. I’ve also been clearing out more of the garden beds, which I’ll continue to do today. But only a bit at a time, because even when I really budget my time, my back still ends up aching.

More egg cups. The double egg cups are Harlequin, from Homer Laughlin. I found a couple of them and Margaret, a reader of the blog. sent me the others.

In front of them, new egg cups that my dear Judy sent to me. What came first the chicken or the egg? They’re adorable.

Glass egg cups: Jadeite and Milk Glass.

And miniature egg cups in Dove Cottage.

Reader Kathy sent me a puzzle which I just completed. It’s a copy of a print done by someone I’ve followed for a long time – Angela Harding. She carves linocuts and is also a printmaker. Her love of nature is apparent in everything she does. (She lives in England.)

Here it is with everything finished but the sky. (I forgot to take a picture of the completely finished puzzle.)

This one was challenging! Thank you so much, Kathy.

And timely. Don just saw a bunny rabbit!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: egg cups, flowers, jigsaw puzzles 20 Comments

Daffodils, Gatekeeping & Egg Cups

April 4, 2025 at 9:06 am by Claudia

The daffodils on the edge of the woods are blooming. They’re facing east and the back of the property which makes taking a photo tricky.  I suppose they like the morning sun, though there’s not much of that today. No rain today, but Saturday and Sunday will be very rainy.

Both of us hit a wall yesterday. We have to take care of our mental health and regulate our reactions to stress. Obviously, most of this is a reaction to the news. But we also have other worries in our lives – everyone does – and all of it combined together is having a very negative impact. We’re not young and we have to protect ourselves. So we had a big talk about it and we’re going to move into a healthier self-protect mode (as well as protecting each other, of course.) I can no longer take everything  in. Neither can Don. I know this will be a challenge, but I also know that if there’s some information that we absolutely need to know, it will find its way to us. I’ve been suffering from anxiety once again. I can’t seem to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. We have to be better gatekeepers.

Sometimes you have to hit a wall before you say “no more.”

I hope you’re protecting yourselves, too. Do what you have to do to create a safe space. It’s imperative.

Oh, sweet egg cups; you make me smile.

On the left, one of my favorites, a beautifully painted egg cup with two feathered friends. One is eating, the other one is maybe hiding? Or holding up the cup? Made in Japan.

Center: This may be my favorite cup. An artist rabbit in a smock, holding a palette while he paints a face on the egg cup. Japan.

Right: A gift from reader Linda. A fabulous egg cup with a tail (which you can’t see) that is removable. Why? Because it functions as a salter. It has holes and a stopper. So ingenious!

Okay, my friends. I have to make more coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: egg cups, flowers 14 Comments

A Saturday Surprise

October 12, 2024 at 8:40 am by Claudia

I sat in my chair this morning for a long time, reading a book and drinking coffee. After it became light, I eventually walked into the living room to raise the blinds. Then to the kitchen to raise another blind. I stopped at the window in the side door to look out at the property. And this is what I saw:

A morning glory! After Don heard me say “Oh my god!” a couple of times, he came to join me. He said “There’s your blog post.”

Yep.

There are lots and lots of flower buds developing and we’re trying to outrun a possible freeze next Thursday. So in the meantime, I hope lots of flowers open. I’ll take a photo of every one of them. I used to routinely see a lot of morning glories, but for the past several years, I’ve just had the vines and no flowers. No flower buds at all. So this is a little miracle. I’d almost given up. This year, I talked myself into sowing the seeds at the last minute.

And it’s our 26th wedding anniversary today.

An anniversary flower better than any bouquet.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: anniversary, flowers, morning glory 22 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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