It’s going to reach 51 degrees today! What??? And it’s sunny!
Though I know this is only temporary, I think Don and I need to get out of Dodge. Take a little drive. We need to escape.
Finished puzzle:
The sun was shining brightly when I took this, so it’s not the best picture. The World of Charles Dickens. Beautiful illustration!
I finished grouting the last exterior wall on the dollhouse. I’m really, really, really pleased with the way it looks. The added bonus is that it’s inspiring me to get cracking, to finish up this dollhouse. Although they’re never truly finished and I need lots of accessories. (None of my hobbies are inexpensive, unfortunately, so changes happen slowly.) And then…the big one. The Beacon Hill.
I promised a photo of the second outfit that arrived the other day. Miss Mei is today’s model.
The dress is from LenaLittleDress, the socks are from Qiulizio, and the shoes came with Madeleine.
Since Mei had to change out of her pants and top, Maeve got to put them on. These girls share clothes and so far, no tussles!
Pants and top by Qiulizio, boots by Northfield Primitives. As always, Maeve looks a little wary – of what, I’m not sure.
Oh heck, let’s put them together:
In reference to our discussion about different bodies for Blythe: Maeve has the traditional body, Mei has an Obitsu 11 body. Do you see how Mei is slightly shorter? Her head is tilted a bit, but she’s definitely shorter. I’ll try to take a picture of Maeve, Mei or Pippa, and Livvy – three different bodies – and then you’ll see the differences. Coming soon.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
The girls are looking good! Love the pompoms on the boots. And that puzzle rocks. I don’t see how you are so fast. I’m still struggling on some of my title (fortunately, some other parts got done so it’s not an empty shell!).
So glad the grout looks looks. Can’t wait to see. And a ride sounds like a good idea. We got the icy stuff last night under snow but warming into the 30s so hopefully by the time I have to go out it will be a bit under control. Have a terrific day!
There’s a picture of the house grouted on yesterday’s post, Jeanie.
Stay safe!
The girls are adorable and I truly love their clothes. Its sunny and warm here and I’m getting out of the house and meeting a friend. So excited. Still very careful but life has to move on at some point I guess. Enjoy your day. Hugs!
Have fun with your friend, Linda! We have spring fever even though we know temps are going to go back down to the twenties next week. JUst one day of warmth will help!
Stay safe.
I like how you’ve done up Maeve’s red hair.
And that sailing ship on the blue-blue water as depicted in the colorful puzzle is fun.
Hope you have had a lovely drive by the time you read our comments today.
Have a nice weekend!
This doesn’t have to do with anything except that I was catching up on some Groundhog Day news from eight or nine days ago. Made me wonder about Henry (or Henry’s descendants) and I guess you won’t see anybody out at the shed for another couple of months yet, right?
So I gleaned this from several sources and I just thought it was so interesting: The groundhog is a rodent, from the same family as a ground squirrel. Mostly found in the eastern U.S. Also called a thickwood badger. They can weigh up to 15 lbs! (This definitely could be Henry of the old days, true? He was a pudge in your photos, Claudia!) A young groundhog is called a chuckling (woodchuck). When a mama groundhog bears her young, her litter is called a kit. The babies stay in the burrows but, after two months (June), go out on their own. Groundhogs love to eat clover in Spring. They also like to munch on berries and apples.
Groundhogs begin their hibernation every October-November. A groundhog lives to about age 6 in the wild and they’re quite solitary. “Groundhogs are an extremely intelligent animal, forming complex social networks, able to understand social behavior, form kinship with their young, understand and communicate threats through whistling, and work cooperatively to solve tasks such as burrowing.” (Groundhogs spend the majority of their time underground. They make incredible tunnels. And they keep their tunnels very tidy and sanitary.) The groundhog is considered a ‘habitat engineer’; when digging, groundhogs help aerate soil. ‘Roots, like all other parts of the plant, have to respire, taking in oxygen and emitting carbon dioxide … when groundhogs dig their burrows, they expose deep, compacted soil to the atmosphere, feeding them oxygen that sustains roots’.
(“Although it may appear carefree as it makes its rounds, a groundhog is highly attuned to its surroundings. Before emerging from its burrow, it pokes its head out and checks carefully for sights, sounds and smells. While feeding, it pauses every few seconds to gauge the surroundings, ready to scurry for cover at any sign of danger – up a tree if necessary or down a burrow hole if possible.”)
It did make me cringe to learn that too many groundhogs (the youths) get run over by cars in the months of Spring when they begin to be out & about; the delicate balance of co-existing in a human environment.
I know you know all of this, because you’re really dialed in to all the wildlife on your property, but I thought it was a good review. I’m now anxiously awaiting your next photos of groundhogs at MHC, 2022!
I’m currently upset about (and unnerved by) a grove of eucalyptus trees near my house which was recently felled on purpose and I can’t find out why. It’s a naked, ugly break in the landscape now; a gaping hole where once stood beautiful, shady, majestic trees. Private land which reverted to City ownership and I assume they’re just feeling too iffy about eucalypts in these high winds of late, since these are part of a walking trail. It’s the same with our oak trees, but a eucalyptus can drop a heavy limb and cause a really-dangerous situation; of course they’re flammable for wildfire, too. Still, I love them so much.
Even though they’re not native to Calif, eucalyptus trees have been our signature tree for 140 years here. This particular grouping of trees which fell victim to the murderous chainsaw is very old, probably from the late 1800s, but that doesn’t mean anything because eucalypts can live for a couple-hundred years (that is, another 50-60 years here). I am sick when I see the sawed-off, MASSIVE trunks of these trees which stood for SO long. My ancestors enjoyed these same trees when they first settled in my town prior to 1920; I liked the connectedness of that, and now it’s gone.
There’s already been a Letter to The Editor in the local newspaper, and I’m going to be adding my two cents about these decimated eucalyptus trees. Was an arborist consulted? Was there anything posted about this awful thing, which I would have missed? (If I could have proactively submitted a protest, or??) Monarch butterflies, of which we’ve spoken about here on the blog a few times, love to roost in the eucalyptus a lot more than they do an oak or sycamore tree. In 2020, there were hardly ANY monarchs although they rebounded in 2021; however, they are still considered in danger due to continuing lost habitat. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I recently saw a monarch butterfly here; when, in fact, in former years, they were prolific in population.
End of rant. But it’s the whole Joni Mitchell thing of not knowing what you’ve got til it’s gone; get rid of all the trees and put them in a tree museum, then charge the people $1.50 just to see them (Big Yellow Taxi song). Pave paradise; put up a parking lot. Any of us who are younger folk of the 1970s can’t forget that song; it might have been catchy on the radio, but Joni made her indelible point.
I hate that that happened to those beautiful eucalyptus trees!
Yes, I’ve done all kinds of research on groundhogs. I find them dear, they’re vegetarians, and they’re very gentle. I won’t see them until spring – maybe March?
Stay safe, Vicki.
Thank you, Vicki.
Stay safe!
Vicki, I think of the lyrics to that song often. Sadly we haven’t learned much since we first heard it back in the 70’s, have we? But we DO have a lot of parking lots and parking structures!
Claudia, can’t wait to hear where the lovely weather beckoned you to visit today! We have had a couple of those diamond days. The only bad part is when we dip back into the teens and 20’s. Take care.
It wasn’t that exciting, Chris! Details in today’s post.
It’s warm here again today and then temps plunge twenty degrees for Sunday.
Stay safe.