As sleep deprived as I was yesterday, I managed to put in a couple of hours work outside. The annual “raking of the driveway gravel which has ended up on the lawn back to the driveway” event took place and I must say it was far less involved than last year. I’m not sure why, because we sure got a heck of a lot of snow and Don was definitely using the snowblower. Oh wait, I know why: we have hardly any gravel left.
Someday, someday, we want to pave the driveway. But that is really expensive.
I raked out the front garden bed – where the boxwood and some rose bushes reside. And I cut back some of the plant stems that were left in place for the birds to munch on over the winter. Then I went back into the house and slept for a half hour while sitting in the chair in the office.
The grasses in the garden are growing by leaps and bounds!
The mail brought two packages I had been waiting for:
The Clue in the Jewel Box – Nancy Drew #20 – not my twentieth Nancy Drew, but number twenty in the series.
And these adorables:
Spun cotton bunny rabbits from Vintage by Crystal – the link to her Etsy shop is here. She has a huge following, but I must have been in some sort of fog because the first I learned of her was last week when Mary Engelbreit posted a couple of Crystal’s creations on Instagram. Off I hopped to the Etsy shop, where I was promptly lost in a land of pure whimsical delight. I see many more of her creations in my future because you know, dear readers, this kind of whimsey is right up my alley. And they’re small – these are about 4 inches tall. Perfect for a collector in a small cottage.
After this photo op, I moved them – temporarily – to the sideboard.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a long time, you might remember that my mom called me her “pink bunny” when I was a little girl. So, I had to buy the pink bunny and a companion, as well. (I have another wee pink bunny in the office.)
Then later in the day, I remembered my fabric eggs, which are usually stowed in the china cabinet in the den.
I made a slew of these – gosh, I think it was 8 years ago – when I was working in San Diego for six months. An old friend, who is a costume designer, loaned me her vintage Singer Featherweight while I was there and I proceeded to piece a quilt and make these. (Thanks, Ingrid! That loaner inspired me to buy my very own Featherweight several years later.)
One of the things I am going to do when I’m out in CA is visit my favorite quilt shop ever – Rosie’s Calico Cupboard. That’s where I got this fabric.
Even later in the day, I saw my favorite pair of birds.
While they were perched on the edge of the birdbath, a blue jay kept squawking at them. I’m sure he wanted them to move so he could have a drink.
They completely ignored him. Bravo!
Eventually, one jumped down to the ground and the other prepared to follow.
And then, to their perch on a catalpa branch.
They stayed there, gentle and peaceful, for about an hour.
This morning, birds were everywhere: Canada Geese flying overhead, red house finches, robins, wrens, a starling with the makings of a nest in his/her beak.
Goodness, I love this time of year.
I’m off to gather together the trash and recyclables for a trip to the town transfer station. And then, I think, a visit to a plant nursery that I like over in Rhinebeck.
Happy Saturday.
You are keeping busy this weekend! I’m heading over to that Etsy shop…those bunnies sure are cute.
She also has a blog and has season sales on the blog, Wendy.
Yes…the bunnies are adorable! Are you searching for any particular plants….or is the lure of a favorite nursery just beckoning? Either way….enjoy! It’s indeed spring!! ;)
No, in fact it’s too early to plant anything. I just wanted to walk through a nursery.
Those bunnies are so darn cute! I’m glad you got a pair. I’m down with allergies but have to work in my spare room today. Family coming over tomorrow for Easter Dinner/Scout’s birthday. Enjoy the nursery, I’m ready to get a few new plants, maybe next week! Hugs!
I checked out Vintage by Crystal and she has a Flamingo I’m in love with!! Might have to treat myself to it soon. April is birthday month for the Grands so all extra $$ used up! LOL!! Thanks for sharing her art!!
I saw that flamingo! It’s so neat!
Enjoy your Easter with family, Linda!
Your talents go on and on and on.
I have never seen eggs like that, Claudia.
Just perfect. I LOVE the bunnies.
I have some favorite bird “couples” too, that are right outside my upstairs porch…
so beautiful.
Happy Easter!
Katheryn
Love my mourning doves! And the cardinals, too, though I haven’t seen them lately.
I adore Rosie’s. Haven’t been in years. Check out Fat Quarters while you are down that way. Country Loft sadly is no longer in business- It was part of the trio I used to visit.
Was Country Loft in LaMesa? Can’t remember!
Your photos never disappoint! The gardens are looking lovely. Thank you for mentioning the adorable bunnies. At times I feel I must live under a rock. All of these gorgeous creations around me and I am unaware! I’ve been meaning to also thank you for the mention of the Japanese bookstore you visited in NYC…just for giggles, I “googled” and as luck would have it, a store opened in my neck of the woods just yesterday (in Texas). My plan is to wait til mid week and venture over and check it out :-)
Late last night I was having trouble sleeping and took to the internet for amusement. Sorry I do not remember the source, but someone had a quote that made me literally LOL—the person said, “I’m not a biologist, but has anyone considered pouring salt on Steve Bannon to see what happens”…no intent here to bring down the glorious uplifting nature of this post of yours, but figured a good laugh could be had! Enjoy your weekend and EAT PIE :-)
Yay for the bookstore opening in Texas! Wonderful.
The ‘salt’ comment cracks me up! Love it.
I have that same feeling of living under a rock. I never went into Etsy because I figured I couldn’t discipline myself…but, in so doing, I’ve missed seeing a lot of wonderful handmade/original creations which we NEED in this world (it’s our collective past, when people made everything by hand!) and it’s also important to support people doing this sort of thing for a living (the small businesses, so many of which we’ve lost over the years [just look at small-town America’s Main Street]…and in a world of things having become so mechanized and run by robots, what keeps us real anymore but the talent & skill & ingenuity of real people doing home arts/hand arts/music arts and so on, which is why we need to keep the arts in the schools, teach kids how to sew and garden and hammer a nail, learn how to play the piano; dance and sing). Strange, how something so futuristic and complicated and sophisticated as the internet and a computer could then be used for helping people to sell their hand work and wares like they might have in a shop in another century, like a milliner in the 1800s.
We’ve become such a different world from the one our grandparents and great-grandparents lived in, when people didn’t have so much money and there weren’t a lot of stores or shops anyway, especially in rural areas, so there was no choice but to become resourceful, use materials around you from the land, make do for yourself and for your survival.
I’ve been reading about the great change in the U.S. as we moved from an agricultural society to a machine age. I’ve run into people who feel like, today, they have no ability to make anything; they actually haven’t given it a lot of thought. Never taught and not really interested; instead, they just buy everything ready-made. And that gets expensive. More, you don’t get a feeling of accomplishment or self-expression or creativity. And I think we crave it. I tell myself, ‘just start; see what you can do; have faith in your brain and ability; try things’ – you don’t always have to have somebody show you how, but there are so many tutorials now, like on youtube and elsewhere if help and instruction is needed. A yarn shop tried to make it in our town over the last couple of years and she even tried to hold knitting classes…but nobody came.
I’m just constantly struck with how industrious and ingenious people used to be around the home and with their work; they were so self-supporting. They worked hard so much of the time.
Anyway, gosh, Crystal’s inventory is just mesmerizing. I love their whole story. I’m glad you mentioned it today, Claudia.
The reaction to all things hi-tech has been a return to ‘making’ as I often see it referred to. Hand crafts, wood working, cooking, baking, building, etc. I find that very heartening. There are some bloggers out there who are very hands on with their children, encouraging them to create and make and learn skills that our grandparents knew.
That’s so encouraging to hear. I see little ones in strollers with the hand-held devices; I guess they’re great babysitters for the moms but I think to myself, where’s the cuddly soft bear, why a machine in the hand?
Totally agree!
I journal every year when I hear my first wrens. Usually it is the first week of May. Haven’t heard or seen any here as of yet. They are my favorites!!
Hope you had a fun trip to the Nursery. My first trip every year is always so overwhelming. I think it is seeing all the pretties after a long dismal winter. My daughter and I usually make a trip to the Amish farms the first weekend in May. So looking forward to that. Their plants are always just amazing.
Not sure about the salt on Bannon…..but I would wear garlic around my neck for certain!! Have a great Saturday!!
This was a smallish nursery – and it’s too early to plant anything. But I also stopped at a great natural food store that I don’t get to very often, so it was a nice afternoon.
Those little cotton bunnies are very expressive with their arms, ears and faces. And I love your fabric eggs; haven’t seen a lot of eggs made from cloth.
We’re planting today although I’m bummed that no local retail place has even ONE zucchini plant, yet. (I vow to improve on this next year by starting seed which will also be less expensive than buying whole plants. Distracted or maybe I’m lazy, but we used to plant from seed in all the previous years.) The trucks have come from the wholesalers for the weekend…but, nope, no zukes. I wanted to make it easy for my husband and do it all at once today; this phase of gardening anyway. I have four varieties of small tomatoes to go in this weekend’s planting…grape, cherry; others (hybrids; yellow tomatoes, orange ones). We have already planted the slicing tomatoes (big guys) although I’ve skipped Romas this year. I guess we’ll get the yellow squash in the ground at least, even though we’re sans zucchini. I also am trying something new, which is a mini eggplant, called a patio eggplant. Although I’ve formerly enjoyed a good plate of eggplant parmigiana, I’m not really ‘into’ eggplant and even tried roasting some in the oven, thinking I’d like it better but, oh well, we’ll give this small variety a try this summer. I passed on the pole beans this year; I just don’t have the room for more vegetables until my husband can build another raised-bed planter. He had a 16-hr day at work yesterday, which is just lunacy, so the last thing he wants to do today is plant vegetables but I want us to take it easy on Easter Sunday.
I’m interested to know what you get in Rhinebeck today!
I didn’t get anything – well, I did, I bought some seed packets. Too early to plant anything, I went there because I don’t often get a chance to stop there (on the other side of the Hudson) and I’m trying to stay occupied while Don is away.
Yes, it’s good you’re having mini trips here and there; breaks things up a bit. You’re being wise. Little adventures!
It’s about 4:30pm here PST and we still have nothing planted. Best-laid plans gone awry methinks. I’m trying to be sensitive to my husband’s level of fatigue, so I’m not harping on it. He’s resting right now. Which is good. Because he never sleeps either…for years…and he’s even had a sleep study done. The evenings are longer and we’re warm/humid today here in SoCalif, so I’ll step back and see if he wants to do anything toward evening but I’m not gonna push it. I’d help or try to do a lot of it myself but it’s kinda ‘his thing’ (his farmer genes from the ancestors!). He just worked too many hours this week; too tired, dear guy. And, from working in the yard last weekend, he either got bit by ants or spiders on the hillside; began to itch like crazy and had to go his employer’s health office onsite. AND THEN, he tripped on a curb while running to a meeting because he was late, caught the fall with his hands (hard pavement) but made his back hurt worse than it already does anyway (always; he’s had a broken back from going down with a disabled aircraft when he was in his 20s and, no, he wasn’t the pilot and, yes, he has significant arthritis from the old injury by now). His hand looks swollen to me. So, with our yard crew coming for that big trimming/weed-clearing job next week, I’m thinking to just let them do the rest of this planting and give my husband a chance to mend. After all, he’s also having surgery in a few days. Sometimes, ‘stuff’ sure gets jammed up…
Community Easter Egg hunt for our town’s kids this morning. Large park sectioned off with colorful flags marking where they could cut loose. Fun to see their happy, excited faces as I watched a few minutes from the car. I can remember that ‘wildness’ inside when running around, looking for treats! Not unlike Halloween and filling up your pumpkin ‘bag’ with goodies.
You don’t grow vegetables, do you? I imagine your seed packets are for flowers? It’s fun to see your yard come alive from the photos you’ve been sharing with us. In no time, it’s going to be ablaze with life and color, isn’t it!
Better your husband rests, Vicki. Luckily, you have the yard crew coming!
I don’t grow veggies because we have so many farms around us that we don’t need to. And the deer would eat them.
Enjoy your new “Nancy Drew” book. Those bunnies are adorable. Enjoy.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn!
Love your new bunnies and the fabric eggs that you made. This time of year is so beautiful, isn’t it? Sun is shining here today and it’s 76 degrees. It’s windy, but that’s OK. Brian and Tim did a ton of yard work today (raking and cutting down perennials) while I planted pansies. Yes, getting a driveway poured/paved is expensive – and if I remember correctly, you have a long one. When we moved into this house 27 years ago, there was just a gravel driveway. We had it paved a few years after we moved in. Even though we get it resealed every year or two, it’s now finally starting to develop huge cracks and part of it is buckling. We know we need to have it dug up and a new one poured. Ugh on the expense.
I have been doing yard work most every day this past week and today I mowed part of the lawn. Since we’re on a smallish hill, when it rains, that part of the yard gets very wet and the grass grows very fast – so I figured I’d better tackle it.
Whether we’ll ever get our paved driveway will depend on some miracle money, I’m sure!
Some people out here (‘way out West) will still do an asphalt driveway. Would that be less expensive than concrete? Maybe the weather is too harsh for it in the East? I ‘envy’ the people who have driveways that are bricked. Especially old brick which has that softened terracotta color. I wish I didn’t have a concrete driveway; it’s a big driveway and I know my dad paid a fortune for it about 30 years ago but it makes us bake with the full sun it gets (we’re south-facing…five degrees hotter in the front yard because of that driveway). My favorite driveway was at my aunt & uncle’s house near the creek; pebbly/crushed rock, circular drive. I always thought it was quite elegant. Isn’t it Martha Stewart at her big island estate in Maine who has the paths and driveways made of crushed shell? THAT, I’d love. But I think she has to do something with it in winter to protect and preserve it…like they take it up and store it till spring or something. I read an article about it once, probably in her magazine when I subscribed to it back in the day.
Nope, I’m wrong. MS’s paths/driveways are crushed granite.
Found this; interesting…
“Shells are used as a paving material all over the world. In the US, seashell paths originated in Colonial times as a result of early-American recycling efforts. Oysters and other shellfish were a primary source of food, and thrifty settlers put their discarded shells to use as a paving material. Later, this practice became common in New England as a way to recycle waste from the seafood industry.”
“A great alternative to gravel, crushed shells can be used on paths, patios, courtyards, driveways, and even bocce ball courts (the shells don’t hold water or imprints from shoes and balls). As the shells are walked on or driven over, they break into smaller pieces that disperse evenly, creating a stable surface that’s not prone to the ruts and holes you get with crushed stone toppings. Another benefit is that, as long as they come from a sustainable harvesting operation, shells are environmentally friendly. They provide excellent drainage, since rainwater runs through them to percolate into the ground. And shells are a natural material that benefits the ground below as they decompose.”
“Some installers suggest starting with a gravel base, but it must be compacted and leveled (preferably by a professional) so the surface doesn’t become soft. You want to ensure that tires drive over–not through–it. The shells will compact and become more stable over time. The general rule of thumb is that one cubic yard of seashell will provide a 3-inch-deep cover for a 100-square-foot space. Another tip: Shell hardscaping is best for level surfaces. A steep drive is not a good application, as the shells are likely to collect at the bottom.”
Well, you’ve got ‘steep’ to your driveway, don’t you, Claudia; so this wouldn’t work!
“The most common shells used for hardscaping are oyster, clam, and scallop. Their differences are subtle: mostly in color and how they break down. Oyster shells, primarily off-white and gray, break down in a way that makes them more compact and, subsequently, more stable over time. Clam shells, mostly off-white or yellow-white, are slightly more fragile and will break down faster than oyster shells. They also compact nicely for vehicle traffic. Scallop shells add brown coloration to the mix. Despite initial variations in color, all the shells bleach under the sun and become lighter over time. Your choice will most likely depend on what’s readily available in your area.”
“When bought in bulk, seashells are on the more affordable end of the spectrum: comparable to crushed gravel; less than asphalt, concrete, or stone…the Atlantic coast is the primary source of shells; if you live elsewhere, shipping may be the most expensive part of the project. Shell paths and driveways can’t crack, so repairs aren’t part of the package. Cold and heat won’t damage the shells, and they don’t develop ruts and holes. Assuming a generous layer was applied at the outset, the material will last a long time. Because of compacting it will eventually need replenishing, but not every year (or even every other year). And unlike gravel, crushed shell hardscaping rarely encounters issues with weeds or pests: The shells’ sharp edges act as a natural deterrent (but they’re not so sharp as to be an issue for tires or shoes).”
Borrowed from Gardenista; I like the idea!
I like it, too, but since we have not one level surface around here, it would be a no go for us!
I was referring to asphalt, not concrete. That’s what most people have around here – either gravel or asphalt. Concrete going up a hill would be very, very expensive!
Your bunnies are so cute! She needs to make you a little “Claudia” lamb. Love your Easter eggs. The fabric looks like flour sack fabric. Such vivid colors.
Have a blessed day tomorrow! Happy Easter!
Judy
Yes, a Claudia lamb!
Happy Easter, Judy!
Easter Blessings, Claudia. Have a wonderful day.
The same for you and yours, Judy!