Christmas Gifts and Rabbit Trails

 

 

It becomes increasingly embarrassing for me once again to blog when I've been MIA so long.

Nevertheless, when I have this photo of my darling granddaughter opening a Christmas present from Mimi and PawPaw how could I not?

How many 7 year olds want a purple hummingbird feeder for Christmas? I had to get her to pose again for this picture since I didn't get a shot of the big smile on her face when she first pulled it out of the Wild Birds Unlimited sack. That smile was there! I hope that the feeder and the other hummingbird accessories we gave her will bring her much joy next spring when once again the "living helicopters" return. 

Just as she and her big sister and parents bring us so much joy when they take that 3 hour drive and come visit us. 

 

 It's so tempting to try to catch you up on all the things that have occurred in my life since I last posted here but I won't. Maybe I will mention that RH and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary since I last posted here. There was a whole post planned about that but it never happened.

Rather than write about more happenings during my absence, I'll ask you if your holidays have been lovely, too? I hope so!

Here's a quote from a book I recently read that's led me to reading more of her novels:

The hummingbird is a living helicopter. It's also the most beautiful of animated beings. And with all that, the female is a dedicated homemaker. A perfectionist."

                        Margaret Culkin Banning 

                        I Took My Love to the Country

That makes me appreciate even more the tiny birds who will one day feed at my granddaughter's purple feeder, especially the females who don't get as much notice as their colorful male mates.  But I'm not going to go down that rabbit trail. Not now, anyway! 

 

A Faith Baldwin poem for her birthday

 Although Faith Baldwin, born October 1, 1893, was a prolific writer, I have never owned any of her novels. I guess they were considered chic lit of the 1930s. 

But I do read her four autobiographies year round and she inspires me--otherwise I wouldn't have kept the picture of her at her desk that serves as my blog header above all these years.

This past year I've been picking up her novels as I found them in thrift or antique stores, and on particularly stressful days I often choose one for relaxing bedtime reading, remembering each time that she was bosom friends with dear Gladys Taber.

 

 The red covers are pretty and give me a chance to show you a treasure RH found at Goodwill this summer, a 1950s type of sunburst clock, only with petals on the rays, that shines on our old dark v-groove plank walls.

 

To honor Faith Baldwin on her 128th birthday, if my math is right, here is a blessing/poem she wrote that I have always loved, never more so than now.

I have come back to quiet ways; to

     Things of silent wonder, instinct

          with delight;

To dusk, that closes in like darling wings--

     To primrose dawns and lamplit,

          hearth-warm night;

To mending bag, to laughter, and old books,

     To loud-voiced clock and table laid for tea

And that brown urchin of a dog who looks

     From sandwich plate to mistress,

          wistfully--

Thus, Lord, my spirit keep--in humbleness,

     In still simplicity of gentle days,

This house, the love within, lean to bless

And hold our feet upon the homely ways. 

 

 

I don't know what to title this.

 After six months blankness at Dewena's Window, here's my attempt to turn the light back on.

 I've rewritten this post six times over the past months. Each time I was ready to hit publish there would be another major heartbreaking news story on television, making my post too trivial to bear. 

Or a family worry would crop up, the latest being when our son and daughter-in-law contracted Covid, evidently brought home from school by one child whose cold must not have been a cold since she later tested positive for antibodies. (And she was one of the few in her class who wore a mask, so there you go.)

 

 

Thankfully, our son and his wife had been double vaccinated and are young and healthy so only felt really miserable for a few days, with all the usual symptoms. But the fatigue does linger.

 

Speaking of fatigue, how would you like to be reading a four typewritten pages post here and have to scroll through 26 pictures of my bedroom art gallery? Because that's what my rough draft grew to.

 

 

 I didn't think so and decided to tear up my umpteenth rough draft and just say this--

•  Hi there! It's been rough, hasn't it?
•  There have been blessings anyway, haven't there?
•  Some things help, don't they? 

 

 

My home--my friend--has helped me, thus 6 pictures of my bedroom sanctuary, but not 26. 

Please share what's helped you if you care to.

How are you doing? 

 

 

An Irish Mermaid Speaks, Belatedly

 

My mermaid and I are late with this St. Patrick's Day greeting but you know how changeable mermaids are, especially an Irish merrow who I pretend is a Middle Irish murdúchann. 

Yes, she should be green but then, merrows are shape shifters so why not red?

I thought of my mermaid who sits by a beautiful shamrock plant when I read what my favorite philosopher, Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie, has to say about them:

"One should always listen to mermaids," said Isabel. "They address one so infrequently that anything they have to say must be important."

 

 

Even children know that a mermaid can love a human being so I'm sure that the hearts of sea-nymphs all over the world have ached for the sadness and fear in humans this past year. 

Although we are feeling more hopeful this March and are beginning to see vaccination numbers growing for this terrible illness that has plagued us, some have experienced personal loss and nearly everyone has seen their life changed in ways they never would have thought possible.

 

 

RH and I have both had our vaccinations and most of our immediate family have had their first one, something for which I give thanks every day. And yet, there are still 2 a.m. moments when a feeling of panic envelops me and I start praying with an agitated spirit.

I try to remember this quote from one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Goudge. 

And then I say to myself that we should believe in that which we felt when we were strong and happy rather than in that which we feel when we are sick and sad. Do you not think, Judith, that one is more truly oneself in times of joy than in times of sorrow?

This is from Goudge's 1938 novel The Middle Window and I hope there is wisdom in that advice. I try not to trust these middle of the night feelings but rather remember what I know to be true. I am more myself in "times of joy than in times of sorrow." 

There have been times lately when I feel like Shirley MacLaine's character Ouiser in Steel Magnolias--"I'm not as nice as I used to be." Maybe that's true but I prefer to believe it's not. I prefer to blame it on a year of pandemic, a year of missing family, a year of not being able to go thrifting or antiquing, a year of no birthday parties, a year of no hugs...and the list could go on but does not include family members on the list of those who have died from COVID-19. So what on earth do I have to complain about? 

I think it's in those self-indulgent grumpy moments that my mermaid wants me to remember times of joy and strength and not be drug down in an undertow of fear.

She wants me to remember that Spring is nearly officially here and new growth is outside my windows.

I'm excited about that! Never before have I been so glad to see March on my Karen Adams calendar.

 

 

Don't you love that handbag? Mermaids may not need handbags but I would love one just like this. 

I'll say slán for now, dear family and friends, but remember one thing from this belated St. Patrick's Day post...

Listen to the mermaids! 

One last little known fact, Mermaids love to dance. You gotta love that!  

 

 

 

The Elegant Eight

 On January 21, a skein of eight Canada geese circled overhead and landed on the pond and then spotted the new grass growing beside RH's workshop and came to visit. 

 

I understand that when they waddled up the hill to our driveway they became a gaggle of geese, but after a few days they became The Elegant Eight to me. RH and I watched as they left every afternoon near dusk and flew back in every morning around 7 a.m. The two times of day were highlights in our small-world life.

 

Soon they were joined by other Canada geese, totaling 20, all honking for RH to put food out for them after they found the cracked corn he puts out for our resident 5 crows and ground feeding birds. (Are 5 crows enough to be classified as a murder of crows?)

 

I know you're not supposed to feed wild geese but they were here anyway, feeding on what our small birds ate so soon we were putting out chopped grapes and apples, romaine lettuce and cucumbers, and leftover oatmeal from our breakfasts.

They are often joined by a small herd of deer who cross our yard every day.

 

Yes, deer ruin some of the small trees RH planted in our front yard but aren't they beautiful?

 

Back and forth from the pond to our house the geese came throughout the following days, especially as soon as they saw RH's truck pull in the driveway. I've since read that geese are very intelligent and I can easily believe that.

One day last week, a few days before the big ice and snow storm arrived, two geese with white heads landed on the pond and came up to see what all the commotion was about at Home Hill. I think these were Blue geese.

 

A paddling of ducks flew in after them, smaller than the mallards who regularly visit. Goldeneye ducks were the only type of small wild duck I could find that look like them when I enlarged the picture and spotted all the white on their chest and sides. 

 

These small ducks flew away once this hawk landed on the bat house overlooking the pond.

 

Every evening RH and I would watch the Canada geese fly into the western sky, a melancholy but sweet sight. And then one morning, two days before the ice storm arrived in Nashville, The Elegant Eight and the other geese didn't return. Within 24 hours the pond was frozen over. RH says they probably flew to water that wasn't frozen but may come back when it thaws.

 

I hope so. I miss them. One afternoon when RH was working late I went out among them. They were a little frightening, hissing at me. I was surprised by how tall they were. 

 

I steeled myself and kept scattering frozen corn that I thawed and warmed slightly until everyone had a fair share, 20 geese swirling around me. 

At that time I didn't know that Canada geese have been known to bite or fly into your face and maybe that's what saved me, them knowing that I wasn't worried about that. Or maybe I was just lucky. 

It was an experience I'll never forget even if I never get up my nerve to get as close to them again.

And I'll always have this video that RH took one afternoon as The Elegant Eight went through their flying-away ritual. Every time I watch it my heart flutters a little as they top the far trees. 

It's only a minute long and I think you'll understand how I feel about The Elegant Eight.

 

P.S. Look who came back two days ago! The Elegant Eight and some of their friends!

 

RH saw them land on the pond and then walk to the thawed parts and hop in the water. It must have been so cold! If you look at the top of the picture above you can see another pond, two houses down from us. It's small but has a fountain that birds like.

I came into the kitchen in time to snap RH in his robe returning from feeding The Elegant Eight an apple and grapes that he quickly chopped up.

 That was a happy day for us. RH and I are so very thankful for something else also.

Last Saturday, as soon as the Music City Center opened back up for vaccinations after the snow and ice, we went back for our second Pfizer vaccination. If it hasn't been available for your age/vocation group yet, I hope it will be soon.

I knew that we might feel a little poorly (as my grandmother used to say) afterwards and had planned ahead with freezing some meals and getting caught up on things. RH had a bad headache the first night and fatigue for a couple of days. About three hours after the vaccination I felt as if I'd been struck with instant flu, aches and chills and a feverish feeling. For the next two days I took it easy and then spent another day well enough to start catching up on housework but having to make myself. The next day I was fine!

I have marked three weeks on the calendar and then, God willing, I hope to start grocery shopping myself again--may I never again complain about having to go grocery shopping! There are so many places around that I haven't been in nearly a year that I'd love to visit again. And then there's the big thing to look forward to, visiting with family as soon as it is safe to.

We were told that we need to continue wearing masks everywhere because we could still be carriers, a fact I didn't know. And our vaccination is 94% effective, so there's always that other 6% risk. Our dose is only 50% effective against some other strains of COVID so we realize that diligence is still needed.

I hope you all are well. I hope that all of you have moments in your day that bring you joy, just as The Elegant Eight have us. And I pray that this blasted pandemic will someday come to an end.

[2/28/21--look at this guy that was at our bird feeder when I opened the kitchen door this morning! He ran towards the road but looked back at me so I could snap his picture. He was handsome but I really don't want him hanging around. He looks like he's missing a leg here but I don't think he was.] 

 

 

    

My Winter 2021 Kitchen Shelves

 

It is so much fun getting to change what's on the kitchen shelves that RH and his brother built for me when we moved here to Home Hill, almost my favorite thing to do in the house.

I think a January refresh is my favorite since by then I'm more than ready to take down any Christmas items. But this year when I saw the picture I posted at the top of my blog post of December 30th, I was really ready to make a big change. I liked it the day after Thanksgiving when I put my snowmen mugs and old ornaments and a wire Christmas tree on the shelves but I cringed when I looked at what I published here the end of December.

 

Why couldn't I see that it was far too cluttered?

Now, I will never be a minimalist but when I went into my kitchen on New Year's Day 2021, even I knew that all that was just too much.

While I could never style the shelves as minimally as on the Pinterest pin I had RH copy my shelves from shown in the printed out picture below, maybe I could shop my cabinets for something I'd like better. So I took everything off the bottom shelf and washed it and RH did the same with the top shelf and I began all over.

 I found lots of white and cream colored dishes in my cupboards and tried out different arrangements for several days. I even eliminated some things from the pot rack.

 

I had some old U.S.A. cereal bowls and copied another favorite Pinterest pin, putting three on the top shelf that were too crazed for food use.

 

 The only thing I bought to change the shelves was this doily from eBay for under $10 and I think it looks pretty under the bowls, with an old platter from RH's mother behind them.

 

 

The other cereal bowls that we use all the time went on the lower shelf along with two old chop plates that we use all the time and a stack of gorgeous Italian plates shaped like some sort of spiny sea creature that I rarely use. Someday they will be passed on to family, but only to someone who has the patience to hand wash them.

 

I put my truffle pig on the shelf too because he's so cute that I never could stand to use him as a cutting board.

An old blue bowl went on the top shelf in front of a special platter that I bought for my mother one day in Blowing Rock, North Carolina when she picked it up and said she needed a pretty platter.

 

It's Royal Doulton's Countess pattern and later on in life my mother returned it to me when her hostessing large family parties had ended. I know there will come a day when I'll be doing the same thing with this platter and so many other pieces of favorite china.

I'm enjoying this new lighter look in my kitchen and it led to me going through my cupboards and deciding there were lots of things I no longer needed. It was fun to have a grandson say that he wanted all my drip-edge brownware McCoy and come by for them and I can see that there will be more favorite things to pass on in the future. 

I'm in a rare decluttering mood this winter. 

Are you?

 

 

Even an outbuilding should be pretty, right?

 

 

Back in April I showed you two Pinterest pictures that I'd given RH when he started building his new carport and workshop. If it was going to take up so much visual space viewed from my kitchen window then it needed to be pretty, and I taped the picture below up on a kitchen cupboard to show him the kind of scalloped trim I wanted put on the front.

 

 And he and his brother did it! Doesn't it make a big difference?

The second Pinterest picture I showed him was to remind him that I wanted wide trim on the windows and doors and a big green enamel barn light fixture.

We found the green barn light at Overstock and RH was careful to put wide trim on all the doors and windows. 

Nancy from Joyful Cottage told me that the Swedish Red that I wanted for the paint was actually Falu Red and expensive but that Benjamin Moore's Heritage Red was a good match. 

We had it all professionally painted. RH loves building projects but hates painting. We chose Benjamin Moore's Heritage Red and Simply White for the trim, and Behr's Eastern Bamboo for the doors. The roof is Timberline green dimensional shingles. The building is made of Hardie board. [The neighbor behind the building is the one who shares all his garden bounty with us in the summer.]

Inside the workshop the walls have been insulated and installed but when a friend gets time in his schedule he'll help RH drywall the ceiling. 

And there are cabinets and worktables to be built but eventually it will become a true workshop. Work goes slow but it is getting done. And we have space in it for a second fridge!

This next picture shows part of the old small three-bay barn that is the only storage RH has here as there was no garage or basement. The two outer bays really need to be torn down but we want to save the taller middle part. 

There's enough work to be done for a long time but at least now we have a covered place to park our vehicles and a guy place to escape from the house for all his projects.

 

One reason I was drawn to Swedish Red houses is that under the vinyl siding of our 1935 cottage is red clapboard! Wouldn't restoring that be a good project for RH to tackle next? 

I hear him saying "What?" I don't think it's going to happen but at least my wish came true, the one where I asked him--"If we have to have a building stuck out behind the garden can't it at least be pretty?"

 If I told you how old RH is he would kill me but take my word for it, that this man and his older brother have built this still amazes me. He does not know the meaning of retirement. In short, he is a keeper!

Everyone who left a comment on my previous post was so sweet that I realized how much I missed them and decided to try to keep comments open here. I'll do my best not to get behind and drop out again. I mean, you simply are the nicest people, whether you ever comment or not. Thank you!