A JAILBIRD, A CHANCE OF SPRING AND HOW TO MAKE A CHEAP PILLOW EVEN CHEAPER...

There are those of us 

that felt like

 the never ending winter weather

 had us locked up 

in a prison not of our own making 

and then 

there are those of us 

that took it 

one step further...

...and, literally,

 went into self-imposed exile.

 There are certain sounds 

that only Kai can hear 

and they will send him looking

 for a safe hiding place. 

 Evidently,

 he felt this was one of those places

 but he couldn't figure out 

how to get out of it.

 Before I could help him,

 he made a break for it and...

...in no uncertain terms,

 told me

 he wasn't waiting around for me 

to bail him out!

It appears 

that Mother Nature 

has finally bailed us out 

of the dark days.

 Since we have had 

a number of beautiful days

 of good weather, 

I am assuming that a 

chance of Spring 

really is here 

and no amount of possible dreariness

 that might come 

would change my mind.

 Especially, when I see...

...two of the tiniest of creatures

 taking up residence 

in our own little

Fly-By-Night Hideaway...

I couldn't get close enough

 to take a clear picture 

but you can tell, 

when comparing him/her

 to the ivy leaves and the entry 

into the bird house, 

how small this little pair is.

I get such a kick out of 

imagining 

what their eggs 

must look like!

 Sitting on the screened porch 

we can watch all

 of their comings and goings 

as they busily prepare

 for their new family. 

 So cute! 

and 

So spring!

P.S. I tried to google them but couldn't really tell from the pictures what kind of birds they might be. Brown, with a light grayish breast and a longer beak than a regular bird, but nowhere as long as a hummer. Super tiny and perch on the side of a tree and kind of skitter around. If you can tell from that description, let me know. Just curious.

As so many of us are,

 I am obsessed with pillows. 

 Not too much else 

will change the landscape of a room 

like a pretty pillow.

  But, what happens when 

the limited storage space 

is all used up

 but the yearning for more pillows isn't?

 I have come up

 with a solution 

that suits me

 just fine...

You all are aware 

that I have an assortment of

"cheap" pillow covers 

I have ordered through Amazon. 

(Not a one over $4.00)

 Of course, 

there are many choices of pillows available 

at many different price points 

and of much higher quality 

and, I am not saying 

that these can compete with those

 in any way,

 but for me they truly work.

 When a down form is inserted,

 it takes these pillows to

 a higher level...

...and because of the storage issues, 

I have turned mine into 

"two for the price of one".

 I have done a stenciled design 

on the back.

  This way, 

I can change details and colors 

on a whim 

and not have an

 extra pillow 

to buy or store.

Whether

 it is safe to say -

 or not:

HAPPY SPRING!

...Judy...

PATIENCE...

As I write this,

 it is bone chilling cold outside. 

 Last week, 

I wrote about how the sun had come out

 and we were really entering into the 

Spring cycle.

 It was so nice, 

I said, 

that the air smelled fresh and pure

and the colors of spring were brilliant, 

to the point of 

hurting our eyes.

 Now,

 there are swarms of little birds 

rushing the holly tree, 

picking something off that 

only their little eyes can see, 

and then rising up into the sky. 

 A black cloud in search of 

another neighborhood. 

 Above, 

they have left a few behind,

 silhouetted against a gray sky,

 possibly

 to protect their spoils

 until the others 

make their return trip,

 as they have been doing each day.

Now,

 later in the morning, 

the air remains cold and 

rain is falling. 

 Oh, 

wait a minute,

 that rain has now turned to snow. 

 Nothing is sticking and

 after awhile the snow is gone,

 a slight drizzle remains, 

and we are back to 

very cold, gray skies.

I have never been 

what you would call

 a patient person.

 I can become engrossed 

in a project, 

one with minute details and 

that takes a lot of time, and

 stick to it until the end, 

but waiting for a table 

or in a grocery store checkout line 

are not things that I like to do. 

 Although,

 I enjoy being with people, 

I would rather tackle a task

 by myself, 

following my own plans and

 getting things done. 

 I am no good at

 putting a puzzle together 

as that entails a plan

 not of my making and

 it frustrates me.

 Along with all of those pressures

 having been piled upon my shoulders, 

I find that one of my 

least patient qualities 

is waiting for this horrible winter 

to be done.

 This teasing

by Mother Nature is

 getting so tiresome.

 Today was a day

that we were going grocery shopping. 

 It has been a little over a week 

since our last trip and 

we are rooting through the cupboards,

 looking for dinner provisions,

 but with this unpredictable weather system,

 we decided not to go. 

 You know,

 I'm no good at it,

 but the Captain 

can make a meal out of 

practically nothing,

 so I knew we wouldn't starve, but...

...not having

 fresh flowers on the table 

is unforgiveable!

On a trip to Home Goods awhile back, 

I was looking for some pillows

 with brightly flowered patterns on them. 

 I thought

 that would brighten up these

 dull days. 

But, 

as much as we all love Home Goods,

 do you ever go and 

not find one thing of interest?

 That doesn't happen to me very often

 but on this trip, 

even though the shelves were full,

 none of the colors were right, 

it all looked kind of junky, and 

there was a lot of broken stuff.

 I did spot 

these two black and white pillows 

that I liked. 

The ones that I use most of the time

 are falling apart and

 I do think a bit of black 

always looks good. 

I think these will

 look right at home with

 some other 

colorful pillows added in.

I did add some more 

galvanized pieces to the shelf. 

I think that star 

is kind of pretty and 

a different look 

from the usual barn stars.

 The star and the "O" are from

Hobby Lobby.

The lilac buds 

are going to be opening soon. 

 With them, 

I hope that the nice weather 

will return also and 

I won't have to depend totally 

on Trader Joe's 

for fresh flowers...

and my solemn wish 

is that I can...

"Adopt the pace of nature: 

her secret is patience."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

...Judy...

FYI: 

I wrote this yesterday (Monday). 

Just before I was going to post today,

guess what?...

Spring is back!

 The sun is out and brightly shining! 

Oh, Lordy! 

Trader Joe's here we come!

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P WORDS...

Awhile ago 

I wrote a

Post 

 about "F" Words 

Pertaining

 to 

fires, fairs and flowers, etc. 

 Today, 

"P" words will be featured, 

including 

Pretty,

 Posies,

 Pink,

 Promises,

 Peach Pie 

and

 Particularly Proud Poses,

 not necessarily in that order.

The week started with 

Pesky

 rain...

...where there was only one

 made-to-order

Patch 

of sun 

in the whole world

and guess who found it?

 The rain threatened to flatten 

the remaining daffodils 

in the garden 

so they were brought inside 

to be enjoyed 

one last time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then a trip to 

the grocery store

 supplied the Cottage

 with some 

Pretty 

in

 Pink...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rains stopped

 and the sun,

 and Spring, 

came out at

 the same time...

...and the best cure

 for cabin fever

 could be a ride in the country 

where the colors are vibrant 

and the air smells clean and fresh.

  With no 

Particular 

destination in mind, 

we found ourselves traveling 

down a 

country road...

...Passing 

rows of budding

 fruit trees...

...a Pond 

inhabited by

 duck decoys...

...a true country icon...

...and a cottage 

that held

 Promises 

of farm fresh 

within...

...and indeed there was.

  A beautiful and juicy 

Peach Pie, 

baked to golden

 Perfection...

...and with 

the taste of

 Promises 

kept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Along the journey, 

in bright green

 Pastures...

...there were subjects 

that were more than willing to

 Pose

 for the camera...

...and one 

who could not be bothered.

  

And in one 

Particularly

 Proud

 Pose...

there is he 

who would like to show off 

his new "do"...

...with a bright 

new neck kerchief 

and a

 smile.

...Judy...

HAPPY SPRING !!!

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