Spring IS Coming!

I took a walk with my camera on a gray rainy day thinking there were no signs of spring. To my amazement I found this flowering quince ready to burst into bloom. It certainly made my day!

I am joining The Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Check out all the lovely mosaics!

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House Hunting Success!

Success! A whirlwind trip of house hunting and this is the result. Mr. B and I are buying the house with our daughter and son-in-law whom we refer to as son #4. This is the house I was off to see in the last post about our house search. Actually, our daughter and husband had viewed the house a year ago then it went off the market. While I was in Connecticut the house appeared and we jumped at the chance. After all, it has 4,200 sq ft and 2 and a quarter acres.

This is the back of the house. It was built in the sixties and I feel there is a definite Frank Lloyd Wright influence. There is lots of glass, large rooms, a marble wall with fireplace and a brick wall with fireplace. The living room is huge and has a cathedral ceiling. And there is hardwood flooring under the carpet. There will definitely be space for a craft room, a closed off TV room (for my sanity) and a guest room!

The road that loops by the house is quiet and will be good for walking and riding a bike. Down the hill behind the house is a river.

The house inspection is this week. Keep your fingers crossed! More pictures later.

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Purple Berries

I'm joining Claudia at Dipity Road for "Friday - Finding Beauty."

This photo was made last fall on a trip to Connecticut. Beautiful foliage was all around me, but these beautiful purple berries caught my eye.

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House Love!

Here I am in Connecticut house hunting. This is a house I saw on my last trip and I have not been able to get it out of my mind. 8 East Street, Stafford Springs, CT. $329,900 with 6 bedrooms and 3 full baths, 5120 sq ft on a lot of 1.67 acres. ALL THAT LOVELY SPACE! It was love at first sight for me!

My daughter also loves this house. We keep trying to convince our mates that it doesn't really need so much work! But we all saw the movie, "The Money Pit" and our arguments are not going anywhere. But I love the space and the period details!

This the foyer looking into the living room and into the sunroom. The foyer is as large as a living room in most houses. Yes, it really is as large as it seems in the picture!

The dining room with that lovely built in is huge! I can picture my family here at Christmas. With the high ceilings we could have a big, tall tree. The third floor was the servants quarters and has a bedroom and bathroom.

The second floor landing is about 12 feet wide and five bedrooms open onto it. The phone system for talking to the servants is in place in the dining room, the entry and the 3rd floor. And in the middle of the dining room floor is the outlet for plugging in the buzzer to summon the servants! Cool! We could take turns being the servant each night.


I know I could make this house perfect but I'm not even guessing on what it would cost. It has some new windows and a good roof but needs a new kitchen. Probably needs new wiring and plumbing work. And how much insulation it has is a guess. Heating bills would be an issue as is the amount of taxes.

So finally, I have moved on. Am scheduled to view a ranch with a Frank Lloyd Wright influence this afternoon. It has a daylight basement which makes it more like a two story house. I've just come from the town office to check zoning for poultry and small livestock and we can have our animals. And the best part? It has 4,200 sq ft! Surely there will be space for a craft room.

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Country Mice go to the City

Mr. B and I lead a quiet life here in the woods beside the lake. So when our son and his lovely wife gave us a weekend in Baltimore as a Christmas gift, we were a little hesitant to venture forth and sample urban life. Especially we are always reluctant to join that aggressive stream of traffic on I 95 that flows through Washington and Baltimore. But we joined the fray and we're glad we did.

The weekend included lunch on the waterfront at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. After lunch it was only a short walk to the Baltimore Aquarium which must be the most popular spot in the city. It was packed on a Saturday afternoon! The center photo is of the pedal boats with the Aquarium in the background. All the other photos were taken inside the Aquarium. I'm hoping to return this summer and go out on a pedal boat with my son.



We spent two nights at the Baltimore North Sheraton in Towson. What a treat that was! An afternoon visiting and watching movies at the son and daughter-in-law's house was great fun. Then we attended a concert - Celtic Woman - at the Hippodrome Performing Arts Center. It was a nice mix of slow songs and lively ones - a wonderful performance in a lovely setting!

We've had a taste of city life. And we learned that Mr. B can still pilot our car through the congestion with me reading the directions and maps, albeit with a wrong turn or two.

Now it's back to the woods, our cats and the quiet life.

I'm joining Mosaic Monday at the Little Red House.

Can anyone tell me why my collages made in Picasa don't look better in the post? Am I choosing the wrong size? What's the trick?

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Fresh Tomatoes

Doesn't this look delicious? I'm joining Claudia at Friday - Finding beauty, because I think my simple salad is beautiful. I can't wait for summer and fresh tomatoes!
Remember how good tomatoes taste when they are still warm from the garden? Yummy. This salad is made with a mix of lettuces, fresh tomatoes from my garden, crumbled bacon and feta cheese. The dressing is olive oil and lemon juice, salt and cracked black pepper.

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Warm Brownies on a Cold Day

This is the way it has been looking this winter in Virginia.

So on another day when snow is expected and there is no sunshine, I find this to be a cheery sight. I love the touches of red and the very green plant. And the promise of brownies!

My daughter posted on Facebook that she was eating warm brownies. I've wanted some ever since! Warm, with nuts and topped with whipped cream. Mr. B has promised to bake some for me. I can't wait! In the meantime I had better go for a walk and use up some calories - in advance.

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Before the Snow

These are photos I took recently, before the big snowfalls. My cat Sylvie joined me on a walk so her portrait is included. Sylvie is 17, so we didn't go far.


I absolutely love the center photo with the sun shining through that leaf! The dried arrangement is made of things I gathered. On a drive when I holler "Stop!" - Mr. B always stops and waits patiently and has learned not to ask, "What are you going to do with those weeds?" The lovely cream pitcher was bought at an auction in Greencastle, PA.

The road in the right corner is our own Iris Lane, the back drive into our house. In the upper left you can see a small stream running into our lake. The picture of two trees on the right side - I love the way two different trees can grow together - like Mr. B and me (yankee and southerner)!

I'm joining Mosaic Monday at the Little Red House.

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Winter Hammock

This is the hammock that is pictured in my header. But this is the winter version. I think of all the hot summer days when I would lie in the hammock and read and nap. Often Mr. B would bring me lunch - with Lays potato chips. Doesn't get any better than that! Hot days will come again!

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Beauty in my Yard

I'm joining Claudia at Friday ...... Finding Beauty.

After taking hundreds of photos in my yard I was looking for something different. Believe it or not, this leaf was stuck on our outdoor light. The drip was a bonus!

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My Feathered Friend

After weeks of teasing/frustrating me, Mr. Cardinal has come forth in these last two snowstorms and actually posed for me. In another post I will show you photos of our cat and mouse game.

Here he is yesterday taking a break after his lunch. Yes, he brought the missus, a brother and his wife and assorted cousins. View yesterday's post, Dining at the Hoffmanns' to see them.

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Dining at the Hoffmanns'

More snow overnight! This is Virginia?

At least the birds have a place to dine. No reservations needed but there is a wait! The lobby (trees and shrubs) is full.

I am having such fun taking bird and squirrel pictures. Even the elusive cardinal posed for me - repeatedly!

You will be seeing lots more of my nature photos. The scattered seeds on the deck railing and the table on the porch are really bringing the birds in close. I can take photos from the comfort of my recliner and not even get cold! Can you believe I have taken 1500 shots since Christmas? What a fun day!

And I am so grateful for power and heat!

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Near Disaster

This is the stump of the tree that broke this morning. We were awakened by a horrible noise. We couldn't understand what was happening. I looked out the window and saw the tree falling. It was only a few feet from the house. Had it fallen a few feet the other way it would have fallen on the house and us in our bed!

You can see how close this is to the house. Thank goodness it even missed the air conditioning unit. We spent the day with no power and cooked lunch on our stove that has gas logs. The power came on this afternoon.

I spent the day reading "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton and snuggling under the covers. Of course we fed the birds extra seeds. I took some photographs and did some shoveling. And the children called to see if we are okay. Tomorrow is to be 8 degrees and tomorrow night 7. More sleet and snow coming next week. No snow plows out today. We literally are snowed in!

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That's My Boy - on YouTube!

My son, Kevin Hoffmann, is appearing in "Whisper House" at the Old Globe in San Diego. In this video he is the one in the Coast Guard uniform. Do you think I'm a Proud Mama?

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