We aren't the only ones who live here!

I often hear the screeching cry (kee-ahh) of a hawk in my yard. One spring a pair had nested in our back yard very close to the house but I never saw more than a head poking above the nest. So one morning recently while I was enjoying my hammock and a good book, I heard the familiar cry (actually I am hearing it as I type this). I looked into the trees to find the source - and I found it! I excitedly ran to get my camera and here is the result.

After studying the pictures and the bird book, I think this is a Red Shouldered Hawk. Notice the striped tail and wings and the reddish color on the breast. He is one of the larger hawks.

He (or she?) very obligingly sat for about fifteen minutes. We had just had three days and nights of heavy rain and I wonder if he was drying himself in the sun. He kept holding his wings out and spreading his tail. These pictures were made from my front porch at a distance of 200 yards using my optical zoom.

I often hear and see him fly across my front yard and I hear him in the woods. Sometimes I hear him in the trees but just can't spot him. Seeing him that morning was really special! It reminded me that Mr. B and I aren't the only ones who live on this spot!

See what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about the Red Shouldered Hawk. Be sure to listen to the cry.

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Ever feel like your house is too small?

The world's smallest house is for sale in Toronto, Canada. Measuring just a little over 7 feet wide and 47 feet long, this very cute house is literally squeezed in between its neighbors.

Boasting 312 square feet, there is a living room, a kitchen, a full sized bath, a bedroom and a back yard. It is selling for 110,000 pounds.

Need a weekend place in town? I have been to Toronto and found it to be a very nice place.

Think how large your house would seem when you get home!

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Spring Sunset

I made this picture from my backyard yesterday. The trees look like winter in the picture but actually the maples are blooming and there are hints of color on the other trees.



And as I snapped the picture I could hear the peepers in the low spot. Check out the link to see and hear the peepers for yourself!

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Change of Seasons

On a cold gray day that felt like winter I took my camera and went out to see if there were signs of spring. Other than the daffodils, you have to look closely to see tiny flowers and buds. I needed obvious proof that spring is here so I planted pansies. But just in case, I left the snow shovel out!

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Sorrow and Joy

Claudia at Dipity Road has it exactly right in her Friday - Finding Beauty post. Along with joy comes sorrow. Our house inspection went well and we are waiting to hear from the seller about the repairs that need to be done. So I am thinking about what I will be leaving behind here at the lake and our woods. I have enjoyed watching the ducks and geese.

I will miss looking out and seeing the lake.

I will miss the stream that flows into the lake and taking pictures of the waterfall.

I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects of the move, but I will be roaming the neighborhood and saying goodbye to my favorite trees, stumps, and views.

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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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