Gobble Gobble

Beautiful spring day today. We went to Sharon Woods this morning and the turkey's were out and about.

Shirley Goes to the Doll Hospital

A wonderful friend of mine (thank you!), who knows I like dolls, sent me a vintage 20 in. Shirley Temple that she no longer wanted. It belonged to her mother and no one in the family was interested.  I took it to another friend, a woman in her late 70's, who is a nurse in real life and a doll restorationist/artist on the side. Alice has won numerous awards for her work with all types of dolls but mostly porcelain and composition.  In 2005 she restored a German doll from the 1900's that had belonged to my grandmother. Shirley's hair, all original mohair was restyled and her clothes, including her new shoes were all done/made by Alice.  I sent her a picture from eBay of an outfit that I liked and she reproduced the entire ensemble without a pattern. Anyway prepare to be amazed!

 Before

 eBay Shirley

Tree City

Our town is a "Tree City USA".  The Bradford pear used to be our city tree.  DH calls them a disaster. He was chairman of the Shade Tree Commission here in town when the decision was made to not replace them as they needed to be removed.  Just when they grown to the perfect size and shape they fall apart in a stiff breeze. They are also highly invasive. In any case they are beautiful in the spring and they still line many of the main thoroughfares in town.

 Main Street photo by Holly Ritter

 Otterbein Avenue

The University stadium

Chillin' with my peeps

Pip was out and about this evening relaxing in the yard and looking for a handout. She came right up to me when I offered her some rabbit food.  This is the 5th year we have documented her in our yard with photos.  The average life span of a cottontail rabbit is 1 year. We feel lucky to have her around.

Spring Canoe Trip

Last day of break. Back to the grind tomorrow.  Beautiful day on Little Darby Creek.

 Little Darby Creek

 Cricket Frog

 Old jar that the tree grew around and into the mouth

Hepatica

 Tiger Beetle

Spring Buds

Pussy Willows

Author Unknown

There are willow pussies
Clad in furry goods,
And a robin singing
In the maple woods.
There's a springing crocus,
And a budding larch,
Who'd ever think the Springtime
Came along in March.

Spring in the Air

A visit to Huron and Lake Erie today including a walk down the beach and out to the Huron lighthouse and afterward a chocolate malt from the DQ.  A lovely day with bright blue skies and unseasonably warm temperatures.

Things of Spring

We went hunting for salamanders today.  It was 70 degrees in southern Ohio this afternoon.  As for the salamanders we found spring, dusky and redback. Along the way we found a few other items of interest as well.

A dusky salamander-not an easy subject to photograph

This is the underside of a crayfish with babies attached

I found this interesting fluted Heinz bottle marked HJ Heinz Co 213 washed out in a spring. A quick internet search ages it to about 1940 and identifies it as either a cleaning product or a vinegar bottle. Amazingly no cracks, chips or other damage.

A great blue heron feather caught of a small branch.

Wood frog eggs. The frogs were "quacking" but were too shy to come forth.

Us posing for a contest in which students, faculty and alumni were challenged to take "Cardy" (our school mascot) on spring break.  Bet no one else takes him along on a biotic survey for salamanders. LOL

Spring Break

Yay it's spring break.  I've got an entire week to devote to about 6 months worth of stuff I haven't had time or inclination to do.  First up this morning: spring cleaning the rabbitry and giving a few haircuts; some outside maintainence of the fun sort and then on to some good food and wine.

Pens sanitized with a flame from the fire pit, trays scraped and bleached, wood surfaces wiped clean with disinfectant, food/water bowls bleached and sanitized in dish washer and floor raked.

 Evan is relaxing for his haircut.  He loooooves it.

 Andrew is installing his new weathervane that I got him for Christmas.

 Porterhouse steak being wood grilled over fire pit

 Pink Moscato sparkling wine-really yummy and available at Kroger.

Pear cinnamon cake in the oven; a Prairie Home Companion on the radio. Thank God for the sunshine!

Girl with Pygmy Rabbit

New release from Schleich and addition to my other rabbit related miniatures from Schleich. Am guessing that the Germans use the term pygmy rabbit for what we would call dwarf or lop. Schleich originated in Germany in 1935. Interesting enough the girl is on a smaller scale than the hutches and individual rabbits making the individual rabbits what I would estimate to be the size of a grizzley bear when standing next to her.  LOL