In an Old Barn

In an Old Barn.

Tons upon tons the brown-green fragrant hay
O'erbrims the mows beyond the time-warped eaves,
Up to the rafters where the spider weaves,
Though few flies wander his secluded way.
Through a high chink one lonely golden ray,
Wherein the dust is dancing, slants unstirred.
In the dry hush some rustlings light are heard,
Of winter-hidden mice at furtive play.
Far down, the cattle in their shadowed stalls,
Nose-deep in clover fodder's meadowy scent,
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams.

~ Charles G. D. Roberts 1860-1943

Spring Thoughts

"An altered look about the hills;
A Tyrian light the village fills;
A wider sunrise in the dawn;
A deeper twilight on the lawn;
A print of a vermilion foot;
A purple finger on the slope;
A flippant fly upon the pane;
A spider at his trade again;
An added strut in chanticleer;
A flower expected everywhere ..."

~ Emily Dickinson,

Comments To Comments

Dear Mr. Anonymous:

I really do not have any need for your Canadian 'cheap drugs', especially the Viagra......sheesh, I'm a lassie, tweek your records and get over it.

I appreciate your comment on EVERY post. Despite using the translator widget for Chinese, I'm not sure what the heck you are suggesting ??

Is it even legal to do that ?

I would love nothing more than to pay you a visit and return the courtesy, so where is your blog ?

I cannot imagine how lucky one person can be....

A whole fortune, left to me ? Who would have thought it ?

I wasn't even aware I had an uncle in Zimbabwe.

Your portion of the shipping and handling fee is in the mail, be watching for it.

Keep those comments coming, oftentimes it's lonely in these Tennessee hills.

Winter Silence

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the

bone structure in the landscape - the loneliness of it - the dead feeling of winter.

Something waits beneath it - the whole story doesn't show."

~ Andrew Wyeth

The Beautiful Blogger Award

I was very kindly given this award by Lena over at:

Cats on the British counter.
Pop on over to Lena's blog, and pay her a visit, you'll be happy you did.

Her view of life as an American, living in the UK, is hilariously funny.

You will leave, understanding some of the obstacles expats face, when transplanted into their host or adopted countries.

One of the conditions of this award is that I have to name 7 things about myself. I then have to pass it along to 7 bloggers who I have newly met and think are fantastic.

So without further adieu here is my list......

******

1. I won a writing contest in school, sponsored by The Cadbury Company.

The prize was free chocolate bars, for the class of twenty students for one year.

I was voted most popular in class that year.

2. I spent all of my teenage years show-jumping horses. I miss it with a passion.

3. I was the neat-diving champion of my hometown, I swam everyday.

4. I was an only child until I reached the age of ten. My closest companion was my dolly.

When my baby brother came along, I felt like the luckiest little girl in the world.

5. Despite my grandma owning and operating her own bakery for more than thirty five years, I wasn't blessed with the creating talent, but do extremely well with the partaking of.

6. I have not cut my hair for the past twelve months. Consequently it looks like THIS.

7. Ever since being a small girl, I have wanted to live in an ivy-covered cottage, I still dream of doing so.

Because I think all of your blogs are fantastic, I am going to bend the rules a little. If you feel like doing this meme then go right ahead, and don't forget to grab your award !

Thank you dear bloggy friend Lena !

Robin Redbreast

The fireside for the cricket,

The wheat-stack for the mouse,

When trembling night-winds whistle

And moan all round the house.

The frosty ways like iron,

The branches plumed with snow,-

Alas! in winter dead and dark,

Where can poor Robin go?

Robin, Robin Redbreast,

O Robin dear!

And a crumb of bread for Robin,

His little heart to cheer.

~William Allingham.

Dulce Domum. " Sweet Home"

"What a ripping little house this is! Everything so handy! "

~Mole's house: Wind in the Willows

Toad-ally Cute.

The First Sergeant has always loved a bargain.
Some people even go so far as to call him "cheap" but you didn't hear that from me.

When we were newlyweds, setting up our home, Sarge would spend his Saturday's roving around the local town-market, bargain hunting.
He surprised me with my first two sets of dinnerware bought from one of the market stalls, and the list of knick-knacks he bartered for, ranged from Royal Doulton figurines, to furry little Gunks.

Lately, he has developed the urge to bargain shop at the local secondhand and thrift shops.
On his way home from work yesterday afternoon, he stopped in the Goodwill store and found this cute little frog lamp albeit minus a shade.

I was trying to think of something I could use for the shade then it dawned on me....the old colander I had bought at an antique shop.
It fit perfectly !

I'm going to use it in the potting shed, the light shines through the holes, and creates a magical display, almost celestial.

I can't wait to see what treasure he brings home next week.

Sunshine And Shadows.

It's been awhile since shadows have appeared.
The ground has been covered in white, for most of it's February days.
Shadows 'don't do' white.



The wrought iron gate took on a whole new look, silhouetted against the wooden porch.



A strange circle of light appeared in the sky, and stayed there until nightfall.

Signs of warmer days , turns my thoughts to flowers.

Theme Thursday = Bell.

I'm joining the ringing of my bell in honor of a fellow blog friend Barry, An Explorer's View of Life: The Bell And You and everyone who is in the fight of their lives against cancer.

At 2:oo PM EST today (Thurs. 2-18-10) join us in the ringing of our bells, and saying a prayer for those fighting their own personal battle.
Ill be ringing mine as loud as it will clang....

If you would like to join or see who else is participating, pop on over : Theme Thursday
Or just ring your own bell !

2PM EST: Clang, bong, chime, dingdong, peel, ring; clink, jangle, jingle, tinkle, clap, clop, plonk !
Go Barry !!

In The Bleak Midwinter.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

~Christina Rossetti 1872

Picture credit: This England/Delamere Forest/Cheshire.

Empty Nesters.

"Sweet bird! thy bow'r is ever green,

Thy sky is ever clear; thou hast no sorrow in thy song

No winter in thy year."

~ John Logan, 1748 - 1788

Winter Blast.

Just when we were having thoughts of Spring, another cold and icy blast blanketed the area overnight. We are once again under a Winter-weather advisory, with ice and snow making driving treacherous and inadvisable.

Within thirty minutes of filling the birdbath with warm water, ice has already begun to form.

Don't forget to give our feathered friends an extra scoop of birdseed !

Stay safe......

Hedgehogs and Clay Pots.

The owls have feathers lined with down

To keep them nice and warm;

The rats have top-coats soft and brown

To wrap in from the storm;

And nearly every bird and beast

Has cozy suits to wear

But Mr. Hedgehog has the least

Of any for his share.

His back is stuck with prickly pins

That breezes whistle through,

And when the winter-time begins

The only thing to do

Is just to find a leafy spot,

And curl up from the rain,

Until the Spring comes bright and hot,

To waken him again.

The owls and rats and all their folk

Are soft and smooth to touch,

But hedgehogs are not nice to stroke,

Their prickles hurt so much.

So though it looks a little queer,

His coat is best of all;

For nobody could interfere

With such a bristly ball.

~ Elizabeth Fleming.

Home Alone.

Mum and the First Sergeant had to leave me guarding the house today.
Something about the need to earn money so they could buy more kibble .
Yum !

I showed them I was alert, and up to the job.
As they drove out of the driveway the house fell eerily silent.

I'll keep look-out from my favorite chair, scanning the horizons.

It's so warm and quiet in here ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I dreamed of running through the fields, endlessly filled with plump, juicy mice.
Sshhh ! Don't tell "them" I took a cat-nap.

When mum and the First Sergeant returned home , it was dark outside. I wanted to tell them, all about keeping the mice away, but I overheard mum telling the First Sergeant, to give me a "heads up".......

Does anyone know what that means ?

Oh, well.....did you bring kibble ?

>^..^<

Antiques Roadshow UK.

If you have a passion for antiques or objects in general with a "history", and you subscribe to BBC America, a special treat is aired each afternoon.

Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom and appraise antiques brought in by local residents. It has been running since 1979.

A collaboration of WGBH's ANTIQUES ROADSHOW and the original BBC series now in its 24th season, Antiques Roadshow UK is packed with flea market finds, heirlooms, and junkyard gems—many with a royal pedigree. Antiques Roadshow UK boasts a lively team of savvy British appraisers and a delightful cross section of local citizenry.

It has traveled the length and breadth of the United Kingdom, from Lochgilphead in the Western Highlands to Selby in Yorkshire, from Caernarfon in Wales to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, not to mention Birmingham and Blackpool.

Unlike it's US counterpart, the UK team of appraisers, air their program from historic sites scattered all across Britain.

There are special open-air shows from Forde Abbey, Knebworth House, Cliveden and Eastnor Castle, while another program comes from Glamis Castle Castle, childhood home of the Queen Mother.

The royal connection continues with a special Victorian ROADSHOW from the Victoria and Albert Museum to mark the centenary of the death of Queen Victoria.

Series host Michael Aspel (seated) with appraisers (from left) Eric Knowles, Paul Atterbury and Henry Sandon.

If you fancy a little getaway to the Sceptred Isle this is the perfect opportunity.

Winter Dreams.

" The cotage homes of England/By thousands on her plains."
~ Felicia Hermans

Where you'll find me, in my dreams.....

No Snow ?

The debut of their new techie weather- prediction equipment on the local news station last night, boasted "highly accurate" forecasting.
It failed to predict the new falling snow, we are once again experiencing here in middle Tennessee.
Pffffff. Poppycock.

What The Dickens ?

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

A Christmas Carol ~Charles Dickens, Ebeneezer Scrooge,

Several years ago, our small town, was graced by a visit from Gerald Charles Dickens, great-great grandson of the author 'A Christmas Carol '.

It was the highlight of the town's Victorian Christmas Festival, a seventy -five minute on stage performance and one-man show of a descendant of the beloved author Charles Dickens.

Gerald Dickens performed the dramatization with just a chair, a hat stand, a candle, his top hat, and a walking stick for props. The rest of the show was brought to life with his voice, facial expression, mannerisms, and energy.

Since the story is so well known, Dickens said he didn't have to worry too much about explaining the plot.

Everyone loved the story, and a closeness and camaraderie developed in the audience as we watched a talented storyteller enact his great-great grandfather's story with love and passion.

Fortunately for me, the audience struggled to understand the actor's Cockney accent. It created dead silence voids, where an appropriate applauding should have followed a punch line.

Mr. Dickens had been making note of this, and asked if I would accompany him on stage and help the audience participation, with a few prompting gestures.

{Gulp}

Would I accompany him on stage ?

Needless to say it was the best Christmas gift I could have received, and dare say, everyone in this town, is still talking about it to this very day.......

I know I am.

;)

"To Josephine

my Warrington friend".
~ Gerald Charles Dickens.

A Winter Idyl.

A Winter Idyl.

Winter offered a snowy cold day.

A time to make a pot of tea, and curl up with a new book.

A time to nest for one last moment.........

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. "
~Charles W. Eliot

"You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. "

~Paul Sweeney