Sunday, May 4, 2014

Inside (Studio Office continues) and Outside (Bird News!)...

Inside things are pretty much the same...
 I still have a long way to go with the office. I lined up a lot of my religious decor to see the colors. I want to pick a rug that goes with the the pieces I'm planning to use on the walls.

(photo altered with film grain filter)
 Today I cut a lot of stringy tendrils from the Wandering Jew plant I got at the Woodstock, NY yard sale last fall. I stuck them in a vase of water. With any luck they'll root and I can start another plant.

I put some of the smaller cuttings in this hanging rooter that I've had for nearly 20 years.

And of course I perched a few of my 'weighted' parakeets on the rooter as well.

In addition to the 'vintage Catholic' decor I'll be using in my studio office, I'm beginning to see another theme emerge! You might remember this antique parakeet lamp I shared with you in a previous post. Claudia (Mockingbird Hill Cottage), knowing how much I loved her parakeet lamp, was instrumental in helping me get this sweet lamp from New York to Massachusetts!

My Nana LOVED her Pete the Parakeets, and memories of being at her beautiful home in the 50's are so vivid. It's no wonder I want to create vignettes and such that remind me of her.
Here are just a few 1950's photos of my beautiful Nana with her Pete's and my sister and I. 
No. 1 is Nana and me with Pete overhead; 
No. 2 is Nana with Pete (cage door wide open & a big bowl of water in front for Pete to bathe in; 
No. 3 is my sister and I with Pete (I'm the big sister on the right), and...
No. 4 is my Nana holding up my sister when she was very young to see Pet close up. 
(Oh how I wish I had that bird cage and the table it stood on in some of the photos!)

Since I don't, I did the next best thing and got a vintage cage of my own to set in the family room, right next to an almost identical table that once belonged to my Mom (with the small table covering).

And, of course, the cage is complete with a (faux) parakeet and a canary!

Now speaking of birds, there is a lot going on outside.

The bluebirds have most definitely claimed the birdhouse as their own.

Mama and Papa spent quite a bit of time making their nest.

... and it appears that Mama is now in the box almost constantly, which makes me think she has laid her eggs. And Papa is never far away.

Quite exciting indeed!

On another note, when I looked out the window this morning...

... I spied a burst of brilliant orange...

... which can only mean one thing...

The Baltimore Orioles have arrived after a long winter's absence.

Of course our little robin friends also have brilliant red/orange breasts, but these boys have been around since February/March and are much more common than the Baltimore Orioles.

And last, but certainly not least, we've had our first hummingbirds arrive! A female was at the feeders last night and a male was at them today. They were not on the feeders when I took these photos, but take a look at the sweet mourning doves in the background. One is on the bench in front of the window and the other is on the large flat rock on the ground in front of the bench.

Spring arriving has been such a blessing after the long hard winter.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

I'm joining Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday
and Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday.

Donna

12 comments:

Merlesworld said...

I was surprised you were having trouble striking wandering jew, it grow everywhere here but now my chicken eats it, it is slowly being weeded out of my garden.
Merle...............

Susan said...

Hi Donna...

Loved all your photos. Oh, the Baltimore Oriole is so beautiful.

Nice that spring has arrived, isn't it?

I hope you have a wonderful week, too, Donna. Susan

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Beautiful photos.

...Madame May... said...

An adorable post...I especially love photos of families, your Nana
looks a delight

...:)...
blessings

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

I was wondering how the bluebirds were coming along ! :) Loved the vintage photos and the Pete / Nana story :)

Beautiful oriole! Spring is here; crab apple is blooming now and tuplips etc. but I am running the furnace for a bit this morning. It's 39 degrees out!

Claudia said...

Love all the birds everywhere - in the house and outside! I envy you your bluebirds, Donna. We have a lot of robins, of course, and our mourning doves can be heard daily. The cardinals are also in evidence along with lots of small birds. I am going to clean out the birdbath today.

Have a great day!
xo
Claudia

Unknown said...

Welcome to Spring! Love your pictures -- especially seeing the Orioles and the Robins -- which you never see in southern California and that I miss! Thanks for sharing them! Spring has arrived here, too! May 1st Mother Nature gave me my first bloom from one of the Oriental lilies and a new one has opened each day since! THEN today my plumeria had it's first flower! It is going to be a good week. LOVE the old pictures! You knew I would!

Ellen, the Bluestocking Belle said...

Fabulous bird photos! I've never seen a Baltimore oriole in real life, so I love those particularly. Week before last, I had an exciting visitor to our feeder: a red-headed woodpecker, which are threatened. I have a post about it scheduled for later this week. I wasn't able to snap a photo, though!

Melanie said...

Hi Donna ~ I love your memories of your Nana and her parakeets. I think it's wonderful that you are using parakeets as part of your theme to keep her memory alive and honor her. Love the photos of the Bluebirds and Orioles. We rarely see any Bluebirds around here (northern IL) and no Orioles!

michele@Portlandia Vintage said...

I expect you will be seeing baby bluebirds soon. How lucky you are to have these beautiful beings as neighbors. While you have wonderful memories of your grandmother's birds, I like your choice to support the birds living in natural habitat out your window. That parakeet lamp is a treasure and so is your living room. It is perfect!

On a Wing and a Prayer said...

Aaah we have something else in common...(besides loving kitty's)I also love Birds!!! great pic's and so cozy!

CIELO said...

I love birds too... I think they're the most enchanting lovely creatures on earth... I must had been a bird some day ;)

Cielo