A Gray Sunday Afternoon

A walk through the house on this gray afternoon produced these everyday photos.

A look at the plants in the piano room.

This fern is in the opposite corner – it is huge!

The dogs are having a tough day.

Plants in the “porch area”. Reed and I bought a new orchid last month.

Easter decorations.

The basket of eggs are actual REAL eggs that are now hollow. If you leave eggs in the crisper drawer for months, they will dry up inside – the yolk will sometimes even rattle.

And every time a hen lays one of those sweet miniature eggs, I save them in this little basket. Some of these eggs are the size of your little fingertip.

Colton likes to sleep on the shelf above the parakeets, Sherman and Timmy.

And this was Hazel yesterday – oh please no! Not on the island! She’s looking for balls and/or toys.

It will be a week of transition with the change to DST. I really hate it because I’m doing chores at 6 pm if I stay on my schedule which is when I should be in the house getting supper on the table. Why can’t we stay on regular time?????

36 thoughts on “A Gray Sunday Afternoon

  1. Janice

    Great pictures; always love your tours.
    I agree — why can’t we stay on standard time? Unfortunately, here in Florida our “powers that be” have asked permission for us to be on daylight saving time year round. Ugh!!

  2. Synthia Noble

    You have the most beautiful plants and the coziest home!! I just love to see all your “pretties”. I’d never heard of drying eggs in the refrigerator. What a terrific idea 💡. I must try that very soon!

  3. Vickie E from Snellville

    Love all the pictures. My favorite pictures are the ones of the farm and the animals.

    I love that picture of Hazel. Reminds me of the time my mother was visiting and she went into the kitchen and flipped on the light and came face to face with my tweeny dachshund Alice. She had managed to get on the counter high table (jumped from the floor to the footstool to the chair and then to the table). But she was sitting there waiting for someone to rescue her! My mother was not a dog person and was not amused. I thought it was hysterical!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Vickie E- my mother, named Hazel, was not an animal person either and she would have been appalled at the dog, her namesake, on the counter!

  4. Jean Elliott

    Love the pictures. I actually dried some of the eggs I bought from you… but I didn’t know I was supposed to do it in the refrigerator. I just put them in an egg carton and put them on the top shelf of a kitchen cabinets. No odor at all. Then some others that I bought from you I blew out. I eventually sold the dried ones in an old wood egg box but I may have to do it again if I can get some colored eggs. Maybe the next time I’m in Garner I’ll come and see if you have any. The dogs are darling. Is that big dog Telly? I can’t keep track.

  5. Rose Moy Mikulski

    Your gray days read like sunshine to me. I love seeing all of the photos of the house and of the furry and feather babies. Love that Colton is back in the house and that Hazel on the counter, really not surprising at all.

  6. Kate

    I don’t like the time changes either. It takes my body about a week to catch up. That Hazel. I just want to hug her!

  7. Sherrill

    Is that cute little bunny wall hanging one of yours?!! It is TOO CUTE! I actually look forward to DST. Love the longer daylight during the evening. I’m widowed and live alone so makes for a LONG night in the winter months..hate that.

  8. Betty Klosterman

    Glad to see all the pictures of your home, barn and everything. I have 2 questions. First, in your plant room, is the corner of that room facing south east? And are you still grinding up everything to feed the dogs and cats? That looks icky to me.
    Spring isn’t far away.

  9. Sue

    May I say, First, before I forget….I am in total agreement with you about daylight saving time!! It’s the change I hate. I don’t care which time they set….just leave it there. It takes me a week to get used to it, too, so I feel better that others take that long also. Well…maybe not better, but normal, I guess. Arizona was smart way back when they first changed it. My rant is now over! lol

    Mary, I just love your house and all of your gorgeous plants. I have a few that I find a bit hard to keep up with. I have 7 pretty African Violets that now need to be divided. I am just dragging my feet about doing it, so they look at me saying…..We need more room. We now have two heads. And, so on.

    Leaving for 5 days tomorrow, so they will have to wait.

    Thanks for the great blog post. They are always special.

    1. Brenda archambault

      I live in Arizona and never sure what time it is anywhere else. And imagine driving from Grand Canyon, thru Navajo, then thru Hopi, then back thru more Navajo to get to New Mexico and never knowing what time it is because of all the time changes. Add to that, a senior citizen!

  10. Sue

    PS….The dogs look like how I feel after a day of getting ready to leave for Quilt Retreat. Still have lots to do, but getting there.

  11. Diane

    I am with you, Mary. It takes a week to get used to DST. It would be ok with me to leave it alone. Hazel is so cute, just an innocent little one looking for fun🐶🐶. Are your blizzards over? Hope so.

  12. Janice

    Funny, I do that too, save the small eggs that my hens produce (well, I did when I had hens, miss them so). I have a nest I found outside – robins nest that was in pretty bad shape – and I’ve filled it with eggs as I collected them. One I found outside on the lawn, no where near a tree, and it is no bigger than my baby fingernail! I love the pictures of your pets – Hazel on the counter is hysterical! And I didn’t know you have parakeets – we have two also. Aren’t they the best pets? Pretty much care free. Clean the cage once or twice a week and you’re done! We are bracing for the third Nor’Easter – we’ve had two in a row in the last ten days and now they are saying another on Tuesday. We’ve lost so many trees on the edges of our field. I just pray my large oak out front doesn’t come down. Thanks for the great pictures! Jan in Massachusetts…

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Janice – I save bird nests, too. I’ll include them in a post.

  13. Martha Engstler

    When I was a child we always blew the inside of eggs out. We couldn’t waste eggs at that time. When it’s time to change time I set my clocks ahead or back early in the day and act like that’s the real time already. It works well for me. Love Colton on the shelf over the birds.

  14. Kathy Hanson

    What a beautiful fern! I had a beautiful one many years ago, it must have loved the place it was placed. I suspect that is the key. Love Hazel – of course she was on the counter, they seem to always love the places they aren’t supposed to be! Your home and decorations are so lovely – you do such a great job. Keep on blogging and sharing your life with us – I can’t wait for the next one!

  15. Sue Davis, Argyle, Texas

    Hi Mary
    I have news about my sheep. Even though they are back in Ohio I still call them mine. I received a text and picture of my little girl L.E., she has delivered two twin boys. All are healthy and my L.E. I’m told is an excellent mother.
    Also having a 🐶 or 🐈 on the counter is normal to me. We discourage this but it happens. We in our 70’s and this has not killed us yet. You have to enjoy the silliness. Sue Davis, argyle tx

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Sue – your baby has babies! Oh how sweet! I know you’d love to visit them. We never l Ave a bit of food on our counters – we have a closed pantry and that’s where all food is kept. No, pets on the counter is not going to kill me either – ha!

  16. Colleen

    I know the theory behind then changing of the clocks
    I would prefer our clocks stay the same and businesses choose to have summer/winter hours
    It is hard enough with different time zones
    I live on the west coast far very far from a time zone line but living near a time zone line would be a double whammy

  17. Janet Snyder

    Love the pictures. I totally agree with you about the time change. Leave it alone.

  18. Katie

    Never knew about eggs drying up..learning at 73
    ❤️The pic w Hazel on the counter, my TAOS🐶, also likes counters..and my butter dish, if I forget to put it away ..
    Have a good week..

  19. Anne

    That little dickens Hazel! She must keep you busy (and amused). I never knew you could dry out eggs in the refrigerator!! I had just been looking at my duck eggs (that gorgeous duck egg blue) and thinking I must try again to blow some out for decoration. I had a disaster the last time I tried it-Duck shells are much harder than chicken shells. About how long do they take to dry out?

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Anne – I would leave them in the frig 6-9 months! Start now for next Easter.

  20. Carol T

    I agree w u re: staying on one time! Love that Hazel! We have had a little rescue for 3 years and he is just becoming a dog! I wish I knew more things to help him be less scared…he has come so far tho!

  21. Linda l

    You have a beautiful, peaceful (if the critters cooperate) home to stay in on a grey, cold day. It should get a little better this week.

  22. Paula

    Love the basket of eggs. Did not know that about the crisper drawer. Paula in KY

  23. Anne

    Thanks for the info on how long to dry the eggs. I have another question. Do you wash the eggs first? I usually collect ‘clean’ eggs and refrigerate them. I only wash and dry them right before cracking open.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      I don’t think it matters but, like you, I wash my eggs as I use them

  24. Felicia Hamlin

    You have the perfect place for all your plants. Last week I bought tow big orchids and a miniature one, I hope I can keep them alive. I read that they like the East side and no ice cubes. Give Hazel a hug.

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