Installing A New Bluebird House For My Backyard Bluebirds

Welcome to the 786th Metamorphosis Monday! Hope you had a great weekend! Many, many years ago when my son was in elementary school, I worked at the Chattahoochee Nature Center as a volunteer. Back then, on weekends during the month of October, the Nature Center would host educational Halloween Hikes through the woods that surround the nature center. The hikes also ran out the boardwalk that runs alongside … [Read more...]




These Plates Are Almost Too Beautiful For Dining!

Welcome to the 748th Tablescape Thursday! I was so in the mood this week for a winter-themed table setting. One of my favorite dinnerware patterns that I love to use during the winter months is Lenox, Winter Greetings. It works beautifully for the holidays but is wonderful to use right through winter. Back in the day, Lenox made some stunningly beautiful accent plates to go with this pattern. I once shared … [Read more...]




Garage Nesting Doves, An Albino Squirrel and So Many Spring Goodies

Welcome to the 688th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy New Week! I hope your week is off to a great start! I just returned from visiting family in Ohio. It was a wonderful visit, so wish we didn't live so far away from each other. While I was there, we had some return visitors. Every year, a pair of Mourning Doves return to nest on the top shelf of a storage shelf in the garage. This is their 3rd year … [Read more...]




Lazy Hill Farm Feeder: A Beautiful Accent Piece for the Garden

Welcome to the 442nd Metamorphosis Monday! When I had cute Eastern Phoebe birds nesting in the corner of my front porch...   ...I was offering fresh mealworms a couple of times a day via this pitiful setup. lol The mom and dad Phoebe would get super excited each time I brought out mealworms and placed them in the bowl. Occasionally, I would look out the window and see them perched on the … [Read more...]




Stacks of Dishes, An Unwanted Visitor and A New Accent Piece For the Garden

It's utter chaos at my house right now. I'm in the "has-to-get-worse-before-it-can-get-better" stage of reworking my dish storage. I've been pulling out all the dishes, chargers, etc... that I think I will want to store in the new cabinets that I've ordered. (Sorry about the dark photo, took this very early this morning.)   If you missed that post about the cabinets, you'll find it here: … [Read more...]




Limelight Hydrangeas in Bloom and Sweet Visitors To The Porch

Just popping in this Sunday afternoon with a quick post...a couple of random things that are going on right now that I thought you might enjoy. You may remember last year I purchased a Limelight Hydrangea to go in front when I was landscaping the front yard with boxwood shrubs. I already had one of these tree form hydrangeas but decided I wanted one on each side of the front porch. This photo is from … [Read more...]




Washing Benches at O’Dark:30, Birdie Nesting, Hat Storage and Garden Updates

I awoke this morning long before daylight. The numbers on the ceiling showed 4:00. Apparently my body is still on Morocco time which is 5 hours later. Ugh. After laying there for about an hour, I gave up on sleep and got on up. So what do you do at 5:00 AM? I gave both the benches on the front porch (and the porch itself) a good wash, they were seriously covered in pollen.   I took this … [Read more...]




Home & Decor Updates: The Good and The Not-So-Good

Welcome to the 406th Metamorphosis Monday! I have several small Before and Afters updates I've been wanting to share, so I'm grouping them all together in one post. Before we get to those, a couple of folks emailed and messaged me recently to let me know the Better Homes and Garden dishware that many of us have been collecting over the years, is back in stock again. (Thanks for that!) They have added … [Read more...]




A Front Yard Makeover With Boxwood Shrubs, Benches & Copper-Roof Dovecote

Welcome to the 384th Metamorphosis Monday! A while back I started a big makeover for my front yard landscape. Bushes were removed and transplanted to the back yard and a Japanese Waterfall Maple was transplanted to another area of the yard. The tree is doing well in its new home, as are the shrubs that were transplanted to the backyard.   It's taken me a while to add shrubs back. I had … [Read more...]




A New Potting Bench & A Double-Decker Hummingbird Feeder

There's been so much happening around here lately, I thought I'd give you a little update all in one post. It's kind of a in-progress post with some hopefully helpful tips mixed in. After the new coat of marine varnish dried, the furniture was moved back out onto the screened porch. So glad to have the porch back together again.   The flooring in the guest room got its third and final coat … [Read more...]




How to Repair a Woodpecker-Damaged Roof of a Lazy Hill Dovecote Birdhouse

Welcome to the 371st Metamorphosis Monday! Greetings! How was your weekend? Hope it was great! Mine was productive and I'm happy to report that I was able to successfully repair the damaged roof of my Lazy Hill Dovecote and restore it back to the garden in time for the spring nesting season. You may remember a woodpecker (we suspect a Pileated Woodpecker) drilled a huge hole into the roof almost two … [Read more...]




Lighting a Dark Corner of the Porch

Recently I shared an outdoor lamp I purchased for the oval table here on the screened porch after I nabbed the lamp that had been there for use in the guest room.   When I shared that lamp, I also shared this rather blurry photo of a floor standing version of the same lamp.   I've always had three lamps on the porch, two are visible in this photo below.   The … [Read more...]




Install a Long Swing-Arm Hook for Hanging Plants or Bird Feeders

I have several bird feeders hanging off the pergola that extends over one of my decks. The feeders hang from long swing-arm hangers. The hooks work great for hanging squirrel-proof feeders because the length of the rod helps deter the squirrels. They also keep the feeders out away from the deck, which keeps the decks cleaner and encourages the birds to come dine. Since my decks and porch are a full story … [Read more...]




A New Addition To The Garden: Copper Roof Dovecote

One of my favorite things to do each spring is to go on the spring garden tours in my area. I love a garden tour every bit as much as I love a great home tour. Over the years while on garden tours, I would often come across these big, beautiful birdhouses. Eventually, I asked someone and found out they were dovecotes. The ones I saw and loved the most were by a company called, Lazy Hill. When I added on … [Read more...]




An Urban Coop Tour, Plus Other Assorted Cute Critters

Do you ever go on home or garden tours? I absolutely love them! Recently I was searching online and I stumbled across a tour that I never even knew existed, though it's been going on in the metro Atlanta area for seven years. I emailed a friend to see if she wanted to go. This was not your average home/garden tour so I wasn't sure if she would be game...no pun intended. ;) She emailed back a quick, "Yes!" … [Read more...]




Happy Weekend!

You may remember a while back when I posted a picture of my first ever pileated woodpecker stopping by for a visit. Since then I realized I actually have both a male and female visiting. One day, to my shock and delight, both came down to eat at the exact same time. They normally take turns at the suet feeder that hangs on the right of the pergola but one day I looked out to see both feeding, the male on … [Read more...]




Table For Three: Bluebirds “Doing Lunch”

With this bitter cold weather we've been having, I've started buying mealworms again for my backyard birds. They are a bit pricey at $13 for 1,000 worms from my local birding store, so I decided to order some online from Rainbow Mealworms where you get 5,000 for $20 + shipping. When they arrive and you open the box, this is what you find.   The bag is filled with crumpled up newspaper with … [Read more...]




Night Sounds From The Porch

I absolutely adore owls! They are sooo beautiful! Last night I was working late in the office when I heard two Barred Owls in the trees out back. I grabbed my camera and ran down to the porch to see if I could capture their hoots for you.   I thought about using my phone to record them but I knew my camera would pick up the audio much better. Unfortunately, you can't see anything because it … [Read more...]




In The BNOTP Library: The Birding Life

This morning's post about the lovely bluebirds who visit my feeder for mealworms reminded me of a book I've been wanting to share for a while. Remember when I shared the book, Living With Dogs by Laurence Sheehan? A short time later I shared another one of his great books, The Gardener's Life. I've quickly become a Sheehan fan and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that his books are not only about … [Read more...]




Beautiful Bluebirds Gathering Mealworms For Their Babies

Bluebirds, love them so much! Each year they nest several times in the dovecote in my perennial garden.   I'm not sure now if it's the same pair returning or if maybe their children are coming back here to nest.   Even though a woodpecker put a big hole in the dovecote this past winter, they still nested in the dovecote once more. I started to take it down to try to repair it … [Read more...]




Bird Houses Add Beauty & Design To The Garden

How about a little garden tour? This is another one of the gardens we saw while on the Atlanta Botanical's Gardens for Connoisseurs tour on Mother's Day weekend. This garden featured some beautiful Lazy Hill birdhouses and bird feeders. I love their feeders and houses, they add so much beauty and interest to the garden.   Beautiful rhododendron...   Lots of pretty … [Read more...]




How To Keep Squirrels Away From Flowers & A Hungry Visitor

I am cautiously optimistic I've found the cure for keeping the pesky squirrels living in my backyard out of my flowers here on the deck. This may even save my hibiscus from being denuded as it has been in past years.   The last two years I've been putting Knock-out Roses in the tall urns under the pergola but after two years of having them prick my shoulders and arms with their thorns as I … [Read more...]




Lewis’s Woodpecker & Rose-Breasted Grosbeak In A Spring Garden

Welcome to the 277th Metamorphosis Monday! Recently my friend, Bonnie, who lives in the beautiful state of Oregon, shared a few pics with me via e-mail of the wonderful view from her deck. I don't have any "Before" winter pics to share but the "After" is stunning! Is this not gorgeous?! Spring has sprung in the state of Oregon and it's absolutely beautiful! The wisteria running along the fence in … [Read more...]




A Surprise Visitor!

I'm back! I had hoped to get this post up this morning but it took a lot longer to go through all my photos than I ever anticipated. I've saved the best part for the end, a surprise visitor, so no peeking ahead!  :) With spring here, my backyard feeders have been going gangbusters. I always have a lot of birds visiting but it's busier than ever. It can be tricky photographing birds because if there's one … [Read more...]




Ice, Ice Baby!

The ice is here and still falling. I think it ends around mid-day tomorrow. The birds don't appear to be coming to the feeders. I can't see the food so I'm pretty sure it's frozen up inside the feeder and not dropping down. Or maybe it's the ice on the ring where they would normally stand that's keeping them away. I put bird seed on the rails of the deck last night before turning in, but it's all iced over … [Read more...]




A Winter Table Setting, Tablecloth by Mother Nature

Welcome to the 281st Tablescape Thursday! So, you know how I opened Tuesday's blog post with these words: "It’s snowing a teensy bit in Georgia today, nothing too serious although I do see the cars crawling very slowly on the road back behind my home." I'd like to retract that statement, please! If you've been following the news, you know the weather got crazy really fast around here. I rarely watch … [Read more...]




A Little Bit of Everything

It's snowing a teensy bit in Georgia today, nothing too serious although I do see the cars crawling very slowly on the road back behind my home. Think I'll stay home and not get out in it.   I wanted to give you a little update on the dovecote in the garden. I'm afraid things have gone from bad to worse.   Remember this?   I'm pretty sure it was caused by a … [Read more...]




A Backyard Visitor: Red-Shouldered Hawk

I had a visitor to my yard recently.   He was having his dinner on a tree branch in the backyard. I think a squirrel may have met with an untimely demise.   This was one of those insanely cold days when the high for the day was around 10 degrees. I didn't have on a coat, just ran out onto the porch and peeked my head through the screened door to capture these pics. I couldn't … [Read more...]




Woodpecker Attacks Lazy Hill Dovecote

Sounds like a salacious headline, doesn't it?  Woodpecker Attacks Lazy Hill Birdhouse: News at 5. Over the years I've gone on many garden tours here in the metro Atlanta area. Often while touring I would see these amazing birdhouses that I later found out were Lazy Hill Dovecotes. After pricing them I decided they were just too expensive but years upon years of seeing them in gardens wore me down, … [Read more...]




A Heated Bird Bath for the Birds…and a Wily Raccoon

Happy Sunday! How's your weekend going? I wanted to pop in and share how the heated bird bath looks installed out on the deck. I attempted to install it yesterday but it was late in the day and getting dark quickly. It has a tilt feature so when you want to dump the old water and add new, you just lift it up and tilt. I couldn't get the tilt mechanism to catch yesterday and since my light was quickly … [Read more...]




Chipmunk Baths

When I decided to sod my yard with Zeon Zoysia, to save money I planned to do it in two stages: Front yard, followed by the back yard next summer. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that was probably not such a great idea. I was concerned the grass in the front yard would get damaged next summer when the backyard sodding process got underway. I'm so glad now I went ahead and did both at the … [Read more...]




Backyard Paradise Perfect for Entertaining

It's spring!  The flowers are blooming, the birds and bees are busy do birdie and bee things and it's time for a garden tour!  Phyllis who blogs at Around the House has one of the most beautiful backyards I've ever seen.  Wait until you see what's behind this fabulous gate!  I love the basket of flowers on the gate because it a small hint of the beauty just on the other side. Ready?  Let's go! As we … [Read more...]




8 Months of Procrastination Finally Ends

Welcome to the 224th Metamorphosis Monday! Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  This was one of those weekends where I had a long list of things I really wanted to get done but Mother Nature had other plans.  It rained "monsoon style" all day long on Saturday, but being the determined, crazy woman that I am, I dragged the tall urns from the deck onto the porch and replanted those as I had planned. … [Read more...]




Birdwatching Fun for Your Weekend

Have you heard about Phoebe?  She's a Channel Island Allen hummingbird living in Orange County, California.  She lays 4-5 clutches a year and a gentleman in CA has a web cam set up to capture it all. When I was last watching, she had a baby in the nest and an egg about to hatch. You can see both the baby and the egg in these pics. Here's Phoebe, returning back to the nest to feed the … [Read more...]




Carbon Monoxide Detectors and a Masked Visitor

How is that for a crazy post name?  I often have  things I want to share or blog about, but sometimes it's just not enough to warrant a full post.  So today I'm lumping a few things together, thus the wacky title. Recently, I've been feeling sooo tired...just want to sleep, sleep and sleep.   I can't make it through the day without taking a nap and even after a nap I'm still tired.  Very strange and … [Read more...]




Birdwatching: Cardinals, Bluebirds and Woodpeckers Came Calling

A few minutes after I put up this mornings post, a male Eastern Bluebird stopped by...sooo cute!  The following photos were taken through the glass of my bay window with a Nikon D7000 and my 18-200mm zoom lens.  Hope you enjoy. Then along came Mr. Cardinal which didn't please a little Nuthatch who waited patiently for him to leave. Mrs. Cardinal came by to check out the new … [Read more...]




Squirrel Wars: The Latest Trick Up My Sleeve

Welcome to the 191st Metamorphosis Monday! I spent mine running lots of errands and trying to get a few things done around the house.  A long while back I shared this view of my screened-in porch.  As you can see it is a full story up and I have bird feeders hanging from shepherd's hooks off the decks on either side of the porch.   The feeder on the left is hanging from the deck that holds a table with … [Read more...]




So Much for Hot Seed

Apparently, Mr. Squirrel likes his seed on the spicy side. He keeps coming back for more and he brings his friends!  Can you see where he's chewed on the window feeder?  He gets mad after he's twisted it so much the seed quits coming,  Yep, he's got quite the temper.  The chewed up spots are really bad in some places. Grrrrrr... Don't let that cute face fool you.  You won't believe all the damage he's … [Read more...]




Cat TV

Office Window Feeder Day 1: A Brief Visit Day 2: A Skirmish Day Three: Accceptance. Friends? … [Read more...]




Squirrel Outwits Bird Feeder: The Story of Leon and Pearl

Once upon a time there was a squirrel named Pearl and she lived on a Leon's deck. Whenever Leon wasn't looking, Pearl would creep over to Leon's bird feeder and throw it off the table and onto the deck. The poor bird feeder became badly bent and broken. Leon was not pleased and he chased Pearl away whenever he saw her. "How can I keep Pearl from totally ruining my feeder?" mused Leon. "I know, I'll tie it … [Read more...]




Two Mysteries: Houdini Squirrel and Every Word

Mystery 1: Today was car-tire(s)-buying day. Yuck. So, as I'm talking on the phone with the guy at the tire store, I opened the kitchen door that leads to the screened in porch. A gray blur ran by. Ummm, not good. I walked gingerly out onto the porch and I saw it. And, it saw me. A squirrel. Mr. Squirrel began frantically running around my porch, scaling the screens and in general, FREAKING OUT! I … [Read more...]




A Behind the Scenes Tour

Sometimes the most fun stuff to see in a room redo are the things that are hidden from sight. So though I haven't hung this bulletin board, yet... Or, this cute shelf... Or, this wrapping center I shared HERE, I have been busy with a few other little things in the office. Come take a peek. Remember the steps I found for Max for only $10 at an indoor flea market HERE? I had Home … [Read more...]




A Dovecote in the Garden

A Dovecote in the Garden Landscape Recently, I posted about a kind soul who came to my "rescue." That post contained lots of photos of the large dovecote in my perennial garden that runs along my driveway. I received several e-mails from readers asking for more information about this bird house and where I found it. My interest in a dovecote for my garden came from years of going on garden tours. Often, … [Read more...]




Knights in Shining Armor…They Do Still Exist

The ground had been covered with snow and ice for four long days. At last it had melted...just enough for her to leave her home for a quick trip out. Upon returning, as she pulled into the driveway, she noticed a little fluff of orange feathers protruding from one of the entrances to the dove cote, the same cavity where the bluebirds had nested every year for the past three years. The thought came to … [Read more...]




Rosehill Cottage from "The Holiday" Movie Comes to Life Once More

Hi Everyone! Are you busy, busy, busy preparing for the holidays? Are you making grocery lists, doing last minute shopping and wrapping gifts? I hope you are having fun and enjoying these last minute preparations for family and friends. Recently, I took you on a tour of wonderful Rosehill Cottage in the movie, The Holiday. If you missed it, you'll find it HERE. This is a view of Rosehill Cottage … [Read more...]




Knockout Rose Trees Knock Out Squirrels

In early spring, April to be exact, I went in search of "something" to fill the two tall urns that stand on one of my decks. The past two springs I had purchased tall hibiscus, but Mr. Squirrel, who lives in my backyard, tip-toed onto my deck every. single. day. and stole almost all the leaves off the two hibiscus, one leaf at the time.   I was not amused!   So, this year I … [Read more...]




A Birding and Nature Themed Table Setting

Welcome to the 79th Tablescape Thursday! Hi Everyone! Hope your day was awesome! I had plans to share a new tablescape with you this evening, took pics this past weekend. But there were a few more things I wanted to include in the post, and unfortunately, I just don't have it quite ready. So, I've been perusing the archives this evening and found a tablescape I put together right after I started … [Read more...]




Mother Swan Transporting her Babies

Something to make you smile this gorgeous Sunday afternoon...a Mama swan transporting her little ones to the other side of a pond.   I love the little guy who is trying to peek out...precious! You can read the full article HERE. … [Read more...]




Owls, Beautiful Owls

Wow, you guys are amazing! I'm soooo inspired after seeing so many creative "Before and Afters" this past Metamorphosis Monday! We had over 150 participants! If you haven't had a chance to check them all out, just scroll down to the post below this one and start clicking. There is so much talent and creativity in … [Read more...]




House Finches Nest in Door Basket

Welcome to the 26th Metamorphosis Monday! I am also participating this Monday in Price My Space, a blog party hosted by Nesting Place...that post immediately follows this Met Monday post. I have a special metamorphosis going on at my house this week...right here on the front porch. It's a little hard to see from there, so come on over here near the front door. You're getting warmer, just a little … [Read more...]




Herend, Rothschild Bird…My New Obsession

So, there I was, on yet another historic home tour, minding my own business when Herend's, Rothschild Bird bit me in the nether regions! It all started out innocently enough.  We (me and two friends) had made the trek to Newnan, Georgia for what The Georgia Trust calls a "Ramble." And ramble we did...in and out of some of the most beautiful historic homes and buildings you've ever seen, not to mention a … [Read more...]




Bluebirds Nesting in Lazy Hill Dovecote

For many years I've attempted to attract bluebirds to my yard. My interest in bluebirds started when I worked as a volunteer with the Chattahoochee Nature Center. During that time I learned bluebirds had in years past, (1960's and 70's) dramatically decreased in number. (Image from Wikipedia) This decrease was found to be due to use of pesticides and a loss of their natural habitat (natural nesting … [Read more...]