This Limoges teacup and saucer were given to me by my sister, via her friend Elaine. Thank-you Elaine,this is a beautiful teacup !
Yesterday was unseasonably warm and sunny. I had considered not posting for Tea-time Tuesday, opting for a bit of gardening and a walk in the sunshine to drink in all the glories of new life beginning to unfurl and burst around Cedar Pond, but since I also wanted a cup of tea, I decided to combine my passions for both. Look at the exotic bird on this teacup, he looks fierce and proud and ready to fly.
My two Labs, full sisters from two separate litters born here on Cedar Pond accompanied me. They sat for this picture after already swimming in the pond. They love to be with me, and if a walk around the pond is called for, they know they are going to have a great time. Their names are Willow (left) and Bea. They know their names too, which makes it easy for me to walk with them, because I know they know who I am talking to or commanding as we walk. Example: "WILLOW, NO !" and Willow knows she is to stop what she is doing, but Bea continues on. My dogs love, know, and obey me, and know I mean what I say or command them. This is always so important when you have dogs and also what makes having dogs a blessing ,rather than a problem. When they remember who is the boss in the pack ( and they know it is me) they are secure and know how to behave, not out of fear, but confidence, knowing the way life operates is consistent.This also offers them freedom . But I digress.
Willow, Bea, and my husband's dog Hawk romping and splashing in the pond.
I was overjoyed to discover the crocuses were blooming and my husband's honeybees were buzzing and humming in and out of them and the many primroses we have around Cedar Pond.
The ducks have been amorous for the last month, which is a sure sign that no matter the temperature spring is on its' way. Here are my 2 Call ducks, the drake is forefront. He is a seasoned veteran around here, surviving the devastating coyote raids, and fathering quite a few ducklings.
Look, the ducks have begun to lay eggs. So have my turkeys. When the ducks and turkeys begin laying eggs, it is a sure sign spring is here, no matter what the weatherman says.
The lambs were sunning themselves against the sun-warmed tree stumps, yes...lambs and warm places to sleep outside mean spring is here.
The teacup bird. Is this a Phoenix or pheasant ? Does anyone know? I have searched and searched the internet for any information on this teacup, to no avail.
The roses on the other side of the teacup.
" M-Fires, Limoges Made In France "
I sipped a cup of very hot mint tea from this cup after my walk around Cedar Pond. The sunshine cheered me until sunset. The walk around Cedar Pond was a reminder to me the seasons come and go and usually life will continue in the patterns God has established from Creation. My animals and the wild birds and animals who have chosen to reside here have an instinct He created that causes them to live accordingly, and produce young, rear them, and then start again all over the next season. Yes, the spring mating rituals of the wild birds, the beginnings of nesting time, the new lambs, newly laid eggs of my ducks, chickens, and turkeys all point to spring as having arrived here. Bring on Spring!
A very happy Labrador Retriever. Bea is waiting for me here on our private road beside the pond to throw her a stick. If she is very lucky, I'll throw it into the pond so she can swim and run in the mud before returning it to me. A romp in the pond and the mud, a few sticks to fetch, a bit of digging, and time with the person they love. Life is pretty simple for a dog, and life is really pretty simple for us. Someone to love, someone who loves us. Chores, work, and tasks that are needful and remind us we are needed. A simple cup of tea....not so very difficult, not so unobtainable, and a good reminder of the many blessings we often forget to remember because a lovely teacup and sustaining cup of tea are simple blessings beyond measure, and shared in good company are priceless.
I am sharing a bit of tea with the ladies listed below, please check out their tea times! You'll be glad you did. ~
~This is where I sit when watching the comings and goings of the pond. It is a nice spot for sipping hot coffee in the morning ( when the weather is nice) and a great spot to sit in the evening with my husband, especially when we get a camp fire going....I have noticed I see the wood duck enter the snag every evening about 6:30 - 7:00. I don't know where she goes, or where she comes from....but she arrives and enters the snag so quickly I cannot snap a picture of her!
~I did get a picture of the two ducks that survived the coyote massacre...they are swimming peacefully on the other side of the pond. They have a nest in their pen and I noticed the runner duck female ( right ) carefully covers her eggs with feathers and wood shavings before she leaves them to swim in the pond. The male is a tiny Call duck, and I have seen him and the female mating so I know the eggs are fertile, but i cannot help wondering just what the ducklings will look like ...a cross between a Call duck and a Runner! In terms for you non-duck people, this is like a Chihuahua male mating with a Greyhound female .
~The island was beautiful! It is covered in Lilies of the Valley and ferns..shaded by Cedar, Cottonwood and Alder trees. The wild ducks are still here too, nesting somewhere on the island.The pond was still enough for the reflection to be almost mirror - like.
~Here is the top of the snag, about 16 - 20 feet high, where the wood duck quickly flies in. I saw her tonight and I think she was deliberately toying with me. As I was quietly observing the top of the snag I heard.... then felt, a WHOOSH as she flew barely 2 feet directly OVER MY HEAD and alighted on the snag and into the crevice. So, she is still here, I am assuming the ducklings are not hatched out, and I will keep watch.
