Here I am sitting here in my girly room in my pajamas which I have worn all day because it has been too icy to get outside and  I decided why get dressed today? I am watching the snow blowing off the garage roof. There has been very little traffic by our house today.   I’m not going anywhere and no one is certainly going to get out in this weather to come see me.  It’s been an odd sort of day.  Missed church and now it looks like the roads are getting worse as the evening progresses so I know we won’t get out. David went out long enough to check food and water for the chooks and the dogs.  Everyone is in snug for the night.

  I decided to dust the hallway upstairs that gets neglected most of the time and as I was cleaning out a corner I found this painting.  I knew I had it, but had not seen it for a long time and really hadn’t paid much attention to it when I did.  It belonged to my parents and I ended up with it for some reason and now that I see what is on it, I am very happy I have it.  I have no idea how old it is nor can I see the painter’s name on it.  It has a very elaborate frame around it and I would imagine it is at least seventy-five to one hundred years old.   I brought it downstairs to take pictures of it, but the pictures really do not do it justice.

  Now do you see why I love this painting?  The mother hen is guarding her nest from the little dog.  The colors are rich and the detail is amazing.

  There are two or three places that have been damaged through the years.  I have no idea where my parents kept this painting as I don’t remember ever seeing it hanging in our house.  It must have been kept in the attic which makes it even more amazing that it is in as good a shape as it is.  The little dog has a collar with a bell on it.  He seems as startled to see the chicken as the chicken is to see him.  That chicken means business!

  These flowers and leaves are all around the frame.  It almost looks like gold leaf, but don’t believe it is.

  This is definitely a brooding hen as she has four eggs underneath her.  I wonder whose blue shoe that could be and how was it lost in the barn?  Perhaps it is something the dog brought out from the house.  I really wish I knew who the painter was.  Maybe it’s a long lost painting by a famous painter.  There were no artists in our family’s history that I know of although some of my children and grandchildren have shown an artistic bent.

  I just love all the detail, the shadows and all.  If anyone recognizes this artist’s work, please let me know.

 And in other news:

  Glad we have Netflix as there is not much I want to watch on regular television.  I do like to watch ID with all the investigating of murders and other crimes.  I think I would have been a good detective because I always figure out who the murderer is before they tell us.   Jack Frost, a BBC series is fast becoming one of my favorites.  David and I also watch All Creatures Great and Small.  It’s about a small village veterinarian in England, James Herriot.  He also wrote books about his adventures taking care of animals and dealing with their strange owners.  We are really enjoying it.

  I’ve been making ironing board covers.  I hand quilted this one one evening.  Now I am making one to fit my old wood ironing board.  I just finished piecing a small one for this:

  My little ironing board I had as a child.  I am so glad I saved it.  My daddy made it for me many, many years ago.  I use to stand beside my mother while she ironed and did my ironing with this little iron.

  I could actually plug it in and it would warm up.  It never got very hot, but I thought I was really ironing just like mother.  Can you imagine children getting an iron that you could plug in now?  Way too dangerous! Ha.

  The hens saw their shadows last week which evidently meant six more weeks of winter. Ouch.  It seems Old Man Winter is enjoying staying around.  Spring will be so loved this year.  Come, Miss Spring, Come.  Kick Old Man Winter away.  Bye.