Night Owl. . . . . . . . morning owl.

I've heard the Great Horned Owl calling from one of the tall

oak trees outside our windows.

Hardly a song, more a muffled low baritone HOO.

Owls usually vocalize at dusk and then again at dawn.

The low sounding hoot, mixed in with the chirpy cacophony of

 songbirds early in the morning, means being awakened from

 sleep, especially when the windows are open. . . . . . . but it's such a

 beautiful musical start to a spring day.

With the HVAC project completed, meaning early rising not as necessary,

just listening to the morning songs has been pleasant.

We feel we had the best workmen ever in our home for this huge job.

No complaints at all and we will recommend them highly to others.

This owl I photographed on a visit to a bird sanctuary in England a few years ago.

Magnificent to say the least!

Great Horned Owl : Bubo virginianus

Largest owl in the Carolinas
Carnivore : small mammals, birds, snakes, insects
Non-migrator

Average lifespan in the wild 5-15 years
Size: Body 18-25 inches : Wingspan 3.3 to 4.8 feet

Weight : 2.2 - 5 pounds
Does not build a nest, takes over nests of crows, Great Blue Heron,
 hawks, or uses a tree cavity
Winter nester, one brood per year : 2 white eggs, laid in December/January
Silent in flight due to ragged ends on wing feathers

Owls hooting in your neighborhood?
Only once have I actually seen one sitting in an oak outside my window
 It stayed there many hours - and perhaps helped rid our garden 
of annoying voles and moles gobbling the roots of many of the hostas etc.

Restoring the glorious past. . . . . . . .

A couple of weeks ago, standing in the brilliant sunshine, crisp March wind twirling through still leafless trees, Carolina blue sky almost painful to the eyes, memories of this amazing house stirred in my mind. I could imagine Mattie Heck's carriage pulling up to the massive front doors and her looking up at the tower of her beautiful new home. It was 1869, the Civil War was over. Her husband, Colonel Jonathan McGee Heck - later a wealthy industrialist - had the house designed in the Second Empire style and built as his gift to his wife. She was tired of living in the countryside and wanted to come to Raleigh - a growing city full of excitement during its rebuilding following the war. This was Mattie's house.

The imposing structure, its history full of interesting facts, is at long last poised for a huge interior renovation since being sold on one more time (by the state of North Carolina who only restored the exterior over the past several decades) to the N.C. Association of Realtors.  Restoring the interior after years of neglect will take millions of dollars, but how wonderful it will be to see in the months ahead. Historic beauty is often quick to be razed to the ground and forgotten, this part of Raleigh's glorious past will be renewed.
Thank you new owners. . . . . . . . . .wishing you well with this huge undertaking.

The Mess. . . . . . . and the last meal!

The big heating and cooling home project was started this morning and

 will continue until completed, probably Wednesday morning.  

It's a mess . . . . . . everywhere.  Today anything required from upstairs was

no longer available.  Fortunately the very cold night warmed up quickly this 

morning and the sun has been shining all day. I took a break from the mess

and had my hair cut and color done, enjoying the time away from clanging

 metal, drilling, hammering etc. Fat garlands by the yard of old, dusty silvered

 ducts snake about the grass, piles of pink and yellow insulation look like

 cotton candy, numerous rusty metal boxes, sheets of plywood, tool boxes

 and other questionable paraphernalia cover the driveway. New equipment

and parts stand shiny and clean in the sunshine.

We sneeze, the workmen sneeze - dust from the old equipment or pollen

from the blooming shrubs and trees?  

Not to change the subject (but know you're not interested in seeing photos of the piles

 of trash outside) do you ever think what you would request as your last meal - like

 the movie characters on their way to the 'chair'?  

Today, though hopefully not my last by any means, I needed my favorite
 breakfast to stand me in good stead for facing the mess in the house.

This easy meal I would also actually request if ever heading to the gallows

 or electric chair!  Just a slice or two of good crusty farm bread toasted,

 salted Irish butter, and my favorite English thick cut orange marmalade.

I perhaps inherited this from my mother. I recall it was her go to favorite

 when she was not up to cooking a big meal just for herself. Her familiar voice
 would cross the pond through the long distance cable, and when I asked what she
 was having for supper, she would say with a laugh, "I really just fancy some toast
 and marmalade." 

Bob read me my horoscope from the morning paper and we had to laugh -

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

"Take the plunge. Home improvements, reconnecting with old friends and romance are favored."

The home improvements are underway : I bumped into an old friend at the salon : now just awaiting the romance which could be snuggling to stay warm tonight, yet another cold one forecast.