Jarvis House Mantel Bunnies

One of the nice things about living in the Jarvis House is the Mantel over the fireplace.  The whole facade of the fireplace is original to the house.

There is something to be said about assembling a series of smaller objects, some old some new, but all together they make a collection.  Here is a wooden bunny game , on the order of a slapping-jack.  You hold it up and swing the bobber and the arms move.

One of the brown bunnies has flocked coat and sits upright on his own.

The bunny on the left was one of the first that I collected, and the two rocking bunnies I just found.

Beautiful dancing bunnies, and the most carefully crafted.

The little bunny in the yellow dress is new to me and seems to match the dancing bunnies in quality and style.

Four white bunnies.

Several chicks with their mother hen.

Two birds that came along for the ride.

 I saw this bunny a few years ago and couldn't resist her because she is holding a palette and a paint brush.

The bunny on the right may be a Steiff bunny.  He has a hole in his ear where the little metal pin should be.  He's been around the Jarvis house a very long time, and he has the most amazing feet.  If anyone knows the maker of this bunny contact me with the correct information.

I've always called him Uncle Wiggily, after an old board game that I played as a child.

Here is a very sweet bunny holding two felt bunnies that I purchased at a Long Island antique show, years ago, for my children when they were very young.

Three floppy cloth bunnies.

The little girl bunny has a porcelain head, hands and feet.

All in all here are the little and the bigger bunnies at the Jarvis House.  There are several real bunnies out in the back garden, but they are so fast that I can't get a picture of them.  Happy Easter.

Eggbert The Easter Egg

Eggbert the Easter Egg, (or Springtime Egg) was a simple elementary art project that I would do with Kindergarten or First grade students.

My daughter is a First grade teacher in the state of Virginia and asked if I had any ideas for an art activity.  I sent her this.  First cut a templet of an egg from a piece of stiff cardboard that would fit on 9"x6" paper.  I used light blue card stock for the egg.

The kids can take turns tracing the egg on their blue paper during the day.

 Next the students sketch a large zig-zag on the egg, making sure that they do not make too many small points.

The teacher cuts some yellow construction paper into 6"x4" rectangles.

Have the children draw their own version of a chick, or help them follow the direction that I found on line.

 With a hole puncher, (one with a small hole maker would be great,) punch holes through the side of the two egg pieces.

 Cut out the chicks and the eggs.

Flip the bottom portion of the egg over and tape Eggbert to the back, making sure that he faces out.

Using the tinniest drop of white glue, glue on a few fluffy colored feathers.

Push a brass paper fastener, or "brad" into the holes for the hinge.

Eggbert is inside the egg.  You can go on You Tube and hear the original Rosemary Clooney Eggbert song from 1952!

We used to line up the students in a semi-circle with their eggs which were closed.  They would sing the song and when he pops out they open the egg.  This is guaranteed to make everyone smile.

Signs of Spring at the Jarvis House

Finally!  Signs of Spring.  Here are two beautiful early blue Crocus flowers in the sun.  Today it was 57 degrees F.  This was a picture of my thermometer in the earlier part of the day, and it was even in the shade!  We haven't seen those numbers for months!

Walking around the garden I saw an early yellow Crocus, and 

clumps of snowdrops.  Over the years, I have transplanted their bulbs so that

they make a boarder all avound the back garden.  Depending upon the exposure to the sun, different sections bloom at different times.

Seeing the snowdrops gives one hope that the snow is finally over, but they do grow through snow.

These early crocus bulbs bloom right through the leaves and twigs that collect in the winter.

Just a week or so, the Canada Geese were pushing away the snow under my bird feeding tree.

The driveway was covered in ice and snow.

The snow is gone, they fly in from the park and wander in the back.

Sometimes there can be as many as 14 geese pecking around.  OK, I do feed them wild bird seed, but it is very interesting watching their antics and their habits.

Over the winter there were at least 4 or 5 pairs of Cardinals at the feeders.  Here is one male singing his heart out, today in the walnut tree.

 

A few more days like this and these daffodil buds will explode into saggy pom-poms.  

This is a special yellow Rhododendron that was new last year.  It looks like it made it through the winter, and will bloom.

A Montauk Daisy has sprouts that will grow out and bloom in August.

I will keep looking for more signs of life and growth.