For the birds (pocket square edition)

While I don't run across a lot of newer, designer clothing items during my thrift adventures in the midwest, it seems like I run across more than my fair share of ties with bird motifs. While I haven't hunted in many years, I always grab these items when I see them, and I've taken my pick of the litter, given some to friends, and given some away.

I recently ran across this great pocket square with a duck motif, and of course I had to buy it as well. It's a really nice silk piece with hand-rolled edges and the works. I must admit to not being a very big bird person, and my first thought upon seeing it was, "mallard." After looking at image searches, the red band on the neck is throwing me off, though.

Like a lot of pocket squares, the detail of the print can't really be fully appreciated when in action, but a co-worker of mine showed enough intrigue about it that I happily brought it out of the pocket and showed him the full design. Isn't that sort of what you're hoping for every time you wear a pocket square with something more than a basic pattern?

Feeling superstitious, part 2

It's been awhile since I posted last, but I have a good excuse. I've got a happy, healthy daughter who just turned 2 months old and while things are going well, I have a little less time to devote to some of my pursuits (one of which is this blog, which falls in just behind trying to get out and jog and/or bike several times a week).

Interestingly enough, it was about ten months ago that I made a post about some owls that had taken up residence in our backyard and seemingly brought good tidings to us (or at least made themselves noticed during some rather critical life moments). Today, my wife was walking around in the yard with the baby when she noticed that they were back.


She counted them all up and noted that there weren't two or four, but six! owls roosting in various places in our grapevines, including the two fluff ball baby owls pictured above. I'm not sure if they're the same screech owls that were there last year, but the cornball side of me likes to think so. Here's hoping for a continued string of good fortune.


Speaking of little ones, here's me and Matilda hanging out one day when I biked home for lunch. She's reached the stage where her favorite activity is springing herself into the air (with my help, of course). This picture was taken pre-jump, which was obviously a very serious moment for everyone.

Feeling superstitious

I don't consider myself a person that believes much in luck, and I'm pretty much a non-superstitious person in general. The past two months, though, nature has caused a little skepticism to creep into my mind.

Roughly sixty days ago, we noticed that four owls had take up residence in the grape vines that grow up and through a pergola directly behind our house. The same day we noticed them, a rather exciting event took place in our household (which I will talk about in some other post in the future). Many days, we would go outside and say a few words to the winged creatures, and they would give us small head tilts in response.

For a few weeks, they disappeared.

Then, on the exact day that my wife had a job interview, two of them had returned.



We did a little research and discovered that they are Screech Owls, and have even heard them make their distinctive calls several nights when our windows have been open (before fall allergy season truly kicked in).

The two owls have stuck around, and we've gone back to walking out and saying a few words to them nearly every day while they sit and peer at us, seemingly gaining in lucidity as the days move towards dusk and they their feeding time.





At this point, we're trying to think of a good place to put an owl box, as we think it would be great to have them in the area for hunting pests and just hanging out.

Also, they may very well be good luck.

Spring inspiration

About 6 years ago, we planted a star magnolia in our backyard. It's always been a fragile thing, and the first couple years the blooms froze off at the first sign of cold temperatures. At the same time, random branches have been pruned off each year as they went woody and dead. When we purchased it, it was about 6 feet tall, and it stayed that height for some time. During those first 3 years, I wondered if it would even make it, and after the place we bought it from went out of business, I thought for sure that it would die, just to spite us.

The past two years, though, it has made a real comeback and surged in height. I'm sure this is at least partially due to establishing a more solid root system, but I'm happy with the results either way. The magnolia is now much taller than me and has burst out with luscious blooms each of the past couple years.



Speaking of blooms, it was just two days ago that it started to really unfold to the spring, and after its trials and tribulations of the first couple years, I decided to pay it some homage by basing my wardrobe for the day around its colors.



It's certainly nothing new for seasonal fashion trends to be influenced by nature, but being a person who enjoys landscaping and gardening, I always feel like I'm at the very least subconsciously influenced, and most of the time directly so. I get excited when the lawn starts to green up (even though it means more work with mowing and tending to weeds and so on), while tulips and daffodils springing up around the edges of the lawn seems to be a go-ahead sign that it's time to start really shaking free of the drab tones of winter.





So here's to you, star magnolia, and spring in general. I will try to brighten up my outfit choices appropriately.