The Quintessential Magpie

My blogs

The Quintessential Magpie

Blogs I follow

About me

Occupation	Magpie
Location	The South, United States
Introduction	Like all good magpies, I am curious, given to chatter, and attracted to shiny objects. Shiny objects may or may not be shiny and may be defined as art, fabric, china, antiques, and new accessories/furnishings that appeal to my flights of fancy. In other words, I like things with which to feather my nest, a place I enjoy sharing with family and friends. Freel free to join me. I love company! :-)
Interests	Antiques, birdhouses, china, china and more china, decorating, shopping, reading, entertaining, historic preservation, genealogy, gardening in the spring, Christian fellowship, volunteer work, creative dawdling, being near the water (lakes, rivers, or the ocean... they all count!), and being with family and friends.
Favorite Movies	Little Women, the BBC series of Pride and Prejudice, Ever After, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and I love romantic comedies, particularly the Thin Man series, and anything with Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, or Doris Day float my boat. I thoroughly enjoy the work of Johnny Depp and Colin Firth. Kevin Spacey deserves a salute of his own. While most people list other movies, my favorite film of his is "Pay It Forward." Helen Hunt is the perfect compliment for Spacey in that picture. My favorite actress of all time is Vivien Leigh. My favorite actor is Morgan Freeman.
Favorite Music	My taste in music is eclectic, ranging from classical to bluegrass! My favorite female performer is the late Eva Cassidy, and Nora Jones is running a close second these days. Have always loved Eric Clapton. My favorite Episcopal hymn is "I Want To Walk As A Child Of The Light" by Kathleen Thomerson. My favorite Gospel singers are Larnelle Harris and Wintley Phipps. My favorite classical composers are Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Dvořák, and The Five (Russian composers), specifically Rimsky Korsakov. My favorite blue grass performers are Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs. My favorite opera is "Carmen", and my favorite musical is "CATS" with the latter performed on the London stage.
Favorite Books	The classics, particularly Southern authors with one of my favorite books being A Curtain of Green by Eudora Welty (no one can beat her short stories, particularly The Petrified Man -- it's hilarious as read by her for a recording). I've always enjoyed Faulkner, The Sound and The Fury being a favorite, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek is a wonderful way to escape into Old Florida. The Yearling is a bitteraweet tale, but a must-read. I'm also enjoying the fiction of contemporary novelist Michael Lee West (try Crazy Ladies on for size). And anyone who has ever loved a dog has got to appreciate My Dog Skip by Mississippi's Willie Morris. Langston Hughes is probably my favorite poet. Shel Silverstein is my top pick of children's book authors. My very favorite book is the Bible, and I thoroughly enjoy histories, specifically those regarding the early days of our nation and those preceding the War Between the States. I read a lot of biographies and collect decorating books and art books. Whew! ;-) And to quote Harper Lee: "Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books."

When you open your eyes underwater, do you ever worry that you'll drown?

Silly rabbit, I think you're mistaking me for a fish! See up there where it says occupation under my profile? That's right. It reads: M-A-G-P-I-E. And magpies don't do "underwater." If we did, we wouldn't have any time to admire shiny objects. Why don't you ask my friend Kim. She's a mermaid!