I thought i'd just pass along this little tidbit about Pricilla Tyler, the daughter in-law John Tyler asked to be his hostess at the White House due to Letitia's illness. Priscilla Cooper was born in New York City in 1816. Her father Thomas Apthorpe Cooper was a successful stage actor and producer. Her mother Mary Fairlee Cooper was a New York socialite. Priscilla began to work as an actress at the age of 17. Pricilla's father was a great success in the theater business and the Coopers lived in a grand house on Broadway. Unfortunately the family's fortunes were reversed during the Panic of 1837. The family lost their house and at one point were reduced to subsisting on radishes and strawberries. Pricilla met the former US Senator John Tyler's eldest son Robert Tyler while playing Desdemona in a production of Othello in Richmond, Virginia. In Victorian America, acting was considered a scandalous profession and actresses had little social standing. It would seem unlikely a young actress with financial problems could ever marry the son of a wealthy plantation owner, however despite their social differences, the couple wed in Bristol, Pennsylvania on September 12, 1839, and the Tyler's warmly welcomed her into the Tyler family.

I thought I'd give those of you interested an update on the life and times of Tony & Theresa. For about 10 days after I'd decided that the chicks had hatched, Tony & Theresa came together every day. Sometimes they spent quite a bit of time. Their food consumption never increased so I slowly came to realize that they had no babies at home after all. Then one morning Tony came alone. In the afternoon, Theresa came alone and so I knew that they were again setting on eggs. But, within just a few days, they were both back together - apparently they'd lost these eggs as well. Theresa again began to try to get Tony interested in a move back into her birdhouse here at home. Of course, that was the morning I had to pull the pile of garden stakes out from behind her house. So while she's trying to convince Tony that this is really a choice place to raise a family - I'm involved in a demolition project next door. I got the stakes in the pickup and skedaddled but not before upsetting Tony. I was told that he did come back and went into the birdhouse for a second look around but that was it for him. By the time I got back home, Theresa was still trying to lure him back but he wasn't coming closer than the power pole in the neighbor's yard. At the moment, Theresa has apparently given up again. Both birds are showing up a couple times each day and getting something to eat but the birdhouse (honestly, choice pigeon accommodations) is being ignored. I was driving down the main drag Saturday and passed a tavern that has been closed for a couple of years. (Who says these joints never go out of business?) The wood awning has lost quite a few shingles and a pigeon looking very much like Tony was hanging around on top. Now this saloon is a good 2 miles away but that's not far for them. The problem is that it looks to me like a horrible place for them to have a nest. If this is Tony's "Blue Heaven," they'll probably have continuing calamities. The real problem is that Tony is a young, inexperienced guy. Doves of all types have a cooperative arrangement between Mom and Dad for the care of the young and altho' Mom builds the nest; Dad gives her the construction materials and decides on the location. The other day, while Theresa was trying to get her new guy into her birdhouse, she would suddenly appear back at the door. Her behavior for all the world said, "Where is he! Where IS he!" and she'd shoot off into the sky only to have Tony join her within seconds flying off the power pole or some roof top. Theresa would slow and turn back to the birdhouse but Tony would drift off somewhere to wait for her. The good news is that Tony is becoming more and more comfortable with me. It is very slow going. Today, for the 1st time, he flew to the ground to get food and stayed down there long enuf to have his picture taken. Two weeks ago, he'd hide behind the chimney every time I came out of the house. So we may be getting there. I don't think that the taming of Tony will come any too soon for Theresa. She acts at times like a nervous wreck. DigitS'

mine - or should I say my daughters - Ah! who am I kidding! It may be enjoyable to the girls and any little kids who stop by sit and stare for HOURS, but essentially it was my idea, I designed the whole thing, and have been the driving force behind having it at all... And I continue to think up and create new things for it... Anyway - mine has ended up being placed under a 2 year old corkscrew willow tree instead - It's closer to the house and is much much bigger than originally anticipated. For now the sweet woodruff and wild strawberries are filling out the area around the base of the willow, there's a violet and elfin thyme covered hill with a small lake at the bottom of it and a small gravel path leading to the top (a gazebo and miniture roses pruned to look like climbing roses are being added to the top of the hill later this fall) and a flattened out hollow covered in irish moss for a "meeting place." I have variegated forms of thyme and melissa lavender as shrubs around the edge of the garden and a few branches from my over zealous pink and white weigela hangs over the "hollow". The fairy garden is actually an extension of my butterfly garden, just slightly shaded (and will be deeply shaded when the willow fills out over the next couple of years) I just added some rembrandt tulips I hope will give a nice dramatic splash of color next spring before the freesias, columbine, violets and roses bloom. (and after years of plain colored tulips I can tell the girls that the fairies painted these ones!!!) I will post pics as soon as I can but right now I'm being selfish - want to keep it to myself till I feel it has some semblance of being ready for public viewing... :) Also waiting for the plants to fill out and really look like it does in my head (did that make sense or did I just seem nutty???) As well as the gazebo I'm working on 4 houses to put nestled in the sweet woodruff and a "bait shop" for beside the lake and looking for some small stumps or seats to put around the thyme hollow, maybe even a little swing for the fairy babes? Next year I'm hoping the willow will be big enough to dangle twinkling lights in and lots of birdhouses of course... Soon as I figure out where to put it I'm adding some white heliotrope that I grew from cuttings and have slightly too much of. Now I'm just hoping that the wild strawberries calm down cause they are going bananas and I fear they will choke out the rest of my plants... I'm 30 years old, mother of 4, a criminal psychologist in training and I am no afraid to admit that I love my garden. I am envisioning a few years from now laying in soft green grass in the shade of my contorted willow tree staring into the little village and seeing if I can see the sparkling glint of gossamer wings, or hearing the giggling of fairy children in the rustling leaves of the willow tree.....

Then there is the man who told his wife he needed to get away for a while,and went to great vacation site. He was enjoying his stay and emailed his wife this message: "Feel like a new man. Staying a while longer." His wife emailed back: "So do I. Stay as long as you like." Sue