First Fire for Fall 2009 . . .

It was pretty chilly yesterday and I decided to light my first fire. I had a blacksmith do some work on my cast iron fireplace grate. Actually he was a welder and I asked him to cut off some of the depth so the fireplace wouldn't smoke. He did a great job.

I got the very early antique fireback you see behind the flames a couple of years ago at an estate sale. It is definitely one of the heaviest things I've ever purchased. I somehow got it in the house and put it in place and now I can't move it no matter how hard I try. Instead, I had the grate resized and I was very anxious to see if it improved my fire quality. It works better than I hoped. No smoking at all. Now the draft draws perfectly. I am so happy. I'm off to the annual fireman's auction and sale this morning. I really hope I don't find anything I can't live without. I have no more room!

This is the first time I've ever loaded a picture to my blog straight from Picasa. It was easy but it also made me do wrap-around text. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a bit. Have a wonderful weekend and come back soon. ♥Rosemary

Seed Saving Envelopes for 2009 :: Free Download . . .

Click on the thumbnail above for full-size printable images with 2 envelopes per page.

I had a special request from a reader to design a seed saving envelope for 2009. I used a little play on words for some gardening humor :-)

You might want to look at other seed saving packets I've offered in earlier posts.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for another DIY free download. Collect some seeds this weekend if you can. Give them to your friends as gifts. These little envelopes are perfect to insert inside a card of any sort. Christmas will be here long before I am ready for it! ♥Rosemary

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Wonderful Photos . . .

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for some random saved photos by lots of unidentified and very talented people. ♥Rosemary

Life's Little Instruction Book, page 133 and more . . .

Winking owl.

Heavenly scene in the ocean.

I love this driveway with the grass in the middle.

Cat stare down.

So sweet. Baby animals.

Albino peacock.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage. ♥Rosemary

Sotheby's Selling Exhibition of Monumental Sculpture at Chatsworth House in Devonshire, UK . . .

Chatsworth House is home to the 12th Duke of Devonshire.


Beyond Limits: A Selling Exhibition of Monumental Sculpture

Dancers by Fernando Botero

Eros Bendato Screpolato by Igor Mitoraj

Sotheby's returns to Chatsworth in the Peak District this autumn for its fourth selling exhibition, Beyond Limits. Increasingly recognised as one of the most prestigious platforms for displaying monumental modern and contemporary sculpture in Europe, this event promises to be as innovative as ever, with extraordinary works by Henry Moore, Antony Gormley, Marc Quinn, Manolo Valdés and Jaume Plensa taking centre stage against the breathtaking backdrop of this magnificent English estate. Click on any of the photos above or here to watch the amazing video showing the beautiful grounds and more pieces of contemporary sculpture by internationally famous artists.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for an amazing art exhibit. Today is the first day of autumn. I love this quote by Albert Camus ~ "Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is in flower." ♥Rosemary

The Marshmallow Test [Video] plus some cottage photos . . .

Oh, The Temptation 2 hidden cameras, a bunch of kids with one marshmallow each. A study in self-control, willpower, temptation, the power of one marshmallow and lots of humor. Very cute!


The deep woods beside my house one day last week.


I planted some purple kale in some pots for fall color.


Some of my ferns are beginning to die down.


Others are refusing to give up the ghost. Both photos were taken on the same day.

I have an underground bees yellow jacket nest that is close to my front door. I wish I knew of a good way to get rid of them without resorting to one of those bombs. I think I'll try some soapy water first. I don't really want to kill them...I just want them to move elsewhere.


I scanned this bee from my 19th century Royal Book of Crests.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a cute film and some photos. ♥Rosemary