Mums Mean Fall is Here

Have you planted your mums yet? They look nice along with pumpkins and bales of hay when October rolls around. Pretty soon we can forget about gardening altogether and nest inside by the fire. Can't wait! Enjoy the long Columbus Day weekend. via

Have a Great Weekend

and try to stay on course :)

Fall's Long Shadows

I love the long shadows you get this time of year when the sun is so low. I've done at least one load of laundry every day this week and there is very little direct sun on my clothesline. Everything has been getting dry anyway because of the gentle breezes and sweater-weather temperatures. I've heard it might reach 80 degrees sometime over this long holiday Columbus Day weekend. Enjoy it whatever you do. G.P.Schafer Architect photo found here. 

Stare Down Contest

You know who will win, don't you? This amazing photo of a short-eared owl is by Mark Trabue

Steve Jobs - Goodnight

Posted with my MacBook Air
Image and more remembrances.

Autumn Reflected On A Lake

Have you ever seen anything lovelier? via

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

RIP

Easy Living

I can honestly say I can't picture myself here for months to come. I can't seem to catch up with all of my outside chores not to mention my inside ones. I feel as if I missed all of September due to all of the rain and Irene cleanup. I did a load of dark laundry today that was nothing but work clothes covered in mud. I guess the pampered life is not for me. Sigh. image via tumblr

Clever Use of Space

I want to climb that ladder in spite of my fear of heights but how would I ever get down again? via

Library with Gallery Wall

This looks like a wonderful place to get cozy and read a book. via

More Little Library Photos

Andrew Carnegie built an impressive 2,509 libraries around the turn of the 20th century. Now Rick Brooks and Todd Bol from Wisconsin are on a mission to top Carnegie's total with their two-foot by two-foot Little Free Libraries.

These diminutive, birdhouse-like libraries, which Brooks and Bol began installing in Hudson and Madison, Wisconsin, in 2009, are typically made of wood and Plexiglas and are designed to hold about 20 books for community members to borrow and enjoy. Offerings include anything from Russian novels and gardening guides to French cookbooks.

See more photos and read more about these charming tiny free libraries here. I've already blogged about these birdhouses for books once but thought you'd want to see more photos. I still want one, don't you? Visit their website too: littlefreelibrary.org

Entwined Elephants

Click here to enlarge this wonderful image.

Pygmy Hippo Newborn - Japan Zoo

What a face! A cub pygmy hippopotamus has a bath in his cage at the zoo Tokyo. Gippopotamchik was born on June 22. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images) via

In another post long ago I featured a video about a pet hippo named Jessica.

Snowy Owl in A Field of Tiny Daisies

What a sight this must have been for Steve - wants a job at Chester Zoo and I hope he gets it. 

Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire

Heaven on Earth at this Shaker Village
image found here

Elephants Reunited After 22 Years Apart

Watch the short film here.

This wonderful film was created by world-renowned filmmaker Allison Argo from ArgoFilms. Read more of this story on PBS. I want to know everything there is to know about Shirley and Jenny...free at last to live out their years together. This footage proves that elephants never forget.

Shirley and Jenny, two crippled elephants were reunited at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after a 22-year separation. The bonding was immediate, intense and unforgettable between the two former circus elephants. But long after the cameras were turned off, the wondrous moments would continue. Snif, snif.
Visit the website of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II, page 47

It's not too early to start leaving hints for #674 is it?

Forget and Believe

via

Have A Relaxing Weekend

Wouldn't this be a fun place to spend the weekend? Where's the fire pit? via

Bathroom love

I absolutely love the gray tile in this otherwise all white bathroom. via

Paradise in a Library

"I had always imagined paradise as a kind of library"
Jorge Luis Borges

A brick in the wall at Denver Public Library
Photo by Paul Hagon

Is This Your Dream House?

Somebody's dream house. Is it yours?
I love the porches and the metal roof.
via

Charles Schulz Draws Charlie Brown

I miss them both, don't you?

English Countryside Cottage Tells A Story

One upon a time..in the English countryside..there sat a pretty little cottage..with a red door..behind which lived a little.... etc.. etc.. photo by Ollie_57 on Flickr

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II, page 46

We all love these little tidbits of information on how we should be living, don't we?

Oh My, What Big Paws You Have

I'm sure this pup is tired of hearing that but seriously, look at the size of those paws. via

Sweet Attic Office

I love an attic office with a view. Mine is like being in a tree house. Since I got a wireless laptop I don't spend as much time there as in the past. It's so nice to be untethered. image

Canned Goods in The Cellar

I used to do this in my previous life :)

Irish Cottage

Aran Island cottage © KaitMauro

An Orchard with Red Tulips

©All rights reserved by blondepowers / Getty Images

Autumn

It's time to give the grass a crew cut so the leaves will blow away. I need a couple of sunny dry days before I get on my riding mower once again. Have a good week. Will you be driving to New England along with the other leaf peepers? via

Cookies Too Pretty To Eat

Rubber stamped cookies using food colouring and then hand finished with edible ink pens. via pinterest and flickr

Time to Prune the Roses

Have a nice Sunday puttering around the yard. via

Living with Antiques

Antiques really do make a house into a home, don't they? I wonder what's inside those two little doors behind the chair? I have something like that in my bedroom that gives access to the bathtub plumbing in the hall bath. Photo from ElleDecor

Salt Water Cure

Isn't this the truth? For the past couple of weeks I think I have rid my body of all its toxins with the hard manual labor I've been doing cleaning out everything for trash day and cleaning up after Irene. I've been helping an elderly lady clean out her house too. Honest sweat is a wonderful thing. After my initial tired spell, I started feeling really good.
Have a great weekend. via Original painting by Mae Chevrette http://maechevrette.etsy.com

Little Free Library in Madison Wisconsin

THE LITTLE LIBRARY THAT COULD

On Felton Place, a residential street in Madison, Wisconsin there is a very small library holding about 20 books. Not much bigger than a bird house, the little library is of rustic construction. A door adds to the charm and to the notion that the books are to be valued and protected. It’s based on the pay it forward principle. Take a book, leave a book. Read the rest of this wonderful story here.

Happy First Day of Fall

It's here as of early this morning. Are you looking forward to fall? via

Sweet Sewing Shed

This little sewing shed is very sweet, isn't it? I love the natural light coming in over the sewing machine. I ran across a big stash of vintage ticking I had completely forgotten about this week and it made me want to sew. Sewing rooms are probably pretty rare these days but they are a must for the serious seamstress. You can just close the door and pick up where you left off later. We always had one when I was growing up and my mother and I both sewed with a red-hot needle on our Singer. via

Bookshelves Over The Fireplace

Okay, light the fire and I'm there. I think this setup is perfect, don't you? via

Pomegranates Are In Season

Though the ancients used pomegranate skin and bark for medicinal purposes, only the seeds are edible. Fresh pomegranate is available from September until January. When refrigerated in a plastic bag, pomegranates will keep for up to 2 months. I love the colorful seeds in a salad or sprinkled on plain yogurt.

I superimposed this pomegranate scan from my Royal Book of Crests over one of my leaf studies with Photoshop.