Morning Oatmeal

I was hoping to be able to capture the steam rising from my morning oatmeal but couldn't. It was rather awkward holding the bowl with one hand while manipulating my iPhone with the other. But I did it. A hot bowl of thick rolled oats with European style yogurt and a drizzle of agave nectar is a fine way to start your day. I'm off to an office meeting and should stop playing around and get ready. I'm so easily distracted. See you later.

Bluebird on Watering Can

I adore this photo. I always look for old watering cans and they are all but impossible to find these days. Don't forget to bring yours inside for the winter or they will fill up with water and freeze which almost always results in a leak. I learned this the hard way. You know I love bluebirds too. Have a great day. via

Steve Jobs’s Genius ----- A Fascinating Article

Jobs’s sensibility was more editorial than inventive.

 “I’ll know it when I see it,” he said.

Steve Jobs’s Real Genius : The New Yorker

If you want to save yourself some time and money, read the 1,000 word review of Steve Jobs's authorized biography in The New Yorker. It's absolutely fascinating. Steve's wife deserves a medal.

The Chicken Dance | Video

If these dancing chickens don't make you smile, I don't know what will :)
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/the-chicken-dance/

Laundry Day at My Cottage

My day so far.

Webster and I hung out two loads of clothes today. It was very mild with temperatures in the mid 60s.

I always hang the wicker laundry basket on a piece of rough bark sticking out of this tree.

These ugly apples from a friend's orchard are the most delicious I have ever tasted. We picked all we could reach with our long apple picker on Saturday.

The sun was shining brightly on these leaves and they almost looked as if they were on fire.
(iPhone photos all)

Elephant Fix for The Day

Isn't this a fabulous photo of a mother and her sister taking the baby elephant for a walk? via Pixdaus--click link to enlarge. 

Lakeside Cabins

So nice.

Nicer?

I actually prefer the first one. Which one do you like? Both were found here.

Charming Baby Painting from Estate Sale

It's not fine art but this charming oil on board of a chubby-cheeked baby sucking on an orange just makes me happy. I picked it up for $5.00 at an estate sale recently during the closing hours. It's hanging in my living room over my tiny television to the right of my fireplace so I can see it often. The lady who sold it said her aunt painted it years ago. Score!

Perfect Sunday Morning Setting

Doesn't this look like the perfect place to spend a nice Sunday morning? via

Everything was covered with a heavy frost when I woke up way too early this morning. Enjoy your extra hour if you live with Daylight Savings Time. Read the hilarious article in the Washington Post. The author says, "My only reason for supporting daylight saving time is that it makes keeping a work-life balance more difficult for vampires."

I certainly don't look forward to darkness setting in at 4:00 in the afternoon, do you?

Pinterest Pet Peeve

I really don't like to waste time and nothing is more frustrating than finding something I really like on Pinterest and the link doesn't take me there.

Read more if you are interested in this photo about an elephant landmine victim with a prosthetic leg here.

Rules for Happiness

Words to live by. via

Yikes | Giant Dragonfly

Curious Pets

Travis Louie will be opening an exhibit of new paintings at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles November 12 through December 10, 2011. I would definitely go if I lived nearby. His paintings are beyond curious.

Geranium and Delft Tile

My iPhone photo of the day. The power went off for a couple of hours while the crews repaired the lines at the end of my street. I'm happy it's back on now. I really must work on my emergency preparedness for the future. I need a good reading light worst of all. I once had a great Coleman camping lantern that operated on a giant battery but I haven't seen it in years. I used to take it to Brimfield for reading in the car at night while camping at Quaker Acres. I miss those antique hunting adventures. Have a great weekend. See you later.

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II, page 48

More instructions for life from our favorite father to his son. Have a great weekend.

Three More iPhone 4S Photos

I think this looks almost like an impressionist painting. This was the view from my front door when it first started snowing last Saturday.

This is one of my old photographs of two dogs posing very nicely against a professional studio backdrop. It's signed and dated 1919. 

A Roseville 'Landscape' pitcher in my pantry dating back to 1916 or earlier.

I'm still having fun with the wonderful camera on my new iPhone. I don't want to become a broken record so please tell me when you want me to stop.

Licking the Yogurt Container

Piggie definitely needs a longer snout to get to the bottom of the yogurt container. I still need to learn how to adjust the color. The video on my camera is so much more colorful. Baby steps...this is very time consuming.

Webster watched carefully from another room waiting for the Pig to get all he could. Long snouts can get to the bottom. Webster had the oatmeal pan so he was happy the little guest had a treat too.

My Virtual Bedroom for Tonight zzzzz

I picked a good one, didn't I? This looks like a wonderful bedroom  for a country girl like me. Wouldn't it be great if those two drawers underneath were dog beds? One for Webster and one for Piggy sleepovers. His power came on late today so he's leaving us tomorrow. via

My First Video Ever starring Webster and Piggy

I have no idea what I'm doing but here is my first YouTube video ever.

Piggy Came for a Sleepover Last Night

Run Piggy Run -- That little French Bulldog can run like the wind when he gets wound up. His family is still without power so we have him for a while. Webster is so happy to have a playmate.

Try Another Way of Seeing your Everyday Surroundings

This might work. via

Drying Laundry by the Stove

I am so behind in my laundry. It's on my list of things to do tomorrow. I think I'll be able to hang them outside too. This would be the next best thing if I had an Aga range. Don't you love this homey scene? via

Late Afternoon at My Cottage

I'm very happy to report that my TV isn't broken after all. It simply refused to power up after my electricity was restored. I unplugged it overnight and plugged it back in this morning. Around noontime I heard noise from the bedroom and it had magically come back on. Maybe it needed to warm up, reboot, or whatever television sets do after being down for long periods of time. Webster and I just got back from a little walk and the setting sun was shining nicely on the trees behind one of my cast iron roosters.

Old Books printed on Old Dictionary Pages

I almost never print anything these days but every time I see something like this artwork I'm tempted to get creative. via

A Short Drive w/ My iPhone

I am absolutely amazed that I have power with this wire situation three doors down the street.

I love this property with the red gates and black ravens topping the posts formerly owned by Seth Thomas. The round device on the left building is a tower clock. 

A pumpkin patch with lots of small ones waiting to become pies. I saw lots of tree damage and downed wires and learned that many people still are without electricity. I'm one of the fortunate ones for sure.

This was my car, the spruce grove, and the birdbath on Sunday before I started working on the cleanup outside. What a difference two and a half days later (the first three photos).

Pink Geraniums Make Me Happy Today

I am so happy my house plants are thriving all around the cottage. The geraniums are blooming their hearts out since I brought them inside. 

The Star of My Power Outage

I bought this vintage stovetop Revere Ware Drip Coffee Pot years ago at a garage sale simply because it reminded me of my grandmother. I never knew I would grow to love it so much at the time. Luckily I have a gas stove and could boil a pot of water and start my powerless days with nice hot cups of coffee. Strangely enough my grandmother used hers to brew the best iced tea in the world. I am looking forward to having a day filled with tasks involving plugging things in wall sockets.

I dreamed last night or rather had nightmares about buying a new TV and figuring out how to set it up in my bedroom. I'll have to make some colored-coded labels for the tangle of wires. I'm in no rush. I watched a program or two last night in the living room before going to bed with my fascinating new book -- STORYTELLER The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock.

I picked it up at a library used book sale and it is a brand new hardback. I started reading it when I went to Town Hall to charge my iPhone on Sunday evening. Since the Irene disaster, they decided to be open 24/7 during all power outages so residents can get warm, charge their devices, and read while waiting. The library offers more during business hours with wifi too. There was also a working garden hose for bring home buckets of water to flush since we are all on wells. Looking forward to a normal day -- see you later.

Happy Halloween | I Have Power Again

My power was restored after being off for over 48 hours and that is my halloween treat for sure. The flat screen tv in my bedroom appears to have been fried and I am not at all pleased about that but it could be worse. I am really exhausted from being a lumberjack and pioneer woman. I know I will sleep like a log tonight. I haven't checked my email or comments yet -- I am just so glad to be back to normal. See you tomorrow. This barn is nearby and I took this photo several years ago but I still love it.