Climbing Nasturtiums at My Cottage

These climbing nasturtiums were planted from seeds in the ground in the spring.

I am so enjoying this riot of color right now.

Nasturtiums are tender perennials that didn't do much over the hot summer but are coming into their glory now that temps have cooled off. I am hoping they will reseed themselves but I will pick and save some seeds just in case. Please notice my newest (old) galvanized watering can far left. Thrift shop find for fifty cents but I paid them one dollar because I had no change. Love it. What you see above is very selective photography. My front garden bed is filled with weeds and I have just begun to tackle them. The annual firehouse sale and auction of donated stuff was Saturday and as you all know, it's my favorite day of the year. The very first thing I bought was a "GARDEN CLAW" and it is a really wonderful addition to my gardening tool collection. I used it and filled up two dumper carts as soon as I got home. You don't have to bend over. It's a long rod with handle bars at the top and four long angled prongs at the bottom. You just push it in and twist and the weeds come right up. I am thrilled with it and inspired to get my front back in shape once again. It works in a gravel driveway too. Yay!!

xo, Rosemary

Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes Set to Music: Old Book

I found an old book at an estate sale that is full of pages like this, each one with an engraving. I cannot read music so I don't know if I would recognize the tune. I always liked the Crooked Man rhyme as a child. I don't remember the chair part of the Pussy Cat rhyme. The cat did a great service and the Queen never knew!

Enjoy your Sunday. xo

Unseen Beatrix Potter drawings found inside books at Melford Hall Suffolk

Hooray for the cleaning lady who discovered these unseen drawings while she was dusting the books at Melford Hall, a stately mansion in Suffolk England. The delicate drawings depict scenes inside and outside Melford Hall, a Tudor mansion owned by relatives of Potter, whom she visited often between 1899 and 1938. Potter and her cousin Ethel Leech were very close, growing up together in Kensington. After Leech married Reverend Sir William Hyde Parker in 1890, Potter would often stay with her at Melford Hall. Read the entire article here. Old books hide many secrets, don't they? xo

Nice Laundry Room + My New Washer Update

I love this vintage sink between the washer and the dryer, don't you? I also like the marble countertops and backsplash. 

Now, back to my new Maytag top loading washing machine. When I first got it, I did four loads in a row in four days so I was pretty much caught up on my laundry. I did a mixed load yesterday because I didn't have enough for a white load by itself. I did 2 pairs of cotton slacks, 2 tee shirts, dishtowels, a small bathmat, one blouse, pajamas, underwear, and I can't remember what else. I watched a youtube tutorial about how to load the dry clothes. You aren't supposed to "wrap" a pair of long pants around the tub, but hold them up and drop them down. You are supposed to try to distribute the laundry evenly, so I did.

I used the "normal" setting that I knew to be a lot less water than I usually choose on the bulky/sheets setting.

I chose "light soil" and "warm water".

I did not want an extra rinse and I never do. I learned on the internet that if you turn the fabric softener dial, you will get more water even if you don't use fabric softener and I never do. My clothes weren't really dirty so I used the minimum amount of HE liquid laundry detergent (Tide Sensitive).

I set the timer on my phone for 45 minutes. I watched the beginning of the cycle. At first after the detergent was evenly dispensed in multiple squirts as the tub rotated and paused, the agitating began in not much water but the clothes were all wet. This was to get the concentrated water in all the clothes before the water was diluted. After a while more water was added and the agitating continued. Then I walked away and hoped for the best. 

I went down to the basement just before the 45 minutes was up and arrived at the very end of the spin cycle before the "done" light came on. The cycles using a big tub of water were over an hour so this was a shorter cycle and I liked that. I hung all my clothes outside in the sunshine and they were all clean so what can I say. Some days you just want a lot of water and some days you don't. Either way, your clothes will be clean so I am still over the moon with my new Maytag.

I love doing laundry now and don't put it off the way I used to. Another favorite thing is this vintage laundry basket with "make do" rope handles when the original ones broke. Another garage sale find, of course. 

Delightful Attic Bathroom

How much do I love what I can see of this attic bathroom? My research tells me it's a photo from a book by Tom Scheerer. Do love! xo

F. Scott Fitzgerald FALL QUOTE

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Beatrix Potter Red Squirrel Watercolor

So sweet.  This is another delightful watercolor that is new to me by our favorite artist, Beatrix Potter. via

Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar

This looks a lot like something from Alice in Wonderland, doesn't it? I photographed this Monarch butterfly caterpillar munching on one of my milkweed plants and I honestly did not know they had a head on both ends. No wonder they can defoliate a plant almost overnight. But the milkweed always bounces back and produces more leaves for these beautiful caterpillars. Shot with my iPhone.

Sharing is caring. 

Windsor Chair and Large Turkey Print

I love this windsor chair, copper planter and the turkey print too. The interior millwork is stunning, isn't it? This idea of hanging a piece of canvas instead of a framed print makes it easy to change the artwork with the seasons. via

The chair is an antique found by the interior designer, Douglas Herrin based out of Atlanta. Tour the entire home on Saint Simons Island, inside and out, HERE.

Lovely Interior Design

I will never be a minimalist and never will the owner of the home shown above. I like lots of water in my washing machine and lots of things to love in my cottage. I have had people tell me, "You have so many things, but it doesn't look crowded." There is an art to this; you must choose things that are appropriately scaled to the size of your rooms so nothing overwhelms them.

I have been donating like crazy lately, giving away things that were duplicates in my newly cleaned out cupboards. At the end of this month, I can put things out at the road for the yearly pickup. I love driving around to see what other people are throwing away and maybe finding a treasure to bring back home.

Fall Garden Crops

I love every single food on this chart. Fall is so exciting on so many levels. via

Einstein Quote about Fairy Tales

I have always loved this quote and today I discovered the perfect illustration!

æOnce upon a time the famous physicist Albert Einstein was confronted by an overly concerned woman who sought advice on how to raise her small son to become a successful scientist. In particular she wanted to know what kinds of books she should read to her son.
‘Fairy Tales,’ Einstein responded without hesitation.
‘Fine, but what else should I read to him after that?’ the mother asked.
‘More fairy tales,’ Einstein stated.
‘And after that?’
‘Even more fairy tales,’ replied the great scientist, and he waved his pipe like a wizard pronouncing a happy end to a long adventure. via

Artwork in My Bathroom

I am in the nesting mode again and this corner of my full bath got an antique etching of The Hague in the Netherlands and fresh flowers on an old walnut tray yesterday. I love the new look. I was up with the chickens this morning to get caffeinated and drove around before eight o'clock to put out my Open House signs early. Now I can relax before I have to leave at noon. Have a great Sunday and wish me luck. xo

New Maytag Washing Machine LOVE

My new Maytag washer arrived yesterday and I am thrilled with it.

The lid opens perfectly as if it had been designed for my tight spot. The dryer is recessed and my old front loader used to match it, side by side. But I think it looks fine this way. I had to pull the washer all the way up to the door surround in order to be able to fully open the door but I am very pleased with the way my new laundry room is working out. I absolutely LOVE my new washer and have done two loads. I think this top loader gets my clothes a lot cleaner than my old machine and it spins them almost dry. Today I did my double bed sheets and four towels and I will use the sheet setting again because I like a tub nearly full of water. The load I did yesterday was on a setting that used very little water but the clothes came out clean. I can't wait to do some sweaters on the hand wash setting. One of these days I will photograph the other half of the room which is a half bath but I need to do a deep clean first. 

One of the reviews I read said to walk away from the machine after starting the wash. I decided to watch it because it's fascinating the way it works without the center agitator that I grew up with. I did today's load in all white but threw in an old pink and white striped towel that I use for cleaning. It was so interesting to see that it changed positions in the load so the other things must have also. 

The stainless steel tub is huge but not overly deep so you can easily unload the wet clothes. See what I mean about the center device? I guess the sides work like a wash board and they say the clothes get clean by rubbing up against each other. There are lots of interesting sounds and the clothes are always doing something, sometimes fast and sometimes slowly. I was prepared to be disappointed but instead I am delighted with my purchase from Lowes. They aren't paying me to advertise this, I'm just sharing with my friends.

xo

Beatrix Potter Watercolor 1898: SNAIL

Beatrix Potter 

(British author and illustrator) 1866 - 1943

A Snail and her Young, 1898

Fine ink and watercolour drawing.

This is definitely a drawing I've never seen and you probably haven't either. I suppose the mother snail is watching one of her eggs hatch and she's using a magnifying glass! I never knew they laid eggs so Beatrix is still educating me. I love the red clover flowers embellishing the artwork. There must be a story behind this artwork because it took her almost a month to complete it. She must have discovered the eggs and watched the whole progress as they matured and became baby snails. She must have been the one using a magnifying glass so she transferred the process to the mother as a bit of the whimsy we all know and love in her artwork. via

15 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT BEATRIX POTTER

Pam found a video on YouTube showing a snail laying eggs that look like pearls. View it here. Thanks, Pam!!!

Windsor Chairs Around My Farm Table

This is a previously posted photo showing the old bentwood chairs around my farm table. They came with my cottage and have served me well. I recently found a set of 4 handmade windsor chairs and I snapped them up. I had two more in a different style for the two ends.

This is the same view as the first photo only for some reason I had my phone's camera set on square. The Fan-Back Windsors on either end were already in my collection. I was friends with the man who made them. The new chairs on either side of my farm table are the thrift shop finds.

I had the overhead lights on for this view. Don't my new Bow-Back Windsor chairs look fabulous against my wide board floors and with the black hardware on my cabinets? They look right at home with the two chairs I already owned. I cannot imagine why anyone would get rid of these authentic reproduction windsor chairs, handmade in New Hampshire, but I am glad they did. 

My mother moved in my cottage full time in the summer of 2003 and I moved in after selling my old house in mid-winter 2004. It has taken me 15 years to get my kitchen just right but patience is my super power. Have a great Labor Day. It is a rainy day here at my cottage and I am thankful to get to stay inside all day long and take it easy. I have been on a cleaning/organizing tangent (again) and the insides of my cupboards are finally the way I want them. I still have to deal with my basement before Thursday when my new washing machine arrives. But today I shall watch movies and do fun things inside. xo

Hello, September

Hello, September and hello all. Sorry I haven't been around for a while. My washing machine broke and cannot be fixed and I have had a really hard time finding a replacement. The part is no longer available (of course) and the repair man found one on eBay but it was $600. YIKES. I looked and looked and looked and absolutely could not find a front loader that would fit in the tight space in my laundry room. I settled on a Maytag front loader that will fit but it might not exactly line up with my dryer because I completely forgot about the shallow cabinets above. I might have to pull it out farther than the dryer in order to get the top open. I think it will be fine, fingers crossed. It is being delivered on Thursday. I am not at all excited about getting a new one and having to learn how to use it. Nothing is simple these days, right? Things don't last the way they used to and the manufacturers have planned obsolescence built in. I have gotten numerous tips by watching demonstrations on YouTube. Some of the comments are hilarious. My old one was a high efficiency front loader and I could see that it used very little water. My new one is HE too and all the comments were about the lack of water in the drum. It doesn't have the old-fashioned agitator that sticks way up either. My clothes are never very dirty except when I am down on my hands and knees in the garden. I have old work clothes so I don't care if they don't look brand new when they come out of the washer. Sorry to sound out of sorts. I am really fine and just wanted you let you in on what's going on in my life.

Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend. I am loving the cooler weather after a long hot spell. I am not ready to kiss summer goodbye, are you? I love fall except for the leaves which I never get raked until spring rolls around. I have learned the birds like it this way because they can find winter food underneath the leaf cover. I don't feed them so this is the least I can do for my feathered friends. xo