Happy Saturday

I took down a small framed item and replaced it with a blue and white platter.

I like it because it carried out the blue and white theme of my lamp. I found a platter hanger while I was organizing in my attic. Wish I had found it sooner.

I found this on Instagram and it's perfect for my #illustratedquotes hashtag, isn't it? Posted by @susan.steadman here.

I am dressed in my outwork clothes and there is still so much to do before the cold weather sets in. Have a GREAT weekend, everyone. xo

News from the Nest

I am thrilled to report I have a pair of blue birds building a nest in this box. This is an old photo but it's mine.

Another old bluebird photo of mine. I need to put up this box somewhere.

An illustrated quote I made but it's not my photo.

More good news -- Mother Robin is back in her old corner. I'm sure there must be eggs by now but I haven't looked. I was worried she wouldn't return since all of her old nests were removed when my deck was power washed last summer. Robin nests are very messy and just thrown together  and held in place with some mud. 

She couldn't decide what cubicle she wanted so she tried several before deciding on the second from the right. See all the dried grasses hanging down? I worked on pruning the boxwood in back of my barn/garage cutting back dead wood and clipping with my shears. They look so much bette and I left lots of little sticks on the ground for the birds in case they want easy pickings for nest materials. I've been busy away from home and had an office meeting this morning. There was another one after lunch but I stayed home and worked outside instead. xo

 

A Bookshelf Full of Friends

I made this illustrated quote about books long ago and just ran across it again and I still love the play on words. Is there any home decoration better than a bookcase full of books? I think not. I have been putting things away and my kitchen table is completely bare once again. Tomorrow I want to work on organizing upstairs in the attic. Wish me luck.

xo

 

New Bird Book for My Library

Stopped in an Old Bookshop yesterday and looked up to see this quote.

"I cannot live without books."

Thomas Jefferson

I took off the book jacket to take this photo of my purchase.

This is a nice addition to my bird books and it's very informative. The dust jacket was back on the book for this photo. It wasn't the book I was looking for but I am enjoying it. I've been looking for a large bird identification book I got rid of for some reason and if I ever come across it again I will buy it back.  I paid $7.00 for this used book in fine condition. Here is a book search with prices starting at $1.00 and going up to $60.00 for a first edition. Happy Hunting.

xo

Book Collecting Quote

This made me smile. 

Only a book collector will understand.

Photo found here.

I hS rain today mixed off and on with snow that didn't stick.

xo

She Did Not Change

I love this so much and miss her.

Click for photo source

xo

Welcome December

La Belle Jardiniere – December by Eugène Grasset, 1896

delightful image found here

Eugène Samuel Grasset was a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris, France in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque. He is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design.

I'm having a cold, rainy Saturday but I'm planning to enjoy it.

I feel this way too about fall and winter.

Andrew Wyeth quote found on Pinterest.

xo

Simple Life Quote

I couldn't have said it better.

"It is no

bad thing

to celebrate

a simple

life."

~~~

J.R.R. Tolkien

via

xo

Last Night it Dipped into The Low Forties

Isn't this the perfect description for the upcoming fall season?

via

life starts

all over

again

when it

gets crisp

in the fall

f. scott fitzgerald

xo

Wonderful Shakespeare Quote

Still working on the house but can see light at the end of the tunnel. My days have been busy and long lately and I am so looking forward to a lazy Sunday morning to recharge my battery. I found this Shakespeare quote on Pinterest and I love it. My gift for the past two weeks has been teaching my painters things they didn't know and they are so very appreciative. 

Have a great weekend.

xo

John Muir Quote

I have always loved artwork printed on dictionary pages and this one is extra special. This John Muir quote about the woods is printed on a "forest" dictionary page!🌲 Artwork found here.

COME TO THE WOODS

FOR HERE IS REST

JOHN MUIR

Also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", John Muir was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America. read more

It Happened Again ☕️

I have no idea where I found this but it made me laugh.

Have a great Sunday. xo

The Art of Simplicity

"The ordinary arts

we practice every day

at home are of more

importance to the soul

than their simplicity

might suggest."

Thomas Moore

 1779-1852

Isn't this illustration just perfect for the quote by Thomas Moore? I found it on Pinterest. You might want to learn more about this Irish poet, prose and lyrics writer in this biography here.

Firewood Quote

I've never heard this firewood quote.

found on Tumblr

The Henry Ford quote is more familiar.

Image found here.

All I Want For Christmas is:

♡I love this, don't you? Truer words were never written. My wants and needs have all been met and I get more joy from giving things away than for getting anything.♡

 

My New Motto

NOW IS THE NEW LATER. It's true, isn't it? 

I have done so many things recently that I have been putting off until "later" and it has paid off. So many people I know have been doing the same thing. via

Reading Room in The Bookshop, Wigtown Scotland

It couldn't be cozier, could it? The Bookshop in Wigtown is the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland with over a mile of shelving supporting roughly 100,000 books. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it. Don't you love the quote by Sir Terry Pratchett over the fireplace? 

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life." Take an armchair visit to their website: https://www.the-bookshop.com/

Enjoy. xo

An Autumn Cathedral with Trees

This entrance was well designed so many years ago. The mature trees finally met in the middle to form an amazing natural archway. via

 

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. 

The second best time is now."

Chinese proverb

Quote About An Open Fire

I made this illustrated quote back in 2009. I found the empty frame with dogs in one of my old books and added the quote by Dorothy Draper. See my old post and a photo of her here.

Post-tired

I am just the opposite. I have been pre-tired thinking about making my lower level wonderful again for way too long and it's coming together, finally. I am not finished yet but I'm feeling good about what I've done so far. Image from Instagram. xo