An Old Bookshop's Reading Room

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. Set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life." 

Quote by Sir Terry Patchett

This is the perfect quote over the fireplace in a bookshop where you could sit and set fire to your imagination while looking for a book to buy. Google Images.

Manners by Emily Post

I am looking forward to the time we can practice good manners again. via

True Secret of Happiness

The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.

Making A Garden Quote

I agree. Such a beautiful quote. via

Illustrated Quote by Khalil Gibran

I love to go outside in the morning in my bare feet to look at what happened overnight in my garden. Windy days are a favorite too as long as they aren't the dangerous kind. via

Another favorite quote of mine along these lines is:
“The best fertilizer for a piece of land is the footprints of its owner.”

Lyndon B. Johnson

I can honestly say that my footprints are on nearly every inch of my land.

George Eliot Quote: Feeling Safe

Mary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era.

I love this quote. via

A set of fine bindings in my antiquarian book collection. See old post here.

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

Do you have VISION?

I think I do. Vision a gift for those of us who have it. via

Scrimshaw Double Heart Mourning Pendant

Scrimshaw double heart mourning pendant, 1807

“Beauty and youth in vain to these you trust

For youth and beauty shall be laid in dust.“

This quote is so true. Growing old gracefully rather than trying to turn back the clock is quite a challenge at times. 

Autocorrect Correction

Amen. You definitely have to be careful before pushing the send button. My main pet peeve is autocorrect inserting 's when I had typed an s for plural, not possessive!!!!!

July is here. Let the summer begin.

Happy first day of July.

The year's half over.

More of My Peonies + Happiness Quote

As promised, here are my red and white peonies opened up showing their yellow centers. I completely forgot they close up in the late afternoon and are still closed in the early morning. They are like me, they go to bed early and open slowly the next day. I shall watch them closely this morning to see what time they fully open and awake. For me, it's after two cups of coffee.

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I love this quote: 

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." 

Henry Ward Beecher

Another view of my front garden from from farther back. I clipped all 15 of my American boxwood earlier this week and they look neat and tiny now. The large one left center is an English box I transplanted my garden when I moved. It is the mate for the two  at the end of my front walk at the driveway. I didn't clip this one at all. 

Enjoy your Sunday. xo

Memorial Day at My Cottage

I posted this Pottery Barn ad on Memorial Day 2012. I still love it and this porch party is the perfect place to celebrate family and friends to remember our fallen soldiers.

I photographed this pool at a gilded age mansion in Bernardsville several weeks ago. I added the text to remind you to use your sunscreen. I also posted this on Instagram this week.

My nasturtium seeds are getting their second set of leaves.

Are you going to any Memorial Day parades today?

I hope you get a good place to see it. This dog found a great spot to see the marching bands.

Be Patient with Yourself

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Don't you just love this quote? I can't imagine living without Spring because I really come alive then after a long winter of being inside. I have to work extra hard to get things done before the hot weather sets in and I absolutely wilt. We are having an extra-late Spring and I'm loving it. xo

Rabbit with Peonies

"My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth's loveliness." Michelangelo

The Wonderful Artist: Koo Schandler's Homepage

The peonies here at my cottage are standing tall but have no buds yet. They are aching for some sun but there is none on the horizon for the upcoming week. They can't complain about lack of rain though because we have had plenty. Have a great weekend no matter what the weather.

💦💧💦💧💦💧💦UPDATE: I was wrong. All of my peonies have small buds. Yay!

Baby Bird Feeding Time

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“I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Robert Frost Quote about April

This quote describes an April Day perfectly. via

Yesterday afternoon I did a first mowing of a large portion of my rear property. I did not do a fall cleanup and my walk-behind mower did a fine job of cleaning up the overgrowth and crunching the leaves the wind didn't blow away. When my Robins return, they will love it. The deer are mad at me and are staying way back where the high field growth is and more long shoots of spring grasses. This is fine with me! It felt good to be outside and the weather was ideal for just a fleece. Today it cold again and rather gloomy with showers coming later. I wanted to do the front today but I need more gasoline and I am too lazy to rush out and refill my cans before the rain starts. It will just have to wait for the next nice day. I want to go over the front before the wild violets come up.

Happy Friday -- have a great weekend. xo

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I made this Irish Blessing long ago.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY.

TODAY, EVERYONE IS IRISH!

I created this one too with a dog image photographed from my Royal Book of Crests.

See all of my previous posts celebrating St. Patrick's Day here.

Einstein Quote about PLAY

"Play is the highest form of research."
Albert Einstein via

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Einstein Quote with Bicycle

I added the text to this bicycle graphic and posted it on my blog in 2009. Albert Einstein was quite famous for riding his bicycle around Princeton.

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