Red Star on Barn

I stopped to snap this barn outside one of my favorite thrift shops recently (last Saturday) on a beautiful, cloudless day. Happy Monday. xo

Cutting the Cord: I did it!

My two year contract was up with Verizon and I absolutely could not get my monthly bill down to a reasonable amount so I decided to get rid of my landline and cable and have WiFi only. A wonderful supervisor helped me. I decided to buy a new router from them because they will stand behind it should I have problems plus on new contracts they have started charging $12 per monthly rental fee. The new router came in 2 days and I hooked it up my self easily. With this new system, I can always add on services if I change my mind or feel deprived but I don't think I ever will.

I returned all of my old equipment for my three television sets and my multi room DVR to UPS with my order number and they boxed and returned everything. This was very painless. Last September I purchased a new in the box indoor HDTV antenna. The box is pictured above. I paid $1.00 for it and it works! At Walmart, it costs around $18.00. I moved my kitchen TV to the attic where I have a wonderful work space and so far, this is the only TV that works in my home. I stream everything else to my iPad(s). I get all of the networks including PBS and so much more. The only thing I have sacrificed is Turner Classic Movies but I can live without it. It took me a while to find the perfect way to position the ears and the circle and the direction (towards NYC) for bringing in PBS. I was able to get all the other stations easily but I guess PBS was the farthest away. Now I get several PBS stations and I won't miss anything on Sunday nights. I even found a local TV guide on "nocable.org".

I have found Pluto.TV to be much better than I ever imagined for streaming movies ON DEMAND. I honestly didn't ever explore anything on Pluto other than live TV. The on demand movies are awesome and the two or three commercials are extremely short. REALLY. I watched a 2006 movie with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson called "Last Chance Harvey" and it was wonderful. Pluto is a free streaming service for your computer, ipad, phone, and other devices too for android users. I don't have a password or anything. It's so easy. One of these days I will get a ROCU or other device so I can stream to my TV but for now I am fine. I actually love watching movies on my iPad in bed. You can pull up all the movies on your computer here. Look at the banner across the top to switch to "live tv". You will need to download the app from the APPLE APP STORE for iPhone or iPad. Or Google for android devices. If your devices are too old, you might not be able to get all the services available. On my iPad 3 I cannot get on demand movies, just live tv. On my new iPad 6th Generation I get everything and can use my Apple Pencil which is amazing. Later. Ask me questions. I shall try to answer. xo

This is a view from one of my attic windows this morning showing my beautiful geraniums. Sorry this is a little rushed. I haven't been present in your lives lately with all my tree work and more. Have a great weekend. I will try to fill in the details about cord cutting and let you know how it's working out for me. xo, Rosemary

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

Garage Sale Find: A Cow Creamer

It doesn't take much to make me happy as you can see. It was an absolute delight this morning to pour my soy milk into my coffee from a cow's mouth instead of a carton. Why would anyone want to get rid of it? I have no idea, but I'm happy they did. Photographed on my hunt board in my kitchen. Click to enlarge.

Best dollar I've spent in a long, long time!🐄

Laundry Room Sink and Shelf Love

via

I love everything in this room! The old ginger beer bottles lining the shelf are a lovely touch for a great photo shoot.

My clay chicken pot found on the side of the road on trash day several years ago is planted with on of my rosemary herbs that was originally rooted in water. This photo also shows my second cast iron chicken in the background. I haven't spent any money at all this year in either my front or back gardens. I have just been transplanting, rooting, or seeding with seeds I saved myself or bought last year. I am especially proud of a Limelight Hydrangea cutting I pushed into the ground two years ago when I was pruning that is turning into a handsome shrub.

Here it is in between two American boxwood I just pruned and haven't picked up the clippings yet. I pushed this clipping into the earth next to the mother plant when I pruned my huge Limelight in the fall two years ago. The following spring it sprouted leaves and I left it in place. I transplanted it to the side garden next to the driveway that leads to my red barn/garage this spring and now is thriving and is growing into a real flowing shrub. It will probably outgrown this spot but for now it is in its "nursery" stage. I planted another rooting in another spot but it is much slower showing off than this one. Plant propagating is another form of thrift and requires patience but is very rewarding in the end. Luckily I have a lot of patience that has paid off in many areas of my life.

Current rootings in progress at my kitchen sink. Left and center vases have many roots forming on lavender clippings and the far right has a limelight hydrangea cutting from my new shrub; I am curious to see if it will root in water. I have already planted one clump of lavender rootings and they are growing slowly but surely out back. My mother always had something she had pinched rooting at the kitchen sink and my brother and I liked to root sweet potatoes and carrots there too. Now I want to go out and buy some sweet potatoes and get a good vine going. xo

DIY Twine Holder from Wooden Hanger

I am definitely going to make one of these today. Isn't this an absolutely brilliant idea? I have a closet full of vintage wooden hangers and a basket full of twine. Put them together and what have I got? A gorgeous twine holder that will cost me nothing. Found on Pinterest.

Cachepot with Gardening Tools

This pot sparked joy when I saw it and couldn't resist buying it at a thrift shop. I trimmed my overgrown thyme and put it in some soup I made recently. It is planted in a clay pot that is sitting inside this cachepot decorated all around with gardening tools. I will plant the herb outside soon. xo

Over The Bed Artwork for My Cottage

It only took 14 years to find the perfect artwork to hang over the antique bed in my guest room used as my dressing room. I found it yesterday at a thrift shop and within 30 minutes of getting it in the front door, it was happily hanging on the wall. I was standing in the doorway to get this photo and you can also see an antique tile, a hogscraper candlestick with a brass "wedding band" and a miniature chest on the table next to my bookcase.

It was very hard to photograph too. The bedspread is not pink, it's white. You can see the blue and white curtains in my bedroom through the window in this photo. This lithograph was made from an original 1987 painting by a deceased local artist. I always thought her work was very much like a Wyeth. 

I found a photo of the print entitled: "Wild Rose Berries" circa 1987 by Pauline Eble Campanelli online by searching Google Images. Don't you think it's perfect for my room? It was worth the wait and I don't mind that it's a reproduction because everything else in the room is antique. The basket and cupboard that were the subjects of the painting were antiques and I bought the framed print for a song. The frame is stained a dark green and the matting is beautiful. Score!!

See you later. xo

September First

I designed this graphic and posted it one year ago today. Maybe it will be new to some of you. I have been distracted for the past two weeks. My PC computer running on Windows XP finally gave up the ghost and I was unable to get it up and running again. It had been giving me trouble for a long time and I put up with it because it had Microsoft Word, Photoshop, and was connected to a scanner and a printer. I disassembled everything and moved my iMac to the same spot where I have a very comfortable computer chair. 

I was able to connect a scanner and a printer quite easily and I am loving my new setup. I had the disc for Microsoft Word but it would not install on an Apple computer so I am learning Google Docs and can pretty much do what I did on Word. There is a workaround for almost everything, isn't there? I have been organizing my attic and it is an endless job but I have moved mountains. 

I don't have cable in my studio/computer room/sewing room/ and I've been missing it. It's nice to have a movie or the news on while I am sewing, ironing or organizing. I usually listen to a podcast or NPR on the radio and I will continue to do so. I'm very excited to report I found internet TV with movies, live news and so much more. It's called Pluto TV ( https://pluto.tv/ ) and it's wonderful. There is a yellow circle in lower right corner that will pull up the tv guide. The movies are amazing and there is a huge selection of shows. It works on any device....desktop computer, laptop, phone, or iPad. I found a blog post on cordcutting.com that explains it in detail HERE. There are commercials but I have found them to be entertaining as they are mostly about what else is playing on Pluto. Try it if you don't have cable in a room where you are working. There is no pause, repeat, or going back but it's totally free so that's fine with me. Let me know if this will be helpful for you as well.

Happy September. Enjoy the long weekend. xo

Mending Day at My Cottage

Yesterday, I decided to do some mending. One of my favorite percale sheets had a three-cornered tear and had been in my mending basket for way too long.

Here it is before mending. I like percale sheets because they are so nice and cool in the summer.

This is the reverse side after mending. I used a plain zig-zag stitch first and then topped it with another decorative stitch for stability. Then I trimmed away the excess backing material.

This is the side that faces the mattress when the bed is made. I ironed the sheet and changed my bed linens and it was good to have my old sheet back again.

My Vintage Singer Sewing Machine

I posted these two pictures on Instagram today because so many people wanted to know what sewing machine I was using. The decal on the front says it was manufactured in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Don't you love things that were made in the USA back when things were made to last instead of being thrown away? I believe the term is "planned obsolescence" and I don't like it one bit. I still prefer having things repaired whenever possible.

The instruction booklet says the Slant-O-Matic was the greatest sewing machine ever built! And I would have to agree. I can remember my mother saving up S&H Green Stamps for her first electric Singer. That's the only brand we ever had. We had an old treadle machine too and I loved sewing on it as a child. The next page of this booklet says ©1961. I think I bought mine a little later than that but it was still the most current model at the time. It is all metal construction and is not computerized. The decorative stitches are all gear driven. It is nicknamed The Rocketeer because of its futuristic mid-century modern design. I guess it would be called Retro now.

I have this Olive Oyl cartoon saved on my phone. I love texting it back when I receive a text that is worthy of this response.

Another Peek into My Pantry

I found a beautiful brown transferware pitcher on Thursday at a rummage sale.

Here it is on display in my pantry. There is a window to the left behind the geranium.

Here is the other side showing my little downstairs desk where I work on my blog with my laptop. This little room is a favorite place because it's small and has two windows. The one with the desk looks out to my front garden and the one behind looks out on my barn/garage in the back. When I bought my cottage, it was a tiny screened porch.

I have enjoyed a rainy Saturday baking muffins and just being generally busy doing inside chores and reading. More rain is predicted for tomorrow too. Have a great weekend. xo

Make Do and Mend

Love this.

I grew up sewing and still keep my machine set up all the time for quick mending. I've never owned anything but a Singer. We always had a black one.
Clare Owen Illustration.





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