My New Sleeping Porch

See how nice it is today? I'm sooooo happy I shoveled all the snow off the balcony yesterday so Webster and Tabitha could take a sun bath together. They are thrilled. This is about as close to each other as they ever get. Hope your Sunday is going well too. xo

Webster is Fading Fast

His eyes are at half mast and he's slowly entering doggie slumber land.

I waited as long as I could before I finished shoveling the balcony deck today. The sun did a fine job but then it moved to the front of the house and I finished the job. It looks so nice without snow and it's the first time it has been that way in months. Now I can walk out there to photograph a sunrise or a sunset without hanging out of a window, as I've been doing. Webster and I are both tuckered out. It was nice being outside though without a jacket. I was wearing a fleece and a scarf and that was fine. See you tomorrow. Have a great Saturday night. xo

Sunny Saturday

I honestly couldn't ask for a better day to boost my spirit and melt my snow and ice. Hope you can say the same. Have a great weekend. xo

A Rainbow and A Robin

There was a rainbow at the end of the day today. My reward for ice chipping and snow shoveling. The slow melt is continuing and the gutters are running more freely even though they are still full of ice. But somehow they seem to be handling the snow melting off the roof. If we had a really hard rain, I don't think I would be so lucky. 

A few days ago, a big fat robin landed on my balcony railing. I was so excited! 

I didn't need that trench I dug through the snow for the flood waters I was expecting, thank goodness. Webster loves it though and he explored that part of the property with new eyes since he hadn't seen the back in weeks. Tabitha likes it too. They are both already asleep after eating their supper and having a short walk.

Great Recessed Entrance

Isn't this the nicest recessed entrance ever? I copied the photo from Instagram. I follow this little dog's owner who is a farmer across the pond. Benjamin Hole documents the ebb and flow of farming life on the Isle of Purbeck, England. This new pup's name is Ochre. Watch her in this little video (click on white arrow). Don't forget to look at My Instagram too.

Waiting for The Rain

This was my biggest project of the day. I had to dig through this snow bank in case the big rains come as predicted. Now the water coming down the driveway will have someplace to go other than in my house. Webster is thrilled. Water usually seeks the lowest point and this is lower than my front walk. The highest point in the snow bank was up to my neck.

These storm clouds started rolling in about 4:30 this afternoon. The weather app on my phone says there is a 50% to 60% chance of rain tonight and there will be thunderstorms tomorrow. It's going to be warm tonight too with a low of only 36° so the roof and gutter melting will continue. I honestly hope it waits until tomorrow to rain so I can pace up and down and run in and out to check on things. See you tomorrow. xo

A Lost Goose

Webster and I were sitting in the living room, minding our own business, when we heard honking outside.

When we looked out the window we saw Canada geese walking down the road and on the bank across from us.

They were trying to stay together on foot, without using their wings.

The honking continued because one of the flock was missing. This one was behind my house trying to find the rest of the family. I don't think I have ever had webbed footprints here at the cottage but the snow out back is full of them. They would have puzzled me if I hadn't seen this lost goose. He/she even went up to the sliding glass door downstairs trying to find the others out front.

Tracks leaving the back entrance photographed from my balcony.

Together at last and then they were gone. This was our excitement yesterday.

Porch with Icicles

I photographed this open porch on Monday at a real estate showing. It's really a hard time for showing properties to customers with all of this snow on the ground. It's twice as hard on the sellers. A nice slow thaw helped my icicle situation quite a bit today. I can hear the water trickling down the downspouts in spite of the frozen gutters. Tomorrow is going to be mild so the slow melt can continue here at the cottage and all over!

Dusk at My Cottage Yesterday

Webster and I had just finished working on the snow banks on both sides of our semi-circular driveway out at the road. The morning snowfall, once again, had been plowed into both entrances by the County Trucks. Just as I gathered my tools and was headed back to the house, the cutest clouds passed over the cottage. I dropped everything and reached in my pocket for my iPhone and clicked away. Webster got in the picture too. He is the best helper, always at my side. It's 18° right now and my weather app shows snow this morning turning to rain later. So far, nothing so I will eat a power breakfast of steel-cut oats and put on my working clothes and try to prepare. Webster has eaten and is napping on the sofa awaiting my next move. See you later. xo

Webster's Tuckered Out

He's dozing with his zebra right now. I'm thinking about tucking in pretty soon myself. I have things to watch on my DVR and Father Brown is on tonight too, followed by Scott and Bailey. I hope I can stay awake! What would we do without PBS?

Nice Afternoon Today @ My Cottage

Well, I'm happy to report the weather has made a turn for the better around here. It finally stopped snowing and I was able to get to the post office to pick up almost a week's worth of mail. The sun came out too and there were pretty white clouds in front of a nice blue sky. The temperature rose above freezing and it's now a balmy 37°. The snow people have flattened out in the Adirondack chairs and at this rate they will be melted soon. Hope you got some sunshine too!!! xo

Oh No to More Snow

It's snowing again but should stop soon, I hope. I feel like a broken record. Maybe I'll show you a big icicle later. How would that be for a change? Stay tuned!

PERFECT Antique Wood Stove

Click photo to Enlarge

I saw this amazing wood stove in an old house today. Don't you love the name? It's PERFECT.

This is a detail of the left door. The middle one is dated 1886. I can't imagine using a wood stove to cook on in the summer but it was just another day in the kitchen, back then. We have it so easy now, don't we? I say that after spending time hacking away at my driveway entrances with a pickaxe today. It was finally time to deal with the white stuff the snowplows left for me as I wait for more snow tonight. As soon as I recover from one storm, another one comes along. I haven't been to the post office since last Wednesday. Be safe and stay warm if you are getting snow too. xo

Webster is Shocked

So much is happening on Downton Abbey. How can you stand the suspense?

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Page 68

A few more suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life.

742. Keep your private thoughts private. Good one. 

Still Digging Out

There is already a lot of melting going on this morning.

I think I will hack away at the deck on the balcony. I worked on it a couple of days ago and did everything that was touching the house and I rounded one corner. I want to work outside today so I will continue on this project. Yesterday's snow wasn't too bad, just a couple of inches. Just enough to be annoying. Enjoy your Sunday morning and I'll see you later. xo

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Page 67

A few more suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life.

738 is probably an outdated number. 737~You can't go wrong if you know how to make a good spaghetti sauce, can you? 

Antique Valentine

This is a valentine dated 1847 in an old scrapbook of mine. The papercutting around the flower expands.

To reveal another print inside.

Happy Valentine's Day.

The Morning After the Second Storm

We got another several inches overnight but it's warm and a big melt is underway. I had to take the animals out and show them there was a sheltered place for them to "go" in the grove of evergreens that protect my cottage from the road. I had Tabitha in my arms and she immediately knew what to do when I put her down. Webster wasn't about to go in there behind her so he dug himself another path farther up the driveway. Success!!

I took this photo when I first got up from my bedroom window. The "snow people" are buried. I hope you all are in the process of digging out and don't have any horror stories to report. I have a busy day of digging out my balcony ahead of me. My car is covered again but I don't even care. I don't need to go anywhere, so I'll just let the sun melt it for me. See you later. Webster is whimpering to be fed. xo