Cat and Owl Calligraphy - So Beautiful

Click photo to enlarge and you will see that there is a mouse in the owl's beak. I dearly love this folky antique drawing snd handwriting exercise. The fragile calligraphy drawing was produced by the schoolteacher, Jacob Labotz, as part of a series of sketches with poems that he gave to students sometime in the 18th century. via BibliOdyssey
The Dutch text reads: 
"De kat spreekt tegen den Uijl 
Uijl gij doet mijn onregt 
de muis is mijn toegelegt 
Den uijl spreekt tegen de kat 
Kat gij moet weten 
het ongegoste broot word't meest gegeten"
I think there is some sort of dialogue going on about who deserves the mouse.

Cottage Flowers

Have a beautiful Spring Sunday. I love these pink flowers in front of this stunning English home, don't you? via

Daisy Sunshine Antique Wood Stove

I photographed this great old stove in an old barn today. Don't you love the name? Daisy Sunshine!

Lovely Bedroom

Mill Valley Reovation by Benjamin Dhong Interior Design. I love the walled-in privacy porch off the lovely bedroom with the cool round window. Have a great weekend.

Have a Relaxing Weekend

The nights are still chilly but we are supposed to have a warm weekend. Enjoy lying on your back in front of the heater if you can. via

Martha Stewart doesn't live here

And thank goodness for that. This another sign from the house with the chickens and the plaque about the dog hair. There is more to life than having a perfect house, isn't there? 

Perfectly Wonderful Wrap Around Porch

Yes, please. This looks like an amazing place, doesn't it? via

This indoor plant nook is too lovely for words. It's pretty enough to be a painting, isn't it? I wonder how many years this geranium has been in this spot? via

My Favorite Split Rail Fence

This is my favorite style of split rail fencing requiring no 'set' posts in the ground. It's sort of a balancing act and is self supporting. Read a real description here. I photographed this one from my car with my iPhone on Tuesday after I left the open house with the chickens. 

Spreading Wild Violets

I bought a new lawn mower this year to do the front lawn. It's too tight to get my riding mower in there plus it slings the clippings up against the house and makes a big mess. My old one bit the dust last year and I went one whole season using the old 'reel' mower from the dark ages. I still use it but for big jobs and spring cleanup I prefer a power mulching mower. I got just what I needed at Sears. It has big back wheels and it's RED. Wahoo. I can't wait to fire it up but I'm going to wait a little longer until the violets that have invaded the lawn start to shrivel a little more. They look like miniature orchids up close. These are considered to be a weed by some but I happen to love them and can't bear the thought of chopping their beautiful heads off.

Webster Romping under Cloudy Skies

Webster had a fine time on our mid-afternoon walk today. Who needs a visiting puppy to have fun? I hula hooped and he ran in circles in the cool April air under stormy skies. We are back to normal again. 

Spectacular Bedrooms from Architectural Digest

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which one is your favorite? There is something special to love about each one. 

One Rooster and Five Hens

These fowl friends were the best part of the open house tour yesterday. They were very excited to see me.

I photographed the rooster inside the barn last fall before this delightful property went on the market. It wasn't that long ago that the whole town looked like this with gardens and barns and farm animals ... but no more :(

Patio with Vine Covered Fireplace

As I inch myself towards daring to even think about moving outside again this year I'm stopped dead in my tracks by this photo. You would never want to go inside if you had such a beautiful patio, would you? I love the table and hanging lantern too. It's a wonderful outdoor room! Found here scroll up when the page loads.

Fashion Advice for Dog Lovers

I had a great time at one particular realtor open house tour today. This little stoneware plaque made me laugh. Isn't it great?

There were two cute real dogs running around inside and outside but they wouldn't be still long enough for a photo so I snapped these Staffordshire poodles instead.

Beatrix Potter Mouse House in The Spring

Beatrix Potter. Don't you just love her illustrations? I don't care for mice in person ... just in storybooks. My violets are running wild all over the lawn and the scale in this artwork is just about perfect for a well-dressed mouse woman locking up her tree house to go shopping. Have a wonderful spring day. I hope I will see a house half this wonderful on realtor house tours today but I doubt that I will :) via

Pillow Talk

I photographed this needlepoint pillow at a recent open house. It's really good advice, isn't it?

You Are My Sunshine

My iPhone photo of a sign on a kitchen wall in a house that was filled with sunshine.

The Skunk Cabbage is Spreading

The woods are being overtaken by the spreading skunk cabbage in the wetlands to the rear of my cottage.

Henry's Last Day at My Cottage

Today is Henry's last full day with us. I taught him how to get on the sofa by himself and today he did it with no assistance. His owner won't even know he's the same pup she dropped off 5 days ago. This is another kaleidoscope photo taken with my iPad and edited with the Infinicam app that was a free download over the weekend. I just checked and it's still free so grab it. It's normally $1.99 so it's a bargain right now. It's so much fun to play around with all the different borders. Have a great week and I'll see you later.
Here is another camera app that is free today only. It's usually $1.99. I downloaded it too. Will test it later. Grab it while it's free!!!!!!!