First Honeysuckle This Year

I spotted the first honeysuckle of the season on Webster's after dinner walk last night. I love it and the scent is heavenly. my iPhone photo

Delightful Children's Bedroom

Click photos to enlarge.

I have been very busy with real estate last week and this week with a new listing that went on the MLS yesterday. This is one of the bedrooms shared by two little girls. Isn't it fabulous? I had a broker open house today and everyone loved it. Cross your fingers for me and the sellers. my photos

Copper Measuring Cups

I have a set of these heavy copper measuring cups with brass handles and I love them. You can melt butter on the stove and they stand up to the high heat without warping. One thing puzzles me though. There is no 1/3 cup. The set of 4 includes 1 cup, 3/4 cup, 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup. Mine are hanging on the side wall of a cabinet and I use them all the time....except when I need 1/3 cup of something. via

Sleeping Bunny

Pretty soon I'll be on my side snoozing too. It has been a long rainy day and even though I was able to squeeze in a nap, I am still sleepy. See you in the morning. via

Landfill Harmonic: Uses Instruments made from garbage.

A friend just sent me this video about a town in Paraguay that recycles and sells garbage. The beautiful music you will hear is from instruments made for the children using oil drums and other parts pulled from the landfill. You won't believe your ears. Click here if you can't see the video below.

Poverty can't keep these musicians down.

Princess Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace 1945 by Cecil Beaton

Princess Elizabeth by Cecil Beaton, Gelatin silver print, Buckingham Palace, March 1945, Museum no. E.1361-2010 National Portrait Gallery. via She was born in April 21, 1926 so she was almost 19 in this loveliest of portraits. She's still beautiful at age 87 too. Long live the Queen.

My Missing Trees

As you can see the three trees I took down after Hurricane Sandy were at the end of their life spans. I was worried that I would miss them and that my balcony would get too hot in the summer. They were hollow in the middle and had some sort of fungus. I decided to have them cut down for peace of mind after one of the giant trees in the woods came down and hit my balcony railing and grazed the house. I still get very nervous when there are high winds.

It has turned out so much better than I ever imagined because my wonderful view has opened up the big sky. I love sitting outside at night enjoying the stars. The angle of the sun is never too intense and the house ends up shading the balcony as the sun moves to the west after lunch. I had the stumps ground but I never planted grass seed. I'll seed the three bare spots in the fall and next year it will be perfect. I might transplant some clover that is growing in my gravel driveway for some instant ground cover that should spread nicely. I took the bottom photo just a few minutes ago on this fabulous Sunday morning. Tabitha got me up a few minutes after 6:00 so I put her outside with her food dish. Poor Webster had to wait for me to get up again to be fed. I went back to bed and didn't get up until 9:00. It was wonderful to sleep without a cat poking me to wake up. Enjoy this beautiful day.

I never want anything this awful to happen to my cottage ever again.

I was lucky. It could have been so much worse if the tree had been even one inch taller.

English House with Wattle Fence and Handmade Gate

This looks so nice in the morning mist. I have always wanted a woven wattle fence. via

A Row of Chickens

They must be waiting for their mistress to feed them and they can't see her coming because of the tall flowers. Solution: sit on the back of the bench and wait and stare and cluck. via

Rain Beaten Peonies

The unrelenting rain of the past two days really did a number on my peonies. They will look better when I trim them and pick up the fallen petals. I'm so glad it finally stopped. It is still very overcast but the sun is supposed to shine brightly later. If it doesn't, that will be fine as long as it doesn't rain again. Enough is enough. Hark---I see the sun and it's beautiful. Have a great weekend.

White Kitchens

White Kitchens for Design Inspiration from the archives of Architectural Digest: Click on link for a 23-photo slideshow. See preview below showing three kitchens I liked. All photos from AD magazine.

Decorator Karin Blake brought New England style to a home in Malibu, California. The large cabinet doors, featuring strap hinges and rat-tail pulls, are copies of ones Blake salvaged from a barn owned by the late actor George Montgomery. A circa 1890 cast-iron windmill weight, one of many pieces of Americana in the house, sits on the counter. (January 2008)

Decorator Darryl Carter is celebrated for his adept use of white (he even has his own line of predominantly neutral paints for Benjamin Moore), so it’s no surprise that he created a handsome ivory kitchen in a Washington, D.C., home he designed with architect Donald Lococo. Traditional cabinetry is enhanced by Calacatta gold marble counters and alabaster pendant lights, while reclaimed-oak beams add a rustic accent. (September 2012)

“White sets such a beautiful tone,” says decorator Suzanne Kasler of the color scheme she used in her refined Atlanta home, which she renovated with residential designer William T. Baker. The tile is by Waterworks, and the barstools are from Kasler’s line for Hickory Chair. Glass-front cabinets display tableware, while an adjacent wall of storage keeps other items out of sight. (April 2012)

Before and After Home Office + Library

WOW. What an amazing transformation. I love looking at before and after photos, don't you? via

Multiflora Roses

The multiflora is in full bloom and when I walk outside it smells like a perfume factory, in a good way.

This is what happens when they go wild in the woods. I try to keep the ones I can reach trimmed since they are considered an invasive species. 

Webster, The Guardian

Webster loves to sit outside and guard the house. He doesn't need a leash because he knows he would never find a better home. He's very protective and he knows the boundaries. He doesn't like for other four legged animals such as the fox trespassing on HIS terrain. He will chase them to the edge but he won't go off the property. He is the best dog ever. He has misinterpreted the name of the lush flowers nearby. He thinks they are 'Pee-on-these' so he does. Ha.ha. Click photo to enlarge so you can see how lovely the peonies are since they have opened fully. It's raining softly now and many white petals are on the ground so they are on their way out. Boo Hoo.

Kitchen with Courtyard

This photo reminds me that I never did buy any herb plants to go outside my kitchen door. I guess I'll wait until after the big rain coming thanks to the aftermath of Hurricane Andrea. I hope it won't be as bad as the weather people are predicting. They delight in scaring me. I'm so glad I killed myself the past two days getting ready, cutting my grass nice and tight. I love a kitchen that opens to the outside and this looks like a great one. via

A Sweet Bird For You

I am bone tired from mowing all afternoon but I finished. It was a perfect day. Jumping in bed shortly. This is an eastern yellow robin from Australia. via There is a short video by Neil Fifer here of this bird taking a bath. Good night all. 

Tabitha's Summer Mornings

This is how she spends her early mornings after breakfast. Later in the day she moves to the other side of the walk for cool grass and a boxwood. She has also spotted the first weed coming up in the wood chips (click photo to enlarge). I'm glad you all enjoyed the Sad Cat Diary yesterday. All of Tabitha's entries would be joyful. She knows she has it made since she was once a homeless cat in a shelter before she was rescued for a cushy life at my cottage. I have another day of mowing ahead of me so I must cook my power breakfast now. Webster is patiently waiting to be fed too. See you later.

Stone Garden Ornament with Flame Finial

It really is carved in stone and it's beautiful. The image source identifies this antique architectural element as French. I'll take two, please.
I've been mowing since 5pm. I got a lot done. I did the front with my old-fashioned push reel mower like we had when I was a kid. If the grass isn't too long, it's actually faster than the riding mower. My front is tight with the brick wall. The riding mower throws too much grass up against the house. It was fun. I'm doing the back in sections. I did a field down there for the first time this year. It took about 2 hours. Now I'm going to relax and watch TV. See you tomorrow.

'Sad Cat Diary' - Watch the Video

Click here if you can't see the video below.

Over 5 million views and I'm just now seeing it. Oh, the hard life of the sad cats of the world. So cute, funny and true.

Reminds me of the two Henri videos about a Parisian cat who hates everything. Henri

Coffee with Dog Biscuits

I start each morning with soy milk heated in the microwave for my coffee. Webster starts his with four dog biscuits from this container. The sound of the lid being removed from the glass base brings him running. If I forget, he stands at the counter beside the sink and barks for his treats. my photo

Albert Einstein and The Library

Yes. What a great quote from such a genius. via

My Kitchen Sink with Daffodils

In a previous post, I blogged about the history of my recycled white porcelain double farm sink. I was just looking through some old photos and came across the lead photo with two big bunches of daffodils on the ledge. My mother and I picked them at an old abandoned farm house where we used to go to pick lilacs in the spring. I forgot to do it this year. I don't remember picking my own daffodils either. Next year, I shall. If you missed it, read more about my wonderful sink here. my photo