Chestnuts

My chestnuts are falling but most are still covered with their extremely prickly shells. I've been waiting until after the rain to rake them off my driveway. Poor Webster must have stepped on one and yesterday he was limping. He seems fine today after a "puppy feet" treatment before bed last night. I rubbed his paws with A&D ointment and they got so nice and soft. We won't go near those dangerous things today. I'll probably rake them up when I get home from my weekly office meeting. See you later.

Image from Pixdaus.



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Somewhere There Are Hollyhocks

A friend gave me some of her hollyhock seeds. Should I plant them now? Please advise. They are such wonderful old-fashioned flowers. image from Flickr



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Goodbye Cathy (comic strip) | Ack!!!

"Cathy is a comic strip drawn by Cathy Guisewite" Her last strip was published yesterday after a 34-year run. The real Cathy is no longer single and she's going to be a mom. Hopefully she will want to entertain us with her new point of view once the dust settles. I think she will and hope she does. Fingers crossed.

While we're on this subject of the funny papers, did you know that on this day in 1931 the Dick Tracy comic strip, created by cartoonist Chester Gould, debuted in The Detroit Mirror?

The next week, The New York Daily News and hundreds of others newspapers picked up the syndicated series. Gould wrote and drew the strip until 1977 for a long run of 46 years.
Source: This Day in Geek History: October 4

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Handwriting Lessons for Children

Learning to write isn't easy. I have such admiration for the community of homeschooling parents facing this struggle now that the school year is well under way. Hopefully the following links will help.

Download these cursive flashcards here.

Online cursive lessons with animation.

I also found a site where you can download and print your own lined penmanship paper and regular notebook paper as well. Don't worry -- it's free.

Download lined penmanship paper here.

You can also download other things from this site. Look for the section that looks like the photo above at the top of the page under the large red title.

I have blogged about handwriting in the past and these links continue to attract viewers. I thought it was time to post them again so you don't have to dig so deep to find them.
First image ©Mary Engelbreit scanned from one of my books.



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Elaborate Shower Fixture Circa 1916

Everything old is new again. I photographed this from one of my architectural books. Caption reads: "At the Barrett House in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, a new bathing room was constructed shortly before 1916 to receive this elaborate shower bath with multiple controls that would have sent water all around the bather." What a wonderful classic beauty.

The Barrett House (circa 1800), also known as Forest Hall, is a Federal style American mansion located on Main Street. This nonprofit museum operated by Historic New England is open to the public several days a year. Read more. If you visit, ask to see the bathing room.

I washed the windows on one French door today inside and out; 15 panes x2 = 30 windows. I look at these windows and feel faint.

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Beautiful Garden Bench

A fragrant pathway of herbs leads to an English bench of curved teak set off against a brick wall. Scanned from one of my home landscaping books. Sigh.

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Webster | Waiting for a Walk

The coffee is brewing, the biscuits are in the oven, and Webster is patiently waiting for his Sunday morning walk. It's a beautiful day. Enjoy it too.

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Have Friends Equal To Yourself

"Have no friends not equal to yourself." Confucius

Scanned from one of my books: Underdogs ~ Beauty is More Than Fur Deep 

A REAL Bookshelf | Made from Books | Fabulous

This is so clever. A real bookshelf made from real books. So fabulous. Looks pretty easy to make. This would be a good weekend project for someone. Found here.

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Best Shower Door EVER!

Recycled factory window converted to a shower enclosure. I'm blown away. It's absolutely sstunning. Love this so much. From Remodelista

Another Fabulous Kitchen

I love this kitchen photographed by Emily Gilbert.

Newsflash ~~~ I see the sun! It's never been more beautiful!



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Wire Basket Love

I've always loved wire baskets. Aren't these wonderful for towels in this small bathroom? Yes!

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Kitchen Perfection

I love everything about this kitchen including the old ladder. Happy Friday!

I got up at 4:00 AM to watch some of the hardest rain I've seen in ages. My gutters are still working because the leaves haven't really started falling yet. Thankfully I have no flooding or damage that I can see. It's supposed to clear around noon. Good riddance.



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Pound Cake Recipe from Old-Time Cookbook

I got this cookbook yesterday at the church rummage sale around the corner from the cottage and I absolutely love it.

This pound cake will be the first thing I will bake. Enlarge image for easier reading.

The nostalgic illustrations are wonderful.

I'm sure many of you are wondering why I've been posting so many recipes lately. Well it's because I now have to do all the cooking. My mother used to cook most of the meals and she still cooks my oatmeal in the morning. Her eyesight has deteriorated to the point that I am now the chief cook and bottle washer. I don't mind a bit, dutiful daughter that I am. I've been working on organizing all of my cabinets and I'm actually enjoying myself. That's the story.

It's Easier To Keep Up Than To Catch Up

This was my grandmother's favorite saying and she lived by these very words. She was never behind in anything...housework, cooking, sewing, gardening, and more. I wish a little more of her had rubbed off on me. But then I remind myself that she didn't have the Internet!

My grandfather (a minister) used one of these little wisk brooms to brush off his coat before he left the house every day. This one hangs in my vestible here at the cottage. My mother always says the reason Grandma was so caught up on everything was because she made the kids do most of the work. All I remember is that in her elder years she did everything herself with only Grandpa's help.



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Homemade English Muffin Recipe

I had a toasted English muffin with cream cheese and apple butter for breakfast this morning. I've never even considered making my own until I saw this blog post. Here's the recipe. If and when I make any I will make them bigger than the ones you buy in a package. I always use English muffins instead of hamburger rolls for my burgers. They are sooooo much better than those gummy white bread buns.

It rained overnight as predicted but so far it's not the flooding kind the weather person told us we might be getting. I have my fingers crossed. See you later.

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