There are no words for the tiredness of my bones. I don't think I even combed my hair because I hit the ground running this morning and never stopped. I worked in my basement and in the garage and moved mountains. I am not finished but I made a major dent. The bee above is feasting on one of my milkweed flowers. I haven't seen many butterflies this year. Wonder why? See you tomorrow. xo
I ordered two DVDs recently: Season 11 and Season 12 of CLASSICAL STRETCH | ESSENTRICS on PBS. Here is the website. Each box has 4 discs and 30 sessions so I am all set for two months of daily stretches. I am on the second disc of Season 11 called FULL BODY MOBILITY. Yesterday she mentioned that our calves are often called our second heart because they pump oxygenated blood to our heart above. I never knew this. She had me doing simple calf lifts -- up on your toes and back down again. Each daily stretching exercise is only 22 minutes long. I am enjoying them and feel that my posture has improved and other things too. Her program is on the PBS CREATE channel on Saturdays at 6am Sunday mornings twice at 6am and 6:30am if you want to check them out. I have always been strong and healthy but these exercises are mainly for connective tissue and creating long strong muscles for balance. The second DVD is entitled Aging Backward. I am not very fond of the floor exercises because I don't have a Yoga Mat and my space in front of my desktop computer isn't ideal. The exercises with a chair are okay but I love the sessions with just stretching the best. All of the exercises are slow and don't seem very hard but I work up a sweat by the end. I got my 2 sets on eBay from one seller for about $25 w/ free shipping. On PBS each set costs about $65.00.
I did some research on my own about our calves and found out she was right. I have new respect for my calf muscles now!
The website for the above photo is here. The video below is on that link too.
The link for this video on YouTube is here. This is also an ad for compression stockings at the end. Sorry about that but I really liked the animation about how the pumps in our calves operate to pump blood back to the heart. I never knew how important our calves were until now.
This is a photo of my two DVDs.
The rain has stopped and I was up and down all night while it was coming down hoping my basement would stay dry and it did. I have only had water down there twice, once during Irene in 2010 and I can't remember the other time because it was minor. Sandy was not one of them in 2012. The one in 2010 was terrible because we had 17 consecutive days of rain and when Irene hit with her winds and downpours there was no place for the water to go since the land was already super saturated. Luckily, we did not lose power and I was able to pump the water out myself. My basement doesn't have a sump pump. Anyway, I hope everyone is safe and didn't have anything catastrophic happen in the way of Hurricane Season and Henri. xo
UPDATE: I added two links for you to watch and try at home if you are interested in improving your balance and posture and getting strength through gentle stretching. xo
UPDATE: I got up early today (Saturday) and discovered Miranda's program Classical Stretch is on PBS Create at 6am. She is on again on Sundays twice, at 6:00 & 6:30am. If you have a DVR you can record and have 3 classes for the coming week. xo
This is a corner of my kitchen, snapped this morning, that backs up to my attic staircase. My refrigerator is to the right and above that is a lookout window from my attic into the kitchen below. There are interior shutters if I want to close it off for any reason but I usually leave them open. It helps with the airflow when the central air is running and in the winter, the rising heat helps keep it warmer up there. Last night's rain from Henri wasn't too bad and for that I am so very grateful. Be safe if you are in the eye of the storm today. xo
Don't you love them? I first discovered this artist on Instagram and just had to find out more. At first, I thought the realistic work was photography but learned she was a talented artist and did realistic oil paintings. See more of her work here. Her website is amazing and has many links within to see her work. Enjoy and have a great weekend. xo
This photo is practically live since I just went outside to show you the storm clouds over my cottage. My weather app doesn't call for any more rain so I suppose they will burn off. It's not that hot outside but it's very stuffy so I am still running my central at a high setting. I didn't wake up during the very heavy rain last night, probably because my all the windows were closed and I didn't hear it. xo
I ran across an empty card box in my attic office today, and look what I found. I knew I liked this artist and had some of her artwork already. I used my scanner to show you this clever birthday party invitation. I don't remember ever sending out this card so maybe it was always an empty box filled with buttons or other smalls at a garage sale. Anyway, I will keep it in one of my sewing drawers and find a use for it. xo
I worked outside almost all day yesterday and was amazed at how much I accomplished. I got a good photo at day's end of a dahlia for those of you who aren't tired of seeing them. I am glad to have something personal to offer since time is limited this morning because I have to look like a real person today instead of a farm hand for an office meeting. The latter is my preferred mode of dressing. I donate lots of my things on a regular basis but never old clothes because I wear them until they are threadbare and then they go in the rag bag after I remove the buttons. You can't get any real work done in good clothes and I was trained as a child to change into play clothes so I wouldn't ruin my good things and I still do it. On the days I stay "dressed up" I accomplish nothing constructive once I get home. So now I do the opposite; I wear work clothes at home and change into better things to go out. xo
I took this photo of my kitchen standing in the doorway next to my attic door and this viewpoint shows my ceiling beams and lighting fixture as well as the shiplap boards. This was 2 rooms (a dining room and small galley kitchen) when I purchased my cottage in 2001. The attic space above was too low to stand up so I decided to incorporate it into my country kitchen. These beams are old floorboards from that space and I have never regretted this decision. The cabinet top over my stove in the corner was the old ceiling height and if I had not vaulted the ceiling I wouldn't have been able to stand my tall case clock anywhere. This was a happy accident. August is half over and I still have so much to do. Onward and upward! xo
This is the final view of my hanging file so you can see the shape of the file boxes. You are also allowed to peek into my living room in a seldom seen corner.
Thank you to Lisa Smith for identifying this artist as LAURA STODDART
I used my scanner this morning to duplicate a group of gardeners I liked on a page I ripped out of a magazine. I've always liked this unknown artist and his long-legged characters.
It's nice and cool today and all of my windows are wide open once again. Happy Sunday. xo
This is a portion of the hallway showing my attic door closed and the coat closet door closed and a tiny bit of the window opposite.
Here is a side view. The weekend is in full swing and so is my cleaning/ organizing/ rearranging frenzy. I'm enjoying it and am determined to keep it up until I run out of steam. Enjoy your weekend too. xo
Thursday seems to be my lucky day to find things to make my life easier when I donate items and shop at the same charity's retail outlet. Yesterday I found this metal hanging file to go on the back of my attic's batten door. I usually have the stairs piled with things that have to go up to be shredded or filed away. I usually have the half basket full of mailing labels I have ripped off the junk mail and I will still use it for the small ones. But now I have a place for the full-size sheets to be destroyed. I try to shred every single item with my name and address on it to prevent identity theft. I surprised myself by hanging it today instead of just propping it against a wall for ages as I have been known to do. I have a closed attic and I had to go outside to take this photo through a raised window. I couldn't back up enough in the hallway to get the full door and staircase. I can't believe how perfect it is. The area to the left is my living room's fireplace wall and my kitchen's huntboard wall is to the right. Happy Friday. I am late in publishing my daily post because I was invited out to have breakfast with friends. Happy Friday. xo
The Donna Reed Show comes on in my area on DECADES from 9am until 10am and I always switch to that channel if I'm home. I think it's on MEtv too. Since cutting the cord I am definitely stuck in the 1950s with my Air Antenna and commercials unless I'm watching a PBS channel. That's fine with me because I'm finding the commercials healthy because I jump up and do quick tasks while they are playing. It reminds me of my childhood days when my mother and I would jump up and rush to the kitchen to finish cleaning up and rush back when a program came back on asking, "Did we miss anything good?" to my dad and brother.
I found this photo in a NewYorkTimes article entitled:
I just love that all the "living" was done in the living room including dancing with music from the record player in the corner when teenagers came over. There was no rec room or den. The kitchen was for breakfast and lunch as well as ironing, and paying bills. The family ate in the dining room most nights. I don't recall any episodes with a TV set. There are 8 seasons in all from 1958. Try it, you'll like it. Yup, I'm stuck in the 50's and loving it! xo
I took this photo at a realtor open house near my cottage.
The dwelling was a caretaker's cottage and the grounds were fabulous. Who needs a patio when you have vintage wicker furniture and a beautiful lawn? The cottage was delightful with no central air and was really untouched since it was built. It had always been maintained and lived in and was being offered for rent. The outdoor furnishings were included and there was garage/barn for storage. There were custom waterproof covers for the chairs to protect them from the rain. The open house was years ago as are my pics. Due to Covid, there are very few (if any) open houses these days. Just virtual tours and private showings by appointment.
This is the 2021 cutting garden belonging Anya, the garden fairy, arranged with the lowest in front and the tallest in back. She is so inspiring and a real hands-on DIY gardener. She grows most of her flowers from seeds and she is fun to watch on Instagram @anya_the garden_fairy xo
I bookmarked this recipe because it calls for ingredients I always have on hand very little sugar. It's almost like a lemon meringue pie and is adapted from an authentic Irish recipe in the cookbook pictured below. I'm a true lemon🍋 lover and buy lemons in bulk and always have them in my refrigerator crisper drawer. Limes, not so much, except in limeade.
It's a lot to read but this article is very rewarding if you are at all concerned about pesticides on your fruit or in your wine. Fruit growers in California have begun putting up nest boxes in their orchards and vineyards and letting the occupants help with pest and insect control. They are finding the birds are outperforming the pesticides and I find that to be quite thrilling. I always enjoy Penelope Bianchi's owl videos on Instagram showing her barn owls bringing vermin back to the nest box to feed their young. Of course, bluebirds in nest boxes help with insect control as do other small birds.
I have two more dahlia photos awaiting processing which I will add to this post later. I have to transfer them from my Nikon camera on my attic computer which has a card reader. I am waiting for my generator to come on for the weekly 15 minute test cycle before I turn on the computer. I'm glad so many of you are still enjoying my cottage flower photos. xo
The green background seems to fighting the green dahlia foliage of this Black Velvet beauty in my backyard.
I enlarged this dahlia by cropping out all but the flower. It's the same photo I posted yesterday minus the rooster.
Old houses with porches are always fun viewing and this one is the perfect place to sit and chat without being is direct sun. I'm a shade lover myself. Have a great weekend and check back later for a dahlia photo. xo
As promised, here's another dahlia with one of my roosters in the background. I still enjoy watching the buds open, making every day a treat. I'm glad they aren't opening all at once. xo
I wonder if the bees🐝 know how lucky they are or were? Isn't this beehive wonderful🐝? I would never have guessed this replica of a French Country House was a beehive, would you🐝? The honey would have to be very special and the person who designed and build this structure should be celebrated because this is folk art at its best! It looks as if this house replica is being displayed indoors, saving it from weather damage. Nice! via Reminds me a little of the Early American Dollhouse I blogged about in 2010.
I surprised myself yesterday when I mowed the front in the morning and the back in the afternoon with my walk behind mower. Today I will do the field and more with my riding mower and more tomorrow. Happy Friday!
This is ideal, isn't it? Pick one area of your property to be perfect and let the rest go natural. I love this landscape design, don't you?🌿 photo source
I love the penmanship that was somehow etched into the metal looking as if it were done with a single stroke. I love the two engraved hands symbolizing the friendship. source
I never would have pictured this kitchen belonging to Joan Didion. It appears she's a real cook and this surprises me because she is so very thin and I just never imagined her cooking. I love the wire baskets, the herb pots holding up the cookbooks, and her recipe cards in a real box!❤️
Here is another Illustrated Quote I made long ago and posted back in December 2010 so newer followers probably haven't seen it.
The seed planting posture made me laugh. I use this position too when I have on my "good" clothes and don't want to get my knees dirty when weeding. Poster image found on Pinterest.
New version of this etching from my Royal Book of Crests showing what a difference a thin black border can make. It's not that obvious when you view it on a computer and in the full version of my blog with the gray background. But it makes all the difference in the world when you see it in the email version if you subscribe or in the mobile version if you are viewing on an iPad or your phone. August always make me want to hold on to each day in the last month of summer and gather all the buds I possibly can before the leaves start falling.
Overnight raindrops were still on the first dahlia of the season this morning around 9:00. We had very hard rain for about an hour at dusk last night. This variety has very substantial stems and stalks so no damage was done.
The shape has change dramatically from flat on the back to being rounded from the back view.
A profile view showing ball form.
Other side.
Front view showing the holly-shaped leaves and stems. I have decided this is a BLACK SATIN dahlia.
The limelight hydrangea I rooted from my mother plant in the back yard is very sturdy this year. Last year the stems were wimpy and couldn't support the blossoms so I cut it back to the ground. This year the stems are sturdy and the big blossoms are standing straight and strong. You really can't kill this shrub no matter what you do. Sometimes a severe pruning is just what the doctor ordered.
