Recent Photos Inside and Outside

My kitchen table wasn't prepared to be photographed so this is a real life photo. I walked in and was stunned by the way the sun was shining on the apron of my farm table and luckily I had my phone in my hand.

This is probably a weed of some sort but the bright green color wass beautiful on a drab overcast day.

A new branch is forming on the blue spruce near my bedroom.

This wall near one of my French doors was photographed last night on "night mode" and doctored a little with Snapseed.

Have a great weekend.

xo 

Now Watching: THE LAST DETECTIVE

This series is so good. If you are looking for a kind and caring detective, this is the series for you too. I found it quite by accident on BritBox by typing the word detective in the search box. I finished Season One last night and found out this morning there are FOUR SEASONS and that made me so happy. It got its name because this low key detective is the LAST person his boss would choose if he wanted a case solved. He is the underdog of the office but that doesn't seem to bother him so he finds cases by himself and investigates secretly until they are solved. I think it is on Acorn too. Let me know if you like it or have already watched and recommend it too. It's considered to be both a Drama and a Comedy but it's not corny or silly. It's also on DVD if you want to borrow from your library.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and am working on having a pajama day today. Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day with mild weather and sunshine. Today it's raining and feels chilly and raw but the birds don't mind and neither do I. xo

Happy Thanksgiving 2022

Jessie Willcox Smith is one of my favorite illustrators.

I love these two giving thanks for their breakfast.

This illustration is from A Child's Book of Old Verses 

published in 1910 with 10 color illustrations.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

xo

Pam just commented she grew up with this illustration by JWS on her home's kitchen wall and I just had to know more. It was an advertisement for the American Radiator Company published sometime between 1910 and 1920. I love it.

Thanks, Pam.

xo

Crisp, Crunchy Leaves

This photo says the leaves are very dry and you just know if you squeezed them in your hands they would be crisp and crunchy, right? An older photo but one I like. I have gotten my house back in order since Missy was picked up this morning. Tomorrow I will shop for the dishes I am taking to a friend's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. xo

"Pumpkin" Bread

Photo found here.

I love this baker's kitchen. Isn't this bread that was styled like pumpkins beautiful? I love the floor to ceiling cabinet with glass doors full of jars filled with baking supplies. Clearly, a talented baker lives here and is all set to wow her Thanksgiving table this week.

xo

First Front Yard Bird Photos

I am so happy to see my woodpecker friend again.

Yum. These sunflowers seeds are SO good!

Look at that bird just landing with his legs still outstretched.

I like the shadow on the brick wall too.

Look at the bird still in midair on the left.

I am getting reacquainted with my Nikon 35mm camera. The original rechargeable battery finally went completely dead months and months ago. I got the camera in 2005 so that was a really long time for a battery to last, wasn't it? I finally ordered a replacement and it arrived this week, just in time for birdfeeder photos. YAY! 

xo

Goodnight Everyone from Missy

We just got in from a cold walk and Missy is tucked in tight. She loves this fleece blanket I pulled out for her. Today was very cold and windy and the birds were thankful for the sunflower seeds. The tube was filled this morning and only went down about 4 inches. Next week I will try to get some good bird photos. I am tucking in myself pretty soon to get ready for some PBS Sunday night viewing. xo

My Pantry - Wide View and A Detail

Tara Dillard must be a mindreader. Her comment in yesterday's post requested a photo or two of my pantry as she described hers. I had been experimenting with the wide angle lens on my camera phone and it worked to get the front window (with tin cat) and the rear window overlooking my red barn both in one photo. I have a bucket bench under the rear window and the lower shelves are filled with appliances that won't fit anywhere in my kitchen cabinets. My Instant Pot, Panini Press, Steam Iron and my KitchenAid stand mixer are just a few items. I keep seldom used things there too. This room was a small screened-in porch conversion for me and I continue to love it more each day. I pay my bills at the desk and stool under the "cat" window on my laptop (not shown). Paperwork is in the files shown in right corner. More shelves below for receipts, etc.

I should have tried to neaten my stack of pans to the left of the cookbooks but didn't. The wide shelves continue to the left of the pans with more bakeware in metal and glass. The hanging "onion" light fixture with amber glass was a garage sale find and it couldn't be more perfect.

Have a great Saturday.

More Missy photos tomorrow.

Maybe some birds too.

Click photos to enlarge.

xo

Ceiling detail, the center is one flat board. The boards leading up to the center are on an angle. Quick photo to answer Lisa D.'s question.

This pitcher is my newest addition to the shelf. I bought it along with my curtain rods at the Firehouse Flea Market in September and never mentioned it.

Pam loves my drafting table desk area. Here is my old 2019 post showing this area of my "office" in greater detail:

https://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-home-office-in-pantry-rearranged.html

https://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2010/08/desk-under-window-in-my-pantry.html

Both of these links show better photos of the drafting table desk in my pantry.

Missy's Back

I moved her dishes to another location by the radiator.

This was taken Thursday evening.

Friday morning, thawing out after a walk.

She likes this new cushion I bought at the Firehouse Flea Market in September. I have her until Tuesday morning. 

Thawed and back to the living room for a nap. I liked the head shadow made by the sun coming in through one of the French doors that open to my balcony. The other one is still closed because of the sun glare.

We'll see you later. 

PS: I will be adding photos to this post. 

I love popovers and have a special pan made for them. I have avoided making any for way too long because most recipes call for SO MUCH melted butter. This one calls for only one tablespoon. It's worth a try. If you don't have a popover pan you can use a muffin tin.

Click here for full recipe and the backstory.

xo

The Starlings Have Landed

The starlings ate all of the black oil sunflower seeds I spread out on the tree stump today in minutes. The small birds make them last all day. I uploaded a video of these greedy birds to my Instagram Story and saved it as a Highlight. Watch the video HERE. At this rate my 50 pounds of seeds won't last a month. I liked the shadow of the bird on the brick wall in this still photo. Starlings are not native to America. Read the history about how they arrived HERE. xo

For anyone who is bothered by mice and other rodents coming into the house because of the bird seed, please see this article written by a farmer who made up a recipe that works and does not harm any other wildlife. It has only two ingredients: packaged cornbread mix and baking soda. 

Click HERE for the article & recipe.

Pies with Fancy Top Crust

King Arthur Flour has a great article about fancy Pie Crusts:

Decorative pie crust tips Pastry lattice, braids, and more. 

It's that time of year with Thanksgiving a week away.

Maybe you will get an idea or two and try one!

xo

First Day for Wearing Mittens

These red berries really pop on an overcast day with no shadows.

Thawing ice in the birdbath. Love the bubbles!

A gathering of river rocks with water, leaves, and ice.

Handle and knot hole on my bunker door.

The dahlia tubers are inside overwintering.

A favorite brown & white transfer plate in the Aesthetic Movement style. I love the animals in the border, especially the dog. I'm getting Missy for a few days late Thursday afternoon. 

Today was the first day that felt like winter. I wore my mittens when I went to the grocery store. I took these photos when I got back around 3:30. I should have gone out early when I got up to take frost photos but I didn't. There will be other opportunities for those on another day.

Last night I finished the last episode of HOPE STREET on BritBox. Luckily Season 2 premiers in a few days because it Season 1 ended with a real cliff hanger. Then I watched Miss Scarlet and the Duke on PBS Video.

That's all for Tuesday with rain on the way. xo

Monday Evening Pics

Close-up of the tip of a Blue Spruce showing tiny cones.

A recent golden hour in the back woods.

This is how I found a suspended stray feather last week.

That's all. Short and sweet. Had a very busy day and now I'm headed to my bedroom to stream the Sunday night Masterpiece shows from PBS. Miss Scarlett and The Duke will be first. Then Magpie Murders and Annica if I can stay awake. xo

Sunday afternoon

I have been going in and out my back door too many times to count today wearing just a sweater. When I went out on my balcony at 3:30 to take this photo because I liked the light I was shocked at how cold it was. Guess the weather people weren't kidding when they said it was going down into the 30s tonight and next week as low as 22°. Brrr🥶 but I'm ready. All the outside faucets are drained and turned off. 

This photo is right out of my phone with no editing at all. The trees out back are completely bare now as you can see.

Late Sunday afternoon in my living room. I like the reflection of a lamp next to my sofa on my flat screen tv. Enjoy your Sunday evening.

xo

Today's Photos Around & In My Cottage

After 2 days of rain I get a lovely Saturday like this.

These are the logs from the tree stump with the weathervane.

The puffball is decaying and a spotted lanternfly is eating it.

More leaves (yawn).

One of the miniature portraits on my nook wall.

Here's another one.

I took this photo minutes before this post.

I am still playing around with camera settings.

I never tire of trying to get things just right.

I never get discouraged either.

Now for a story. I went into my favorite charity shop to benefit my local hospital on Thursday and tried on a necklace marked $25.00. It was pretty and I really didn't need something to wear once a year at the office Christmas party but I noticed a really insignificant maker's mark on the back. I could make out a Script Letter E. I was standing next to the volunteers' room and asked one of the ladies if she could decipher the hallmark and she invited me in. Another lady heard me say "E" and she said she hoped it wasn't Elizabeth Locke because it would be grossly underpriced. The other lady took a photo of it and uploaded it to Google Images and it came up as a genuine piece of Elizabeth Locke designer costume jewelry priced at $575.00. This designer makes gold jewelry too but this was in her costume line. I immediately told the ladies they could reprice it and I would relinquish it so the hospital could get some serious money from someone who would appreciate it. They were thrilled and I was happy I made a discovery for them. If I hadn't asked and purchased it for myself I never would have known. It would have just lived in the drawer with all the other jewelry I don't wear. 

Isn't this a great story?

xo

The Shambles Bookshop in York UK

A great photo of a wonderful bookshop found on Instagram posted by @dustyatticrarebooks here. I read some of the comments and it seems the shop DOES have a name, The Shambles located in York, England UK. This Instagram feed is perfect for the armchair traveler. It's full of old bookshops photographed from the street and their interiors full of old books. What could be better? Enjoy.

xo

Veterans Day and Memorial Day Similarities and Differences

🇺🇸 For all who served. 🇺🇸

Read the article HERE

The Three Elevens

Today's date is easy to remember because it’s celebrated every year on November 11th. This date was chosen to honor the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, which signaled the end of the Great War. General George Patton, the well-known World War 2 general, was also born on November 11.

🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

Organized Two Kitchen Drawers + New Purse and a Selfie

I got a new $3 everyday silverware organizer while thrifting yesterday and put it to use as soon as I got home. Then I decided to tackle my junk drawer too.

It might look like a jumble to you but it is greatly improved to me. Why do I keep saving those square bread wrapper thingies and twist ties when I already have a lifetime supply? I don't even know what some of the things are in this drawer but I'm saving them again, just in case. 

What else did I buy? The most wonderful dark brown leather cross body (purse) that is small and rectangular and has a separate outside compartment that fits my new phone perfectly. The purse section just fits my wallet,  my keys, and little else. There is also a compartment under front flap closure for non bulky things -- like my business cards. It's vintage and in perfect condition. I am thrilled and I found the company online (JACK GEORGES) https://www.jackgeorges.com/ and it was VERY expensive when it was new and my lucky $3 purchase. They no longer make this small size crossbody but they should. Also got a $2 bagel cutter like one I already have for my downstairs kitchen and a small 50¢ spatula for jars. Finally, a $2 navy fleece hat with a sun visor and pull down ear flaps for winter snow shoveling. I'm so pleased with everything!

Have a great Thursday.

Decided to post a photo of my crossbody.

It looks much better in person. I want to condition it with leather balm because I want it to last forever. It's my dream purse. I couldn't have designed it better.

Here is a selfie showing the crossbody.

xo

The Moon Last Night with My Cottage Lights On

GOODNIGHT MOON

The moon was still low behind the bare trees in the woods when I went outside Monday night to try once again to capture it. I was shocked to see my red barn lit up and then I remembered I had just put the basement to bed and I must have turned on my outside light by mistake. Anyway, I like it! 

I turned on all of my inside lights before going outside. The inside light on the far right is my pantry that has two windows, one looking out on the front and one looking outside to the back. Next time, I will turn off the lamp at the back window. I had no luck with my camera phone on night mode. Then I turned on LIVE PHOTO and discovered this is the way to go for moon shots. I deleted all but the best shot because they take up so much photo storage. There doesn't seem to be a way to delete the 2 views that were not used. In the old days you could click to keep best photo and automatically delete the others. I have looked and looked and you can't do that now. BUT I found a work around. You can go to Snapseed and save a copy (will be saved as one still photo) or you can email the live photo to yourself and save it to your photos. These copies will be one still photo. Then you can delete the three-in-one live photo. If you are nervous, don't be. Deleted photos are saved for 30 days and you can put it back if you want. There was no reason to save this as a live photo because there was no movement. If you were photographing something cute like a baby talking on a play phone, you might want to save it as a live photo with action. I mention this because a friend send me such a photo of her baby granddaughter having a wonderful conversation on her toy cell phone😂 and most of her words were pure baby talk.

Have a great Tuesday. I hope this isn't too much information you don't understand about iPhones. A live photo magically takes three photos; one before you clicked the shutter, one exactly when you clicked the shutter, and one after you clicked, each one second apart. Then the phone decides which is the best photo. SO an iPhone can time travel and go back in time! This is the only way I can describe what I was talking about above. Hope this helps. xo