Calm Stream This Afternoon

I walked past the stream today and it looked completely different with blue skies and white clouds instead of the gray skies and fog I showed you last week. I love the blue reflection on the dark water. 

While we are on the subject of SWANS

Will it fit? Don't you wish we knew why this swan needed to be driven somewhere? And on the passenger side too! via

Ex-libris with Swans Circa 1907

From A collection of book plate designs by Louis Rhead, Boston, 1907. via

Webster on The Timeout Porch

"I promise not to make the lady sick."

I had a really good turnout at an open house I hosted today. I was doing it alone in an empty house so I decided at the last minute to take Webster along. It turned out to be a genius idea. He was Mr. Meet and Greet and [almost] everybody loved him. One lady said she was allergic so I put Webster on the sunporch. He did everything imaginable to keep this from happening. He made himself small and put on his dog brakes. He was in there for 10 minutes at most out of a 3 hour stint. He licked babies, played with little boys, kissed men and women both young and old. He was a great ice breaker too. From now on, he's my new assistant. He is exhausted from all the excitement and has already gone to bed after his early dinner.

Almost February in NJ or The Winter That Wasn't

We had winter in New Jersey in the fall during Halloween and since then it has been unusually mild. Maybe this is our reward for all the damage we suffered when we had a blizzard while all the leaves were on still the trees. Our poor mature trees are still suffering and losing branches and even whole treetops because of their October injuries.  I took this iPhone photo at a friend's house yesterday. I know I sound like a broken record mentioning the camera source in my posts but I still can't believe the capabilities of my mobile phone that's always in my pocket. Enjoy this beautiful Sunday!

Following the Already Traveled Path

I think these sheep are very wise to travel in the path made by a big vehicle instead of wasting calories forging a new one. Maybe it will take them closer to the barn filled with hay. via

Snowdrops in January

Mine haven't come up yet but few leaf tips are just barely poking through the  earth. I usually don't get them until February because they don't get any direct sun where they are planted at my house. I photographed these this morning at my friend's house. Snowdrops are always the first sign of spring. 

Architectural Elements This Morning

Webster and I fed the dogs of a friend this morning and I had such fun taking pictures with my iPhone while the animals socialized. As you can see we are having a wonderful spring-like weekend. Hope you are too. More later.

Garden Passage

Hidcote Gardens -- Cotswolds, England. Absolutely wonderful! Actually it's almost too lovely if that's even possible. Maybe that's why the French doors are there...so you can block some of it out when you can't absorb the enormity of it all. Wouldn't you love to sit on one of those benches and soak in the beauty? via Have a great weekend.

The Imperial March- Barked and Classical?

The Bark Side -- It's not the only Super Bowl ad evoking past hit movies. Volkswagen, which had a hit last year with its little Darth Vader ad, will be tapping into the Force once again with dogs barking out the Imperial March.


Darth Vader's Theme -- I wasn't sure what I was listening to at first with the dogs until I heard it played by an orchestra. I think they did a good job after I listened to the barking version again. It is going to be a Super Bowl hit!

iPhone Photos of The Day

We had pouring rain overnight and real downpours this morning. I went for a walk after it subsided. The stream around the corner was flowing pretty swiftly almost overflowing its banks. I was standing on a one-lane bridge while taking this photo looking into the soft fog.

I was standing on the bank looking in the opposite direction for this shot. I'm so lucky to live in an area with lots of open space and conserved land thanks to our Land Trust.

Countess of Grantham and Lady Mary are to release a record album

Are you watching Downton Abbey? I read two press releases recently saying Maureen McGovern and Michelle Dockery costars on this wonderful PBS Masterpiece series were pairing up to release an album.

I must confess I wasn't that impressed with Lady Mary's voice in last week's episode. We will just have to wait and see.

First Image and related article

Second Image and related article

Mudroom in Waiting

I do like this mudroom off the kitchen in New Hampshire. The fine woodworking is wonderful. I love the built-in boot bench and the paint color too. Designed by Smith & Vansant Architects. via

Medieval Woman Feeding the Chickens

I love the woven chicken coop, don't you. I scanned this image from a datebook I no longer own. I keep discovering images I saved before I even had a blog. 

Big Beautiful Dried Leaf

I have a tree on my property with giant leaves and I must remember to gather some this summer for still-life photography. I love this a lot! via

The Library by Elizabeth Shippen Green 1905

I would love to have this painting hanging in my cottage! via

Audubon's Birds of America - One Page Per Day

   PHILADELPHIA (AP) – One of the world's rarest and most valuable books is out of the vault and on public view as part of an unusual daily ritual at the oldest natural history museum in the United States.

   Every weekday at 3:15 p.m., a white-gloved staff member of the Academy of Natural Sciences lifts the locked protective cover from 19th century naturalist John James Audubon's influential book, The Birds of America, and turns a double elephant folio linen-backed page to reveal the bird of the day. More than 180 years after Audubon created the life-size illustrations that now link his name with ornithology, their vibrant watercolors and fine details are still remarkable.
   Full article here. View the birds being unveiled day by day.

A Beautiful Frost

This is not my photo but I really wish it were. I think it's so lovely. When I posted a view of a dusting of snow in Scotland, a commenter said it looked like hoar frost. I asked google images to show me what hoar frost looks like and this was my favorite photo of all. via

English: Hoar frost, white frost or rime is the tiny solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air which occurs when the temperature of the surfaces is below freezing point. It occurs generally with clear skies. Air hoar, surface hoar, crevasse hoar and depth hoar are all types of hoar frost or technically: Radiation frost.

Spectacular Boat House

Magnificent Boat House in Soulby England

via

Wonderful back entrance all in white

Yes please. I love everything is see in this photo and I really wish I could see more. It's all black and white and brown. Nice! via

Raindrops instead of Snowflakes

   Photo was taken yesterday. What a difference a day makes. The fog is rolling in now as the warmer air hits the snow on the ground. I wrote this paragraph late yesterday.
   Today is bright and sunny and almost all of the snow has melted. I went to broker open houses wearing just a wool blazer over a sweater. It's in the low 50s right now. Everybody was in a good mood and optimism was in the air at my office meeting.

Very Wise Advice Indeed

via

Geranium Leaves Backlit by Snow Reflection

All of the leaves have turned to face the window. I love the backs of my geranium leaves just as much as the fronts. I have one that is blooming on the third floor. I think the ones in my living room are intimidated by the paperwhites. You really can't blame them either, can you?

Snowboarding Crow

I always knew crows were smart but I have to say this video really surprised and delighted me. A family with a good view of this steep rooftop recorded a crow repeatedly using a round plastic lid as a snowboard. I guess birds like to have fun too! Click here if you can't see the show below.

Staffordshire Spaniel with Paperwhites

My living room mantel rounds the corner on one side to meet the back wall. A large Staffordshire spaniel is posing there alongside a bulb forcing vase with blooming paperwhites. They are reaching for the ceiling but are still very nice and upright because of my cool (as in temperature) house.
Linking to: Small But Charming: Flowers in the Wintery House

Webster the Snow Dog Dressed for The Weather

He's so happy to be wearing his horse-blanket coat again. You know how he likes to be wrapped up.

-click photo to enlarge-

I thought this was a nice snow pattern on one of the spruce trees out front.

Snow on My Balcony

It is still really cold but we have bright sun this morning. I took this iPhone photo through my French door and screen door. Nothing has melted yet and I doubt any will today. Webster and I took a walk to the rear of the property last night in the dark and it was very easy because the snow is like powdered sugar. Stay warm and enjoy your Sunday.

Anxiously Awaiting Bedtime

It's been a busy day since my feet hit the floor this morning. I am looking forward to having my head hit these pillows very soon. I need a good movie too. See you tomorrow. Goodnight.

Cats on Tiptoes

I can't imagine what these three cats are looking at, can you? Found on a site devoted to humorous cat photos guaranteed to make you smile.

Have a Great Country Weekend, Snow is Optional

Many of the homes around me have these cattle grates across the driveways to keep the deer out with extensions on the fence posts to make them higher. It is almost easier to plant the things they don't like in my opinion. Rumor has it there are more white-tailed deer in this country now than when the Pilgrims landed. I don't care what they eat at my house but wish they would keep the deer ticks to themselves. I've had Lyme disease several times and it was awful.
I scanned this image from an old magazine and just discovered it on my computer. It's a very pretty farm, isn't it? We did get snow overnight..about 5 inches of powder. I am shoveled out, plowed out and my car has been cleaned off with my trusty rubber broom so I'm all set. Have a great weekend with or without snow.

Natural History Museum - London

Wow. I wouldn't even care whether or not there was anything on exhibit. The architecture itself is enough for me. It's really a museum within a museum. image

Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds

click photo to enlarge

This iPhone photo snapped from my third floor window doesn't even begin to show the number of blackbirds flying into the woods. What a sight to behold at my cottage this afternoon. Blackbird pie is not on tonight's menu.

click photo to enlarge

This happy family appears to be thrilled to see such a pie on their dinner table. Here is another Randolph Caldecott drawing from one of my antiquarian books illustrating the nursery rhyme Sing A Song for Sixpence.