Webster, Deep in Thought

You can almost see the gears going around in his mind, can't you? He's probably calculating the hours until his next meal. He always eats with great gusto, and I like that about him. There's nothing more annoying than a picky eater in my book. He knows I take the time to cook oatmeal for a nutritious topping on his kibble and he dances around when it comes out of the microwave.

Location for Art Photo Shoot

I took the bird's nest art photo on top of this tin chest on frame in my living room. The tin top provided the wonderful background. I forgot to set my clock back last night, did you? We lost an hour but I feel fine because I fell asleep while watching TV earlier than usual and have no idea how the show I was watching ended. What did we do before recording devices like DVRs? 

My First Art Photo

Bird's Nest with Feather

click image to enlarge

Leaf Detail with Rain Drops

I just returned from a late morning walk with Webster so this photograph is really fresh. I am blown away by the detail I am able to capture with the camera on my new phone. This is a cropped detail. So Happy!!! Have a great weekend and I'll do the same. See you later. xo

I'm Hooked on This Room

These numbered hooks are wonderful in this London Club. 

The tall case clock is beautiful on this marble floor. 

Photos from Umbrella Magazine

The book looks interesting. Must look for it.

Big Foot

My, what big paws you have, Tabitha. I had fun taking this picture while she napped on the sofa cushion. Have a great weekend. xo

Halloween Dogs Go Trick or Treating

I wish I had seen this yesterday. What a great image! If only we could see their faces. Do you think the cat opened the door? I hope these ghostly dogs got plenty of treats. xo via

Concrete Urn Detail

This old planter has weathered very nicely in its lifetime. It is very heavy and I don't move it very often, especially since it's up high. This detail was photographed at eye level.

Most of the leaves fell off the chestnut tree overnight. It's very mild on this rainy day on the first day of November. It's supposed to reach 72º today and I won't have to turn on my heat. I see a final day of mowing in my future, maybe Monday. And lots of raking after ALL of the leaves fall. my photos

Dog Walks and Treats

He beat me home because I was playing with my camera. He was not amused. At the end of every walk, Webster gets 4 small dog biscuits and he barks for them if I forget. He's thinking, "What took you so long? It's Halloween and I want my treats."

Libraries are Full of Friends

Watercolor and Pencil

Artist: L. Block (British, 1848-1901)

Title: "In a library we are surrounded by friends."

Another Black Cat with Marble Eyes

This is the window in my walk-in pantry where I have an old drafting table as a desk. I am having so much fun with the camera on my phone. I just about fell over when the lady at the AT&T store gave me $200 for my old phone so this one ended up being free. Well, not really. It could have been free but I upgraded to the 32GB for more storage for an extra $100. If I had stayed with 16GB like my old 4S, it would have been an even trade. It pays to take care of your devices, doesn't it? 

This vintage full-bodied tin cat is supposed to be a garden ornament to scare away the birds. It has cat's-eye marble eyes. The cat head at my front door has clear marbles for its eyes. I prefer to use both cats inside as a window decorations since I love my birds. Happy Halloween. I hope you get lots of good candy. I'll have to buy my own and I just might do that. My malware warning went away and I'm so happy! both photos are mine, using iPhone 5S

Red Leaves and Bittersweet Berries

I took this photo yesterday at the post office. I love all of the shiny red leaves.

This one was at the post office too. Just a tangled mess of bittersweet vines and a few colorful berries.

Halloween Window at My Cottage

Tabitha came along just at the right time to get in this photo. I got a handmade Halloween card from my friend Victoria (The Queen Vee in the comments section) and she enclosed the spider cutouts which are perfect around my tin cat cutout with the marble eyes. I took this photo with my new iPhone 5S which I got today.

If you are using the Chrome browser, you will be blocked from viewing my blog because of a Malware warning. Switch browsers and you will be fine. You can also click proceed and nothing will happen to your computer. I get it myself when using Chrome but have no problem at all when I switch to Safari or when I use Windows on my PC upstairs. Apparently I have a link somewhere on my blog to a person who has a problem and for that reason Chrome is blocking me. It could be anywhere and I'm tired of looking. I have had this problem in the past and the warning eventually went away when a person who follows my blog cleared up her problem. I hope it goes away soon. Just be advised that I don't have any issues here. I think I'm going to stop putting links in my blog. I'll just name the photo source without any links. Sorry. I don't know what else to do. Boo Hoo. "my photo"

Beautiful Fall Leaves

I've been picking up beautiful leaves when I walk Webster each day and pressing them. Do you think these hearts were cut by hand or with a punch? Aren't they beautiful? Have a great day and I'll see you later. xo

Dutch Door in A Window Wall

This is fabulous. Love the big sidelights and transom windows over this wonderful wainscot paneled Dutch door. Oh, my, such a nice entrance hall. via

Perfect Living Room

Yes. This room reflects my taste perfectly. Unfortunately, there will never be a white sofa in my future because of Webster and Tabitha and Webster's friends who have sleep overs from time to time. I haven't had a fire yet but this photo makes me want to have one soon. The mantel is lovely and so is the built-in bookcase full of antiquarian books and antique smalls. Love the whole room. via the virtual builder

Beautiful Fall Weather @ My Cottage

I took this photo yesterday while I was sitting in one of the adirondack chairs in the way back. As you can see we are still having gorgeous weather. Tomorrow is supposed to be the coldest day yet and there might be rain by the end of the week. The decorative duct covers for my air conditioning don't have open/close registers behind them and all of the warm air in the rooms from my fabulous cast iron radiators gets sucked up. When I get my ceilings painted I hope to put them behind the register covers. My ceilings are plaster so it will be a messy job. In the meantime I always put freezer paper over them with double-sided tape, shiny side out. It works like a charm too and there are no more drafts. That was my project for today and it feels cozier already! Today is the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy that did so much damage around here. I don't even like to think about that ordeal. Trees were down everywhere and I had no power for 9 days. The Jersey Shore is still recovering because of water damage which I did not have, thankfully. Let's hope Halloween isn't as freaky as it was last year and the year before that with a snow storm. I want calm this year.

I have finally started watching The Paradise. I watched the 2-hour first episode yesterday and liked it very much. Thank goodness for PBS full episodes online.

Ice Pop Wreath for The Birds

This would be a great thing to make in a ring mold for the birds, wouldn't it? As it melts, the seeds and fresh cranberries would drop for the ground feeders. It's lovely. Must make one in December for my fine feathered friends. Here is a DIY wreath made by a child.

Spectacular Fall: Stourhead House Wiltshire England

Stourhead landscape garden in Wiltshire. Britain is enjoying one of the best autumn displays for years, due in part to a long, dry spring and wet, cool summer. via The Guardian This photo was entitled: Gold Leaf.

River Rock Herb Markers

There's plenty of time to make some of these as gifts for your gardening friends. You could make paperweights too for a busy person's desk. Personalize them with MAIL, BILLS, TO DO, FILE, SHRED, FAMILY MEMBERS' NAMES, etc. I always pick up smooth stones when I see them. 

Day is Done

I love dogs on furniture, don't you? I vacuumed both of my love seats today with the pet hair attachment and got tons of animal hair off. Tabitha tends to stay in one spot so it was mostly from Webster. He's thrilled. Now he can start depositing more, especially after I go to bed when he sneaks up and sleeps wherever he wants. Oh, the life of a treasured dog. The one in the photo doesn't have it too bad either, does he? Good night everyone, see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.

Sleep Like A Bird

Wouldn't it be fun to climb this ladder and spend some time in this amazing nest? I slept like a log last night in my clean bed with ironed sheets and not one, but three, woolen blankets. It was heavenly. It was just in the nick of time because there was frost outside when I woke up this morning. Have a great weekend!

Webster and Tabitha Have Requests

He doesn't make a sound. He begs with his eyes. Cheese toast is his favorite.

Tabitha has settled in for a nap after being outside since the early morning hours. She wants me to postpone stripping the bed until later so she can warm up and recover. I was able to round up a full load without the sheets so her request was granted.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote

I love this. What a nice prayer of thankfulness.