I photographed this vintage wheelbarrow filled with mums on Tuesday at a broker open house. There was a hose and a lawn sprinkler in the larger photo so I cropped them out. I have been busy cutting my grass really short because we have some rainy days coming. I like short grass before the leaves start to fall so they will blow away. It's looking good and it feels good to be working hard in this nice fall weather. xo
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Fall Apples are The Best
I had a big fat juicy crisp apple today and it was delicious. Not waxed either. Apples are my one of my favorite things about fall. These look like good ones! photo source
Monday, September 26, 2016
Purchases at The Firehouse Sale
A new Kate Spade coffee mug.
A wonderful book on Tools.
Endpapers of a book on Historic Hudson Valley houses.
I put the three photos above on Instagram today. See my page here.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Another Moving Owl to Delight You
Here's Looking at You!
Enjoy the first Sunday of Fall.
It's a chilly 50ยบ here at the cottage at 8:30 and there is a heavy dew on the meadow. I should organize my sweaters and get some outfits put together so I don't have to think in the morning. See you later. xo
photo source
Friday, September 23, 2016
A House in My Area from The Back
I liked this house much better from the rear when I attended a recent realtor open house. The front of the main house is now all stone and it was once an unassuming cape cod cottage. Everything was totally changed inside and out by the new owners when they bought it seven years ago. Sob. Need I say more?
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Wonderful Early Bookplate
Great early bookplate with a wonderful message for anyone who borrows James Moore's book.
"Note! Neither blemish this book nor the leaves double down. / Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town: / Return it when read -- or if lost please supply / Another, as good to the mind and the eye. / With right and with reason you need but be friends / And each book in my study your pleasure attends."
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
12 Recent Instagram Photos
My most recent dozen Instagram posts. See what they are all about. I'll try to post a page like this from time to time so you can keep up with me there. I know many of you aren't on that social media site. I like it because it's all about photographs. On Instagram, all of the photos are mine.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Morning Glory Enameled Picture Frame
I bought this small frame at an estate sale long ago. I fully expected to replace the photo with one of my own but didn't have the heart. When people pick it up to look at it they always ask who he is. I always say I don't know but he reminds me of my grandfather. They usually say he looks like mine too. So there. He's everybody's grandpa.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Too Much Leisure Time? Not good!
A page from The Cheerful Cherub by artist and author Rebecca McCann. These single panel newspaper comics appeared daily in the Chicago Evening Post 1914-1927. Each featured the title character, accompanied by his pet dog, speaking a short poem to offer wisdom and wit on many topics. This one is on Leisure.
I am happy to report that we finally have a rainy day. It is perfect for a Monday and it's the good kind of rain that will soak in rather than a gully washer that would just run off. Here's hoping you will get rain too if your area needs it as much as mine does. Have a great week. xo
Friday, September 16, 2016
Angus, The Scottish Cat
Artist Amber Alexander’s Cat in A Classic Outfit. She sells her artwork on Etsy. I found Angus, The Scottish here.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Some of My Recent Instagram Posts
Pictured are 12 thumbnails of my most recent Instagram posts. I know most of you aren't on that social media site and I thought you'd like a peek.
See them one by one at
Amazing Bathroom Faucet ! ! !
W O W
Need I say more?
Have you ever?
This is really wonderful, isn't it?
It is truly the art of the bathroom fixtures!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Modern Farmhouse with Awesome Porch
I love this carpenter gothic farmhouse with the huge porch, don't you? I really can't tell whether it's a period house or a modern reproduction. Either way, it's fabulous and I'll take it! via
Stunning Alphabet Letters Circa 1650
A series of stunning prints, titled Libellus Novus Elementorum Latinorum, designed by the Polish goldsmith Jan Christian Bierpfaff (1600-ca.1690) and engraved by fellow-countryman Jeremias Falck (1610–1677). See the remaining letters of this fabulous alphabet here.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
A Wonderful Library 1902
Now this is an enviable library. It has everything I need except an ottoman. The big table is really nice for doing research, the easy chair looks comfortable, and the big windows let in nice light plus the wonderful view. What else is there. Robert Hall had wonderful books and wonderful taste! Love.
On the library table are Kelmscott works, including William Morris’s The Glittering Plain and his 1895 translation of Beowulf. All the books are clearly bound in the distinctive Kelmscott full limp vellum tied with silk ribbons. The Wood Beyond the World is open to show a Morris-designed woodcut border and frontispiece. Leaning against the bookcase is a copy of the 1896 edition of Chaucer.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Sunday, September 11, 2016
September 11, 2016
My area was especially hard hit by the 9/11 tragedy since so many commute to downtown NYC. It's very sad to watch it happen all over again on TV. This is really a day to reflect, especially with a Presidential election less than 2 months away. image source
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Victory Garden 1951
Wouldn't it be nice to have a garden that didn't require a fence? My grandparents never had one around theirs in various gardens big and small. Stevan Dohanos - Victory Garden [1951]
Thursday, September 8, 2016
My Wonderful Set of Old Copper Pots
I discovered this matched, graduated set of old copper pots at an outdoor antiques show years ago. Each one has this monogram on the front opposite the handle. Somebody was really proud of them and so am I because they look wonderful on the top shelf of my pantry. The large dovetails are beautiful too. The bottom of the biggest one is marked on the bottom with an incised E. I don't know what that signifies but it's probably a maker's mark. I didn't look on the bottom of the others. They fit inside each other nicely in a nest for easy storage. I like them lined up better. At my former house, they were displayed on a standing pot rack. The insides need to be re-tinned so I don't use them. Plus they are really heavy!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
New Roadside Find for My Balcony
I am still amazed at the things people get rid of when they move. This nice little table is perfect between my two deck chairs on the balcony.
It weighs a ton and has very nice stone mosaic squares set in concrete. I'll have coffee there in the morning. Enjoy your evening. xo
Dog Portrait by Reuben Ward Binks
The mastermind behind this canine work of art is British artist Reuben Ward Binks. In his youth in the late 1800s, Binks showed artistic promise and verve, and won a competition at the tender age of 10 for his flower paintings. He found his calling, however, in canine portraits.
The artist was soon painting Royal dogs left and right, from the Prince of Wales’ Cairn Terriers, to the Duke of York’s Labrador Retriever and even the Clumber Spaniels owned by King George V himself.
Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, the alleged ‘favorite niece’ of J.D. Rockefeller, had a soft spot for pooches as a dog show judge and a breeder of championship canines with big dog shows just up the street from my cottage. Years later her estate auctioned off 150 of her pup-friendly works to help benefit the Saint Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ. I did not attend this auction but I know people who did. As expected, the best paintings stayed in the area and helped raise some serious money for this worthy dog rescue charity. Read more here.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Bookplate with Bad Dogs
This is a pretty terrifying image, isn't it? Do you think J. A Kennard had a lot of experiences like this? I certainly hope not! The image is signed by the artist, lower right.
I can't find the specific blog post, but it's somewhere on Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie.
Monday, September 5, 2016
The History of LABOR DAY
This is a reblog from both 2008 and 2009 for new followers who haven't seen it.
Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In between eating that hot dog or hamburger at your barbecue, you might want to learn more about the history of this holiday.
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union in NYC sought to create "a day off for the working citizens".
Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894. All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday. In European countries, China and other parts of the world, May Day, the first day in May, is a holiday to celebrate workers and labor unions. Before it became an international workers holiday, May Day was a celebration of spring and the promise of summer.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Such A Nice Fireplace
I cleaned out my fireplace this weekend and set a fire for the upcoming chilly weather. The one in this photo is gorgeous, isn't it? I never did polish my andirons when I was on that polishing marathon in the spring. Too late now, that ship has sailed. Smile. photo source
Saturday, September 3, 2016
My Farmhouse Kitchen Sink in Early Spring
This caught my eye when looking through old photos. WOW. This was a while ago before I had so much junk on my kitchen counter. Now I'm tempted to go back to that sparse look. The green vase full of daffodils came with my house. I found this old porcelain laundry sink on the side of the road when I lived in my former house. My sweet mother and I put it in the back of my car and I stored it in my barn for several years before I found my cottage. It's still one of my favorite things. Hope you have a great Labor Day Weekend. I don't think the weather is going to cooperate here. Sad face. xo
Friday, September 2, 2016
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Nice Kitchen/Family Room
This family room / kitchen looks pretty perfect to me. I love those chairs with the shared ottoman. The color palate is so soothing. via Happy first day of September. It rained overnight and it's so much cooler! I slept extra late this morning because I totally forgot to set my alarm. See you later. xo
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tater Tots Cooked on a Panini Press
Yep. Tater Tots right out of the bag. This idea came to me recently when there was nothing in the house to eat and it was too hot to turn on the oven. Just line them up frozen hard as a rock, close the lid, and look after a while. They are flat and crispy and delicious. Good for a snack anytime, as a side with burgers, or as tiny hashbrowns for breakfast. Perfect comfort food. You are welcome! xo
Black and white etchings
Monday, August 29, 2016
Garden Shed Ideas
I love this little shed and I know you do too. The following link has a slideshow with 24 sheds for you to drool over. A Gallery of Garden Shed Ideas Enjoy!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Bedtime -- Sunday Night
This will be me pretty soon. I might watch a movie on my DVD player but I doubt I will be able to stay awake until the end. I will probably wake up early and watch the rest in the morning. Good night. xo via
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