Too many hateful comments

I can't take it any more. I deleted the post that was causing all the controversy along with each of the comments, both good and bad. Such a sad day for my blog. 

Acorn Street, Boston

Beacon Hill. Acorn Street. Boston.

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Excellent Question !

This is great, isn't it? Are you a midnight snacker? via

Tabitha Sleeps

Tabitha is wondering if this picture makes her look fat? She has mastered the art of getting really comfortable as she guards the house.

Window in Cambridge England

I love the patina of the house detail in Cambridge England, the vine designs, and the sweet window box. The same view in summer would be nice to see too but I couldn't find one. via

Have a Great Weekend

So cute. This is what I do too. I have to do a task mentally before I can do it in person. Somehow that always works for me after working it out in my head. Have a great weekend. xo via

Webster, So Close But Not Touching

Webster is still being the best dog ever and he can get this close to the sofa without touching. I'm so proud of him. I was busy with real estate all day and finally the little blue house is all set to close at the end of the month. Whew. 

I am still playing house and have rearranged all of my artwork. The corner behind my TV has a new wall arrangement since this photo was taken. I think I have the room the way I want it finally. I've been rearranging the insides of my kitchen cupboards too. 

I ended up hand weeding the crab grass in the bed near the house and it wasn't that hard because it was growing wood chips, not gravel or turf. I've been digging it out of the driveway too with the pickaxe. I'm fine doing hard work as long as it isn't too hot and the weather has been fantastic. 

I'm looking forward to a lazy evening and maybe some ice cream later. Enjoy yours too. xo

Indoor and Outdoor Cats

Wow. Look at the size of the white one!

Which do you have? 

Tabitha is both indoor and outdoor.

It's almost chilly outside tonight.

Webster and I just returned from a walk.

Good night -- sleep tight. xo 

Kittens in Barn Window by barblassa

Painted Floor with Mariner's Compass

The house I toured on Tuesday had an accurately positioned mariner's compass painted on the floor. I would have preferred it to be lined up with the floor boards. It just seemed wrong to me even though it was right (smile).

Pale Pink Geranium

I'm doing better with my indoor gardening than the outdoor kind.

I'm enjoying the no-weed factor of house plants in the summer. My geraniums that are outside aren't doing nearly as well as the ones I have inside. 

Fashion Quote

This made me laugh. via

Today's House Tour

This barn-style house was surrounded by wildflower meadows.

I wandered through the middle on a path.

The gardens were lovely too. There were numerous baskets full of home-grown vegetables near the garages but I didn't see the kitchen garden.

I love the broken stone patio on one side of the pool. I was inspired to come home and pull weeds and got one large garbage can full before I quit because I was hot. I'll repeat tomorrow. xo

Mourning Dove this Morning

I love these birds.

Summer Rolls with Sunflower Seed Pate

These rolls are part sushi, part taco, and part spring roll, but all in all they are 100% delish! It's a good idea to have a big batch of the sunflower pate on hand so that you can whip out a roll whenever the urge hits.

Dinner - Summer Rolls with Curried Pate

Recipe: (makes 8)

3/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds, soaked overnight and drained

1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. Liquid Sweetener (I would omit this)
1 tsp. Curry Powder
1 tsp. Turmeric
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
A Pinch of Chili Powder

8 or so Chard Leaves (I will use Romaine Leaves)

1/2 Mango, cut into match sticks
1/2 Bell Pepper, cut into match sticks
1 Beet, grated
1 Carrot, cut into match sticks
1 Avocado, sliced
Handful of Sprouts (I used sunflower)

Procedure:

1. Begin the right before by soaking the sunflower seeds. The next day drain them and puree along with the spices, garlic, and sweetener until the mixture resembles pate.

2. Arrange a small log of pate on each chard leave and top with assorted veggies. Roll up like a burrito. 

Image Source and Recipe

Electrical outlets in baseboards.

I wish I had my outlets down low like this. I think they are an eyesore no matter where they are placed, especially if you have paneled walls. I honestly didn't think of putting them down low when my house was being rewired. I anxiously await the day when all lamps are wireless, just as they appear in interior design magazines where they have been photoshopped. Wouldn't that be nice? photo source

Beautiful Chickens

I love the colors and patterns of their feathers! via

An amazing courtyard.

The following text is translated from the original Spanish -- "In the trellis attached to the wall in this area dwarf orange trees were planted and, with them, a cypress. The lemon in the foreground inhabited the house before reconstruction. Simple iron furniture works well on the brick patio." via
I'm impressed with how nicely this wall grid system works instead of the customary stretched wires usually used for espalier fruit trees.

Manners and Paint by Numbers Art

I like this illustrated quote. via

This takes me back. I got a paint by numbers kit every Christmas for as long as I can remember when I was a kid. I like this one. People collect these now, you know. via

The vintage paint by numbers artwork looks perfect here, doesn't it? via

DIY Weed Spray

I got this in my email this morning from a friend who lives nearby. I think she's trying to tell me something in a nice way. I have seen all sorts of recipes for homemade weed spray but never this one. I sprayed RoundUp on my driveway twice last year and worried about what I might be doing to my health the whole time. I was covered head to toe and had a bandana over my nose and mouth. I honestly don't think it's worthwhile because the weeds came back. This recipe has nothing harmful in it so I shall make it and let you know if it works. I have all of the ingredients on hand too, though I might have to buy more vinegar. I am so excited!

Weed-Be-Gone

1 Gallon Vinegar

2 Cups Epson Salts

1/4 Cut Dawn Dish Soap (the Blue Original)

It will kill anything you spray it on. Just mix and spray in the morning after the dew has evaporated. Walk away. Go back after dinner and the weeds are all gone!

This sounds too good to be true but it's worth a try. Have a great weekend everybody. xo

The Wisdom of Shakespeare

I love the graphic that illustrates this quote by William Shakespeare. Everything went well at my Certificate of Occupancy inspection today and the carpenter bee treatment. We had some fierce blowing rain late this afternoon and I had quite a time cleaning up my wet floors and windowsills. I had open windows all over the house and couldn't close them quickly enough. It really cooled things off for my after supper walk with the Wonder Dog. 

I found a photo of the bedroom in the house where my new love seats once lived. I'm still over the moon with joy over them. Webster is still being a perfect gentleman and is respecting them too. 

My tall brass lamps were once in the dining room of this lovely house.

Here are the furnishings in my cottage for those of you who missed my previous posts.

I think everything looks perfectly cozy at my house, don't you? Enjoy your Friday evening. I'll be stretching out on the love seat by the window pretty soon, watching my small television. I changed the artwork to the right of the window. See photo here. See you tomorrow. xo

Stately Fern

I took this photo of a lone fern standing against leaves of a darker green a couple of days ago. I loved the way it stood out with its lighter shade of green. Ferns are my among my favorite wild plants. I have a busy day this morning with another inspection and a carpenter bee treatment at the early blue house. See you later. xo

Country Kitchen in Summer

Nothing says summer better than watermelon and peaches, right? via

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Page 80

This makes me want to finish my weeding. I never did finish the front. We are supposed to have rain for the weekend and I've been waiting for a rainy day to loosen them. xo

For Sale: Renée Zellweger’s Old House in Connecticut

Click here for slideshow from Architectural Digest.

The clapboard exterior of Renée Zellweger’s 18th century Connecticut retreat.

The primarily white kitchen has butcher-block countertops. I wouldn't want this half-wall looking into the formal dining room. I wouldn't want to look at the hanging pot rack in the kitchen from the dining room. 

The Quinebaug River runs through the property.

A Gerdener's Perfection

I would never be able to have anything this perfect without a full-time gardener. Real gardeners are hard to find that can work alone without supervision. via

Webster is still playing nice.

I still can't believe my good luck with Webster and Tabitha and the new furniture in my living room. I have stopped putting barricades in front of the sofas at night because Webster knows his place in the world of new furnishings. I'm not sure how Tabitha is going to behave this winter but we'll see. For now, when I bring her inside she's happy on a blanket on my bed. It was very chilly last night and she slept there all night and went out first thing this morning. We are having delightful weather and the high today is supposed to be only 79° and it feels like the beginning of fall instead of the end of July! Having all the windows wide open is my idea of heaven. See you later. xo

I finished my lawn trimming.

I had a very busy day on Saturday and finished trimming with my electric weed whacker in both the front and the back. Tabitha watched. I'm happy to say I'm all caught up on my mowing and trimming but still have to hand weed the wood-chipped area on the other side of the front walk. It rained last night so the crab grass will be easy to hack out. There's no end to yard work, is there? 

Love this Kitchen

I love the floor. It looks like cork tiles which I love because they are so easy on the feet, legs, and back when standing for long periods. This is a great layout and I wouldn't change much. I would want a sink the width of the window even though there's another in the island. I would probably skip that one for a deep double sink under the window. Wish I could see the rest of the room. via

Wonderful Period Interior

So understated and simple. Love the colors. via

About Time - A Delightful Movie

Click here if you can't see video below.

I woke up way too early this morning and treated myself to a movie on my iPad. I wasn't at all sure I was going to like it, but ended up loving it. It was a long one too, a little over two hours and that was a huge plus since I didn't want it to end. It takes place in Cornwall, England and London. Here's the review on Rotten Tomatoes. I loved the English family and their delightful house and property. Bill Nighy plays the father. Watch it if you can. Trust me, you'll love it. xo

Corn on the Cob for Two

Have you had any good corn this year? via

Have a Restful Weekend

This looks like an ideal place to wile away the weekend with a good book. I just finished Every Last One by Anna Quindlen and loved it. In a nutshell - it's a novel about facing every last one of the things we fear the most, about finding ways to navigate a road we never intended to travel. photo credit

Great Cabin Cottages

I can hear the porch swing creaking now. I'll bet it's wonderfully cool inside with all that shade. It's nice being able to sit in the front too. via

This cabin porch in Charlottesville is perfect, isn't it? It's like being inside and outside at the same time. via

Abandoned Cottage

This looks like a fun project. I wonder how long it has been unloved? via

Enjoying the cut grass.

I mowed for over 6 hours today and it's starting to look pretty good around here. It was a perfect day to cut tall grass on my riding mower. This is only the third or fourth cutting this year. I only cut about once a month. I know that's not often enough but I can always find an excuse for putting it off. Too hot, too wet, no gas, no oil, too late, etc. Actually, I have to be in the mood to mow and today I was! I did use my last drop of SAE 30 small engine motor oil and the empty container is on the kitchen table to remind me to pick up more. I almost always use my walk behind mulching mower for the front so grass doesn't get blown against the house. It was so long I did run my Snapper over it going in only one direction. Tomorrow I will go over it again with the power push mower so I won't have so much hand trimming. Webster and Tabitha like what I've done so far. Webster has decided to join me in the living room on one of his beds. He's over his pout, I guess. Enjoy the evening. I'm sure I hope I won't mow in my sleep tonight. I feel like I still have my roller skates on, if you know what I mean. xo

Best Eye Liner

His name is Sherlock. Mother Nature gave him the most wonderful eye liner, didn't she? We had a storm late yesterday that cooled things off nicely. I had the windows open last night and threw a light blanket on top of my bed spread because Miss Tabitha decided to sleep with me. She woke me up early and wanted to go outside and I went right back to sleep, thankfully. Webster has decided to punish me by spending most of his time upstairs. He has a nice bed in front of an eyebrow window in the attic and I guess that's his preferred substitute for his spot on the old sofa. I'm still babying him to help him get over his hurt leg before it gets to be chronic. We've had three good days in a row and I'm very pleased. I think he views his two dog beds in the living room as "sick" beds. Let's hope he doesn't need them again anytime soon. xo