Roger Rabbit Wearing A Sweater

It's jumper weather at my house too only we call them sweaters in America. via

Unreal Bird

This bird looks like a child's painting that was brought to life and I like it. It's so round, fluffy and colorful. It must be rare because I've never seen another. xo

OCTOBER, already?

I should have posted this yesterday but I hit the ground running and never stopped. I had my furnace checked out and serviced for the upcoming winter and my generator too. The service man came at 7:30 and I was shocked that my furnace came on when I set the thermostat to the heat setting. I still have my windows open and don't plan to have my radiators cranking for some time.

I am so enjoying my garden claw and the ease it has given me in pulling my tall weeds. It's rather like wrapping spaghetti around a fork. If you ever see one at a garage sale, grab it. It does take a bit of upper body strength, but I have plenty of that so it's not a problem. Men would probably like this tool too.

Climbing Nasturtiums at My Cottage

These climbing nasturtiums were planted from seeds in the ground in the spring.

I am so enjoying this riot of color right now.

Nasturtiums are tender perennials that didn't do much over the hot summer but are coming into their glory now that temps have cooled off. I am hoping they will reseed themselves but I will pick and save some seeds just in case. Please notice my newest (old) galvanized watering can far left. Thrift shop find for fifty cents but I paid them one dollar because I had no change. Love it. What you see above is very selective photography. My front garden bed is filled with weeds and I have just begun to tackle them. The annual firehouse sale and auction of donated stuff was Saturday and as you all know, it's my favorite day of the year. The very first thing I bought was a "GARDEN CLAW" and it is a really wonderful addition to my gardening tool collection. I used it and filled up two dumper carts as soon as I got home. You don't have to bend over. It's a long rod with handle bars at the top and four long angled prongs at the bottom. You just push it in and twist and the weeds come right up. I am thrilled with it and inspired to get my front back in shape once again. It works in a gravel driveway too. Yay!!

xo, Rosemary

Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes Set to Music: Old Book

I found an old book at an estate sale that is full of pages like this, each one with an engraving. I cannot read music so I don't know if I would recognize the tune. I always liked the Crooked Man rhyme as a child. I don't remember the chair part of the Pussy Cat rhyme. The cat did a great service and the Queen never knew!

Enjoy your Sunday. xo

Unseen Beatrix Potter drawings found inside books at Melford Hall Suffolk

Hooray for the cleaning lady who discovered these unseen drawings while she was dusting the books at Melford Hall, a stately mansion in Suffolk England. The delicate drawings depict scenes inside and outside Melford Hall, a Tudor mansion owned by relatives of Potter, whom she visited often between 1899 and 1938. Potter and her cousin Ethel Leech were very close, growing up together in Kensington. After Leech married Reverend Sir William Hyde Parker in 1890, Potter would often stay with her at Melford Hall. Read the entire article here. Old books hide many secrets, don't they? xo

Nice Laundry Room + My New Washer Update

I love this vintage sink between the washer and the dryer, don't you? I also like the marble countertops and backsplash. 

Now, back to my new Maytag top loading washing machine. When I first got it, I did four loads in a row in four days so I was pretty much caught up on my laundry. I did a mixed load yesterday because I didn't have enough for a white load by itself. I did 2 pairs of cotton slacks, 2 tee shirts, dishtowels, a small bathmat, one blouse, pajamas, underwear, and I can't remember what else. I watched a youtube tutorial about how to load the dry clothes. You aren't supposed to "wrap" a pair of long pants around the tub, but hold them up and drop them down. You are supposed to try to distribute the laundry evenly, so I did.

I used the "normal" setting that I knew to be a lot less water than I usually choose on the bulky/sheets setting.

I chose "light soil" and "warm water".

I did not want an extra rinse and I never do. I learned on the internet that if you turn the fabric softener dial, you will get more water even if you don't use fabric softener and I never do. My clothes weren't really dirty so I used the minimum amount of HE liquid laundry detergent (Tide Sensitive).

I set the timer on my phone for 45 minutes. I watched the beginning of the cycle. At first after the detergent was evenly dispensed in multiple squirts as the tub rotated and paused, the agitating began in not much water but the clothes were all wet. This was to get the concentrated water in all the clothes before the water was diluted. After a while more water was added and the agitating continued. Then I walked away and hoped for the best. 

I went down to the basement just before the 45 minutes was up and arrived at the very end of the spin cycle before the "done" light came on. The cycles using a big tub of water were over an hour so this was a shorter cycle and I liked that. I hung all my clothes outside in the sunshine and they were all clean so what can I say. Some days you just want a lot of water and some days you don't. Either way, your clothes will be clean so I am still over the moon with my new Maytag.

I love doing laundry now and don't put it off the way I used to. Another favorite thing is this vintage laundry basket with "make do" rope handles when the original ones broke. Another garage sale find, of course. 

Delightful Attic Bathroom

How much do I love what I can see of this attic bathroom? My research tells me it's a photo from a book by Tom Scheerer. Do love! xo