Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Quote from my Grandmother, "It's easier to keep up than to catch up."

My grandmother used to say this all the time. She was a fabulous homemaker and never got behind in anything. My grandfather had one of these little wisk brooms hanging on a hook in the hall closet. He always brushed off his coat before going out.

I was so happy when I found this small vintage broom at a tag sale. It hangs in my entry and helps me recall a valuable lesson from my early years.



Content in a Cottage
Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Folk Legend About The Christmas Spider

I had many notes and comments about the spider web I found in my kitchen and photographed for the blog yesterday. A blog reader asked me if I'd ever heard The Legend of the Christmas Spider. It is a wonderful folk legend from Germany and the Ukraine. Read more. Thank you Janie. I love it and I'm sure others will too. Rosemary 

Beautiful Sky And Reflection

Here's hoping your day is as splendid as this photo.



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Spiders Gone Wild In My Kitchen


I always forget to look up when I clean. The sun was shining brightly on this beautifully woven spider web in my kitchen chandelier this morning. Such a work of art! I think I'll leave it there to enjoy a little while longer. Maybe the spider is trying to catch the lady bugs I see flying around in the house from time to time. What would you do?



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

January Is Great For Reading


This vintage poster certainly illustrates the weather at my house perfectly. I really love this time of year because the holidays are behind me and there is nothing coming up in the near future. It's the ideal nesting and reading month. I'm going to build a big fire and curl up with a pile of magazines and books today. There will probably be some hot chocolate later. I think I saw a few big marshmallows in the cupboard this morning. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Jealous? It's okay to follow my lead.

The vintage image is a WPA (Work Projects Administration) poster circa 1940. The commemorative print features a graphic design to promote reading and library use for children.



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Happy Is The House | Emerson Quote

"Happy is the house that shelters a friend."
Ralph Waldo Emerson



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Elijah Boardman Portrait by Ralph Earl

Ralph Earl (American 1751-1801) portrayed the richly dressed dry-goods merchant Elijah Boardman (1760–1823) in his store in New Milford, Connecticut. His right hand rests on a counting desk protected by green cloth secured with brass nails. The books on the shelves include the three-volume set of Dr. John Moore's Travels, two volumes of Shakespeare's plays, John Milton's Paradise Lost, a volume of Samuel Johnson's dictionary, and the London Magazine for 1786. Through the open paneled door to the right, bolts of plain and patterned textiles, including one with a prominently displayed British tax stamp, invite inspection and tell the viewer how Boardman earned a living, just as the books in his desk and the letter in his hand speak of his learning and cultivation. Don't you think he's hot? Such a handsome 18th century gentleman!
source



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Anatomy Of A Watering Can

I got a wonderful book for Christmas entitled The Tool Book for the well-tended garden by William Bryant Logan, published by Smith & Hawken. It is quite wonderful and I'm enjoying it very much. I am amazed that I already have so many of the tools pictured in this big fat 302-page volume. Most were procured at various garage sales over the past 30+ years for pennies compared to retail prices. The scan above shows all the fine points of a good watering can. I learned the hard way not to leave them out all winter because they will fill with water, freeze, and blow up. Plastic ones aren't allowed here at the cottage. Good used metal ones are all but impossible to find these days so take care of the ones you have. Rosemary



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Two Funny Dogs

The most Photographed dog in Bruges

A tour guide said..every day he sits at that window watching the world pass by. Guess he was sleepy when this photo was taken.

Don't you love both of these photos? Found this morning while reading blogs in my Google Reader. Click on image for source. xxoo, Rosemary



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

What Is A Palindrome?

Yesterday's date 01.02.2010 was a palindrome, reading the same backward and forward. The last time we had this phenomenon was 08.31.1380

That was 630 years ago so I guess date palindromes are rare, right? I love learning new words, don't you? So did Samuel Johnson.


BBL, Rosemary



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Cormac McCarthy Typewriter Sells For $254,500.

The now famous Lettera 32 Olivetti manual typewriter owned by the author Cormac McCarthy sold last month at Christie's for $254,500. The author's description of the machine reads: "It has never been serviced or cleaned out other than blowing out the dust with a service station hose. I have typed on this typewriter every book I have written including three not published. Including all drafts and correspondence I would put this at about five million words over a period of 50 years." A few titles include All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain (The Border Trilogy).

The unidentified buyer should be pleased that all proceeds will be going to the Santa Fe Institute. Cool. Read more via The New York Times.



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Seed Saving Envelope | Seedsaver Packet


Enlarge and print. Free Download. Turn the paper around and print another to get two on a page.

Make some over the winter for garden club sales in the spring. Order garden seeds in bulk and share with friends. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy and Share. All seed saving envelopes I have designed.

"Happiness held is the seed,
Happiness shared is the flower."




Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

New Year's Resolution Generator

This is so much fun. I found a site that automatically generates resolutions for you. Keep clicking until you find one you like. Designed for the extremely lazy person who wants to change. :)



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Maira Kalman's Final Post | By George

Say it isn't so! Maira Kalman's last blog post has appeared in The New York Times. It is dated December 31, 2009 which is very fitting for two lasts.

In her final installment of "In the Pursuit of Happiness," Maira considers George Washington's extraordinary life.

All of her previous installments are being turned into a book which will be charming for sure. I hope she does something else in the Times very soon. We'll all miss her, won't we?



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

An Apple A Day

Eat more fruit this year is one of my resolutions. I love a big, crisp, tart apple like these shown in my wonderful Georgian glass bowl. Sometimes I cut them into slices with a sharp knife and sometimes I just take big bites. They are very healthy too. I think there is a lot of truth in this quote.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Picturing the Past 10 Years

Looking back over the past decade. Designed by Phillip Niemeyer. Click to enlarge.

Source: The New York Times



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.

Happy New Year | Antique Fonts


"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and may each New Year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin

I designed this greeting for you by scanning a whole alphabet from one of my antiquarian books and cutting out each letter with Photoshop to spell HAPPY NEW YEAR. Isn't it nice? It took a while to do and there was no letter W. I had to play around and stitch two Vs together and it worked. It's my present to you for the New Year. I hope yours is filled with health and happiness. Rosemary



Content in a Cottage

Click orange square to subscribe via feed reader or email.