Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Rainy Wednesday At My Cottage


There wasn't a leaf in sight when I finished mowing the back yesterday. All of these fell overnight.


I'll take care of the longish grass in the front the next clear dry day.


I swept the front walk last night at 6:00 pm. I am the only person I ever see in my neighborhood using a broom and a rake. Everyone else uses those horrible leaf blowers. I'm enjoying this warm rainy day.


I still have geraniums blooming on the deck too.


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So Nice!

I love this . . . don't you? The blue sky with the big white puffy clouds really sets off the second photo. I think this setting would be beautiful on a gloomy day too. 

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

French Bulldog Love

Have you ever seen anything cuter? I want the one in the middle. I'm going to babysit for a white one who is 6 months old while the owner (my friend Kelly) goes away for Thanksgiving. Webster and I are soooo excited. His name is Piggie and he is white with fawn spots. Can't wait!!!

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We Are Having A Lovely Fall

Another of my photographs from last Sunday morning. My friend has landscaped her property so beautifully, hasn't she?

I'm off to an office meeting and open house tours. Be back later.


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Monday, October 25, 2010

Audrey Hepburn Cat

HaHa . . . This cat really does look like Audrey Hepburn, doesn't she?


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More of Yesterday's Fall Photographs




The oak leaf hydrangea foliage is a brilliant burnt orange, the hostas are bright yellow with green stems and veins, and the English ivy is multicolored.


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Happy Halloween

I scanned this skull crest from one of my antiquarian books to wish you a Happy Halloween.


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Fifth Avenue Terrace in NYC

The views overlooking Central Park must be beautiful this time of year and it's warm enough to sit outside today. Simple and beautiful or simply beautiful.

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Nice Stonework

I love the landscaping and stonework in front of this home. I especially like the decorative element in the pavers replicating an antique stone mill wheel. They are so very expensive and this pattern really works.

Have a great week.

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Barter Books in Britain


Have you ever been to Barter Books in Alnwick England? I have not but it's on my list of places to visit if I ever set foot in the UK again. It looks like my kind of place billed as one of the largest secondhand bookshops in Britain.


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Fall Hydrangeas and a Bluebird


I think hydrangeas have to be one of the best landscaping plants around. They just keep on giving from spring right through the fall. I wish I could say they were mine but they aren't. They belong to a friend. I photographed them this morning after feeding and walking her dogs.

I will claim total ownership of this bluebird that was one of many flying around the cottage earlier this morning. I hope it's one of the youngsters born here his spring. These birds never fail to thrill me. He was all puffed up with pride about his beauty. Isn't that color spectacular?


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Bedroom with Fireplace and Bookshelves

I slept late this morning and woke up to an almost spring-like Sunday morning. It's absolutely beautiful but can't yet be considered Indian Summer because we haven't had a killing frost. I still have a lot of outdoor work to do so I hope that dreaded frost holds off for a bit.

Don't you love the bedroom I found for you? I think it is my favorite one ever. Books within easy reach, a window and a fireplace too. I'm envisioning a comfy club chair and ottoman on the other side of the hearth and another bookcase. TV person that I am, I would require one on the wall opposite the foot of the bed. The roofline isn't very steep so the cathedral ceiling still feels cozy and I'm glad the boards and beams were stained, not painted. I have a very similar oriental rug in my kitchen. If I were designing a bedroom from scratch this would definitely be it.

Enjoy your Sunday. See you later.


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Saturday, October 23, 2010

Earth In A Pinch

Earth, in a pinch . . . part of a contemporary art sculpture exhibit at the Parc de Chaudfontaine, Belgium. This giant clothespin, dubbed Pinching Earth was designed to inspire action to save the planet. Earth's Clothespin
Artist: Uysal Mehmet Ali (Photo: Mmarsupilami/Flickr)


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Exploding Milkweed

This milkweed photo bring back so much nostalgia for me. When I was a kid these grew everywhere and I used the puffy stuffing for my doll-bed pillows and other fun sewing projects. I've transplanted a few here at the cottage since they grow wild nearby. But nothing compares to the fields and fields of them I remember when I was in grammar school.


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20 Wonderful Bedrooms | Architectural Digest Slideshow

The prints on the bedroom walls are all from Audubon’s original folio, and most of the birds on view, such as the passenger pigeon and the great auk, are long extinct. The owner/designer says, “I put them there to remind me every morning of my environmental responsibilities to the world.”

I like the bookcase bed and I imagine the view out the big window wall has spectacular views of the countryside in upstate New York.

View more wonderful bedrooms in a 20-photo slideshow.


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