Looking Back: A Dozen Photos

My grandfather clock. My pantry with Dutch door closed. An early sundial on the counter before I had a microwave there. The outlet behind it was broken and I finally had it fixed when I needed an electrician for a more pressing repair.

An amazing winter golden hour. Photo was taken from the balcony off my living room.

Footprints in the snow. I walked halfway down my property a cold winter's day and these were the first prints I encountered.

One of my cardinals.

Bluebirds are my favorites. They love this corner of my balcony railing.

Geraniums on the lower level deck next to the sliding glass doors.

A favorite photo of my kitchen showing my tongue and groove ceiling.

The wreath on my front door last year photographed from inside.

A lovely notecard with a real shell on it.

My favorite photo of my cottage after it was painted summer 2022.

A nook in my kitchen.

One of the first photos I ever took in my kitchen.

I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane with old photos you have probably already seen. I had a great Thanksgiving and hope you did too. My new eyes are just wonderful after my cataract surgery. It will be three weeks on Thursday since I had my rught eye done and a month since the left one. I was a little concerned about the "floaters" in my right eye but they went away after two weeks. I couldn't be more pleased.

xo

Pet Sitting -- Meet Max 🐾🐾 + Thrifting Find

I am dogsitting Max for the first time. Missy died recently and Max is the new dog in town. I am enjoying him and he's enjoying being at my house. He's behaving wonderfully and his owner won't believe it. At his home he is a one-dog demolition crew and chews everything he can get his teeth around. All because he's bored. I have given him lots of attention and we have been on countless walks. I have things on all surfaces but he hasn't tried to chew one thing! He likes having the tv on nonstop too. 

Another pose.

He has been ravenous too because of all the walks. He is a Pincher mix and is a small/medium size under 40 pounds. He's very strong too and I am determined to teach him how to walk on a relaxed leash. I think he is part dachshund according to the adoption place but who knows. He never barks and I like that. I have only heard him once. I put him in his crate in order to be able to write this post. He doesn't mind because he has one in his owner's truck and home. I will put him in again for overnight. 

 

Thrifting find yesterday: An art pottery dish by Margaret Wozniak signed and dated 2007. Size 9" x 8-1/2" has hanging wire on back too. ($7.00)

Stamped with her seal.

The back.

One of her series called Greater Angels.

I love it and found out more about the artist on her website.

https://www.margaretwozniakceramics.com/

She has an Etsy shop too. Here.

Don't you love her work?

Wish me luck with Max for the next few days.

xo

Inside My Cottage -- 4 Weekend Photos

Another view of this wall with the blue and white platter hung very recently and I am enjoying it so much there. 

It's been a wild November for me so far. I had cataract surgery! My left eye was done on 11/2 and my right eye on 11/9 and both were very successful and I am thrilled with the outcome. Of course it's only been two days since my right eye was done and the new lens is still settling in but it's doing nicely. So many people I know have decided this was the year to finally have their eyes done and I'm glad I did too. 

I have had this clear glass rabbit candy container on this windowsill for ages. His head lifts off and I use it for my small binder clips. I change the way he's looking every time I get out a clip while doing paperwork at my desk in the pantry office. He always makes me smile. The full-bodied black cat featured recently also lives in this window.

The trees are nearly bare in this kitchen window to the right of my stove overlooking my leaf-covered driveway.

Another side window in my kitchen showing a fall late afternoon sky. I took a walk outside to get some exercise and looped around my property twice. No heavy lifting, no stooping, etc. and I'm trying to be careful so my eyes will continue healing nicely. Have a great rest of the weekend. xo

 

So Many Leaves

This is a photo of the end of my late afternoon walk on Saturday (yesterday). I had a wonderful time crunching through the leaves. When we get some wind they will blow away. I woke up early this morning and the extra hour of sleep was nice. The sun was already up and that was nice. So far, so good with Daylight Savings Time. Have a great Sunday and you might want to rethink raking the leaves.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/to-rake-or-not-to-rake-expert-tips-for-eco-friendly-autumnal-lawn-care

I absolutely love seeing the sun shining through my geranium leaves in the morning. All of my indoor plants are thriving because I brought them in early. They actually didn't love being out on my balcony all summer. It was just too hot out there so next year I am going to relocate them to the front where they will just get the late afternoon sun. xo

Watch ANTIQUES ROADSHOW UK free on Pluto TV

If you like all things English and Antiques too, you will love the British version of The Antiques Roadshow. It has been televised since 1979 and there is an endless loop of all episodes on PLUTO TV It's on channel 556 if you want to try it out on PlutoTV. I never tire of it and I pretty much have my living room set tuned to that channel all day long. Each episode is recorded at an amazing historic site and the people who bring in their family heirlooms or boot sale finds are delightful. Let me know if you love it too. I woke up this morning to my first killing frost and the begonias are gone.😢 Happy Friday -- have a great weekend.

https://pluto.tv/en/on-demand/series/antiques-roadshow/details/season/28

Full Size Tin Cat Silhouette in My Window

I promised Tasha T I would post my other tin cat silouette with marble eyes. She looks out of my office pantry front-facing window. She's ready to pounce but no bird is in danger. She's especially nice this time of year with the beautiful fall leaves in the background. My red begonias are still going strong. We had our first killing frost on Tuesday and my neighbior's mums are already dead. Begonias don't care though. I wonder how much longer they will last? Yesterday it was in the high 70°s and I had my house painters come over do do an intense final mowing. I had done the front and back to the barn/garage's back edge. They did the rest all the way to the way back and everything looks lovely.

There is a lot more of the "way back" behind me in this photo but you get the idea of all the mowing and weed whacking that went on yesterday. I am thrilled. I am getting stuff done without waiting until the last minute this year and it feels so good.

Posting Friday 10/27/23 10:34 am

xo

Saturday Cleaning Frenzy

An early Saturday morning view from inside my vestibule looking out at a rainy walkway. The day got progressively better and the sun came out after lunch which was an unexpected surprise.

I had other plans for my morning so I didn't mind the rain. I woke up knowing I was going to give my bathroom a deep cleaning and I did.

It's such a good feeling to finish a job well done, isn't it? I have turned on my heat several times and I wanted to get out my radiator brush and give mine a good cleaning. This room has the first one I've done. I cleaned the floor and every surface and I am so happy. Now that I see the photos I think I'll get out my new ladder and do the light fixture too. I didn't think of it today. Have a great Sunday. xo ~ Posting Saturday night 8:30 pm

Dog Earing Cookies, So Cute🐾🐾♡🐾🐾

I have saved this screenshot on my computer for the longest time. Try as I may and try as I might I cannot find the original source. I have tried Google Lens to no avail. Anyway, I love it and think it's adorable.

Are you enjoying October? Are the giant Halloween skeletons that have cropped up everywhere in my area in yours too? I have a feeling they will remain into the Christmas season wearing Santa hats but I hope not.

See you again soon. xo, Rosemary

UPDATE: Tasha T to the rescue. 

She found the UK artist, Alison Friend HERE

This limited edition artwork is sold out.

See more of her delightful paintings @ AlisonFriend.com

Thanks Tasha T xo

Best Animal Story, Ever!

Found on Instagram HERE.

I wasn't wrong, was I? Isn't this the best story ever?

Posting Saturday night at 7:32

Have a great Sunday.

xo

Busy as a Bee this October

I replaced a small busy oriental rug with this rag rug my neighbor gave me. It was much wider but had a long rip so I cut it to size following the rip to the end. So the left side in this photo is a finished edge as are the two ends but the right side is a raw edge. 

I was able to get a hall runner out of the cut off portion. I had to resize it to 30" wide and the ends were turned over and sewn on my sewing machine. I had to turn over one long edge and sew that too but I have one finished edge. 

A closer view of the hall runner added to the post.

This is my view from my sofa in front of the TV. The rugs don't match but I like the new look and the rag rug is much larger than the small rug i had in front of the sofa between the French doors and I think the room will be warmer this winter.

Here is another view showing my coffee table and more of the other rug in the room.

I took down the summer tab curtains in the sitting room on my lower level in front of the sliding glass doors. I had forgotten all about them and found them when looking in bins in the garage. They turned out to be 3 rows of the checked fabric too long and the linings had stretched too and were longer than the drapes. What a project. It wasn't hard but it took quite a while in my attic sewing room and I am so happy they came out perfectly.

Another view with them open. We had really cold weather last week when I was working on this sewing project but I resisted turning on the heat and it got mild again yesterday and I was able to open my upstairs windows again. 

This room will be warmer during the winter with the curtains closed. They look nice from the outside too now that the lining fabric has been shortened. So now you know a few things I have been doing around the house and I am pleased with all three projects. The upstairs hall runner is the third.

I have put the cover on the air conditioning unit and there is still more mowing to do to get the grass short enough the leaves will blow away. They are just beginning to fall from some trees but most trees are still green. Fall is a busy time of year, isn't it. The more you can do to prepare for winter, the better. Halloween decorations are popping up all over too. See you again soon with more tales from the cottage.

xo

 

Happy Saturday

I took down a small framed item and replaced it with a blue and white platter.

I like it because it carried out the blue and white theme of my lamp. I found a platter hanger while I was organizing in my attic. Wish I had found it sooner.

I found this on Instagram and it's perfect for my #illustratedquotes hashtag, isn't it? Posted by @susan.steadman here.

I am dressed in my outwork clothes and there is still so much to do before the cold weather sets in. Have a GREAT weekend, everyone. xo

Restoration Man: Great Series on Restoring Historic Buildings TUBI

This is a screenshot, click to enlarge.

I love watching DIY anything. I always watch This Old House on PBS whenever I run across it while channel surfing. I have a channel on my antenna tv called DABL and I love watching George Clarke on a show where he runs across people who are repurposing or restoring small spaces. I recently came across him on TUBI and found this series called THE RESTORATION MAN

George Clarke is an architect who helps anxious homeowners restore and convert neglected historical properties all around the UK into totally unique dream homes. Many are listed buildings that have restrictions from planning boards that take way too much time to get permissions before work can begin. I just found this series and accidentally jumped right in on Season 2. When I finish it, I'll go back and watch Season 1 and I hope there's a Season 3. I really had no idea how unforgiving the UK weather can be in the winter, especially in Scotland. Let me know if you start watching and like this series as much as I do.

Happy Labor Day! xo, Rosemary

PS: I pulled all the poison ivy by hand in all the beds around my foundation. I was totally covered except for my face. I have a few poison ivy blisters under my chin but hopefully I started treating it in time with TECNU. Wish me luck.