Content in a Cottage

Dog Cache Pot

2012-01-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

Snapped this morning at a wonderful realtor open house tour.

Owl's Eye View from Inside a Hollow Tree

2012-01-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

I stuck my iPhone in an old hollow apple tree to get a view of what the owls and other animals see when they are on the inside looking out. It looks pretty safe and cozy in there, doesn't it?

Calm Stream This Afternoon

2012-01-30T20:40:00.000-05:00

I walked past the stream today and it looked completely different with blue skies and white clouds instead of the gray skies and fog I showed you last week. I love the blue reflection on the dark water.

While we are on the subject of SWANS

2012-01-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

Will it fit? Don't you wish we knew why this swan needed to be driven somewhere? And on the passenger side too! via

Ex-libris with Swans Circa 1907

2012-01-30T08:43:00.000-05:00

From A collection of book plate designs by Louis Rhead, Boston, 1907. via

Webster on The Timeout Porch

2012-01-29T17:23:00.002-05:00

"I promise not to make the lady sick."

I had a really good turnout at an open house I hosted today. I was doing it alone in an empty house so I decided at the last minute to take Webster along. It turned out to be a genius idea. He was Mr. Meet and Greet and [almost] everybody loved him. One lady said she was allergic so I put Webster on the sunporch. He did everything imaginable to keep this from happening. He made himself small and put on his dog brakes. He was in there for 10 minutes at most out of a 3 hour stint. He licked babies, played with little boys, kissed men and women both young and old. He was a great ice breaker too. From now on, he's my new assistant. He is exhausted from all the excitement and has already gone to bed after his early dinner.

Almost February in NJ or The Winter That Wasn't

2012-01-29T09:07:00.000-05:00

We had winter in New Jersey in the fall during Halloween and since then it has been unusually mild. Maybe this is our reward for all the damage we suffered when we had a blizzard while all the leaves were on still the trees. Our poor mature trees are still suffering and losing branches and even whole treetops because of their October injuries. I took this iPhone photo at a friend's house yesterday. I know I sound like a broken record mentioning the camera source in my posts but I still can't believe the capabilities of my mobile phone that's always in my pocket. Enjoy this beautiful Sunday!

Following the Already Traveled Path

2012-01-28T20:02:00.000-05:00

I think these sheep are very wise to travel in the path made by a big vehicle instead of wasting calories forging a new one. Maybe it will take them closer to the barn filled with hay. via

Snowdrops in January

2012-01-28T16:35:00.003-05:00

Mine haven't come up yet but few leaf tips are just barely poking through the earth. I usually don't get them until February because they don't get any direct sun where they are planted at my house. I photographed these this morning at my friend's house. Snowdrops are always the first sign of spring.

Architectural Elements This Morning

2012-01-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

Webster and I fed the dogs of a friend this morning and I had such fun taking pictures with my iPhone while the animals socialized. As you can see we are having a wonderful spring-like weekend. Hope you are too. More later.

Garden Passage

2012-01-28T08:25:00.012-05:00

Hidcote Gardens -- Cotswolds, England. Absolutely wonderful! Actually it's almost too lovely if that's even possible. Maybe that's why the French doors are there...so you can block some of it out when you can't absorb the enormity of it all. Wouldn't you love to sit on one of those benches and soak in the beauty? via Have a great weekend.

The Imperial March- Barked and Classical?

2012-01-27T19:31:00.000-05:00

The Bark Side -- It's not the only Super Bowl ad evoking past hit movies. Volkswagen, which had a hit last year with its little Darth Vader ad, will be tapping into the Force once again with dogs barking out the Imperial March.

Darth Vader's Theme -- I wasn't sure what I was listening to at first with the dogs until I heard it played by an orchestra. I think they did a good job after I listened to the barking version again. It is going to be a Super Bowl hit!

iPhone Photos of The Day

2012-01-27T16:31:00.013-05:00

We had pouring rain overnight and real downpours this morning. I went for a walk after it subsided. The stream around the corner was flowing pretty swiftly almost overflowing its banks. I was standing on a one-lane bridge while taking this photo looking into the soft fog.

I was standing on the bank looking in the opposite direction for this shot. I'm so lucky to live in an area with lots of open space and conserved land thanks to our Land Trust.

Countess of Grantham and Lady Mary are to release a record album

2012-01-27T09:08:00.001-05:00

Are you watching Downton Abbey? I read two press releases recently saying Maureen McGovern and Michelle Dockery costars on this wonderful PBS Masterpiece series were pairing up to release an album.

I must confess I wasn't that impressed with Lady Mary's voice in last week's episode. We will just have to wait and see.

First Image and related article

Second Image and related article

Mudroom in Waiting

2012-01-26T20:13:00.000-05:00

I do like this mudroom off the kitchen in New Hampshire. The fine woodworking is wonderful. I love the built-in boot bench and the paint color too. Designed by Smith & Vansant Architects. via

Medieval Woman Feeding the Chickens

2012-01-26T16:44:00.000-05:00

I love the woven chicken coop, don't you. I scanned this image from a datebook I no longer own. I keep discovering images I saved before I even had a blog.

Big Beautiful Dried Leaf

2012-01-26T13:27:00.001-05:00

I have a tree on my property with giant leaves and I must remember to gather some this summer for still-life photography. I love this a lot! via

The Library by Elizabeth Shippen Green 1905

2012-01-25T19:30:00.000-05:00

I would love to have this painting hanging in my cottage! via

Audubon's Birds of America - One Page Per Day

2012-01-25T15:54:00.001-05:00

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – One of the world's rarest and most valuable books is out of the vault and on public view as part of an unusual daily ritual at the oldest natural history museum in the United States.

Every weekday at 3:15 p.m., a white-gloved staff member of the Academy of Natural Sciences lifts the locked protective cover from 19th century naturalist John James Audubon's influential book, The Birds of America, and turns a double elephant folio linen-backed page to reveal the bird of the day. More than 180 years after Audubon created the life-size illustrations that now link his name with ornithology, their vibrant watercolors and fine details are still remarkable.
Full article here. View the birds being unveiled day by day.

A Beautiful Frost

2012-01-25T08:51:00.000-05:00

This is not my photo but I really wish it were. I think it's so lovely. When I posted a view of a dusting of snow in Scotland, a commenter said it looked like hoar frost. I asked google images to show me what hoar frost looks like and this was my favorite photo of all. via

English: Hoar frost, white frost or rime is the tiny solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air which occurs when the temperature of the surfaces is below freezing point. It occurs generally with clear skies. Air hoar, surface hoar, crevasse hoar and depth hoar are all types of hoar frost or technically: Radiation frost.

Spectacular Boat House

2012-01-24T20:04:00.000-05:00

Magnificent Boat House in Soulby England

via

Wonderful back entrance all in white

2012-01-24T17:25:00.000-05:00

Yes please. I love everything is see in this photo and I really wish I could see more. It's all black and white and brown. Nice! via

Raindrops instead of Snowflakes

2012-01-24T13:28:00.006-05:00

Photo was taken yesterday. What a difference a day makes. The fog is rolling in now as the warmer air hits the snow on the ground. I wrote this paragraph late yesterday.
Today is bright and sunny and almost all of the snow has melted. I went to broker open houses wearing just a wool blazer over a sweater. It's in the low 50s right now. Everybody was in a good mood and optimism was in the air at my office meeting.

Very Wise Advice Indeed

2012-01-23T16:28:00.002-05:00

via

Geranium Leaves Backlit by Snow Reflection

2012-01-23T12:56:00.000-05:00

All of the leaves have turned to face the window. I love the backs of my geranium leaves just as much as the fronts. I have one that is blooming on the third floor. I think the ones in my living room are intimidated by the paperwhites. You really can't blame them either, can you?