Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Page 13

I think I'd change #557 from safety pins to big binder clips. They're such handy things, aren't they?




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High Tide Cottage

I'm calling this a high tide cottage because it looks as if it were built with whatever washed ashore. I like this little A-frame, don't you? Flickr




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Baby Bluebird Rescue At The Cottage

When I woke up this morning I looked outside my bedroom window and saw a blob that wasn't moving on the lawn near the Eastern Bluebird house. It looked like a baby bird and it was. The bluebird parents weren't at all upset and every once in a while they would fly down and shove something in its mouth. I was very concerned because it was almost time to let Webster out and this little bird clearly could not fly. I got my camera and a big stick. As I was shooting baby bluebird portraits the parents were dive bombing my head. Then I got my stick and tried to make this little one perch on it so I could put him back in the house. That did not work. So I picked him up and poked him back inside so he could tell his juvenile brothers and sisters about the outside world and the giant who helped him. I hope he stays inside until his little wings are stronger. All is well now. You know how much I love my bluebirds and I don't want to lose a single one. Here's hoping you have some excitement too this weekend. xo, Rosemary

My camera ~ Nikon D40 SLR

My lens ~ Nikon 18-200 zoom lens with VR
(Macro at any focal length)

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Yellow Poppies

I love poppies in any color. I just got finished using the shop vac on my balcony and then swabbing it down with soap and water with a little bleach. It looks and smells so nice and fresh, like summer field flowers.




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25 Modern Kitchen Designs

25 Modern Kitchen Designs That Will Rock Your Cooking World:

"This post goes out to all of you interested in modern kitchen designs." I chose this one to illustrate a very nice modern kitchen that I could easily live with. I'm so over all those bar stools lined up in a row so your feet don't touch the floor and there is absolutely no eye contact with the people beside you. I usually get up and stand so I can see everyone. I like this arrangement better with a table and chairs adjacent to the island instead. So much more intimate. Click on the link and see which kitchen is your favorite.




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Unusual Animals on Leashes

Isn't this the sweetest photo you've ever seen? Don't you love this little girl's coat? Isn't the kitten cute? Don't you love the car with the running board? via

My mother walks her fat cat Tabitha on a leash too.

Beatrix Potter walked her pet rabbit on a leash that looks more like a string.

This is one of my antique Christmas cards featuring a pig with a string leash tied to his leg.

Happy Friday. Have a great weekend and take your pet for a long walk.
xo, Rosemary




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Sweet Pansy Face

I've been pinching and feeding the pansies like crazy lately trying to bring them back to their former beauty and it's working. They've loved this week of cooler weather and they are nice and perky again. I took this photo after a hard shower this afternoon.




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A Great Attic Bedroom

Cool Attic Spaces and Ideas I liked this one a lot.




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Celine Dion's $20m Water Park Mansion

First look at Celine Dion's $20m Florida waterpark mansion
"And if it proves not to be enough water for the singer, she can always take a short walk down to the beach, as the house overlooks the Atlantic. The lavish pool system uses 500,000 gallons of water (6.5million gallons are needed for the park each year). The water features includes two swimming pools, two water slides and a lazy river, which has a slow current to carry bathers around the pool." This is just plain crazy. What is she thinking? Another shrine to excess (and bad taste). What happens in Las Vegas should stay in Las Vegas.




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Mowed Lawn Today

Thankfully I didn't have to use this old clunker. But I did use a gas powered push mower...the mulching kind...to mow my front and back lawns before it started raining. I heard on the news that we have had only .11 inches of rain since mid May. Everything was very dry and big patches of grass were turning yellow. The gentle rain that started about 1pm has been perfect. All of it will go in the ground. Is it dark yet? Can I please go to bed? I'm sure I will fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow. Goodnight.




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French Norman Manor House Pool and Garden

Here is the pool house for a circa 1926 French Norman manor house from last week's house and garden tour that featured several Mountain Colony estates in the Somerset Hills. This home was first on the tour and I neglected to photograph the home itself. Boo hoo. It was designed and built in 1926 by architect Eugene Mason as his family home. Don't you love the outdoor shower? The details of the bronze shower head are too dark in my photo but it's a similar smaller variation of the dolphin fountain's spout. I also like the way the drain was inset so attractively in the shower floor.

The property has been placed in conservation and is one of very few original Mountain Colony estates to remain intact. The distant mountain views when you step out of the main house are amazing. I am definitely taking my big camera to the 2012 tour sponsored by the Garden Club of Somerset Hills. Click to enlarge any photo.




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May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

Great Illustrated Quote Don't you hate it when the bobbin runs out in the middle of a seam? When I was young, I used to think if I ran the machine very slowly the thread would last longer.




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Peony Garden | From Last Week's Tour

Here is another photo from last week's tour sponsored by the Garden Club of Somerset Hills. I tend to think peonies are poorly engineered plants with flowers too big and heavy to be supported by their spindly stems, at least that has been my experience. These beautiful specimens don't seem to have that problem. Maybe mine aren't mature enough since I just transplanted them less than a month ago. I'll let you know if I change my mind next year. I did find a great site dedicated to Peonies. Posting it here will help me bookmark it for myself.

We are having San Francisco weather here today. Reminds me of this famous quote: "The coldest winter I ever spent was one summer in San Francisco." Mark Twain




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