Merci

To our generous Mary and Gerard

Merci

Such a lovely evening.

Nous vous manquez deja.

Weekends~

~ Happy Weekend ~

Back on Monday

Down for now... but still strong.

~Charles M. Bailey-Public Library~

This is the public library of my home town. A beautiful old stone building that has been our library for as long as I or anyone in the town can remember.

This is where, as young students, we would go to prepare for a history report, a book report or to look at the latest edition of Ingenue magazine-{do any of you remember that?}

A few weeks ago, a sixteen year old boy- not from this community - set fire to this landmark. So far there is little talk about this young man or why he was out in the middle of the night or why this happened.

My late Mother was a trustee of this library and she used this library. It was a special to her. She regularly took books out from this library and would use it for research.

It's sad to drive by and see no young children entering for story hour, or high school students going inside to look up information online. We are hoping that with the help of community - our little library will be back with us soon. We are a community that does not judge, we do not blame... we just want her back in all of her glory.

How many~is enough?

~Most of them~

When I worked as a gardener on a nearby estate, I became friendly with the chefs. The first was a woman who authored at least two cookbooks. She once told me, "When you purchase your second cookbook, you have started a collection". The second chef was a bit eccentric and rarely used a recipe. I thought him to be a master at his homeland Moroccan cuisine. Back to the first-the lady author. She gave me a signed copy of one of her cookbooks, making that my second... and that, was the beginning of my cookbook collection.

~Joy~

~There are two copies of The Joy of Cooking. One is pretty old and tattered, and the newer one is the updated edition.

~The complete works of Ina Garten~The Barefoot Contessa. These are my 'go-to' books. I love the way this woman entertains and if I could have dinner with but one cookbook author it would be this lady.

~The New York Times Cookbook-this is my husband's favorite and is his 'go-to' book of choice.

~I am a soup maker and lover so there are several good soup cookbooks. Most of those were gifts from my wonderful son and daughter-in-law~Jonathan and Amanda.

~Two great Maine cookbooks are the Marjorie Standish-Cooking Downeast and Keep Cooking the Maine Way.

~I love Classic French Cooking by Elizabeth Luard for the fantastic recipes and its whimsical illustrations.

~The New Basics and The Silver Palate by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins are great sources as is, Great Good Food by Julee Rosso.

~I love Dean & Deluca The Food and Wine cookbook-pairing dishes with complimentary wines.

~From Maine-The Arrow's Cookbook by Clark Fraier and Mark Gaier. My husband and I have had the pleasure of dining at Arrow's in Ogunquit-it was memorable.

~There are a couple of cupcake books for those times that our Granddaughter Erin visits and we feel like baking.

~I treasure my Mother's old copy of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook.

~I don't eat meat, so there are few good vegetarian books.

~More Joy~

~The Black Dog- Summer on The Vineyard and The Martha's Vineyard Table are perfect for summer fare.

~I was raised by my a strong Italian Mother and my Dad who loved my Mom's ancestral dishes, so there are some good Italian cookbooks.

~I have folders of clipped recipes and favorites from family and friends. I enjoy two wonderful cooking groups where we choose a theme and contribute to a splendid evening of sharing.

I would love to hear about your favorite recipes and some of your 'go-to' cookbooks.

p.s. I love everyday recipes from Cooking Light magazine- Oh yes... cooking magazines~ that's a whole other post...

Please join me in visiting ~ A Day That Is Dessert ~ A Perfect Beginning ~ PVE Design. They too will be sharing their cookbooks with us over the next several days.

Dream Houses

~New England Cottage~

When we purchased our first home, it was a large Cape Cod style home. Fairly traditional, but it did have a finished basement with a bath, kitchen, plenty of closet and storage space, a living room with a fireplace and it's own entrance. It was the perfect, private spot for our son when he came home from college and if he wanted to have friends in. There were a total of twelve rooms in that house. When I was working outside of the home, full time, it was a lot to maintain. My husband is pretty good around the house but it was an older home and always needing attention.

So, when we decided to buy a much smaller home, I was thrilled. We down-sized significantly holding yard sales and passing things on to those that could use whatever was up for grabs!

I had long dreamt of designing and building a school house. It would be one large main room downstairs, with bath and upstairs. There would be a large master suite and two small rooms, one a studio for me and the other a den for my husband. However those plans never came to fruition and we were thrilled to be in this smaller cape, which was manageable and bright and we do truly love it here.

~Log Cottage~

I have always been attracted to tiny buildings. Especially those that hold some interesting bits of architecture. I imagine them as cozy living spots or studios where creative juices can flow boundlessly. Last night I announced to my husband that I thought we should sell most of our earthly possessions, sell our home, simplify our wardrobes, buy a piece of land on a private road and I build a TINY house. One that would have just what we truly needed. A snazzy kitchen with a compact dishwasher, a gas stove, a small refrigerator and as much storage places as could be cleverly designed into the project. There would be a full bath with an apartment sized washer and dryer. A narrow short few steps up would be the master suite- minuscule by any standards but it would have what we needed and there would be as much storage as possible. Only those most precious decorative pieces would be out, keeping the landscape of our little home neat, tidy and, most important, easy to maintain - giving us lots of time to illustrate and tie flies.....

I really had it all beautifully pictured in my head. There would be window boxes filled with bright colored annuals and a small herb and vegetable garden close by. I continued trying to sell my idea to my husband by announcing that there would be no mortgage, low property taxes, low utility costs and very low maintenance. He could retire and we could travel to Lucca, he could fly fish as much as he wanted and we would have endless, lazy days together.

We pondered this for a while over a glass of wine and after going back and forth, pro and con...

~Sleeping Loft~

I will always be attracted to a sweet dwelling, a place where one can dream, live with only what is truly needed and holds some storybook quality. I love illustrating little spots such as these- imagining what it would be like to have a cozy nest where the days are long and the nights are sweet with the sound of the peepers~ while reading in a warm, comfortable loft.

Do you ever think of a major downsize, going off the grid and creating a more simple life?

Natasha Richardson 1963~2009

~Natasha Richardson - May 11, 1963 ~ March 18, 2009~
Passed away as the result of a tragic skiing accident.

I have long been a big fan of Natasha Richardson~ born into a family rich in film, she was the daughter of the late Tony Richardson and actress Vanessa Redgrave. Ms. Richardson is survived by her husband, film star Liam Neeson and two sons, Michael and Daniel.

Among her many roles, a few of my favorites~

~Maid in Manhattan

~The Parent Trap ~ the remake

~Nell- starring with her husband Liam Neeson

~Past Midnight

~Evening

~Wild child

Will be sorely missed.

Priceless Art~

~Erin-2009~

During a recent visit our young Granddaughter Erin went to her art cupboard that we keep stocked for her. She brought out little snippets of this and that. There was colorful paper, a paper punch, glue, stickers, tiny wooden sticks, crayons and colored pencils. She focused on this piece for at least a couple of hours- gluing, removing things when they didn't quite suit her and repositioning until it was just as she wanted it.

~Erin-2009~

It is displayed in a place of honor. This is more precious than riches to her Mimi and Pop-Pop. Don't you love the texture, the use of color? We encourage her with plenty of supplies and we set aside special, creative playtime when she visits. During one extended visit, while Mom and Dad were on vacation, we took her to a local museum. She was quite taken with the colorful displays and the interactive areas especially for young children. We think Erin to be somewhat gifted in the arts and to us- this piece is priceless.

"Every child is an artist, The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up". Pablo Picasso

"I could do art all day". Cameron~ Age 5

"I love art because I can impress myself". Fourth Grader

Do you have a young person close to you that enjoys the creative process? Do you know of books appropriate for very young children that may inspire~ I would love to hear from you.