New blood!!!

[cheapdiva]

Do any of you "senior" members ever look to see who is online and see a ton of guests looking at old threads? I do, more often than not and go and check out some of those threads. The thing that surprises me is how many of our "old" regulars have disappeared. Where is everybody going?

Are we that scary or intimidating? For all those guests out there, we WELCOME new people . . . it keeps this fresh. And new people bring new ideas and suggestions.

I joined in late 2005 or 06 but really didn't start posting until last winter. But once you join in it is hard not to check back often and see what your "buddies" are up to.

So for all of you "peekers" - come join us, PLEASE!!

[Memmey]

Your totaly right Maria, we welcome new people to join in. Maybe if you just offer a little info about your home or what you like to plant in your garden/yard/pots whatever. How about a recipe or childhood memory of home. This is a place I promise, that will welcome you to participate. I have found some of the best pals ever here. I can't go a day or two with checking to see what I have missed and what everyone is talking about.

By the way you don't have to HAVE a cottage to love cottage .
Com-on ya'll join us, we have alot of fun here and we would love for you to be part of it.

Thanks M/C.D. good idea .......as usual**)

[RoseMary]

Great idea for a thread, cheapdiva! Yes, all you 'guests' register and let us meet you. You will love being part of this community! As Memmey said, you don't have to actually own a cottage to be part of this group--I don't! It has cottage elements here and there, but it is by no means a cottage.

So please, jump in and tell us about yourself~let us get to know you! I've noticed that a lot of new people have registered but havent' posted---Please do post--we are looking forward to it:) .

And all you 'old regulars' that have disappeared~come back--we miss you!

[dedavis]

I agree with everything said below...maybe we need one of our questionnaires to break the ice? Tanya does the best ones, but I will give it a shot.

These are questions about your cottage. If you don't have a cottage, then answer for your dream cottage.

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be?

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like?

3. What's your favorite garden style?

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants?

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics)

6. What describes cozy for you?

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community?

8. Do you feed the birds in winter?

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)?

10. Shoes or bare feet?

[Chyna]

OK I"ll bite. **;

These are questions about your cottage. If you don't have a cottage, then answer for your dream cottage.

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be? I live in Montana, have no idea if my house is a cottage or a bungalow but going with English cottage feel. I would like to be in Western Montana or farther west.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like? A cozy English cottage. The creamy stucco and thatched roof. Well maybe not the thatched roof but somehting resembling such.

3. What's your favorite garden style? Front yard is english/old fashioned cottage but the back is what I refer to as color explosion. Fun, fun fun. It is where the veggie and fruit gardens are along with my rose garden. Also my dd plays back there so I want fun plants like peppermint zinnia.

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants? I suppose it would be peonies, roses and lilacs. Sure there are more but I forget the names. :o

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics) A color that Lowes says never existed (**; :mad: ) called Haze. It is a yellow-y cream color. I wanted the color the sun casts before a storm, that warm amber color. And the trim is a mistake so changing it eventually, the bedding is faux tea dyed with roses in dusty pink, soft brick and yellow.

6. What describes cozy for you? Soft fabrics, cushy pillows. Warm colors.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community? Support and a place to bounce ideas off of each other.

8. Do you feed the birds in winter? Used to but this house has no trees (:eek: ), I do leave the sunflowers out for them to munch on if they'd like. I feel that I realy shouldn't put out feeders since I have cats and that is just cruel.

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)? Summer rainshowers, sun, watermelon, fresh tomatoes/strawberries, flowers, grass. COLOR!!!!

10. Shoes or bare feet? Hmm shoes outside (did I also mention the place is in constant construction/rehabbing) and bare feet indoors. Something my mom got us all doing when we moved into the new house. She wanted to preserve the carpets. Like living in the country would make that possible. :rolleyes:

[RoseMary]

Okay---I'll go!

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be? I live in Arkansas in a very small cordwood house/cabin that we built ourselves from scratch. I like Arkansas and would like to live in the Ozarks of AR or MO. But we're probably staying right where we are!

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like? I would love to have an old farmhouse, but I adore little English style cottages. That said, I also like old log cabins.

3. What's your favorite garden style? I like the wild, cottage-y look, sort of all sprawling together. (For flowers, not vegetables!)

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants? Herbs are my very favorite thing to grow.

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics) Bedroom is green with a definite blue tinge to it. I like it and don't want to change it right now. I might like to change the dark trim to off-white, but I can live with it right now.

6. What describes cozy for you? Warm colors, overstuffed furnature, lots of books and a cat or two thrown in.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community? Good friends, a good place to hear others ideas about homes and gardens.

8. Do you feed the birds in winter? Yes. I especially love the finches!

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)? Fireflies, watermelons, flowers, wading in a cold creek, picnics.

10. Shoes or bare feet? Inside my house footwear is optional. I don't mind people wearing shoes~I have yellow pine floors and they are practically indestructable. Outside--definitely shoes--too many rocks, snakes and scorpions, etc!

Okay, newbies--let's hear from YOU!!!!!!!

[cheapdiva]

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be? Milwaukee, WI I would love a cottage in San Diego, a NYC townhome or a cottage in the Queen Ann district of Seattle. And of course, a private jet to get me from home to home.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like? Very gingerbread, small, quaint, painted in true Victorian colors

3. What's your favorite garden style? Oh, sloppy cottagey - lots of old fashioned flowers spilling over the fence, moss between the brick pathways

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants? Coneflowers and daisies - can't get enough

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? It's a boring pale yellow - everything - walls and trim. Thinking about tackling it this month, just not sure what color I will go with. Maybe shades of lilac or plum.

6. What describes cozy for you? A big overstuffed chair with an ottoman and a table that holds my books, magazines and a mug of tea or a glass of wine

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community? sharing ideas, enjoying each other's company and knowing there are many who have the same interests as I do.

8. Do you feed the birds in winter? yes, I throw bread on the roof of the building behind ours - no other "pests" can get up there to eat the bread

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)? Not having to wear 18 layers of clothes. Just feeling the sun and digging in the dirt

10. Shoes or bare feet? Bare feet - always.

[hammond39]

Hello all you Cottage Living fans. I'm new. I have always loved cottage style but now I am getting to do it for real. I just moved into a 1939 Sears kit house (the Hammond model) in Newark, Delaware, home to the University of Delaware. My fiance and I are in our mid-50s and will be getting married in the house on February 17th. We love the house and feel that it has changed how we live in a very positive way.

[Memmey]

YEAH a new girl!!!!Welcome. We love when more join in and visit. Another Sears house! Also another girl of my generation:D . So glad for you to join.
Oh yeah and you give me hope, I am divorced and in my mid fifties. I would love to meet a kind man and share the cottage life with them. OK the rest of you do not laugh, I mean it. Right now they are thinking how could a man live with a pink kitchen...stop laughing girlies.

[Lisa S]

Welcome ~ we're glad you could join us!

I think the right kind of man could love a pink kitchen. My husband wouldn't mind a pink kitchen if I actually COOKED in it.

Hey... have we discussed my mom and aunt's luck with internet dating? Just an idea!:)

[RoseMary]

Welcome, hammond39!!!!! So glad that you have posted! Congrats on your Sears house as well as your upcoming wedding!

My husband would not mind a pink kitchen (I don't think!) Mine seems to be headed toward a 'plum' color and, so far, he likes it.

Internet dating for our Memmey?? Just be careful!!! My uncle has been married for five years now to a wonderful woman he met on the internet~so, you never know!

[Chyna]

Memmey
It isn't the pink kitchen it is the red house. **) Or all the white furniture. **) Oh girl you know somebody is waiting for you out there and he will love everything you do and have. maybe next time you start the ditch on fire he'll be your fireman. **;

[hammond39]

You never know where you're going to meet someone. Just be open to all ideas and be happy doing what you're doing WITHOUT the guy. That way, if you find him, great, and if you don't, at least you're happy (does that make sense?). Anyway, we met at work when I changed departments at the University where we both work. He looks like Santa Claus and has a heart as big. He loves to cook -- we have a 1952 Chambers gas stove in the kitchen. It works great and he jokes that we paid $299,000 for the stove and got a free house with it.

[ChapterTwo]

[Oh yeah and you give me hope, I am divorced and in my mid fifties. ]

Memmey!

I didn't know you and I were in the same boat!
Have you dated since your divorce? Any prospects?

[ChapterTwo]

Hi Hammond39, and welcome!

Your fiance sounds like a gem...I love a man with a sense of humor. Life is too serious NOT to have one!

And I do agree with you...single women have to enjoy living their lives NOW...and then if the right guy comes along, so much the better - but they'll be happy either way!

I read an interesting article in the new O Magazine yesterday stating that a single woman hoping to find Mr. Right should write a list of 100 (!) qualities that she would like "her" man to have. Then hide the list away somewhere...It's all about telling the "universe" what you want! Anyway, I'm not doing the article justice, but I found it really interesting.

I'm easy to please though...don't know that I can come up with a HUNDRED things. LOL Well, I shall try...;)

[Memmey]

LOL Kim I had a date with a man who was very wealthy and very large , a little too rotund of my taste and I'm chubby. He had a HUGE boat, one of those cigarette boats. Well I'm more the paddle around and look at the the wildlife type. Boats like that need girls in thongs. That is NOT me. He was extremely nice and considerate but I didn't think he would want to work in the yard or go to Lowes for a Saturday project. I want to sit on the porch and have a glass of wine and cook outside....he was too big for the porch swing:( . So having trashed a nice man, let me say we were not ment for each other. So that was that and I have not thought about meeting anyone since. I think they will have to find me and not visa versa. Hammond's cute post made me think about meeting someone at our age...it's hard.

[Evelyn]

These are questions about your cottage. If you don't have a cottage, then answer for your dream cottage.

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be?
I live on 2 wooded acres at the end of a county road. I have only a peek-a-boo view of my neighbor. If I could live anywhere....a house on the saltwater.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like?

My favorite houses are stucco....old Mexico style.

3. What's your favorite garden style?

Rambling......

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants?

Hmmm....my current favorite shrub is a nandina. I think they are beautiful year round. My favorite flower might be my bee balm. I have a lovely red one that is very well behaved.

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics)

Off-white.....

6. What describes cozy for you?

Warm!! Nice lighting, books, food, the cat. I also love carpet. Odd in this day and age when everyone is doing hardwood. My livingroom carpet is eggplant.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community?

Sharing ways to live.....either online or in person. Like I said, it is a busy world. I actually think that the internet has allowed us to connect and stay in touch in an old-fashioned way. Sounds odd, but email allows me to share my day to day or small things that I would never take the time to send in a letter - partly because they do not always seem significant. The kind of stuff you might share if you were standing on the corner in front of your home and the neighbors walked by. I can email simple and silly things.

Like this forum....I have never met any of you in person, but I feel a connection.



8. Do you feed the birds in winter?

Some years. I love watching them. I stopped feeding this summer after a West Nile Virus warning and have not started back up yet.

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)?

I love a warm, sultry summer evening.

10. Shoes or bare feet?

Always shoes....I love flipflops

http://community.cottageliving.com/images/buttons/quote.gif (http://community.cottageliving.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=21688)

[Memmey]

I agree with everything said below...maybe we need one of our questionnaires to break the ice? Tanya does the best ones, but I will give it a shot.

These are questions about your cottage. If you don't have a cottage, then answer for your dream cottage.

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be?
I live in Central South Louisiana. I would love to live in Italy...Modena I think. In my little red house.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like?
An old Southern farm plantation house with a wide porch around it and old live oak trees.

3. What's your favorite garden style?
shady secret garden-ish with mossy paths and birds

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants?
Sweet olive , Mock Orange, Gardenias and at night Moon vine.

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics)
It's country white and I think it is too peachy. I would like a white with a bare hint of yellow, not lemon but butter yellow...

6. What describes cozy for you?
I love when the house is shiney clean and smells good and it's summer and you've worked in the yard , had your bath and settled in with sun dried sheets and a old cotton gown to watch a good movie and the next day is Sunday . Sunday morning coffee on the porch admiring yesterdays yard work....Heaven to me.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community?
Do you mean like here or like a whole neighborhood. Like minded neighbors would be so nice.

8. Do you feed the birds in winter?
Yes and they eating me out of house and home. My squirrels are so FAT.

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)?
Fresh cut grass and air conditioning..LOL

10. Shoes or bare feet?
Bare feet:D

[hammond39]

I just read that article in Oprah about the list. It is wonderful--I ripped it out for my fiance to read. The whole idea of it sounds crazy but it's so true. Martha Beck says that if our lists are created in the "shallow" region, they probably won't come true (i.e., if all we do is wish for money or a guy with a perfect body), but if we go to our "core" and wish for things that matter deep down, just writing those things down seems to put us in a frame of mind where we're open to new and good things happening to us. But you have to go through what she calls the "ring of fire" to get from the shallow to the core--and that's where it can hurt. We have to give up things that we think are keeping us safe and comfortable but really aren't good for us--like unhealthy marriages. That's how I got to my cottage--I finally realized that a 32-year marriage with a decent bank account and a 3,000 square-foot house on an acre wasn't worth anything if I was sharing it with someone I didn't love and who didn't love me. Now I'm living in less than 1100 square feet and have never been happier..... That's part of the cottage magic.

[dedavis]

It's so true about recognizing things that aren't good for us...I left a safe and comfortable marriage too and ended up in my wee shack. I feel like it's OK to live alone right now. I'm seeing someone I've known for years, and the companionship is nice. Can't imagine living with him or being married though. I really want to be around a variety of people--like women friends, outdoor friends, the preschoolers I work with. My marriage felt confining and now I get to balance solitude with different kinds of friendships.

Midlife gives you plenty of opportunities to examine your values and make adjustments. Life is too short to not follow your dreams!

Thanks for coming by, hammond39. You sound like a happy person who has earned her happiness.

Deb

[gigiG]

First, newbies welcome!!!! You'll find this a wonderful place to visit :)

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be? Maryland, a cottage on the eastern shore would be perfect.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like? One & half story, white/pale yellow/red door. And a porch is a must!

3. What's your favorite garden style? Lots & lots of plants together.

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants? Iris, roses, flowered bushes.

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics) Pale colors of rose, blue, peach, sage. A change would be just to have blue & sage.

6. What describes cozy for you? Fireplace with music going...

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community? Friendship, hearing ideas

8. Do you feed the birds in winter? All old bread gets toss off the porch..

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)? Fireflies, warm rain.

10. Shoes or bare feet? Slippers!

[ChapterTwo]

These are questions about your cottage. If you don't have a cottage, then answer for your dream cottage.

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be? Suburban New Jersey - It would be in northwestern NJ, where it's "country". Close enough to everything I love here, but away from the congestion.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like? Big "painted lady" Victorian with a wrap around porch and gardens everywhere!

3. What's your favorite garden style? English Country Garden

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants? Honeysuckle, Black-Eyed Susans, Lavender, Daisies, Roses, Sunflowers, Impatiens, Begonias, Coneflowers, Phlox, Snapdragons, and on and on and on! There isn't a flower I don't like.

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics) It's a non-descript beige at the present time, but I have a gallon of Seashell Pink that I just had mixed up for me at the hardware store earlier in the week. Hopefully, painting will be my weekend chore! I LOVE to paint! :-)

6. What describes cozy for you? I love lots of "stuff" around...interesting things that tell you about the resident. I like big, overstuffed chairs, hardwood floors, handmade crafts, quilts, white painted furniture and lacy curtains.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community? It's so comforting to have found people who like the same things as I do. None of my friends are into "trash to treasure" or cottage/country decorating, so they think I'm nutty. My kids like contemporary style (yuck)...so I can imagine when I "go", my treasures will be out on the trash. HA! Maybe I'd better make a stipulation in the Will...OK, let's not get depressing! At any rate, I am so glad I found you all!

8. Do you feed the birds in winter? Yes, I feed the birds and the squirrels...I never understand when people feed birds, but want to deny the squirrels. All God's creatures! I have three indoor cats and also feed a feral cat who lives under my house. I put a little bed under there and heat a microwaveable disc every night for warmth. I love animals in general!

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)? Oh, Sweet Summer! I really love the fact that the days are long and after dinner, I feel like doing things and going places. In winter, I want to curl up in a ball and go to sleep after dinner - no energy. I love the flowers, the sunshine, and EVERYTHING about summer!

10. Shoes or bare feet? Definitely bare feet or sandals or flip-flops. HATE shoes...

[Lisa S]

These are questions about your cottage. If you don't have a cottage, then answer for your dream cottage.

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be?
I want a house in every city. I’ve got my eye on a beautiful Italianate in downtown Portland. I need to win the lottery for that one. I’d take a row home in Middleburg, VA and a Victorian in Cape May, NJ and an old farm house in Columbus, Wisconsin…

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like?
I couldn’t pick just one style. Any style is good as long as attention is paid to all of the details. I love window boxes and a bright front door.

3. What's your favorite garden style?
English Country Garden

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants?
I love them all, but I’m crazy about the ones that smell good. Honeysuckle, jasmine… I guess those are technically vines!

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics)
I have a tiny little bedroom with beadboard on the bottom half of the wall and a vivid gold on the top half. It’s very cozy and I love it. Sometimes I think about changing the color to a light blue.

6. What describes cozy for you?
A rainy day, a fire in the fireplace, the dog laying on my feet, a kitty on my lap and either a good book or a project in my hands.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community?
Talking with women from all over the country who share one common bond, but who are very different from one another. I’ve never met a kinder bunch of people.

8. Do you feed the birds in winter?
No… I love all the critters (I never understood about not feeding squirrels either!), but I’m not into supporting the vermin population. (I guess I don’t love ALL critters.) Our weather is so mild that the birds and the squirrels do just fine around here in the winter. Actually, they are all very chubby.

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)?
Eating dinner outside, getting up when the kids feel like getting up, sometime getting up while the kids are still sleeping to enjoy a quite summer morning, camping, swimming, being lazy, laying on the grass and looking at the sky, working in the garden, getting up in the morning and watering the gardens by hand while sipping coffee, outdoor concerts in the parks, the smell of my husband grilling steaks, listening to the kids play in the yard after dark…

10. Shoes or bare feet?
I only wear shoes when I have to. But then, they have to be some really cute ones!

[hammond39]

These are questions about your cottage. If you don't have a cottage, then answer for your dream cottage.

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be?
I live in a small university town in Delaware, halfway between New York and Washington, DC. It's the perfect location--we can walk to stores and restaurants in town and to our jobs, the gym, and the library on campus. But nothing is more than 2 hours away--the beach, the mountains, and the big city.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like?
I love the one I have. It's a little brick cottage with grey-green clapboard on a tree-lined street.

3. What's your favorite garden style?
Busy! I love lots of flowers tumbling out of beds.

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants?
Black-eyed susans, day lilies, coreopsis.....

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? Our bedroom is a dark brown with an almost purple cast to it. It was that color when we bought the house--we wouldn't have chosen it, but we like it. all of the bedding, window treatments, braided rug etc. are red, blue, and dark green. Sounds crazy, but it works--very cozy...And colors a guy can live with!

6. What describes cozy for you?
A cold gray day, a fire in the fireplace, the cat lying on the floor in front of the fire, a handmade denim quilt over me, and a great novel.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community?
Sharing ideas with people who like the same stuff I do. People who like cottages come from all walks of life, but there is an underlying commonality--friendliness, kindness, finding value in simple things.

8. Do you feed the birds in winter?
Not yet, but this is our first winter in the house and we're still developing seasonal routines.

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)?
Eating on the deck, running in shorts and a tank, dusk at 9:00, flowers blooming, the sound of crickets, locusts, birds, and katydids, fresh salad ingredients, the smell of hamburgers on the grill (I'm a vegetarian, but I still like the smell!)

10. Shoes or bare feet?
Flipflops.

[CohenCottage]

Hi Everyone! My hubby and I just discovered this forum tonight, so this is our very first post...

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be? We live within walking distance to downtown in Athens, GA. We are pretty content with our location, but if we had a vacation cottage, my hubby would choose Boulder, CO and I would choose a coastal cottage somewhere warm.

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like?
Arts and Crafts Bungalow

3. What's your favorite garden style?
I'm an ecologist, so I love gardening with native plants, and hubby loves putting in rocks and other hardscaping. We both prefer unstructured gardens that fit well with the landscape and house. I'd love to plant a veggie garden, but we've been hit with a 100 yr. drought. The plan is to set up drip irrigation that is connected to rain barrels.

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants? Ferns, oak leaf hydrangeas, dogwoods, native grasses, ornamental hydrangeas, lenten roses, hostas, any big, hardwood tree.

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics)
We just painted our bedroom Palladian blue by Benj. Moore, so no repainting plans yet. The majority of our house is still splotches of test paints!

6. What describes cozy for you?
Anything with dog hair on it... Really, a home that is open, warm, comfortable, and efficient.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community?
Having a gate to our backyard neighbor's yard and eating dinner, having outdoor fires with hot chocolate, and borrowing tools.
8. Do you feed the birds in winter?
Not yet...

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)?
Me - The part where it doesn't get dark until after 9pm Hubby - sweet tea and taking the dogs to the lake

10. Shoes or bare feet?
Bare feet...

[Memmey]

Welcome!!!! We are so glad to joined us here. It is so much fun to check the posts and see what everyone is doing . You will read a little of everything here, It's so much fun. Again welcome to you and your husband.:D :D

[RoseMary]

Hi CohenCottage~so great to see you here. I'm looking forward to getting to 'know' you!

[CohenCottage]

Thanks! I was just reading through some of the earlier posts on this thread, and I can't wait to get to "know" y'all too! The ones about not knowing where you are going to meet someone special were right on the mark. My hubby and I met in a parking lot at a mountain bike trailhead, and neither one of us were looking to meet someone. Never know who you will meet when you venture outside wearing spandex!

This weekend is the first anniversary that we've been in our house, so I'm going to try to post some "before" and "mid-way through" photos. I hesitate to call them "after" photos b/c we have SO much left to do! The biggest projects we've completed are hardscaping the backyard with river boulders and gravel to keep our 4 golden retrievers from tracking in so much mud, creating gravel paths and raised beds in the front and side yards, painting our kitchen cabinets with oil-based paint, and painting the walls in 3 rooms.

Thanks again for being so welcoming!

[Lisa S]

Welcome! I'm glad you two could join us.

My husband and I met on a blind date and got married two weeks later. We'll celebrate our 17th anniversary this year.

[Karinbob]

I have not been to this site in quite a while but I decided to come back and check things out. I really enjoy Cottageliving magazine..... I bought the magazine when it first came out and I still have it! So excited to see a magazine like this.
I haven't been doing anything fun in my house because it is not really a cottage. It has big tall ceilings and it kind of overwhelms me to paint it myself. I am thinking about painting my master bath and bedroom so maybe I will get myself in gear and start putting it together! I will post before and after photos as I get ready to do this.

K

[Memmey]

~~~welcome back~~~~~~:)

[cheapdiva]

CC - WELCOME and K-Bob - welcome back. I have read some of your earlier posts and always wondered what happened to you. didn't your mom post also?
I think it is wonderful that our little ol group is growing!
Just remember - we all love photos, especially of ongoing projects!

[ChapterTwo]

LOL Kim I had a date with a man who was very wealthy and very large , a little too rotund of my taste and I'm chubby. He had a HUGE boat, one of those cigarette boats. Well I'm more the paddle around and look at the the wildlife type. Boats like that need girls in thongs. I think they will have to find me and not visa versa. Hammond's cute post made me think about meeting someone at our age...it's hard.

Memmey, first of all I have to apologize for not seeing this post and not answering it. Is there a way on here that we can know when someone has replied to the thread where we wrote? If so, please enlighten me...

At any rate, you really made me laugh. So, you're not a "thong girl", huh? HaHa! Neither am I!

I do understand that at our age, you're not about to just settle for anybody...I think it'd be much worse to live out our lives with someone we're not happy with, than to be alone. I think about that sometimes...I'm so used to having lived with my kids, by myself...I wonder if I'd really be happy sort of answering to someone after all this time. But then there are times I'd love to have someone to go somewhere with, or Valentine's Day, when I get kinda weepy, not getting a heart full of candy...sigh! But that's not a good reason to want to have a hubby...chocolate! lol

Well, I'm really sorry that Mr. WealthyAndLarge wasn't more suited to you...I hope that the right man stumbles into your life somehow, Memmey...

[dedavis]

1. Where do you live? If your cottage could be anywhere, where would that be?
Washington state, 1 hour east of Seattle, in the mountains. I wonder what it would be like to live further away from a major interstate freeway?

2. If you could have any house, what would the exterior look like?
The one I have now, except there would be a new blue metal roof, and rough sawn board and batten siding stained golden.

3. What's your favorite garden style?
Cottage/farmhouse/semi-wild/whimsical.

4. What are your favorite flowers/ plants?
Too many to name...I'm partial to native plants like penstemon, and old-fashioned ones like phlox, and old rose varieties.

5. What color is your bedroom? If you could change it, what color would it be? (This is a paint color question for Tanya and other paintaholics)
It's yellow with white trim. I'd love to have beadboard or painted white pine boards.

6. What describes cozy for you?
Warmth, light, small intimate rooms. Snoozing cats.

7. What does it mean to be part of a cottage community?
Share ideas with internet pen pals. Talk to neighbors over the fence. Watch out for each other.

8. Do you feed the birds in winter?
Yep. It's finches, juncos, and chickadees right now. Once in a while a jay. Haven't seen the wild turkeys yet.

9. What is your favorite thing about summer (daydreaming here...)?
Gardening, long twilights, going to the high mountains, peaches, butterflies, naps in the shade...

10. Shoes or bare feet?
Bare feet by choice, shoes by necessity (it's about 10 degrees outside!)

[Memmey]

Thanks Kim for the reply. I know what you mean about getting used to living alone. I don't have to cook, but I did for 27 years. I don't have to answer to anyone, but I did for 27 years. I can like what I like and not have to be someone that I am not....like I did for 27 years. LOL
What I really need is a handyman. Oh what I wouldn't give for a handyman that works really really cheap. I have a mental list of things I want to do around here . My only obstacles are the money it takes and someone to do them. Other than that I'm good. :rolleyes:

[Memmey]

Deb....10 degrees..UGHHHHHH to cold for me thanks.

[dedavis]

I'm here to tell you that a woman can buy herself chocolate! I do it all the time. Flowers too. You don't need to go overboard to enjoy a few of the finer things in life. Go on, you deserve it!

Yeah, 10 degrees. I've already burned off all the Christmas cookies just by keeping warm. It does get your metabolism going. I'm really glad to be inside with quilts and kitties and fuzzy socks tonight. I was wondering how you are doing with your cold weather, Memmey.

[Memmey]

Geez it's in the high 40's and I'm freezing to death:eek: . The worst part of this whole winter time event here is that Skeet has gone way down. I think this Wednesday will be the day. You know THE day. He cries all the time and he turns in big counterclockwise circles when he is outside and I am at a loss to make him find his way inside. He won't follow my voice. Ihad to call my son tonight and put him on speaker phone to try to talk him in. He is just lost and his little brain won't think straight. He probably has had a stroke. I hate winter and down here it rains with the cold...bone chilling. Skeet gets outside and I can't talk him into folllowing me up the steps and into the house . He gets soaked and I do too. I can't leave him out there. He really too heavy to pick up and he kinda cries like it hurts him . I wrap him in a sheet to coral him from his wanderings and heave him up and we both drag up the steps. It's time for the most gorgeous boy to have a long deserved rest. I hope I am brave enough to do this.......

[Lisa S]

Awww Mem... You're definately brave enough. Have you put a dog down before? If you haven't, I think you might be surprised about how you feel. Words don't come close to describing how much I loved my dog, Fredo. She was facing a horrible death and she was in pain. I had no other choice than to put her to sleep. I talked with her for a long time before hand. I kissed and kissed and kissed her. I held her while she died (so easy; no pain). Death ~ while I don't welcome it, it's amazing how sweet it can be to a suffering being. I feel like I gave her a gift. But man, do I miss her every day.

I'm so sorry your doggie is having such a tough time. I'm sorry for you too.

[dedavis]

Oh Memmey, I'm so sorry. I wondered how the guy was doing. My thoughts are with both of you, and you know we are here if you need us. Suffering isn't forever. Bless you and Skeeter.

[ChapterTwo]

We really do feel your pain, Memmey...I'm so sorry Skeeter has to go like this, and that you have to suffer right along with him. Like many others here who loved their special pets, I've gone through this too and you will find the strength to give him rest.

Have you ever read "The Rainbow Bridge"?
http://www.clipart-directory.com/clipart/rainbow/tn_spring6121.gif
The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge, together....

Author unknown...

There is a website, too... http://www.rainbowbridge.com/Poem.htm...
it has grief support and other helpful things. I hope it gives you comfort. - Kim

[RoseMary]

My prayers are with you Memmey. I know how hard it is to say goodbye, but yes, you will be able to do it and when it is over, you will know that it was for the best for both you and Skeeter.

R~Mary

[cheapdiva]

Oh, Mem - here is a group hug from all of us. When I had to put Sadie down last summer it was awful. But like Lisa, I just kept petting her as she drifted off to sleep and told her what a good girl she had been. The vet and her staff were amazing.
And maybe some day soon, you'll find someone to fill the void - I adore Lucy and think because she was born 2 weeks before we put Sadie down, she was meant to come into our lives.

And on the lighter side . . . I call them "tongs" because that's what it would take to pull them out of my a**!!!!!!!!:lol:

[Chyna]

Well I've already posted the Loving ones before and depressed all to pieces so will leave that one out. Just remember that you are doing something wonderful for him but ending this. Did you ever mention that he is deaf? Wonder if he did have a stroke and now he's deaf too. Poor guy, old age can sure suck!!!:mad: I won't really expect you to be here Wednesday but if you need some shoulders to cry on you know where we'll be. One of the ladies on my crestie group lost her dog (tragic accident) and it took her a full week before she could even tell us she was so upset and now she is able to talk about it and reminince about her little Tramp.

Also remind yourself that you gave him a wonderful life to the end. When my Ivan died in my arms, that is what we told each other was that while his life was short it was wonderful and he was well loved. Hey ask Skeeter to say hi to Ivan and Worf for me will you and tell him to watch out for a hyperactive white Eskimo named Yoka (Ogre).

Love ya Mem
Tanya

---------------------------------------------------------------------The Loving Ones - on the other Side of Rainbow Bridge Marlon, the little
Cairn Terrier, stopped. Behind him, puppies were playing chasing each other
and wrestling in the warm sunshine. It looked like so much fun, but in front
of him, through the clear stillness of the pond's water, he could see his
mommy. And she was crying.

He pawed at the water, trying to get at her, and when that didn't work, he
jumped into the shallow water. All that got him was wet, and Mommy's image
danced away in the ripples. "Mommy!" he cried.

"Is something wrong?"

Little Marlon turned around. A lady was standing at the edge of the pond,
her eyes sad but filled with love. Little Marlon sighed and walked out of
the water. "There's been a mistake," he said. "I'm not supposed to be here."
He looked back at the water. It was starting to still again and his mommy's
image was coming back. "I'm just a baby. Mommy said it had to be a mistake.
She said I wasn't supposed to come here yet."

The kind lady sighed and sat down on the grass. Marlon climbed in to her lap
It wasn't Mommy's lap, but it was almost as good. When she started to pet
him and scratch under his chin like he liked, he started to wag. He hadn't
wanted to, but he couldn't help it. "I'm afraid there is no mistake. You are
supposed to be here, and your mommy knows it deep down in her heart." the
lady said.

Marlon sighed and laid his head on the lady's leg. "But she's so sad. It
hurts me to see her cry. and Daddy too."

"But they knew right from the beginning this would happen." "That I was
sick?" That surprised him. No one had ever said anything and he had listened
when they thought he was sleeping. All he had heard them talk about was how
cute he was or how fast he was or how big he was getting.

"No, not that you were sick," the lady said. "But you see, they chose tears.

"No, they didn't," the little Marlon argued. "Who would choose to cry?" The
lady gently brushed the top of his head with a kiss. It made him feel safe
and loved and warm-but he still worried about his
mommy.

"Let me tell you a story," the lady said.

Little Marlon looked up and saw other animals gathering around.
Cats—Starlight and Ariane and Manouli and Abby and little Cleo and Robin.
Merlin and Toby and Iggy and Zachary. Sweetie and Kamatte and Obie. Dogs
too--Eleonor and Andi and Koumac and Ayleen and Bellona.Even a lizard named
Clyde and some rats named Saffron and Becky and ahamster named Odo. They all
lay down near the kind lady and looked up at her, waiting.

She smiled at them and began:
************************************ ********
A long long time ago, the Loving Ones went to the Angel in Charge. They were
lonesome and asked the angel to help them.

The angel took them to a wall of windows and let them look out the first
window at all sorts of things-dolls and stuffed animals and cars and toys
and sporting events.

"Here are things you can love," the angel said. "They will keep you from
being lonesome." "Oh, thank you," the Loving Ones said. "These are just what
we need." "You have chosen Pleasure," the angel told them.

But after a time the Loving Ones came back to the Angel in Charge. "Things
are okay to love," they said, "but they don't care that we love them."

The Angel in Charge led them over to the second window. It looked out at all
sorts of wild animals. "Here are animals to love," he said. “They will know
you love them." So the Loving Ones hurried out to
care for the wild animals.

"You have chosen Satisfaction," the angel said.

Some of the Loving Ones worked at zoos and wild animal preserves, some just
had bird feeders in their yards, but after a time they all came back to the
Angel in Charge.

"They know we love them," they told the angel, "but they don't love
us back. We want to be loved in return."

So the angel took them to the third window and showed them lots of people
walking around, hurrying places. "Here are people for you to love," the
angel told them. So the Loving Ones hurried off to find other people to love


"You have chosen Commitment," the angel said.

But after a time a lot of Loving Ones came back to the Angel in Charge.
People were okay to love," they said, "but sometimes they stopped loving us
and left. They broke our hearts."

The angel just shook his head. "I cannot help you." he said. "You will have
to be satisfied with the choices I gave you."

As the Loving Ones were leaving, someone saw a window off to one side and
hurried to look out. Through it, they could see puppies and kittens and dogs
and cats and lizards and hamsters and ferrets. The other Loving Ones hurried
over.

"What about these?" they asked.

But the angel just tried to shoo them away. "Those are Personal Empathy
Trainers," he said, "but there's a problem with their system operations."

"Would they know that we love them?" someone asked.

"Yes," the angel said.

"Would they love us back?" another asked.

"Yes." the angel said.

"Will they stop loving us?" someone else asked.

"No," the angel admitted. "They will love you forever."

"Then these are what we want." the Loving Ones said.

But the angel was very upset. "You don't understand," he told them. "You
will have to feed these animals."

"That's all right," the Loving Ones said.

"You will have to clean up after them and take care of them forever."

"We don't care."

The Loving Ones did not listen. They went down to where the Pets were and
picked them up, seeing the love in their own hearts reflected inthe animals'
eyes.

"They were not programmed right," the angel said. "We can't offer a warranty
We don't know how durable they are. Some of their systems malfunction very
quickly, others last a long time."

But the Loving Ones did not care. They were holding the warm little bodies
and finding their hearts so filled with love that they thought they would
burst. "We will take our chances." they said.

"You do not understand." The angel tried one more time. "They are so
dependent on you that even the most well-made of them is not designed to
outlive you. You are destined to suffer their loss."

The Loving Ones looked at the sweetness in their arms and nodded. "That is
how it should be. It is a fair trade for the love they offer."

The angel just watched them all go, shaking his head. "You have chosen Tears
" he whispered.

************************************ ********
"So it is," the kind lady told the kitties, "and so each mommy and daddy
knows. When they take a baby into their heart, they know that one day it
will leave them, and they will cry."

Little Marlon sat up. "So why do they take us in?" he asked. "Because even a
moment of your love is worth years of pain later." "Oh." Little Marlon got
off the lady's lap and went back to the edge of the pond. His mommy was
still there and still crying.

"Will she ever stop crying?" he asked the kind lady.

She nodded. "You see, the Angel felt sorry for the Loving Ones, knowing how
much they would suffer. He couldn't take the tears away but he made them
special."

She dipped her hand into the pond and let the water trickle off her fingers.
"He made them healing tears, formed from the special water here. Each tear
holds bits of all the happy times of purring and petting and shared love.
And the promise of love once again. As your mommy cries, she is healing. "In
time, she will be less sad and she will smile when she thinks of you. And
then she will open her heart again to another little baby."

"But then she will cry again one day," little Marlon said.

The lady just smiled at him as she got to her feet. "No, she will love again
That is all she will think about." She picked up Flic and Mus and gave them
hugs, then scratched Conny's ear just how he liked.

"Look," she said, "the butterflies have come. Shall we go over to play?"

The other animals all ran ahead, but little Marlon wasn't ready to leave his
mommy. "Will I ever get to be with her again?"

The kind lady nodded. "You'll be in the eyes of every puppy she looks at.
And late at night, when she's fast asleep, your spirit will snuggle up close
to her and you both will feel at peace. One day
soon, you can even send her a rainbow to tell her you're safe and waiting
here for when it's her turn to come."

"I would like that." little Marlon said and took one long look at his mommy
He saw her smile slightly through her tears, and he knew she had remembered
the time he almost fell into the swimming pool.

"I love you, Mommy," he whispered. "It's okay if you cry." He glanced over
at the others, running and playing and laughing with the butterflies. "Uh,
Mommy? I gotta go play now, okay? But I'll be around, I promise."

Then he turned and raced after the others.

~Unknown~

[Memmey]

Tanya I haven't read that yet but I will, I can't just now.
I'm getting cold feet....I don't know if I can do this. uuuhhh I feel awful, he's sleeping and he found his way in 3 times today. I'm not giving him his meds till 4 p.m. today. Maybe they are disorienting him. I trying to think of anything to not do this. It's gonna rain tonight and I cannot do this on a rainy day, how will I dig the hole. I'm gonna to have to think , think think. My brain and heart are not in sync. Thank you all for the kind words. Brownie this summer was not as hard because she was immobile. Skeet...I don't think I can do this. Please God just take him and not make me do it......I'm gonna lurk around here and I'll be back later ya'll, Love all of you and thanks for the support. I have to think this through maybe it's the meds....maybe

[Chyna]

Mem

I think you know deep down that it probably isn't the meds. Do speak with the vet about it but be prepared that this may be one of those peaks before the fall. Life would be so much easier if they'd all wander off to die somewhere but it doesn't work that way in most cases.

When I took Wuffie in to the surgery clinic with the dire words echoing in my brain (strange mass, unclear on why the paralysis, may have to put her down) I had to come to grips with I may not be leaving with my gardening buddy. I was ok with that and then I'd say to myself I'm not giving up, she'll be ok. In the end the first vets alarm and reaction was a tad on the over the top side. She didn't need immediate surgery which was good because the vet was out of town until the middle of the week. Which allowed me the opportunity to make an appt with my reg vet and we came on an agreement that for one thing the mass disappeared and another there wasn't a rupture or break. She is on bedrest which is killing us all but coming along. But still there was the preparation that I may be one dog less than when I left home that morning. And I had to prepare my 5yr old for this. That alone was awful.:(

Is there a friend who can go with you to the vets? Don't know about anyone else but I'm a basket case when my dogs die. Ivan about put me out for an week. I was weepy at my computer and just so SAD! Healing waters? Hell I made a damn healing lake!;) I can already promise you all that when my Chyna dies you won't see me on here for at least a week. :o Rain seems appropriate to me, the sky is crying along with you. At least it isn't in frigid weather where the ground is frozen until probably July. Yet another reason I cremate my dogs, besides for burying among my roses.

I hope you find this reassuring and some sort of comfort. It is and never will be easy to make that decision. You can only listen to your heart and your little voice.

[gigiG]

Thinkin' of ya Memmey :(

Tanya I haven't read that yet but I will, I can't just now.
I'm getting cold feet....I don't know if I can do this. uuuhhh I feel awful, he's sleeping and he found his way in 3 times today. I'm not giving him his meds till 4 p.m. today. Maybe they are disorienting him. I trying to think of anything to not do this. It's gonna rain tonight and I cannot do this on a rainy day, how will I dig the hole. I'm gonna to have to think , think think. My brain and heart are not in sync. Thank you all for the kind words. Brownie this summer was not as hard because she was immobile. Skeet...I don't think I can do this. Please God just take him and not make me do it......I'm gonna lurk around here and I'll be back later ya'll, Love all of you and thanks for the support. I have to think this through maybe it's the meds....maybe

[RoseMary]

My thoughts are with you today, Memmey. Be strong.