Both of us slept in today, which is rare – so I’m running behind. I haven’t even had my second cup of coffee! The endless rain and mixed precipitation has ended, thank goodness, and I do believe the sun is making an appearance. And next week’s forecast has changed to another round of “mixed precipitation” and maybe an inch or two of snow. We want more snow like you originally predicted, thank you very much!
I’m not sure why we have such a need for a white Christmas this year, but we do. I have my suspicions, life has been tough for all of us. Anyway, fingers crossed.
The Lake Cottage is very hard to photograph. It’s very dark inside, it’s up on top of the china cabinet in the den, and I have to stand on the old ottoman to take the pictures. So, these are not the best, but frankly, this is what you’re going to get.
The exterior of the Lake Cottage. For those of you who are new to the blog, this is an antique dollhouse that I found a few years ago. It’s handmade and incredibly charming. But, because it’s handmade, I am reluctant to change it very much, as I can feel and see the love and care that went into its construction. I’ve not painted it and I won’t.
See? It’s funky but I love it. I consider both this house and the vintage dollhouse in the kitchen to be folk art. Therefore, they stay relatively untouched. I added the tree that I previously used in the modern dollhouse.
I had some other photos of the interior, but I’m going to retake them today. They’re blurry, most likely because I was balancing on the squishy ottoman when I was taking them. I’ll move one of the kitchen chairs into the den this time. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, Miss Lucy is our model of the day.
I just knew she had to wear one of the red sweaters.
Oh my goodness, she’s adorable. I’m really so crazy about her.
I have to tweak the other red sweater and then I’ll have made them all Blythe-wearable. A group photo will be forthcoming.
For those of you new to the blog: Maria asked I could take detailed photos of the dollhouses and descriptions of the pieces I chose. I’ve already done that! All of that information is up in the navigation bar under “dollhouses/minis.” There are posts showing the progress of each dollhouse and there is always a final post in which I describe everything and give sources.
Okay. Have to go.
Stay safe.
Happy Saturday.
I’ve been sleeping in late all week…just not getting out of the warm blankets, it’s been so cold, for here! Lucy definitely looks great in red….she wears the Christmas sweater well! I love Lake Cottage and the fact that it’s old and was made with love and care…and that you are respecting that, treating it with love and care. Maybe it was made as a Christmas gift for a lucky child oh so many years ago…if only it could talk! Stay warm!
That’s what I always say about that house and the big folk art house in the kitchen. I would love to know about the people who built them.
Stay safe, Barrie.
Lake Cottage is charming all decked out for Christmas. I love that you can see the Christmas 🎄tree through the window. And the wreaths are perfect.
Hope you get your white Christmas. We’re putting our tree up today. We like to leave it up into January so we put it up closer to Christmas so it will last longer.
And Lucy rocks her Christmas sweater. Can’t wait for the group shot. Hugs, Elaine
We used to do that. Never put one up until after the 10th, often later. But last year our area ran out of trees by the 10th so we didn’t want to lose out.
Stay safe, Elaine.
I really love the rustic look of the Lake Cottage. I find I’m more and more attracted to simple these days. Oh I love the red sweater. I think I’ll look for a new red sweater for myself this year. Hugs!
I find red so cheery. (Besides, I look good in red, so there’s that!)
Stay safe, Linda.
agreeing with what everyone else has said ahead of me … very sweet and charming
(lake cottage might be my favorite of your dollhouses).
glad you’re having fun and got some extra sleep. may you also get some extra snow (since you asked for it). :)
we received maybe three inches of snow over the past couple of days. beautiful, but i’m okay leaving it at that because it was a wetter snow so sidewalks and roads are now icy.
happy saturday to everyone. be well and get around safe, too.
kathy
It’s icy here, as well. We just spent an hour chopping it up so it will melt. Then salting the driveway.
Stay safe, Kathy.
The lakeside cottage is perfect.
I’m sad because my last in a long line of feral cats I feed (in my hillside environment of nearly-mostly thirty years) died yesterday. I think they were among the last of cats who were a feral colony, descendants of barn cats (the old 100-yr-old barn fell down a couple of years ago). It’s been frustrating and often has left me with a hopeless feeling because all I can do for these ‘wild’ kitties who straddle a wild and then human world (reluctantly) is feed nourishing food, give access to fresh water and provide a winter shelter. I can’t immunize, flea protect, etc.
But he was nearing age 15, which is sort of unbelievable; I knew his age because I’d earmarked when his mother was trying to wean him and acclimate him to my feeding dishes; I’d had a OTO opportunity when he was a kitten for humane-trap/neuter/release, so I think by not fighting and mating, he was able to stay out of a lot of trouble, although he missed his mama who’d passed three years ago; they were inseparable (she would still groom him when they were both senior-aged); but, gosh, as much as I could figure, she was about age 15, too, when she passed. How they lived to be so old with such little care and without medical intervention is still a mystery to me.
I knew the day before that something was not good with him; he’s been ailing for awhile. I think it was likely a thyroid condition from what I was able to observe and research. I hovered all day yesterday, checking on him 10,000 times; the weather has been so cold, and he’d lost so much bodyweight; wasn’t a good scenario. I also think he was in pain from arthritis in his hips. But when I finally came in because I was freezing off my tush in the night air, he was inside one of his covered shelters on a self-warming pad. The heckuva dilemma it’s been is that I would have gladly, many times, gotten these cats to a vet if only I could’ve; if they’d have let me; but they were never handle-able.
So, sure, he wasn’t a lap cat and I could never pet him, but am I allowed to be sad? Yes. For all these years, I had to make sure he and his mom were fed every day; I even carry an i.d. card in my wallet about it, so that they’d never be abandoned since they’d relied upon me as a food source. It’s an adjustment for me now although I’m somewhat relieved of a burden. But I definitely AM sad. My husband thinks we should go take a drive and get outta here for a little while. What really made me cry is that my gentle husband knelt by the cat’s grave ‘way up on the hilltop, took off his baseball cap and said a prayer for the cat before we did the dust-to-dust finale. Poor little cat. It’s been a long saga for all of us, and I keep thinking I need to go out back and check on him; will take awhile to desert the routine.
Life and death. Never easy. Have to think of all the rewards. I could have done without this at Christmas, though. Oh well. I think I’ll go hug my big dog; he’s always ready for a hug. And I need one.
Oh Vicki. I know how much time you’ve spent making sure the cats were fed and able to take shelter. You were devoted to them. Bless you. I’m so sorry your baby passed away. But I do know this, without you watching out for them they wouldn’t have reached the age of 15. I’m glad your husband understands. Yes, take a little drive.
Sending a big hug and my sympathy.
xo
Claudia
Thank you, and sending love for your kindness in letting me share.
I appreciate the hug. I can feel it.
xo
oh, vicki …
…
i am so sorry for the losses you have over this dear cat’s passing. i am sad for you so sure understand your great sadness. glad to hear of your husband’s understanding and support.
hope you will be gentle on yourself (and go for that ride, among other things) … you did so much over many years for those cats, all dear (just like you). they had good food, clean water and shelter because of you. they knew and know love because of you. the mama and her boy have been reunited. they have peace. may that give you peace. and may God bless you for helping them in their earthly lives.
sending hugs,
kathy
…thank you for always being so tender and kind, kathy; yes, mama and her boy are buried side by side, and they’re on the hill in the sunshine with blue sky above, a place where nobody goes but God’s little creatures like birds and bees, possums and lizards; sometimes butterflies (and my husband and me, but only occasionally), in the grasses and wildflowers where these feral cats, and all the cats before them, lived their outdoor lives…
Thank you also for your hugs, kathy; they help.
good. :) sending more hugs your way and keeping you all in prayers.
kathy
So sorry for the loss of your beloved kitty. What did you call him? Hugs, Jen
Well, thanks for asking and for your sympathetic message, but he was alternatively “Baby” or “Blackie Boo” because he looked like some kind of Egyptian statue, short-haired, shiny-black cat with a proliferation of quite remarkable white whiskers.
We’ve had the rain/sleet/freezing rain/snow mix here, as well. The difference is, that early in the month, we had warm temps to the point that all of our snow melted. Then we got 3″ – then we got a couple more inches of snow and then this last week hit with the mixed combination. The end result, about 6″ of very wet, very heavy snow, on top of the 4″ so there’s at least 10″ on the ground. Which is good, because the temps are going to dip into the minus at night, in a day or so, and highs only in the single digits. Brrr. There’s also a rumor (predicted) that there could be a snow storm next week, starting late Wednesday or early Thursday, with blizzard conditions and a foot of snow. We know we will have a white Christmas so we really don’t need more snow for a while. Early days, but when they predicted this weeks weather, they came pretty close to nailing it, and that was the Saturday before also. BTW, Lucy is my favorite.
They were predicting 10 inches next week here and then, this morning, the forecast changed drastically. I’d love to get an inch or two just because the rain took away a lot of the snow we had on the ground. We’ll see.
Lucy is adorable. Every girl is my favorite. Whichever girl I’m dressing and taking photos of is my favorite.
Stay safe, Ranee.
Miss Lucy is cutest ever! And you’re right about Lake Cottage/rustic. Actually, old lake cottages are rustic and this looks perfect (apart from the technical issues of keeping folk art as folk art!) Catching up!
I grew up going to my aunt’s rustic lake cottage and it is a treasured memory.
Stay safe, Jeanie.