Hats Off

This simple straw hat has served me well over the years. I've decorated it with spring flowers, autumn leaves and now with ribbons and pearls.

Just my way of saying, "Welcome to Quirky Cottage".
rita

Toes and a Rose

So close and yet so far. Just wish this polish were a little more pink.


And now, isn't this a sad sight? It's my neighbor's tiller. I watched her fight with it for about an hour while she attempted to re-establish the wonderful garden space she had last year.

She restarted it several times before it died an ugly death. She did everything but kick it over before she abandoned it where it stands today.

rita

Roses and Nail Polish

I have only a limited appreciation for roses. I like many of the colors and I love all the intricacies of the flower but not well enough to attempt to grow them.

There are two rose bushes at Quirky Cottage planted by the previous owner.

I recently read in a magazine that this summer's hottest nail color will be coral. Immediately I imagined the color of this rose growing outside our garage.


I have tried and tried to locate a polish this color but this is the closest I've found so far.

Close -- but a little too orange and not enough pink.

If you see a perfect one let me know.
rita

Beautiful fence

While visiting my dear daughter this past week I spied this lovely old fence and had to stop to take pictures. DD is so patient with me -- I know she would have rather been shopping instead of camera snapping.

rita

New Addition to the family

I have a new toy! It is a netbook. Isn't she sweet?

She's just a little bigger than this legal-sized envelope pictured here.

What should I name her?

rita

What is this?

Have you ever noticed that people call this by lots of different names?

I'm talking about legitimate names. Not the things the Cottage Master calls them when they force him from his forward motion.

Some people call them YELLOW lights. . .

Some people call them ORANGE lights . . .

And when I was a teen working for the Oregon State Department of Motor Vehicles before our driving records became electronically filed in a computer, I was responsible for typing citizens driving infractions onto their permanent paper file.

The lights were then called amber and if going through them caught the eye of law enforcement you either got a warning or a fine of $10.

You never noticed that it is called by different names? No? That's cold.

rita

We're back

You might think after what happened to us that last time we enjoyed a few days at the beach (our home flooded from a broken water pipe in the ceiling) that we would be afraid to ever leave our sweet cottage again.

But, we have again ventured off to spend a few days watching the water go back and forth.

This time we have a cat that needed kenneling. We found a wonderful place. Designed for the owner's appreciation as much as the cat's.

Notice all of the windows on the second floor -- they are for the guests to enjoy.

From this beautiful tile entry way . . .

To the all of the individually painted glass doors of each suite . . .

The place is packed with amenities for both the kitties and their owners.

Including:

1) heated tile window shelves
2) water fountain
3) sleeping hammock
4) video viewings for the owners
5) daily email to the owners

Poor Entertainment -- he knew something was afoot when the Cottage Master kept taking luggage, boxes and sacks out to the car.

He told us, using his outside voice, how unhappy he was to put poured into his carrying case and riding in the car.

When we left the Kitty Komfort Inn he still had not emerged from the carrying case that he had wanted out of so badly a few minutes earlier.

I've heard that animals have no sense of time so one day or 5 days is all the same to them. I sure hope that's true.
rita

Mother Nature is Not Nice

Maybe it's because I was bold enough to voice my displeasure about the weather this weekend. Maybe I'm being just too sensitive --

BUT, it looks like Mother Nature is giving me the finger. . .

I guess I'll be content with the weather in the future . . .

Not much chance of that!

rita

Enough, enough

We were suppose to have sunshine on Sunday over the Memorial Day weekend BUT we got more rain instead.

Rain, rain and more rain. We on the northern end of Interstate 5 raise the white flag and ask for mercy from the weather.

It is living up to the name Pacific NorthWET.

Even the cat is bored.

rita

What's Your Is Mine

Entertainment (the only name that seems to suit our kitty) and I are having boundary problems.

Any one know of a good therapist who speaks English and Feline?

rita

Evening with Nana and Pappa

We had an opportunity to spend a couple of hours with our dear grandsons. Between rain showers the boys wanted to go outside.

The only pair of long pants Nana could find for the little guy was this pair of jammy bottoms.

Luckily, his mom is a practical woman and wasn't upset when she got home and saw the fashion statement.

Meanwhile, Pappa and K. fight it out on the court. Fouls galore.

Dad and Mom came home just as it started to rain again. Good timing folks.

rita

Snowballs and Peonies

Flowers from the yard were just begging to come into the house to cheer me up.

They look perfect sitting on top of the new vintage tablecloth I recent bought on eBay in spring colors.

rita

Fresh Colors

Here is our living room last fall and before the great flood in December.

After the water damaged areas were replaced we had the walls painted the same color but had a different color of carpet laid.

Now that the weather is warmer and the sun is shining once-in-awhile I wanted the living room to reflect the change of season.

This is what it looks like today.

The colors are so cheerful I can't help but smile every time I walk into the room.

rita

What's missing?

It seems that every good blog has one. Some wonderful blogs have many. I have always felt that the lack of one was a serious problem with my blog.

So I decided to change all that and went to a shelter and adopted a rescue kitty.


All efforts to name him have failed. Nothing seems to really capture who he is.

A cat care book said I should name him immediately and he should learn his name quickly so that he will come to you when you call him.


This cat is an indoor only kitty so I need not call him to come in from outside. The book suggested that I might need to call him to let him know when there is food in his dish.

My feeling about that is that if he is too stupid to go to the food dish then he deserves to perish from hunger. Isn't that what natural selection is all about?


He continually amuses us with his strange sleeping positions, antics with plastic rings from milk containers and lengths of yarn.

So for now we are calling him Entertainment.

rita