The Cottage Life

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Beach Farmgirl Deb Bosworth

Dear Sisters,

I don’t know about you, but it’s nary the end of May and as usual, I’ve been burning the candle at both ends inside and out. The gardens and my little booth are keeping me humming along, not to mention my FIRST (and most important) job as chief homesteader at Dandelion House.  I’m guessing you’re doing the same thing in your own special farmgirl ways, so I’ve decided we should all play hooky for the day! Don’t hem and haw now! Let’s just go! Quick! Step on to the launch pad! Scotty… Beam us to the beach please before we change our minds! One, two, threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Sh. Close your eyes and listen. Do you hear the gentle crashing of the waves in the distance? Can you smell the scent of lilacs in the breeze? Is the sun warm on your back? Good! Welcome to the Cottage Life! We’re coming Max!!!


The cottage, it seems, occupies a special place in our hearts, It can feel more like a member of the family that a house. It has its own personality and timeless appeal. With care, it ages gracefully over the years and lives on from one generation to the next. It appears over and over in family picture albums and becomes intertwined with family lore. Often, it has a name artfully inscribed on a small plaque out front.

I didn’t write the above paragraph. I felt like I could have though. It’s as if the author took the words right out of my mouth because this is exactly how we feel about our little cottage by the sea and cottage life. It truly is the stuff of storybooks and fairy tales. Just mention the word and it begins to conjure images from our deepest memories of a cottage deep in the woods with a winding path leading up to a thick, hand carved wooden door, or a fanciful gingerbread house surrounded by picket fences, gates and gardens, stone pathways and a warm glow coming from the porch on a cool spring evening. The Cottage is regarded with such affection, I think, because they are always associated with the best of times and places.

For us it means long weekends at the beach until our two week stay in August. It’s the smell of the mud flats at low tide, the taste of the salt air, the feel of sand between your toes and the slam of the screen door. Its summer traditions like our annual Opening of the Beach fundraiser, the fishing tournament, rowing competition, the fourth of July Parade, and the kid’s games on Labor Day. Its relaxation, romance, good friends and the ritual of getting away from it all that pull us back year after year. It’s our annual…

I love walking around our beach community this time of year and you will too!

The lilacs

and tulips are in FULL bloom and the colors are BREATHTAKING!

The marsh grass is turning green

and the wild beach plum blossoms look like tiny cotton balls from a distance.

Another reason I love this time of year at the Beach is the fact that it’s so QUIET…The birds are singing, Robins are on the lawn hunting and pecking and the mourning doves call out to us in their sweet low way to welcome us back for another season.

This is the time of year residents are out for the day to plant their gardens, paint some trim and sweep the cobwebs out. Other residents take on larger projects such as remodels, or in some cases entire renovations. While it’s sad to see the older cottages with their small cozy rooms come down its good to know that families are investing in the future of our community and ensuring they’ll be something there for the next generation to enjoy and care for. We have one neighbor that planted a small memory orchard in his backyard that I can’t wait to share with you in a future post!

This is our little Sea Horse below. We pulled two big shrubs out from in front of it three years ago with the idea that we’d like to add a deck across the front so we can sit outside and enjoy the sea breezes. In the meantime we pull a couple of chairs out front so we can ” practice ” what it will be like when we have it all finished!  We move slow at the beach I guess. 🙂 THIS YEAR for sure!

One only needs the essensials when living The Cottage Life…It beckons you to shut the door on the ” real world” and just be. Max has ” just be ” down!

I for one think the next best thing to a spending time away in a cottage would have to be going out on the open road and meeting up with the Glampers on the Loose Glampfire Girls! Or, maybe your GREAT ESCAPE is right in your own backyard in your garden room, glamping tent, gazebo, or greenhouse. How about catching some air with your loved ones on this vintage swing set?

Whatever YOUR interpretation of The Cottage Life is I hope you find it this summer. This weekend is the perfect time to start… Row your boat, take a hike, and sip your coffee. Breathe deep. Just be!

Until our next shoreline visit~ Blessings to you and yours for a happy Memorial day…May we all remember and honor every brave man and women who have, will and do serve this great nation so that we can enjoy ” The Cottage Life “.

Much love and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Sister Deb # 1199

  1. Becky Neville says:
    May 24, 2013 at 8:36 am

    Thank you for the lovely mini-vacation I experienced while reading your words and viewing your cottage scenes.

    You’re welcome Becky! Thanks for coming along!

    xo Deb  

    Reply
  2. Adrienne says:
    May 24, 2013 at 9:55 am

    What a lovely visit to your neighborhood! I’ll be heading down to Ocean Beach this weekend and appreciating the sunny but chilly weather. Also, since I live in San Francisco, I can look out the window at the tourists while cooking a large pot of veggie stew: some to eat and some to freeze. Flats of strawberries and raspberries at the farmers markets mean the same. If there are any left after nibbling, into the freezer they go for enjoyment at Thanksgiving. Whatever you do, have fun!

    Sounds like a lovely weekend Adrienne! Enjoy and thanks so much for your note!

    xo Deb

    Reply
  3. Teri says:
    May 24, 2013 at 10:03 am

    Deb,

    Wow, thanks for the brief time away!!! I remember all those lovely things when Bill and I visited years ago and can’t wait to bring the kids someday soon! I remember waffles at midnight and the kids catching prehistoric looking sea creatures in a net. Lobster cooked by Boz and the many friends who relaxed on the shore!!

    Happy breezes!

    Love, Cousin Teri

    Hi Cousin Teri,

    Oh, we have the best memories of your and Bills visit here too… Just think… next time you’ll have your three monkies with you! Can’t wait to show them all around and watch them in the tide pools… Love and miss you all!

    xo Deb

    Reply
  4. Kim says:
    May 24, 2013 at 10:16 am

    I live about an hours trek away from the Oregon coast and your description made my desire to hit the coast even stronger then normal. Thank you for painting a vision of a dream get away.

    Thanks so much Kim.. Glad I could get you primed for a trip to the beach sooner rather than later… 🙂 I aim to please! 🙂 xo Deb

    Reply
  5. Vivian Monroe says:
    May 24, 2013 at 11:42 am

    Oh my gosh, Deb, I am soooo ready to move to the beach or just closer to the water so I can go more and relax. We are back home from Edisto, and I gotta tell ya, I didn’t want to come home. Reading Kim’s post about being an hour away in Oregon, brought back memories where Rob and I spent 11 mos there and we too were only an hour away, and we went every weekend. I know I am destined to be by the water and my day is coming, until then I will live it out through your blogs and your sharing of your little cottage with us. Love ya have a happy Memorial day, and be Blessed! Neta

    Hi Neta! Yep, the pull of the sea is strong.. once you take a sip you’ll want the whole jug…I’m so happy I could bring a little of the seaside to you and Rob. Keep those dreams alive.. you’ll get there! 🙂 xo Deb

    Reply
  6. Sandi says:
    May 24, 2013 at 11:51 am

    Hi Deb, just had to comment after reading you ‘glamping’ paragraph, as that’s just what we do! Our darling little glamper trailer is all set up like a summer cottage that I remember from my childhood days spent at the water. Her name is ‘A Summer Place’ complete with a movie poster from the famous ’50’s movie! The bed is covered with snuggly Beacon camp blankets and vintage felt pennants cover the ceiling, while rag rugs keep sandy toes warm! Maybe you’ll see it someday as you know we live close! Thanks for your cottage trip! Travelin’ Sister #3956….Sandi

     Hi there Sandi! Oh, I bet you have so much fun in your summer cottage on wheels.. it sounds perfect! Love it! I just might have to make a trip to see you and take some photos to share here one day!  xo Deb

    Reply
  7. Merrilyn says:
    May 26, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    I love love lovvvvve it. So much green and lovely flowers. I was just perusing what flowers I would be planting this week when I got home. So, I really felt inspired to get going, after I do the inspirational rest. I must admit Bethel is nice weather today. I would love to come back with Michelle and visit the cottage. It all looks so beautiful and peaceful. Thanks for sharing your walk with us.
    Hugs always,
    Merrilyn

    Howdy Merrilyn,

    I’m happy to hear you are having nice weather and looking forward to some planting too. It does a farmgirl good to see the sun and get her hands dirty doesn’t it? Keep me posted on any travel plans to Plymouth! I look forward to seeing your both again!

    Hugs to you and Michelle,

    xo Deb

    Reply
  8. Brenda says:
    June 6, 2013 at 4:24 pm

    How wonderful. Oh how I would love to have a beach house to go to. Living here in Michigan surrounded by lakes I always had a dream home on a lake, little or big. But hubs had another dream and that is why we live in the middle of the woods. But we have sand….to much some days for things to grow well. And how I love the swing. Reminds me of one at my grandparents when I was young and there were so many of us grands that we had to run to get a chance to sit and swing together on it. Catching up from being gone on vacation if catching up is possible. Have a wonderful weekend!

     

    Howdy Brenda! Welcome back from Hawaii! Loved your post…:) Those tire swings are universal in vacation homes I think.. Great memory joggers! Thanks so much for sharing yours Brenda…! Hugs, Deb

    Reply
  9. Lynne says:
    June 6, 2013 at 7:12 pm

    This is my first visit, inspired by Mary Jane’s Farm magazine and, it seems, kindred spirits….I am also a beach girl. We live in the Outer Banks of NC, in the maritime forest, in an areas where there are no paved roads. Our distance from the salt air and high winds of the oceanfront allows me to do some gardening. Our distance from a paved road make this gardening a life saver! I thought gardening impossible in the sand! But amend that sand and WOW! After four years of veggie gardening, I have decided to add chickens to our life. Three little "Easter Eggers" (a breed of chicken) are scheduled to arrive tomorrow! I look forward to reading your blog, which is a delight, and hearing about your farmgirl life on the beach in New England. I love your place and all of your photos. New England is so special, there is no place like it. Thanks for sharing.

     

    Welcome Lynne! So nice of you to stop by and share your life with us…It sounds peaceful… Getting chickens will certainly add to your gardening life and they are great entertainment too. I have found gardening in New England ( compared to the high dessert where I learned to garden) a breeze! Look forward to hearing from you again! There’s’ so much to enjoy at MJF! Thanks so much for reading. xo Deb

    Reply
  10. cheryl says:
    August 21, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    OH how i loved reading an glimpsing into your little slice of heaven..I only live about 35/40 min from coast an i never seem to get there only to long for it even more after reading this..Cottage i have always dreamed of one with a simplier life to pass the time..I could almost smell the salt in the air as i read your story thanks for sharing..I feel a cottage/cabin day coming on with the girls…

    Reply

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