Idlewild Cottage

Happy Valentine’s Day, kindred spirits! This month we are celebrating loving relationships, both in literature and in our favorite movies. Because Idlewild Cottage is a community for kindred spirits, I thought it would be most fitting to step into the world of Anne Shirley for Valentine’s Day. Anne is the most kindred of kindred spirits, and she takes her relationships seriously. We’ll take a look...

As we step into a month that is traditionally set aside as a tribute to love, we’ll look at a variety of loving relationships, both in literature and on the silver screen. If you’re listening to this episode on the day of its airing - February 7th - then today is the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder. And so, I thought it would be fitting this week to celebrate the love shared between sisters. For,...

As we wend our way through the winter series at Idlewild Cottage, we’ll center our thoughts this week on the many indoor entertainments that kept evenings lively in an age when parlor games, artistic pursuits, and plays were all the rage. Children and adults alike called upon a creativity and ingenuity that just might inspire us to have an electricity free evening this winter, as well.  Works...

I hope you are warm and cozy following last week’s episode, because it’s time to bundle up and head back out into the winter wonderland to enjoy a medley of merry scenes, from winter walks to snowy snacks! Here at Idlewild Cottage, January is always dreamily filled with just enough snow and ice to make the out of doors both fun and magical. Works shared in this episode :  "The Lion, the Witch...

For the past couple of episodes, we’ve soared and sailed, slipped and skated over snowy and icy landscapes. This week, we’ll take a few minutes to come in out of the cold and cozily tuck ourselves indoors. Our literary and cinematic friends will do the same. This episode is what I like to call a "wee cuppa." It will be a bit shorter than a full length episode, but will still carry the warmth and n...

The winter merriment continues this week as we explore literary and cinematic moments . . . on ice! Ice skating is such a beautiful sport, it's no wonder our beloved heroes and heroines take to ponds, rivers, brooks, or lakes whenever the temperatures drop. 

Happy New Year, kindred spirits, and welcome to our winter season here at Idlewild Cottage! For the next several episodes, we’ll celebrate the magical coziness connected with this time of year, from snowy outdoor frolics to warm indoor gatherings. During our time together today, we’ll soar through a number of literary and cinematic scenes connected with sleds and sleighs.

Merry Christmas, kindred spirits! I’ve been so eager to pop back in this month to share this special bonus episode with you. During our Christmassy time together today, we’ll revisit some of our all-time favorite stories, from Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, to Little House on the Prairie and even a Charles Dickens gem. Each of these classics draws us near the crackling fire in a meaningful...

As we wrap up our autumn content here at Idlewild Cottage, let’s turn our attention to the joy, gratitude, and abundance that characterize this season. 

As prosaic as it sounds, an umbrella does allow us to step out into the changing world to seek out the hidden treasures of the season. I’ll be sharing a number of umbrella-related scenes today. May they inspire us to find beauty as the year ages and the landscape shifts more and more toward winter.

There are no wrong answers in today's "Choose Your Own November" (decidedly cozy) adventure! 

"Nut gathering has all the aura of tradition with us. With old gunny sacks over our shoulders, we climb the pasture slopes." (Gladys Taber) Today we’ll look at both the pleasurable and practical nature of foraging for treasures such as berries, nuts, and herbs. We’ll draw on literature, art, a movie scene, and more to inspire our time together.

If you had your eye on the horizon a couple of weekends ago, and if the weather conditions were favorable in your area, you likely caught a glimpse of the stunning hunter’s moon stealing its way across the night sky. This mesmerizing luminary has been the admiration of writers, poets, and artists since the beginning of time, and will inspire our time together today, as well.

In his Manifesto, Wendell Berry challenges the efficient ones: “So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute.” Snail mail doesn’t compute. It’s not the way of efficiency. But it is a way to meaningfully connect with others. And so, during our time together today, we’ll look at books, movies, poetry, and art that celebrate the old-fashioned craft of letter writing. It may even inspire you...

If we were to each make a collage composed of items representing the coziness of fall, I imagine a lot of similar images would come to mind. Likely we would choose vibrant leaves, hot beverages, plump pumpkins, and plaid scarves. Now, I want you to envision your own collage for a minute. What else might you add? Perhaps red-capped mushrooms? A crackling fire? This week at Idlewild Cottage, we're g...

Let’s take advantage of the “maturing sun” and ripened fruit today, and slip into the woods that lie just beyond Idlewild Cottage. For a sunny day in autumn is simply begging for a picnic. Toting wicker baskets and checked blankets, we’ll hunt up the perfect spot for our merry little feast. As always, we’ll draw inspiration from favorite books, art, nature, and movies.

As we make our way through the month of September, it seems quite fitting to center our thoughts for a little while on school days. Now, when I think of school, multiple images come to mind. Naturally, I think of my own school days and my kids’ school experiences, but where I most like to let my imagination wander is in quite a different setting. The old-fashioned, one-room schoolhouse has always...

"Conversation at tea time should be tranquil . . . a time to rest the spirit, remember pleasant things.” (Gladys Taber, Stillmeadow Daybook.) Here at Idlewild Cottage, my hope is to provide you -- my fellow kindred spirits -- with a quiet space to linger over "pleasant things," throughout each episode. Today’s “pleasant thing,” is the Apple Orchard. We’ll enjoy some book selections, poetry, nature...