Rosa Rugosa

“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches trust.” ~ Gertrude Jekyll Plant a Rosa Rugosa. They’re…

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WOW!

“To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat.” – Beverly Nichols Take time to smell the peonies…Love, Nora

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Oh June!

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” – Al Bernstein   Please be sure to download your free June calendar for your desktop! https://noramurphycountryhouse.com/magazine/winter-2015/calendar/   Enjoy! Love,…

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A New Day

“The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance – and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take…

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A girl can dream…

It’s 13 below this morning here in the hollow at Connecticut Country House, and I’m catching myself daydreaming about spring, and about that certain smell and feel of fresh earth…

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A new year

“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” – Henry Miller This is my resolution for the new year. What’s yours? Wishing you…

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O Christmas tree!

Each of our three trees this Christmas has a distinct personality. From the biggest tree in the keeping room/dining room, filled with heirloom ornaments and special little mementos over the…

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Discovery

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”         – Marcel Proust Happy Columbus Day! Love, Nora

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Autumn is officially here!

“Summer ends, and autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night.” – Hal Borland Well said Mr. Borland.…

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Carpe diem!

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Happy fall…let’s make it a memorable one! Love, Nora

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A country road

A beautiful summer afternoon…time to switch gears and go for a walk.  And a late summer afternoon “stretch” with friends (on a visit to upstate New York) is even better.…

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Sail away

“When you can’t change the direction of the wind – adjust your sails.”   H. Jackson Brown Jr. Wishing you an easy breezy day. Love, Nora

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Summer’s here!

“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James I hope the new summer issue of Nora…

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Beautiful women

“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.” – Oprah Winfrey Happy International Women’s Day to all you amazing women!…

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Love

For all the last minute lovers of beautiful quotes (like me), here are some of my favorites that may come in handy: “When I saw you I fell in love,…

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My yellow wood

The Road Not Taken  Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as…

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Last of the roses

You know the old saying, “When life gives you lemons…make lemonade”. Well, you can also say, “When your rose garden give you a few measly blooms…make a nose gay”! Late…

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A labor of love

For over 20 years now, Murph’s been getting up at daybreak and driving to Main Street to set up front row seats for our town’s annual Labor Day Parade. This…

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My gardening guru

“A garden is a grand teacher.  It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” – Gertrude Jekyll, British gardener (1843-1932) When…

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We are Newtown

Good morning.  It was 6 months ago today on a Friday morning, here in Newtown, 20 children and 6 of their teachers lost their lives.  Quite innocently they went to…

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Fit and trimmed

As usual, this time of year (honestly, I think it’s more like all year) my obsession with flowering plants is truly that – an obsession.  I find it impossible not…

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The really big show

All antique weathervanes point to Brimfield this week.  That’s right – the Grand Pubah, the Grand Dame, the Head Honcho of antique shows – the Brimfield Antique Show really is the…

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