Hello and welcome to my nook!

At my children’s school, part of their curriculum is to memorize and recite poetry every term. A few years ago, my youngest was in 2nd grade and she came home practicing a poem that I had never heard before. On top of that, it had a word I had never heard before: inglenook. I had to look it up. Here is what the internet told me:

Inglenook

Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Inglenook

An inglenook or chimney corner is a recess that adjoins a fireplace. The word comes from “ingle”, an old Scots word for a domestic fire and “nook”.

These are a couple of images I copied from that Wiki post. Aren’t they lovely? I live in a modern, medium-sized home with an open concept floor plan, but I have done all I can to have a cozy arrangement of furniture by the fireplace. It just speaks warmth to my soul. I have tried to make my home as comfortable and cottage-y as I possibly can over the years (as of this writing we have been in this home for 18 years). When one of my children was young, she was sitting on the couch by the fireplace just contemplating the world and said to me, “Mom, our house feels just like a cottage. I am so cozy here”. My heart melted. Only a daughter could notice such a thing I am sure, but beyond that, to have my child notice something intangible I had worked to achieve, has never left me.

I have tucked away many things in my heart over the years and now, I am bringing all of the things here to Inglenook Cottage. All things happy place, hygge, and home.

Here is the poem that began the inspiration:

Who Hath a Book

by Wilbur D. Nesbit

“Who hath a book
Hath friends at hand,
And gold and gear
At his command;
And rich estates,
If he but look,
Are held by him
Who hath a book.

“Who hath a book
Hath but to read
And he may be
A king, indeed.
His kingdom is
His inglenook-
All this is his
Who hath a book.”

― Wilbur D. Nesbit