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My Own Cape Cod
For many years Gladys Taber has shared all the warmth and charm of Stillmeadow, her Connecticut home, with her thousands of devoted readers. Here she opens the doors of her Cape Cod home and invites her readers to share another part of her life.
"Still Cove," she writes, "is exactly my idea of heaven." Nestled on a cliff overlooking the sapphire waters of Mill Pond inlet, it is a low, one-story house with white cedar shingles weathered to a soft smoke gray.
Looking beyond Still cove, Mrs. Taber reflects on the Cape itself. Here are friends and neighbors, living in enviable closeness to each other and to the natural setting in which they have made their lives. Here are the tides and the fogs, the cranberry bogs, the beaches where visitors swim and Cape Codders dig for clams.
The book is divided into four sections, one for each season, and every page is alive with the author's presence and observations. "What is Cape Cod?" Gladys Taber writes. "It is an amethyst glow at the horizon over Mill Pond, announcing dawn." "It is the Full Flower Moon in May walking in gold on quiet water." "Honey locusts and honeysuckle weighing the air with sweetness and sea lavender signing the beaches with delicate purple." All of these, and much more, are Cape Cod, captured here as only Gladys Taber could express it.
"Still Cove," she writes, "is exactly my idea of heaven." Nestled on a cliff overlooking the sapphire waters of Mill Pond inlet, it is a low, one-story house with white cedar shingles weathered to a soft smoke gray.
Looking beyond Still cove, Mrs. Taber reflects on the Cape itself. Here are friends and neighbors, living in enviable closeness to each other and to the natural setting in which they have made their lives. Here are the tides and the fogs, the cranberry bogs, the beaches where visitors swim and Cape Codders dig for clams.
The book is divided into four sections, one for each season, and every page is alive with the author's presence and observations. "What is Cape Cod?" Gladys Taber writes. "It is an amethyst glow at the horizon over Mill Pond, announcing dawn." "It is the Full Flower Moon in May walking in gold on quiet water." "Honey locusts and honeysuckle weighing the air with sweetness and sea lavender signing the beaches with delicate purple." All of these, and much more, are Cape Cod, captured here as only Gladys Taber could express it.
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
3 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
Gladys Taber
89 books130 followersA prolific author whose output includes plays, essays, memoirs and fiction, Gladys Taber (1899 – 1980) is perhaps best recalled for a series of books and columns about her life at Stillmeadow, a 17th-century farmhouse in Southbury, Connecticut.
Born Gladys Bagg on April 12, 1899 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she was the middle child and only one to survive to adulthood. Her parents were Rufus Mather Bagg, who could trace his ancestry back to Cotton Mather, and the former Grace Sibyl Raybold. An older sister, Majel, had died at the age of six months while a younger brother Walter died at 15 months. During her childhood, she moved frequently as her father accepted various teaching posts until they finally settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. Gladys graduated from Appleton High School and enrolled at Wellesley College, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1920. She returned to her hometown and earned a master’s in 1921 from Lawrence College, where her father was on faculty. The following year, she married Frank Albion Taber, Jr., giving birth to their daughter on July 7, 1923.
Mrs. Taber taught English at Lawrence College, Randolph Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and at Columbia University, where she did postgraduate studies. She began her literary career with a play, Lady of the Moon (Penn), in 1928, and followed with a book of verse, Lyonesse (Bozart) in 1929. Taber won attention for her first humorous novel, Late Climbs the Sun (Coward, 1934). She went on to write several other novels and short story collections, including Tomorrow May Be Fair ( Coward, 1935), A Star to Steer By (Macrae, 1938) and This Is for Always (Macrae, 1938). In the late 1930s, Taber joined the staff of the Ladies’ Home Journal and began to contribute the column “Diary of Domesticity.”
By this time, she had separated from her husband and was living at Stillmeadow, a farmhouse built in 1690 in Southbury, Connecticut, sharing the house with Eleanor Sanford Mayer, a childhood friend who was often mistakenly identified as her sister. Beginning with Harvest at Stillmeadow (Little, Brown, 1940), Taber wrote a series of books about her simple life in New England that possessed homespun wisdom dolled out with earthy humor and an appreciation for the small things. She published more than 20 books related to Stillmeadow, including several cookbooks.
In 1959, she moved from Ladies’ Home Journal to Family Circle, contributing the “Butternut Wisdom” column until her retirement in 1967. In 1960, her companion, Eleanor, died and Taber decided to abandon life at Stillmeadow. Having spent some summers on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, she decided to relocate to the town of Orleans where she would live out the remainder of her days. While a resident of Orleans, Taber contributed “Still Cove Sketches” to the Cape Cod Oracle . Her final book, published posthumously, was Still Cove Journal (Lippincott, 1981).
Gladys Taber had divorced her husband in 1946 and he later passed away in October 1964. She died on March 11, 1980 in Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts at the age of 80.
Born Gladys Bagg on April 12, 1899 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she was the middle child and only one to survive to adulthood. Her parents were Rufus Mather Bagg, who could trace his ancestry back to Cotton Mather, and the former Grace Sibyl Raybold. An older sister, Majel, had died at the age of six months while a younger brother Walter died at 15 months. During her childhood, she moved frequently as her father accepted various teaching posts until they finally settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. Gladys graduated from Appleton High School and enrolled at Wellesley College, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1920. She returned to her hometown and earned a master’s in 1921 from Lawrence College, where her father was on faculty. The following year, she married Frank Albion Taber, Jr., giving birth to their daughter on July 7, 1923.
Mrs. Taber taught English at Lawrence College, Randolph Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and at Columbia University, where she did postgraduate studies. She began her literary career with a play, Lady of the Moon (Penn), in 1928, and followed with a book of verse, Lyonesse (Bozart) in 1929. Taber won attention for her first humorous novel, Late Climbs the Sun (Coward, 1934). She went on to write several other novels and short story collections, including Tomorrow May Be Fair ( Coward, 1935), A Star to Steer By (Macrae, 1938) and This Is for Always (Macrae, 1938). In the late 1930s, Taber joined the staff of the Ladies’ Home Journal and began to contribute the column “Diary of Domesticity.”
By this time, she had separated from her husband and was living at Stillmeadow, a farmhouse built in 1690 in Southbury, Connecticut, sharing the house with Eleanor Sanford Mayer, a childhood friend who was often mistakenly identified as her sister. Beginning with Harvest at Stillmeadow (Little, Brown, 1940), Taber wrote a series of books about her simple life in New England that possessed homespun wisdom dolled out with earthy humor and an appreciation for the small things. She published more than 20 books related to Stillmeadow, including several cookbooks.
In 1959, she moved from Ladies’ Home Journal to Family Circle, contributing the “Butternut Wisdom” column until her retirement in 1967. In 1960, her companion, Eleanor, died and Taber decided to abandon life at Stillmeadow. Having spent some summers on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, she decided to relocate to the town of Orleans where she would live out the remainder of her days. While a resident of Orleans, Taber contributed “Still Cove Sketches” to the Cape Cod Oracle . Her final book, published posthumously, was Still Cove Journal (Lippincott, 1981).
Gladys Taber had divorced her husband in 1946 and he later passed away in October 1964. She died on March 11, 1980 in Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts at the age of 80.
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August 18, 2023
2023 - ‘70’s Immersion Reading Challenge
My Own Cape Cod by Gladys Taber (1971 1st ed.) 251 pages. Mailed to my friend, Donna, who lives in Maine.
Gladys Bagg Taber (1899–1980), author of 59 books
SETTING: on Mill Pond near Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
I could kick myself in the butt. I lived in Maine for 4 years, from 2000-2004, and never toured the Cape Cod area, which is a very interesting arm-shaped peninsula. Dang! Now, that’s all I can think about. I’m making plans now to make that drive, making my list of things I want to see and do. It may be a couple of years before we head back up that way, though…gotta make it through Bidenomics.
The author had two homes. Her primary home was on 38 acres in Stillmeadow, Connecticut, and her summer home, called Still Cove, was on Mill Pond, near Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Taber spent about six months, spring and fall, in the center of that arm. I really enjoyed reading this, which kind of read like a diary on daily happenings in and around town, but without all the disruptions of dates and years. Gladys Tabor lived another 9 years after publishing this book. I would say just in time to capture the times of the ‘70’s on Cape Cod.
She lived in a changing era. The peninsula and its small towns were transitioning into an everybody knew everybody and your business, with friendly support, to strangers and their non-personal ways, which were taking over businesses. The old timers were dying off.
The population on Cape Cod in 1970 was 88,000 with the summer crowd bringing it to 200,000 people. The current population, in 2023, is 209,660, and that’s before the ‘summer codders’ arrive. Whew! Maybe October would be the best time to travel up there, missing the summer crowd, but just in time for the fall colors.
*********END OF REVIEW*********
DEVILED CLAM BAKE (p. 110)
For one 7-1/2-oz-can minced clams, drained, you need:
2 T. butter
1/4 c. Seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c. Clam juice
1/2 tsp. Lemon juice (or a bit more)
1/2 tsp. Seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. Basil
1/4 tsp. Marjoram
1/4 tsp. Thyme
A few drops Worcestershire sauce
Mix all ingredients well. Spread in clam shells, dot with butter, grated cheese and paprika (or smoked paprika?)
Bake in 350° oven for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS (p. 111)
1 pint drained oysters (save the liquor)
In a shallow greased baking pan, put a layer of 1/2 c. bread crumb, 1 c. cracker crumbs, 1/2 c. melted butter, mixed together well. Lay the oysters gently on this bed and cover with the rest of the crumbs. Pour the oyster liquor and 1 T. cream over. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in 450° oven for 20 minutes. Dust with paprika (smoked paprika?) and serve. Makes 4 servings.
INTERESTING LITTLE TIDBITS
P. 167: Cape Codders, back in the ‘70’s, at least, didn’t usually draw their curtains or blinds after dark. They thought something was wrong with you if you did. They didn’t lock their doors either. Same here. In fact, I’ve never had curtains or blinds in any of our houses over the years. But, with this open border thing going on, we have blackout blinds for the first time in our life. We are living in a new era.
Quote: It is so still that even the cry of the gulls has ceased. I know how fortunate these Cape youngsters are to have the gift of quiet in their lives. On Mill Pond, there is no jukebox, no hippie band, no screaming of obscenities. Robin and Holly are enjoying the heritage I wish all teenagers could share. (p. 100)
Taber could only name 5 kids who she watched grow up to be hard working and respectable adults. She complained a bit about the “hippie” kids with long hair, dirty and barefoot that were beginning to hang out on the beach benches wasting away. So, she saw changes then, and now look at our youth.
She mentioned several times, Hal Borland, one of my favorite authors, as a good friend of hers. (p. 50) Hal Borland must live near her home in Connecticut.
Taber complained of Daylight Savings. She hated turning the clock back, and everyone she knew didn’t like it either. Well, fifty-two years later, in 2023, we have sprung the clock forward for the very last time. Daylight Savings Time has finally ended.
THINGS TO POSSIBLY SEE AND DO IN CAPE COD…(if they still exist):
- OCTOBER - best time to go see beautiful fall colors in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont
- FIRST ENCOUNTER BEACH - where Pilgrims first encountered Indians. There’s a plaque commemorating the encounter (p. 178)
- CORN HILL - where Miles Standish (born c. 1584, Lancashire, Eng.—died Oct. 3, 1656, Duxbury, Mass), British-American colonist and military leader of the Plymouth colony, went exploring and followed an Indian Trail to buried corn. They stole all of it and found what they believed to be an Indian graveyard. On the way back, William Bradford (c. 19 March 1590 – 9 May 1657) stepped under a leaning tree and was caught in a trap, hanging by one leg. Payback? Taber believes so. (p. 179)
- SNOW’S HOME & GARDEN - in Orleans
- MILL POND - near Eastham, home of this author (pictured on page 17 and 59) AND where Blyth and Ridgway took off in a row boat across the Atlantic to England. BOOK: "A Fighting Chance" by John M. Ridgway and Chay Blyth (1967).
ROCK HARBOR - author’s favorite place to view harbor
- NAUSET LIGHT
- PROVINCETOWN - where Mayflower first landed, but then settled at Plymouth; Thoreau took transportation to Orleans and walked from Orleans to Provincetown [27 miles] around 1855-57. (p. 216)
- BEACHCOMBING - early morning…best beach?
GARDEN NOTES:
PLANTING CORN ON HILLS: Per hill - 3 dead fish (from Bailey’s?) with heads pointing towards corn, 5 kernels per hill. TRY IT THIS YEAR!!!!!!
POKEBERRY, BEETS - used as dye in early days. Pokeberry dyed t-shirt? I have plenty of pokeberries around here. Fun project. Freeze some berries (or juice) for dying Easter eggs next year.
ONLINE SITES OF PLACES MENTIONED IN BOOK (EXTRA READING):
PHILBRICK’s SNACK SHACK ON NAUSET BEACH…known all around for their onion rings. Destroyed in 2018 nor’easter.
https://onemoregoodadventure.com/tag/...
THE LOBSTER CLAW RESTAURANT (in Orleans…was a favorite of author’s and her friend, Eileen DeLory)…after 50 years in business, it closed down in 2020.
https://www.boston.com/food/restauran...
THE INN AT CAPE COD…Is this the same Inn on the edge of Town Cove mentioned on page 162 with purple turret poking up from the roof. Maybe previously called The Lobster House? (p. 164) on the bay side of Orleans near Skaket and described as once a magnificent mansion?
Type in search engine: innatcapecod.com
NAUSET COAST GUARD STATION, EASTHAM, CAPE COD, MASS
THE OUTERMOST HOUSE - destroyed in a nor’easter in 1978. Its original location was a hundred yards out in the sea. That’s how much the ocean levels have risen.
https://www.literarytraveler.com/arti...
BOOK: “The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod” by Henry Beston (1928).
My Own Cape Cod by Gladys Taber (1971 1st ed.) 251 pages. Mailed to my friend, Donna, who lives in Maine.
Gladys Bagg Taber (1899–1980), author of 59 books
SETTING: on Mill Pond near Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
I could kick myself in the butt. I lived in Maine for 4 years, from 2000-2004, and never toured the Cape Cod area, which is a very interesting arm-shaped peninsula. Dang! Now, that’s all I can think about. I’m making plans now to make that drive, making my list of things I want to see and do. It may be a couple of years before we head back up that way, though…gotta make it through Bidenomics.
The author had two homes. Her primary home was on 38 acres in Stillmeadow, Connecticut, and her summer home, called Still Cove, was on Mill Pond, near Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Taber spent about six months, spring and fall, in the center of that arm. I really enjoyed reading this, which kind of read like a diary on daily happenings in and around town, but without all the disruptions of dates and years. Gladys Tabor lived another 9 years after publishing this book. I would say just in time to capture the times of the ‘70’s on Cape Cod.
She lived in a changing era. The peninsula and its small towns were transitioning into an everybody knew everybody and your business, with friendly support, to strangers and their non-personal ways, which were taking over businesses. The old timers were dying off.
The population on Cape Cod in 1970 was 88,000 with the summer crowd bringing it to 200,000 people. The current population, in 2023, is 209,660, and that’s before the ‘summer codders’ arrive. Whew! Maybe October would be the best time to travel up there, missing the summer crowd, but just in time for the fall colors.
*********END OF REVIEW*********
DEVILED CLAM BAKE (p. 110)
For one 7-1/2-oz-can minced clams, drained, you need:
2 T. butter
1/4 c. Seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c. Clam juice
1/2 tsp. Lemon juice (or a bit more)
1/2 tsp. Seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. Basil
1/4 tsp. Marjoram
1/4 tsp. Thyme
A few drops Worcestershire sauce
Mix all ingredients well. Spread in clam shells, dot with butter, grated cheese and paprika (or smoked paprika?)
Bake in 350° oven for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS (p. 111)
1 pint drained oysters (save the liquor)
In a shallow greased baking pan, put a layer of 1/2 c. bread crumb, 1 c. cracker crumbs, 1/2 c. melted butter, mixed together well. Lay the oysters gently on this bed and cover with the rest of the crumbs. Pour the oyster liquor and 1 T. cream over. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in 450° oven for 20 minutes. Dust with paprika (smoked paprika?) and serve. Makes 4 servings.
INTERESTING LITTLE TIDBITS
P. 167: Cape Codders, back in the ‘70’s, at least, didn’t usually draw their curtains or blinds after dark. They thought something was wrong with you if you did. They didn’t lock their doors either. Same here. In fact, I’ve never had curtains or blinds in any of our houses over the years. But, with this open border thing going on, we have blackout blinds for the first time in our life. We are living in a new era.
Quote: It is so still that even the cry of the gulls has ceased. I know how fortunate these Cape youngsters are to have the gift of quiet in their lives. On Mill Pond, there is no jukebox, no hippie band, no screaming of obscenities. Robin and Holly are enjoying the heritage I wish all teenagers could share. (p. 100)
Taber could only name 5 kids who she watched grow up to be hard working and respectable adults. She complained a bit about the “hippie” kids with long hair, dirty and barefoot that were beginning to hang out on the beach benches wasting away. So, she saw changes then, and now look at our youth.
She mentioned several times, Hal Borland, one of my favorite authors, as a good friend of hers. (p. 50) Hal Borland must live near her home in Connecticut.
Taber complained of Daylight Savings. She hated turning the clock back, and everyone she knew didn’t like it either. Well, fifty-two years later, in 2023, we have sprung the clock forward for the very last time. Daylight Savings Time has finally ended.
THINGS TO POSSIBLY SEE AND DO IN CAPE COD…(if they still exist):
- OCTOBER - best time to go see beautiful fall colors in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont
- FIRST ENCOUNTER BEACH - where Pilgrims first encountered Indians. There’s a plaque commemorating the encounter (p. 178)
- CORN HILL - where Miles Standish (born c. 1584, Lancashire, Eng.—died Oct. 3, 1656, Duxbury, Mass), British-American colonist and military leader of the Plymouth colony, went exploring and followed an Indian Trail to buried corn. They stole all of it and found what they believed to be an Indian graveyard. On the way back, William Bradford (c. 19 March 1590 – 9 May 1657) stepped under a leaning tree and was caught in a trap, hanging by one leg. Payback? Taber believes so. (p. 179)
- SNOW’S HOME & GARDEN - in Orleans
- MILL POND - near Eastham, home of this author (pictured on page 17 and 59) AND where Blyth and Ridgway took off in a row boat across the Atlantic to England. BOOK: "A Fighting Chance" by John M. Ridgway and Chay Blyth (1967).
ROCK HARBOR - author’s favorite place to view harbor
- NAUSET LIGHT
- PROVINCETOWN - where Mayflower first landed, but then settled at Plymouth; Thoreau took transportation to Orleans and walked from Orleans to Provincetown [27 miles] around 1855-57. (p. 216)
- BEACHCOMBING - early morning…best beach?
GARDEN NOTES:
PLANTING CORN ON HILLS: Per hill - 3 dead fish (from Bailey’s?) with heads pointing towards corn, 5 kernels per hill. TRY IT THIS YEAR!!!!!!
POKEBERRY, BEETS - used as dye in early days. Pokeberry dyed t-shirt? I have plenty of pokeberries around here. Fun project. Freeze some berries (or juice) for dying Easter eggs next year.
ONLINE SITES OF PLACES MENTIONED IN BOOK (EXTRA READING):
PHILBRICK’s SNACK SHACK ON NAUSET BEACH…known all around for their onion rings. Destroyed in 2018 nor’easter.
https://onemoregoodadventure.com/tag/...
THE LOBSTER CLAW RESTAURANT (in Orleans…was a favorite of author’s and her friend, Eileen DeLory)…after 50 years in business, it closed down in 2020.
https://www.boston.com/food/restauran...
THE INN AT CAPE COD…Is this the same Inn on the edge of Town Cove mentioned on page 162 with purple turret poking up from the roof. Maybe previously called The Lobster House? (p. 164) on the bay side of Orleans near Skaket and described as once a magnificent mansion?
Type in search engine: innatcapecod.com
NAUSET COAST GUARD STATION, EASTHAM, CAPE COD, MASS
THE OUTERMOST HOUSE - destroyed in a nor’easter in 1978. Its original location was a hundred yards out in the sea. That’s how much the ocean levels have risen.
https://www.literarytraveler.com/arti...
BOOK: “The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod” by Henry Beston (1928).
June 28, 2018
Ever wish that you could slow life down, turn off the noise and the chatter and just listen to the sea birds calling? Want to live in a place where you know everyone, they know you, and the neighbors bring you clams they dug on your beach? Have a desire to own a house that has a name? Well, I sometimes want all of those things, and I had them vicariously this week with Gladys Taber at her Cape Cod home, Still Cove, via this lovely book that whisked me back to 1970 again.
I had never heard of Gladys Taber, who wrote the Diary of Domesticity column for the Lady’s Home Journal in the late 1930’s, and Butternut Wisdom for Family Circle through the 1960’s. She is a very practical, down-to-earth writer, and the feeling you have reading her is that you are being given a tour of the area by your kind hostess, who is willing to introduce you to everyone who helps to make the community special. When you return to her cottage, she serves you hearty New England fare and lets you put your feet up by her fireplace.
I loved her descriptions of animals, particularly her Abyssinian cat, Amber. I frequently looked up from her book and eyeballed my own furry friend who was lying in bed beside me and thought…”She is talking about you.”
This book felt like a mini-vacation to me, and I sorely needed one. Many thanks to my lovely Goodreads friend, Diane, for introducing me to Gladys Taber. You can bet I will be keeping my eyes open for others of her books. I shudder to think I might have passed them up in the past.
In closing, I will print one of her poems that I found particularly moving:
I SHALL REMEMBER
I met two girls that silvery rainy night
They wore the raindrops as they welcomed me.
September grass grew delicate and light
Near the pale roses leaning toward the sea.
Scattering quail fled soft as falling leaves,
For Autumn lay across the narrow land.
And hearts accept--they must--but summer grieves
Abandoning again the blessed strand.
The house gave steady open testament
That much endures as seasons ebb away,
Wide-open doors, warm lights shone eloquent
Welcome for those who stopped--so brief a stay.
Summer is over, but tonight I shall remember
Two girls, the rain, and roses in September.
I had never heard of Gladys Taber, who wrote the Diary of Domesticity column for the Lady’s Home Journal in the late 1930’s, and Butternut Wisdom for Family Circle through the 1960’s. She is a very practical, down-to-earth writer, and the feeling you have reading her is that you are being given a tour of the area by your kind hostess, who is willing to introduce you to everyone who helps to make the community special. When you return to her cottage, she serves you hearty New England fare and lets you put your feet up by her fireplace.
I loved her descriptions of animals, particularly her Abyssinian cat, Amber. I frequently looked up from her book and eyeballed my own furry friend who was lying in bed beside me and thought…”She is talking about you.”
This book felt like a mini-vacation to me, and I sorely needed one. Many thanks to my lovely Goodreads friend, Diane, for introducing me to Gladys Taber. You can bet I will be keeping my eyes open for others of her books. I shudder to think I might have passed them up in the past.
In closing, I will print one of her poems that I found particularly moving:
I SHALL REMEMBER
I met two girls that silvery rainy night
They wore the raindrops as they welcomed me.
September grass grew delicate and light
Near the pale roses leaning toward the sea.
Scattering quail fled soft as falling leaves,
For Autumn lay across the narrow land.
And hearts accept--they must--but summer grieves
Abandoning again the blessed strand.
The house gave steady open testament
That much endures as seasons ebb away,
Wide-open doors, warm lights shone eloquent
Welcome for those who stopped--so brief a stay.
Summer is over, but tonight I shall remember
Two girls, the rain, and roses in September.
June 11, 2018
This was my bedtime reading for a few nights. Gladys Taber wrote several essay type books in the mid-1900's about her simple life at her farm, Stillmeadow, in Connecticut. She had a second home in Cape Cod and spent six months a year there in later life. This book celebrates the people and nature of that area. Her writing is old-fashioned and upbeat, which is why its nice to read when you're settling down for the night. This book was written in 1971, and unintentionally humorous as she bemoans the state of the world and the changes she sees, businesses reducing interaction with people on a one-to-one basis and turning us all into numbers. What in the world would she think now?
August 22, 2016
I wish I could remember who recommended this book to me. I think it was someone in Litsy. If you are out there, thank you! I had not heard of Gladys Taber and her gentle nature writings. I would call them gentle, as nothing specifically "happens" most of the time, and in this one she chronicles life from her home (Still Cove) in Cape Cod, as a woman living alone with dogs and cats. It was published in 1971, and feels of that time. I wonder how much of the island feels the same as it had to Gladys - I suspect that there are a lot more homes for wealthy people but still the same old problems with nature.
In some ways it feels timeless (the seasonal food places, which was definitely still true on Block Island in the 21st century when I went there) and in other ways it is definitely of its time (she blames having to lock her door on "hippies.") I wish I could have read it while ON Cape Cod, a place I haven't been, but in some ways I have visited it with Gladys.
In some ways it feels timeless (the seasonal food places, which was definitely still true on Block Island in the 21st century when I went there) and in other ways it is definitely of its time (she blames having to lock her door on "hippies.") I wish I could have read it while ON Cape Cod, a place I haven't been, but in some ways I have visited it with Gladys.
March 10, 2023
In different seasons this very quiet, meandering description of life on Cape Cod might not have held me at all. But I felt my brain slowing down and my shoulders relaxing after about 15 min of reading it, so I kept going. I am discovering that I want right now is very slow, quiet, mundane books to fall into. And this was that.
March 20, 2024
“November rains fall with a driving power and the level of the ponds rises. The cranberry bogs are flooded when the frost warnings come from the mainland weather stations. The leaves come down with the rain and the shape of trees comes plain to the eye without the cloak of color. When the sun comes out, the branches look polished. Rock Harbor is no longer so busy with boats and is very still as the sun drops her golden ball. The evening air has a touch of winter to come.”
This book was not quite what I was expecting. The only other Gladys Taber I have read is Country Chronicle . In it Gladys Taber describes Stillmeadow, her seventeenth century Connecticut farmhouse, her life there and the surrounding landscape. It’s a cosy book, full of lovely descriptions of nature and antidotes of the quirks of the house and the neighbours, both human and animal.
I was expecting My Own Cape Cod to be more of the same. And it is, but it is also more than that. It is also a history of the place itself and while it was interesting in finding out more about Cape Cod, I didn’t come to this book looking for that.
No matter. This book was still lovely, even with the unexpected history lesson. Like the quotation at the start of this review, I flagged many sections that I will refer to again. I love that, as with Country Chronicle, this book goes through the seasons, starting with Spring.
My favourite sections were Autumn and Winter, which comes as no surprise to me as they are my favourite seasons. Those sections of the book also happen to include less history and more of the cosy descriptions of nature and astute observations on life that I have come to expect from Gladys Taber.
I read this book along with my friend, Gina (@babsbelovedbooks on Instagram). She gifted me my copy. (Thank you, Gina!) One of the best things about reading this book was hearing what her favourite parts were and her thoughts on the book. If you can find a friend to read Gladys Taber's books with you, I highly recommend it!
July 16, 2025
3 ⭐️ I love Gladys Tabor, especially her Stillmeadow Books. But, this one left me wanting for more details on her personal life on the Cape. The book felt like a textbook on the island instead of a memoir. I will always love her no matter what she writes.
November 2, 2017
A fascination with Cape Cod leads me to many books, and I was delighted to learn that, in addition to the Stillmeadow books, Gladys Taber later had another home in Cape Cod and had written about her life there. As with the Stillmeadow books, she weaves a beautiful tapestry of place out of day to day events, the people who live there, and the amazing nature of Cape Cod....beginning with Spring, as the Cape blooms to life, through Summer with the arrival of the masses of summer people, Autumn when things quiet down again, and Winters (which are considered much milder than on the mainland, although what one considers 'mild' may be largely opinion...). This is a lovely book to read as one season turns to another. Sometimes seems a bit slow, but it truly shares the flavor of living in a very special community.
February 29, 2016
For me, this one was just not as interesting as her Stillmeadow books. But then, after several, they all kind of run together.
March 17, 2024
3.5🌟 I feel terrible saying that I was a little disappointed by this Gladys Taber book. I've always loved every non-fiction GT I've read. This is the first Gladys book that I've rated less than 4 or 4.5🌟
Many GT fans find this book to be a favorite, so I was very much looking forward to finally starting it this month. If you're a lover of New England history or have always wanted to know more about the Cape (especially with personal anecdotes through in), this book is for you! But, I found it hard to get through some of the more textbook-like parts and I was hungrily searching for more of the 'Gladys Taber spirit'.
I wish I'd known ahead of time that this book was more of a "History of Cape Cod/Cape Cod Guide for Newbies/Memoir". After enjoying so many Stillmeadow books, I thought this book would have the same cozy, ultra-readable, amusing and friendly format. But, it's very different—or, at least, it didn't feel the same to me.
The photos helped to give an idea of what the Cape was like for Gladys and I loved delving into each one. But, because the photos are from so long ago, the pictures are very dark, contrasting and difficult to see clearly.
Buddy reading My Own Cape Cod with my dear friend Caro (@carosbookcase) really motivated me to keep going and I don't know if I would have enjoyed it so much if it wasn't for her. Hearing her thoughts on the book helped to keep me invested!
Although this is not my favorite Gladys book, I'm glad that I read it and I'll be interested to know if the other book in my collection, Still Cove Journal, is similar to My Own Cape Cod.
So grateful to my fellow New England friend, Christine (@felines_and_flowers) for gifting me a beautiful copy of this book!! I love that I can share my love of GT with both Caro and Christine!
Many GT fans find this book to be a favorite, so I was very much looking forward to finally starting it this month. If you're a lover of New England history or have always wanted to know more about the Cape (especially with personal anecdotes through in), this book is for you! But, I found it hard to get through some of the more textbook-like parts and I was hungrily searching for more of the 'Gladys Taber spirit'.
I wish I'd known ahead of time that this book was more of a "History of Cape Cod/Cape Cod Guide for Newbies/Memoir". After enjoying so many Stillmeadow books, I thought this book would have the same cozy, ultra-readable, amusing and friendly format. But, it's very different—or, at least, it didn't feel the same to me.
The photos helped to give an idea of what the Cape was like for Gladys and I loved delving into each one. But, because the photos are from so long ago, the pictures are very dark, contrasting and difficult to see clearly.
Buddy reading My Own Cape Cod with my dear friend Caro (@carosbookcase) really motivated me to keep going and I don't know if I would have enjoyed it so much if it wasn't for her. Hearing her thoughts on the book helped to keep me invested!
Although this is not my favorite Gladys book, I'm glad that I read it and I'll be interested to know if the other book in my collection, Still Cove Journal, is similar to My Own Cape Cod.
So grateful to my fellow New England friend, Christine (@felines_and_flowers) for gifting me a beautiful copy of this book!! I love that I can share my love of GT with both Caro and Christine!
April 27, 2025
This book is a treasure and anyone who loves Cape Cod should read it!
I enjoyed reading about life on Cape Cod 54 years ago. Surprisingly not that much has changed. The small town grocery store that changed ownership 54 years ago is still in town, as is Snows, a general store and fuel supply company.
The book is divided into four sections, representing the seasons. Each section begins with a poem that I can only assume is by the author.
Spring - in this first section, Taber gives us some history about the Cape. Tabor talks about the other books that have been written about the Cape and then says “It would seem useless to write anymore about the Cape! My only reason is that my own Cape Cod is a very personal place and I long to share it. It is a place I have lived in and loved.“
Summer - Summer, of course, is when the tourists descend upon the Cape in droves. It doesn’t sound like the Cape in the 70s was well prepared for the additional population in the summer as some people stock up on supplies to get through the summer months.
Autumn- The Autumn chapter provides a history lesson about the pilgrims and their relationship with the Native Americans, who helped them survive. Although most of this occurred in Plymouth, there is a connection to the Cape because the Mayflower first landed in Provincetown.
Winter-
“Winter on the narrow land is the most controversial subject there is. When I am inland, at Stillmeadow, friends call from Orleans to sympathize with me for not being in the Florida of New England. Some of them say cold rains fall, but the temperature is moderate. But some of them describe the Cape as an extension of the NorthPole.“
“ Winter is not an easy season in New England, but without it, where would the ecstasy of a New England spring be?“
“…Cape Cod is not a place so much as a state of mind”
“Perhaps the greatest gift of the Cape is the intimacy we have with sky and sea and shining sands, and as we enter the space age we shall be more grateful than ever for this narrow land where the tides are not regulated by computer and the skyway travelers are the wild geese going over and the redwings announcing spring and the seagulls swooping against the fire of sunset.”
I enjoyed reading about life on Cape Cod 54 years ago. Surprisingly not that much has changed. The small town grocery store that changed ownership 54 years ago is still in town, as is Snows, a general store and fuel supply company.
The book is divided into four sections, representing the seasons. Each section begins with a poem that I can only assume is by the author.
Spring - in this first section, Taber gives us some history about the Cape. Tabor talks about the other books that have been written about the Cape and then says “It would seem useless to write anymore about the Cape! My only reason is that my own Cape Cod is a very personal place and I long to share it. It is a place I have lived in and loved.“
Summer - Summer, of course, is when the tourists descend upon the Cape in droves. It doesn’t sound like the Cape in the 70s was well prepared for the additional population in the summer as some people stock up on supplies to get through the summer months.
Autumn- The Autumn chapter provides a history lesson about the pilgrims and their relationship with the Native Americans, who helped them survive. Although most of this occurred in Plymouth, there is a connection to the Cape because the Mayflower first landed in Provincetown.
Winter-
“Winter on the narrow land is the most controversial subject there is. When I am inland, at Stillmeadow, friends call from Orleans to sympathize with me for not being in the Florida of New England. Some of them say cold rains fall, but the temperature is moderate. But some of them describe the Cape as an extension of the NorthPole.“
“ Winter is not an easy season in New England, but without it, where would the ecstasy of a New England spring be?“
“…Cape Cod is not a place so much as a state of mind”
“Perhaps the greatest gift of the Cape is the intimacy we have with sky and sea and shining sands, and as we enter the space age we shall be more grateful than ever for this narrow land where the tides are not regulated by computer and the skyway travelers are the wild geese going over and the redwings announcing spring and the seagulls swooping against the fire of sunset.”
October 23, 2017
My own Cape Cod by Gladys Bagg Taber
Have been to visit various areas around the Cape and it's always about a good area. Hoping to find more great spots to visit.
Still Cove at Mill Pond Inlet and life on the cape and all it holds.
Stories of a summer resident who now lives there full time. Very like how my parents lived on the island off the coast of RI.
Chapters going through each of the seasons and what changes occur. Very descriptive.
Received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Have been to visit various areas around the Cape and it's always about a good area. Hoping to find more great spots to visit.
Still Cove at Mill Pond Inlet and life on the cape and all it holds.
Stories of a summer resident who now lives there full time. Very like how my parents lived on the island off the coast of RI.
Chapters going through each of the seasons and what changes occur. Very descriptive.
Received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
February 2, 2021
2021: Bk 18. This book tells its age. It is a gentle read, rejoicing in the sights and sounds of Cape Cod and specifically to the author's life around Still Cove. People in her local community are divided between the summerfolk and the residents and while they interact, to Taber, the residents are more polite, more considerate. However, there is a lack of tolerance for the manner in which the summerfolk conduct themselves without considering how being on vacation changes a person. I did enjoy the book and will possibly read it again.
February 3, 2021
"What is Cape Cod? It is a narrow stretch of land jutting into the fathomless sea and so far man has not been able to devastate it so it is as beautiful as young love's fragile dreaming.
But it is, in actuality, the people who sweep the pine pollen from their doorsteps in season, carry a pot of home-baked beans to a neighbor, knock themselves out finding a home for lost kittens, feed crippled seagulls, fight fiercely at Town Meetings."
Yesterday I was just getting into a novel recommended by my daughter's Arizona book group when my Kindle needed recharging. I picked up My Own Cape Cod, lent by my friend Elizabeth, and spent two delightful afternoons reading about this place we now call home. Gladys wrote this novel in 1971 and divided it into the four seasons; I would describe it as part history, part memoir, and part geography lesson. It was so interesting to read about this exact part of Cape Cod where we live, as Taper named streets, stores, ponds, restaurants, and the people who inhabited her Cape Cod. She and I share a love of all animals, especially dogs.
Like so many, Taper came to Cape Cod on a short, exploratory vacation and fell in love. In my case, my husband and I camped on Cape Cod with our two older sons right after moving to Massachusetts in the mid 70s. We were immediately hooked, spent our vacations here every summer after that, bought our first house in 1992, and moved here year 'round in 2014. As Taper describes it, each of the seasons has its unique beauty; its not for everyone, but there are no settings that are.
A very small criticism of Taber's writing is that she was negative about "hipppies." I think this labeling is unfair and judgmental. The black and white photographs add a lot to the book.
But it is, in actuality, the people who sweep the pine pollen from their doorsteps in season, carry a pot of home-baked beans to a neighbor, knock themselves out finding a home for lost kittens, feed crippled seagulls, fight fiercely at Town Meetings."
Yesterday I was just getting into a novel recommended by my daughter's Arizona book group when my Kindle needed recharging. I picked up My Own Cape Cod, lent by my friend Elizabeth, and spent two delightful afternoons reading about this place we now call home. Gladys wrote this novel in 1971 and divided it into the four seasons; I would describe it as part history, part memoir, and part geography lesson. It was so interesting to read about this exact part of Cape Cod where we live, as Taper named streets, stores, ponds, restaurants, and the people who inhabited her Cape Cod. She and I share a love of all animals, especially dogs.
Like so many, Taper came to Cape Cod on a short, exploratory vacation and fell in love. In my case, my husband and I camped on Cape Cod with our two older sons right after moving to Massachusetts in the mid 70s. We were immediately hooked, spent our vacations here every summer after that, bought our first house in 1992, and moved here year 'round in 2014. As Taper describes it, each of the seasons has its unique beauty; its not for everyone, but there are no settings that are.
A very small criticism of Taber's writing is that she was negative about "hipppies." I think this labeling is unfair and judgmental. The black and white photographs add a lot to the book.
May 7, 2013
It's pretty unlike me to to take 2 months to read a book, but I started this right as I got this cold I couldn't beat and that turned into pneumonia.
This book feels like a conversation with an older aunt/grandmother/etc. You love the stories, but at times your brain drifts away. Our world is so much faster. So in the time it takes Mrs. Taber to describe flowers, I drifted away, remembered that today I have to pick up my daughter from after school karate, rush her through homework and dinner, and get her to Brownies at 6pm. Then I come back to the book and she's close to where my brain drifted away.
The main difference is in time, I know that my older aunts will be gone and I can't go back and redo those conversations either way. At least with this book I can go back and read it when my life is less chaotic and I have time to really enjoy it.
It's an interesting insight into living on the Cape quite some time ago - but also as she sees things change as the Cape becomes more and more affected by tourists and people moving there and bringing their quicker pace with them.
I absolutely love Cape Cod so I'm glad I read the book, but I definitely think that I'll want to read it again when I'm more willing to sit and just enjoy the slow-paced stories. :-)
This book feels like a conversation with an older aunt/grandmother/etc. You love the stories, but at times your brain drifts away. Our world is so much faster. So in the time it takes Mrs. Taber to describe flowers, I drifted away, remembered that today I have to pick up my daughter from after school karate, rush her through homework and dinner, and get her to Brownies at 6pm. Then I come back to the book and she's close to where my brain drifted away.
The main difference is in time, I know that my older aunts will be gone and I can't go back and redo those conversations either way. At least with this book I can go back and read it when my life is less chaotic and I have time to really enjoy it.
It's an interesting insight into living on the Cape quite some time ago - but also as she sees things change as the Cape becomes more and more affected by tourists and people moving there and bringing their quicker pace with them.
I absolutely love Cape Cod so I'm glad I read the book, but I definitely think that I'll want to read it again when I'm more willing to sit and just enjoy the slow-paced stories. :-)
September 6, 2021
This was a lovely little read, simple and charming and beautifully descriptive of place. I love the humor in it too. It reminds me of Susan Branch’s book about Martha’s Vineyard and a small, close-knit community that deals with an influx of tourists in the summer.
December 11, 2021
This is an older book published in 1971. Ms Taber spent summers andin some years more than that in her Cape Cod cottage overlooking Mill Pond, a saltwater pond near Orleans at the 'elbow of the arm' of the Cape. She divides the book into four segments by season. Each brings us a picture of the nature of the area and its changing with the seasons. Her eagle eye brings us details that might be overlooked by the average person not so deeply dedicated to this area of the Cape. Ms Taber had previously lived in many places, claiming to have no roots as a child as her family moved multiple times with her dad's job. Even in her marriage, her family moved several times from Wisconsin to NYC to rural Connecticut. It's from there that she first ventured to Cape Cod and seemed to find the place for her heart to settle. She writes of a timeless quality that invaded her heart. Knowing the topography of the Cape was formed as the Ice Age concluded, she saw the few giant boulders rising from the water as "autographs from countless ages past." ", How small today and tomorrow seem," she writes, "when measured against them."
January 29, 2019
Nice to read a book where the other reviewers are almost exclusively women.
This is a pleasant and "aw shucks" sort of account of life in Orleans circa 1970. Taber has a nice, easy and engaging writing style and the book is chock full of first hand accounts and observations of life on the Cape during the various seasons. There was a bit too much about home and gardening for my tastes but the stories of the people and places are interesting and much of the observations still hold true today.
I'd of given the book 4 stars due to its quality of writing if not for the authors dislike (and dare I say hatred) for hippies. On more than a handful of occasions in the book, Taber rails against "the unwashed hippie" or the "long haired layabout" etc with real animosity and scorn. This despite the fact that she herself is always bemoaning the fact that we as humans are always trying to kill each other with bombs or ruin the world with pollution etc. While this didn't ruin the book for me it was disheartening to read especially since she herself shared the typical hippie views.
This is a pleasant and "aw shucks" sort of account of life in Orleans circa 1970. Taber has a nice, easy and engaging writing style and the book is chock full of first hand accounts and observations of life on the Cape during the various seasons. There was a bit too much about home and gardening for my tastes but the stories of the people and places are interesting and much of the observations still hold true today.
I'd of given the book 4 stars due to its quality of writing if not for the authors dislike (and dare I say hatred) for hippies. On more than a handful of occasions in the book, Taber rails against "the unwashed hippie" or the "long haired layabout" etc with real animosity and scorn. This despite the fact that she herself is always bemoaning the fact that we as humans are always trying to kill each other with bombs or ruin the world with pollution etc. While this didn't ruin the book for me it was disheartening to read especially since she herself shared the typical hippie views.
May 3, 2021
Another delightful book by an author who transports her readers to another time and place. I feel as if I've been living on Cape Cod all week instead of in Southern California. It's such a shame that many libraries no longer carry her out-of-print books as her themes of homes, gardens, friends, family, and cherished pets are timeless, and her writing abilities were truly superb.
June 18, 2024
This was a favorite author of my mother’s and her book. I read most of it while planning to spend time on Cape Cod. I really enjoyed its peaceful way of describing the Cape, its history, people, foliage, waterways. Written in 1971, it is a view of the past, and yet much of the feel and charm of Cape Cod is still present.
September 25, 2017
Simple, pleasant account of Cape Cod through the seasons. Though written in 1970, the author's voice sounds like it could have been written in the 1950s. A reference to landing on the moon and her description of "hippies" are the only two things that place it in 1970.
February 26, 2021
16th Retirement Read Aloud. Someday I hope to visit Cape Cod
September 12, 2021
A delight to read, as always with Gladys Taber.
Ms. Taber is speaking to us even now, and she has wise words for even such a turbulent time as this.
Ms. Taber is speaking to us even now, and she has wise words for even such a turbulent time as this.
March 24, 2022
Read first in 1980s, and loved it even more now. Beautiful writing.
November 27, 2022
Not quite as good as her still meadow books, but still comforting.
Read
August 13, 2023I question whether I’ve read this. I think it’s a computer error.
Read
April 11, 2023Annotated lightly.
November 19, 2010
My introduction to her, another era, a lovely life. She is very peaceful and thoughtful to read and has some great lines to inspire. Love her descriptions of solitary pleasures, tea and reading, walks and nature, thoughts on domestic little nothings that take up so much of our lives. On the other hand, nearly impossible to relate to her when she starts going on about the awful hippies invading Cape Cod and whatnot. Definately a bit of a generational thing. It would have been nice to read her columns in the magazines way back when.
May 8, 2013
This is one of those books that I've read over and over again. She inspires you to really look at the world around you. Her writing reminds me of my dear friend Rachel who blogs at http://lawntea.blogspot.com/.
August 4, 2013
A fascinating incite into a bygone era in a place that sounds so interesting. A long way from my home in Australia. Would love to know what Cape Cod is like today. Does anyone have a suggestion for an current book about the place
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