Thank You Mother Nature!

What is it about snow that is so calming to watch?

I made a last-minute store run for necessities and the snow began falling on the drive back home. I watched as it fell diagonally at the windshield, trying hard not to be mesmerized by the patterns whirling right in front of me as I drove.

Once inside the warmth of our home, I was safe to enjoy the view from our many kitchen windows as I prepared a dinner of corned beef and cabbage with lots of carrots and onions. JB made his famous cornbread.

School is cancelled tomorrow! A reprieve--at last.

I'm worse than a teenager in high school, I know. But I promise I will make good use of the extra time.

But for now, I think I'll grab that over-sized afghan the city-girl daughter made for me and pile up with her on the couch to watch a movie.

Whatever Gets You Through

The icy cold from yesterday has spilled over into today.
The sky is grey and there's a slight fog rolling in this morning.

It's so beautiful, you almost forget how treacherous it can be.

The hibiscus blooming in my bedroom provides a sharp contrast--
keeping me ever mindful of warmer days and better things to come.

So many textures here!

But for now, I must deal with this a while longer.

Keeping It Together

Cause for celebration today--I made a 96.5 on my last environmental biology test. Woohoo!

But I have a definite interest and that may have something to do with how I manage to put in the necessary study time, no?


The signs of spring are all around me--so much that it's hard to concentrate on studies if I'm anywhere near a window.




With rising costs, I'm already planning what I shall do with my garden space once the Georgia Collards run their course.



And I tried the most wonderful new cheesecake recipe for out last Friday night get together. It's a bacon cheddar appetizer cheesecake.
I'll post the recipe in the next couple of days.


And this delectable treat is a chocolate chip oatmeal bar with peanuts.

Very tasty and healthy (in a shady way).


Side note: The wedding dress shopping trip went off without a hitch! Sister and father were able to put aside their differences for the day on behalf of the bride to be. Ain't life grand?

Learning From The Animal Kingdom

I think today I'll take the birds eye view of the world.
I'll be sure to take time to soak in the wonder and beauty of nature.

Maybe instead of putting 3 wheelbarrows of compost and mulch
on the garden, I'll just sit on the hillside and admire the view.

I might even nap.

If the sun gets too warm, I'll find some shade.

And if I have to run errands, I'll make the time to really look
at what I usually take for granted along the way.

When Life Gives You Apples, Make Apple Butter

We're almost 12 hours into it now.

We got started at 8 am with the peeling and coring.

The truck was filled with 20 bushels of this...

We all braved 27 degree weather to turn them into this...

The pits were adjusted to accommodate propane tanks
as opposed to wood fires.

We filled bushels baskets one by one.

And keep track of how many using a highly complex method.

We're waiting for the apples to "cook down" so the last couple of five-gallon buckets of apples can be added. This is the down time--the waiting time.



This is the break in the action that gives you a well-deserved opportunity to put your feet up, share stories and nibble a bit more of all the goodies brought by everyone.

It's a getting too dark to take photos, but I'll keep trying.

And, still to come--at the end--is putting the finished product into 85 million jars.

The Winds Of Change

Old man winter is teasing us. Cold enough to unpack the winter sweaters, then spring-like temperatures that make you wonder if you were too hasty in putting away the summer things. Tomorrow is expected to reach the mid 70s.

But the weekend temperatures should be in the 50s. The perfect weather for peeling and coring 20 bushels of apples with friends.

The men folk have been on the phone all evening. They're conspiring to start things Friday afternoon instead of early Saturday morning.

Chill Out... It'll All Be Fine

I had a rough day.
Two of my Friday tests have been moved
to the Monday after Apple Butter weekend.

That's rough and requires a new plan.

I decided since everyone has been looking
at the last two oatmeal bars in my cake dish
that are not edible because they've been there entirely too long
(and I never removed them because they looked pretty and
were not growing hair or anything)
that I should make oatmeal bars for Friday Night Get-Together.

So I did.

I also decided while the oatmeal bars were cooking,
I could take this bag of stuff down to the composter.
It was getting a bit smelly just to insert egg shells.

For this week's Get-Together, my little friend had a lovely table set.

It was a bit chilly, so she lit the old wood cookstove in her kitchen.

I'm a bit menopausal, so Jake and I sat out on her back porch to escape the heat.

It looks like I have room for company. Would you like to visit for a spell?

Two Weeks Till Apple Butter

It's a little scary to realize I have two weeks to prepare.

Last year we did 12 bushels and 3 couples. This year, JB has become a bit more ambitious and upped the ante to 20 bushels and 5 couples.

From Apple Butter

It is a great deal of work, but also a great deal of fun. The camaraderie is unsurpassed. For two days, we'll peel, cook and eat--not necessarily in that order, but you get the idea.

So, at this stage of the game, I trying to put together a menu plan that can embrace constant re-heating and multiple palates. Last year I did Taco Soup and homemade Queso. This year, I'm thinking maybe brisket.

Anyone have any ideas?

Cheap Thrills

All you folks really made my Halloween. Most of my day was spent checking my email for the responses to the Ghostly car Ad. I hooted and laughed until I had tears running down my cheeks every time one of you posted a comment. Thank you... I am grateful for my blogging buddies.

The icing on the cake was when my youngest called this evening and I was able to hear her response on the phone as she watched the Ghostly Car Ad.

Tree As A Bird

Looking at trees is like cloud-watching.

If you look, you can see all kinds of things.

This is my "butt tree." I don't know what species it is

but, from the first time I saw it I had visions
of creating a nice sitting area and using it as a bench.

Do you see the log that looks like a lizard standing up on two legs
in the lower left-hand corner?

Momo found the alligator in this one. Do you see it?

And this path?
Why, it can lead you anywhere your imagination will take you.

Coping With Hiccups

I thought I was doing really well yesterday, until the power went out. When you live in the boonies, this is to be expected. It doesn't matter how enormous your utility bill is each month, or the fact that you pay this enormous bill each month--you'll still have "hiccups" in the power. Yesterday, the "hiccup" lasted about 4 hours.

I was right in the middle of a whole bunch of HTML code for my internet class, and off went everything. I was safe though... because I code , I save and I preview a lot.

I drove to the end of the road (3.5 miles) peering into houses all the way, to see if anyone else had power. The chickie at the little store that we frequent, said their power had "winked." When I got back home, we still had no power.

Then I realized God must have wanted us to spend some time outside.

I checked to see what Jake had added to the bone collection.
The dogs have a nasty habit of dragging all kinds of things home.
I find leg bones and skulls and parts I can't even identify. (This is why I dread hunting season--aside from the fact I don't condone the killing.)

Then, I re potted 8 plants. I'm trying to prepare things so
I can get all my succulents in the house for winter.

JB bought me this flower pot a couple of years ago
because he thinks the feet look like my feet.
Let me clarify one thing right away: my feet are not green.

I got JB to move the big hibiscus to the kitchen porch
so we could enjoy it a bit longer. It's a monster, isn't it?

No power made me realize just how dependent we are on electricity. I couldn't sew. I couldn't vacuum (darn!), couldn't cook, couldn't wash clothes, couldn't run the AC or the ceiling fans...
But I did notice how bad the ceiling fan in the kitchen was in need of cleaning and took care of it right away.

And when the power did come back on, I immediately vacuumed up a dog or two-- and then made this wonderful vegan pizza.

It's All Cool

It took Blue no time at all to realize the vents were blowing cool air again. He has a habit of sticking his head just inches from the vent, in an effort to maintain his "coolness."

Being a Texas dog and all, one would think he could tolerate the heat. But no, he pants and his tongue curls up, and he looks as if he must just kill over at any minute.

Thank goodness, for him and for me, that JB fixed the main unit.

I Have A Plan

I've managed to keep the deer away from my coneflower.



And my garden is producing green beans and tomatoes, but could use some weeding.

I knew I wanted hibiscus when I saw them in HUGE window boxes in Puerto Vallarta.




But I really have dreams of a garden like this.




It belongs to my little friend down the road.



We had our Friday at their house last night, complete with campfire.

And JB wore his new shirt I found when I went shopping with Momo.