Cozy at Home ~ Stormy Day Crafting

Tuesday tea time in November is usually a quietly busy time . It is raining ferociously outside so I am sipping hot tea as I craft indoors. Listening to the high wind gusts and knowing the huge trees surrounding Cedar Pond  are rooted in very soggy soil and prone to topple over bringing down power lines gives me cause to consider my preparation for power outages , frequent events for us during the fall and winter season.

I have water for drinking , candles, flash-light, battery powered radio, plenty of food, and crafting to keep me busy indoors. Yes, we're ready . The lights have already flickered a few times and finishing this post today is even in question if the power goes out .

I am working on a different type of Wee Little Sheep . I decided after many years of making at least a thousand little sheep I would have some fun changing things a bit and experimenting. I am giving some of them horns , spots, and different facial markings . More like my real flock of Jacob Sheep.

I have been doing a lot of spinning wool too, especially when I watch television with my husband. When I am spinning wool I can justify just sitting around because I am still getting something productive done .

The winds have picked up , I can hear them outside as I work and blog. I am going to make another pot of black tea now and shut down the computer before the power goes out. I hope you're having a cozy tea time indoors and I will catch up with my tea-time friends after the storm passes by, hopefully tonight ! I am so blessed and thankful to be cozy at home while the storms rage by. Please check out the links below as you sip your tea , cozy at home.

 Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage. *

Bernideen ' Tea time Cottage and Garden Blog Party. *

Happy Birthday Marines, Thank-You Veterans

Today is the birthday of the United States Marines, established November 10 , 1775. This is a picture of our favorite Marine and veteran , our oldest son and "his" tank. Happy Birthday ,Marine !
To learn more about the marines and their 240th birthday click here. *

 

The picture below is of the tank crew. 

Thank-you son for your service. We're so thankful God chose to bring you safely back home to us and your 4 daughters. ~ " The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war , no matter how justified , shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." George Washington

 

 

Just An Old Dog

Just an old dog following me around as I tend my flocks and gardens . My Beatrix loves me so much. She is an old dog now and has always lived here. Beatrix was born here at Cedar Pond in our kitchen, as was her sister Willow who is older than Beatrix. Beatrix and Willow are easy dogs to have around and because of that I sometimes forget what amazing dogs they are. Right now Beatrix is snoring as she sleeps at my feet but if I were to move from this chair she'd be up and ready to follow me even if her aching bones protest.

I remind myself that my dogs live to follow me around and please me. Their life is short compared to ours and it is so easy to make them happy. They want my praise. A nod and a pat and simply saying "good girl, I love you " to my dogs causes ecstatic tail-wagging and happiness . Food treats I give my dogs are a bonus , but I can tell when I feed them and walk away while they're eating and my dogs leave their dish of food still half full to follow me, it is me they desire most. I am humbled.

Last Of Autumn Splendor ~ Thursday in the Garden

Another update on the gardens , pond, and woods around Cedar Pond. Hawk, our Vizsla prefers napping in the sunshine on the porch. He's getting old and craves warmth to ease his old bones.

Mushroom growing out of the trunk of a dying alder at our pond's edge.

The day after I took this picture we had a 3 day down pouring of rain ( almost 3 inches ) that washed the bright leaves right out of this Japanese maple tree. This tree is showing the last days of autumn splendor. Soon we might see the bare branches adorned with the icy crystals of late fall and winter.

A baby fennel plant has sprung up at the edge of one of the paths in my herb garden.

Rose hips on our Rugosa bushes in the herb garden are so bright and cheerful.

Mallow plants that escaped my weeding are blooming in the front garden under an ornamental grass. I have two kinds of Mallow growing here and they are hardy survivors , seeding themselves far and wide around Cedar Pond. The honeybees love them.

Our burning bush ( don't recall its real name ) has scant leaves but is full of berries the birds are plucking quickly.

One of my granddaughters snapped this photo of me as I was burning almost 5 months worth of storm debris down by our pond. After the big rains we can safely burn , and I had a very big burn pile going for 2 days.

My huge burn pile is now a cozy fire near our special spot at pond's side. The wood neatly stacked behind the fire is ready for future outdoor fires by the pond. ( All that wood is from trees the storms brought down around and into the pond.)

Sometimes our fall and winters bestow upon us a rare sunny day. On many such days we wrap ourselves in warm clothing ,build a fire in the fire pit by the pond and sip hot coffee or cocoa as we take in the beauty of the season. ~ " Instead of the call of the meadowlark, we hear the sharp call of the busy nuthatch as he probes tree trunks for juicy beetle-steak hidden in the cracks of bark. The November wind scurries fitfully and the cold rain falls in a leaden sheet across the brown fields."  ~ 'The New England Butt'ry Shelf Almanac' by Mary Mason Campbell

Our Pacific Northwest autumn splendor is giving way to November's late fall palette, preparing us for winter damp and dark, a beauty all its own.

I am thankful for my faithful dogs, my entertaining cats , our pond, and ever-changing weather .

Tea Time Tuesday ~ Prudence Olive-Egger

 I featured Prudence and her brother Cheepers in a blog post* awhile ago. There she is , a cute little chick sitting in one of my teacups.

 Prudence is all grown up now, and at almost 7 months of age she is a sleek black hen whose feathers give off a beautiful metallic green shine when the sun lights on them. Her mother is an Americauna hen who lays minty green colored eggs. Her father is a Marans , a breed of chicken noted for their dark chocolate brown colored eggs. I was excited to see the color eggs Prudence would lay. Last month she laid her first egg...

... and I am so happy to say she is Prudence the olive-egger ! Yes, she laid the olive egg in the center of the eggs I gathered on her first day of laying. I don't think I'll be bringing her indoors to sit in a teacup for any more Tea Time Tuesdays ,but I will give her a special treat of cracked corn and maybe some of the pumpkin left over from our fall decorating. I think she'd appreciate that more, but not as much as I appreciate her olive eggs.

Linking up to a new Tuesday parties ~

Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage ~ No Place Like Home*

Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party *

 

 ~Thankful today for a warm home , abundant food, and my husband's love.



Marking the Rhythm of Autumn's End

Gladys Taber of Stillmeadow says this about November ~ " But now the wind has a mournful sound , marking the rhythm of autumn's end. The first beat of winter is not yet here , and country folk tend to spend extra time doing chores or puttering, just to be out of doors. " Yes, there is a definite change of season here marked by 3 days of constant rain. The autumn leaves have been washed out of the trees by nature's showers. The days are not too cold, but the chill in the air requires a light jacket or sweater. Perfect for a walk on country paths and roads. Perfect for a walk around Cedar Pond with grandchildren and an old red dog.

"I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He ( God ) has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart ..." Ecclesiastes 3: 10,11

Thursday In The Garden ~ Snug In My Indoor Garden

Our sun room has three sky lights that make this a bright and light room all year round. It makes a perfect indoor garden room too. For most of the years we've lived here ( over 2 decades ) I kept caged birds in this small room with our plants but we moved the parakeets into an outdoor aviary this past summer and I have to say, I do not miss cleaning up scattered bird seed and feathers every day . This past week I finally acted on some plans I've had for this room to make it a comfortable room to read and do needlework in natural light whilst being able to listen to the sound of rain pattering, splattering, and sometimes gushing on the over-head windows. Rain is my favorite music and now I've created a space in our home to be able to listen to my music comfortably. ( A cup of hot tea or good coffee completes the mood ! )

My African Violets thrive here. This is an African Violet I have shown in other posts, and it has just this month bloomed again. This violet has reproduced and is now 3 violet plants in one pot, but look how healthy and happy it is, and it is an old African Violet, at least 10 years old, maybe older . I think this is the third time this plant has bloomed this year.

The other side of the sun room. Some of the plants in this room are almost 40 years old, most at least 20 years old. The white baker's rack holds not only plants, but my garden magazines and plant books.

My collection of bird's nests are displayed here too, some in little glass bowls , some perched in the bigger plants. Bird's nests, plants, a comfortable chair and books to read make this room all I want it to be especially now the rain has returned in great abundance. This also makes it the favorite room of our cats, but I think they appreciated birds in here even more.

My indoor garden requires a bit of work every so often. The plants require water several times a week, in the summer they needed watering almost every day. When I changed this room around last week I moved an old bird cage outdoors giving me more room for my antique chair (over 100 year old) and ottoman. I spent a lot of time pruning and dead-heading the plants. I know most of these plants are seriously pot-bound and dread the chore of re-potting them , but I am going to wait until after Christmas before attempting that task. Summer's over, October's almost gone. Time to be snug indoors while November begins her cold wet ways . Snug in my indoor garden, my music room ~ listening to my music, the rain.