salty 'flakes and birthday cakes

 It has been a busy month indeed.  I turned 50!  Todd worked in the freezing cold after I'd gone to bed to install a big plywood sign on the porch so that it would be the first thing I saw when I woke up.

We had plans to hike at a national wildlife refuge about 90 minutes away, but the temperature dropped.  I don't mind winter hiking, but it has to be at least 25 degrees!  Now we have to consider Pepita as well.  She has a double coat, but her feet get cold quickly.  

The roads weren't great either, so we decided to stay in.  We made salt dough ornaments...

...played board games, listened to podcasts, and in general had a great snowed-in pajama day, complete with my usual homemade birthday brownie (and Todd had tracked down some Ben and Jerry's Oat of This Swirled ice cream!).  

By the way, I highly recommend salt dough ornaments.  I used this recipe and it was so easy.  And look how pretty the ornaments are (you can see one of the big snowflake ornaments at the front of the Christmas tree)!

We were able to get the tree just before the weather turned...the very same day that the storm came in.

Pepita was unimpressed...

See her on the couch in front?

...but all the pets like to congregate in front of it.

Especially the cats.  We've got our bird feeders filled and they're permanently camped out at the window!

Todd is our feeder filler.

Besides filling the feeders, we are keeping big piles of cat food around the property.  It's cold and there are a lot of strays out there.  We put a cat shelter (plastic tub with straw inside) in the entrance of our white barn and I was delighted to see (via trail cam) that not only are cats staying in it, our cat food has attracted possums to shelter!

The snow is so pretty...it's been very wet, so it clings to the bare tree branches.  

terrible cell phone-in-a-moving-car pic

We generally have bright, sunny days after snow and it's just perfect.

Lots of sleepy cats...

...and pups.

In quiet moments, I've been reading and working on puzzles.

the latest

I've completed 16 puzzles and read 88 books (35,452 pages) this year.  It's down quite a bit from last year's 110 books and 46,166 pages, but I lost a lot of free time with Pepita's midsummer adoption.  I'm just now starting to get free time back.  I haven't really worked on many textile projects this year, either...little knitting, embroidering, sewing, or quilting.  I'm hoping to make some big progress in many areas next year.  As this year winds down, though, I'm going to stick to my usual quiet comforts.

Have a great week!  
 

sleeping with the enemy

 The warm weather continues to confound.  The grass remains green...and growing.

Flowers are still blooming...

...but I don't dare pick them, since there are still a few bees, wasps, and flies around.

Spiders too!  A week away from December!

crab spider on garden gate

Perennials are LOVING this warm/cool cycle.  My perennial garden is full of green...coral bells, mint, lemon balm, coneflowers, lambs ear...so strange.

Still some pretty leaves, too.

We're still seeing plenty on our trail cams.  Big bucks...

Sleepy does...

...and active coyotes.

The cats are missing the big players but keep an eye on the birds, at least, through every window.

Most of the time.  They need a lot of rest...wherever.

The Barnacle on a pile of clean laundry

Even near (but not too close to) a worn enemy (Calliope), in a surprising show of holiday spirit!

Pepita keeps an eye on everything.

With so many drizzly days, we haven't made it to the park as often...so she gets to hang out in the barnyard.

Silently judging me for not throwing the ball.

She's quite the character, although she has quite a bit of down time too, just like the cats.  She'll be a year old at the beginning of April - she won't be a puppy for much longer!

she almost made it to the bed before collapsing

I'm looking forward to more fun with them all!  :)  They're all so fun, with their own unique personalities...I can't imagine my life without pets.  

Have a great week! 

donuts, cakes, and pies, oh my!

 It's late October, and it's crazy how much is still growing in the garden.

Still, it's time for a tear-down.  I finally finished up the perennial garden by the house...

...but the "big boy" is still waiting:  the annual cutting garden, huge and wild.  Truthfully, I prefer to leave this job until spring.  There are still so many insects still out there:

chinese mantis

yellowjacket

speckled sharpshooter leafhopper

Yes, lots of bees are left.  By tearing out the garden, I'm removing a food and shelter source for insects, not to mention their egg cases.  I've found several.  A couple of mantis oothecas...

...and here's a potter wasp nest.

Wild rabbits, too, use the pathways for shelter and the greens for food.  I've found their scat everywhere:

So I really hate to do it, but I'm slowly making inroads...

Spring is going to be just too busy to hassle with this garden, so it's got to go...this fall.  Todd is busy burning all of the leftovers.

I'm alway covered in seeds when I finish.  It's dirty work and I'll be so glad to be done!

It's been busy around here in general.  Work, plus all the little things.  Todd just celebrated his half birthday with one half of a coconut cream pie!

We both really, really hated to miss our local No Kings protest (we will definitely be at the next one), but we had a birthday party to attend!  Two people told me that this was the best chocolate chip cookie they'd ever had.  Here is the recipe!  

Pepita is still tolerating her donut, but we are pretty tired of the restrictions.  It will be so nice to turn her loose!

The kittens are...just exactly the same as always.  Mostly lounging.  Almost always together!  

Troublemakers!

More beautiful sunrises coming our way.

Have a great week!